Chapter 1546: No Temper

However, as a mere Star Dweller, Lu Yiye wasn't qualified to meet Wuding's Sun-Gazer directly. That's why he came to me, hoping for an introduction.

Hua Sheng mused, now grasping Lu Yiye's true intention.

After careful consideration, he realized that while he was merely trying to find a path for the Star Dwellers from his own realm, a cooperation between Lu Yiye and Wuding would likely yield far better prospects.

"Yes, senior, this junior wishes to meet Wuding's Sun-Gazer. Would you be able to introduce me?"

Hua Sheng pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That's not an issue," he said. "And I'm confident Wuding will be quite interested in this. Young friend, please go back and prepare for tomorrow. You'll accompany me to Wuding!"

"Thank you, senior."

A moment later, Lu Ye and Du Lang left the grand hall together. Du Lang was clearly fascinated by the Myriad Manifestations Star System, asking numerous questions about it. Lu Ye shared a few casual details, which filled Du Lang's face with longing. However, it was truly difficult to fully grasp the magnificent expanse of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, the flourishing prosperity of its spirit islands, and the countless cultivators bustling about like a vibrant tapestry without witnessing them firsthand.

Du Lang only departed reluctantly after escorting Lu Ye back to his residence.

Upon returning to his dwelling, the little girl was still asleep, with Li Shang quietly watching over her.

Lu Ye gathered his thoughts. Bringing people from Jade Snail to the Myriad Manifestations Sea on this journey would be challenging. Wuding was merely the first obstacle. If he were to return to Kyushu, he would also need to address matters in the Jade Snail Realm. In any event, the Jade Snail Star System currently lacked any capable Moon-Gazers, Kyushu couldn't be relied upon in the short term, and with only Wu Zhuo in the Azure Dawn Dao Realm who couldn't possibly leave, he was left with no choice but to rely on individuals from the Jade Snail Realm.

Even if everything in Jade Snail was resolved, entering Changyun on the return journey would still necessitate further negotiations.

Good things never come easy!

"Should we give her a name?" Li Shang suddenly asked.

Lu Ye's train of thought was broken. He looked up at her.

Li Shang said, "This little girl is disoriented; she likely doesn't even know her own name. She needs one."

"What name do you want to give her?" Lu Ye asked.

Li Shang mused, "Let's just call her Ya Ya."

Lu Ye's eye twitched. He found women truly peculiar. Even though Li Shang was a Soul Clan member and surely knew the girl wasn't truly a child, she still treated her as one. It seemed half a year of care had fostered genuine affection.

"Whatever you like is fine!" Lu Ye had no objections.

Ya Ya slept for a while longer before finally waking. Upon seeing Li Shang, she joyfully pounced and hugged her tightly. A moment later, she scampered over to Lu Ye, settling comfortably into his lap, calling out 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' incessantly.

Lu Ye was so worn out he had no temper left. He couldn't even find time to practice cultivation in the Azure Hall, only managing to deduce spirit patterns.

The night passed without incident. The following day, Li Shang vanished into Lu Ye's Sea of Consciousness. Lu Ye then opened his door, ready to meet Hua Sheng and depart for Wuding.

After taking a few steps, he turned back to Ya Ya. "Come with me," he said.

Since they likely wouldn't return to Chikong after this trip to Wuding, Ya Ya had to come along.

Ya Ya remained still, simply raising her two arms, soft and white like lotus roots, and sweetly chirped, "Daddy, a hug!"

Lu Ye's eye twitched. He silently met her gaze.

Ya Ya maintained her pose, seemingly sensing Lu Ye's reluctance. Her small mouth puckered, and her large eyes clouded with tears.

Lu Ye secretly cautioned himself: *She's not a child, she's not a child!*

She only *looks* like a child; he mustn't be fooled by her pitiable and adorable appearance!

After another moment, before Ya Ya could burst into tears, Lu Ye quickly stepped forward and picked her up.

His heart felt weary. He wondered what karma he had accumulated to simply save someone and end up with a daughter...

Ya Ya, however, was delighted. Though she started calmly, within moments she was squirming in Lu Ye's arms, occasionally pinching his face or nose. Like a little monkey, she flipped all over him, at times riding on his shoulder, at other times perched in the crook of his arm.

Lu Ye was so tormented he lost all patience.

A moment later, Lu Ye arrived at the designated meeting point. Hua Sheng was already waiting, alone, as Du Lang would not be accompanying them on this journey.

Noticing a small girl perched on Lu Ye's shoulder, Hua Sheng was slightly surprised. "Young friend, who is this little one...?" he began.

Before Lu Ye could utter a word, Ya Ya piped up, "He's my Daddy, the best Daddy in the world!"

Lu Ye let out a hollow chuckle, unsure how to explain. He knew if he dared to utter a word of dissent, Ya Ya would instantly burst into tears.

Hua Sheng smiled benignly, examining Ya Ya from head to toe. "Young friend, you are truly remarkable," he praised, "even your child is so endearing." As he spoke, he casually flipped his hand, revealing a headband-like treasure in his palm. "For our first meeting, how about a small gift?" he offered.

Ya Ya cast a brief glance at the headband in Hua Sheng's hand, then her face registered disdain. She looked away and softly muttered, "Trash!"

Hua Sheng's expression instantly froze.

Even though it was a gift for a child, as a Moon-Gazer, he certainly wouldn't offer something meager. This headband was, at the very least, an exotic treasure of Spirit Treasure grade. How could it possibly be 'trash'? And to be assessed so bluntly by a child...

Lu Ye, too, felt his face flush with embarrassment. When Ya Ya was with him and Li Shang, she appeared utterly innocent, like a clueless child. He never imagined she would speak so shockingly in this moment.

He quickly grabbed Ya Ya off his shoulder, holding her by the collar with one hand and swatting her bottom with the other. "What nonsense are you spouting? Apologize to Grandpa at once!"

Ya Ya clasped her hands behind her back, dangling pitifully from Lu Ye's single hand. With a wronged expression, she looked at Hua Sheng. "Grandpa, I'm sorry!" she whimpered.

Lu Ye also felt ashamed. "Senior, please forgive her," he said. "This child has some... quirks. I haven't disciplined her properly." He found it difficult to elaborate further.

Finding her amusing, Hua Sheng let out a hearty laugh. "No matter, no matter. Children do say astonishing things sometimes. Innocent words, innocent words!" he declared.

He no longer mentioned giving gifts, retrieved the headband, and then summoned a starship. Once Lu Ye and Ya Ya were aboard, it shot into the sky, ascending straight into the clouds.

Traveling from Chikong to Wuding would take Lu Ye about half a month at his current speed, but Hua Sheng was significantly faster, likely needing less than ten days.

Throughout the journey, Ya Ya was completely restless, running about the starship, looking at everything. Whenever she spotted a magnificent view in the starry sky, she would pull Lu Ye to share it with him.

Lu Ye's head throbbed, and he was filled with the profound realization of how challenging it was to raise a child.

After a considerable time, Ya Ya finally tired herself out from playing. She then scurried back to Lu Ye, settled into his lap, found a comfortable position, and drifted off to sleep.

A day later, Lu Ye, who was cultivating by refining spirit jade, distinctly felt the starship's speed diminish. He looked up to see a streak of light rapidly approaching them from ahead.

Hua Sheng spoke up. "It's Wuding's starship," he said. "It appears to be heading towards Chikong, though I'm unsure of its purpose. Young friend, please wait a moment."

Lu Ye nodded slightly.

A short while later, the starship drew closer. Hua Sheng gazed intently, recognizing one of the figures. He cupped his fists and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Kang. Are you on your way to Chikong?"

On the approaching starship, a middle-aged man with a dignified demeanor looked over upon hearing the voice. This was indeed the Fellow Daoist Kang Hua Sheng had mentioned, also a late-stage Moon-Gazer. However, unlike Hua Sheng, who was advanced in years and had declining vitality, Kang Cheng was in the prime of his life. Even within the Wuding Realm, his status was considerable; he was a powerful individual with the potential to become a Sun-Gazer.

Kang Cheng, with his hands clasped behind his back, stated calmly, "Yes, I am heading to Chikong."

Hua Sheng was taken aback. "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Kang, what urgent business takes you there?"

Under normal circumstances, Moon-Gazers from Wuding wouldn't venture to a place like Chikong. Thus, Hua Sheng couldn't fathom Kang Cheng's intentions. Since they had coincidentally met en route, he naturally wished to inquire.

While the two conversed, Lu Ye also glanced over, though his eyes weren't fixed on Kang Cheng but on a young man standing beside him.

It was none other than Xu Dingyang!

Lu Ye had a faint premonition that the other party was likely coming for him. He had injured Xu Dingyang and his companions in the Barren Star Domain, but hadn't been able to finish them off. It seemed that, just as Li Shang had predicted, trouble had arrived.

What surprised Lu Ye was Xu Dingyang's impatience. By his estimation, Xu Dingyang should have only recently returned to the Wuding Realm, yet he had already brought a late-stage Moon-Gazer directly with him to Chikong.

As their eyes met, a chilling glint unmistakably flashed in Xu Dingyang's gaze.

On the other starship, Kang Cheng's gaze settled on Lu Ye. "No urgent matter," he stated calmly. "I merely heard that cultivators from another star system had invaded our own. Feeling somewhat uneasy, I decided to come and investigate personally."

Hua Sheng was taken aback. "Invasion? What gives rise to such a claim?"

Lu Ye was indeed an external cultivator, but a Star Dweller merely passing through could scarcely be termed an invasion.

Hua Sheng had some understanding of Kang Cheng's temperament; he was a profoundly arrogant individual. Even if Lu Ye had some past conflict with Xu Dingyang, it wouldn't warrant such a dramatic intervention from Kang Cheng. It was generally deemed improper for elders to meddle in the affairs of juniors. Thus, Hua Sheng was somewhat perplexed about Kang Cheng's true intentions. Surely, he wasn't here to advocate for Xu Dingyang, was he?

In truth, Kang Cheng had indeed come personally because of Lu Ye, though not for the reason Hua Sheng suspected—to champion Xu Dingyang.

His philosophy aligned with Hua Sheng's: juniors should resolve their own matters, as elder interference would only make the juniors seem inept.

However, having heard about Lu Ye from Xu Dingyang, he recognized Lu Ye's talent and began to entertain certain ideas.

While the current generation in the Wuding Realm was respectable, it lacked truly exceptional talents. In Da Luo, there was Luo Shenzi, who completely overshadowed all Star Dwellers. Xu Dingyang, despite his considerable ability, still paled in comparison to Luo Shenzi.

If he could recruit Lu Ye and persuade him to serve their realm, it might just alter this dynamic.

Kang Cheng was confident he could recruit a Star Dweller who had merely wandered from an unknown star system. The 'foreign enemy invasion' he spoke of was simply a pretext, allowing him to intervene personally and demonstrate Wuding's might.