Father and daughter at odds

Black Knife Daoist gripped his dagger tightly, watching his surroundings with unwavering concentration.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Ten minutes passed, and the scene before him remained exactly the same.

The courtyard, the house, the mulberry tree...

Wait, something seemed wrong with the mulberry tree.

"Jili gulu, kami bula kaka..."

Black Knife Daoist approached the Great Mulberry Tree again and recited another strange incantation, completely different from the last. Then he raised his dagger and lightly cut his finger.

He smeared and traced patterns on the Great Mulberry Tree's trunk with his bloodied finger.

"No, no, what the hell is going on? Why has it turned out like this?"

Black Knife Daoist could not believe what he was seeing. The Great Mulberry Tree's complete lack of reaction drove him to the brink of despair. His organization had spent over twenty years cultivating this thing.

Without it, how was he supposed to explain himself when he returned?

In a fit of fury, Black Knife Daoist raised his dagger and stabbed and slashed wildly. He brought the entire Great Mulberry Tree down and hacked it beyond recognition, but found no trace of what he wanted.

"Damn it, I'll burn you to the ground."

Black Knife Daoist pulled a lighter from his clothes and ran toward the house. Just then, the Great Mulberry Tree he had hacked beyond recognition suddenly vanished.

The large house vanished next, replaced by a lush green Great Mulberry Tree radiating vitality. The house, the courtyard, the dense forest, the sky—everything disappeared without a trace.

Only that one Great Mulberry Tree remained in the entire world.

"This... how is this possible?"

Black Knife Daoist had lost count of how many times he had been shocked. Now he did not even know whether he was still trapped in the Illusion Realm or somewhere else entirely.

"Come on! Come out if you've got the guts!"

"Get the fuck out here! Come kill me!"

"You piece of trash! You fucking idiot! Get out here and face me!"

"Please, I'm begging you, come out!"

"I'm home."

Looking at his familiar home in the distance, Zhang Hongxing felt an inexplicable surge of emotion. It had only been ten days or so, yet he felt as though he had just returned from the Immortal Cultivation World.

Even though he had called home every day over those ten-odd days, and even made video calls.

He had missed them just as much.

"Grandpa's back! Grandpa, Grandpa!"

It happened to be Saturday, so Lele had no school. He and Wenwen raced outside, one behind the other. Once they reached him, they flung themselves at him from either side.

Beaming, Zhang Hongxing gathered them both into his arms.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I missed you so much!"

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I missed you so much too!"

"All right, all right, I missed you too. Look what I brought you!"

Chuckling, Zhang Hongxing set them down and handed Lele a large toy truck and Wenwen a white plush rabbit.

"Thank you, Grandpa! Mwah!"

Wenwen planted a kiss on Zhang Hongxing's left cheek.

"Grandpa, I want to thank you too!"

Lele immediately followed with a kiss on Zhang Hongxing's right cheek.

Ever since he had seen his two little darlings, the smile had never left Zhang Hongxing's face.

"Come on, let's go home."

Holding a little hand in each of his own, Zhang Hongxing walked home with them. After entering the courtyard, he played with them for a while longer. Only when it was time to eat did he go inside to wash up.

By then, Zhang Jun and Yan Mei had also returned, one after the other.

"Dad, you're finally back. Have you checked on that man outside the courtyard?"

"I haven't had time yet."

"Dad, he hasn't moved all day. If something happens to him, we'll have a hard time explaining it."

"All right, go wash your hands. I'll check on him after dinner."

Zhang Hongxing spoke irritably and gave Zhang Jun a displeased glare. How could someone who was obviously no good matter more than their family reunion?

Under that glare, Zhang Jun immediately ducked his head and fled into the kitchen.

Soon afterward, the family gathered around the table.

Zhang Hongxing especially loved sitting around the table with his family for a meal. Only at times like this could he truly enjoy the feeling of being together.

The only one missing now was his younger son, Zhang Bing.

But he knew the day of his return was not far off. With his involvement, the Xia Kingdom's strength would surely grow rapidly. When that happened, Zhang Bing would have no reason to remain at the border year-round.

"Yingzi, what have you been doing lately?"

"Nothing much. Just helping Mom with the housework and practicing the Immortal Cultivation Method you taught me whenever I have time."

"Oh? Then which school are you planning to send Wenwen to?"

"I've already taken her for the entrance assessment. In a few days, she'll be able to join a class at Shimen Elementary School."

"Oh, well done, Wenwen!"

Smiling, Zhang Hongxing gave Wenwen a thumbs-up.

"Grandpa, I'm starting elementary school too! I'll even be in the same class as Wenwen!"

Hearing Zhang Hongxing praise Wenwen, Lele immediately piped up.

"Yes, yes, our Lele is wonderful too." Zhang Hongxing's smile blossomed. "As a reward, how about I take you both to the Amusement Park tomorrow?"

"Yay! Grandpa's the best!"

Wenwen and Lele cheered together.

"Dad, don't spoil them so much. We're eating right now, and you're..."

Zhang Jun was only halfway through his sentence when a glare from Zhang Hongxing silenced him. Knowing he could do nothing about his father, he could only lower his head and eat, feeling wronged.

Seeing this, Yan Mei hurriedly placed a large chicken drumstick in his bowl.

"My wife's still the one who treats me best."

"What are you talking about? Can't even a drumstick keep your mouth shut?"

Yan Mei scolded him softly, her face reddening, then cast what she tried to make a casual glance at Zhang Ying. Whatever the circumstances, Zhang Ying was still a woman who had just lost her husband.

Even if that husband had not been a good man.

Showing off their affection under these circumstances was certainly inappropriate.

"Big brother, you should count your blessings. You're truly lucky to have married a woman like her."

Zhang Ying spoke with a smile, not a trace of sorrow visible on her face.

"As if you need to tell me."

Zhang Jun sounded smug again, looking utterly carefree.

The family hardly stopped smiling throughout the meal, and Beibei and Wenwen even finished a large bowl of rice each, a rare occurrence.

After dinner, Zhang Hongxing and Zhang Ying went into the courtyard.

"Yingzi, I was responsible for what happened to Qin Dagang."

"Dad, how could you do that?"

Zhang Ying looked at her father through tear-filled eyes. When she had received the news of Qin Dagang's death, the possibility had crossed her mind, but she had quickly dismissed it.

She had picked up her phone at least ten times, only to put it down again in the end.

She did not know what she was thinking herself.

On one side was her father, and on the other was her husband. Although her husband was unreliable and had even beaten and kicked her many times, killing him had never crossed her mind.

"If I hadn't done it, was I supposed to wait for him to keep beating you and Wenwen?"

"But you couldn't just kill him! I could have divorced him, or at worst, had him sent to prison. Now that you've killed him, what will you do if someone finds out? What will our whole family do?"

"Don't worry. No one can discover what I've done."

"Does no one finding out mean you didn't kill him?"

Zhang Ying suddenly shouted. This father who had suddenly appeared in her life frightened her a little.