80: Chapter 80: The Fourth Daughter Constable

The morning light of the East Courtyard spilled onto the stone table through the gaps in the leaves of the osmanthus trees, dappled light and shadows swaying gently with the breeze. Hun Muxiao lay by the stone table, her little hands propping up her cheeks. A new drawing paper was spread out before her, and a charcoal pencil twirled between her fingertips, but she had yet to make a mark. She was thinking of that White-haired Little Girl—usually, at this time, she would have come running over to snatch her charcoal pencil. If she couldn't snatch it, she would bite, and after biting, she would curl up into a ball and sulk, refusing to smile again until Hun Muxiao coaxed her for a long time.

"Mu Xiao, what are you daydreaming about?" Yao Yao walked over from under the veranda and bent down to look at the blank drawing paper. Hun Muxiao looked up, a faint trace of disappointment in her big eyes: "Aunt Yaoyao, when is Dan Chen coming back? I haven't taught her how to draw a phoenix yet." Yao Yao reached out and rubbed her head, not answering. She didn't know how to explain to a six-year-old girl that the White-haired Little Girl wasn't a guest, but a Grade 9 Profound Pill that had taken human form, and that she had been snatched back from Xiao Yan by her father and then returned. She thought for a moment, then simply picked up Hun Muxiao and placed her on her lap. She took the charcoal pencil and drew a crooked little bird on the paper, saying it was a phoenix, and that when Dan Chen returned, she could teach her to draw a better one. Hun Muxiao giggled at the phoenix that looked like a chicken, temporarily forgetting about her white-haired companion.

In the main hall, the atmosphere was much livelier than usual. After the four of them had achieved breakthroughs one after another last night, no one mentioned cultivation this morning; they simply gathered around the round table for a rare reunion breakfast. Yao Yao complained incoherently while stuffing honey cakes into her mouth, saying she was so tired last night that her waist was about to break. Medusa held her teacup and said indifferently: "You were clearly eavesdropping under the veranda all night, where would your waist break?" Exposed, Yao Yao was angry and embarrassed, stuffing the remaining half of the honey cake into Medusa's mouth. Xiao Yi Xian sat nearby, drinking porridge quietly, a faint smile on her lips, though her ears were slightly red. Gu Xun'er sat by the window, unconsciously twirling her teacup, occasionally glancing at Hun Feng opposite her, then quickly looking away. Her movements were still dignified, but the coldness between her brows had mostly melted, replaced by a unique gentleness characteristic of someone who had just experienced intimacy for the first time.

"Xun'er, did you sleep well last night?" Yao Yao deliberately leaned close to her ear and asked in a low voice. The teacup in Gu Xun'er's hand swayed slightly, and a few drops of tea splashed onto the back of her hand. She calmly wiped it away with her sleeve, her tone calm and restrained: "It was fine. Why are you asking this, Yao Yao?" Yao Yao giggled and retreated to Medusa's side.

Hun Feng finished the last mouthful of porridge, his gaze slowly sweeping over the four of them. Last night's union hadn't just helped them break through; it had also helped him consolidate the balance of the seven Heavenly Flames after the initial success of his Burning Technique. Now, Medusa had stepped into the six-star level, Gu Xun'er was at the late five-star stage, Xiao Yi Xian was at four-star, and Yao Yao was at seven-star. Each of the four wives had taken a big step forward, and the overall strength of the East Courtyard had risen to a new level.

"For the next period, you will each consolidate your cultivation." Hun Feng picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, his tone casual yet clear: "Cai Lin has just broken through to six-star, so her realm needs to be stabilized; the affairs of the Snake-People Tribe can be temporarily handed over to the elders. Xun'er's Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame has initially awakened and needs time to be familiarized and controlled; I will have Hun Qian add a restriction in the cultivation room that can withstand the high temperature of the golden flame. Xiao Yi Xian's four-star foundation is not yet solid enough; later, I will have Hun Qian send over a batch of Soul Origin Pills, and combined with the tempering of the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame, we will thoroughly stabilize your meridians first. Yao Yao, continue to accumulate the residual waves of the Heavenly Flames; when my Burning Technique advances further, you will be next. Additionally, the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame sent by Yan Jin are still sealed in the heaven swallowing mirror. Once my condition has mostly recovered, the next step will be to refine these two Heavenly Flames together."

After breakfast, Hun Qian delivered an intelligence report from the Sky Mansion Alliance. Hun Feng took the jade slip and glanced at it, his brows slightly furrowed. The report was not detailed, containing only a few lines—during his seclusion at Starfall Pavilion, Xiao Yan had developed some kind of resonance with a nine-colored bell brought back from the Soul Realm. The secret agents could not get close to Xiao Yan's cultivation room, only knowing that a faint trace of residual Heavenly Flame energy remained on the bell, which had inadvertently dissipated into the air of the Soul Realm when Hun Feng's Burning Technique first succeeded. Xiao Yan seemed to have glimpsed something from that residual Heavenly Flame energy, and in recent days, he had begun frequently entering and leaving the back mountain of Starfall Pavilion, seemingly preparing to charge towards the six-star level.

"What is it?" Medusa noticed that his expression was off.

"Xiao Yan has sensed the residual Heavenly Flame energy from when the Burning Technique first succeeded at Starfall Pavilion." Hun Feng placed the jade slip on the table. "That nine-colored bell was brought back to Starfall Pavilion by Dan Chen. Although the residual Heavenly Flame aura on it is extremely weak, Xiao Yan possesses the sensitivity to detect Heavenly Flames through the Burning Technique; he has likely already realized that I have refined new Heavenly Flames and also knows that I am cultivating the Burning Technique. He is now frequently entering and leaving the back mountain of Starfall Pavilion, likely preparing to charge towards the six-star level. Although he cannot threaten us in the short term, if he manages to break through to six-star, given his methods and opportunities, no one can guarantee what he will do next."

Yao Yao put down the preserved fruit in her hand, a cold light flashing in her peach blossom eyes: "Do you want me to take people to Starfall Pavilion first—"

"No need." Hun Feng raised his hand to stop her. "Since he dares to go into seclusion to charge towards the six-star level, he must be surrounded by layers of protection from Yao Chen and the remnants of the Sky Mansion Alliance. Moreover, we have just formed an alliance with the Gu Clan, and all forces are watching the every move of the Hun Clan; acting rashly would only give others an excuse." He picked up the jade slip again and read it twice, pondering for a moment. "Currently, on the continent, apart from the Sky Mansion Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, the other clans have basically sided with the Hun Clan. The Gu Clan has officially allied with the Hun Clan, the Yan Clan has voluntarily handed over the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame, and Yan Jin himself even visited the Soul Realm in person to show sincerity; the Lei Clan remains neutral, and at the very least, will not stand on Xiao Yan's side; the Void Ancient Dragon, although not having joined, has stated that it will not participate in the struggles of the human race. The Sky Mansion Alliance suffered heavy losses after the withdrawal of the Gu Clan and the destruction of the Medicine Clan; even if Xiao Yan breaks through to six-star, he cannot change the disparity in strength between the two sides in the short term. As for the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, Feng Tianyu says he never takes sides, but Feng Qing'er privately gave Yao Yao a pair of seven-colored phoenix feathers—this shows that the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is also quietly leaning towards us. Our advantage is already large enough; we don't need to take risks and attack proactively. Steady and solid is the best strategy."

Medusa listened, pondered for a moment, and put down her teacup: "When do you plan to refine the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame?"

"Wait until the bruising in my meridians heals a bit more." Hun Feng placed the jade slip on the table and tapped his fingers gently on the armrest. "Once two new Heavenly Flames enter the body simultaneously, the balance of the initial success of the Burning Technique will be broken again, and it will be another hard battle. However, having learned from the last lesson, I already know how to prepare defenses in advance—before refining, I will have Yao Ling nourish my constitution with her soul to reinforce the outer wall of my dantian, and then have Xun'er set up a resonance barrier on the periphery with the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame. With double insurance, there shouldn't be any accidents again. Once I completely refine these two Heavenly Flames, my cultivation can at least be pushed from the mid-seven-star stage to the peak of seven-star. Then, I will turn back to integrate the remaining forces—as for the Sky Mansion Alliance, it will be time to close the net when the time comes."

Gu Xun'er put down her teacup, deliberating her words for a moment before speaking, her voice cold and clear but carrying a hint of consideration after becoming a wife: "How do you intend to handle Xiao Yan? After he sensed the residual waves of your Heavenly Flame this time, given his personality, he will not let this rest. Although the Sky Mansion Alliance has suffered heavy losses, a centipede dies but never falls, and Yao Chen is still there; the Flower Sect and Pill Tower are also still there." Hun Feng turned to look at her and found that when she mentioned Xiao Yan, her expression no longer had the dodging or guilt of the past, only calm analysis.

"It is his business if he won't let it rest; we will proceed at our own pace. After refining the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame, I will launch the final strike against the Sky Mansion Alliance—at that time, with the Gu Clan, Yan Clan, and Snake-People Tribe exerting pressure simultaneously, even if Xiao Yan had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't be able to withstand it. Before that, you just need to focus on consolidating your cultivation. You just broke through to the late five-star stage last night, and your meridians need time to adapt."

Gu Xun'er lowered her eyelashes and did not ask further. She certainly knew that last night was an experience she had never had before—not just a physical transformation, but a thorough fusion at the bloodline level. Two God-Grade Bloodlines produced a strong resonance under the catalysis of the Heavenly Flames, awakening her Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame from its slumber. At the same time, she could sense the subtle residual warmth left in her meridians by the seven Heavenly Flames within Hun Feng's body. That residual warmth was slowly changing the strength of her meridians and the resilience of her soul, making her feel for the first time that following this man was not a compromise, but a path that could truly lead to higher heights.

Yao Yao walked over from the kitchen holding a plate of freshly made snacks. Before she reached the stone table, her voice floated over: "Husband, you cannot be biased; the next one must be me. I have been stuck at the early seven-star stage for a long time; if you don't give me some Heavenly Flame origin to temper with, I will be too embarrassed to call myself a Seven-Star Dou Sheng." Hun Muxiao followed behind her, holding a freshly baked sticky rice ball in her hand, looking up at Yao Yao and saying: "Aunt Yaoyao, you are already very powerful; last time you beat up Grandpa Hun Qian's guard team." Yao Yao placed the plate on the stone table and reached out to tap Hun Muxiao on the tip of her nose: "That's different. Beating guards is beating guards; beating husband is the real skill."

Medusa watched them fussing, holding her teacup without interrupting, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly. After breaking through to six-star last night, she could clearly feel that the bloodline of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python had been purified by another layer—that ancestor of the Sky Swallowing Python, which had once devoured countless ancient magical beasts, seemed to emit a very faint resonance within her body, as if responding to the bloodline fusion between her and Hun Feng.

Gu Xun'er picked up her teacup and took a sip, her gaze shifting from Hun Feng to the leaves of the osmanthus tree outside the window, which she had accidentally scorched last night—that was a wisp of residual fire that had escaped uncontrollably when the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame awakened, directly roasting half a branch into charcoal. She put down her teacup, stood up, and walked to Hun Feng. Her tone was no longer the reserved and restrained one that was always tense, but had a hint of casualness that only belonged to one of their own: "After my Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame awakened last night, I felt that a small part of the origin in my dantian was not fully activated. The resonance between the Purification Lotus Demon Flame of your Burning Technique and the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame is very strong. If we have more time, we should be able to completely awaken that dormant origin of mine."

"Wait until your realm is more stable, and I will accompany you to try it alone. After all, there is only a one-rank difference between the Purification Lotus Demon Flame and the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame; the resonance between them is indeed stronger than that of ordinary Heavenly Flames. There wasn't enough time last night, but next time we can specifically perform a tempering session targeting this resonance."

Gu Xun'er nodded and sat back in her original position. When she picked up the teacup, she regained the dignity typical of a young lady of the Gu Clan, but her gesture of holding the tea was much more relaxed than before; she no longer pinched the rim of the cup cautiously with her fingertips, but naturally grasped the entire body of the cup.

After breakfast, the four of them returned to their rooms to adjust their breathing and consolidate. Medusa sat cross-legged on the soft couch, nine-colored light halos slowly circulating around her body, and with each breath, a phantom of the Sky Swallowing Python faintly emerged behind her—this was an instinctive reaction after bloodline purification; Yao Yao could not stay idle and took the initiative to help Hun Qian organize the intelligence jade slips, her peach blossom eyes sweeping rapidly through the dense secret reports, occasionally picking up one with clues about Heavenly Flames and placing it aside; Gu Xun'er was in the cultivation room, the brilliant golden flame of the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame jumping repeatedly in her palm, and she tried to control the temperature of the flame to an extremely low range, letting it flow slowly at her fingertips without burning her skin—the violent nature of the initial awakening last night had been tamed by her over the course of the morning; Xiao Yi Xian sat on the stone bench by the flower garden, looking down at the gray poisonous flame jumping in her palm—this flame was more solid than yesterday, and the edges shimmered with a faint seven-colored halo, which was the mark left by Hun Feng after tempering her with Heavenly Flame origin. She gently clenched her fist, feeling the unprecedented power flowing steadily through her meridians, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Hun Feng stood under the veranda, looking at the plate of honey cakes on the stone table, which had only half a piece left after Yao Yao had snatched it, and then glanced at the silhouette of Gu Xun'er quietly cultivating inside the window. The shameless little notebook in his heart turned a new page. He picked up his teacup and gulped down a large mouthful of cold tea, suppressing the arc at the corner of his mouth that he couldn't hold back. Xiao Yan, oh Xiao Yan, Xun'er has been with you for so many years, and you didn't even touch her. Whether you are a true gentleman or truly useless, this great gift, this young master will graciously accept.

When Yao Yao returned from the side hall, she saw him daydreaming alone under the veranda. She leaned close to his ear and asked in a low voice what bad things he was thinking about again. Hun Feng reached out and pulled her into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead, his tone righteous and confident: "Thinking about what to eat tonight."

At nightfall, the four of them returned to their rooms.

Medusa leaned against the head of the bed, flipping through a scroll of tribal affairs sent by the Snake-People Tribe; Yao Yao lay at the end of the bed, carving imprints onto the newly replaced skulls on her bone whip; Xiao Yi Xian was in the room next door, using the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame to temper a newly refined poison pill. Gu Xun'er sat alone by the window, the moonlight falling on her pale cyan long dress, making her elegant, lotus-like face appear even softer. In her hand, she held an extremely thin jade slip, which contained a family letter sent by Gu Yuan this afternoon through the Gu Clan's secret agents—no mention of the Emperor's Road, no mention of Heavenly Flames, only a few lines of text asking if she was eating well and sleeping well recently, and if she was getting used to living in the Soul Realm. Gu Yuan rarely wrote such family letters; the last time he wrote one was when she had just gone to the Jia Ma Empire. She knew that her father was telling her in his own way—the Gu Clan supported her choice, and he also supported her choice. She gently placed the jade slip on the head of the bed and raised her eyes to look through the half-hidden window lattice at the gray night sky outside the courtyard. In the past, looking at this night sky always felt oppressive, but looking at it again tonight, she felt that this gray vault of heaven was more reassuring than ever.

Starfall Pavilion, back mountain bamboo forest.

Xiao Yan sat alone by the edge of the cliff, holding the nine-colored bell in his hand. The night wind passed through the bamboo forest, blowing the bell and making it jingle. He held the bell up to the moonlight, staring at the tiny soul crystal in the heart of the bell and examining it repeatedly—deep inside the soul crystal was sealed a faint wisp of seven-colored residual Heavenly Flame energy, which was brought back by Dan Chen from the Soul Realm, placed into her palm by Hun Muxiao before she left. Dan Chen would take the bell out to look at it several times every day, and sometimes she would ask him if that little girl with braids would forget her. Xiao Yan would always say no, but he knew clearly in his heart—from the moment he brought Dan Chen back, he knew that there was another debt between him and Hun Feng. It was not hatred, but indebtedness.

He held the bell in his palm and slowly stood up, turning to walk towards the cultivation room. Yao Chen stood at the edge of the bamboo forest watching him, his aged voice somewhat drifting in the night wind: "Xiao Yanzi, where are you going?"

"Seclusion." Xiao Yan's footsteps did not stop, the xuan heavy ruler dragging a long shadow under the moonlight. Dan Chen ran out of the room, lying at the doorway watching his receding back, holding the nine-colored bell in her arms, her purple eyes filled with worry.

"Teacher, help me guard." Xiao Yan's voice came from the depths of the cultivation room, steady and resolute. Yao Chen was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. He knew that every time his disciple spoke in this tone, it meant that he was prepared to risk his life. The last time was on the eve of the Yao Clan Ceremony, and the time before that was on Dragon Island. The night wind poured back into the bamboo forest, blowing the bamboo leaves to rustle, and the moonlight fell on Dan Chen's nine-colored bell; deep in the heart of the bell, that faint wisp of seven-colored residual Heavenly Flame energy was still flowing quietly, as if responding to some distant call.