Hubby, Your Fox Fairy Wants Everything

Cui Hua Mountain was located at the intersection between Huzhou Commandery and the East Sea Commandery in Jingji Haizhou prefecture. It was 80 miles southwest away from Jing Capital. The mountain stretched far, multiple small streams flowed through it and its peak stood proud and tall. The trees grew tall and the leaves provided shade. It was like spring all year round, and flora bloomed even in the harsh winter. The forest was home to a wide range of fauna and there was plenty of life in the streams as well.

Every 500 years, Goddess of the Moon, Changxi, Shenzong of Kunlun, Jiangyu of Teal Hill, as well as Chidi of Mount Da Huang, all came to Cui Hua Mountain to fulfill the promise they made.

A small curvy path on the mountain broke through the clouds and mist. Shenzong strolled along it. The land might look bizarre, but it was a totally different world above the stairs of the clouds. A peaceful lake that was always covered in snow had gathered divine flying creatures from all around because of the arrival of Shenzong. In order to take advantage of the peace and quietness here, Shenzong would set up a connection between the worlds at the bottom of the lake and wait for his old friend over a cup of tea. However, on this day, he had yet to catch a glimpse of centenarian Changxi when the time came.

"Mei An, go get some Fengshan Maojian tea! Changxi is very picky."

"Yes!"

Mei An retrieved some tea leaves from the void. The small bunch of tea leaves gave off an enriching aroma; the Spirit Power of divine flying creatures outside of the connection increased tremendously. Mei An pointed her spiritual finger and the alarmed creatures flew way. Shenzong frowned.

"Go and check the peak quickly, Changxi could have already reached the peak."

"Yes!"

Mei An went away.

"Brother Shenzong, sister Changxi could have already forgotten about us. See, the sky is beginning to darken."

Jiangyu, who was playing with chess, joked around. He wanted to see his junior sister too. He wondered if the Goddess of the Moon, Changxi, who was in charge of the Fairy World, had ever thought about him. Among all the brothers and sisters in the realm, the Goddess of the Moon were everyone's favorite. This applied to the Big Brother Kunlun as well.

"Brother Jiang, Teal Hill and the wolf tribe are often fighting against each other. Is Teal Hill not afraid of the war endangering the country and its people?"

"Big Brother, I'm afraid there is someone ordering the wolf tribe. They seem to gain an early advantage during each fight. Also, this person seems to know me very well."

"Oh! Could there be a spy in Teal Hill?"

"I do not know, I have to check upon returning."

"Mentor, the Goddess of the Moon is at Cui Hua Mountain's Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven. She said that she had picked a herb that could suck one's soul."

Mei An's eyes were deep with meaning and the corners of her mouth lifted up. As of now, she only had to direct Shenzong and Jiangyu into Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven. The starving spirits would then start to devour on these divine spirits like vultures. Then, Chidi would be able to devour those spirits. Mei An was calculating as she lowered her head.

"Seems like our younger brother has to move to Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven."

Jiangyu's hand that was holding onto a chess piece had a sudden surge in Spirit Power. With a "whoosh", the black chess piece flew into a rock, causing a dent. Shenzong looked at his junior and shook his head. Jiangyu was blaming Mei An for disturbing his peace. The duo left the connection and headed for Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven. Gazing at the far-away Shenzong, Mei An started to evolve. When she stretched out her golden feathers, she became a phoenix. Shenzong did not know that the kid Mei An had already been eaten up by this phoenix. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts about the Goddess of the Moon and was careless, letting this cultivating baby take advantage of the situation.

Located at the west, the Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven was a piece of abandoned land filled with spiritual power. Jiangyu was amazed at the strange flora there. He did not think that such a spiritual place would exist in Cui Hua. It seemed like Cui Hua was better than Teal Hill.

"Junior Changxi."

Shenzong entered the Grotto-heaven and saw a girl in red lying on a stone table far away. He took a step forward and the girl turned. He was taken aback. The Goddess of the Moon in front of him looked composed but her gaze was empty. When Shenzong took a step forward to take a closer look, a gush of Spirit Power knocked into him. He was alarmed; he had never seen Changxi in this state. He jumped away to avoid her attack.

"Why are you doing this, Changxi? Use words and not actions!"

Shenzong infused more Spirit Power and trapped the girl. Unexpectedly, Changxi suddenly spat out a spirit beast which pounced towards him. When it was approaching him, it suddenly evolved into a fog state and entered his body. Shenzong immediately went to sleep. In the dark, a black shadow rushed towards his body and tried to attack Shenzong's chest with its sharp claws. The girl in red immediately pounced onto Shenzong and protected him with her whole body.

"Chidi, I have lured Big Brother here, let go of my daughter!"

"You can see her once I dig into the Shenzong's spirit. Changxi, your decision made in a split-second can decide your daughter's fate. I hate Shenzong the most!"

"Chidi, we were all taught together, why must you turn to murder?"

"Is that the case? Shenzong and Jiangyu did not think so. Back then, Mentor gave you guys the best. You have the Cloud Dan, Shenzong had the primitive divine device and Mentor's Divine Sword. Even Jiangyu had the Ancient Spirit Protection! What about me? I had nothing, except the deserted Mount Da Huang!"

"Mentor gave you the Eternal Primordial Spirit, don't you know to be grateful? Brother Chidi, I beg you to return my daughter!"

Changxi fell below his senior bother's knees, hoping that there still existed a tint of kindness in his heart.

"Changxi, I've given away your daughter. I made a deal with that Spirit King to never let your family reunite. If he goes against the deal, he will be covered in white snow for thousands of years. This divine skill was left behind by Mentor, but, if you want to see your daughter, all you have to do is to dig out Shenzong's spirit. "

"No! I cannot hurt Big Brother anymore! He is the father of my daughter, and I am already regretting luring him here. Chidi, if you didn't interfere back then, we wouldn't have been separated. You're the one that killed Mentor and yet let me carry your title of a murderer."

"So what? Mentor is already dead, and there are no more divine spirits in Cui Hua. If I manage to get you and Shenzong's spirit, I will be quite undefeatable in these three worlds!"

"So that's the case."

Right after Chidi finished speaking, a man appeared in the Grotto-heaven. Jiangyu shoved his hand forward. This was for Mentor and also for Changxi. The poor girl had to carry a name of guilt and was kicked out of the Spirit World for decades.

"Jiangyu, hand over the Ancient Spirit. Can you master Mentor's Ancient Spirit? That was condensed using Spirit Power from all places."

Jiangyu started to execute the spell. Chidi swung his long tail and curled it around Changxi. Jiangyu's divine light surged and his fox tail sprang out, headed towards Chidi. Changxi's spiritual finger flipped and pricked into Chidi's long tail. Under attack, Chidi let go of Changxi and Jiangyu sprang in to catch her.

"Changxi, why is Big Brother still sleeping?"

Looking at Shenzong lying on the ground, Jiangyu hated Chidi even more. How could he hurt one of his own! Actually, Jiangyu knew that Shenzong was under a dizzy spell cast by Goddess of the Moon on purpose. If someone like Shenzong found out that he had a child, he would definitely forgo the duties that Mentor had given him and go into hiding with Changxi. How could Changxi bear to let him forgo everything to be with her? He was a leader who shouldered many responsibilities, and she could not afford to be selfish.

Seeing Goddess of the Moon escape, Chidi was even furious. His big tail swung towards Shenzong while Changxi protected him. Jiangyu swung his fox tail and a strong gust of Spirit Power hit the four walls of the Grotto-heaven. This forced Chidi to hide in the walls. The big tail shattered the stone walls into pieces. Chidi executed a spell and a strong gust of Spirit Power started to rage around him like wild waves. As the spirit soul surged, he cut them in half with his palm. The Spirit Power from the spirit soul turned into millions of doppelgängers, pouncing towards Jiangyu.

"Changxi, bring Big Brother away now!"

Changxi was shocked. What was this spell that Chidi had cultivated? When she went near Chidi, his spirit even tried to suck away her Spirit Power. Changxi was sent flying against the walls and could only watch this Spirit Power devour over Jiangyu. Chidi executed the leave-soul spell and Changxi saw brother Jiangyu's separated true body. Gradually, it started to disappear as the Spirit Power continued to devour it. Despite knowing that she was not worthy to be Chidi's opponent, Changxi flipped her spiritual finger and turned into a divine crane. She tried to bring Shenzong away and hoped that Big Brother could escape from Xiaoyao Grotto-heaven. Just as the divine crane was bringing Shenzong out of the entrance, the doppelgängers blocked its path. Changxi saw that things were not good and flew high up, using all her Spirit Power to protect Shenzong.

"Goddess of the Moon, you will taste death for blocking my path."

Chidi evolved into a ball of fire and charged towards Changxi. Jiangyu broke out from Chidi's trap of spirits. Changxi saw that brother Jiangyu was being burnt. Chidi lifted the almost-disappearing Jiangyu. How could he forget about the Ancient Spirit? Deep down in the spirit soul, there was information on the Ancient Spirit. Where else could this Ancient Spirit be if not in Jiangyu's body?

"Where is the Ancient Spirit?"

Seeing brother Jiangyu struggling, Changxi was filled with guilt. She had brought him down.

"You didn't expect this right? You will never get the Ancient Spirit...haha..."

At this moment, Changxi realized that Jiangyu did not have the Ancient Body Protection but had been struggling to protect her. Changxi gathered all her Spirit Power, hoping to escape all of these. If Big Brother woke up, he would definitely save her life. However, Changxi knew that once Shenzong woke up and realized she had betrayed them, he would definitely not forgive her. By then, she would be unable to face Shenzong ever again. Back then, if she had not disclosed Mentor's race, then Cui Hua Mountain would still be prospering right now. She hated that she was greedy over her relationship with her children and had ruined Cui Hua Mountain. Although she did not kill Mentor, he had died in the hands of Chidi. She would live in guilt for millions of years and never dare to step into Cui Hua Mountain again.

Thunder and lightning struck over Cui Hua Mountain. Divine light flickered above the skyline. When lightning struck across the firmament, Chidi saw Mentor's Primordial Spirit. Sitting above the clouds, Mentor had his golden hands pressed against each other. In the streak of light, Chidi was torn away from his Real Body. His physical body disappeared in the golden light. Never would Chidi have imagined his Real Body being destroyed by Mentor.

"Evil creature, return to your underground spirit world. Never step foot into Kunlun again!"

Watching Mentor bring away Shenzong, Changxi broke into tears and fell to the ground.

"My Lord, Teal Hill can't survive under Hong Yu's ambition. We should hurry to Spirit Mountain!"

"If we do so, we'll be cowards and a disgrace to Teal Hill."

The tension in the great hall could be cut with a knife. Battle cries could be heard from Mistcraft Mountain, and Wuyou glanced over coldly, hoping someone would step out to save Teal Hill. However, all of her subjects were like frightened birds. "Is my Teal Hill going to collapse?" Wuyou thought in terror. She could not let her vast lands be destroyed! Wuyou flew out of the hall with her noblemen in tow. Teal Hill was on the line, so she had to save it as she was the lord of Teal Hill and had nowhere to escape. The subjects behind her all looked terrified when they saw the warfare. The old counselor stared at Jiang Wuyou with horror, hoping that she could think of a countermeasure. Wuyou was overwhelmed by a complicated feeling.

"Ni Shang, take the women and children out through the secret tunnel as soon as you can."

"My Lord, we'll protect Teal Hill to the death."

"Sir, the tribe leader who is currently facing Wolf King can not withstand his attacks for much longer."

"I order all the elderly and weak to head to Spirit Mountain as quickly as possible, and all the young and strong should stay."

The Wolf King was extremely ruthless, and Wuyou clenched her fists in preparation for battle as the Wolf King dashed into the Great Hall riding a hellish beast. While the foxes outside the hall fought back with all their strength, they were knocked flying with a single punch with Spirit Power from the Wolf King. Wuyou flung an Imprisoning Chain with Spirit Power towards the Wolf King, but the wolf dodged the attack and flew into the sky, and Wuyou followed him.

A hawk flew out of the Wolf King's sleeves. Wuyou concentrated all her burning Spirit Power to float around her and summoned some Delicate Piercers with a spell. The hawk flew towards Wuyou at Wolf King's command. The foxes standing at the door of the hall were worried about Wuyou's safety. Wuyou executed a spell and held a Delicate Piercers in her hand. As the hawk swung its wings and was gobbling up the foxes, Wuyou threw out the piercers and tore the hawk apart. Seeing this, the Wolf King waved his sleeves and sent a spell of poisonous bugs towards the crowd. Wuyou turned into a Spiritual Web and blocked them, which caused the bugs in the net to crackle and burn.

Surprised by this fox's powers, the Wolf King attacked again, bringing down a torrent of hail that turned the surroundings to ice, which sacred the foxes away in panic. When he forced into the hall, a gust of Spirit Power shut the door. Wuyou sent out the Delicate Piercers and Imprisoning Chain again. Just as the chain surrounded the wolf's neck, the hall's doors crashed down as tens of thousands of wolves entered the hall. Wuyou flew into the hall, which was coved with blood with the wolves ravaged the foxes. Her sister Ni Shang was forced by the Wolf King into a corner and began wailing with tears as her clothes were torn apart. Wuyou sent out a spell, but the Wolf King responded with an attack that sent Wuyou flying back, bloodied and crippled.

A young fox was sleeping in a sea of blooming purple irises. A breeze arose and woke the fox, and it stretched out its arms. The human world was nearby at the end of a river bank that was dotted with Monkey Trees. The fox leapt onto one of the trees, which were full of furry fruit.

The reflection in the river showed that this fox turned into a human form. Its fur fell off its body and its eyes turned into those of a human's. The fox stared at her transformed self from on top of the tree.

The ice of the early spring had been melted, and the little fox stood on the tree, staring at a blossoming yard. The yard was filled with the chatter of children, and a small girl in a jade-colored dress looked up with wide eyes. Her dress was flying with the morning breeze.

"It's a beautiful fairy!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.

A group of children crowded under the tree. Looking at the girl under the tree, Wuyou sent out Spirit Power to wipe her memory. However, when she heard this girl call her a fairy, she forced away the Spirit power, and her finger was therefore burnt. A drop of purple blood dripped into the flowers, causing the yard to suddenly fill with fragrance. The little girl widened her eyes at this fairy's magical powers, under which the buds of the three all turned into blossoms. Looking at the blossoms, Wuyou had no idea that her purple blood had such powers.

"Fairy, I'm called Han Chiyou."

"Jiang Wuyou."

The little girl exclaimed in a childish and beautiful voice, "Sister Jiang Wuyou!" This was the most beautiful voice Wuyou had ever heard since her own mother had never even called her name out of spite. She could not understand her mother's resentment until she grew up, and she gave up her demand. After her father passed away, she was separated from her mother, but Wuyou knew her name carried her father's love for her.

"You're called Chiyou?"

The little girl nodded vigorously while looking at the fairy on the three. Wuyou's flying purple dress looked so beautiful in the yard and the little girl's eyes. She really liked this older sister.

Wuyou left with the wind, her purple dress fluttering in the sunlight. The catkin of the early spring in the human world was flying in the air. She sat on top of a tower and looked at the splendor of the human world, reminiscing how much Uncle Jiefei liked it. When she was small, she was mischievous and liked to steal Jiefei's wine, and once accidentally knocked over his wine glass. When her uncle found out, he threw her into the Saint Lake. When she woke up, she saw Ni Shang playing in the water. Though she did not know what was beautiful and ugly, and she was so astounded by Ni Shang's beauty that she could not wait to grow up.

When her Uncle Jiefei returned from the human world with fine wine, she was too scared to be thrown into the Saint Lake despite that she loved wine so much. She knew too well to try to steal his wine again and simply sat at the hall doors waiting for him. If her uncle was happy, he would tell her stories about his adventures, and she would get lost in his tales about the human world.

Later on, her uncle fell in love with a woman, and she did not understand his love and regarded it as his wish until when she found out before his death that he longed for mortal life. He even wanted to give up his elder duties and grow old with his lover in a city in the mortal world, but he died too early to fulfill his dream and left the young Wuyou in charge of Teal Hill.

The early spring night was still a little chilly, and Wuyou walked among the relative stillness. It was time to light up the lamps. A string of lamps hung in the sky, making it much more welcoming than the nights in Teal Hill. Wuyou was even more curious about the fire and leaped up to grab one, admiring its shining fire inside a thin cocoon of paper. She touched the paper and found it warm. She held the lamp as she walked through the crowd ahead, hearing the merchants' yells and thinking that this kind of human commotion was what her uncle dreamed of.

She stood on a stone bridge and looked towards the merchants, all selling curious things that drew her attention. There were even chattering children sitting on their fathers' shoulders, and when the children got their wish, they would circle their greasy hands around their fathers and dirtied the corner of their clothes. The fathers looked at their children lovingly and wiped their hands clean. The children laughed and kissed their fathers on their cheeks, who in turn scratched their head lovingly. This was the innocence of childhood.

Wuyou had only encountered such fatherly love in her dreams and wished that her father was still alive, so that she could get snacks from her father and play with him in the streets of Teal Hill.

"Daddy, a hawthorn stick!" chirped a girl.

Wuyou drooled at the glistening treats, which also existed in Teal Hill. She had once heard from the little foxes that this snack tasted very sour, so, she did not dare to try it. The haws looked extremely inviting, with their red sugar coating and faint fragrance.

The merchant selling these sticks sold them out of a hay basket. The haws that the children were eating looked extremely inviting. Wuyou looked at the old merchant, checked her pocket and found only a few coins besides her purple jade fox, which was a gift from her mother. Although she was a little reluctant, she still handed over the jade to the merchant and took a hawthorn stick away. The haws in her hand gave a sweet smell.

"Wait, young lady!" said the old merchant urgently.

Wuyou sent a stream of Spirit Power and flew away, and the merchant was shocked to find a piece of jade in his hand. When he touched it with his rough hands, a halo of Spirit Power encircled him. The merchant's white hair darkened gradually, his wrinkles smoothed out, and he saw his hands and skin become elastic again when the halo disappeared. The merchant stared at the jade and his soft hands in disbelief.

This strange scene was seen by a man called Xu Linghe in the Saint Lodge. He was excited and leaped down from the lodge and sized up the old merchant, who had now become a young man.

"Take good care of these coins," he said, tossing down a bit of money and taking back the piece of jade.

The merchant was upset, as he wanted to return the jade to the young woman, rather than letting it get taken by this man.

"Sir, this piece of jade was a gift from a young lady. I can't sell it to you."

"You don't know that I'm actually an acquaintance of her, so don't worry."

"Oh, then please thank her for me."

"Of course."

The merchant could not say anything in the face of the elegant Xu Linghe, so he packed up all his goods and left.

Wuyou was busy savoring the delicious hawthorn stick and reveling in its amazing taste and sweetness. The night wind was cold, but, she still enjoyed the taste.

Xu Linghe stood on the bridge and looked up at this exceptional young woman, who had green hair like dark jade and thick lashes that masked a fiery gaze. Her thick eyelashes cast a shadow over her big and beautiful eyes. Her small mouth was stained with sugar and looked soft and full. He could sense from afar that she had a cold maturity beyond her age.

That coldness was palpable, and Xu Linghe suddenly had a desire to win her over. He wanted to know how surprised she would be when her beautiful eyes beheld great scenes and her mouth tasted delicious dishes. As the jade in his hand glinted slightly, Xu Linghe sent a stream of Spirit Power into it and made it shine brighter. The jade fox looked lovely and cute. When he put away the jade fox, the young girl had disappeared from where she was standing.

Wuyou was shriveled into a ball, with the trees in the yard casting shimmering shadows, and sounds of the morning call echoing in the distance. Suddenly, a burst of cries came from the yard, followed by a thick smell of blood that made Wuyou nauseous as it was the first time that she had ever smelt such a thing. A man lay in the pool of blood, and Wuyou learned that his name was A Jiu when she drew near. The store entrance was jammed with people asking about how he died, while Wuyou squatted closer to look at the corpse, which was shriveled up like it had been sucked dry.

She sent out a Little Lingchong from her palm, which would seek for souls. It shone with a blue light and led Wuyou through the yard to above a straw hut. Wuyou looked around and saw traces of blood in the corner, and when she sent Spirit Power towards it, she was met with a strong smell of blood. The Little Lingchong ducked into her sleeve, and Wuyou blasted open the walls to see a woman in black drinking the blood. When the woman looked up, Wuyou was startled by her half-hidden face and red eyes and the coagulated blood on her skull, which was patching up her face with new flesh. When the female ghost turned around once again, she looked like a young woman.

Wuyou sent out Spirit Power towards the ghost, and a halo hung over her head, but it clawed apart Wuyou's dress with steel claws. Wuyou stared coldly at the ghost, who was rushing into the air with the stench of decayed bodies. When the ghost attacked again, Wuyou surrounded herself with magic powers, her dark hair scattering in the air. She looked at the bloodthirsty ghost and punched it harshly. With a booming sound, the wall was crashed down, and the ghost was sent away. Despite being heavily injured, the ghost did not give up while staring at Wuyou.

"Are you a ghost?" Wuyou asked.

The ghost looked at Wuyou before charging forwards her with a terrifying expression. Her eyes glinted with red lights, and her matted hair turned into vines that curled toward Wuyou. Wuyou closed her eyes and clapped her hands, her long hair fluttering with purple Spirit Power with her body floating in the mid-air. She hurriedly summoned a golden beast from her body, which was a Qilin riding on a ring of fire. Everywhere the Qilin passed turned into a sea of flames and burned the vines. The ghost was caught by horror, and her hair got burnt. When the fires were put out, the ghost was covered with burns and looked even worse than before. She was filled with overwhelming hatred as her beauty was destroyed.

The ghost attacked Wuyou with her wrath. Surrounded by Spirit Power, Wuyou punched towards the ghost while looking at her. Seeing this, the ghost flew onto the roof and was sent flying back when she tried to attack Wuyou again. Then, with a loud crash, the roof caved in and sent dust flying everywhere.

"A female ghost."

Wuyou looked at her coldly and was losing her patience. She sat on top of her Qilin and started to leave, while the ghost was trapped by the Imprisoning Chain. She would suffer more if she tried to break off it.

"Who are you and why are you trying to interfere with my actions? There was no grudge between you and me before. Why did you destroy my cultivation?"

"Ghost, defeating you is too easy. What can you do?"

The Qilin felt his master's anger and blew another ring of fire towards the ghost, which terrified her into begging for mercy.

"Go and enter another life."

With a move of her finger, her powerful Spirit Power floated in the air and tore open the ground, revealing a small path. A gust of cold wind blew over from the underworld and swallowed the ghost down into the depths. Afterward, it even started snowing. Looking at the thin snow on the ground, the girl in purple flew onto the Qilin's back.

"Wake up, Little Lingchong!"

The Qilin yanked at Wuyou's sleeve, and the Little Lingchong stuck its head out. Wuyou had exhausted a lot of energy from fighting the ghost and felt thankful for her companions and that she should take a rest. Little Lingchong sat at Wuyou's arms lazily. Looking at the Qilin, which was as small as a bean, it was complacent and forgot that it was just a small bug. Wuyou touched the bug and made antennae grow out of Little Lingchong's head, causing the Qilin to burst into laughter at the amusing scene. Little Lingchong pretended to be dead while looking at its master, covering its face with its antenna and cunning in its eyes. "What a cute little thing," Wuyou thought as she pinched its face. A smile that could amaze Lunar Corona appeared on her face. Seeing the smile, Little Lingchong went to hide with shyness.

"Are you a soul messenger?" Wuyou asked.

Little Lingchong nodded and waited for a follow-up question.

"Do you know where my uncle Jiefei's soul is?"

The Little Lingchong was speechless, for it did not want to lie, but it also did not want to put its master in danger by telling her the truth.

"Master, I cannot say."

Wuyou did not say anything else as she saw its hesitation. Wuyou knew she only needed to read hearts to find Jiefei's soul, but he had already cast a spell on the Lingchong, and there was nothing she could do.

The crowd in front of the store had disappeared along with the man's corpse. The yard was full of the smell of blood. The owner of the building was reassuring its tenants that the dead man had been a thief for he feared to be put into prison.

The owner then went up to the woman at the door, while Wuyou found an empty spot in the busy lobby to sit down. Little Lingchong crawled out of her sleeve to look around, but when it saw a couple burly men walk over, it shrunk back into her sleeve.

These men all gave off a menacing air. Wuyou recognized them as the Wolf King's cronies, probably sent into the mortal world to kill her. Little Lingchong curled up into a ball in her sleeves. She could sense that Little Lingchong was terrified and tried to comfort it.

The second floor of the building was lit up with candlelight and covered in luxurious rugs. The door was pushed open from inside. A group of well-dressed men was standing here with fine jades, looking gentle in candlelight. Xu Linghe was dressed much more casually, wearing a white robe embellished with a jade belt. He was in a low profile but also looked like an immortal. The jade belt made him look slender, and he walked around in a pace sometimes slow and sometimes fast, patting the back of his hand with a fan, followed by a young girl in green that spoke in a chirping voice.

Xu Linghe looked around on the stairwell and saw a girl, who turned out to be the girl that he had seen from the stone bridge, with her moving figure. He stood there in silence staring at her. Although he had only seen her in passing, he still could not get her out of his mind and wanted to warm her cold heart.

"Wait for me, Brother Linghe!"

The girl in green tugged on his robe and kept panting and sweating. Linghe relaxed his frown and dismissed his frustration towards her.

"Brother Linghe, Lier's voice is going hoarse."

The maids in the room were dressing Chiyou in clothes for spring, who stood there passively with eyes closed. Han Mengxi slipped quietly into the room and laughed at the sight of her dazed sister.

"You look so happy, sister! Do you have anything delightful?"

"You're so young and still unmarried. Here, let me pinch your cheeks."

"Sister!"

"Let's go outside. Does the little sister want to go with us?"

"Come here, let me do your hair."

The older sister brushed her younger sister's silky hair, which touched very soft. The young girl in the mirror looked very adorable with round eyes, thick and curly lashes, and red moist lips. She looked beautiful with her hair pinned back.

Mengxi straightened out her sister's hem. Han Chiyou avoided her gaze and hastily tried to leave.

"Not so fast, give me a smile!"

"Stop it!"

Han Chiyou smiled widely, revealing her white teeth, and gave her sister a playful hug.

"Sister, I'm so hungry."

Han Chiyou rubbed her stomach and left with her sister. The path was lined with fresh greenery which was swaying in the breeze since it was an early spring. The branches of the trees were covered with greenery. A gust of wind blew willow seeds into the air, which dotted her hair and clothes with flakes of snowy fuzz.

Han Chiyou brushed off the seeds and was thinking about eating when she ran straight into someone. Xu Linghe rubbed his numb shoulders, and Han Qianyi seemed quite nervous and pathetic. Han Chiyou looked at her father in disbelief, since she usually saw him as a powerful man.

The man in front of her wore a white robe made of silk, which Han Chiyou knew only extremely high-ranking individuals wore. She could also tell that his fine Hetian jade was exceptional from the looks of it. Han Qianyi saw his daughter's expression and knew that she might get some bad ideas. She tried to signal to her his worry, and she realized it.

Xu Linghe did not care at all. He was traveling through the area and felt the need to visit Han Qianyi, who was his uncle as well as the richest man of Yangzhou. It would be impolite if he did not visit him.

Xu Linghe followed Han Qianyi into the inner lobby, where all the waitstaff were standing in a line and waiting for their master's order. Xu Linghe sat in the main seat while Han Qianyi stood by respectfully. This made Xu Linghe quite uncomfortable.

"How is his Excellency doing?"

Han Qianyi took out a letter from his pocket and gave it to Xu Linghe, which he stowed away. Xu Linghe admired the delicious tea in front of him. He was in a good mood as he breathed the steam of the tea in. The green tea leaves floated in his cups, and the water was clean. Those small leaves would sink to the bottom as they opened up. In the soft sunlight, the tea looked even more sparkling.

"My father has a message."

"Please tell, sir."

"We would like you to stay with us for a few days for Holy Mother Empress's birthday."

Han Qianyi's spirits sank, and he felt terrified. Was the prime minister getting impatient? He knew how vicious politics could be, and although he was rich, he had no political power. He needed the backing of Xu Yinchang if he wanted to maximize his benefits, as the prime minister dominated Qi Kingdom and would be his best backer.

"Does his Excellency have other wishes?"

"Take your youngest daughter with you."

"That would be inappropriate. My daughter is a common girl and may be laughed at."

Han Qianyi understood clearly that the prime minister might not trust him and wanted to use his daughter as a hostage. However, he had no other choices but to obey him.

Xu Linghe picked up tea leaves and suddenly turned into a monster that charged towards Han Qianyi. He wanted to test his uncle's power. Han Qianyi felt helpless as the monster came straight for his chest and staggered back a few times before regaining his balance. The monster attacked again, but Han Qianyi responded quickly and finally defeated the monster after exchanging several moves with it. The tea leaves were scattered everywhere. Han Qianyi's anger made Xu Linghe feel quite awkward.

"Nephew, you know shape-shifting?"

"A little bit."

"Really?"

Han Qianyi was confused but also felt more cautious around his nephew. After a period of silence, Xu Linghe could tell his uncle was wary of him.

The afternoon sun shone through the room, leaving faint sunlight on the wall. Xu Linghe was captivated by the woman in the picture, whose dark hair slanted over her arm. The woman had thick eyebrows and bright eyes which looked like stars. Her face looked cold and proud.

Looking at the girl in the picture, he was confused by how similar this girl looked to the one he had seen. Her cheek and red lips must smell sweet. While Xu Linghe gazed on endlessly, Han Qianyi looked grave. He gave up on formalities and angrily yanked up the young man by his collar, instantly waking him up. Xu Linghe instantly realized that he was being foolish for falling for some girl he had just seen. He sighed in secret and wondered what had happened to him. "Now, I've really made myself look like a profligate son of the rich."

"Please don't be offended, uncle. I know a girl who looks a lot like this picture."

"Really?"

Han Qianyi did not believe him, waiting for a further explanation. Xu Linghe had no idea how to explain how he knew her because they were strangers. He felt upset at this.

"She is my wife, who died many years ago, Xiaoyou's mother, and my only wife."

Han Qianyi stroked the woman in the picture with deep sadness, and Xu Linghe stayed silent. Han Qianyi had wanted to use magic to revive his wife. The man in front of Xu Linghe was so love-struck and miserable, and he could only look bitterly at him and the woman in the picture.

"Revival is an Evil Magic. If you force a rebirth, you will lose your loved ones. Do you want that?"

Han Qianyi nodded maniacally while looking at the woman in the picture, consumed by his love. For his wife, he did not care if his loved ones lived or died, showing how selfish and evil love could be. Xu Linghe realized his uncle's weakness and wanted to control him by satisfying his wish. If he could find out how to display a Revival, he could make his uncle his puppet. As for his father, he would loosen up eventually. "How convenient." Xu Linghe smiled.

A gust of fragrant wind blew past, the peach blossoms in the yard competed in splendor under the sun, and two butterflies flitted through the plants. Xu Linghe brushed past with his spiritual finger, and the butterflies fell into his fan. Han Qianyi was shocked to see his nephew's Spirit Power. He knew that his nephew might look elegant but also had powerful Spirit Power. He had turned into a monster to test his weaknesses. The son of the prime minister was indeed a powerful man. Han Qianyi knew that he should not have exposed his weakness before his nephew, but he could not help but let his guard down for his beloved wife. He would die for his wife, and only she could make him happy.

"Does your acquaintance really look like my wife?"

Xu Linghe remained silent and did not answer. He knew he could only expose himself further by talking in front of an experienced like Han Qianyi, so he decided to avoid the matter. Han Qianyi thought, "This young man is quite smart. No wonder he is his Excellency's son. He seems gentle but is actually vicious, looks like an upstanding man but has many secret thoughts."

"Master, a messenger from the South says our cargo was stolen!"

Xu Linghe was also shocked. Han Qianyi was very well-established, and everyone respected him because of his wealth. No one could be resistant to money no matter how noble he was. Xu Linghe wondered that his father must be worried to have a brother like Han Qianyi, and if his father did not have something that Han Qianyi wanted, his uncle would have been long gone. What a special thing money was!