From that day on, a silent war quietly began.
Yu Chengyan truly understood his mother’s personality. He knew she would never obediently train without resistance. At first, he had planned to appear strict and cold from the very start, managing Yu Wei with an iron hand.
Who could have imagined that he would fail at the first meeting, retreating step by step, never to regain the upper hand.
Over the next month, Yu Wei spent her days whining, sulking, and rolling about, not training even once. She ate well, however, and the slight thinness she had before filled out. While her delicate frame always invited the female disciples’ care, the added weight made her look healthier.
Her refusal to train would have been a minor issue if that were all, but the worst part was that she had already begun to sense that her situation differed from her past. Cats are natural opportunists. The moment she realized Yu Chengyan, the one in charge, was softer and easier to persuade than Ning Suyi, she immediately took advantage.
“This cannot continue!” One day, while the little cat napped at midday, Ning Suyi and Yu Chengyan held an emergency meeting. Ning Suyi said with a headache, “If you keep spoiling her like this, she will grow up wild and untamed.”
After a month, Ning Suyi was no longer as wary of Yu Chengyan as she had been. The events of the past weeks were almost unbelievable.
She had thought Yu Chengyan a polite but insincere prodigy who looked down on demons like everyone else, yet he turned out to be genuine, skilled in cooking, and utterly soft-hearted when it came to cats.
In the past, when the little cat demon acted cute, Ning Suyi would know the proper balance, lifting her by the scruff to enforce necessary behavior, even when coaxing her. But Yu Chengyan… She had never seen a Golden Core Daojun so lacking in boundaries. A single “no” from Yu Wei silenced him, and if she wanted him to cook, he simply did as asked.
Ning Suyi could hardly contain her frustration. Was he here to feed a cat or to challenge his bottleneck?
She had spent a year socializing this little demon, and Yu Chengyan was undoing it in one month.
Standing to the side, Yu Chengyan appeared completely deflated.
Though taller than Ning Suyi, he lowered his head, his presence utterly lacking, even appearing pitiful.
“I understand what you are saying,” he said weakly, head drooping, “but I… just cannot bear it.”
His heart seemed torn.
On one hand, he was anxious and wanted Yu Wei to grow stronger quickly. He knew Xie Jianbai’s descent signaled coming chaos. In the impending tumult, Yu Chengyan wanted Yu Wei to have the power to protect herself.
Moreover, he was living in a time before his own birth. He wanted to change the future, not only for his parents but also for himself.
He did not know when he might disappear.
The urgency weighed heavily, and he desperately hoped Yu Wei would walk the right path quickly.
Yet, on the other hand, he had lost her for three thousand years. Simply watching her act cute, sulk, and enjoy his cooking gave him a rare sense of peace he could not bring himself to disrupt.
He knew his mother was always like this: indulgent, with simple desires. Cats liked sunbathing and lazy days; how was that a problem?
Yu Wei was so young, even younger than he remembered, and still very different from the mother he knew. Protectiveness surged; he simply could not bring himself to be harsh.
Yu Chengyan hesitated.
He remembered the place where he had lived with his mother: an isolated island separated by Xie Jianbai’s power.
The island was rich in spiritual energy, with mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes, divided by seasons, complete with a well-equipped residence.
Xie Jianbai, as a Celestial Lord, resided mostly in the Heavens, visiting the floating island once a month.
Because of his mother’s death, Yu Chengyan had spent three thousand years resenting Xie Jianbai, disliking all his decisions, including isolating his wife and child.
Yu Chengyan had even questioned whether Xie Jianbai had truly loved Yu Wei, placing them on the island as if they were pets, visiting only when convenient.
He hated that Yu Wei was raised like a caged canary, without self-protection skills, yet unprotected.
For years after losing his mother, Yu Chengyan thought that if it were him, he would have taught her self-preservation. He would never have acted like Xie Jianbai.
Yet, a month of daily interaction had begun to sway him.
He realized that Yu Wei disliked training and hardships. She wanted little: three meals a day and sunbathing. That was enough to make her happy.
He had even thought, more than once, perhaps he should just let her be, allowing her happiness, remaining by her side forever.
“You…”
Seeing the young man so dejected, eyes increasingly confused and wronged, Ning Suyi’s throat tightened. A strange, familiar feeling swept over her.
Yu Chengyan inherited Xie Jianbai’s sharp brow, high nose, and thin lips. He resembled his father, yet his eyes were almost identical to Yu Wei’s.
Normally cold and distant, these eyes softened and glistened whenever he let down his guard, revealing traces of Yu Wei.
Ning Suyi’s heart softened at this sudden resemblance. She sighed, then said, “Ling Xiao, you must be firm.”
Yu Chengyan slowly turned, lips pressed lightly together, a mixture of guilt and helplessness on his face, looking like a lost puppy.
Ning Suyi patted his back, soothing him. She whispered, “Follow my advice. Take all of Yu Wei’s notebooks away for now. Do not prepare her breakfast or lunch. If she obeys, return her notebooks and cook for her at night.”
“This…” Yu Chengyan hesitated, “She is still growing. The mess hall food is not nutritious. And…”
Taking all her notebooks would certainly make his mother dislike him.
Ning Suyi stared expressionlessly at the reluctant young man, noting his potential to spoil a child completely.
She recalled why she had been cautious of him before: on the trial platform he was cold and distant yet exuded the aura of someone capable of complete control. First impressions could be deadly.
“Stop hesitating,” Ning Suyi said, frowning. “It is settled.”
“Alright,” Yu Chengyan said after a long pause. He looked at Ning Suyi, “You go take the notebooks.”
Ning Suyi’s throat moved slightly, unusually unsteady.
“…You go,” she said.
They exchanged a glance, both recognizing the same thought in the other’s eyes.
Whoever took the notebooks would incur the cat’s wrath.
Before Yu Chengyan could speak, Ning Suyi added, “Take my notebooks too. Do it in front of Yu Wei so she sees your firmness.”
Yu Chengyan: …
“You want to put on a show for Yu Wei so she doesn’t dislike you?”
Ning Suyi shyly averted her eyes.
Of course, she wanted Yu Wei to train and adjust her schedule. She had only held back to avoid Yu Wei disliking her. With someone else doing the hard part, why miss the chance?
Thus, they reluctantly reached agreement. Yu Chengyan’s aura sank further. His pitiful appearance even made Ning Suyi feel guilty, like she was bullying a child.
Clearing her throat, Ning Suyi said, “It is settled. In the morning, the dorm is empty. Yu Wei hides the notebooks she’s been reading in the folds of her bedding. Remember to take them.”
“Can’t you just give them to me?” Yu Chengyan asked gloomily.
“Doing it this way makes the scene more believable,” Ning Suyi said seriously, though in her heart she worried Yu Wei might notice she had handled them.
A little guilty, but well, it had to be done, so it would be acted out convincingly.
The next morning, a groggy Yu Wei was already sitting in the mess hall. She asked curiously, “Why don’t we go find Ling Xiao?”
“He seems to have something to discuss. We are meeting outside the dorm,” Ning Suyi replied.
Yu Wei did not suspect anything, though she had barely eaten breakfast.
The outer gate mess hall was bland. She had previously managed with dried meat and rice, but a month of being spoiled by Yu Chengyan had ruined her taste for it; even dried meat no longer appealed.
After finishing, Ning Suyi timed it so that all the disciples were out working, then returned with Yu Wei to the dormitory.
From a distance, they saw Yu Chengyan standing outside the dorm gate.
To outsiders, he always looked calm and imposing, tall and deep-eyed, like a pine growing in the high cold peaks, incongruous on the lower outer mountain.
Yu Wei had grown familiar with him over this time. Seeing Yu Chengyan, she waved happily, rushing over, “Ling Xiao, are you here to see where we live?”
Unlike the gentle indulgence of the past, Yu Chengyan merely glanced at her.
This cold demeanor was his usual outward face.
“I am here to supervise your training, starting today,” he said coldly. “Didn’t you say you read your notebooks every night?”
The little cat, previously carefree, had completely revealed her base over the past month. Seeing Yu Chengyan’s icy appearance, Yu Wei realized too late that something was amiss.
She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, looking both pitiful and helplessly at him.