Lü Erlu gently closed the door.
Ziya, lying on the bed, peeked her eyes open.
She lay on her side, her small hands clutching the edge of the quilt while the tip of her tail swept back and forth unconsciously.
‘Father is always like this. Even though he carries the heavy burden of raising me and has to manage a mountain of troubles both inside and outside the house, he never says a single harsh word to me.’
Sadness was hidden in his heart, and exhaustion was masked behind his smiles.
He kept his most gentle side entirely for her.
‘How should I repay him?’
Ziya wondered as she stared at the ceiling.
That fatherly love was a companionship that spanned years, a protection that gave everything.
How could an ordinary way of repaying a debt be worthy of such weight?
‘Give him treasures? No, no! That’s too cheap!’
Besides, Father wasn’t greedy at all.
Giving him wealth would be pointless.
‘Give him a back massage? No, that won’t work either! It’s too perfunctory!’
Those were just small things she could do anytime; they lacked true sincerity!
“Oh dear…”
Ziya tossed and turned on the bed in distress.
Her small body rolled around, crumpling the quilt into a messy ball.
She racked her brains, her heart filled with only one thought.
What she wanted to give her father was the kind of happiness that would allow him to drop all his defenses — a sanctuary where he could truly feel at ease and rely on her!
*Ding!*
Suddenly, Ziya’s eyes lit up!
A brilliant idea exploded in her little head.
She suddenly sat up, the tip of her tail wagging so excitedly it looked like a small windmill, nearly sweeping the pillow onto the floor.
‘I’ve got it!’
‘Fatherly love is like a mountain, shielding me from the wind and rain. Then I shall use motherly love like the sea, providing him a gentle harbor — ‘
‘The only way…’
Ziya covered her mouth with her small hand and let out a secret giggle.
‘The only way is to turn Father into my daughter!’
Only then would this motherly love be unique and irreplaceable!
She would make it so he no longer had to be the strong father, and he wouldn’t have to frown over troubling matters.
He would only need to be the most precious little treasure by her side, wearing pink dresses and fluffy twin-tails while peacefully accepting her care and pampering!
‘Hehe, as expected of me!’
Ziya stood with her hands on her hips, her small face full of pride, while her tail curled up haughtily.
‘I should hurry and discuss this with the girls…’
Wait!
She suddenly covered her mouth, her gaze instantly becoming wary.
‘I can’t discuss this with them!’
She had to secretly turn Father into a daughter first and then tell them.
Otherwise, the other sisters would surely find a faster way to beat her to it!
Sister Baining of the Vampires had the mysterious First Embrace, and Little Longjiu of the Dragon Race had the powerful Dragon Blood Fusion.
As for her, she didn’t seem to have an exclusive method yet…
‘The next time I go back to the Dream Demon Kingdom, I must go to the library and look! Maybe I can find an ancient method for this…’
Ziya made a small “fighting” gesture toward the empty room.
‘Father, wait for me — ‘
***
The next morning, just as dawn broke.
Lü Erlu was busy at the stove wearing an apron, the aroma of breakfast filling the entire house.
“Ziya, it’s time to get up for breakfast.”
“Good morning, Father…”
Ziya ran out with messy hair.
Her eyes were still misty from sleep and she had dark circles under her eyelids, completely lacking her usual vitality.
‘This little girl?’
Lü Erlu looked at his daughter’s sluggish appearance with concern.
She clearly went to bed quite early last night, so why was she so listless today?
“Ziya, are you okay? Are you sick?”
He reached out, wanting to feel her forehead.
“Why don’t you take the day off from work?”
“Ah! I’m fine! Father!”
Ziya jumped back in a fright, waving her small hands for fear that her father would see through her “conspiracy.”
“It’s… it’s just that I had a very sweet dream last night and didn’t get enough sleep, that’s all!”
“Ziya… don’t push yourself too hard at work.”
Lü Erlu was still a bit uneasy, his tone full of concern.
“I’m really fine! Father, trust me!”
Ziya gave him a big smile, but internally she pumped her fist.
‘Father’s trust is the motivation for me to move forward!’
“Safe travels. Remember to come home early tonight to have some soup!”
“Okay, I’ll definitely be back on time.”
After saying their goodbyes, Lü Erlu began his day as a househusband.
He cleared the table, cleaned the rooms, and tended to the plants in the yard.
He worked in an orderly fashion, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
On the other side, as soon as Ziya stepped out the door, she was cornered by Baining.
“Hey, Sister Ziya, why are you so listless today?”
Baining poked her cheek with a curious look.
“You only ate half your breakfast and didn’t even come over to tease me. Is the sun rising from the west today?”
“Actually… I just didn’t sleep well last night.”
Ziya scratched her head and told the truth.
“I was thinking about Father the whole time.”
“Eh? You were thinking about the old man too?”
Baining’s eyes widened, her tone sounding surprised.
“Hmm? Don’t tell me Sister Baining is the same…?”
Ziya’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately became vigilant.
‘No way! I absolutely cannot say it now!’
Otherwise, Father would be snatched away!
Just then, the consistently silent Longjiu also walked over.
She nodded to the two of them, the same light shimmering in her eyes.
The three girls simultaneously had the exact same thought.
‘I absolutely cannot tell the other two!’
‘Pops belongs to me alone!’
If Ziya, who still thought her idea was genius, knew what the other two girls were thinking, she would probably jump up and complain on the spot.
‘What’s the situation? There are other experts?!’
***
Afraid to chat too much, Ziya made up an excuse and impatiently rushed back to the Dream Demon Kingdom.
The library of the Dream Demon Kingdom was hidden in the deepest part of the castle.
Towering bookshelves reached the ceiling like a forest of books, filled with yellowed ancient texts.
Ziya moved through the shelves on tiptoe, her small hands gripping the spines as she carefully checked each book.
She didn’t mind the dust falling on her face at all, her eyes fixed only on those ancient volumes.
She searched and searched for a very long time… her legs went numb from squatting and her fingers grew sore from flipping pages.
Finally! On the very top shelf.
She discovered an inconspicuous book.
Its cover was old and blackened, carrying a faint magical aura that made it look like it had quite a history.
This was an extremely rare book, once a signature secret method of the Succubus race.
Unfortunately, because it was too bizarre, it had been banned for several hundred years.
[Dream Demonization Secret Method]
Ziya stood on her tiptoes and carefully took the book down, terrified she might accidentally damage it.
She patted the dust off the cover and impatiently opened it.
On the title page, a line of small text was printed, looking somewhat intimidating.
“This secret method may have irreversible effects on the subject’s mind and personality. Please use with caution…”
Ziya curled her lip, not caring at all.
For Father’s happiness, what did a little risk matter?
She continued reading.
“This secret method was created by the Dream Demon Ancestor. It was developed because the tribe’s population was too small at the time and is restricted to members of the Royal Family. Its function is to transform the subject into a Succubus, intended solely for the purpose of expanding the tribe.”
Ziya read it word by word.
She nodded in satisfaction and hugged the book tightly to her chest.
‘I found it! I finally found it!’
‘Father, your happiness is coming!’
‘Just wait for me, I’ll turn you into the happiest person in the world right away!’
‘When that time comes, no one will be able to take you away!’