22: Chapter 22 The Eastern Garden of the Soul Realm: Mother and Daughter Reunited

Soul Realm, Void Ferry.

The silver light of the teleportation array had not yet fully dissipated when Hun Qian, leading a team of black-robed guards, had already been waiting at the ferry for a long time. The display behind him was significant—twelve peak Dou Zun guards were lined up on both sides, and in the middle stood a Void Carriage specially made by the Hall of Souls, entirely pitch-black with low-hanging curtains. There were very few people in the entire Soul Realm who could make Hun Qian employ such a high level of reception.

"Young Master, that little girl has been settled in the East Courtyard, right next to the Madam's side hall. The servants attending to her on the way were temporarily transferred from the Madam's side; the little girl didn't cry or make a fuss, she just asked a few times when her mother would be back." Hun Qian bowed slightly, his pupils shrinking imperceptibly as his gaze swept over the white-robed woman behind Hun Feng whose hands were bound by chains. The aura of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python—he would not mistake it. The Young Master had gone to the Nine Serene Yellow Springs and brought back Queen Medusa herself. He silently adjusted his evaluation of the Young Master in his heart, while his face remained as calm as an old butler.

"Good work. What about the Three Demon Saints?"

"General Elder Hun Tu has already returned to the Elder Hall to report. General Hun Sha was deeply poisoned; Lord Nihility personally took action to extract the residual poison of the Calamity Poison Body for him, and he needs to rest for a month. Hun Jing suffered light injuries and has already gone back into seclusion. The twelve Dou Shengs who were lost will be buried with honors according to clan rules, and the three who were heavily injured have been sent to the Soul Pond for treatment." Hun Qian paused and lowered his voice to add, "Young Master, regarding the Ancient Clan—the Clan Head already knows about Gu Dao leading the Three Immortal Guards to reinforce the Sky Mansion Alliance. The Clan Head only said four words."

"Which four words?"

"'Courting death.'"

Hun Feng's lips curled slightly. He asked no more and stepped aside to reveal the person behind him. Medusa stepped slowly out of the teleportation array, her matte white long dress shimmering with a soft moon-white glow in the dim light of the Soul Realm, the golden chains of her waist ornaments clinking faintly with every step. Her hands were still bound behind her back with soul-devouring iron chains, and her purple eyes coldly swept over the black-robed guards on both sides of the ferry. The guards lowered their heads in unison—not because of an order, but because they were forced to avert their gaze by the undisguised, sharp killing intent in those eyes.

"Unbind her," Hun Feng commanded without looking back.

Yao Yao pulled a key from her waist, walked behind Medusa, and with a flick of her wrist, removed the chains. The moment the soul-devouring iron slid from her wrists, Medusa moved her wrists, which were marked with red welts, and gave Yao Yao a cold, piercing glare. Instead of retreating, Yao Yao grinned and leaned in half a step, whispering, "Queen sister, don't look at me like that; I'm only responsible for carrying out the Young Master's orders. But your daughter really is in the East Courtyard, I didn't lie to you about that. The Madam even prepared some snacks for her—Dark Orchid Honey Cake, a specialty of the Soul Realm. The little girl ate several pieces." Medusa snorted coldly and did not respond, but her pace unconsciously quickened.

On the eastern side of the Soul Realm, the detached courtyard next to Lin Qingwan's side hall was originally intended for distinguished guests and was rarely used. Today, however, an exception was made as the entire courtyard was lit with soul lamps. The warm yellow light filtered through the gaps in the bamboo blinds, softening the appearance of the newly transplanted Dark Orchids in the garden. Two black-robed guards stood outside the courtyard; seeing Hun Feng's group approach, they bowed in unison and silently stepped aside to clear the path.

Medusa paused for a moment at the courtyard gate. Her perception told her that there was indeed a familiar, youthful fluctuation of Dou Qi inside, around the Five-Star Dou Zong level, lively and stable, with no signs of harm or imprisonment. But she didn't push the door open immediately. Instead, she turned back, her purple eyes falling on Hun Feng's face, her voice still cold and hard: "You had better not have lied to me."

Hun Feng stood three steps behind her with his hands behind his back, having no intention of following her in. He simply tilted his chin toward the courtyard gate: "You can see for yourself."

Medusa pushed open the door. In the courtyard grew a Dark-leaf Osmanthus transplanted from the Eastern Region of the Soul Realm, its canopy like an umbrella. Under the tree stood a small stone table and several stone stools. On the stone table sat a half-finished plate of Dark Orchid Honey Cake and a cup of warm beast milk. A little girl about five or six years old was squatting near the roots of the tree with her back to the gate, focused intently on drawing something in the dirt with a twig. She wore an ink-blue little dress that had been pulled from the Soul Realm's storehouse; the material was fine, but it was half a size too large, so the sleeves were messily rolled up twice, revealing two little arms like lotus roots. Her jet-black long hair was not tied up, cascading over her shoulders, and she didn't even notice the few withered leaves caught in the ends.

"Xiao Xiao."

The twig in the little girl's hand fell to the ground with a clatter. She spun around, her large, bright eyes widening the moment she saw the white-robed figure at the gate. Then her little mouth puckered, and her eyes filled with tears at a visible speed. She stumbled over from the tree roots and threw herself into Medusa's arms, her small hands tightly clutching the hem of her mother's dress as she wailed, "Mother—where did you go! Xiao Xiao missed you so much! Those people said you'd be back soon, but I waited for so, so long and you didn't come back! I was so afraid you didn't want Xiao Xiao anymore..."

Medusa crouched down, tightly clasping her daughter in her arms with one hand. She had been in seclusion at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs for several months, forcefully breaking through from the peak of Dou Zun to a Four-Star Dou Sheng, absorbing the Demon Saint Essence Blood and suppressing the Demon Saint Will, enduring every day on the edge of life and death. She thought she was tough and hardened enough, thinking nothing could make her shed another tear. But Xiao Xiao's words, "I was so afraid you didn't want Xiao Xiao anymore," hit her chest like a hammer. All the worry and fear suppressed deep in her soul surged up at this moment, making it painful even to breathe. She lowered her head and buried her face in her daughter's soft black hair, her shoulders trembling slightly, yet she didn't make a sound.

Yao Yao leaned against the bamboo fence outside the courtyard, her peach blossom eyes watching the scene of the mother and daughter's reunion. The playful grin on her face gradually vanished. She didn't go in to disturb them; she simply took a clean handkerchief from her waist, placed it on the edge of the stone table, and then silently withdrew from the courtyard.

Hun Feng stood outside the courtyard gate without entering. Through the half-closed bamboo blinds, he watched Xiao Xiao wipe her snot and tears all over Medusa's matte white dress. He saw those hands of Medusa's, which could forcefully strike Nine-Colored Raw Stone, now clumsily wiping her daughter's face with movements as gentle as if she were touching a piece of white jade porcelain that might break at any moment. Then he withdrew his gaze and turned to walk back along the stone path. Yao Yao followed behind him, her peach blossom eyes rarely devoid of playfulness. As the Young Master turned away, she asked softly, "Young Master, when do you plan to let her go?"

"Until the day she is willing," Hun Feng's tone was as light as the night wind, as if drifting from somewhere far away. "Where her daughter is, her heart will be. No rush."

Hall of Hun Tiandi.

When Hun Feng stepped into the hall, Hun Tiandi was sitting in the main seat, toying with a pale gold envelope. The envelope had already been opened, with a faint Ancient Clan soul imprint remaining at the seal. He tossed the letter onto the low table in front of him, his tone casual as if discussing the weather: "Gu Yuan wrote me another letter. He says that Gu Dao reinforcing the Sky Mansion Alliance was an unauthorized deployment by Gu Qingyang and does not represent the position of the Ancient Clan Elder Hall. He also says the Ancient Clan is willing to send an envoy to the Soul Realm in three days to discuss the misunderstandings between us—the same old clichés."

Hun Feng sneered. For the head of the Council of Elders, a late Seven-Star Dou Sheng, to personally lead the team—if that was an unauthorized deployment, then the Ancient Clan Elder Hall might as well disband. Gu Yuan was using these polite formulas to stall for time—with the Sky Mansion Alliance collapsed, the Ancient Clan needed to stabilize the Hun Clan as quickly as possible to allow Xiao Yan to regain his footing on the ruins.

"What do you think?" Hun Tiandi tilted his head to look at him.

"Gu Dao is at the late Seven-Star stage, and the Three Immortal Guards are all at the mid Six-Star stage. The Ancient Clan Council of Elders also has three elders of unknown cultivation in death seclusion, plus Gu Yuan himself at the peak of Nine-Star—this lineup is indeed not weak. But their strongest is Gu Yuan, and below Gu Yuan, those he relies on most are Gu Dao and the Three Immortal Guards; the other elders are numerous but mostly at the Four or Five-Star level. Combined with their vague alliance with the Yan and Lei Clans, they would delay a frontal war until the remnants of the Sky Mansion Alliance recover their strength before surrounding us." Hun Feng walked to the sand table in the hall, marking the Ancient World, several strongholds held by the Sky Mansion remnants, and the core territories of the Yan and Lei Clans one by one. Then he stood up, his tone steady, "We won't fight a frontal war. The remnants of the Sky Mansion Alliance are not a concern; Yao Chen is heavily injured, and Xiao Yan has just reached Two-Star, his vitality exhausted. The Ancient Clan's reinforcement this time exposed their trump card—Gu Yuan doesn't dare to personally fall out with the Hun Clan, so he can only protect Xiao Yan indirectly through reinforcements. This shows that the internal divisions within the Ancient Clan Elder Hall are even greater than we estimated. Elder Gu Qian's Pro-peace Faction doesn't want the Ancient Clan to be buried with Xiao Yan, while Gu Dao's Pro-war Faction wants to use the Sky Mansion remnants to stall the Hun Clan. The two factions constrain each other in the Council of Elders, and the pieces Gu Yuan can use while caught in the middle are actually quite limited."

Hun Tiandi turned a page of his book, a perennial half-smile on his face. "So your meaning is—we don't fight?"

"We fight. But not a full-scale attack. The Ancient Clan's hand has been revealed; the next card is mine to play. The Clan Head can rest easy and continue reading." Hun Feng bowed slightly and strode out of the hall. His steps were steady and certain, as if he were following a game of chess where every move had already been calculated. The Sky Mansion Alliance exists in name only, and the waters of the Ancient Clan have been muddied enough; it was time to turn his gaze to the next match.

Soul Realm East Courtyard.

Night had fallen deep, and Xiao Xiao finally fell asleep while leaning on Medusa's lap. The little girl held the hem of Medusa's dress in one hand and half a piece of unfinished honey cake in the other, dried tear tracks on her face, her breathing steady and long. Medusa looked down at her daughter's sleeping face and did not move for a long time. The soul lamps from outside the courtyard filtered through the bamboo blinds, casting soft, warm light on her cold and peerless face. The red marks on her wrists had mostly faded, but a faint numbness remained where the soul-devouring iron chains had bound her.

She gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Xiao Xiao's ear, her movements extremely light and slow, as if touching a lost and found treasure. Then she raised her purple eyes and, through the half-closed bamboo blinds, looked at the deep black figure walking away in the distance. her gaze lingered on Hun Feng's back for a moment—this man had never stepped foot inside the gate from the moment he arrived until he left, nor had he used Xiao Xiao to exert any verbal pressure on her. She knew, of course, that this was not some gentlemanly grace, but a more sophisticated tactic. But even so, she had to admit—Xiao Xiao was indeed safe in his hands. As for anything else, she was unwilling to think about it for the time being.

The night wind blew through the courtyard, gently blowing the clean handkerchief Yao Yao had left on the stone table to the ground. Medusa reached out and picked up the handkerchief. Looking at the crooked Dark Orchid embroidery on the corner, she suddenly remembered what that black-robed woman had said to her while leaning against the gate: "The Young Master's order was—Xiao Xiao is not to be harmed, not to be touched, and not to be frightened; those who disobey shall be executed." She folded the handkerchief and placed it back on the edge of the stone table, then lowered her head again to look at her sleeping daughter. Something in the depths of her purple eyes quietly softened, only to be forcefully suppressed once more.