Chapter Sixty-Four: The Daughter Comes to Help

As dawn broke, dappled light filtered through the cracks in the inn's carved wooden windows, casting tiny spots of light on the floor. Jiu Ya sat on a round stool in Rong Jiang's room, her hand unconsciously twirling a strand of hair that fell over her shoulder.

“My mother vaguely mentioned that my maternal grandmother came from the Li family of the west of the city,” Jiu Ya began slowly, her tone tinged with uncertainty. “The west of Linzi city is inhabited by the wealthy and powerful, mostly high-ranking officials and dignitaries. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think the Li family of Shenyan Lane that I heard about yesterday, with their illustrious lineage, might… really be my maternal grandmother’s family.” She analyzed it this way, but inwardly she was somewhat skeptical. To try and pinpoint one’s maternal family from over a hundred years ago in such a vast city as Linzi based solely on the phrase “Li family of the west of the city” and “illustrious lineage” was like finding a needle in a haystack. The Li family of Shenyan Lane was indeed a prominent family, but could that alone confirm it was her maternal grandmother’s family? That would be far too hasty.

The thought of searching for her relatives gave Jiu Ya a headache. Although her trip to the mortal realm was just a pretext, finding her grandmother's family would fulfill her grandmother's wish. However, the clash between her inner demonic pride and the harsh realities of the mortal world left her feeling incredibly frustrated. Even as a powerful demon lord, finding her roots in the mortal realm wasn't easy. The demonic power was largely suppressed and difficult to wield here, and she had to abide by the rules of the mortal world.

She couldn't very well announce to the world, "I am the supreme ruler of the Demon Realm. I have descended to the mortal realm only to find my maternal grandmother's relatives! You mortals, whose ancestors meet the criteria, hurry up and come to me to confirm, so that I can know which of you are my mother's uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, or cousins!"

This is utterly absurd! Leaving aside the possibility of scaring mortals to death, even if someone did believe it, she would likely face not a family reunion, but rather city-wide panic and a siege by both Taoist and Buddhist factions. While the demon realm generally looks down on the weak human race, conversely, what good impression do humans have of demons? In the human world, terms like "demon" and "monster" are synonymous with evil, terror, and the need for extermination. Normal humans, upon encountering demons, would either be terrified or scream for their lives. Once a demon's identity is exposed, it could easily cause uncontrollable panic and chaos in the human world.

Even if she were to go all out and "announce it to the world," it would most likely be useless. Her maternal grandmother only had one childhood name—Li San Niang. According to her mother's vague memory, her grandmother was frail and sickly as a child. Her parents worried that giving her a formal name too early would cause her soul to be taken away by the underworld, so they always called her "San Niang, San Niang," until she left home to become a disciple and cultivate herself, without ever having a formal name.

Therefore, the only clue currently available for finding her relatives is this code name, "Li San Niang." The thought of this made Jiu Ya feel as if she had a mouthful of old blood stuck in her throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down. My God! Isn't this name just a birth order? There are countless families in the world with the surname Li. If a family has three children, and the third happens to be a girl, most people will call her "Li San Niang"!

Where would she even begin to search? Besides, even if there were a family that met the criteria, who would dare to come forward and claim this marriage? Good heavens, a monstrous relative suddenly appearing in the family—wouldn't that be a massive social disaster? How could she ever hold her head high in Linzi City again, how could she have normal relations with other respectable families? She'd probably be running away as fast as she could!

Jiuya sighed, feeling that her journey to find her relatives had been deadlocked from the very beginning.

"When exactly did A-Jiu's maternal grandmother marry A-Jiu's maternal grandfather?" Rong Jiang's cold voice interrupted Jiu Ya's agitation. She looked at Jiu Ya, her eyes carrying a subtle hint of guidance, "Perhaps we can follow this timeline and inquire which family in the Li clan west of Linzi City had a daughter who got married around that time, or... who left home to cultivate around that time?"

Rong Jiang's words were veiled, yet they highlighted a crucial point. The search for relatives should perhaps focus more on Li families whose daughters left home to cultivate at a young age or whose whereabouts are unknown, rather than simply and crudely searching for a "Li San Niang".

Besides, hadn't they already stumbled upon the Li family in Shenyan Lane by sheer chance? Perhaps they really did find the right direction by accident.

"Huh?" Jiu Ya's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a crack had been parted in the fog. That's right! Why hadn't she thought of investigating from the angle of "cultivation" and "leaving home"! Immediately, her gaze burned as she looked at Rong Jiang, her heart pounding with excitement: If you were to ask who was the strongest at finding people in this world, it would undoubtedly be this Lord of the Underworld before her! With the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll in hand, containing the records of life and death and family genealogies of everyone throughout history, wouldn't it be crystal clear to investigate the background of someone from a hundred years ago, leaving them nowhere to hide?

Jiu Ya suddenly felt like she'd missed out on a fortune! But the next second, she quickly calmed down. They were both still using disguises! She was "A Jiu, the rich young lady who ran away from home to find her relatives," and Rong Jiang was "Ran Ran, an old friend from Linzi."

She quickly averted her overly eager gaze, carefully considered Rong Jiang's suggestion, and reorganized her thoughts. Her grandmother had indeed practiced Taoism in her youth. "Yes! Ranran is right! We can inquire in this direction!" she feigned sudden realization. "Focusing on just one name is indeed too difficult."

"Does A-Jiu still remember his maternal grandmother's appearance or past? Or, did A-Jiu's maternal grandmother mention any other relatives who were still alive? For example, the names of his parents, his birth order, etc." Rong Jiang continued to gently offer ideas, thinking it would be better to give this seemingly enthusiastic but somewhat reckless "A-Jiu" more hints. "It is indeed difficult to find someone based on just a surname and a common birth order."

Jiuya shook her head firmly, "My maternal grandmother passed away when my mother was very young. My mother's impression of my maternal grandmother was also very vague. She only remembered that my maternal grandmother often looked eastward and shed tears, saying that she wanted to go home... As for the specific names of her relatives, my mother was too young at that time and really couldn't remember them." This statement was half true and half false. The original owner of this body had never met her maternal grandmother, and her mother had also passed away early, so her memory was vague.

"I see." Rong Jiang nodded slightly, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. She knew almost nothing about her closest relatives' names or family circumstances, yet she rushed out to find her roots. Wasn't that a bit too hasty? This "A-Jiu" girl was far too impatient.

"Wait!" Jiu Ya slammed her hand on the table, as if she had suddenly remembered something extremely important. "I think... I think I remember! Mother seemed to have mentioned that my maternal grandmother had an elder brother whose name... his name seemed to contain the characters 'Bo Yi'! Yes! It was Boyi!"

An excited look appeared on her face. Once a person lives too long, their memory is like an old computer that has been stored too much data and is in disrepair for many years. When they need to use it, it is always easy to lag. Only with strong stimulation or patient searching can they dig out the deeply buried fragments.

“Li Boyi?” Rong Jiang’s lips parted slightly as she repeated the name. She raised an eyebrow; it seemed this girl had finally come up with some concrete and reliable information—truly surprising. If she had continued searching aimlessly as before, she feared it might take another year or two before any substantial progress was made.

“If Ajiu can confirm this name, then the possibility of it being the Li family of Shenyan Lane will greatly increase.” Rong Jiang’s tone was calm, but she dropped a bombshell. “As far as I know, there is indeed an ancestor in the Li family of Shenyan Lane whose courtesy name is ‘Boyi’.”

She paused, then added, her tone slightly subtle: "Ahem, he was the great-grandfather of the Li Xiang that is often mentioned among the common people today."

"Could my maternal grandmother really be from the Li family of Shenyan Lane?" Jiu Ya was shocked, abruptly standing up, her eyes shining brightly. "Then wouldn't I have to call that Li family head...uncle?" Her mind raced, calculating the generations, before a question arose: How could Rong Jiang know so much? Had she secretly checked the Yin-Yang Life and Death Scroll? Impossible, she'd been with her the whole time. Or perhaps... because Rong Jiang was originally from Linzi, she was intimately familiar with the genealogies and anecdotes of these local aristocratic families? If that were the case, wouldn't her relationship with Rong Jiang be even closer? Thinking of this, Jiu Ya felt a surge of joy, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

Rong Jiang looked at Jiu Ya's almost sparkling eyes, as if she could guess what she was thinking, and said calmly: She didn't want this kind of roundabout kinship. There was no blood relation between her and A Jiu. Thank you.

“If the elder brother mentioned by Ajiu’s maternal grandmother is indeed the same person as the Boyi Gong I know, then the Li family in Shenyan Lane is very likely to be Ajiu’s distant relatives,” Rong Jiang confirmed again.

As the two were talking, a soft knock came from the opposite room, interrupting their conversation.

It was Bai Yu. She got up early, carefully tidied herself, and as usual, prepared to help Jiu Ya wash and change. But when she reached Jiu Ya's door and gently knocked, there was no response. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she heard the Venerable One's voice clearly coming from Rong Jiang's room next door: "Bai Yu, I'm here!"

Jiuya stood up and opened the door, only to see Bai Yu still holding the knocking gesture with one hand, her face full of surprise and astonishment, staring blankly at her master who had just emerged from Rong Jiang's room. "Miss?"

Bai Yu's mind was in utter chaos. Why was the Venerable One in Miss Rong's room so early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking? Looking closer at his hairstyle—though still beautiful—it was clearly something he'd casually styled himself, rather haphazardly, with a single strand sticking out unruly. Did the Venerable One think he was one of those careless boys? Why did he have to comb his own hair? Why didn't he wake her to wash up in the morning? Bai Yu internally screamed in frustration: What, was her position as the Demon Lord's top female official about to be shaken? The Venerable One wouldn't let her serve him with his grooming, he was doing it himself?! A barrage of complaints flashed through her mind.

"Mmm." Jiu Ya nodded, completely unaware of the turmoil in her mistress's heart, and greeted Bai Yu in a rather cheerful mood, "Good morning, Bai Yu!"

Bai Yu: "..." What should I reply? Good morning, Miss? Cough cough, is that a proper reply? It seems there's no rule in the Demon Lord's courtiers' code for greeting the Lord like that. However, having followed Jiu Ya for so long, Bai Yu has gotten used to the Lord occasionally using some rather friendly and endearing words and actions.

Bai Yu quickly composed herself, regaining her usual calm and composure, and gracefully bowed, saying, "Good morning, Miss; good morning, Miss Rong." Her manners were impeccable.

"Miss Bai Yu, you're up early too." Rong Jiang stood behind Jiu Ya and smiled faintly at Bai Yu in return.

Jiuya waved her hand and said, "Baiyu, I've already washed up here with Ranran, so you don't need to trouble yourself."

"Oh, right," she remembered the most important thing, "is breakfast ready?"

The inn they chose was quite famous in Linzi city, not only for its elegant environment but also for its exceptional food. It was said that the head chef's ancestors were imperial chefs, and his skills were comparable to those of the top restaurants. The breakfast, in particular, was exquisitely presented and delicious, truly exceptional. Guests staying at the inn only needed to give an order in advance, and the kitchen would carefully prepare their preferred dishes.

"Reporting to Miss, Li Yue has already gone to the kitchen to give the instructions," Bai Yu replied respectfully. As their most capable and attentive subordinates, they naturally had to prepare everything for their master in every way and think ahead. How could they let their esteemed master wait on an empty stomach? This was their duty.