The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

"So what if I hit you?"

He remained seated on the rock, his expression calm. "Disturbing my fishing deserves a beating."

"You...you're asking for it!"

I was completely enraged.

He activated the Heavenly Wind Technique and unleashed a palm strike!

The palm strike was fierce, carrying the scorching aura of the Phoenix True Body. Even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare to take it head-on!

But the man simply raised the bamboo pole and gently flicked it at my wrist.

"Snapped!"

Another crisp sound.

I felt a numbness in my wrist, and my entire arm lost all strength. Before I could even strike, the palm had already vanished without a trace.

"you......."

I was both shocked and furious, and was about to strike again.

"Snapped!"

The bamboo pole was pulled down again and landed on his knees.

My legs went weak and I almost knelt down.

"Snapped!"

The bamboo pole fell again, striking his back.

"Snapped!"

This time, the bamboo pole hit his shoulder.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The bamboo poles fell like raindrops, each strike precisely avoiding vital points, yet causing excruciating pain.

I wanted to dodge, to block, to fight back.

But those bamboo poles seemed to have eyes; no matter how I dodged or blocked, they always managed to hit me.

In the end, I couldn't hold on any longer.

"Waaah..."

Tears welled up uncontrollably.

I have never suffered such injustice since I was a child.

"You...you're bullying me..."

I cried and cursed, "When I get back... I'll make Father send troops to arrest you... lock you in the imperial prison... and make you get whipped every day..."

The man finally stopped.

He put away the bamboo pole, placed the silver-scaled fish into the bamboo basket next to him, and then turned to look at me.

"Have you cried enough?" he asked.

"Not enough!" I cried even harder.

"Then keep crying."

After he finished speaking, he ignored me, sat back down on the rock, picked up his fishing rod, and continued fishing.

I was stunned.

This person... how could this person be like this?

You hit someone, and you're not even going to comfort them?

Are you telling me to keep crying?

The more I thought about it, the more aggrieved I felt, and the more aggrieved I felt, the harder I cried.

But the man seemed not to hear him, and remained sitting there quietly, staring at the water, as if nothing in the world concerned him.

I cried for a long time until I finally cried myself to sleep.

My tears have dried, my throat is hoarse, and my body still aches.

I sat on the ground, hugging my knees, watching that figure from behind, and a strange, indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

It's not hatred.

It's not resentment.

It's... curiosity.

Who exactly is this person?

Why do you dare treat me like this?

Why... is it so special?

"Feed," I whispered.

He didn't turn around.

"Hey!" I raised my voice.

He still didn't turn around.

"you......."

I gritted my teeth. "What's your name?"

He finally turned his head and glanced at me.

"Prime Minister Chen".

After he finished speaking, he turned his head away again.

Chen Xiang.

These two words, like two pebbles, were thrown into the lake of my heart, creating ripples.

From that moment on, I could never find peace again.

The story ends here, and no further content has been released.

The last line contains only one sentence:

That year, I met him for the first time.

That year, my fate was forever changed.

Inside Lingxiao Pavilion, there was complete silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the text on the communicator, unable to recover for a long time.

What did they see?

They saw... the Empress's past.

I saw that arrogant, domineering, and haughty princess.

I saw the girl who had been whipped by Chen Xiang with a fishing rod until she was in tears, and in the end she could only sit on the ground and cry softly.

"this......."

Someone managed to utter, "This really is... the Empress?"

"That... the empress who got her butt slapped by a fishing rod?"

"That... Empress who was crying her eyes out?"

Everyone felt that their worldview was collapsing.

So the Empress has this side to her?

It turns out that the peerless empress who ruled the cultivation world and suppressed all who dared to resist was actually... hit with a fishing rod when she was fifteen years old?

So here comes the key question.

This Chen Xiang is the white-robed prime minister of the Tianfeng Dynasty, and the holy teacher mentioned by the Empress.

.........

Qingcheng Mountain, Xianyun Temple.

The morning sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the old locust tree, casting dappled patterns on the stone table in the courtyard.

Chen Xuan sat on a stone bench, holding a cup of tea in his hands, the tea smoke curling upwards.

He closed his eyes, feeling the morning breeze on his face and listening to the birds singing in the mountains. He was as leisurely as an old man sunbathing in his own backyard.

Lu Yao squatted in the corner of the yard, watering several newly planted spiritual herbs.

She was humming a tuneless little tune, in a very good mood.

My senior brother didn't become a monk, the Taoist temple is fine, everything is alright.

But just then—

"Senior brother!"

Lu Yao suddenly exclaimed, and the water bottle in her hand fell to the ground with a "plop," spilling water all over the floor.

She suddenly stood up, holding the communicator, her eyes wide open as if she had seen something incredible.

"What's wrong?" Chen Xuan opened his eyes and asked calmly.

"The Empress... the Empress has released her autobiography!"

Lu Yao's voice trembled. "The title is 'Phoenix Rebirth'!"

Chen Xuan paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"oh."

He took a sip of tea and said calmly, "I didn't expect her to release it so quickly."

"I am displeased... 'How rude of you! I, the princess, am asking you a question, and this is how you treat me?'"

Upon reading this, Lu Yao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Senior brother, listen to that tone... it's exactly like those spoiled young ladies from noble families! No wonder you..."

Her words stopped abruptly.

Because she suddenly realized something.

Isn't the "Prime Minister Chen" mentioned in the Empress's autobiography the same person as her senior brother?

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan remained seated on the stone bench, slowly sipping his tea, his face expressionless.

It was as if what Lu Yao said had nothing to do with him.

"These are all old stories, and I'm too lazy to recall many of the details, but I didn't expect this woman to remember them so clearly."

Chen Xuan shook his head helplessly. He was surprised that the author had even written down in such detail which type of bamboo he used to hit her.

Seeing the last part, Lu Yao looked up blankly, then asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "Senior brother, so you like SP?"

Chen Xuan:.........

My head is covered in black lines.

What is this junior sister thinking?

"I was just a little annoyed at the time, and I just wanted her to shut up and stop bothering me while I was fishing."

"oh."

Lu Yao responded, then, as if remembering something, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Senior brother, you should have said you had this preference earlier. It's not that I can't accept it."

After her senior brother woke up, he remained aloof from worldly affairs, like a celestial being banished to earth. She didn't know how to please him or how to get close to him.

If he has this hobby, then things will be much easier; we can keep him by our side!

Chen Xuan: ......