Let me explain, it's not what you think.

"Investigate?" Li Fei sneered.

"My senior brother was so badly betrayed by your Hehuan Sect, and you think you can just let it go with a simple mention of being the former sect leader?"

"Then what do you want?" Yunshang's tone also turned cold.

Lu Chen was caught in the middle, in a dilemma.

On one side is his brother, and on the other is the mother of his child; he can't help either of them.

"Brother Li, Senior Brother Lin, please listen to me first!"

Lin Tian and Li Fei both looked at Lu Chen.

"Back then... it really wasn't Yunshang's fault. In fact, I was only able to survive in the Hehuan Sect because of Yunshang's 'protection'!"

Upon hearing this, the two remained silent, only frowning deeply.

"But she needed to protect me back then... so, before I was even poisoned, she already had my daughter! This is something even I didn't know!"

"What?!"

"I can't believe this even happened!!"

Seeing this, Lu Chen took a deep breath and suddenly turned to look at Lu Nianshang, who was squatting next to the Sky-Mending Stone not far away: "Nianshang! Come here for a moment."

Lu Nianshang looked up at the sound, blinked, and ran over.

She looked at Lin Tian and Li Fei, then at her own parents, her little face full of confusion.

"Come, this is my daughter with Sect Master Yunshang, Lu Nianshang. This is your Uncle Lin, and this is your Uncle Li!"

"Hello Uncle Lin, hello Uncle Li!" The little girl greeted them politely.

Lin Tian and Li Fei both fell silent.

The two looked at Lu Chen, then at Lu Nianchang's upturned little face, the girl looking at them with an innocent expression.

"Hey, Nianchang, hello! I didn't realize... you've grown up so much!"

Having never experienced anything like this before, Lin Tian blurted out this sentence in a panic.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

Since he had never actually met Lu Nianchang, he naturally couldn't say that.

Immediately, Lin Tian tried his best to put on a "kind" smile that an elder should have.

But his face is too young, and his eyebrows and eyes are so beautiful that when he smiles, it looks like he's coaxing a little girl next door, and he can't pull off the demeanor of an elder at all.

He opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and only managed to utter, "How...how old are you this year?"

"You're eighteen, Uncle Lin."

Lu Nianshang tilted her little face up and answered obediently.

Lin Tian's smile froze for a moment.

Eighteen. He subconsciously turned around and glanced at Lu Chen, his eyes filled with shock, as if asking, "When did you do all this?"

Because subconsciously, he still felt like a young man in his early twenties, but now...!!!

Li Fei, standing to the side, could no longer maintain the coldness on his face.

Having experienced Tantai Qingxue's broken engagement, Yue Qinglan's torment of Lu Chen because of him, and... the regret of being taken away by his master in front of Lin Xi, he was no longer the boy he once was.

So in the years that followed, he forced himself to become silent and cold, and now he didn't know what to say.

He looked down at Lu Nianchang. The girl was fair-skinned and delicate, and there was indeed a resemblance to Lu Chen in her features, but her phoenix eyes and the curve of her lips clearly resembled her mother more.

He hesitated for a long time before finally squeezing out through gritted teeth, "How...how's your cultivation going?"

"It's alright, Uncle Li. Nian Chang has already reached the mid-stage of the Mahayana realm."

Lu Nianshang spoke modestly, but the smugness on her face was impossible to hide.

"Oh, mid-stage Mahayana, keep it up... Wait, what did you say?! Mahayana? Mid-stage?!?"

Li Fei's lips twitched.

Eighteen years old, mid-stage Mahayana stage!

At their age, neither he nor Lin Tian had even reached the Nascent Soul stage!

Even within his body, Daoist Cangxuan was roaring and in shock!

He had never seen anyone so gifted!

Lu Nianchang will undoubtedly have a place among the future Immortal Emperors!

Li Fei was rendered silent.

He silently looked away and stopped talking.

Lin Tian was the same; his expression was extremely complex.

"Junior brother, your daughter... ugh! My niece is truly outrageous!"

"Ahem, it's all thanks to her mother's good teaching." Lu Chen feigned modesty, but in reality, he was also extremely shocked when he first found out!

Upon hearing this, Yunshang raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, the coldness on her lips fading slightly.

Lu Nianshang seemed to sense that the atmosphere had eased, and she became bolder.

She pulled two more loquat cakes from her sleeve, handing one to each of them, and smiled up at Lin Tian and Li Fei, "Uncle Lin, Uncle Li, would you like some cakes? My mother made them herself, they're so sweet."

Lin Tian took the cake and suddenly felt a bit dumbfounded.

He had lived for so many years, braving mountains of knives and seas of fire, and battling against geniuses and prodigies, but this was the first time he had ever been given a piece of loquat cake and called "uncle" by an eighteen-year-old niece.

He took a bite; the pastry was soft and sweet, truly a testament to skillful craftsmanship.

"Sect Master Yun's skills are indeed excellent."

"If Fellow Daoist Lin likes it, I'll have someone bring you a box later."

Li Fei also silently took a bite of the cake without saying a word, but his complexion was much better than before.

He may appear cold on the outside but is warm on the inside. He may not say it, but he genuinely can't bring himself to feel any ill will towards Lu Chen's daughter.

That girl is pleasing to the eye, has a sweet tongue, and is good at reading people's expressions; she's much better than her father, Lu Chen.

Seeing that the two of them had eaten her cake, Lu Nianshang's smile became even more genuine.

"My dad is lucky these two can get along!"

So, she grabbed one sleeve with each hand and pulled Lin Tian and Li Fei toward the Sky-Mending Stone.

"Uncle Lin, Uncle Li, please come and sit here too. The Immortal Milk will not be born for a while longer. Let me tell you about the rules of this place, so you don't accidentally step on any restrictions."

Lin Tian and Li Fei were pulled forward by her. They looked at each other and saw a sense of helplessness in each other's eyes.

But absurd as it may seem, as the little girl led them along, they both felt a strange sense of security.

With the addition of a niece, they now have another junior they need to protect.

Standing behind, Lu Chen watched the three figures walk towards the Sky-Mending Stone, and the weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He glanced at Yunshang, who was adjusting her cuffs with her head down, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.

But Lu Chen clearly saw that the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, a little higher than before.

"My daughter is amazing! She handled all of this so easily!"

"Thank you," Lu Chen said.

Yunshang didn't look up, but just gave a haughty, soft hum.

"No need to thank me, I'm just trying to reduce the trouble for my Hehuan Sect!"

"Snapped!"

"You arrogant brat, wait till you arrive in my Jade Realm, and you'll be punished according to family rules!"

"You..." Yunshang blushed and didn't say anything more.