An Extra Clingy Bundle

Gu Changyuan set his teacup aside, stood up, and walked over to the girl. Gently resting his right hand on her small head, he once again sent his divine sense into her sea of consciousness.

The sea of consciousness at this moment was vastly different from when he had left it.

The girl's sea of consciousness had expanded several times over its original size. The interior was clearly divided into two distinct regions, each occupied by a cluster of soul essence.

One of the clusters still had a very weak aura and was in a deep slumber; this was the girl's original soul. The other cluster emanated a pure and stable aura, and it was the new soul that had just communicated with him.

Gu Changyuan withdrew his divine sense, a flash of understanding passing through his eyes.

So that is how it is...

He muttered to himself in a low voice.

It was highly likely related to the nature of her Primal Chaos Star Spirit Body and the fact that her soul had suffered overly severe trauma previously.

Under the tremendous pressure of her physique's awakening, in order to prevent the heavily traumatized old soul from completely collapsing, her body or physique instinctively adopted a protective mechanism.

It differentiated and spawned a relatively pure, newborn auxiliary soul to temporarily take over the dominance of the body, allowing the old soul to enter a deep hibernation for self-repair.

In the future, when the girl's strength improved and her consciousness and body could fully bear the burden, it would then choose to awaken.

This newborn soul was like a blank sheet of paper at the most critical moment of its birth.

The very first existence it saw, perceived, and received immense help from—the one who brought it an unparalleled sense of security—was him, Gu Changyuan.

Furthermore, since Gu Changyuan's divine sense had previously entered her sea of consciousness, her preliminary cognitive understanding naturally skewed toward his memories.

Having figured this out, Gu Changyuan looked at the little girl who was still holding her arms wide open, gazing up at him eagerly, and his mood instantly became complicated to the extreme.

He had just saved someone and picked up a reserve disciple with grade-ten talent. How did he suddenly become a father?!

Looking at the girl's starry eyes, which were so pure they did not contain a single trace of impurity, Gu Changyuan fell silent for a moment and let out a soft sigh.

He knelt on one knee to bring his line of sight level with the girl's, asking in a gentle tone, Do you have a name?

The girl tilted her head, a trace of confusion flashing through her clear eyes as if she were trying hard to understand the question.

She subconsciously searched through her newly reconstructed and still chaotic memories. After a brief moment, she shook her head blankly.

You don't have one...

Gu Changyuan pondered for a moment, looking at the faint starlight flowing in her eyes.

Then I shall call you Xing'er. As for your surname, you will share mine. Gu Xing'er.

Gu Xing'er...

Gu Xing'er repeated the name. She seemed to find the syllables very pleasant, or perhaps she felt a certain sense of belonging and stability from this new name.

The blankness in her eyes faded, replaced by pure joy. The corners of her mouth curled up into a sweet smile.

Originally, she had just been holding her arms open, but now she was directly waving her little hands up and down. Her large eyes gazed at Gu Changyuan eagerly, making no secret of her desire for a hug.

Seeing her like this, Gu Changyuan sighed helplessly. Ultimately, he bent down and, with slightly stiff movements, gently hugged this sudden daughter of his.

However, Gu Xing'er was clearly not satisfied.

Feeling Gu Changyuan's embrace, she immediately took advantage of the momentum, using both her arms and legs to climb up. She wrapped her arms tightly around Gu Changyuan's neck, pressed her little face against the crook of his neck, and hung her entire body on him.

Gu Changyuan's body stiffened, but afraid that she might fall, he naturally stood up, using his right arm to firmly support her little bottom as he picked her up.

A handsome, aloof-looking young man in black robes, appearing around twenty-four or twenty-five, was carrying a beautifully delicate, barefoot eight-year-old girl in his arms...

Even Gu Changyuan himself felt that this scene was a bit... weird.

For a thousand-year-old young boy like himself to be carrying an eight-year-old girl like this, it really was quite strange!

He suddenly thought of a more crucial issue.

Right, Xing'er.

Gu Changyuan looked down at the little girl rubbing her cheek against his lapels, attempting to correct her. From now on, you must call me older brother.

Suddenly gaining a daughter was too big of a leap in identity; even he had not adapted to it yet.

Moreover, in the future when Gu Xing'er's souls completely merged and her memories recovered, calling him dad would probably not be very appropriate.

Hearing this, Gu Xing'er raised her head and blinked her large eyes at Gu Changyuan, seemingly digesting this new instruction.

Then, she nodded very seriously and replied in a crisp voice, Okay! Brother Dad!

......

The corners of Gu Changyuan's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Looking at Gu Xing'er's serious expression that seemed to say, I'm very obedient, aren't I, he instantly gave up on the idea of correcting her further.

Forget it, just call me dad.

......

At dinner time, the Su family delivered the spiritual meals right on schedule.

Before they arrived, Gu Changyuan specifically took out some ingredients that, while not of a high grade, possessed pure and gentle spiritual energy perfectly suited for solidifying a young child's foundation. He handed them to the Su family steward, instructing them to prepare a separate portion for Gu Xing'er.

The sudden appearance of Gu Xing'er naturally aroused curiosity and speculation among the Su family, but they would not dare to pry.

There were some things where ignorance was far safer than knowledge. Asking rash questions would only displease the senior.

Gu Xing'er had an exceptionally clingy personality. Gu Changyuan specifically had a delicate little bed made for her, but she refused to sleep in it even if her life depended on it.

Every night, she would secretly sneak into Gu Changyuan's bed, curling up beside him to sleep peacefully.

Through observation, he also discovered that Gu Xing'er's mind was not simply stuck at a young child's stage.

As the time she spent with him increased and she absorbed more information from the outside world, her cognition, comprehension, and language skills grew at an astonishing rate.

When she first appeared, her cognitive level was roughly that of an infant of a few months—ignorant and entirely dependent.

But in just two short days, she could already understand more complex instructions and express her wishes more clearly.

Gu Changyuan judged that with this rate of growth, it might take less than a month for her cognition to truly match the level of an eight-year-old child, granting her relatively independent thinking capabilities.

......

Time quickly arrived at the afternoon before the Heavenly Abyss Ceremony at the Heavenly Human Holy Land.

The leader of the Su family's delegation for attending the ceremony and participating in the selection at the Holy Land finally returned to Fengling City.

This time, the Su family's group heading to the Heavenly Human Holy Land was led by inner sect disciple Su Tianhui, who was also Su Yunhao's second son.

Having joined the Heavenly Human Holy Land decades ago, he was considered an outstanding figure among the disciples of his generation.

Upon returning to the Su family, Su Tianhui immediately heard the news of his fourth sister, Su Wanqing, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

After Su Wanqing vividly recounted Gu Changyuan's deeds, Su Tianhui's heart was filled with curiosity about this senior who could easily dissolve heart demons and casually suppress a Mahayana realm grand thief. He could hardly wait to catch a glimpse of the senior's true appearance.

Knowing that they were to set off for the Heavenly Human Holy Land today, Gu Changyuan packed up early. Holding the hand of the barefoot, skipping Gu Xing'er, he slowly walked to the Su family plaza.