227: Chapter 227 Dinner

In the days following the transmission of the techniques, Mu Chen and Luo Li spent almost all their time in the cultivation chambers.

One was at the volcanic crater behind the mountain, tempering their spatial perception using the violent energy of the surging magma, while the other was in the secret chamber at the top of the cultivation tower, using a heart of extreme stillness to perceive the subtle traces of the flow of time.

Hun Feng did not go to guide them further—the key had already been given, and the rest of the path had to be walked by them alone.

He had some rare leisure time these past few days, so he stayed in the courtyard of his residence, accompanying his wives and seven daughters.

Yao Yao had become obsessed with making pottery using volcanic mud, claiming it was a craft she had learned from the Fire Swallowing Clan. Every day, she would drag Yun Yun and Cao Ying into the courtyard to mold clay. The pots they produced were crooked and misshapen, prompting Medusa to impassively comment that they "looked like a Void Beast that had been stepped on."

Hun Mulan molded something that looked like nothing, yet insisted it was Xiao Fan; Hun Muling molded a bone whip, but it broke into three pieces after being fired, which infuriated her so much that she chased Aunt Yaoyao, asking if there was something wrong with the mud. Hun Muxian, on the other hand, molded something quite decent—a phoenix spreading its wings—which Gu Xun'er placed on the windowsill as an ornament.

This evening, Hun Feng suddenly felt inspired and asked Yan Ling to organize a family dinner.

Yan Ling was the granddaughter of Chief Yan Shi of the Fire Swallowing Clan. Having stayed in Shitian City for two years, she had long since figured out the tastes of the Domain Lord and his wives.

In less than half an hour, the long table in the courtyard was filled with various dishes—there were specialties of the Hun Clan brought from the Soul Realm, roasted volcanic rock meat offered by the Fire Swallowing Clan, several vegetarian dishes prepared by Yun Yun herself from the Flower Sect, and fruit wine that Yao Yao had dug up from somewhere, which was said to be a century-old vintage that Outer Perimeter Commander Lei Meng had scoured from a deserted island in the Chaotic Demon Sea.

When night fell, the courtyard was brightly lit.

Hun Feng sat at the head of the table, with Medusa and Hun Muxiao on his left, and Yao Yao and Gu Xun'er on his right. Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, and Cao Ying sat in order.

The seven daughters squeezed together, chattering away. Hun Mulan insisted on sitting on her eldest sister's lap, but Hun Muxiao complained she was too heavy, so she eventually squeezed between Hun Muling and Hun Musheng, looking aggrieved.

Mu Chen and Luo Li had also been dragged from their cultivation by Hun Muxiao. The two of them sat at the end of the long table, with a cup of volcanic spirit tea placed in front of each of them.

Luo Li remained her usual quiet self, though a faint smile would occasionally flash in her eyes when her gaze fell upon Hun Muxiao—after spending these days together, they had long since become close friends who talked about everything.

"It's rare for everyone to be here together today," Hun Feng said, raising his wine cup. His gaze swept across the faces of his wives, then turned to his daughters and two disciples. "There's no serious business; I just wanted everyone to sit together."

"Over the years since Shitian Domain was established, you have accompanied me from the Fighting Qi Continent to the Great Thousand World, and from a dilapidated volcanic crater to the superpower that now spans across sea and land."

"This cup of wine is for you." After he finished speaking, he drained it in one gulp.

Yao Yao was the first to speak, vividly recounting the old days of intercepting Xiao Yan in the Corpse Burial Mountain Range and shattering the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus with a single whip.

When she mentioned that Hun Feng hesitated before deciding whether to take the Sea Heart Flame, Hun Feng interjected, saying there was no hesitation; he was merely evaluating its value.

Yao Yao rolled her eyes: "You were clearly just afraid of getting burned." The whole table burst into laughter, and even Medusa slightly curled the corners of her mouth.

Cao Ying took the opportunity to spill the beans: "My husband was just as stubborn when he took me in back then. He clearly wanted to keep me in the Soul Realm, but insisted on saying it was 'just to make the best use of everything.'"

Hun Muying asked curiously for details, and Yun Yun rarely interjected: "It was about the same. The look in his eyes when he saw me in the Flower Sect square back then was like he was looking at a long-lost treasure."

Xiao Yi Xian softly added: "Me too." Gu Xun'er smiled with her lips pursed: "Me too."

Medusa did not speak, simply putting down her wine cup and glancing at Hun Feng. Those purple eyes still held their usual cold and poised expression, but Hun Feng understood the meaning behind that look—she felt the same way.

Hun Muxiao rested her chin in her hands, looking at the table full of her aunts, and sighed: "Did Dad save the world in his past life to be able to trick Mom and all the aunts into coming back with him in this life?"

Hun Feng smiled and did not explain.

In his previous life, he was nothing more than a corporate slave killed by a car. He had transmigrated to the Fighting Qi Continent, becoming the young master of the Hun Clan, and climbed step by step from a Two-Star Dou Sheng to an Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme, moving from being a lone individual to having a house full of wives and concubines.

He hadn't saved the world; he had been saved by this world.

But he couldn't say these words out loud, so he just picked up his wine cup and took another large gulp.

Medusa noticed the fleeting emotion in the depths of Hun Feng's eyes and did not press him, simply picking up a piece of roasted meat and placing it in his bowl, her tone indifferent: "Drink less."

"Dad," Hun Muling suddenly spoke up, her peach-blossom eyes full of mischief, "What was the answer to that donkey and cat question you asked last time? What exactly is a 'hajimi'?"

Hun Feng snapped back to reality and said solemnly: "A 'hajimi' is an ancient divine beast that comes from a place called Earth. That divine beast is a mortal enemy of donkeys, so donkeys find it very hard to make it laugh."

"Really? Why have I never heard of it?"

"I made it up."

Hun Muling was so angry she grabbed a spirit fruit, making a motion to throw it, but Gu Xun'er laughingly caught her wrist.

Hun Mulan shouted "Daddy is a big liar" in her milky voice at Hun Feng, then buried her face in Yun Yun's embrace, giggling.

Hun Muxian helplessly shook her head and took a sip from her teacup, her expression exactly the same as Gu Xun'er's.

Yao Yao laughed so hard she slapped the table, Cao Ying leaned on Yun Yun's shoulder, wiping away tears, and even the usually aloof Luo Li rarely curled the corners of her mouth, turning her head to share a smile with Hun Muxiao.

Watching this scene, Mu Chen suddenly felt that Shitian Domain was completely different from the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.

At the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, everyone was desperately cultivating, afraid of falling behind others.

But here, cultivation was for the sake of protection, and the meaning of that protection was sitting right at this stone table.

He turned his head to look at Luo Li, and Luo Li was also looking at him. Both of them read the same thought in each other's eyes—this was their home now, too.

The night grew deep, and the seven daughters returned to their respective rooms to rest. Mu Chen and Luo Li also rose to take their leave.

Only Hun Feng and his six wives remained in the courtyard.

Yao Yao leaned on Hun Feng's shoulder, Cao Ying lay on the stone table, drawing circles with her finger dipped in tea, Yun Yun and Gu Xun'er sat side by side, chatting in low voices, Xiao Yi Xian leaned quietly against the back of her chair, looking at the night sky, and Medusa remained sitting poised beside Hun Feng, holding the cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

A low rumble suddenly came from the direction of the volcanic cluster, and crimson magma erupted into the night, like a river of stars flowing backward.

Hun Feng leaned back in his chair, with Yao Yao on his left, Medusa on his right, Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian behind him, and Yun Yun and Cao Ying opposite him.

They were not just anyone; they were the most important reason he had stayed in this world.