After finishing their mischief, the unscrupulous father-daughter duo quickly slipped back to Qiongxiao Palace. Ji Shiyu thought that was the end of it, but she never expected Yun Liu to go after the Right Path cultivators too.
Relying on his knowledge of the plot, Yun Liu precisely avoided the Sea Patrol Yakshas, quietly snuck aboard the Immortal Gourd Spirit Boat, and stole a batch of Penglai Island Spiritual Medicine. Then he dragged Ji Shiyu along to peek at the Tianyin Fang female disciples bathing, and even made off with their clothes, tossing everything into the Anchao Liekou.
Whether it could be pinned on them didn’t matter—what mattered was diverting the fire.
After doing all that, Yun Liu returned to his room with a satisfied heart, changing out of his Night Travel Clothes.
Ji Shiyu pulled off her Mask and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Her heart was still pounding even now, as if she were meeting Yun Liu all over again.
As the heiress of the Celestial Aristocratic Family and the Heavenly Fate Girl spoken of by her companion Feng Ling, when had she ever done something so outrageous?
This one night was more thrilling than her entire year!
“Interview time. How does it feel to have your first taste of being a bad child?”
“Pfft, y-you’re way too much, aren’t you? You’ve done every bad thing imaginable! If the Great Baldy finds out, we’ll be expelled from the Master’s Sect. Mmm, almost forgot—you already let yourself loose long ago.”
Ji Shiyu giggled with a Silly Smile, too excited to sleep.
At least the Mister no longer treated her like a child!
“Blame me? Wasn’t this what you specifically requested? Sorry to break it to you, but the Adult World is just this cruel—better others die than the one I care about.”
Whatever chaos was brewing, Yun Liu stretched lazily, still unaware of what Qiongxiao Palace and Shipwreck Bay would look like come tomorrow.
For a rebellious Mystic Maiden, running wild was bound to work better than lecturing. Even if it was only a brief escape from fate, a moment to catch her breath was enough. And with no harem around her, releasing the pressure that had nowhere to go—her little satchel carried too many burdens that a girl her age shouldn’t have to bear.
“That’s easy for you to say, but who teaches their student to be this rotten? Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose my mind just like my Martial Aunt did?”
“You? Impossible. Anyone could stumble, but not you.”
Yun Liu waved his hand off, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke.
If Little Yellow Hair could undergo Magic Corruption, then the villainous forces might as well give up.
Was that a compliment or an insult? Ugh, she always felt looked down upon by the Master.
“Who are you looking down on? How do you know I won’t? I learn things fast, and that includes learning to be bad!”
“No one knows a daughter better than her father. I just know.”
“Nyeh nyeh nyeh!”
Ji Shiyu tapped her toes on the floor, lowering her head with a secret delight, giggling like a little hen.
But as she laughed, she gradually fell silent, her expression growing complicated.
As her mind matured, the once hazy vision became clearer, as if she’d wiped her eyes clean and was seeing the world anew.
She suddenly connected many things—things she’d never noticed before.
It was never luck.
Things weren’t always smooth sailing on their own. It was only because, in the places she couldn’t see, someone was carrying the weight for her.
The reason her Fortune journey had stumbled along this far, every time escaping danger unscathed, was all because of the White-robed Youth before her, who even stained his own hands to pave the road.
“Teacher…”
When she looked up again, Ji Shiyu’s eyes were slightly red.
“Hm?”
“Why are you so good to me?”
Yun Liu summoned the Dragon Cauldron, adjusting the Spiritual Veins as he continued refining the artifact. He reached out and flicked Ji Shiyu’s nose, chuckling, “Don’t flatter yourself. Did you just meet me yesterday? Your Master was always this bad.”
“I don’t believe you. Are you telling me you did all this just so I could obtain the Wuyin Qiyun?”
Ji Shiyu dropped her smile and stared at Yun Liu with utmost seriousness. This time, she wouldn’t be brushed aside so easily—she keenly perceived the intent behind the young man’s actions.
Yun Liu couldn’t refute that. Between sister and daughter, his favoritism was clear to Qin Xiang.
How could he dare meet those shining Starmoon Eyes? He averted his gaze and feigned calm: “Maybe it’s out of guilt. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. Besides, I promised your Mother I’d take good care of…”
“Li-ar!”
Ji Shiyu grabbed Yun Liu’s head, cutting him off with a coquettish shout, puffing her cheeks as she glared at him.
That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear!
“Too close.”
At a distance where their breaths mingled, Yun Liu stepped back two paces, but Ji Shiyu stubbornly chased after him until there was nowhere left to retreat.
“What’s wrong? Scared? Afraid to get close to me?”
Ji Shiyu puffed out her chest, turning the tables—this time, she was the one interrogating Yun Liu.
“Ridiculous. What would I possibly be afraid of?”
“You’re afraid that if you admit it, you’ll never be able to lie to yourself again and pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, why won’t you answer me? Say it!”
Ji Shiyu’s gaze was sharp, her two heavily oppressed bunnies pressing firmly against the young man’s chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
She’d always been straightforward—once she decided on something, she’d crash through the Southern Wall without looking back. The Mister was so clever, there was no way he hadn’t noticed. He was just playing dumb.
There was only one reason—he was even more panicked than her!
Yun Liu raised an eyebrow, flustered for only a moment before cupping the girl’s face in both hands.
“This Rebellious Disciple of mine has grown quite bold, actually daring to corner me!?”
“What do I have to fear? I wasn’t the one crying when I got spanked earlier. Or do you want a taste of the Euphoria Smoke too, hmm?”
The fleeting guilt didn’t escape Ji Shiyu’s brilliant Starmoon Eyes, so Yun Liu simply spread his hands wide, utterly fearless.
“If you’ve got the heart, go right ahead. Kill off the world’s cutest genius beauty apprentice. It’s not like I’m the one losing out.”
“Tsk, if it’s not you, then who?”
Yun Liu laughed in exasperation.
“Idiot, it’s Qin Sister, of course.”
Little Yellow Hair grinned with a sly smirk, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
Since when did Ji Shiyu get to call someone else an idiot?
Yun Liu laughed silently. This was a case of reaping what he sowed—raising a daughter only to be plagued by her. No help for it, he really couldn’t bear to let her go.
He had to admit that Ji Shiyu had carved out a significant place in his heart, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore, long since breaking their original agreement.
Since correction was useless, he might as well let her run free. After all, father and daughter were cut from the same cloth—neither had the right to judge the other.
Thinking back to his own miserable childhood, Yun Liu let go with relief, ruffled her golden bedhead hair, and gently pulled Ji Shiyu into an embrace.
A girl this brave, no matter what the final outcome was, deserved neither evasion nor neglect.
Little Yellow Hair froze in surprise, meek as a quail, not daring to move.
“Huh? Why does happiness always come so suddenly?”
Yun Liu only muttered to himself, “Cultivation must be hard, right? That’s true, it’s not a game where you just tap a couple buttons on a screen. In reality, you have to put in real effort.”
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
It was completely out of left field.
“I said it because I felt like it. Do I need a reason? If you’re ever in a bad mood next time, feel free to come vent to me anytime. No need to bottle it up.”