Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Ghost King Sect, Main Hall.

The atmosphere was somewhat... heavy, not so much a grim atmosphere, but a strange silence that mixed helplessness, headache, suppressed laughter, and a hint of indulgence.

Wan Ren sat upright, one hand stroking his chin, which was noticeably thinner than a month ago and even had a small patch covered with a plaster. His expression was relatively calm, except for a slight twitch at the corner of his eye.

Xiao Chi sat next to him, holding a round fan that was obviously newly made and decorated with some kind of gorgeous bird feathers (upon closer inspection, the luster and color of the feathers looked somewhat familiar...). She tried to purse her lips, but the smile in her eyes was almost overflowing.

You Ji was still dressed in black, her face covered by a black veil. She stood in the shadows, her aura three times colder than usual. Qinglong stood below her, trying his best to keep a straight face, but his twitching lips betrayed him.

In the center of the main hall, Jiang Liu and Jiang Nian stood side by side, heads bowed, their toes unconsciously rubbing against the smooth black jade floor. Both of them were a little dusty; Jiang Liu's silver hair tie was askew, and Jiang Nian had a small tear in her sleeve, but they were both in high spirits, their eyes darting around as they secretly exchanged glances.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt You, Uncle Qinglong," Jiang Liu spoke first, his voice clear and full of sincerity.

"We truly know we were wrong. We were just curious about the 'Thousand Transformations' array's core and wanted to study it, but we didn't expect it to be so dilapidated from years of neglect that it exploded the moment we touched it. Next time, we'll definitely consult Mr. Ghost first!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Nian nodded hurriedly, looking "still scared." "The commotion was a bit loud, it even alerted the three elders who were in seclusion on the back mountain... But we helped clean up! Really! It's just that when we used the cleansing spell, we accidentally knocked a few tiles off the roof of the alchemy room..."

Wan Renwang's hand, which was stroking his beard (avoiding the plaster), paused. Xiao Chi covered his mouth with his fan, his shoulders trembling slightly. The air around You Ji seemed to have cooled down a few degrees. Qinglong finally couldn't help but cough and turn his head away.

Just then, Biyao's clear, cheerful voice came from outside the hall: "Father! Mother! We've come to see you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, three figures—green, blue, and crimson—landed in the hall. Biyao immediately spotted her two sons standing in the middle, their faces covered in soot but their eyes shining. She then glanced at the varied expressions on the faces of everyone in the hall and instantly understood most of what was going on. The smile on her lips widened.

"Yao'er, Xiao Chuan, Miss Xiao Bai, you've arrived." Wan Renwang cleared his throat, trying to restore his sect leader's dignity.

"Father, Mother, Aunt You, Brother Qinglong." Jiang Xiaochuan bowed respectfully, his gaze shifting between his two sons, feeling a mix of amusement and a headache.

Xiao Bai naturally walked over to Xiao Chi and sat down next to her. She took the fan from Xiao Chi's hand and looked at it, raising an eyebrow: "Oh, these feathers... the color is nice, but the spiritual energy fluctuations are a bit familiar, a bit like..." She glanced at Qinglong, who immediately looked up at the sky.

"Sister!" Xiao Chi grabbed Xiao Bai's hand, her face beaming with the joy of seeing a loved one, and whispered quickly, "You have no idea, these two rascals..."

She lowered her voice and began to tell Xiaobai about her grandchildren's "great achievements" over the past month, from plucking beards to feeding cranes, from blowing up magic formations to removing roof tiles. Her tone was full of laughter and few complaints.

While the two sisters were whispering to each other, Biyao had already walked up to her two sons, crossed her arms, and looked them up and down.

"Fine, Jiang Liu, Jiang Nian," Bi Yao said, her voice not loud, but carrying a strange, intimidating power that instantly made the two boys tense up. "You've grown bold, haven't you? Hmm? You think the Ghost King Sect is the back mountain of Qiyun Peak? You can do whatever you want with it?"

"Biyao Niang..." Jiang Liu shrank back.

"We didn't..." Jiang Nian tried to explain.

"Shut up." Biyao interrupted them, her gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the dust and tattered clothes on their bodies. "As for your cultivation progress, I asked the teaching elder, so-so. But your ability to cause trouble and wreak havoc has certainly improved." She took a step forward, reached out, and with lightning speed, grabbed one of their ears, one on each side.

"Ouch! Mom! Be gentle!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Biyao, I was wrong!"

"Wrong? What did you do wrong?" Biyao tightened her grip, twisting their ears and lifting them up onto their tiptoes. "Was it wrong to tamper with the sect's important formations, or wrong to disturb the elders' meditation, or wrong to...?"

Her gaze swept over Wanrenwang's chin, which was covered in plasters, and Qinglong's somewhat unnatural posture. "...Isn't this way of 'respecting' elders a bit too 'unique'?"

With each word she spoke, she increased the pressure on her hand and her tone became increasingly sharp.

On ordinary days at Qiyun Peak, Biyao was usually spoiled and lively, occasionally throwing a tantrum. But now, facing her son who had really caused trouble, the aura she exuded made Jiang Liu and Jiang Nian, these two fearless little devils, feel a bit scared. They grimaced in pain and begged for mercy.

"Mother, we'll never do it again! Really!"

"Let go, Biyao! Your ears are going to fall off!"

Jiang Xiaochuan stood aside, watching his wife "discipline" their son. Her manner and methods... He silently and imperceptibly moved half a step to the side, not daring to speak, but he felt inexplicably scared. So this is how... authoritative Yao'er can be when she's serious.

Xiao Bai watched with great interest, picked up the tea beside Xiao Chi, took a sip, and chuckled at Xiao Chi, "See? Now that's more like a mother."

Xiao Chi smiled, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

Biyao pinched their ears and scolded them a few more times. Seeing that the two were truly afraid, she snorted and let go. Jiang Liu and Jiang Nian covered their bright red ears, their heads drooping, not daring to breathe.

"Father, Mother," Biyao turned to Wanrenwang and Xiaochi, her face now showing a smile, tinged with a hint of coquetry and apology.

"These two brats are so ignorant and have caused you trouble. I've already disciplined them, and I'll make sure they reflect on their behavior, pay what they owe, and fix what needs fixing."

Wan Renwang waved his hand, his expression softening considerably: "Alright, it's good for the child to be lively. However, the areas with arrays, mechanisms, elixirs, and scriptures still need to be kept more under control."

"My daughter understands."

For the next two days, Biyao, Jiang Xiaochuan, and Xiaobai stayed at the Ghost King Sect.

Biyao personally supervised her two sons to "make amends," cleaning up the messes that needed cleaning and apologizing for everything that needed to be apologized for.

Jiang Xiaochuan chatted with Wan Renwang for a while, then went to look at the remnants of the array that had been "studied," and was both amused and exasperated.

Xiaobai spends most of her time with Xiaochi. The two sisters seem to have endless things to talk about, from ancient secrets to parenting tips, and their laughter never stops.

While Biyao was still watching Jiang Liu and Jiang Nian clean up the "rootless spiritual spring" that they had "accidentally" attracted and which had almost flooded half of the warehouse, Jiang Xiaochuan secretly snuck up to Xiaobai, who was leisurely enjoying the scenery under the corridor.

"Xiao Bai," he lowered his voice, glancing at Bi Yao, who was chatting and laughing softly with Xiao Chi in the distance, her eyes gentle, before looking at Xiao Bai again, "there's something I've been a little confused about."

"Hmm?" Xiaobai turned her head to look at him.