Little Bei, at thirty-seven days old, had finally taken on human form.

Luo Yu grumbled for a while, venting his complaints, then turned to Qin Yue to ask how the mission had gone.

The two entered the house, and with a wave of Qin Yue’s hand, the table immediately piled high with jade manuals—Taiji, Wing Chun, Shaolin Vajra, Southern Fist, Northern Leg, and even a few Muay Thai tomes. Luo Yu nodded in satisfaction: “Becoming a martial arts master is no longer a dream! With these, if we ever encounter a thief in daily life, we’ll have the perfect excuse.”

Qin Yue found a chair, sat down, and after a moment’s thought, said, “On this last trip out, I advanced to the peak of Qi Refinement. Now that we no longer need to worry about pills, you should devote more time to cultivation as well. You can now handle two pills a day. As for magical power, both alchemy and artifact crafting are enough to temper you, so don’t worry about backlash. We can spar together to hone our combat skills, or find some maniacs in the sect for practice. As for cultivating your state of mind, living in the mundane world tests us daily—there’s nothing to fear…”

At this point, Qin Yue suddenly fell silent, frowning.

Luo Yu knew what he was thinking, so he steeled himself and said, “Let’s go to the Bamboo Grove Institute and get the Immortal’s Dew! As for the Essence of Transformation… let’s set it aside for now and tackle one thing at a time.”

Qin Yue shook his head. “I can try to get the Dew myself. Your cultivation is too low—just at the sixth level. It’s better you stay home for now.”

Luo Yu protested, “But it’s still early! The dew doesn’t form until August! We agreed to venture into the martial world together—don’t leave me behind!”

Qin Yue replied coldly, “If you know your strength is inadequate, don’t take unnecessary risks for trivial matters. Otherwise, you’ll lose your chance to adventure in the future.”

Luo Yu argued, “This isn’t trivial! And your cultivation isn’t that much higher than mine—we’re both still in the Qi Refinement stage! Just wait—give me half a month, and I’ll complete these two formations I’m working on. Then, I’ll level up with all my might. Before August, I’ll reach the eighth or ninth level—at least enough not to drag you down! Besides, big sects always have formation barriers—how will you sneak in without me?”

Qin Yue fell silent. Over the past ten days, he’d acted alone and found it uncomfortable—too much solitude. But the Bamboo Grove Institute was dangerous, and he was reluctant to bring Luo Yu. Judging from their experiences fighting the Water Dragon and the Taoist, this guy was trouble. If anything happened to him, Qin Yue would be deeply upset. Still, he couldn’t keep Luo Yu cooped up at home forever, refining pills and setting up formations. It was better to bring him along under controlled circumstances and protect him, but the Bamboo Grove Institute was still too perilous.

Having made up his mind, Qin Yue said nothing more. Luo Yu, however, threw himself into preparations for the plan. Soon, Luo Yu successfully developed a formation for the vampire’s needs, as well as two household formations—one for their home and one for the old house—putting the old Ninefold Spirit Gathering Array into retirement.

The vampire was delighted with his new formation: now all the yin energy gathered in the backyard, thick and fragrant, making him feel utterly rejuvenated. Having tasted the benefits, he begged Luo Yu to develop a sun-blocking formation for him, promising all kinds of rewards—such as gifting him a few powerful ghouls as underlings, bound by master-servant contracts, guaranteed never to rebel!

Luo Yu was tempted, but had no time at the moment, so he agreed to postpone it until after acquiring the Immortal’s Dew.

Time flew by, and soon it was March. The Luo family courtyard was filled with spring breezes, flowers, and flourishing greenery. The Spirit Gathering Array nourished the plants, making them lush and tender, and the air was so fresh and clear it felt like a jungle villa in a primeval forest.

After school, Luo Yu sat cross-legged in the courtyard, meditating. He’d just taken a Spirit-Nurturing Pill and was absorbing its effects. A few days ago, he’d reached the seventh level of Qi Refinement and was racing onward. Best, the cat, lay lazily on his lap—recently it had been sleepy and irritable, its demonic aura thickening. Qin Yue estimated it would transform within days.

Father Chu was very concerned about the cat’s impending transformation—it was like gaining a new daughter. He’d researched extensively online, calculating the days: at seven or eight months, the cat was roughly equivalent to a ten-year-old human child.

Meanwhile, the vampire hovered around Father Chu, constantly monitoring him, hoping to accompany him when shopping for the kitten’s clothes and prevent him from sneaking out during the day. In truth, such efforts were futile—Father Chu’s daily work schedule couldn’t be so easily interrupted. Yet, curiously, he didn’t defy the vampire, but calmly went out with him. Both Luo Yu and Qin Yue secretly sensed something was off—after all, the vampire often slipped into Father Chu’s room at night, but there was never any sound of quarreling, nor anything suspicious. They pretended not to notice. Luo Yu, however, felt despondent: “Dad is doomed—how can an ordinary man possibly resist a vampire? Forget it, some things are best left alone.”

After an evening of shopping, Father Chu and Lampes returned laden with bags of girls’ clothes in all sizes and styles, inside and out. Luo Yu looked at the vampire’s blissful face and could barely resist spitting at him.

The courtyard was perfectly still, not a whisper of wind. Yet, as Luo Yu meditated, he began to sense something amiss—a strange fluctuation of magical energy brushed his consciousness. Was Best beginning to transform? He quickly suppressed the pill’s effects and opened his eyes—and sure enough! The cat’s paws were growing, its fur retracting into the skin, its body stretching and flattening out…

Panic swept over Luo Yu: Damn, damn, damn! He had to get her out of sight—otherwise, in a moment, there’d be a naked girl right there!

He carefully scooped up Best, and with the lightness of a swallow, darted indoors. In a few swift steps, he reached the upstairs sitting room, grabbed a blanket from the sofa, and thoroughly wrapped her up before dashing to the kitchen to report to Father Chu.

At that moment, the old master hadn’t returned yet; Qin Yue and the vampire were practicing in the gloomy hall of the old house, so only father and son were home.

Father Chu, anxious, turned off the stove and hurried upstairs with Luo Yu. Rounding the corner, they saw a half-naked, cat-eared, adorable girl with two flat little points peeking out from her chest, sitting amidst a pile of blankets, clutching the TV remote and furiously pressing buttons, her half-exposed tail swishing irritably from under the blanket.

Both Luo Yu and Father Chu were stunned, unable to react at first.

The red-haired, cat-eared girl shrieked in surprise and tried to pounce on them, only to trip on the blanket and land bottom-up.

That jolted them to their senses. Father Chu quickly scooped her up and bundled her tightly, instructing Luo Yu, “Find some clothes for her to put on.”

Luo Yu rummaged through the bags by the sofa. The girl, nestling in Father Chu’s arms, suddenly lifted her head and called out brightly, “Daddy!”

Luo Yu paused, staring in disbelief; Father Chu was elated. Looking into her bright, limpid eyes, he asked gently, “You can talk now?”

With excitement, she repeated, “Daddy! Daddy!” then turned to Luo Yu and shouted, “Nii-san!”

“What?!” Luo Yu was dumbfounded—not only could she speak, but she knew Japanese?

Father Chu ignored the language and kept urging Luo Yu to find clothes.

Dressing the little one turned into a chaotic struggle—not because she was uncooperative, but because she was too enthusiastic, pushing her head into pant legs and her feet into sleeves, making things even harder. Any awkwardness Luo Yu had feared vanished amid the commotion.

Finally, they managed to get her thoroughly dressed, both exhausted. Yet she clung to Luo Yu’s neck, demanding, “Cartoons! Cartoons! Turn them on!”

Luo Yu groaned. When she couldn’t speak, life was easier. Now she could express herself—and what a handful she was!

“All right, all right, calm down, Nii-san will put on a cartoon… Which one do you want?”

“Kill-ge, Larudo, Sasuke!”

Father Chu, hearing the garbled names, rubbed his forehead. “She still can’t talk properly.”

Luo Yu steadied himself. “Oh, she can. Those are names of characters from Naruto…”

The girl brightened. “Hai! Naruto! Larudo!”

This time, Father Chu understood the familiar Japanese “Hai” and declared, “No Japanese cartoons for her! Start with Pleasant Goat and learn Chinese properly before anything else!”

At dinnertime, the whole family gathered. The old master was delighted with Best’s transformation. The Luo family had always been short on women—now, finally, a granddaughter. He doted on her, teaching her to use chopsticks, to eat, to speak, his patience making Father Chu envious—he’d never enjoyed such treatment as a child.

After dinner, the family gathered in the living room to test the little one’s spiritual roots. Astonishingly, she possessed a rare mutation: the “Light Root” born from gold and fire. It was the perfect talent for Buddhist cultivation, which emphasized purity and righteousness—dispelling filth and evil. Luo Yu, though not planning to send her to a nunnery, resolved to teach her as many Buddhist techniques as possible.

In addition, demon clans often possessed innate magical abilities, but newly transformed Best had no cultivation, and her powers were yet to be revealed.

The old master, proud of his “pure and enlightened” granddaughter, told Father Chu, “Give my precious girl a proper name.”

Father Chu nodded. After a family discussion, the old master decided to name her “Luo Li,” as her eyes were as gorgeous as crystal glass.

Just as the name was settled, Lampes returned and, upon hearing the story, protested, “You’ve decided everything without me? That won’t do! She’s my and Chu’s child—she must have my surname! I’ve done my parental duty, after all, and I picked out all her clothes! ‘Luo Li Leonkart’—now, isn’t that a beautiful name?”

Father Chu shot the vampire a withering look, telling him to keep quiet.

The old master objected, “She’s our family’s child—why add your surname? It sounds neither Chinese nor foreign, just like a half-blood. If she calls for her dad, who’s going to answer?”

The vampire, apparently blind to Father Chu’s glare, turned mournfully to the old master, “Am I not your family? In my heart, you’re my father, and Little Yu is my child—you know this. How can you bear to reject me? If the title is confusing, she can call me ‘Mommy’… And my surname comes after yours, it doesn’t conflict…”

He looked so pitiful that, if not for Luo Yu shooting him scornful looks from behind, he might have burst into tears.

The old master, too kind-hearted as a human, inevitably gave in.

And so, Luo Li Leonkart officially became part of the Luo family—again. With this little troublemaker, the household turned upside down. To get her to call him “Mommy,” Lampes used every trick, even offering Dog as a toy. Poor Dog was tormented daily by Luo Li’s feline antics—sometimes she’d revert to cat form and chase him like a mouse.

Still, the vampire’s sacrifices paid off. Luo Li called him “Mommy” sweetly, making his heart burst with joy. He doted on his claw-loving daughter—even their martial arts moves were similar, as if she truly were his and Chu’s own blood.

After being driven mad by Luo Li, Father Chu delegated supervision to the vampire. From then on, Luo Li learned about life from cartoons, common sense from the old master, cultivation from Luo Yu, knowledge of the cultivation world from Qin Yue, and fighting from the vampire.

Everyone was busy, but most of the time, it was just mother and daughter together.

One day, Luo Li, hugging a pillow, ran to the kitchen and asked Father Chu, “Daddy, why is my Mommy a man?”

Wielding his spatula, Father Chu replied, “That’s a question for your Mommy—he knows best.”

Luo Li frowned. “Mommy said it’s because you two are gay, but I’m not so sure… Are you really in love?”

Father Chu bristled. “Gay? Who taught you that word?”

Luo Li shrugged. “It’s all over the internet. Daddy, did you know that in Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach—all the popular anime—everyone’s gay? There’s nothing wrong with men loving men.”

At last, Father Chu realized the consequences of not personally educating his child—she’d gotten completely led astray in just a few days!

He threw aside his apron, pulled over two chairs, and said, “Sit down. Tell Daddy everything you’ve been watching online lately.”

Luo Li sat gracefully, just like her Mommy, setting the pillow on her lap. “Daddy, I’m just trying to enlighten you—if you really love Mommy. You’re avoiding my question. Grown-ups should set a good example, not criticize children’s lifestyles from on high—you understand? Also, I’ve learned a lot from anime, and developed great ambitions. I want to uphold justice and peace, protect the good, and bravely fight the villains—wipe out all the bosses!”

[End of chapter: Cultivation Chronicles of Comrades 37—Best Has Transformed]