263: Chapter 263 A Garden Full of Beauty

News of Xiao Xiao's return spread quickly. In less than half an hour, everyone in Imperial City knew that the Xiao Xiao had returned.

Disciples conducting night training on the Martial Arena whispered to one another, while a few older deacons gazed from afar at that fiery red figure in the main hall, marveling that the little girl with pigtails from years ago was now a Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign capable of holding her own.

Inside the main hall, the banquet continued. After having her ear pinched by Cai Lin, Xiao Xiao behaved for only a short while before leaning over to Yao Yao to whisper, asking if there had been any interesting news in Imperial City over the years.

Yao Yao held her wine glass, glanced at her with her peach blossom eyes, and said, "The biggest piece of news is that your father has gained a few more Saint Grade-level adversaries," before Hun Feng's gaze cut off the rest of her words.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the hall. Her six younger sisters filed in—they had originally had their own cultivation lessons that night, but Hun Qian had specifically gone to inform them that the Xiao Xiao had returned and that the younger misses should go to the main hall for a reunion.

Hun Muying walked at the very front; she had grown taller since last year. Her phoenix eyes were identical to Cao Ying's, and her Demon Phoenix Bloodline gave her features a naturally dazzling and striking radiance.

Closely following behind her were Hun Muxian and Hun Muqing; one had a temperament as elegant as an orchid, while the other was as coldly beautiful and piercing as ice. Then came Hun Muling, Hun Musheng, and Hun Mulan. The six of them stepped into the hall in succession, the candlelight illuminating their faces in perfect detail.

As the six young women stood in the hall, the entire main hall seemed to brighten. They were now all approaching the Upper Earth Sovereign level, in the prime of their youth—having shed the greenness and immaturity of childhood, yet not yet stained by the vicissitudes of time, much like flower buds just beginning to bloom, stretching out to their fullest in the morning dew.

God-Grade Bloodline surged within them, making their skin more lustrous and translucent than ordinary women, and their features more exquisite and distinct. As the six sisters stood together, the mere rush of their youthful aura caused the adults at the table to simultaneously feel the illusion that "they were getting old."

Hun Muying led the way, dressed in a dark purple martial outfit with a silver-threaded soft armor belt at her waist; her figure was slender yet possessed a sense of strength. Her features resembled Cao Ying's by seventy percent; the corners of her phoenix eyes turned slightly upward, making her look bright and generous when she smiled, but when she wasn't smiling, she possessed a sharp, imposing aura that commanded respect without anger. She was the one among the six sisters who most embodied the spirit of "I am in charge when the Xiao Xiao is away."

She walked up to Xiao Xiao, first performing a proper bow and calling out "Xiao Xiao," only to be immediately pulled into Xiao Xiao's embrace and have her hair ruffled.

Hun Muxian was the second to step forward. She wore a moon-white long dress covered by a light cyan gauze robe; her black hair was loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, with a few stray strands falling by her ears. Her features were soft and exquisite, and her temperament was most like Gu Xun'er's—elegant and dignified. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice, but the determination in her eyes was identical to her mother's.

She bowed slightly, called out "Xiao Xiao," and smiled faintly. She took a small sachet from her sleeve and handed it to Xiao Xiao, saying it was a calming incense she had concocted from spiritual herbs in her spare time.

Hun Muqing stood to the side with her arms crossed over her chest. Her features were practically a carbon copy of Cai Lin—a cold and beautiful oval face, long and sharp purple snake eyes, and full red lips pressed into a thin line. She wore a dark purple fitted long dress with tight cuffs and a short sword at her waist, exuding an aloofness that kept others at bay.

However, when she called out "Xiao Xiao," her voice was three parts softer than usual, and she reached out to straighten the collar that had been ruffled by Yao Yao earlier. Xiao Xiao laughed and pinched her cheek; she turned her head to dodge, but didn't move far, allowing Xiao Xiao to give her cheek a gentle squeeze.

Hun Muling poked her head out from behind Hun Muqing, her peach blossom eyes darting around. She wore a short dress of silver and red, with a thin silver chain wrapped around her waist that jingled as she walked. She was the most lively of the six sisters, inheriting Yao Yao's cunning and agility, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.

She leaned into Xiao Xiao's ear to whisper something, but after receiving a sharp glare from Yao Yao, she immediately retracted her neck and stuck out her tongue.

Hun Musheng walked quietly behind Hun Muling. She wore a simple, plain gray-white long dress with faint herbal patterns embroidered on the hem, and her white hair was loosely tied back with a black hairband. Her features were cold and indifferent, resembling Xiao Yi Xian by seventy percent, but the playful light that occasionally flashed in her clear eyes let people know she wasn't truly expressionless.

She spoke the least, simply pressing a small jade bottle into Xiao Xiao's hand and softly saying, "A newly concocted detox pill," before retreating to the side.

Hun Mulan was the last to enter. As soon as she came in, she ran straight to Xiao Xiao, forgetting even to bow, and grabbed onto Xiao Xiao's arm, refusing to let go. She was the youngest of the seven sisters, though her height was already nearly the same as her sisters. She wore a light cyan waist-length skirt, and tied at her waist was a unity knot personally woven by Yun Yun.

Her features were gentle and soft, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks—the kind of obedient appearance that made people want to protect her. But those who knew her well knew that this girl didn't hold back at all when swinging a spear on the Martial Arena, perfectly inheriting Yun Yun's outer gentleness and inner strength.

Xiao Xiao hugged her youngest sister, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the six sisters one by one, and she suddenly felt a bit dazed. When she left Imperial City for the Sword Domain, her sisters were still just half-grown little girls, and the youngest, Hun Mulan, had just learned how to hold a spear.

Now, standing before her were six young women capable of holding their own—each nearing the Upper Earth Sovereign level, and each having grown into a graceful beauty. Especially Hun Muying and Hun Muqing, who stood out the most among the sisters; one was as bright and generous as a blazing rose, the other as coldly beautiful and piercing as a glacier lotus. Who knew how many young talents would be captivated by them when they walked out.

"You've all grown up," she sighed with emotion, then grinned. "But no matter how grown up you are, you're still my sisters. Come, sit down, and have a few drinks with your sister. In the Sword Domain these past few years, facing Master's stiff face and a bunch of dullards who only know how to practice swordplay every day, I was bored to death."

Yao Yao added dryly from the side, "If your master, the Green-Shirt Sword Saint, heard that, he would probably come over from the Sword Domain himself to clean up the sect." Xiao Xiao winked at her, "Mother Yao Yao loves me the most, she definitely won't go tell on me."

The six sisters took their seats, and the main hall immediately became lively. Hun Muling chattered away, asking Xiao Xiao about her experiences in the Sword Domain; Hun Muqing silently picked food for her Xiao Xiao; Hun Mulan moved from her seat to sit right next to Xiao Xiao, clinging to her; and Hun Muxian spoke softly about the interesting things that had happened during the daughters' cultivation in Imperial City over the past year.

Hun Feng sat in the main seat, watching his wives and daughters filling the table, the wine glass in his hand held for a long time without taking a sip. He recalled many years ago—back then, there was no Imperial City, no Spirit Hall; he had led the disciples of the three clans to ascend from the Fighting Qi Continent to the Great Thousand World, and the Burning Heaven Mountain Range was just a desolate cluster of volcanoes.

When Xiao Xiao and Cai Lin were first brought to the Soul Realm, they were only five years old, standing timidly before him, not even daring to speak much. Now, many years later, that little girl with pigtails was a Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign, and her six younger sisters had all grown into beautiful young women, with cultivation levels that were far ahead of their peers. And the women by his side were not one fewer, not one older; they remained the same faces that had accompanied him through the most difficult years.

"Father, what are you thinking about?" Hun Muying walked over to him with a wine glass, the light in her phoenix eyes identical to Cao Ying's, but with an extra touch of sharpness unique to the younger generation.

"I was thinking about when you all will be able to catch up to your Xiao Xiao." Hun Feng pulled back his thoughts and took a sip from the cup she handed him.

Hun Muying pouted and looked back at Xiao Xiao, unconvinced. "Xiao Xiao is a freak, that doesn't count. Among our peers, the six of us have already left everyone else several streets behind." Hearing this from across the table, Xiao Xiao raised her chopsticks, making a gesture to throw them at her, but was stopped by Hun Muqing reaching out.

The night gradually deepened, and the magma erupting from the volcano crater dyed the sky above Imperial City a gentle dark red. The candlelight in the main hall remained bright, and the laughter penetrated the hall walls, drifting far into the night sky of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range.

Hun Qian stood under the corridor outside the hall, listening to the laughter coming from within, his mouth curling up unconsciously. This typically composed Grand Steward did not go in to disturb them; he simply waved his hand to signal the patrolling disciples not to approach the main hall tonight, then stood alone under the corridor, taking a rare moment to close his eyes and rest.

Inside the hall, Xiao Xiao talked about how she had used her father's Shitian Yanzi fire to burn away the Evil Race's demonic energy when she fought them alone in the Dragon Phoenix Mountain Range, making Hun Mulan's eyes shine as she listened; Hun Muxian asked softly how Sister Luo Li was doing in the Great Luo Territory, leading to several sisters chattering and discussing when Mu Chen and Luo Li might return to Imperial City;

Hun Muling secretly poured a cup of wine when Yao Yao wasn't paying attention, but was caught on the spot by Yao Yao, whose bone whip tapped lightly on the table, scaring her into hiding behind Hun Muqing; Cao Ying pulled Xue Wei to discuss the refining method of a certain medicinal herb, the two becoming so engrossed that they almost treated the dishes in front of them as alchemy furnaces; Yun Yun and Gu Xun'er sat side by side, one dignified and one gentle, occasionally exchanging smiles and whispering a few words, their gazes falling tenderly on that group of chattering daughters.

Hun Feng put down his wine glass, looking at the lights and voices in the hall, suddenly remembering the time in the Soul Realm on the Fighting Qi Continent. Back then, the Hun Clan was just one of the Ancient Eight Clans on the Fighting Qi Continent. At that time, he was just a young master of the Hun Clan who had just begun to show his talent, possessing ambition but no foundation.

Who could have imagined that years later, he would be able to sit in this Imperial City forged from volcanoes and magma, surrounded by six beloved wives, seven daughters, and hundreds of thousands of loyal disciples. He closed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on the corners of his mouth. Then he opened his eyes, picked up his wine glass, and raised it towards everyone at the table. No one noticed his action, except for Cai Lin, who looked at him across the candlelight, a trace of a very faint smile flashing in her purple snake eyes, as she also picked up her wine glass and clinked it with his from afar.

The candlelight swayed slightly in the night breeze, and the volcanic ash outside the hall drifted down slowly like fine gold dust. The war banners of Spirit Hall fluttered in the wind on the city walls, the lights of ten thousand homes in Imperial City lit up one after another, and the laughter in the main hall continued.