Chapter 137: The Reason She Came
From a young age, Chen Xingcai knew she wasn't her foster father's biological child.
She remembered hiding behind a tree, listening to Uncle Wu tell the story of a little girl named "Hong Yuechan." Even then, she understood that pitiful girl was herself. But seeing her foster father suddenly look so pained, she told her first lie.
"That sister Hong Yuechan... how tragic."
That's what she said.
After that, her foster father's love remained unchanged. He would braid her hair into the prettiest styles, create endless varieties of delicious foods for her, and stay awake all night by her bedside when she was injured.
But the more she experienced this unconditional love, the more Chen Xingcai felt unsettled—yes, unsettled. Why wasn't such a wonderful father her real one? Was something wrong with her, that her birth parents had abandoned her?
This thought stuck in her heart like a thorn.
Until the day her cultivation broke through to the Return Origin Realm, childhood memories suddenly became crystal clear.
She was astonished to discover that her blood truly carried her foster father's essence! That moment, hiding in her room, she laughed and cried like a fool. On the very day they met, he had already used a secret technique to merge his blood with hers.
From that day forward, most of her anxiety vanished. The reason for her abandonment suddenly no longer mattered.
She decided to completely leave her past behind and be her foster father's daughter.
But fate loves to play jokes.
The Hong family's appearance forced her to confront that past again. So she came—not to acknowledge kinship, but simply to find answers for herself.
Now, everything was clear.
Chen Xingcai felt the little girl curled up in her heart finally stand up, wave goodbye, and turn to disappear into the depths of memory.
She touched her chest—no trace of unease remained.
...
Meanwhile, the Hong family members stood dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed at Chen Xingcai's sudden transformation.
The woman who had been so aloof for the past three days was now screaming for help like a misbehaving child?
Had she gone mad?
Hong Longxiang recovered first, curling his lips to mock her.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed from the sky. The entire cloud layer seemed torn apart by invisible hands.
A black figure descended with astonishing speed, leaving a dark afterimage in the air.
A woman in a black dress, her face obscured by a veil, truly fell from the sky!
Dark red snake patterns embroidered on her skirt seemed to writhe with her movements.
The moment she landed, the surrounding air distorted. The stone slabs beneath her feet cracked with several cracks, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Only now you remember to call for Master's help?!" The woman paid no heed to the Hong family members. The moment she landed, she stretched out a slender, pale hand and—ignoring everyone else—pinched Chen Xingcai's rosy cheeks, pulling them sideways until that pretty face distorted.
"Ow, ow, ow! Master, gently!" Chen Xingcai cried out in pain but grinned as she spread her arms and threw herself forward, clinging to the woman like a koala. "Of course! Only my dearest Master is truly reliable~~"
(She secretly added in her heart: Except for Father.)
The woman in black was naturally Ji Hongli.
Though her cold, beautiful face still wore an angry expression, a hint of smile had already appeared in her eyes.
She pinched her disciple's chubby cheek once more before reluctantly letting go.
"I'll deal with you later." Ji Hongli said this, but her hands gently adjusted Chen Xingcai's ruffled collar.
Only then did the Hong family members recover from their shock, exchanging bewildered glances.
None recognized this black-clad woman who had appeared so suddenly. Though everyone had seen her descend from the sky, strangely, she carried no trace of a cultivator's aura.
Instead, she seemed like an ordinary mortal.
But only a fool would mistake her for one.
Especially Hong Chenji, who seemed to recall something. His face turned extremely ugly as he stared fixedly at Ji Hongli, not daring to act rashly.
The entire hall fell silent, leaving only the soft sound of Chen Xingcai and her master whispering and laughing.
Hong Longxiang opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a glance from Hong Tianque.
Everyone realized events had unfolded completely beyond their expectations.
Chen Xingcai immediately perked up, like a little fox finding its backing, hopping and skipping as she began to complain:
"Master, look!" First pointing at Hong Longxiang, "This bad guy kept threatening me! And he hit me!"
Hong Longxiang: "..."
Then pointing at Hong Tianque, "This old man tried to make me acknowledge him as my father!"
Finally pointing at Hong Chenji, her voice even taking on a tearful tone, "But the worst was this old fossil—he just now tried to pin me to that stone bed and drain my blood!"
After speaking, she even exaggeratedly wiped away non-existent tears, tugging at Ji Hongli's sleeve to act spoiled: "Master, you must stand up for me~~ they're all bullying me!"
...
Only now did Hong Chenji ask with a dark expression, staring fixedly at Ji Hongli: "Who exactly are you? Why have you intruded upon my Hong family's sacred grounds?"
Ji Hongli's jade hand gently stroked Chen Xingcai's head as she sneered: "Didn't this girl already say? I'm her master."
She glanced around, her gaze indifferent, as if those before her weren't a Saint Venerable or heads of top families, but mere ordinary mortals. "Since you've all bullied my disciple..."
Still no aura emanated from her, yet her tone was incomparably domineering: "I'm not unreasonable. You will all cripple your own cultivation, kowtow and apologize, and I'll spare your lives."
Spoken casually, yet these words made all the Hong family members' faces change.
Hong Longxiang finally couldn't endure the suffocating atmosphere and abruptly stepped forward, roaring: "A Saint Venerable stands before you, yet you dare such impertinence!"
Hearing this, Ji Hongli raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Hong Chenji with a half-smile: "Saint Venerable?" Her red lips parted slightly, tone frivolous as she gazed at Hong Chenji, "I've killed a few before. I just wonder how your cultivation compares to theirs?"
"Arrogant!" Hong Tianque also flew into a rage, but seeing Hong Chenji's grave expression, he dared not delay. Immediately forming hand seals, he shouted: "Activate the formation!"
Instantly, the entire Hong family ancestral grounds trembled.
Nine golden beams shot up from all directions, weaving into a sky-obscuring golden net in the air. Within each golden beam, a lifelike golden dragon materialized, their roars shaking the heavens, pressure vast as the sea.
The ground revealed densely packed ancient runes, emitting heart-stopping fluctuations.
Ji Hongli glanced upward, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes: "The Nine Dragons Locking Heaven Formation? Truly haven't seen this in a long time."
...
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