In Murong Yuan's study, father and daughter sat facing each other until dawn.
The pot of spirit tea on the table cooled and was replaced, then cooled again.
Looking at his daughter's profile, Murong Yuan suddenly remembered how she had sat just as obediently as a child, listening to his stories about the Cultivation World.
"Li'er."
Murong Li raised her head, her eyes slightly red.
"I know you don't want to leave."
Murong Yuan tried to keep his voice light. "But Young Master Zhou... cannot possibly stay, either."
"I tied him up for the wedding ceremony and forced him to marry. It's already remarkable that he bears no resentment. If I insist on keeping him here as well, I'll be making an enemy of him."
Murong Li bit her lip without speaking.
"Silly child."
Murong Yuan reached out and ruffled her hair, just as he had when she was little. "Why do you think I did all this?"
"So you could live a good life."
His tone grew serious. "That Young Master Zhou... I can tell he's no creature destined to remain in a mere pond."
"Those friends of his are no ordinary people, either, every last one of them."
"Especially... that Immortal King."
Murong Li's gaze shifted slightly.
"I'm asking you to go with them because I know that only with them can you truly be safe, can you truly... live like a person."
"But, Father, you..."
"I'm at the peak of Golden Immortal. Here in Jade Qiong Heaven, who besides an Immortal King could touch me?"
Murong Yuan smiled. "You, on the other hand, might find a way to solve this completely one day while traveling with them."
"When that time comes, you can come home whenever you like."
Seeing his daughter still hesitate, he added, "Just think