Heavenly Dao's Confirmation

The moment those words were spoken, all fell silent.

Only the faint trickle of the Three Lights Divine Water and the rustle of the breeze brushing past the immortal grass could be heard.

Tongtian's brilliant smile froze instantly.

Father and daughter becoming master and disciple?!

He abruptly turned to look at Yuanshi and Laozi beside him.

Did I hear that right?

Yuanshi looked as though Heavenly Thunder had struck him squarely on the crown of his head!

His body swayed almost imperceptibly. The color drained from his impossibly handsome face, only for an utterly unnatural flush to swiftly rise and spread all the way to his ears.

Those deep eyes, like a sea of stars, always capable of seeing through the Rules of all things, were now filled with unprecedented shock, confusion, helplessness, and even a trace of...

Panic at having his innermost thoughts exposed?

What... what had he just heard?

Master?

This child...

This child who was destined by Heaven to share a father-daughter bond with him,

was looking up at him with those pure yet slightly calculating big eyes, her chubby little face tilted upward, asking him...

whether he had come to become her Master?!

An overwhelming sense of absurdity crashed over him like towering waves.

Heavenly Dao had clearly decreed they were father and daughter!

How had it become a master-disciple relationship?

Wouldn't that throw all their seniority into complete chaos?!

How was he supposed to explain such an incredibly complicated Heavenly Dao kinship to a two-year-old child?

Laozi's hand also paused in midair.

Just as the atmosphere congealed, the Three Pure Ones each lost in their own thoughts, and Yuanshi was nearly about to lose his Dao Heart.

High above the Nine Heavens, in the unseen beyond.

That vast, majestic, utterly impartial and emotionless will descended once more in silence!

There were no rays of Rosy Clouds, no streams of auspicious light.

There was only a silent fluctuation of Rules, enough to make one's soul tremble, rippling gently outward like circles on water.

Within the deepest recesses of the Three Pure Ones' Nascent Souls, the previous oracle was repeated and clarified:

[This child is your shared disciple.]

[She is also your Heaven-destined daughter.]

[Such is Karma. Watch over her well.]

Heavenly Dao's voice was cold and indifferent, devoid of emotion, yet it carried an unquestionable authority of final interpretation.

Its meaning was blunt and simple.

She was their disciple, and she was also their daughter. She was all theirs!

A bundle deal—no returns or exchanges!

Hurry up and take her home to care for her!

The Three Pure Ones: "..."

Tongtian was the first to react.

He secretly jabbed the stiff Yuanshi with his elbow, lowering his voice with a tone full of absurd amusement.

"Hey! Second Brother! Did you hear that?

Buy one, get two free... no, that's not right. Acknowledge one, and you get the two of us thrown in!

Heavenly Dao really went all out with this one!

But I like it! This little one is ours now!"

He had swiftly accepted this arrangement and found the development unbelievably entertaining.

Yuanshi jolted back to his senses after Tongtian nudged him.

Both disciple and daughter?

How... how could that possibly be proper?!

The seniority was a complete mess!

He instinctively looked at Su Miao.

The little child seemed to vaguely sense something as well.

She blinked her big eyes in confusion, tilted her head to look at the sky, then looked back at them.

Though she could not hear Heavenly Dao's transmission,

she could vaguely sense that something beneficial to her had happened just now?

The expressions of those three handsome men across from her seemed to have become... even more complicated?

Especially that best-looking handsome big brother in silver robes. His face seemed a little red?

Why was his gaze so... hard to describe?

He looked terribly conflicted and a little angry, but it did not seem like he was angry at her?

What's going on?

Did the Heavenly Dao big shot secretly give me a thumbs-up just now?

Why are they acting so strange?

Could it be that I guessed right?

Did they really come to recruit... ah, no, to take in a disciple?

Laozi took a deep breath.

He was the first to fully accept this unbelievable yet unchangeable arrangement from Heavenly Dao.

A trace of understanding flashed through his eyes.

It seemed this child's Karma with the Three Pure Ones was far deeper and... stranger than they had previously deduced.

The calm, detached aura around him spread once more, quietly soothing the slightly out-of-control situation.

He stepped forward, still wearing that gentle expression.

Looking at Su Miao, whose face was both bewildered and expectant, he spoke in a steady, reassuring voice.

"Little one, do not be afraid."

He first repeated his earlier reassurance.

Then, following her words, he gave her an affirmative answer.

Yet he cleverly set aside the father-daughter relationship for the moment,

emphasizing only the master-disciple Karma so as not to frighten this little one, whose thoughts seemed rather unusual.

"We indeed came here guided by Heaven's secrets.

Those secrets revealed that we share a master-disciple Karma with you."

"Master-disciple Karma?"

Su Miao's little ears precisely caught those four words. Her big eyes lit up at once, as if countless Stars had fallen into them!

It's true!

The Heavenly Dao big shot didn't deceive me!

Someone really came to take me as a disciple, and they're such handsome men too!

Her immense joy instantly washed away her final trace of wariness!

Hugging the Profound Origin Water Control Banner, she excitedly took a small step forward.

With her little face raised, her voice became even more babyish from excitement, yet was filled with complete sincerity and certainty.

"Really?

You... you three will be my Masters from now on?!"

Her gaze moved back and forth among the Three Pure Ones.

In the end, it mainly settled on Laozi, who looked the most dependable.

Yet from the corner of her eye, she could not help sneaking glances at the handsome big brother with the most dramatic expression.

Seeing this, Tongtian found the little child's reaction far too amusing and rushed to answer.

"Yes, yes, yes!

From now on, we'll be your Masters!

Quick, call us..."

He faltered. Call them Martial Uncles?

No, that was wrong. Heavenly Dao had said she was their shared disciple, so what should she call them?

Yuanshi looked at the little child's trusting eyes.

Listening to her say, "You'll be my Masters from now on," the conflict and struggle in his heart regarding seniority and propriety,

suddenly... did not seem so hard to accept anymore.

An utterly unfamiliar feeling, soft and slightly sour, quietly arose and replaced his earlier helplessness.

Instinctively, almost imperceptibly, he nodded.

The movement was stiff, yet it carried the weight of a solemn promise.

Laozi nodded slightly, formally confirming it.

Having received an affirmative answer, Su Miao was so happy she practically wanted to fly around the pool three times!

I did it!

I found long-term meal tickets! Three of them!

Now I can lie back and take it easy for the rest of my life!

She immediately got into character.

Trying hard to recall the disciple-taking ceremonies from the costume dramas she had watched,

she hugged her little Banner and clumsily prepared to kneel.