A journey through ancient times, a journey of exquisite divine skills

Chapter 343 A Long-Awaited Reunion, Siblings Confront Each Other

Song Jiuxian quickly raised his hand to hold Chen Junxuan down, and smiled at Qi Lingxing, saying, "Holy Princess, there's no need to be angry."

My disciple has never seen much of the world since he was a child, and he speaks without thinking. Holy Princess, please don't take it to heart!

Seeing that Song Jiuxian had stepped in to defend him, Qi Lingxing could no longer retaliate and simply stared coldly at Chen Junxuan.

"Out of respect for the former gang leader, I, Lingxing, will spare you this time."

"If I hear you disrespecting the Spirit King again, don't blame me for arresting you according to the laws of the Spirit Kingdom."

Song Jiuxian turned and glared at Chen Junxuan: "Xuan'er, why don't you hurry up and thank the Holy Maiden?"

Although Chen Junxuan was filled with resentment, he dared not disobey his master's wishes.

He could only awkwardly cup his hands in greeting and whisper, "Thank you for showing mercy, Holy Princess."

Seeing this, Shanzi quickly got up and tried to smooth things over.

He explained to Song Jiuxian, "Old Chief, you may not know this, but Shui'er and Xiaohe are being confined because they did nothing wrong, so you don't need to worry about them too much."

Upon hearing this, Song Jiuxian raised an eyebrow, but still asked with some doubt, "I see. But since you have a place to stay in Huanling City, why did you move to this small courtyard in the suburbs?"

A somber expression crossed Shanzi's face as he slowly said, "It was the Spirit King who gave the order, instructing us to lead the villagers away from Illusion Spirit City and forbidding us from participating in any matters within the city from now on."

A hint of surprise flashed in Song Jiuxian's eyes: "Oh, what do you mean?"

Shanzi sighed and then recounted the recent events at Qianling Mausoleum and Liu Lingzhen's return.

Song Jiuxian stroked his chin thoughtfully: "So that's how it is. But Liu Lingzhen is quite a legendary figure."

The old beggar had only heard of his exploits when he was young, but had never actually seen him.

That's perfect, the old beggar thought, taking this opportunity to stay a few more days and finally meet this legendary figure.

And so, Song Jiuxian and Chen Junxuan stayed behind for the time being.

The courtyard suddenly became much livelier.

Song Jiuxian was either discussing martial arts with Shanzi and others or drinking with Cheng Peng.

Although Cheng Peng was initially angry with him, he couldn't resist Song Jiuxian's high alcohol tolerance and his ability to tell interesting stories about the martial arts world.

After half a day, his anger vanished without a trace.

Chen Junxuan would often pester Shizi to inquire about Shui'er and Xiaohe's past.

Occasionally, I would join them for a stroll in the nearby towns, which wasn't too boring.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon, everyone was sitting in the courtyard chatting.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows.

Suddenly a figure walked in from outside the courtyard.

The person who arrived was none other than Xiao Lie, who had been gone for many days.

Shizi and Xiaoman were the first to react when they saw Xiaolie return.

The two stood up excitedly and shouted in unison, "Brother Xiao Lie! You're back!"

Xiao Lie nodded to them, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the courtyard.

There were three people he didn't recognize, but he still said in a deep voice, "Everyone, Liu Lingzhen has arrived."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the relaxed smiles on everyone's faces vanished instantly, replaced by silence.

Daya sat up straight, her eyes sharp.

The only sound in the courtyard was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiaolie.

The Empress's bedchamber in the Illusionary Spirit Garden was completely silent.

The empress, who usually dresses as a man, has now changed back into her imperial attire.

A long, moon-white dress draped down, with a crimson ribbon tied at the collar that meandered all the way to her waist.

It outlined her exquisite figure with soft and graceful curves.

The skin revealed beneath the thin veil on her shoulders was even whiter than the glass hanging in the room.

On the golden phoenix crown atop her head, a ruby ​​pendant hung between her brows, adding a touch of depth to her eyes.

She gazed at the Ling Dynasty robes hanging on the wall, and gently stroked the jade belt around her waist with her slender hand.

His fingertips touched the cool satin, and his eyes swirled with complex and unfathomable emotions.

Her voice was gentle and relaxed.

"In the end, this outfit still belongs to you."

"Today, it can finally be irrelevant to me."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and looked at Liu Lingzhen standing opposite her.

Liu Lingzhen looked at her younger sister in front of her. Eighteen years had passed since they last met. She had shed her girlish naiveté, and her brows now held a hint of authority and aloofness.

But deep within those eyes, the shadow of those years still seems to linger.

His voice was filled with undisguised gentleness and doting: "Eighteen years have passed, and you've changed a lot."

The Empress spoke in a flat tone, revealing little emotion: "Yes, eighteen years is enough for a carefree little girl to grow into a cold-blooded king."

She paused, her voice suddenly turning cold, "Isn't all of this thanks to you, brother?"

The words "Brother Wang" were uttered with a chilling hatred, like a sharp blade tempered with ice.

Liu Lingzhen's throat bobbed slightly, knowing full well that she owed her younger sister too much.

In the end, he simply asked calmly, "Why did you oppose me at Qianling?"

A flash of anger crossed the Empress's eyes: "Do you know how many great contributions he has made to the Ling Kingdom?"

Do you know how many loyal souls are behind him, willing to give their all for the Spirit Kingdom?

If you had actually killed him back then, do you know how uncontrollable the consequences would have been?

If I hadn't stopped you, the Spirit Kingdom might have been destroyed by your attack long ago.

Those hidden roots of evil will also spiral completely out of control!

Liu Lingzhen said in a deep voice, "In this world, who dares to say they are completely innocent!"

The Empress sneered: "Is this your excuse for returning after being gone for eighteen years?"

Liu Lingzhen remained silent, the old stories of Sujia Village recounted by Zhang Xuanji surfacing in her mind.

The children of Sujia Village have been wiped out by the shadows over the years.

It is truly remarkable that he can still restrain himself like this.

However, he never actually saw Yun Dan in person, nor did he ever develop a deep relationship with those children.

These things were heard solely from Zhang Xuanji.

I always felt that even if these dozen or so juniors had some ability, they would have no chance of shaking the foundation of the Spirit Kingdom.

Moreover, his cultivation level is no longer limited to the Lesser Vehicle realm.

Even if those children did make some unusual moves, how could a few juniors below the Middle Yuan Realm be his match?

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, the Empress pressed on, "Has your return truly been to reclaim everything you once lost?"

Liu Lingzhen slowly spoke: "Yes, and no."

He took a step forward and continued, "I did it for the Ling Kingdom, for our Liu family..."

"Destiny?" the Empress interrupted him, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Liu Lingzhen stood still, gazing intently at the Empress.

“I know I owe you so much over the years, but now…”

"The Kingdom of Ling is doing very well now."

The Empress abruptly turned her back to him, interrupting him, her tone resolute and leaving no room for argument.

Whether you are here or not, it's the same!

Indeed, for the past eighteen years, Ling Kingdom has been a thorn in the side of its neighboring countries.

But all of this has nothing to do with you anymore…