Chapter 23 Family Meet and the Truth Comes Ou

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The burly man was not going to let him go. Xu Linghe touched his pocket. He still had some taels of silver, so he threw a bunch of silver down and wanted to leave. The man saw that Xu Linghe was generous, and grew greedy. He approached with a vicious strike. Xu Linghe admitted that he was just unlucky to have met such an unreasonable person. The villagers who were there saw that Xu Linghe was a young master and they despised the wealthy. They seized him up and felt that his air of nobility was not any different from the official's grandson.

"Quick, tell the official that there is someone outside of the village bullying me."

Xu Linghe was surrounded by the villagers. He could only accept his fate against the unreasonable mountain people.

Inside the defensive cover, Wuyou stretched lazily. Her face burned when she thought of last night. She put on her clothing and left the defensive cover.

Looking at the cooking smoke from the village, she imagined her future together with the man. Should she not have any responsibilities one day, it would be a beautiful thing to stay here long term.

There was a loud ruckus from the distance. The man was surrounded by people early in the morning. "What happened?" thought Wuyou. Wuyou arrived quickly with the wind and stood in front of the man. Xu Linghe's heart felt warm as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman in front of him.

"Who are you?"

Xu Linghe could not help but ask in his heart. He hoped that what the woman had told him was the truth. Xu Linghe still could not understand what the woman had said last night. When he thought of how the woman had described Jiang Wuyou's story, he almost believed her. But he did not understand how the little woman could live in someone's body. It must be an excuse. If the little woman's soul was still around, why did it not return to her own body? Why was the woman lying?

"Linghe, I'm Jiang Wuyou, can't you sense it?"

"Who sent you here. You should leave quickly."

"Linghe, what are you saying? I'm Wuyou! Have you forgotten our promise to stay together forever?"

"The woman I love is Jiang Wuyou. You're not her."

"I'm your little fox, Jiang Wuyou."

"There's no one else in the world other than Jiang Wuyou, don't you understand?"

"The official is here."

The burly man clambered up and bowed. Xu Linghe seized up the official. The vigor filled elder looked extremely friendly. Xu Linghe was surprised by the teen that followed closely behind the elder. There was such an elegant young master in such an inconspicuous place.

"Xiao Qi."

"Xu Linghe."

The two, who both had powerful dispositions stood facing each other. The official gazed at Xu Linghe thoughtfully. Wuyou, who was hiding behind Xu Linghe peeked out. Xiao Qi was slightly shocked but quickly calmed down. It seemed that the two cousins were meeting for the first time! Wuyou left the crowd. She did not know when they would meet again. She quickly flew into the skies.

"Xu Linghe, Jiang Wuyou will keep waiting for you."

Looking at the woman's lonely back, Xu Linghe suddenly felt his heart hurt.

The tracks of life were like a compass. Leaving was for the next meeting, just like Wuyou and Xu Linghe.

"Official, you have to help me."

The burly man looked at Xu Linghe and wiped his tears again. Xu Linghe was not interested in an argument regarding the leathers. The official looked like a reasonable person.

The crowd walked toward the official's home. Xiao Qi was worried. The little demon had left in a hurry and had forgotten to greet him when she saw him. It seemed that the demon did not want others to know, and had ignored him. However, why had the little demon appeared here? This was the most secret place of the Fairy Kingdom. How had she entered? And what was the relationship between the strange man and the little demon? It did not look like Xiao Yi's plans.

The little demon had been reluctant to part with the man. Xiao Qi's emotions were in an even greater turmoil. He did not want to see the little demon being nice to someone else. In Xiao Qi's heart, the little demon was a part of him. She was someone who would break new grounds with him. No one else should even dream of spoiling his plans. But was the little demon just a pawn? Xiao Qi asked himself.

"Official, I'm from the Qi Kingdom. I was passing by the Fairy Kingdom and accidentally fell into a snow bank. When I woke up, I saw this burly man laden down with prey. I felt pity for them and released the foxes. Who would know that this brother over here saw that I was generous and kept pestering me."

"You said you're from the Qi Kingdom. What proof do you have? If you do not have any, you could be a spy."

Xu Linghe handed him his jade pendant. There was the Qi Kingdom's prime minister seal on it. The official looked at it carefully and was secretly shocked. He had once seen the jade pendant. Then, his youngest daughter, Qingkong, had married a mortal and entered the human realm. Qingkong had married the mortal and he had followed them in order to accompany his daughter. The groom had been wearing this Panlong jade then. A man who possessed Panlong jade would definitely be the nobility. As such, he was not bothered by the matter as long as his daughter liked the man. He could not calm himself down when he saw the Panlong jade again.

"Young master, this jade is really good Hetian jade. It is clear and warm to touch. It does not seem like something an ordinary person would have.

Xu Linghe took the jade back and said, "This is a family heirloom." There was just one in Qi Kingdom. The official was even more certain of the identity of the man before him.

"Who is Xu Yinchang to you?"

"He is my father."

"Xiao Qingkong, do you know her?"

"She is my mother."

Xu Linghe looked at the elderly official warily. It was bad that he had forgotten to be vigilant against someone he was meeting for the first time.

"Lad, don't think too much. I am your grandfather. This is your cousin, Xiao Qi."

Xu Linghe should not believe him. When the old man placed his mother's belongings in his hands, he suddenly cried. These were his mother's things. However, how did these things end up with the old man?

"Lad, don't be too suspicious. I took them back from the human realm after your mother died, wanting to use them to remember her."

"Is he really auntie's son?"

Xiao Qi looked at his grandfather. The man in front of him was his aunt's son. Xiao Qi said agitatedly. To Xiao Qi, his aunt was like his mother. She was like the sun of his childhood.

"Brother."

Xiao Qi hugged Xu Linghe tightly. Tears wet both Xiao Qi and Xu Linghe's heart. the old man watched his grandsons blissfully.

"Grandfather, mother missed you before she died. She said that she had let you down the most. And she also said that she regretted not listening to you."

"He'er, even though your mother died in the hands of the emperor, your father is not blameless in this. All these years, whenever I think of your mother, I wanted to rush into the human realm and kill the lousy emperor to avenge my Qing'er. He'er, I'm old and I only hope that I would see the Fairy Kingdom that has broken the curse. For going against an agreement then, the Fairy Kingdom was cursed by Chidi, causing the Fairy Kingdom to be deprived of sunlight for several hundred years. Oh, Qi'er, how are your cultivation levels?"

"Grandfather, I've already cultivated to the eighth level. Qi'er is stupid and has yet to comprehend the quintessence of the last level."

"Practice hard. Chidi would be resurrected in a year. If we cannot let him undo the curse, we have to wait a hundred years."

"Grandfather, I heard that the Fairy Kingdom gave the military talisman to a woman this year."

Xu Linghe looked at his grandfather curiously. Xiao Qi, however, heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that Xu Linghe and the little demon had just had a chance meeting and did not know each other well. The burden in his heart could finally be shed.

"The woman in white behind you earlier is the mistress of the military talisman this year."

"It's her. She does not look like it. She seems slender and weak, how could she get the military talisman. Could it be there are no more talents in the Fairy Kingdom?"

"You don't know this. The woman's past is incredible. She was an elder of the Teal Hill, but her soul had been scattered by the Wolf King of the Wind City. I met her by chance. The female warrior was brave and sacrificed her life to protect her uncle. I was touched, so I followed her soul, wanting to find her a body to rest it."

Xu Linghe's expression changed drastically when he heard that. The woman in white had not lied to him. She was really Jiang Wuyou.

"What happened to her after that? How did she come back to life?"

"I sealed her soul in a mortal's body. At first, she did not wish to stay in someone's body, and always secretly left while I was unprepared. After that, she knew that she would die if she left the physical body, and became better. She always pretended well whenever I went to see her. Until one day, I discovered her pretense. She was not afraid of me. She overcame the limitations of her body and insisted on cultivation. I tested her a few times and was stopped by the spiritual power in her body. I knew then that her spiritual power was unusual. Then, I perused ancient manuscripts and found out that her soul was from Jiangyu, one of the four ancient spirits. Grandfather, you know Jiangyu, right?"

"He is Chidi's senior brother."

"Linghe, you now know of her powers. I doubt she would have a match in the three realms. If Chidi is resurrected, perhaps she is the only one who could subdue him. It is not something anyone can do. We had an agreement that I have to give her freedom if she could get the military talisman."

"Cousin, how did you know she was the Teal Hill's Ling Ju?"

"Young cousin, there is something you do not know. The Elder of every generation would all have an Ancient Spirit as protection. I had not expected the strength of the Ancient Spirit would only be resurrected only when placed in the body of a mortal. The past generations of Teal Hill Elders had not comprehended this, but the girl broke the seal."

Xu Linghe knew that he hoped that the girl in white was Jiang Wuyou and was also afraid that she was Jiang Wuyou. If she was Jiang Wuyou, then the little woman lying on the bed was very pitiful. She had already lost everything, so how could he abandon her!

"Grandfather, why are you staying in such a secluded place?"

"Linghe, there is something you do not know, Grandfather is forced to stay here."

"Qi'er don't talk about such sad things. We shall not return until we are drunk today."

"Yes, Grandfather. It is better not to mention ancient matters. It is hard for us to meet again, and we should drink."

"Alu, make some of your best dishes and bring us some wine. Take a bucket of the grape wine made last year and let He'er try his Grandfather's work."

"Grandfather, have you not gone to the Fairy City these few years?"

"He'er, don't ask about Grandfather's past anymore. Let Qi'er tell you about it if you are free. Grandfather is old and not interested in authority anymore. It is just that the Fairy Kingdom is fraught with dangers and your uncles only know how to fight amongst themselves. The powers from the border are getting more and more out of control, but no one cares. My sons only know how to fight amongst themselves. The Fairy Kingdom would be a gone case sooner or later."

"Is the general that leads the soldiers to war just a decoration?"

"Cousin, you do not know, that Su Gong had invested all his energy in leveling Uncle's power in order not to be impacted by the royal family."

"The new Commander in Chief had a hard time this year. Someone has to manage the powers from the border."

Xu Linghe was worried about Jiang Wuyou's safety at first. He did not know if the little woman would be able to handle this urgent situation. Politics ran deep and what seemed to be a good thing was often fraught with dangers. He had been embroiled in the fight for the throne, and he did not want Jiang Wuyou to be involved in this murky waters. The little woman did not know anything. In this chess game, she had worked hard to not be a pawn and toward her goal. But she did not know that power was something beautiful and yet evil. It seduced you to make the climb upwards. And when you reached the peak, it would kick you down to the bottom because where it was beautiful, you would not be able to touch others. This so-called power was exchanged with the life of many.

"The wine is here. He'er try it. This is the Squirrel Fish that Grandfather likes."

"Its sourness and sweetness are just right. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Grandfather, this is good. Grandfather's Squirrel Fish is tastier compared to the things in the capital."

"Linghe, I have not had this delicious food in a year. It seems that Grandfather is biased."

Xiao Qi picked up the most tender part of the fish and put it in Xu Linghe's bowl. Xiao Qi hoped that his aunt's son would be well so that he could repay his aunt for bringing him up.