Wei Jingqi laughed and said, "Why are you being so distant, Jiaojiao?"
His gaze toward Rong Jiaojiao was filled with admiration. Rong Jiaojiao didn't understand why he was doing this, but she sensed Xiang Ruyi's strong wariness. She smiled and said, "We've all grown up now. I can't keep calling you 'handsome brother,' can I?"
"Don't you agree, beautiful sister?" Rong Jiaojiao said this while looking at Xiang Ruyi.
Xiang Ruyi smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Rong is right."
The word "Fellow Daoist Rong" created distance between them. Rong Jiaojiao didn't take it to heart and was about to tell them to wait there while she and her master went ahead.
Then I heard hurried footsteps, and when I turned around I saw Wei Guodong rushing out of the camp. It was hard to believe that he was over fifty years old.
Rong Jiaojiao guessed that Wei Jingqi must have prepared a lot of good things for his family, otherwise Commander Wei's health wouldn't still be so good.
This was Wei Jingqi's first return since going to the Immortal Mountain. After many years apart, Wei Guodong, a tough man, couldn't help but shed tears upon seeing his only son.
Wei Guodong rushed to Wei Jingqi in three steps, his rough hands gripping his son's shoulders tightly, looking his only son up and down, whom he hadn't seen for many years.
"You brat, you still know how to come back!" Wei Guodong's voice trembled, and his eyes were red.
Wei Jingqi let his father look him over, and said softly with remorse, "Dad, I'm sorry, I've made the family worry!"
Xiang Ruyi bowed respectfully to the side and said, "Hello, Uncle Wei."
Wei Guodong then noticed the little girl beside him, wiping his eyes: "And who is this?"
"This is Xiang Ruyi, my junior sister," Wei Jingqi introduced, his tone tinged with pride.
Rong Jiaojiao keenly noticed that Xiang Ruyi frowned almost imperceptibly when she heard the title "Junior Sister".
"Alright, alright, let's go back and talk!" Wei Guodong greeted him warmly.
Meeting Rong Jiaojiao and Qing Xuanzi's gazes, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Master. I haven't seen my youngest son for many years. I was too excited and didn't speak to you. Please don't mind."
Qing Xuanzi shook his head: "This is only human nature, why would I mind?"
Wei Guodong invited, "Master and Jiaojiao, why don't you come to our house too? You're from the same place, you'll have plenty to talk about."
Qing Xuanzi shook his head: "It's rare for you to have a reunion, so we won't disturb you."
Wei Guodong nodded: "Alright, then we won't invite the master today. We'll prepare a nice meal tomorrow, and the master must do us the honor of attending."
Qing Xuanzi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Wei Guodong then led Wei Jingqi and Xiang Ruyi back.
After they left, Rong Jiaojiao took Qing Xuanzi home. On the way, Rong Jiaojiao leaned close to her master and whispered, "Master, why did you come back with them?"
Qing Xuanzi stroked his beard: "I met you when I went to the capital to ask Senior Tian Shu where you were. Jing Qi said he wanted to go home to visit, but Ru Yi insisted on coming along." He then gave his disciple a meaningful look. "What, you're not happy about it?"
Rong Jiaojiao pouted: "The way Xiang Ruyi looked at me was like I was a thief."
Zi Ling squeaked twice in her arms, indicating her agreement.
Qing Xuanzi also sensed it and said seriously, "She's still just a child, but she has a lot on her mind. Don't be like her." He then took the opportunity to educate her, "Handsome boys are like beautiful and fragrant flowers; they either attract the wind or butterflies. Stay away from boys like that in the future."
"Yes, Master!"
"Also, stay away from that kid surnamed Wei. That girl surnamed Xiang is too possessive of him. Don't let her hold a grudge against you."
Rong Jiaojiao nodded. Even if her master didn't say anything, she would definitely stay far away from Wei Jingqi in the future, so that Xiang Ruyi wouldn't harm her or her family.
Little did she know that her thoughts would become a prophecy.
That evening, Rong Jiaojiao brought out the king crab, lobster, sea cucumber and many other good ingredients she had found, and prepared a large table of delicious dishes to serve to her parents and master.
Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya were both very happy to see Qing Xuanzi, and they had a very warm and cozy meal together.
The next day, the Wei family indeed hosted a banquet and invited Qing Xuanzi to attend.
He used to not live in the family compound, so it was easy for him to refuse. But now that he lives in the family compound, it would be a bit unreasonable not to go, especially since Wei Jingqi is also a Xuan cultivator.
Today, the Wei family not only invited Qing Xuanzi, but also Rong Lianhu and his family of three.
When the four arrived at Wei Jingqi's house, besides Wei Guodong and his wife, there were only Wei Jingqi, Xiang Ruyi, and a housekeeper.
The reason why they didn't invite their daughter and son-in-law back was out of respect for Qing Xuanzi, fearing that he might not like having many people around.
The aroma of food had already filled the Wei family's living room.
Wei Guodong warmly welcomed everyone in, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, invited everyone to take their seats, especially Qing Xuanzi, who was seated as the guest of honor.
"Master, these are just home-style dishes, please don't mind them." Mother Wei smiled as she served a plate of braised fish.
Qing Xuanzi nodded with a smile: "Madam Wei, you are too kind."
Rong Jiaojiao noticed that Xiang Ruyi sat close to Wei Jingqi, occasionally serving him food, but her eyes kept glancing in her direction.
“Here, try this.” Wei Jingqi suddenly stood up, reached past Xiang Ruyi, and put a chicken leg on Rong Jiaojiao’s plate. “I remember you loved eating this when you were little.”
Xiang Ruyi's chopsticks paused in mid-air.
Just as Rong Jiaojiao was about to thank her, Ziling suddenly popped out of her pocket, staring longingly at the chicken leg.
"Ziling!" Rong Jiaojiao nudged the little one awkwardly. "Don't be rude. I'll give you something delicious when we get home."
Xiang Ruyi chuckled softly, "The spirit pet follows its master."
The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became awkward.
Wei Guodong quickly smoothed things over: "Come, come, try this spirit fish soup. It's made with spirit ingredients that Jingqi specially brought back."
Qing Xuanzi took a sip and nodded approvingly: "The cooking time is just right, and the spiritual energy is well preserved."
The topic then shifted to cultivation.
Wei Jingqi recounted his experiences on the sacred mountain, with Xiang Ruyi occasionally adding to his stories; the two worked together seamlessly.
"By the way," Wei Jingqi suddenly looked at Rong Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao, we heard you've done quite a few missions in the mortal world, can you tell us about them?"
There was a hint of admiration in his eyes, and Rong Jiaojiao knew that it was a longing to explore the unknown.
Just as Rong Jiaojiao was about to answer, Xiang Ruyi interrupted, "Fellow Daoist Rong is only at the mid-stage of the Mage realm. Aren't you afraid of dragging others down if you go on missions with her?"
Wei Jingqi only overheard his master and Qing Xuanzi talking in the capital about Rong Jiaojiao's several missions that she had completed very well. At the time, he thought Rong Jiaojiao was very impressive and admired her, but he forgot about her cultivation level.
But those words were rather harsh, and Wei Jingqi frowned: "Ruyi!"
He was puzzled as to why his junior sister always had such a strong opinion about Rong Jiaojiao.
Rong Jiaojiao thought to herself, "If you knew my true cultivation level, you would be so jealous." She calmly put down her chopsticks and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiang is right. My cultivation level is low. Even when I go on missions with my elders, they are all small missions and have no impact on my life. This allows me to broaden my horizons."
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