Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 137 Father and Daughter
Lu Xingzhou knew nothing of the bloodshed and upheaval in the Yama Palace thousands of miles away, or the fall of the Ghost Emperor.

That night, he slept with the little maid in his arms until the sun was high in the sky. He was only awakened by the sound of conversation outside the courtyard. Upon closer listening, he realized that it was a servant from the Sheng family inviting him to dinner: "Miss Anuo, is your master here? Our master and young lady are hosting a banquet to thank your master."

Ah Nuo was saying, "Sister Yao is going to invite a master? What about me?"

"Of course, it's for the girls too."

"Where is Sister Ayi?"

"...Our young lady didn't mention this name, so she probably doesn't know it."

Lu Xingzhou looked down and saw Pei Chuyun in his arms with a half-smile: "This Miss Sheng, I'm afraid you're really tempted."

Lu Xingzhou said, "No way. Gua Mei is always so energetic and has no intention of finding a man. I suspect she's completely clueless in this area."

"Really?" Pei Chuyun scoffed. "If we're just friends, why is she so hostile towards me?"

"Isn't it because you always act all teasy and sarcastic whenever you see her? It gives me goosebumps."

Pei Chuyun chuckled: "This trick is the most effective for dealing with a woman like her. It's so disgusting that she can't eat anything as soon as she opens her mouth."

"So where does your hostility towards her come from? Why are you trying to disgust her maliciously?"

Pei Chuyun's beautiful eyes swept over his face several times before she slowly stood up and smoothed her hair: "I don't know either. You're so smart, guess."

Do you really think that the little vixen Hehuan isn't afraid of being given away for free, and is really willing to let you sleep with a steamed bun in your hand every night like this? Those are two different things.

Pei Chuyun sighed inwardly. She suspected that she had heard Lu Xingzhou say more sweet words than Shen Tang had, but she never knew how much of those words were perfunctory and how much were true.

Of course, Lu Xingzhou also had no idea what the little vixen he was so close to was thinking... so they were even.

"Never mind." Pei Chuyun finished dressing and said leisurely, "It's rare for anyone to bring a maid with them to a banquet. Going to the Pei residence that day was intentional; it's not appropriate under normal circumstances. You and A'nuo can go."

"Then where are you going?"

Pei Chuyun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "My young master, I also need to cultivate, why do I need to go there?"

Lu Xingzhou tapped his head and chuckled to himself.

This lazy little cat, nestled in my arms all day long, would sleep whenever she wanted, often making me forget that she was also a rising star of the Demonic Sect who cultivated every day in the first half of her life, and was one of the best in this world.

It seems like her sleeping is also a form of spiritual practice.

Lu Xingzhou didn't think much of it and took A'nuo to eat. Pei Chuyun ate some breakfast in the courtyard and then sat quietly cultivating.

She was actually just waiting for Pei Qingyan. It had been three days already, and with Pei Qingyan's power and resources, he could investigate anything quickly, and he should have some results by now... She didn't know if Pei Qingyan would come knocking on her door, and she had no interest in going to someone else's house to sell tea at this time.

This mere melon girl is no match for you; there's no satisfaction in bullying her.

Sure enough, after quietly cultivating for a while, Pei Chuyun suddenly sensed something and slowly opened her eyes.

Pei Qingyan stood quietly in front of her, staring at her with a very complicated expression.

Pei Chuyun stared at him intently without saying a word.

The air was silent for several breaths before Pei Qingyan spoke in a slightly hoarse voice: "That day... you came here deliberately to find out about your background."

"Yes," Pei Chuyun replied calmly.

"Then you should know the answer, so why... why don't you say it?"

"What did you say?" Pei Chuyun said sarcastically, "Returning to a so-called wealthy family? I have no interest in that. I just want to know who my parents are and why my position in the sect is so awkward."

Just as Xuan Nu said, when Pei Qingyan investigated and discovered Pei Chuyun's awkward position and "suppressed" state in the sect, her mindset was completely different from when she came to her door to acknowledge her relatives.

You could see the guilt in his eyes, and his heaving chest reflected his complex emotions.

Pei Qingyan had only just learned that he had a daughter, whom he hadn't raised for a single day in the past eighteen years. He had let her fall into the clutches of a demonic sect, specifically the most depraved one, the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect... To Pei Qingyan, it was no different from his daughter being sent to a brothel.

If the Joyful Union Sect had treated her well out of respect for her mother, that would have been fine. But they didn't. They gave her the title of Holy Maiden on the surface, but in reality, they suppressed her at every turn. She had no authority as a Holy Maiden, and they didn't even do the usual things like creating a persona for her to make her famous. She was left alone and unknown.

It seems that the so-called saintly status has nothing to do with kindness; it's simply because this child is highly talented and worth nurturing. Indeed, her mother's cultivation is very high, and she also has Pei Qingyan's bloodline; this child's talent might even surpass Pei Yu's. Families like theirs have many trivial matters; this kinship recognition might trigger a series of troubles and future problems for the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect. But at this moment, Pei Qingyan truly had no time to think about it. In a moment of impulse, he said, "Come back with me, acknowledge your ancestors... I... your father will give you everything you've missed for the past eighteen years."

Pei Chuyun looked at him expressionlessly, without responding.

Pei Qingyan's beard trembled slightly, and he pursed his lips.

Pei Chuyun finally sneered: "I come from the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect. Prime Minister Pei should think carefully before speaking, lest you swallow your words later, which would be quite pointless."

Pei Qingyan calmed down a little, but felt even more guilty.

The Joyful Union Sect of the Maidens... I wonder if this child knows about what happened back then, but I knew that I couldn't marry her back then because she was from the Joyful Union Sect of the Maidens.

How could a prestigious family like theirs possibly marry a woman from the Hehuan Sect, whom they knew to be a member of the Hehuan Sect? What would that make them?

At the time, marrying into the Xu family was the only solution. The safest approach would be to wait until time had passed, gradually fabricating some dubious background for the other person, and then find a way to bring them home. But fate is unpredictable, and they never saw each other again.

Now, facing the issue of the Joyful Union Sect again, Pei Qingyan really didn't want to go through it again. Finally, he said in a low voice, "I will handle this matter... it just depends on your own wishes."

Pei Chuyun said coldly, "What if I don't want to?"

Pei Qingyan blurted out, "Then we can't let the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect stay any longer; it's not a good place to settle down!"

Pei Chuyun looked at him with a hint of sarcasm: "I haven't even acknowledged you yet, and you're already trying to arrange my life? Once I do, will you use the excuse of doing what's best for me to arrange some kind of arranged marriage or something?"

Pei Qingyan was taken aback; it was true.

Pei Chuyun said coldly, "I was wondering if Prime Minister Pei was overjoyed when he discovered he had another daughter outside the marriage, thinking he had gained another tool for marriage alliance."

"Absolutely not!" Pei Qingyan hurriedly said, "Don't worry, the Pei family doesn't need to do that! It's just... it's just that the Joyful Union Sect is really not a good place, you..."

“I think Prime Minister Pei hasn’t made up his mind yet, so please go back first.” Pei Chuyun said this, and suddenly felt like laughing.

This is the same sentence that Lu Xingzhou said at the Pei family back then. I was just imitating the young master... But now I can really understand Lu Xingzhou's mindset when he said those words. The other party seemed sincere, but in reality, he had a lot of concerns. Without a do-or-die decision, what kind of response could he expect?
Neither she nor Lu Xingzhou were naive youngsters who would lose their bearings after being given a few promises.

Pei Qingyan also felt that the sentence sounded familiar. After thinking for a moment, he finally shook his head and chuckled, "It seems you've learned quite a bit from Lu Xingzhou..."

Pei Chuyun smiled, her eyes crinkling: "What, you think the identity of the Hehuan Sect is bad, but you don't feel ashamed that I'm their maid?"

This was the first time Pei Chuyun had smiled since they met, which made Pei Qingyan somewhat lost in thought. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Because he knew it was fake... He was probably helping you find out about your background, right?"

"Hmm." Pei Chuyun still wanted to laugh. It seemed that Lu Xingzhou had a good image in the Pei family's eyes. She wondered if she would still be able to laugh if she knew that her daughter was held by him to sleep every day, that she used her little mouth to help him the day before yesterday, and that he had made her belly full of saliva yesterday.

Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt incredibly happy, and I didn't even know what kind of mentality this was.

Pei Qingyan said, "Just this matter alone makes me owe Lu Xingzhou a huge favor. When he comes back, you can tell him that we can talk about the things he said we hadn't thought through before."

Pei Chuyun thought to herself that the bastard had once again achieved his initial goal... The reason that guy brought her to the capital was originally to gain favor from the Pei family, but she didn't know if he still needed it now.

But the words that came out of her mouth turned into asking for more on his behalf: "Do you only owe Lu Xingzhou this one favor?"

Pei Qingyan paused, then said, "You mean..."

"Yesterday, Pei Yu was strolling in the garden. In order to create an opportunity for his friend to pursue Sheng Yuanyao, he led a group of people far away, which almost led to Sheng Yuanyao being assassinated. Lu Xingzhou saved Sheng Yuanyao, which can be considered a great help to Pei Yu. Otherwise, you and the Sheng family would probably have turned against each other. Not to mention, killing Ye Wufeng last night can also be considered revenge for Pei Yu's friend. These are all favors."

Pei Qingyan had been focused on investigating Pei Chuyun's background these past two days and hadn't really paid much attention to these matters. Now that he heard this, he nodded slightly: "We will host another banquet for Lu Xingzhou."

At this point, the father and daughter suddenly ran out of things to say and fell silent.

Pei Chuyun was silent for a moment, then pulled out a strand of her hair and handed it over: "Preliminary. You need to be clear, and so do I. Some things shouldn't be said now."

Pei Qingyan silently accepted it: "Okay."

Pei Chuyun finally stood up and said in a low voice, "No matter how much you dislike the Hehuan Sect, it is still a true first-class demonic sect. As a saintess, my pursuit of the Great Dao surpasses everything else. Therefore, the Pei family is wealthy and powerful, and everyone respects them, but that means nothing to me. All I want is a father."

After saying that, she ignored Pei Qingyan and turned to go inside.

Pei Qingyan pursed her lips, silently staring at the closed door. After a long while, she sighed softly and left, looking somewhat weary.

(End of this chapter)