Chapter 8

The senior brother and younger sister looked at each other in silence.

Their gazes then simultaneously fell upon the little one, who was happily sipping spirit water while waiting to hear a story. Sensing their attention, Yu Youyou hugged her small jade pot and looked back at them, her round eyes filled with pure innocence. Well, if one ignored the earth-shattering words she had just uttered, she would indeed look quite innocent.

"Little Junior Sister, did you hear the telepathic transmission between me and Senior Brother?"

"…Strange?"

Was it strange to be able to hear it? She had listened to people using such transmissions every day in the Demon City. It was only because their words were filled with such malice toward her that she had consciously pretended not to hear, playing the part of a wooden statue.

Zhu Changshu fell into deep thought. The thin, tiny little thing looked at her with such confusion that she changed the question. "Did you hear both of our transmissions?"

Yu Youyou nodded honestly. After holding back for a moment, she asked again, "Strange?" She was still very curious about why the Second Senior Sister found the idea of her being sick so strange.

Chu Xingyun and Zhu Changshu exchanged another look in that brief moment, falling silent once more. Although this senior brother and younger sister spent most of their time adventuring and traveling outside the sect, only returning to enter seclusion, they shared a certain unspoken understanding at this moment.

Chu Xingyun looked at the little one, who seemed happy just to be with her seniors, and said softly, "Since you have discovered something strange, Junior Sister, it would be best to discuss it when Master returns. Little Junior Sister, shall we wait for Master to come back and listen together?"

"Mm." The cub nodded eagerly, willing to wait for her daddy to return so she could share her story.

Chu Xingyun watched her with a smile. What astonished him now was that his telepathic conversation with Zhu Changshu had clearly been heard by the little girl. This was no small matter. He was a top-tier cultivator at the half-step Mahayana stage, and while Zhu Changshu’s cultivation was not quite as high, she was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage—a level of power that was far from ordinary. Even a Mahayana cultivator could not easily intercept a telepathic transmission between two such powerful masters. And even if they could, it would be impossible to do so without alerting their spiritual senses. Yet, the little junior sister, so small and weak she lacked even a trace of spiritual energy, had heard every word clearly.

Was that not strange?

Then there was the matter of her being so thin and small, yet as heavy as a massive mountain. That day on the flying boat, seeing that Master was exhausted, Chu Xingyun had helped hold the soundly sleeping little sister for a moment; it felt as if he were supporting a mountain range, and he had nearly had to push his own Nascent Soul to its limits just to hold her. He still felt exhausted just thinking about it.

As he pondered this mystery, he saw the little one in Zhu Changshu’s arms tilt her head to look at them, then obediently lift her small pot as if to share it with them. The sight of her wanting to share even a mouthful of water made Chu Xingyun chuckle. However, he also remembered that since she had woken up, the little one had been eating and drinking non-stop. While it was understandable given how hungry she had been, he worried she might overeat and make herself sick... He glanced at her flat little belly. So many pastries and spirit waters had gone down, yet she looked as if she hadn't eaten a thing.

***

Despite this, Chu Xingyun reached out and took Yu Youyou into his arms. He carried a different fragrance than the Second Senior Sister. Unlike Zhu Changshu’s faint, herbal, and grassy scent, the incense on Chu Xingyun smelled more elegant and refined.

This embrace was nice. Yu Youyou reluctantly scratched the back of the beautiful senior sister’s hand before rolling contentedly into Chu Xingyun’s arms. She didn’t understand why the Yu Youyou in the book had ended up at such odds with these two kind seniors, nor could she fathom the jealousy and resentment the original girl had felt toward such talented figures. Heaven knows, when she realized she had become Yu Youyou and possessed so much, she felt nothing but immense satisfaction.

Having a Sect Master for a father was such a great backing; it was enough for her to just lie flat and eat and sleep. Even when she heard whispers in the Demon City saying she was a cripple, a waste, and would never be able to cultivate again, it didn't matter to Yu Youyou. She had such a wonderful father to protect and care for her; being less than agile wasn't a big deal. Furthermore, with geniuses like the Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister as the Sect Master’s disciples, his legacy and the sect were in good hands, leaving her with no regrets.

Thinking this way, she even felt grateful to them. Because of them, there was someone to help her father with his techniques and his duties to the sect. Of course, it would be even better if the senior brother and sister liked her too, and were willing to be her pillars of support just like her father.

"Little Junior Sister has just returned to the sect. I am not yet fully aware of your habits, but if there is anything you like, just tell us, alright?"

Chu Xingyun held the little one, who was rolling comfortably in his arms. He paused, awkwardly rubbing her small belly with one hand while using the other to pull out some rare spirit flowers and herbs he had found on his travels to amuse her. He carefully weighed the child in his arms. She was no longer as heavy as she had been on the long boat that day; she was much lighter. If she had felt like a mountain in his arms that day, she was now merely as "light" as a large boulder.

Thinking that Master must have had his reasons after caring for her for three days, and that this subtle strangeness was just a lingering effect, Chu Xingyun thought deeper. It seemed the Great Elder’s words that there was "nothing to worry about" were true. The anomaly was gradually subsiding.

"Who does the Management Hall intend to send to take care of the Little Junior Sister?" he asked Zhu Changshu.

"It will likely be a cautious outer sect disciple." This was something she happened to know about, so Zhu Changshu replied. Although serving in the Sect Master’s hall was a prestigious position, it was, at its core, the work of a servant to look after a child. Even if it were the Sect Master’s beloved daughter, which came with many benefits, most talented inner sect disciples would likely be unwilling. However, for outer sect disciples, this was a golden opportunity. Many would surely be eager to use this chance to enter the inner sect and remain in the Sect Master’s hall in hopes of gaining more opportunities.

Zhu Changshu, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age, was naturally sharp-witted. Hearing the implication in Chu Xingyun’s words, her brows furrowed slightly. Her little junior sister might look ordinary, but she was truly unusual. If it weren't someone they could truly trust, she couldn't just be entrusted to anyone.

"I have just finished my seclusion and need to stabilize my cultivation, so I will remain in the sect to meditate. I will have plenty of time for the next year or two." Zhu Changshu was cold by nature and didn't like to joke, but she didn't dislike pleasant, cute children either. She turned her head and saw the tiny little junior sister sneaking a nibble of a spirit flower under her Senior Brother’s nose, and even managing to pry open a small crack in the pill furnace lid to eat the spirit pills she had given her.

Chu Xingyun clearly saw it all, yet he only offered a faint smile as his flowers and plants were being nibbled away. Zhu Changshu withdrew her gaze, condemning the "doting" in her heart, but choosing to ignore it.

***

The spirit flowers and herbs were fresh and sweet, so it was no wonder the little junior sister liked them. She also liked eating spirit pills... it was clear she had an affinity with her. She would refine a few more batches for her later to satisfy her cravings.

"I, too, happened to obtain some strange spiritual items by chance, and I intend to stay in the sect to study them for the next two years." Chu Xingyun always had adventures while traveling, and the mysterious items he acquired could not just be left to gather dust. He had an agreement with a friend to spend these next few years digesting his previous gains, intending to travel again only after he had mastered more of these wonders and advanced his cultivation. Besides, the sect had busy, important matters to attend to.

He appeared not to see it, but as Yu Youyou snuck a spirit pill meant to nourish her body, a sliver of spiritual energy from his fair fingertips sank into her meridians—only to feel it vanish like a stone cast into the sea. The spiritual energy from the pills and flowers she had eaten disappeared without a trace, and there was absolutely no flow of energy in her meridians. There were no fluctuations of spiritual energy on the little one’s body either.

...She was the type who could eat forever without any effect.

Even as well-traveled as Chu Xingyun was, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He cautiously maintained his spiritual probe while speaking politely to Zhu Changshu. "Besides, for the past few years that I and Master have been away, you have been guarding the sect and assisting the elders; it has been quite a burden. Now it is my turn to contribute, so you can have a rest."

In previous years, Sect Master Yu had been so busy that even his daughter had been taken away by her biological mother, leaving him unable to care for her. While Chu Xingyun appeared to be traveling with his close friends in search of his own destiny, he had actually been searching everywhere for the whereabouts of the former Sect Master. He had searched for years, even letting the little junior sister be neglected in the Demon City, yet he had found nothing. He frowned. "It is a pity there are no clues."

The former Sect Master was their grand-teacher, and he had offered them guidance and teachings when he was still in the sect; the senior brother and sister held him in high regard. How could they stand by when he suddenly went missing? Zhu Changshu had remained in the sect to stabilize the rear, allowing Sect Master Yu and Chu Xingyun to search for him.

"What exactly happened back then? How could there be absolutely no trace?"

The former Sect Master was also a strange case. After stepping down, he had acted in deep secrecy. Moreover, before he disappeared, he could have at least informed them of where he intended to go. Yet, he had left no message, departing the sect in complete silence.

"Does... the Fairy Miaohua not know either?" Zhu Changshu narrowed her eyes and asked Chu Xingyun.

"From the look on her face that day, I doubt she knows." And it wasn't just that she didn't know; she was utterly indifferent. Chu Xingyun had seen all sorts of women in the imperial palace and was not easily surprised, but seeing someone like Gong Miaohua made his blood run cold. His expression darkened slightly as he said, "Do not mention her. Master loathes her to the extreme; it is useless to speak of her." He disliked the woman and, while he wouldn't speak ill of her, he couldn't be bothered to mention her.

Zhu Changshu certainly wouldn't speak of the woman who had brought such shame upon her master.

Meanwhile, Yu Youyou listened while twitching her small ears, secretly stuffing another spirit pill into her mouth. Her Second Senior Sister’s spirit pills were just the best. At least, while she was still hungry, she no longer felt that burning, scorching sensation. But she was thinking about something else now. She was thinking about her grand-teacher, whom she had never met, but who was spoken of so kindly by her father and seniors.

The cub held her little head, trying hard to recall what the book had said about the original Yu Youyou. Where was her grand-teacher’s whereabouts again?