*Dong~~~*
A distant sound of the morning bell rang out from the *Drum Tower*, and morning sunlight spread across the streets and alleys of the **Heavenly Gate City**.
The streets in the eastern part of the city were filled with pedestrians, and both sides were crowded with stores, luring customers. This was the **Heavenly Gate City**'s market, which was about the same size as the ***Black Star*** Sect's marketplace.
Holding an oil paper umbrella to protect herself from the sun, Xiao Yunluo walked alone on the street. The parrot sat on her right shoulder, flapping its wings toward a stall selling bird food in front of her.
*"Hungry, hungry, food, food! Hungry, food, food!!"*"I'll buy some for you, eh---"
Feeling a little helpless, Xiao Yunluo sighed softly and spent some spirit stones to buy bird food. Then, she looked at the other side of the street with mixed feelings in her heart.
A little girl could be seen, who, taking advantage of her small size, scurried among the pedestrians going back and forth on the road.
That was her mother.
A lively, cute, adorable mother...
Xiao Yunluo really didn't understand!
Why would the head of the ***Black Star*** Sect, the 'Red Moon Immortal Matriarch' known to everyone within the four regions, the *Void Returning* cultivator who covered the sky with her hand, act like a young girl who had never been out of the house, enjoying the bustle on the streets for the first time?*"Your mom is so cute! Your mom is so cute!"*
"Cute..."
Hearing the parrot's voice, Xiao Yunluo pursed her mouth and silently scrutinized her mother's figure again.
Si Xuanji was now standing in front of a shadow puppet stall, staring with wide eyes.
She had to admit that her mother's current looks and demeanor were, indeed, quite adorable...
"If she weren't my mother..." Xiao Yunluo took up the parrot's words, then asked in a low voice, "Parrot, do you know why my mother brought me to the **Central Region**?"
*"Pretending to be your sister!! Seduce your daddy!!"*
"..."
This was not the first time Xiao Yunluo heard the parrot saying this, but she still couldn't understand what it meant.
In fact, she didn't even know what the meaning of the word 'father' was.
After hesitating for a while, she asked again in a low voice, "Parrot, do you know who my dad is?"
The parrot tilted its head ninety degrees. *"Which dad?"*
?
Xiao Yunluo blinked with a blank expression and simply closed her mouth. How could she think a parrot would know about her father?
The only thing Xiao Yunluo knew about her father was that his surname was Xiao.
As for other information, such as cultivation, appearance, etc., it was like a blank piece of paper. She could only roughly guess it based on her own appearance. For example, her lavender-colored hair...
She remembered Mr. Qi's answer when she asked him about the circumstances of her birth.
*"The Matriarch has been in seclusion on the mountain behind the ***Black Star*** Sect for several years. When she came out of seclusion, she entered the main hall with a newborn baby in her arms, saying that you are her daughter, your surname is Xiao, and you didn't have a chosen name yet, so she asked us to give you a name. I picked the name 'Yunluo' for you after looking through several ancient books..."*
In other words, no one in the ***Black Star*** Sect had ever seen her father, and her mother had spent five years in seclusion on the back mountain before giving birth to her.
But how was this possible? Pregnancy lasted ten months for cultivators, and even if it were longer, it would not take more than twelve months. The same applied to *Void Returning* cultivators.
Her mother had conceived her during the fourth year of seclusion.
However, the back mountain of the ***Black Star*** Sect was a forbidden area, and no one could enter except her mother. It was impossible for anyone to be with her mother at that time.
And if, say, she was adopted or found somewhere, then why did she look similar to her mother?
Especially...
Xiao Yunluo looked at her flat chest that she had inherited from Si Xuanji, as well as those short legs, and silently sighed. "Hey -- does my dad also have purple hair? Mom didn't tell me anything about him at all..."
---"May I ask, are you the Young Lady Xiao of the ***Black Star*** Sect?"
Just as Xiao Yunluo was muttering to herself, a rugged male voice suddenly came from behind, startling her.
Turning around, she saw three cultivators in golden robes standing behind her.
The cultivation level of these three people was not low, the lowest one was in the middle to late stage of *Core Formation*, and their robes were embroidered with the '*Heavenly Dog Catching the Moon*' emblem of the *Justice Division*.
Xiao Yunluo briefly sized up the three people and nodded in response. "It's me. Can I help you?"
The leader took a brief look at Xiao Yunluo's clothes, then saluted respectfully. "We are inspectors working under the Deputy Commander of the *Justice Division*. We are here to invite Young Lady Xiao to the *Justice Division Office* regarding the matter of the *Immortal Thief*."
Xiao Yunluo immediately understood.
About ten days ago, she and Si Xuanji arrived at the **Heavenly Gate City**. Since Xiao Yunluo had nothing to do, she went directly to the *Justice Division* and informed them about her encounter with the *Immortal Thief* in the **Jade Pass City**.
The person who received her at that time was the Deputy Commander of the *Justice Division*.
Although that man said that he would do his best to help her find her sword and catch the *Immortal Thief*, Xiao Yunluo knew that it was just for reassurance.
The name '*Immortal Thief*' had been spread in all regions for decades. Crime departments everywhere had been trying to arrest her, but so far they didn't even know what she looked like.
So now, looking at the person in front of her, Xiao Yunluo narrowed her eyes in distrust. "Are you sure that... you have caught the *Immortal Thief*?"
"I am not sure for the moment. This morning, a *Justice Division* officer brought a woman in the early stage of *Core Formation*, claiming that she is the *Immortal Thief*. Deputy Commander Yue would like to ask you to go to the *Justice Division Office* to identify her."
Xiao Yunluo frowned, thinking, *I bet you caught someone pretending to be the thief*.
"How did you catch her?"
"The officer stumbled upon her by chance when he was out on an errand... But things are a little strange, that officer is only in the late stage of the *Foundation Building* and he only joined the *Justice Division* at the beginning of this year... So I'd like to find out more details. Young Lady Xiao, please come with us to the *Justice Division Office* to help our investigation."
She felt that if she went, it would probably be a waste of time, but she felt even more that sitting in the *Justice Division Office* was at least better than walking around the streets with her mother, so she nodded in agreement.
"Alright..."
The man cupped his hands, took a step sideways, and spread his hands.
"Young Lady Xiao, please."
Xiao Yunluo nodded, but when she turned around to call Si Xuanji, she found that her mother was no longer in front of the shadow puppet show, nor was she at the stall selling candied fruits and melon seeds next door.
"Huh? Where is she?"
*"Looking for your dad! Looking for your dad!"*
"..."
Xiao Yunluo glanced at the parrot on her shoulder, sighed, and picked it up, saying, "Parrot, go and tell... sister that I've been called to the *Justice Division Office*. Tell her to look for me there when she gets tired of wandering around."
The parrot looked at her knowingly. It hesitated for a moment, then opened its beaks again and shouted even louder.
*"Your dad is here!! Your daddy is here!!"*
"What dad is here..." Xiao Yunluo grimaced slightly in disgust and tapped its head lightly, reprimanding it. "What are you babbling? Go quickly!"
*"Defeat the dogs!! Defeat the dogs!!"*
"..."
With these cries, the parrot spread its wings and flew from Xiao Yunluo's shoulder, heading toward the west of the city.
Looking at the direction it flew, Xiao Yunluo frowned, a little confused. The parrot should be able to sense her mother's position. If it flew west, that was where her mother went...
What was she doing on the west side of the city?
"Forget it... She can do whatever she wants."
Xiao Yunluo waved her hand slightly and let it go. Then, she cupped her hands to the *Justice Division* people. "Please, lead the way."
"This way, Young Lady Xiao."
