Chapter 5

    Liu Yi You couldn't figure out which step she took wrong when leaving the Thara School that morning to have such an unlucky day. She had to pass through countless challenges and now faced yet another hurdle with this clear-eyed kid.

    When she herself was causing trouble, she never thought it would be difficult for anyone. Now, she was starting to understand her parents' plight a little.

    Liu Yi You's head throbbed. She turned to Liu Tan, who was busily stuffing his face with sweets, signaling for help.

    “Wait for little Eighteen to fall asleep, then you can go,” the young man said, his mouth full of snacks.

    Thus, Liu Yi You had no choice but to play with Xiao Meng until he was tired. Once tired, he got hungry, and after eating, it was time for bed. The duties of a child were just so simple.

    After putting Xiao Meng to bed, Liu Yi You went out to find her mother, ready to finally start her journey.

    “Yi You, take good care of yourself,” Lua Yuele said.

    Liu Fuzhen didn't say anything but handed her the calabash bean pendant.

    “Keep it. This is the best thing a father like me has. Xiao Meng is with me, he’s fine. You should keep it when you go outside,” Liu Fuzhen said, looking at his daughter with tender eyes, gently patting her head. Despite the years, she still hadn’t grown much.

    Seeing this, Liu Yi You couldn't help but smile.

    The calabash liquor had been with her for many years, left by her father. Originally it was his, including Mao Tong. She had tried to return them to him many times, and he never took them back. This time she told him to keep them for Xiao Meng, not expecting that after several considerations, Liu Fuzhen would still hand them back to her.

    All these years, she had relied on the calabash liquor. Without it, given by her father, she wouldn't be who she was today.

    Except now she had the Underwater Palace.

    Over the past five years, she had studied how to use it constantly. The water in the Underwater Palace had as much Qi energy as the calabash liquor, or perhaps even more. Importantly, the water from the Underwater Palace had both Qi energy and spiritual power, allowing cultivation with spirit.

    In this world, everyone practiced Qi energy with their bodies, and the spirit remained just an ordinary spirit. Liu Yi You was no exception, lucky to have the Mystic Lotus seeds ; her spirit was stronger than the average person.

    Mao Tong and Xiao Gui had now become a worm and a turtle in the fish tank.

    The Underwater Palace was vast; she had set aside an area to grow herbs and also built a large lotus pond, so the plant box was no longer necessary for her, and she had already given the plant box to Sixteen long ago. Other valuable items were also stored in the Underwater Palace.

    “Father, do you want me to get drunk?” Liu Yi You teased her father with a sly smile.

    Liu Fuzhen was momentarily taken aback, his gentle face watching his daughter darken immediately, his hand quickly pulling back the calabash pendant.

    “You’re still so small,” he frowned, “you can’t drink too much.”

    “If you don’t keep it, Seventeen will be drunk every day,” Liu Yi You grinned wickedly.

    Liu Fuzhen, riled by Liu Yi You, grumbled and fussed, then finally relented and kicked her out.

    Without delay, the girl quickly took Grandfather Three and Tong Tian and escaped immediately.

    She had to hurry before anyone changed their minds.

    Others might feel neglected that parents pay more attention to the younger sibling, but Liu Yi You didn't think so.

    If her parents paid more attention to her, she probably wouldn't be able to move at all. Just leaving was a challenge, passing through each difficult gate.

    The journey from Qing Yun continent to Mei Guo continent took about a year, so Liu Tan brought along a flying ship.

    As Liu Yi You clumsily climbed onto her Mao Tong, Liu Tan lifted her onto the small flying ship, with Tong Tian following closely behind.

    "Grandfather Three, since when did you have a flying ship?" Liu Yi You was excited as she explored the flying ship, which was small enough to see around in just a few steps.

    "Just call me 'brother,' talking like that makes no sense," the young man glanced at his little granddaughter and pouted.

    Liu Yi You pouted back, then didn’t ask anything further, guessing that Grandfather Three had long planned to travel, just waiting for an opportunity.

    And she was his opportunity…

    Liu Yi You and Liu Tan agreed to stop by Xiang Ping city, which was on the way and also the location of the Hundred Arts Academy, because it was a usual stopover to meet Liu Lu Zhou and their mother, who now resided in Xiang Ping.

    Liu Lu Zhou, Liu Yi You's elder brother, was studying at the Hundred Arts Academy and had opened a liquor shop in Xiang Ping, selling all liquor directly from the Liu family at lower prices than others.

    The good liquor thus sold well.

    With the business doing well, the lives of the mother and son were much more comfortable than before.

    Grandfather Three and Grandfather Five always supported the mother and son duo generously.

    Tong Tian warped the two grandchildren directly to Xiang Ping, as she often came here to deliver liquor.

    "Big brother," the little girl grinned and ran towards Liu Lu Zhou.

    "How did you come here, Seventeen?" the young man raised his eyebrows in surprise and joy.

    "I came with Grandfather Three," Liu Yi You said.

    At the mention of Grandfather Three, Liu Lu Zhou paused slightly, looked towards the entrance, saw a young man walking in, clasped his hands together, and gave a forced smile.

    "Grandfather Three," he felt a bit awkward having to bow and address a man younger than him as 'grandfather.'

    "Where’s your mother?" Grandfather Three asked, looking around.

    "She went to the temple," was the reply.

    "Oh," Grandfather Three nodded and then placed a universal pouch on the table. "Next time the stock runs out, you might have to go to the Liu family yourself. Seventeen and I will be traveling far away," he stated.

    "Where are you going?" Liu Lu Zhou raised his eyebrows, surprised.

    "Haha, I will be traveling around with Seventeen for a bit," Liu Tan said, preparing to leave immediately.

    Liu Yi You clasped her hands in a simple bow and then ran out following Grandfather Three.

    "Do you think you'll walk around Xiang Ping some more?" Liu Tan asked Liu Yi You.

    "No, let's hurry," the girl replied casually.

    Liu Tan said nothing and led Liu Yi You out of the city, as flying ships and the like were prohibited within Xiang Ping to prevent disturbances.

    Thud! Thud! Thud!

    Sounds like something being slammed against a wall reached her ears. Liu Yi You instinctively looked for the source of the noise.

    What she saw was a three-year-old child being pushed against a wall in a hidden corner, curled up under the assault of a young man. The child didn’t even utter a half cry, making it unclear whether he was enduring well or was too hurt to make a sound.

    Liu Yi You froze, unable to step away. She couldn't just ignore it. The child was about the same age as Xiao Meng. If Xiao Meng were treated this way, she wouldn’t let the perpetrator off, even if it was a relative.

    Violence against children like this was always visible, whenever and wherever.

    Liu Yi You had stopped walking long ago, glaring at the man with blazing eyes.

    She was angry.

    Very angry.

    Liu Yi You was trembling with rage, her small hands noticeably shaking.

    That was a child. No matter what, a child is a child. A child should not be treated like this.

    Liu Yi You's small hand quickly pointed at the young man.

    A medium-sized block of ice shot towards the young man, who continued to vent his frustration on the little boy without pause. As soon as the ice hit the young man, he turned into a block of ice himself, unable to move any longer.

    Liu Yi You did not even glance at her handiwork. She hurried over to the boy and quickly scanned his body.

    The boy was severely injured. His internal organs were badly damaged. Liu Yi You wasted no time, administering a healing pill to him and using a healing technique to treat his external wounds first. Soon, the external injuries were healed, leaving only the internal injuries.

    However, the internal injuries might take some time to heal, but she did not plan to take such a small child with her on her travels. At most, she would help by finding his family, especially his mother, as children often feel safest with their mothers.

    Or if she couldn't find anyone, leaving the boy in the care of Liu Lu Zhou wouldn't be too bad. At least if the boy worked with Liu Lu Zhou, he wouldn't starve.

    Having planned everything, Liu Yi You then turned to look for Liu Tan.

    But…

    where is Grandfather Three? There was only Tong Tian next to her.