Jiang Xiaoxiao stood stunned.
She had called that person "Little Senior Uncle" for so many years, yet he turned out to be... her father?
The Old Celestial Master sighed, "Since Yi Chu has admitted it, I won't hide it from you either. He is indeed your biological father."
Jiang Xiaoxiao still couldn't comprehend it, "I... have a father?"
Zhang Yichu looked at her, his eyes filled with gentle and affectionate love.
"In the year you were born, I had no choice but to enter closed-door meditation to recover my injuries. That period of closed-door meditation lasted sixteen years."
"Xiaoxiao, not being able to raise you myself was a dereliction of my duty as a father. If you're not used to it, you can continue to call me Little Senior Uncle."
"No, no, no!" Jiang Xiaoxiao shook her head vigorously, "You are my father."
She had finally found her father, and she couldn't let him go.
Seeing his daughter acknowledge him, Zhang Yichu revealed a hint of relief on his face.
Jiang Xiaoxiao then asked, "Father, what about my mother?"
Zhang Yichu paused for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed, his voice somewhat low, "You'll have a chance to meet her in the future."
"Does my mother's surname happen to be Jiang?"
"Yes."
Jiang Xiaoxiao let out an "Oh," "I understand now."
Since her father was unwilling to talk about her mother's situation, there must be something unspeakable involved. She didn't intend to ask further. As long as she knew that the reason she didn't take her father's surname was because she took her mother's surname, and not because she was an unwanted child, that was enough.
Zhang Yichu gestured for her to come over, "Xiaoxiao, come here."
Jiang Xiaoxiao obediently walked over and sat beside Zhang Yichu.
Zhang Yichu extended his index finger and gently tapped her brow.
A red glow soon appeared on her brow, but Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't feel anything.
After a moment, Zhang Yichu retracted his hand, "When did you last change forms?"
"A few days ago," Jiang Xiaoxiao replied truthfully, "On the way to the Heavenly Master's Mansion."
"I heard from the shopkeeper in Yanjing that you changed forms early last month?" Zhang Yichu's tone betrayed a hint of anxiety.
Jiang Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "It was because Xie Xun kissed me."
Zhang Yichu: "..."
The Old Celestial Master burst into laughter, "That boy..."
Zhang Yichu rubbed his brow, "Xiaoxiao, go and bring him here. Your father wants to meet him."
Jiang Xiaoxiao asked, "Does father want to beat him up?"
It seemed like she had said something wrong earlier.
Zhang Yichu chuckled, "No, it's just a normal conversation."
"Oh, okay."
After Jiang Xiaoxiao left, Zhang Yichu's expression gradually became solemn.
"Master, the seal on Xiaoxiao is struggling to contain her."
The Old Celestial Master glanced at him, "Back then, you exhausted your lifelong cultivation to seal her, and it took sixteen years of closed-door meditation for you to barely recover. Do you want to go through another sixteen years?"
Of course, Zhang Yichu didn't want that. After all, he had just reunited with his daughter. How could he bear to leave her for another sixteen years?
"But the thing inside Xiaoxiao is growing stronger and stronger. If one day it manages to control her, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"What's the hurry?" The Old Celestial Master remained calm. "Once that boy regains his divine abilities, the thing inside the little girl will be easily resolved."
Zhang Yichu knew that the "boy" the Old Celestial Master referred to was Xie Xun.
But Xie Xun still didn't know anything yet. Who knew when he would regain his abilities?
Sensing his junior's impatience, the Old Celestial Master snorted, "Even if you exhaust all your cultivation again to seal the little girl, it's only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. To truly expel the thing inside the little girl, you'll eventually have to wait for that boy to recover."
"What you need to do now is go find that scoundrel of a senior martial brother. Over these years, he must have done plenty of evil deeds. It's time for him to taste some bitterness."
Although Xie Xun had no martial arts skills or cultivation, his tongue was formidable. After being "tested" by more than a dozen inner disciples in turn, he handled them with ease.
When Jiang Xiaoxiao arrived, Xie Xun had just dealt with the last inner disciple.
More than a dozen mouths couldn't outdo a single mouth. One by one, Jiang Xiaoxiao's senior martial brothers hung their heads in dejection.
"Xie Xun," Jiang Xiaoxiao called him directly upon entering.
"Little Junior Sister, are you that possessive?" Zhang Junyi muttered, "I just brought him here, and you're already rushing over?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "My dad, er... Little Senior Uncle wants to see him."
Zhang Junyi's attitude immediately changed, "Oh, since Little Senior Uncle has summoned him, then go quickly!"
He silently huffed. They had watched this little junior sister grow up, and they couldn't just let this guy off easily. Hopefully, Little Senior Uncle would give this young master of the Heavenly Master's Mansion a good hard time.
Xie Xun followed Jiang Xiaoxiao out.
"Have you met your Little Senior Uncle?"
"Yes, I have," Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't hide it from him, "Actually, my Little Senior Uncle is my father."
Xie Xun was a bit surprised but quickly realized, "I see."
He had long heard of the Old Celestial Master's exceptionally talented junior disciple who had entered closed-door meditation many years ago.
If he was Xiaoxiao's biological father, then everything made sense.
Why the Heavenly Master's Mansion broke a century-old tradition to accept a female disciple.
Why Xiaoxiao had such high aptitude, with her cultivation at only sixteen surpassing all her senior martial brothers.
Only if he was Xiaoxiao's father could everything be reasonable.
The two didn't linger on the way and soon arrived at the Old Celestial Master's courtyard.
The Old Celestial Master and Zhang Yichu were still sitting on the stone bench.
Upon seeing them, Xie Xun took a few steps forward, clasped his hands, "Xie Xun from Yanjing pays respects to the Old Celestial Master and... Little Senior Uncle."
He didn't know Zhang Yichu's Daoist title, and given his relationship with Jiang Xiaoxiao, it would be inappropriate to address him directly by his title.
But since he hadn't officially married Jiang Xiaoxiao yet, it was too early to call Zhang Yichu his father-in-law. So he could only follow the disciples of the Heavenly Master's Mansion and address him as "Little Senior Uncle."
Zhang Yichu looked Xie Xun over and nodded, "Xiaoxiao, you go find your senior martial brothers first. Your father wants to talk to him alone."
"Okay." Jiang Xiaoxiao agreed but still felt uneasy. She tilted her head and leaned closer, "Father, but you can't beat him up!"
