Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

"Apologize and resign from my position as teacher."

"Is that all?" The woman frowned slightly, an expression she had never shown before. She seemed to think that this was too simplistic. "Is that enough?"

"Enough? How could it possibly be enough?" The man sighed and shook his head.

"How much is enough?" the woman pressed.

"Unless you can turn back time and change your mistakes, alas... nothing you do will make a difference." The leader of the Supreme Sword Sect looked at his junior sister, sighed deeply, and shook his head. "It's all too late, too late. Chu Xunfeng is already deeply trapped in the demon race. Can you bring him back?"

"I can give it a try." The woman nodded calmly, gripping her sword tightly.

"But can you persuade him to turn back and reconcile with Qiu Ning? Can you mend a broken mirror?" The man looked at his junior sister, stepped forward, and patted her shoulder forcefully. "Don't think about it. When Qiu Ning wakes up, you come with me to apologize to her."

"..." The woman seemed reluctant, but in the end she nodded. "Okay."

The sect leader of the Upper Sword Sect stared at his junior sister's face for a long time before suddenly asking, "Junior sister, how long have you been staying in the Heavenly Profound Realm?"

"More than five years."

"Have you reached the threshold of the life-and-death realm?"

"No."

"You should really reflect on your intentions..."

"Perhaps we've taken the wrong path, gone too far."

Chapter Sixty-Nine: New Year's Gifts - Cakes, Tea, and Wine

The Ning family mansion fell into complete silence. On New Year's Eve, only maids and servants were busy running around the house. The two elders in the family were full of worries, but could only sit in the hall, lost in thought.

He had a daughter who was seriously injured and was taken back to the sect.

The surrounding relatives also have their own families, some large and some small, so at least one family can be reunited.

The two elders of the Ke Ning family were over fifty years old, and the head of the family was over sixty. At this time, they had no children or grandchildren to serve them.

As the dishes were gradually being placed on the table, Ning's mother found them increasingly irritating, because... most of these dishes were invented by Chu Xunfeng.

"Madam, have we... done something wrong?"

Ning's mother took a deep breath. "The Chu family's jinx. We shouldn't have taken them in out of old feelings."

Father Ning clenched his fists tightly, but after a long while, he could only relax and stand up shakily. "So be it, so be it. No matter what, we still have to celebrate the New Year. Madam, please come to the table."

The two elders sat down at the large round table, each picking up their chopsticks, but never actually touched their food.

Outside the mansion, in the far distance, came the sound of firecrackers and pops, making the huge Ning Mansion seem even more desolate.

This year was truly the first time I've experienced such a mix of emotions.

---

Meanwhile, in the Wild Swamp Wetlands, the door to Chu Xunfeng's residence was gently knocked on.

The young man in blue opened the gate of the small house. Upon seeing the gaunt man standing at the door, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. "Luo Ze?"

"Hehe, Young Master Chu, it's New Year's Day today. I was thinking that you don't have many friends in the demon race, so I brought some things to visit you. Hopefully, they'll bring some life to your place."

As Luo Ze spoke, he waved the items in his hand at Chu Xunfeng: two food boxes, one large and one small, a small tea cake, and a small wine jar.

The items weren't anything valuable, and besides, regardless of whether Luo Ze came with any particular purpose, he at least did come and brought some gifts.

The methods used to win people's hearts are indeed quite effortless.

"Brother Luo, you're too kind. Please come in." Chu Xunfeng's perpetually expressionless face softened a little.

"Let's not go in. There are still a few places you need to visit, Brother Luo." Luo Ze was pleased to hear Chu Xunfeng's change in addressing him, but the necessary steps still had to be taken.

"Tomorrow is the first day of the new year. Think about what your brother Luo mentioned to you before. Tomorrow is the last chance." Luo Ze said, seeing that Chu Xunfeng's expression had not changed, he felt more confident. "If Brother Chu has thought it through, Brother Luo will take you to pay New Year's respects to a great figure of the demon race. You can work under Brother Luo in the future, and at least you won't have to be at the mercy of the dragon race."

“Okay, I’ll give Brother Luo an answer tomorrow.” Chu Xunfeng took the gift from Luo Ze and nodded vigorously.

"Hmm." Luo Ze nodded, about to turn and leave, but then paused. He turned back to look at Chu Xunfeng, who was dressed in blue. "By the way, Brother Chu, no matter where you are, a new year brings a new look. Treat yourself to some nice clothes. I've seen you wearing this outfit several times."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Luo." Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly, watching Luo Ze's figure gradually disappear from the doorway.

[The user wasn't being monitored, and Luo Ze has indeed left.]

Ha, that's a very meticulous way of doing things.

Chu Xunfeng returned to the stone table and put down the food box, the new tea, and the wine jar.

The door to the house was gently opened, and the Dragon Girl, dressed in a bright red dress, looked at Chu Xunfeng, who was standing by the stone table with a somewhat bewildered expression, and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, you didn't get bewitched by those people from Dang Kang because of this little thing, did you?"

Chu Xunfeng turned his head. Ao Hanli's previous words were a joke, but the worry in her expression didn't seem fake.

"How could that be?" Chu Xunfeng smiled, looked at the four items on the table, and gently shook his head. "I just remembered some things."

"What is it?" Ao Hanli walked to the opposite side of the young man, sat down, crossed her legs, and looked at Chu Xunfeng with a deep gaze.

“When I was young, people would come to my door with gifts during festivals: a box of pastries for the younger generation, a box of new tea for the peers, and a jar of old wine for the elders.” Chu Xunfeng chuckled. “That’s what my father taught me.”

"You...miss home?" Ao Hanli watched as Chu Xunfeng got up and busied himself opening the food box and unsealing the wine jar.

Chu Xunfeng paused for a moment, then turned to look at Ao Hanli. Seeing the Dragon Girl's inexplicable expression, he looked away. "I want to, but I don't want to."

"Fine, don't say if you don't want to." The Dragon Girl scoffed and reached out her hand towards Chu Xunfeng.

The young man turned and glanced at the dragon girl, his expression enigmatic. "What do you want to do?"

Ao Hanli gritted her teeth and glared at Chu Xunfeng. "Wine! Wine! If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. This princess will drink with you tonight, okay?"

The human youth stared at the dragon girl, making the princess feel extremely uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Chu Xunfeng chuckled. "Go, find two cups."

Ao Hanli snorted, stood up, and went into the side room. Soon after, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard from inside.

Impulsive and careless.

Chu Xunfeng placed the food from the food box on the table, but Ao Hanli's question was still lingering in his mind.

Does he miss home?

He didn't think much about the Chu family in Liucheng, Bianzhou, after all, he was a transmigrator, and that family had only existed in his memory for six years.

But I don't really think about my home from my past life anymore. After all, twenty years have passed in this life, and my home from back then has become a dusty fragment of my memory.

He was merely feeling a pang of sadness at this moment, in this situation. After all, Chu Xunfeng had lived two lives, both of which were spent alone. During times of family reunion, he would always feel a little sadness, but not much, just a tiny bit.

What's there to think about?

The Ning family... at least the Chu family was scattered, and he regarded the Ning family that adopted him as his new home. After all, he had his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and his wife. He was also used to that place.

However, as it turned out, the Ning residence was not his home either.

He longed for home, but not any particular home, since none of them were home. Perhaps... he wanted a home of his own.

"If you truly leap over the Dragon Gate and receive the true dragon's inheritance, the Mother Queen will personally appear and take you as her adopted son."

Two bronze vessels were placed on the stone table by a pair of delicate hands. Ao Hanli then picked up a wine jar and filled the two bronze vessels with wine.

The Dragon Girl sat down opposite Chu Xunfeng. Her words were merely a coincidence. At least Chu Xunfeng didn't think Ao Hanli could guess what he was thinking. Therefore, the Dragon Girl's words did not touch Chu Xunfeng's heart.

He frowned upon hearing Ao Hanli's words. "Show yourself?"

He was puzzled by the differences between what Ao Hanli said and what he had seen.

“What you saw was only a part of Mother’s will.” Ao Hanli looked at Chu Xunfeng. “Mother is very strong, many times stronger than Dang Kang. What you saw was at most an illusion.”

Chu Xunfeng pondered for a moment, looked at Ao Hanli, and suddenly spoke, "Are you really afraid I'll run away with Dang Kang's people?"

Otherwise, what was the purpose of Little Dragon Girl suddenly brandishing her fist?

Ao Hanli froze on the spot, staring at Chu Xunfeng in disbelief.

Her surprise was not because Chu Xunfeng had misunderstood her meaning; on the contrary, she was surprised that Chu Xunfeng had actually guessed the hidden thoughts behind her words.

"Don't get involved in these scheming things anymore, it's not for you." Chu Xunfeng looked at Ao Hanli and gently shook his head. "Let's just drink, that suits you."

"Who do you think you are!" Ao Hanli pouted in dissatisfaction. Seeing Chu Xunfeng pick up his cup, she tilted her head back and raised her cup with a hint of resentment.

Just then, she missed Chu Xunfeng's gentle smile as he raised his glass.

Chapter Seventy, The Derivation of the Demon Race

The following day, according to the human calendar, was the first day of the new year, but the demon race could not feel this atmosphere.

Chu Xunfeng got up early this morning, took a bath and changed his clothes, and sat quietly on the stone bench in the small building, waiting for Luo Ze to come to his door.

After performing for more than half a month, Luo Ze felt he could wrap things up, and Chu Xunfeng also felt that the matter should be moved to the next step. Once the New Year was over, the cold winter would only have a tail end left. With the transition from winter to spring, the Dragon Gate Phenomenon would surface in the South China Sea in at most a month.

According to the current chronology of the demon race, the day the Dragon Gate Phenomenon was completed would also be considered the new year for the demon race.

As Chu Xunfeng was mentally calculating the plan he and Ao Ning had discussed, he heard a knock on the door of Xiaozhu Courtyard.

Chu Xunfeng stepped forward and spoke, and the gaunt man standing at the door said, "Young Master Chu, Happy New Year."

Luo Ze clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chu Xunfeng, chuckling as he looked at Chu Xunfeng, who seemed completely transformed. "Young Master Chu, are you planning to go out?"

Chu Xunfeng also raised his hand in return, "Brother Luo, I've been waiting for you."

Luo Ze's smile widened even further. "Brother Chu, have you made up your mind?"