Chapter 1544: 喜当爹

As he spoke, the elder remembered a question and asked, puzzled, "It's only been a few years. That young man's cultivation should be similar to yours. Even Xu Dingyang fled at the mere sight of him, so how did he manage to save you from peril?"

Du Lang's expression turned serious. "It's hard to believe, Master, but Brother Lu is now at the late-stage Constellation Realm!"

"What?" The elder was shocked. "Late-stage Constellation Realm? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

If he didn't know his disciple's character, the elder would have thought he was joking. It was simply unheard of for a cultivator to advance from the eighth-layer Divine Sea Realm to the late-stage Constellation Realm in such a short time.

Du Lang gave a wry smile. "Master, how could I be mistaken about something like this? Besides, God-Child Luo later gathered thousands of people to go to Sirius. Even if I were mistaken, God-Child Luo wouldn't be. During the trial of opportunity on Sirius, Brother Lu persisted longer than God-Child Luo and was the last one to emerge!"

"Impossible..." The elder felt his understanding completely overturned. Cultivating in the Constellation Realm was not that simple. Even with abundant resources, one needed time to refine them. How could a person's cultivation grow so dramatically in less than ten years?

However, the elder soon remembered someone else.

It was the person who took Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens to participate in the Divine Sea Competition. At that time, that person casually took out a nine-star treasure and threw it into the Treasure Pond of the Reincarnation Tree, ultimately winning a huge fortune...

The elder had seen that person from afar once and felt their cultivation was unfathomable. Although he couldn't discern their exact cultivation level with his own eyes, judging by the attitude of the Sun-Dwellers present towards that person, they must have been a top-tier Sun-Dweller. Their power was so immense that even Sun-Dwellers from top realms were wary of them.

With such a powerful backer for Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens, everything seemed to fall into place naturally.

As various thoughts flashed through his mind, the elder realized he probably couldn't treat Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens as a mere junior Constellation Realm cultivator. This person had a formidable powerhouse supporting them.

Composing himself, the elder said, "A life-saving kindness must be remembered. Even if you cannot repay it now, if they ever ask for something in the future, as long as it doesn't conflict with your principles or involve wrongdoing, you should do everything in your power to help them!"

Du Lang respectfully replied, "I will bear your teachings in mind, Master!" He then changed the subject. "Master, Brother Lu said he would like to visit you. I wonder if Master..."

The elder smiled upon hearing this. "Since he is your savior, and you befriended him during your humble beginnings, he is being courteous. How could I not grant his wish? Go and make the arrangements."

If he were merely Du Lang's savior, it wouldn't matter whether they met or not. A visit would simply be a junior showing respect to an elder, and meeting might even make the guest uncomfortable. It might be better not to meet. However, considering the powerful individual behind Lu Ye, the elder thought it best to meet him.

"Yes!" Du Lang replied and respectfully withdrew.

In the guest hall, Lu Ye was once again struck down by Yan Xi. His mind throbbed slightly. As he opened his eyes, he was about to ponder the gains and losses of his recent battle when his expression suddenly turned stern.

Just half a foot in front of him, a delicate, doll-like face with wide, clear eyes was staring at him, full of curiosity.

Lu Ye was startled and instinctively placed his hand on his saber hilt, narrowly stopping himself from drawing it.

However, after recognizing who it was, he held back.

The one staring at him was none other than the little girl he had rescued from the mist dragon.

Since the day he rescued her, the little girl had been in a coma. Lishang, who was caring for her, had repeatedly checked her condition, finding that all the Soul-Devouring Aphids in her Divine Sea had disappeared, yet she remained unconscious. Despite having vitality, her condition was still a mystery.

Half a year had passed, and Lu Ye had grown accustomed to her comatose state. Who would have thought that this time, upon opening his eyes, she would be awake and staring at him from such close proximity?

The little girl looked like a five or six-year-old, but Lu Ye wasn't naive enough to believe she truly was just a little girl.

For all he knew, she might be an ancient monster who had lived for countless years. As for why she appeared as a little girl, Lu Ye didn't know; there were many wondrous secret arts in the world, and many possessed astonishing powers.

"You're awake?" Lu Ye asked calmly, his right hand still on the hilt of his Panshian Saber. Although he detected no malice in her eyes, it was always best to be prepared.

What if her small mouth suddenly transformed into a gaping, bloodthirsty maw? That would be a problem.

The little girl's eyes brightened for a moment, then she opened her mouth and sweetly called out, "Daddy!"

Lu Ye froze, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears. He frowned and asked, "What did you say?"

"Daddy!" The little girl beamed, then threw herself at Lu Ye, crashing into his embrace and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Unprepared, Lu Ye was knocked backward onto the bed.

This time, Lu Ye finally heard clearly and could hardly believe his ears.

He had imagined various possibilities for the little girl's awakening, even that she might repay kindness with enmity, but she was calling him "Daddy"...

What was going on?

"Daddy, Daddy!" The little girl continued to call out, clearly delighted, as if she truly were Lu Ye's daughter, reunited with him after a long separation, brimming with joy and happiness.

Lu Ye was completely stiff. He was excellent at life-or-death battles, but when such a delicate, doll-like figure threw herself into his arms and sweetly called him "Daddy," it was enough to melt anyone's heart, and Lu Ye found himself at a loss for what to do.

To make matters worse, the little girl was rubbing her cheek against his face, looking utterly content.

"Lishang, help me!" After a brief moment of thought, Lu Ye remembered he wasn't alone and quickly called for help from Lishang, who was hiding in his Divine Sea.

Lishang was startled. Hiding there, she had no idea what was happening outside. Hearing Lu Ye cry for help, she assumed he was under attack and quickly flashed out, holding the soul artifact copper ring she had obtained from the Great Wheel of Fortune, her soul power poised for action.

Then she saw an extremely strange sight.

Lu Ye lay on the bed, as if paralyzed by a spell, with a tiny figure clinging intimately to his chest, nestled in his arms.

Their eyes met, and Lishang exclaimed in astonishment, "She's awake?"

She had cared for the little girl for half a year, and although there had been no communication, Lishang was delighted to see her awaken.

However, the scene left her bewildered. "What happened?"

"Save me!" Lu Ye frantically signaled her with his eyes.

How was Lishang supposed to save him?

The little girl, however, suddenly climbed off Lu Ye, turned to look at Lishang, paused for a moment, then lunged towards her, throwing her rosy arms around Lishang and sweetly calling out, "Mommy!"

Lishang also froze, her eye twitching a few times as she looked at Lu Ye. "What did she call me?"

Lu Ye got up, quietly moved to the side, straightened his clothes, and remained silent, not wanting to draw trouble to himself.

"Mommy!" the little girl called again. This time, Lishang finally understood what she was saying. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said, "Girl, you've got the wrong person. I'm not your mother!"

Now it was the little girl's turn to stiffen. She looked up at Lishang with her clear, wide eyes, which visibly became watery, and then tears, like a string of broken pearls, streamed down her cheeks.

She pitifully asked, "Mommy, don't you want me anymore?"

"I'm not your mother!" Lishang weakly protested. How could she, a Soul Race member, give birth to a human child?

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, but as soon as the words left her mouth, the little girl burst into tears, crying heartbrokenly as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

Lishang was stunned and quickly looked up at Lu Ye, hoping for some help from him.

Lu Ye scratched his head, thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded towards Lishang, indicating that the little girl's mind might be damaged.

Previously, the little girl had been comatose due to the torment of Soul-Devouring Aphids. When Lu Ye entered her Divine Sea to investigate, he found it completely dry. Only her soul spirit body had been wrapped in an unknown power, which allowed her to survive.

It was unknown how long she had been tormented by the Soul-Devouring Aphids, but it was likely that her consciousness had been damaged, regardless of who she was before.

At this moment, the little girl was like a newborn hatched from an egg, seeing her parents for the first time after breaking out of her shell.

Lu Ye thought this must be why the little girl was calling him and Lishang "Daddy" and "Mommy"; otherwise, the current situation couldn't be explained.

Lishang also realized this. Looking at the heartbroken little one crying in her arms, she knew it wasn't a good time to seriously argue. She quickly began to comfort her.

After all, she had cared for the little girl for half a year, and her feelings for her were deeper than Lu Ye's. Being a woman, she was also much more sensitive.

After a good while of coaxing, the little girl finally stopped crying. Perhaps she was tired from crying, or more likely, prone to fatigue due to her Divine Sea issues, and soon fell asleep, nestled in Lishang's arms.

Even in her sleep, she occasionally whimpered, as if still experiencing some grievance in her dreams.

Lishang placed her on the bed, tucked her in with a quilt, and then looked at Lu Ye. "What do we do now?"

What did Lu Ye know about what to do? He had never been a father.

He had originally planned to let the little girl go her own way once she woke up. Who would have thought he'd be recognized as her father?

"Check if there's anything unusual about her body," Lu Ye instructed Lishang from a distance, fearful the little girl might suddenly wake up and call him "Daddy" again.

Lishang saw through his thoughts and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She carefully examined the little girl's body. After a moment, Lishang frowned. "That's strange."

"What is it?" Lu Ye asked.

"It's as if she's never cultivated before," Lishang said, puzzled. While the little girl was in a coma, Lishang had checked her condition multiple times, but at that point, she only thought the girl's physical body was abnormal due to a severe injury. Now that she was awake, there was still no trace of cultivation.

She seemed like a true mortal.