In the photos, Rong Jiaojiao always smiles brightly, her eyes sparkling with boundless curiosity about the world; each photo captures her happy moments.
After a few days of fun, Qing Xuanzi bought a lot of local specialties from the capital for Rong Lianhu and the others, and then took Rong Jiaojiao on the train back home.
Three days later, they arrived in the county town. It was already late when they arrived, and there were no more buses running.
Qing Xuanzi felt he should take Rong Jiaojiao back to the Immortal Mountain as soon as possible, so he used his lightness technique to return to Anyang Town.
It was already dark when they arrived in town. There was no one in the small courtyards in town, so Qing Xuanzi went directly to the military family compound.
It was around 9 p.m. when we arrived at the family compound, a time when everyone was already resting.
Qing Xuanzi was stopped by the soldiers on guard. He identified himself and said, "I am the master of Rong Lianhu's daughter, the deputy commander of the First Regiment. I have returned with their daughter. Please help me call Rong Lianhu to come and pick us up."
One of the soldiers nodded and turned to inform Rong Lianhu.
A short while later, Rong Lianhu arrived in a hurry on his bicycle, accompanied by the soldiers on guard. When he saw Qing Xuanzi and Rong Jiaojiao, a big smile appeared on his face.
"Brother Qingxuan, is it really you guys who are back?" Rong Lianhu spoke to Qingxuanzi, but his eyes were glued to Rong Jiaojiao.
Before Qing Xuanzi could answer, he propped up his bicycle, squatted down, and asked expectantly, "Jiaobao, do you still remember Daddy?"
Rong Jiaojiao smiled sweetly and called out, "Daddy, Jiaobao remembers you, Jiaobao also remembers Mommy and brothers, Jiaobao misses you all so much."
Hearing her soft, sweet voice say that she remembered him and missed him, Rong Lianhu felt a sweet warmth in his heart and opened his arms: "Then Daddy will hug you, okay?"
Rong Jiaojiao stretched out her hands, and Rong Lianhu picked her up and lifted her high, making Rong Jiaojiao giggle.
After waiting for them to get close for a while, Qing Xuanzi said, "Alright, let's go into the family compound. I have some important things to tell you and Xiao Fu."
Upon hearing this, Rong Lianhu had a bad feeling. He looked at Rong Jiaojiao and then at Qing Xuanzi with some suspicion and asked with some difficulty, "Is it about Jiaobao?"
Qing Xuanzi nodded solemnly, and Rong Lianhu said with some difficulty, "Then let's go inside and talk."
After saying that, he handed Rong Jiaojiao over to Qing Xuanzi and then took them home.
In the Rong family compound, Fu Ya and her two sons were already waiting in the living room. When they saw Qing Xuanzi and Rong Jiaojiao, their eyes showed surprise and concern.
"Brother Qingxuan, Jiaobao, you're back?" Fu Ya walked over quickly, took Rong Jiaojiao from Qingxuanzi's hands and hugged her. "Brother Qingxuan, please come in and sit down. Zhigao, pour tea for Uncle."
Then he asked Rong Jiaojiao, "Jiaobao, have you lost weight?"
Rong Jiaojiao shook her head and said with a smile, "Mom, I haven't lost weight. I ate lots of delicious food."
"Do you miss your mom?"
Rong Jiaojiao nodded, and Rong Zhiyuan also asked, "What about you, little brother? Did Jiaobao miss me?"
Rong Zhigao poured the water and ran over to ask, "And big brother, has Jiaobao thought about it?"
Rong Jiaojiao said sweetly, "I missed you, I missed Daddy, I missed Mommy, and I missed my brothers. Jiaobao missed you all so much, and I even brought you some delicious food back."
After saying that, she looked at her master, her meaning clear: she wanted to ask her for the gift she was going to bring back.
Qing Xuanzi sat in the chair and was somewhat annoyed by her appearance, but he still took out all the gifts he had brought back from the capital.
There were cigarettes and alcohol for Rong Lianhu, a silk scarf for Fu Ya, stationery and small toys for her two older brothers, and roast duck and snacks from Beijing that she brought for them...
Rong Jiaojiao handed them out one by one, explaining as she went, "This is for Dad, this is for Mom, this is for my brothers..."
Fu Ya and Rong Lianhu looked at Rong Jiaojiao's well-behaved and sensible appearance with eyes full of doting affection.
The two older brothers also vied to see the gifts, and the room was filled with laughter.
Seeing the three children playing together, Fu Ya asked, "Brother Qingxuan, is there something important you want to tell us when you come back this time?"
Otherwise, the person who usually wouldn't come into the family compound would come here so late at night, there must be something important going on.
Qing Xuanzi nodded, a serious expression on his face: "Yes, I have something important to tell you this time."
He told them in detail about his experience in the capital and the matter of the demon spirit.
Fu Ya and Rong Lianhu listened in silence, their expressions turning uneasy.
After Qing Xuanzi finished speaking, Rong Lianhu said, "Actually, I've been guessing these past few days that you might be bringing Jiaojiao back."
Fu Ya turned to Rong Lianhu in confusion and asked, "What do you mean?"
Rong Lianhu sighed: "A few days ago, the master of the flag from Commander Wei's family came over and took the flag away, saying that he was going to take him back to the immortal mountain to cultivate."
"Brigade Commander Wei came over and asked me if I knew about the Demon Spirit, and also asked if Jiaojiao had gone to the Immortal Mountain. I guessed that you would be back soon."
Fu Ya glared at him and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner so I could be mentally prepared?"
He then turned to Qing Xuanzi with a solemn expression and said, "The situation you described is indeed very serious. If the demon spirit can really possess talented people, then Jiao Jiao is indeed in great danger."
Rong Lianhu nodded in agreement, but the couple knew that their child would be gone for many years. Their eyes were full of reluctance as they looked at Rong Jiaojiao, and Fu Ya's eyes were already brimming with tears.
Qing Xuanzi sighed and said, "I originally planned to let her cultivate in the mortal world until she was six years old, and then, apart from school time, I would take her back to the immortal mountain."
"But now, I hope you will agree to let Jiaobao return to the Immortal Mountain to cultivate as soon as possible, because that is the safest place."
"Once she has mastered her skills and is no longer afraid of evil spirits and heretics, we will let her go down the mountain to gain experience. Then she will be able to reunite with you."
Fu Ya and Rong Lianhu exchanged a glance and fell silent. They understood one thing, but whether they were willing to give it up was another.
Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan had long since stopped playing and were listening to the adults talk. Now, they held their younger sister's hand with great reluctance and asked, "Uncle, are you and my sister going to be gone for a long time?"
Qing Xuanzi nodded, and Rong Zhiyuan said with red eyes, "Uncle, I won't be lazy anymore. I'll practice my skills properly and protect my sister. Please don't go to the Immortal Mountain, okay?"
Rong Jiaojiao was unaware of the troubles of being separated for so long, but when she saw her brother crying, she quickly comforted him, which made Rong Zhiyuan cry even harder.
His crying brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the Rong family, including the tough Rong Lianhu.
Qing Xuanzi shook his head helplessly and said, "The power of demonic spirits is beyond your imagination. Not to mention you, even I might not be a match for a powerful demonic spirit."
Rong Zhigao, understanding the situation, pulled Rong Zhiyuan aside: "Zhiyuan, it's the best protection for your uncle to take your sister away. We can't leave her behind just because we're reluctant to part with her; it would harm her."
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