When Liu Lin withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness, the first thing he felt was something soft beneath his head, warm and springy to the touch.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Xu Jiujiu's face right beside his. She had fallen asleep after exhausting herself looking after him.
Looking at Xu Jiujiu's peaceful sleeping face, even Liu Lin could tell that his head was resting on her lap.
He carefully shifted his body, trying to move off Xu Jiujiu's lap.
Just as Liu Lin had moved a little, Xu Jiujiu's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The two of them found themselves staring straight into each other's eyes. Taking advantage of the moment, Liu Lin sat up.
"Liu Lin, you're finally awake. Do you know how long you were unconscious?" Xu Jiujiu said happily, looking at him.
As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu hugged Liu Lin, who had just sat up.
Seeing the delighted expression on Xu Jiujiu's face in his arms, Liu Lin patted her head and said apologetically, "Sorry, Jiujiu. I made you worry."
"Who was worried about you? I was just afraid you'd die and leave me with no way to explain things to my royal brother," Xu Jiujiu said haughtily when she heard him.
"Fine, fine. I was imagining things. I wonder whose lap I was just resting my head on. Jiujiu, do you know?" Liu Lin said with a teasing smile, looking at the haughty Xu Jiujiu in his arms.
Xu Jiujiu's face turned even redder when she heard him.
Seeing Xu Jiujiu lying in his arms, too embarrassed to speak, Liu Lin decided not to tease her anymore.
"Alright, I'll stop joking. How long was I asleep, Jiujiu?" Liu Lin's smile faded as he asked Xu Jiujiu, who was lying in his arms.
Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath to compose herself, then looked up at Liu Lin and said, "You've been unconscious for about half a day, ever since we left the Star Dou Forest."
"Do you know why we passed out?"
Xu Jiujiu's question prompted Liu Lin to shake his head.
Xu Jiujiu nodded. Even Elder Lin, a Titled Douluo, didn't know why it had happened, so she hadn't expected Liu Lin to know.
"Alright, you just woke up, so you must be hungry. They should have finished cooking by now. Let's go."
With that, Xu Jiujiu climbed out of Liu Lin's arms, stood up, and led him out of the carriage.
"Sure, I'm a little hungry too." Liu Lin nodded and went out with Xu Jiujiu.
As soon as Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu climbed down from the carriage, they saw Old Wang walking toward them.
"Young Master Liu, you're awake."
Old Wang saw Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu and bowed to them.
"Mm."
"Perfect timing. I was just about to ask Miss Xu to come eat. You must be hungry now that you're awake. I'll take you to get something to eat."
"Alright, thank you, Uncle Wang," Liu Lin said gratefully, nodding.
"It's nothing. There's no need to thank me." Old Wang led the two of them to the campfire.
When Sun Heng saw Old Wang bringing Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin over, he handed them the rabbit he had just roasted.
"Master Liu, Miss Xu, have a taste. This roast rabbit is a real specialty."
After thanking him, the two accepted the roasted rabbit Sun Heng had handed them and slowly began to eat.
"No need to thank me. It's just a shame I didn't bring all the seasonings. Otherwise, I could've made spicy rabbit head," Sun Heng said with some regret.
Up in a tree nearby, Elder Lin saw that Liu Lin had woken up and continued recovering from his injuries.
At dawn the next morning, while the sky was still dim, the convoy set off toward the Star Luo Empire.
At dawn about two days later, the convoy arrived in Star Luo City.
After Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu said goodbye to Old Wang and the others, the two of them followed Elder Lin back to the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
Once they entered the palace, Elder Lin told them to return to their quarters and rest. After all, they hadn't gotten much rest during their time in the Star Luo Empire.
Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu nodded and walked side by side toward their residence.
After the two had left, Elder Lin set off for Xu Jiawei's quarters to report what had happened in the Star Dou Forest.
At dusk, Liu Lin was reading in a pavilion when a knock suddenly sounded at the door. Seeing this, Xiao Xue, who was standing behind him, hurried over and opened it.
When Xiao Xue saw who was outside, she knelt and bowed.
"Your servant, Xiao Xue, greets Your Majesty."
"Rise. I've come to see Liu Lin. Where is he?" Xu Jiawei waved a hand, signaling for her to get up.
"Yes. I'll take you to him." With that, she led Xu Jiawei to the pavilion where Liu Lin was.
Seeing Xiao Xue bring Xu Jiawei over, Liu Lin set down his book, stood up, and bowed to Xu Jiawei.
"Your Majesty."
"Dispense with the formalities. Didn't I tell you that you're family now? You don't need to bow to me." Xu Jiawei walked over to Liu Lin and helped him to his feet.
"Then thank you, Your Majesty. May I ask what brings you here?"
"Mm. Elder Lin told me what happened in the Star Dou Forest. He said you entered a state of cultivation. How are you feeling now? Did you suffer any lasting effects?" Xu Jiawei asked with concern.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm perfectly fine. That deep cultivation session raised my Soul Power to level thirteen."
"That's good. That's good." Hearing Liu Lin's words, Xu Jiawei breathed a sigh of relief.
After hearing Elder Lin's account, he had gone to visit his younger sister as soon as court ended, then hurried over to Liu Lin to ask about his injuries.
"Since you're alright, get some rest. I still have some affairs to attend to." Seeing that Liu Lin was fine, Xu Jiawei prepared to return to his chambers to handle state matters.
"Take care, Your Majesty."
With that, Liu Lin and Xiao Xue saw Xu Jiawei off.
Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside a cultivation room, a black-haired youth sat cross-legged on the ground. He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes.
"I finally broke through to level twenty-seven."
The youth stood up and opened the cultivation room door. A blonde girl in a golden formal gown stood outside.
When she saw the door open, the girl walked over and said, "You're already at level twenty-seven? You really are a freak, Liu Lin."
"Jiujiu, if people hear you say that, they'll get the wrong idea. I'm an upstanding gentleman," Liu Lin said, trying to correct Xu Jiujiu.
"Aren't you? You're always doing things to me... Mmph..." Xu Jiujiu rolled her eyes when she heard him and started complaining about him, but halfway through, Liu Lin covered her mouth.
"Alright, enough of that. What did you come to see me about?" Liu Lin hurriedly changed the subject, afraid Xu Jiujiu would bring up more of those things.