Inside a small pavilion in the Hidden Realm of Lingxiao.

Ye Lingxiao watched his precious daughter flipping through books with no particular focus, and his eyelids couldn’t help but twitch.

He cleared his throat, set down the ancient book in his hand, and asked seemingly casually, “That little rascal is back?”

“Mn.”

Ye Qingyu’s voice was calm and without inflection, simple and brief.

“Uh…” Ye Lingxiao became even more nervous. He reached out and patted the chair beside him, “Good daughter, come and sit down.”

“Don’t want to sit.”

“Have some tea? The finest ‘Three Thoughts’!”

“Don’t want to drink.”

“Actually, when you’re feeling troubled, reading isn’t really a good idea…”

“Who’s feeling troubled?”

The wisps of steam from the ‘Three Thoughts’ tea hung in front of Ye Lingxiao’s eyes.

Drinking this tea allows one to contemplate thrice in a day, the aftertaste being endless, hence the name “Three Thoughts”. Last time Du Ruhui came, he hadn’t even been willing to offer it to him.

He sighed silently in his heart. This was far more exhausting than scheming with Du Ruhui.

But on his face, he smiled and said, “It’s me who’s a bit troubled. Treading Cloud Lake will soon thaw. How about accompanying me to go fishing?”

“Not going.”

“The once-a-year intra-sect competition is about to begin. As the eldest senior sister, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you to be hiding here…”

“Let them fend for themselves.”

Ye Lingxiao: ……

That little thief Jiang Wang, if I don’t give you a good beating, how can I resolve the hatred in my heart!

A roaring little man in his heart howled at the sky.

His face remained calm and serene, his demeanor still elegant.

He lightly tapped his forehead, feigning realization, “Oh right, there’s something I forgot to mention, it’s related to that kid Jiang Wang.”

“His affairs are his own, you can tell him yourself.” Ye Qingyu pretended to be engrossed in her book, but her ear was clearly turned towards him.

Ye Lingxiao said casually, “It’s about the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace.”

“Cloud Peak Immortal Palace?” Ye Qingyu frowned slightly, “Isn’t that already Jiang Wang’s?”

“Of course. Treasures are destined for those with virtue, blessed by the heavens. Since it was a fair competition, what’s his is his.” Ye Lingxiao smiled, “However, the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace that he inherited is just a ruin. It will require a great deal of effort to restore it. Frankly, it’s extremely difficult.”

“I know all this,” Ye Qingyu said.

Jiang Wang had already told her about the current state of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace.

Ye Lingxiao continued slowly, “Of the entire Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, there are only three intact buildings that remain to this day. These three buildings were left behind as a contingency plan when the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace was destroyed. They are crucial to the restoration of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace.”

Ye Qingyu turned her head, “Why haven’t I heard you mention this before?”

Ye Lingxiao pretended not to hear and said to himself, “That kid should have found one by now, and our Lingxiao Pavilion just happens to have one of them. Do you think we should, for the sake of… An’an… give it to him?”

“Of course, we should!”

Ye Qingyu said without hesitation, “He is An’an’s elder brother, and can be considered one of our own from Lingxiao Pavilion. Moreover, the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace has already acknowledged a master. It’s useless for us to keep that building, so why not go with the flow and do him a favor?”

At this point, she paused and glared fiercely at Ye Lingxiao, “Why are you looking at me like that!”

Only in front of Ye Lingxiao would she, who was usually as aloof and ethereal as an immortal, display such a womanly demeanor.

“Nothing.” Ye Lingxiao lightly changed the subject, “The three buildings are called the Spiritual Void Hall, the Lingxiao Pavilion, and the Azure Cloud Pavilion. My daughter is so clever; she should be able to guess something, right?”

Ye Qingyu rolled her eyes, “It’s no secret that our Lingxiao Pavilion inherited some of the legacy left behind by the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace.”

Now that the names had been mentioned, there was no way she wouldn’t guess. She had even suspected something during Jiang Wang’s trade with Dou Mian in the Late Cloud Mountain. It was just that she didn’t know what things within the Spiritual Void Hall were related to the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace. Now that she thought about it, it should be the three buildings with the same names.

Ye Lingxiao smiled, noncommittal, “Let’s have you give our family’s building to him.”

“I can hand it over.”

Ye Qingyu nodded in a businesslike manner, then suddenly asked suspiciously, “Since you knew he needed this thing, why didn’t you give it to him sooner?”

Ye Lingxiao’s smile faded, and he said with a bit of seriousness, “To be able to survive in the hands of Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhui, no matter what method he used, whether it be strength or luck, he has proven his worth.”

Ye Qingyu frowned, “So… this is business?”

“If you give it to him, he won’t see it as a business.” Ye Lingxiao did not shy away from the point, “I no longer need the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, so helping him is no problem. But why should I help him? An’an is An’an, and you are you. He needs to prove his own value.”

Ye Qingyu was silent for a moment before saying, “Father, you are a little different from what I imagined.”

“Qingyu.” Ye Lingxiao sighed, stood up, and said, “I hope you will always be untainted by the mundane world, always pure and kind. I also hope that I will always be perfect and flawless in your heart. But sometimes, I have to let you see a bit of reality. That way, if one day I’m gone, you will be able to face it bravely.”

Ye Qingyu pouted, “You are a True Being of this era, you will definitely live longer than me.”

“Silence!”

Ye Lingxiao raised a finger to stop her, not allowing her to say such things.

Then, he flipped his palm and produced an exquisite pavilion, a small one, standing in the palm of his hand. He then swiped his fingers across the pavilion.

“There can only be one Lingxiao Pavilion under the heavens and earth.”

His voice was calm, yet unquestionable.

“So, I changed its name. It’s now called the Cloud Sky Pavilion.”

He looked at his daughter, his eyes soft, “Take it and give it to him.”

Ye Qingyu reached out and took it. Sure enough, she saw the name on the vertical plaque of the small pavilion, which was indeed “Cloud Sky Pavilion”.

“It’s quite exquisite,” she said.

Ye Lingxiao smiled, “A remnant of the Immortal Palace is naturally extraordinary.”

“Father, then I’m leaving.” Ye Qingyu put away the small Cloud Sky Pavilion, finally leaving the precious ancient books.

Ye Lingxiao’s heart, which had been hanging in the air, was finally relieved.

“The child has grown up.”

After Ye Qingyu left, a voice suddenly sounded.

A stray cloud fell from outside the window, transforming into a small, strange beast, leaping into the small pavilion, its long tail swaying. It was A’chou.

Ye Lingxiao did not turn his head, nor did he speak.

A father’s complex feelings are not easily expressed.

“The name change is good,” A’chou said again.

It flattered him, “Under all the heavens, who but Ye Xiaohua is worthy of soaring the skies?”

Ye Lingxiao turned around and punched it to the ground, “Call me Ye Lingxiao!”

The small pavilion was sturdily built, without much reaction. A’chou was even thicker-skinned, and it scrambled up. It shook its head indifferently, and said with a grin, “Your fist is really powerful, you are the number one True Being of this era, who else could it be?”

“Forget it, I’ve already lost more than just a little.” Ye Lingxiao leaned back in his recliner and sighed resignedly, “Speak, what did you do again?”

A’chou wagged its tail, the colorless water ball on its tail bobbing, “There are no more fish in Treading Cloud Lake.”

The fish in Treading Cloud Lake were the number one delicacy of Cloud Country. Countless dignitaries sought them, but could not obtain them.

Because Ye Qingyu liked to eat them, Ye Lingxiao had cordoned off the entire Treading Cloud Lake, forbidding others from fishing.

Under such circumstances, why would there be no fish in Treading Cloud Lake?

Naturally, they had all been eaten by A’chou…

Ye Lingxiao’s fist suddenly clenched, but finally loosened.

“Get out. While I can still restrain myself.”

A’chou did not say a word, flicked its tail, and darted out the window, very agile, and also very aware of the situation.