I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

“Ji Xuan…”

Bai Qingyu hesitated, because she saw Ji Xuan crying. Two tears slid down her cheeks and dripped into the soup bowl. Her expression was strange, and she couldn't quite describe what she was feeling. It was as if she was sad, or as if she was happy.

Wiping away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand, Ji Xuan shook her head. "I'm fine, Auntie. I'm just very happy. I really want to thank you for taking care of me during this time."

I was sad, but not much.

As for why she was crying, Ji Xuan herself didn't know; in short, she just couldn't control the tears, just like her emotions.

"This is all I should do. You and Changsheng can get married when he comes back. In a way, you're like half a daughter to me. So, wouldn't I be the grandmother of this child? Yes, although I look quite young, that's true."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan couldn't help but smile.

Bai Qingyu looks and acts like a grandmother; she really is a young grandmother.

"Alright, take care of yourself. When Changsheng comes back, I'll have him marry you. We can't have a child who's all grown up and still not have a wedding ceremony."

"Yes, thank you, Auntie."

Despite having children, Ji Xuan couldn't help but blush when the topic of marriage came up.

She often thought about getting married, but she also always thought that marriage could wait until she became powerful and established herself in this world.

In these turbulent times, how can we bring up such matters of personal feelings?

“Ji Xuan, you should have said this a long time ago. Don’t worry about what Liu Changsheng thinks, or whether the marriage will affect him. Your words don’t carry weight, but my words do. Even though he’s grown up now, he’ll always be a child in front of me. If he doesn’t listen to me, I’ll beat him.”

Bai Qingyu propped her chin on her hand and said with a smile, "You and him are so well-matched, both of you are talented and beautiful, and your relationship is developing very well. Wouldn't it be better if you got married? It's a pity that you two aren't usually here with me."

"Well... just like Aunt said, I'm worried that marriage will affect him. A man like Changsheng shouldn't be tied down by romantic feelings."

"That's not how it is, Xuan'er. Changsheng is also a human being, a person with flesh and blood, thoughts and feelings. Romantic love won't affect him. These are things he must experience and have. Besides, he's not a monk, so why can't he get married?"

Bai Qingyu half-jokingly said, "I know a saying: for a man, settling down and establishing a career are the most important things."

"You need to start a family and also build a career. You should not only propose it, but you should propose it as soon as possible."

If the two didn't have any feelings for each other, Bai Qingyu would never have said these words. The main reason is that the two of them are inseparable, so saying these things is perfectly fine.

Ji Xuan was taken aback by what Bai Qingyu said, feeling that there was a problem but also that what Bai Qingyu said made perfect sense.

"Then let's wait until Changsheng comes back before we talk about it."

"Fine, even if he doesn't come back, I'll drag him back. He left his wife alone at home, and he didn't even come back to see his own daughter who was born. When he comes back, I'll have Changsheng make it up to you."

"No need, Aunt, Changsheng..."

"Oh, it's okay. We'll punish him by making him wash your feet for a week or a month straight."

Ji Xuan was about to refuse when she heard Bai Qingyu's words, her eyes lit up, and she almost subconsciously blurted out, "Really, Auntie?"

Realizing she might have said something wrong, Ji Xuan quickly put down the spoon in her hand.

"Of course it is, consider it a small punishment."

After a few words, Ji Xuan calmed down a lot and stopped overthinking. A sweet smile appeared on her face. Just then, Cha Cha suddenly woke up in bed.

Bai Qingyu stood up. "Then I won't bother you any longer. Just let me know if you need anything. Remember, we're all family, and I'm the child's great-aunt."

"Uh-huh."

After Ji Xuan finished speaking, Bai Qingyu went out, partly to comfort her and tell her not to overthink things.

It's perfectly normal to experience emotional and psychological fluctuations after giving birth, especially since her husband isn't around during this time, leaving her alone to comfort him.

Gazing at the bright moon in the sky, Bai Qingyu felt a deep sense of reflection.

Especially when it comes to having children.

She thought that in the future, when the world is at peace, she would have the ability and strength to have a child to play with, so she wouldn't have to steal other people's children to raise, but could raise her own biological child.

As soon as the idea came to mind, Bai Qingyu heard a soft, sweet voice.

"Mother~"

Looking back, she saw Bai Xiaoya wearing pajamas and holding a Q-version Guhuoniao plush toy.

Xiaoya rubbed her eyes. "Mother, there's something I want to ask you."

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

Bai Qingyu was puzzled, so he half-squatted down and hugged the little girl in his arms.

"Hmm, I asked Sister Snake today, but she said she didn't know either."

"Alright, go ahead and ask."

"Um... I just wanted to ask, was I also born from my mother's belly?"

I originally thought it was a very simple question that I could just answer casually, but I didn't expect Bai Xiaoya to say something so surprising that she stumped Bai Qingyu.

It must be because she saw Ji Xuan giving birth today that this girl suddenly had the idea to ask this question.

To be honest, this is a really difficult question to answer. If I say no, it might hurt the little girl's feelings. If I say yes, it would be considered lying.

Are you really interested in knowing the answer to this question?

"Mmm-hmm!" The little girl nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, then Mother will tell you..."

After a pause, Bai Qingyu said, "Of course you are your mother's biological daughter, but if you want to know if you were born from your mother's womb, your mother will tell you when your cultivation advances further."

"Oh, you can't say it now."

"It's not possible to say now. It's a secret. The reason why your little snake sister doesn't know is because only your mother knows this secret. If you don't believe me, go ask other people. They definitely won't know either."

Seeing Bai Qingyu's serious expression, the little girl actually took it seriously.

As a result, three years passed in the blink of an eye, and the little girl had grown quite a bit taller, but she still kept thinking about this matter.

After giving birth, Ji Xuan stayed at Shenhuang Residence. The difference was that she no longer needed to be taken care of as much as she had during her pregnancy. She mainly took care of the little girl named Chacha herself, and only occasionally let Bai Qingyu take care of her, unless she was playing with the child.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Changsheng sent a message to Ji Xuan, saying that he would find an opportunity to come back this year and that Ji Xuan should not worry about him, as he was doing well.

The Heavenly Cult had already been asking Bai Qingyu whether he wanted to send Ji Xuan back.

Bai Qingyu's answer was naturally no; Ji Xuan's return would be after Changsheng's return.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened during these three years. Bai Qingyu simply found more than a dozen demons listed in the demon register in Tongcheng. They were all minor demons, not powerful ones like Shuten-dōji, but rather creatures like Ameonna and Futakuchi-onna.

Aside from these minor monsters, she did encounter a demon she really liked.

This demon's name is Firefly Grass.

The appearance of the Firefly Grass is related to the sacred fruit obtained in Black Mountain. The life force within the sacred fruit allowed the Firefly Grass to overcome the final obstacle and successfully appear in this world. Then, it was naturally taken home by Bai Qingyu.

When Yingcao arrived home, there was no disturbance. Bai Qingyu's main attention was on Bai Xiaoya and Chacha.

One is a daughter, and the other is a granddaughter.

She had to keep a close eye on Bai Xiaoya's progress every day, watching her cultivate.

So much time has passed, Cha Cha is now three years old, and Chang Sheng has finally returned from the Sea Kingdom.

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Forty-Five - I Am Your Father

For three years, the cultivators never ceased their search for the Sea Kingdom, even after suffering heavy losses there. Perhaps they thought that with so many people already dead, it would be a huge loss to still not find the Sea Kingdom; if they could find it, all the previous sacrifices would be worthwhile.

The problem is that the Sea Kingdom was already difficult to find, and this time so many people died, allowing the Sea Kingdom to absorb enough life force, making it even more difficult to find it again.

In Changsheng's words, the Sea Kingdom desperately needs this vitality to strengthen itself. If the human race and the merfolk are both losers in this war, then the only victor is the Sea Kingdom.

Having absorbed so much life force, the overall strength of the Sea Kingdom will increase dramatically in the coming decades, including that of its two leaders.

Knowing this, it was very difficult for Changsheng to break through the defenses and return to the mainland; otherwise, he would never have waited until now to return.

Bai Qingyu also planned to personally bring Changsheng back, but Changsheng did not agree. Then, the next day, a beautiful young woman entered the territory of Tongzhou and came into Bai Qingyu's barrier.

This beautiful young woman was none other than Changsheng himself.

Seeing him disguised like this, Bai Qingyu couldn't help but chuckle. When Ji Xuan saw him, she even forced back the tears of emotion she was about to shed. For a moment, she didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so she showed a wry smile.

Even she didn't expect Changsheng to disguise herself as a female cultivator, let alone others.

Changsheng has a great reputation in the world of cultivators. As the host of the Demon Sword, aloofness and arrogance are his defining characteristics. It is impossible for such a person to disguise himself as a woman, even if you kill him.

Let alone immortality, even a male cultivator with principles wouldn't disguise himself as a woman.

The most important thing is that I can't get over that mental hurdle.

Seeing Changsheng like this, Bai Qingyu was quite moved.

No wonder this kid was able to avoid the eyes of those spies outside. To these spies, the woman who entered the Divine Phoenix Residence could be anyone, but she could never be Liu Changsheng. Since it wasn't Liu Changsheng, it didn't matter.

Bai Qingyu thought the kid was good for doing this for his wife and children.

I just don't know how cross-dressing will affect the Demon Sword.

It wasn't just Changsheng that was disguised; even the demonic sword on his back was disguised as a female immortal sword, with a small flower wreath on the hilt.

Look at this outfit, even I wouldn't recognize myself. Is this still the proud Demon Sword? You've been turned into a little girl.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

In the corridor, Changsheng removed his disguise, still wearing his fairy dress, which looked extremely comical and awkward. He took off his veil, and the demonic sword on his back also changed back, but the wreath on the gauntlet was still there. From the slightly trembling appearance of the demonic sword, it was clear that it was very, very dissatisfied with Changsheng's behavior.

At this moment, Ji Xuan finally couldn't hold back anymore, stepped forward and hugged Changsheng, tears streaming down her face.

Three years have passed since they parted. Even though Changsheng often tells her he's safe and sound, she still feels empty and lonely. Only Bai Qingyu can share her burden and make her happier. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to continue her cultivation.

Bai Qingyu didn't want to disturb the young couple. Since they had finally managed to get together, she decided to give them some private space and left the corridor area to go into the courtyard.

Fortunately, the corridor and the courtyard were separated. After entering the gate, you had to walk through the corridor and turn left to reach the courtyard, so their conversation wouldn't be heard or seen by anyone in the courtyard.

Instead of eavesdropping on their conversation, Bai Qingyu sat on the swing in the yard, watching the little ones running and playing in the yard.

To be precise, there are three little girls: the eldest sister Bai Xiaoya and her two younger sisters Chacha and Yingcao.

Bai Xiaoya is the oldest, already ten years old. Yingcao looks like a nine-year-old girl, while Chacha is only three years old and can only run behind her two older sisters with her short little legs.

Strictly speaking, Cha Cha is not Xiao Ya's younger sister. In terms of seniority, she should call Xiao Ya her cousin or aunt. She usually calls her aunt, which Bai Qingyu finds very strange, but she doesn't know why.

We can't expect this little girl to call Xiaoya "sister," otherwise she'd be on the same generation as her mother.

However, it's just a matter of how she's addressed. Looking at Chacha always reminds me of Xia Ya when she was little. Back then, she was also running around with her little legs behind her. Now, in the blink of an eye, she's ten years old and still a little cultivator.