Chapter 140: Separation of "Yujing and Hongyu".

The little princess of the Ji family?

The surname Ji was the royal surname of the Zhou Dynasty.

Jiang Yuhuo and Wen Yizhan both turned their gazes toward Xiao Jing at the same time.

The person I met on the first day, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dust, is she a princess of the Great Zhou?

If I told anyone, no one would believe me.

Xiao Jing didn't answer, which was taken as tacit agreement. She glanced quickly at Zhang Zhenyang, then at the short flute hanging around her neck, and pouted, "Are you going to take it back?"

It was all her fault for being so careless. On her way to find her aunt, she was running too fast and tripped, causing the flute to fall out of her collar. Although she knew it originally belonged to Zhang Zhenyang, she really liked it. She had gone to great lengths to get it from her father, and there was only a small piece left in the palace. Once it was given away, it would be gone.

Zhang Zhenyang chuckled, "You treasure this? Nobody wanted it before."

Xiao Jing complained, "Who said nobody wanted it? Others asked my father for it, but he wouldn't give it to them. Only this one branch was given to me."

"What about the rest?"

"He was buried with her in my great-aunt's mausoleum."

The air suddenly became quiet, with only the river breeze blowing through people's disheveled hair.

She's dead...

He deliberately avoided inquiring about her and deliberately avoided that place, and for many years, he never heard from her again. He originally thought that she had simply retired from public life.

Humans only live for a few decades, so it's perfectly normal for her to die.

After all these years, Zhang Zhenyang showed little reaction upon hearing the news of her death.

He simply asked, "When did your great-aunt die?"

Xiao Jing tilted her head back and tried hard to recall, "It seems, it seems to be when she was twenty-six years old."

Twenty-six years old... the year after he completely left.

With her intelligence and the many cultivators working for her, how could she not have someone cleanse her marrow and bones, draw spiritual energy into her body, and prolong her life and preserve her youth?

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Xiao Jing looked up at the old man in front of her and asked, "Why didn't you cultivate immortality, or why didn't you use divine energy?"

Seeing that Zhang Zhen didn't speak, she shook her head. "It's no use. The Ji family are already the rulers of the earth. They can no longer covet the Heavenly Dao. The higher the talent in the Ji family, the shorter their lifespan. Master Zhou said that this is a balancing rule left by the gods."

Zhang Zhenyang remained expressionless for a long while before finally saying, "I see."

When Xiao Jing saw that he didn't ask any more questions, she thought that the matter was over and subconsciously went to find her aunt.

Unexpectedly, the jade flute on his chest was suddenly gripped tightly by a force, and the seemingly unaffected old man suddenly smiled and asked, "Give it back to me, okay?"

Although it was a question, Xiao Jing felt there was no room for negotiation.

*

The dissolution of the Demon-Sealing Seal alarmed many people in the immortal sects. On the way back to Xidu City with Xiao Jing, Jiang Yuhuo encountered many cultivators from various sects who rushed over.

However, none of these things concern her anymore.

The master and senior brothers will stay where they are, clean up the mess, and deal with all of these people.

Before parting, Wen Yizhan wanted to accompany her to see Xiao Jing off, but Zhang Zhenyang stopped her, saying, "This is their family matter, so don't get involved. Your soul injury needs to be repaired as soon as possible. You should come back to Kunlun with me!"

"Don't get any funny ideas. I'll be keeping an eye on you until we return to Kunlun. I won't let you run away while I'm right under your nose."

Wen Yizhan, who had been subtly signaling to Jiang Yuhuo that he would be coming soon, immediately wilted upon hearing this. Although his master was usually unreliable, he always kept his word.

Jiang Yuhuo said, "Senior brother, recuperating is the most important thing."

Wen Yizhan looked at her and smiled, "Junior sister, then senior brother will go back to Kunlun first and wait for you. Remember to come back soon."

Jiang Yuhuo remembered that Wen Yizhan had said she had something to say to her, and nodded in agreement. After delivering the person, she would first go back to Kunlun to check on the healing of Wen Yizhan's soul injury before making any further plans.

She was so busy saying goodbye to her master and senior brothers that she didn't notice the eyes of the person who had been following her all along visibly dimmed.

When Jiang Ying landed in front of her, Xiao Jing hesitated for a long time until Jiang Yuhuo was already sitting on it waiting for her, before she slowly climbed onto the eagle's back.

Seeing her gloomy, Jiang Yuhuo assumed she was still heartbroken over the jade flute that Zhang Zhenyang had taken back.

"Reluctant to part with the jade flute?"

The person behind remained silent.

Jiang Yuhuo comforted her, "Don't be sad, it's just a broken flute. I'll find you another one later."

Xiao Jing's voice was muffled in the wind, "No."

Jiang Yuhuo thought she meant that the one found later wasn't the original one, and was thinking about how to comfort her when the person behind her suddenly wrapped her arms around her. A weight fell on her back, slightly damp, and she heard a sobbing sound in the wind.

"I can't bear to part with my aunt..."

Knowing she would leave after dropping her off at home, the young girl, still quite young, clung to her back and cried silently. It was strange; she was usually so boisterous, but when she cried, she was completely silent.

Jiang Yuhuo felt a pang of sadness. She had relied on her father since childhood, without a mother or any other relatives. Apart from her father, she had rarely felt that others cared about her, let alone had such complete trust and affection.

It's like family affection.

At this moment, Jiang Yuhuo wished she were the dead girl so she could hug her little niece and tell her, "It's okay, Auntie is here, I'm not going anywhere."

But she wasn't like that; all she could say was, "I will come back to see you in the future."

In truth, she didn't know how much longer this body could hold on after going through the Demon-Sealing Seal.

This answer clearly failed to comfort the person lying on her back. The clothes on her back became increasingly damp and hot, and the silent tears turned into low sobs. Xiao Jing rubbed against her back and asked, "Auntie, am I a burden to you?"

Back in the palace, she knew some minor magic, and everyone around her gave way to her. She thought she was very powerful, while her aunt was always bedridden. She once shamelessly promised her aunt that when she grew up, she would definitely protect her aunt.

Now, her aunt has become an immortal who can control the wind and beasts. Her aunt no longer needs the Ji family's protection, nor does she need her anymore. In fact, she had many things she wanted to tell her aunt from the beginning, wanting to tell her about all the things that had happened in the palace after she left. But she kept her mouth shut, knowing in her heart that if her aunt knew about the past, perhaps the time for parting would come soon.

But she still couldn't keep the secret; she was utterly useless.

“It’s not a burden,” Jiang Yuhu shook her head. “It’s a gift.”

It was a blessing from fate that allowed her to secretly experience the affection between family members while inside someone else's body.

Jiang Yuhuo realized that he didn't know her real name, so he asked her.

What is your real name?

"Ji Yujing, my full name is Ji Yujing." She wiped away her tears and said loudly, "Auntie, you must not forget it again."

"Okay, I've got it."

"Your aunt must not forget your name either."

As the eagle soared through the air, amidst the sound of wind cutting through the air, Xiao Jing spoke to the back of the person in front of her, "Your name is Ji Hongyu, Hong as in 'wild goose feather,' and Yu as in 'feather.'"

Jiang Yuhuo was hearing both names for the first time. As if to remember them better, she repeated them aloud, "Yujing and Hongyu."

Xiao Jing was a little happier when she heard her words. "That's right, it's me and you, Auntie."

“I like your name, Auntie, but Father insisted that it was a bad name. He said that your name is too light and fluttering, and that you would be blown away by the wind, which is why you are always sick. He originally wanted to change your name, but you left before he could decide what to change it to. Now there is no need to change it. Auntie is an immortal, and immortals are meant to fly in the sky.”

Now that her identity has been exposed, she no longer hides her form of address.

Upon hearing this address, Jiang Yuhuo paused slightly. Xiao Jing's father was this body's elder brother, and he must have known about his sister's death. She felt she might need to be honest with Xiao Jing about some things, such as that her aunt had actually died long ago, and she was just a stranger residing in this body.

It's better to say it sooner rather than later. It's better to be honest now than to be exposed in front of others when we get to the Great Zhou Palace.

"Xiao Jing, actually I—"

"Auntie, look what that is! It looks like someone is following us!"

Jiang Yuhuo was interrupted as she pondered her words for a moment. She looked in the direction the woman was pointing, and there was indeed a figure not far behind them. The eagle was already flying very fast, but the figure was getting closer and bigger... This person's speed in riding the wind was even faster than the eagle's.

Judging from his figure, he wasn't someone Jiang Yuhuo knew.

She had many things she couldn't tell Moyujiang, and this strange cultivator was pursuing her relentlessly, presumably to find out what was going on.

Jiang Yuhuo never liked dealing with these people, so she reacted almost immediately, urging Jiang Ying to speed up.

But as she sped up, the cultivator sped up too, determined to catch her and get to the bottom of things. Jiang Yuhuo could go even faster; with her cultivation level, shaking off others wouldn't be difficult. But she wasn't alone now.

"Auntie, it's too fast, I'm a little dizzy." Xiao Jing felt dizzy and instinctively held her aunt tighter, but her head kept shaking.

Jiang Yuhuo had to slow down, and the cultivator was also very perceptive. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he accelerated in one go and arrived in front of Jiang Yuhuo on his sword in an instant.

Jiang Yuhu stopped, wanting to see what advice he had.

The cultivator looked very young, with a thin face, red lips, and white teeth. Perhaps because he had exerted a lot of effort in chasing on his sword, his fair face was now flushed.

"Um... don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to cause you any trouble, I..."

Jiang Yuhu frowned. "And who are you?"

“Ji Qiu’an, Ji Qiu’an of the Ji family of Jiuxi, the thirteenth son.” Seeing her gaze directed his way, the cultivator blushed even more.

He finished speaking quickly, then added, "Ji Yun is my cousin. We met in Yanling that day."

"What a coincidence, we've run into you again."

To be honest, Ji Qiu'an hadn't expected to run into her here. After being tricked by Li Mengbai at the Li family, he went to Kunlun to look for her. After he introduced himself, the people of Kunlun didn't make things difficult for him and told him the truth. However, these Kunlun disciples only knew that she had seen her return to Zhenyang Peak not long ago, and they had no idea where she had gone after that.

Feeling dejected, he lingered in Kunlun for several days before leaving, intending to return to his clan. Just then, he received a message from the clan saying that the Demon-Sealing Seal in Moyu River had been activated, and ordering clan disciples to go and investigate. He happened to be nearby, so he went directly to Moyu River without hesitation.

Perhaps it is true that what you keep in your heart will eventually come to pass. Fang Zhimo Yujiang and the other cultivators from the immortal sects briefly learned about the situation, and when they looked up, they saw the person riding an eagle overhead. Wasn't that the person he had been searching for?

When Ji Yun was mentioned, Jiang Yuhuo recalled that on the day she used the Ji family's teleportation array to get to Yanling, there seemed to be someone with Ji Yun. However, she was in a hurry to get the Earth Flame Vine and Li Mengbai kept pestering her, so she didn't pay attention to anyone else.

Jiang Yuhuo nodded. "Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

She pulled Xiao Jing from behind her into her arms and made her sit in front of her, so that even if it accelerated her dizziness, it would be better.

Seeing that she was about to leave again, Ji Qiu'an hurriedly said, "No, I... I have something to tell you."

Jiang Yuhuo paused in Jiang Ying's hand, looked up at Ji Qiu'an, and waited for him to continue.

Ji Qiu'an scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He pursed his lips before looking up at the person he had been searching for for seven years.

“We actually met long before.” His face was flushed red as he stammered, “Seven years ago, in Pinghai County, you saved me.”

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Author's Note: 500,000 words! Last year, I never imagined I'd start writing a novel this year, let alone write so many! I'm rewarding myself with a giveaway. Thank you everyone who read this far! [cheering emojis]