I ignored her further prattling. Seeing I didn't react, the girl rustled out of the straw. She stood up and put on my shirt (or so I imagined).
However, my shirt had a zipper, and I didn't hear her zip it up. Without it zipped, it was as if she wasn't wearing it. I worried she didn't know how, and was about to remind her verbally when I caught a glimpse from my left eye. She had indeed put on my tracksuit top, but inside out, with the zipper at the back.
The girl turned to face me, tilted her head, and asked again, "Daddy?"
"...I'm really not your father. Um... do you know your mother?" I asked, wondering why she wouldn't look for her mother. She wasn't born to me, so why look for me?
"Mother?" The girl frowned and shook her head.
She didn't know her mother? That seemed for the best. It would save her from profound grief and indelible childhood trauma later if she saw her mother die after we left.
"Come on, Qianxun, let's go out," I slowly extended my hand. She didn't shy away, letting me take one of her hands. Such a cold little hand, I could barely feel her body heat, a stark contrast to the fiery purple aura I had seen around her before.
"Qianxun?" The girl looked confused again.
I pointed at her. "Qianxun. That's your name. You're Qianxun, Lu Qianxun."
The girl clearly understood the logic. Her furrowed brow smoothed out, and she pointed at herself. "Lu. Qianxun."
"Right," I smiled.
Her little finger then pointed at me. "And you?"
"Me? I'm Wu Chengfeng."
"Chengfeng Daddy!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.
"...I'm not your... Forget it, call me whatever you like!" I shook my head and pushed her towards the stairs leading out of the basement. As she turned, I quickly zipped up the back of her jacket for her.
This child was at least seventy percent similar to Lu Qianyu in appearance. She was bound to be beautiful. After all, when a demon transforms into a human, they can choose their appearance. Why would anyone choose to be ugly if they could be human? That's why those eight demons were all top-tier beauties, just with different styles. Lu Qianyu was no exception. As for her style, if the eight demons were typical Northeast beauties—big eyes, oval faces, high noses, well-defined features, generally grand and dignified—then Lu Qianyu, and by extension Lu Qianxun, were typical Jiangnan beauties. With peach blossom eyes, delicate oval faces, small noses, cherry mouths, and pointed chins, their features were harmonious, exuding an overall delicate and graceful aura.
We emerged from the basement. Shen Xingyue, Helan Xue, and Sha Wuji were astonished to see a beautiful woman, not a small crocodile, coming out. They might have thought I had made a mistake and dug up someone else from underground.
I ignored their surprise and brought Lu Qianxun to Lu Qianyu's side, telling her to kneel as I did. Lu Qianxun was obedient and knelt, then looked at Lu Qianyu and me with confusion. "Mother?"
Very smart. She had guessed it.
I nodded but didn't elaborate further, wanting to observe her condition first.
There was no change in her demeanor. Lu Qianxun remained calm, as if the person before her had no connection to her.
"Your mother has passed away," I said softly.
"Mmm," Lu Qianxun nodded, as if she already knew.
I frowned and looked at Yao Yao, asking in a low voice, "Is this normal?"
"...I'm not too sure. It's fine, just kowtow," Yao Yao replied.
"Alright." I placed my hands on the ground, ready to kowtow to Lu Qianyu's body.
"I didn't tell you to kowtow! I told her to!" Yao Yao corrected me.
"I know, but I have to teach her," I explained.
As expected, seeing me kowtow, Lu Qianxun followed suit.
They kowtowed eighteen times in total. Yao Yao said, "That's enough. It's the thought that counts. Her soul has already detached. Let Shakespeare handle the disposal of the body."
"Oh?" I quickly activated my Qi sensing, only to find that Lu Qianyu's aura was completely gone, even the faint purple qi from before had vanished.
"Stop looking. She has already journeyed to the City God Temple," Yao Yao said.
"The City God Temple? Why?" I asked.
"It's the... security checkpoint for the underworld," Yao Yao explained using words I could understand.
That analogy was indeed easy to grasp.