I long to return home!

"Humph!"

Lei Mengying snorted coldly, her gaze extremely icy. With a slight flick of her fingertips, her long, disheveled hair returned to its original state, and the purple lightning surrounding her receded.

His gaze fell on the bewildered Huai Zhen, and the coldness in his eyes slowly melted away, revealing a look of worry on his face.

"You..." She swallowed the words back. Spoiled since childhood, she had no idea how to express her concern with tenderness. After struggling for a moment, she pretended to be calm and said, "I have successfully formed my core and need to rest for a few days before refining my natal magic weapon. If there is nothing else..." Lei Mengying clenched her fist, paused, and said, "If there is nothing else, please leave."

Hearing Lei Mengying's words, Huai Zhen felt somewhat surprised. Perhaps it was because he had just formed his core and was feeling unwell. He had just unleashed his spiritual power to fight her. Thinking of this, Huai Zhen agreed with this view. Coincidentally, he also had something he needed to ask for clarification. After saying goodbye, he left in the direction of the Star Watching Academy.

Watching Huai Zhen gradually leave until she disappeared from sight, Lei Mengying's pretty face showed a hint of disappointment. She really did say those gentle words of concern.

She shook her head vigorously, placing her hand on her wildly beating heart. "It's nothing serious. At worst, I can find him a few longevity pills, and when we return to the Wuji Empire, I can ask my great-grandfather to cure him completely. Sigh, the most important thing now is to adjust my spiritual energy to its optimal state and refine my natal magic weapon."

...

"Third Prince, that Princess Wuji is too arrogant. Why don't you let your subordinate fight her?" The guard asked Shen Lang, puzzled, as they walked towards the golden palace.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang stopped in his tracks, gazing meaningfully at the golden palace that was so close yet so far away. He lightly waved his folding fan, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, before reverting to his former demeanor as a playboy. He turned to the guards behind him and said with a cheerful smile, "Zhou Peng, Fourth Sister's birthday is coming soon. Where are the magical treasures I asked you to prepare?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Your Highness, the magic weapon is ready. By the way, Your Highness, it seems that the Fourth Princess was recently confined to her residence by His Majesty for some reason and is not allowed to go out without permission. By the way, Your Highness, there is one more thing I don't understand. We cultivators must abandon worldly desires, so why bother with this every year unless it's a major birthday celebration?"

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes slightly, gently closed the folding fan in his hand, and said with a smile: "Zhou Peng, do not interfere in my affairs. This is the last warning to you. If there is a next time, you will not need to go to the Yin Yue Imperial Sect with me."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Peng broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze. "Alright, you may deliver the gifts to the princess's residence. I will go see my father first." Shen Lang glanced at the golden palace, quickened his pace, and soon disappeared down the avenue.

...

"Have one, have one! Lingjiao's birthday is coming up soon. How about Feng'er gives me another big, healthy son as a birthday present for Lingjiao?"

"Shen Sanjin, you still dare to bring this up after all this time. If you want to give birth, go to your Consort De. If you sneak into my palace again, next time it won't be as simple as just kicking you out. I'll just cut you out by the roots."

Hearing the foul language coming from inside the room, Shen Lang stood behind the door with a gloomy expression. The veins on his neck bulged. He reached out to stop the guard who was about to report. When the noise inside the room subsided slightly, he bowed and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

After these words, the room fell silent. After a long while, a series of coughs were heard, and finally a dignified voice rang out: "Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden door opened, and Shen Lang looked up to see his biological father, the Emperor of the Yin Yue Empire, sitting on the throne with a majestic expression. Beside him, Jiang Jinfeng, with her hair slightly disheveled, stood calmly, as if the lewdness that had just occurred had not happened.

Seeing this, Shen Lang suppressed his agitated emotions, strode forward, and bowed again before the steps, "Father, Empress... Madam."

"Lang'er is back. I haven't seen you for a long time. Have you been slacking off in your cultivation at the Yin Yue Imperial Sect? You've reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but you still need to continue to cultivate diligently." Shen Xin put on a concerned expression, but in reality, he was already panicking. He had put up a soundproof barrier earlier.

"Father, you must be very busy with official duties. I just returned three years ago," Shen Lang said calmly, straightening his back.

"Is that so? It seems I am quite tired and need to rest properly, haha..." Shen Xin chuckled, then instantly appeared in front of Shen Lang, gently patted his arm, and inadvertently saw a woman's kiss mark on his neck.

With a slightly displeased expression, he said, "I sent you into the Yin Yue Imperial Sect so that you could cultivate diligently and live up to your responsibilities as the King of Qingzhou. Instead, you went off to indulge in debauchery. If you had the same determination as your elder brother, how could I..." The words caught in his throat, but Shen Xin swallowed them back. He sighed softly, his tone tinged with guilt, and said, "Never mind, Lang'er, your mother hasn't seen you for a long time and misses you dearly. Go see her first when you come back."

"Then, Father, I shall take my leave." Shen Lang bowed again upon hearing this, turned and left straight away, his eyes filled with boundless rage from the moment he turned his back. After walking a hundred feet, he snorted coldly, casually wiping away the kiss mark on his neck, revealing an unfathomable expression.

After she left, Shen Xin felt powerless and sat on the steps, covering his head with some regret. Seeing this, Jiang Jinfeng came down and sat beside him to comfort him.

"Alas, if it weren't for the intense war back then, when we were fighting against the Wuji Empire and also resisting the northern grassland tribes taking the opportunity to invade southward, I would have been forced to marry Consort De and have Lang'er. Out of guilt for being made a prince at such a young age, I hoped that he could diligently cultivate and live a secluded life in the mortal world. How could I have imagined that he would seek pleasure within the sect and ultimately fail my expectations?" Shen Xin pounded his head, regretting that he had destroyed a family that should have been happy.

Seeing Shen Xin's deeply regretful expression, Jiang Jinfeng understood the helplessness of being both an emperor and a father. She gently patted his back and said with concern, "Your Majesty, I know the difficult choice you faced. Lang'er is still young and hasn't truly experienced the cruelty of the cultivation world, cough..." Jiang Jinfeng seemed to have come to a realization. She stood up and looked at the enormous Golden Palace. With her beloved husband by her side and her cherished children at her feet, why bother with such trivial matters? She said, "Your Majesty, you should spend more time with Consort De and Lang'er. After all, they are both your wives and children. Try to give Ling Jiao a healthy baby boy."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xin paused for a moment, looked up, and unconsciously reached out his hand. "Feng'er, if possible, I still want to have a child with you."

puff!

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jiang Jinfeng kicked Shen Xin without any mercy, sending him flying several meters away. "All my words were wasted, weren't they? Shen Sanjin, get out of here!"

...

Decades ago, wars were frequent and three forces were eyeing each other covetously. At that time, the Yin Yue Empire was unstable due to a purge. Later, Shen Xin married the number one cultivation family in the Yin Yue Empire at that time, which helped to consolidate the war effort by adding a member to the family.