"What's wrong with raising gu? Plenty of folks in the Lumina Realm do it. What exactly are you suspicious about?"
"Go see for yourself before you start talking," Lucia Lu replied.
Lucia Lu nodded.
That night, Lucia Lu cloaked herself and secretly followed Tanya Lu to her room.
She peeked around, made sure the doors and windows were shut, then started undressing.
Underneath her clothes, she was wearing a Sanctuary Hemp Robe!
Only gu-breeders wear Sanctuary Hemp Robes.
Then she pulled out a flat, round clay jar and opened it.
Lucia Lu crept closer for a look—and immediately got goosebumps all over.
Inside the jar, it was packed with squirming meat-worms, crawling over each other in a wriggling mass.
But Little Aunt Tanya didn’t seem the least bit bothered. She fed the bugs, put the lid back on, placed both hands on top, and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
When Lucia Lu was studying gu poisons, she'd read a bunch of books about gu insects.
Plus, there’s an elder in the Spirit Alliance who also raises gu.
So, she actually recognized quite a few types of gu insects.
The gu Tanya Lu was raising were super ordinary—just basic starter bugs.
Usually, these beginner bugs are just food for the more advanced gu.
Lucia Lu watched for ages, but Tanya just kept cultivating, didn’t do anything else, so she left.
When she met Ethan Lu, she told him everything she’d seen: "...She really is raising gu, and they’re the most ordinary kind. I’m guessing she’s just learning, practicing her skills."
Ethan Lu nodded.
"Big Brother, why are you suddenly so interested in her gu hobby?"
Ethan Lu said, "It's just odd—she used to hate bugs, and now she's raising gu insects. Plus..."
"Plus what?"
"Lately she's been super attentive to Mother Goddess, always saying that with the kids gone, Peach Blossom Haven is too quiet. She keeps urging Mother Goddess to have more babies," Ethan said. "She's acting weird, so I asked you to check it out."
Lucia Lu was about to reply when Ryan Lu suddenly jumped out from the side. "Huh? What! Mother Goddess is having another baby?"
"Mother Goddess is having a baby?" Luna Lian came over, thrilled.
"No, no! Stop making stuff up!" Lucia Lu said. "Big Brother was just saying Little Aunt has totally changed and is actually telling Mother Goddess to have more kids."
"I think that's a great idea! I really want a little brother or sister," Ryan Lu said. "They'd be adorable!"
"Yeah!" Luna Lian laughed. "Big Brother, is Mother Goddess tempted?"
"She actually is a little tempted," Ethan Lu said, letting slip a rare smile. "Just the other day, I saw her digging out your childhood stuff to look at."
"Wait, Big Brother's not mad anymore?" Luna Lian asked. "Sis, how'd you manage to cheer him up?"
"Hmm... With Big Brother, sweet-talking never works," Lucia Lu said. "You need hard proof! Only then will he let me stay."
"Hard proof?" Ryan Lu's eyes widened as he stared at Lucia Lu's belly. "You... Wha—what do you mean?"
"His Majesty the Celestial Emperor had us sign a Military Pledge, remember? He showed it to Big Brother," Lucia Lu said.
"Military Pledge? What Military Pledge?" Ryan Lu was totally lost.
"The Military Pledge we all signed!" Lucia Lu snuck him a wink.
"We all signed it? Oh! Right, right. We made a Military Pledge! Big Brother, you saw it too?" Honestly, Ryan Lu couldn't remember a thing about the pledge, but he played along perfectly.
Ethan Lu said, "What happened today is a one-time deal. When your rotation ends, come home. After that, no more trips to Drake Abyss."