Chapter 0.154 Bite the Bullet
“Is this proper? Is this proper?”
In an instant, Qin Gou felt Kong Ling punching the air inside his robes, but only Qin Gou could hear her screams. She clearly wasn’t ready to reveal herself yet.
Mo Ning was also stunned and didn’t know how to respond.
Seeing this, Qin Gou immediately smoothed things over, “I have a question, and I hope Mr. Kong and Madam Xiao can answer it.”
“Celestial Master, please ask.”
“Now that Ling’er is able to return, it must be thanks to you, Celestial Master!”
“Somewhat,” Qin Gou nodded with a smile, his gaze slowly falling on the large plaque of the Kong family. He asked, “When did this Kong family school become the so-called ‘Zi Xuan Academy’? And why is every house closed along the way, not even a single passerby in sight?”
“This is because although Cult Master Zhao and Palace Lord Ye, disciples of the Celestial Master Pavilion, willingly offered assistance and took care of my Kong family under your instructions, as the saying goes, ‘a gift of a peach deserves a jade in return.’ I, Kong Songfeng, do not consider myself someone who sits idle and reaps benefits. Therefore, it is only righteous and proper that this ‘Kong family school’ has now become the ‘Zi Xuan Academy’ as a gesture of returning kindness.”
Kong Songfeng’s tone was filled with enthusiastic gratitude. He smiled and continued, “As for why this main road has become so deserted… these two Purple Extreme Alliance banners were personally erected here by Cult Master Zhao at the time, even alarming His Majesty the Human Emperor to personally accompany him. This matter had a great impact, and since then, not only has the Kong family never again suffered threats from any scoundrel, but even some neighbors with whom my juniors were on good terms have gradually broken off contact one by one.”
“It is human nature for them to misunderstand or to seek self-preservation. I no longer care much about it.”
“I see,” Qin Gou nodded slightly. As for why the people around chose to stay away rather than quickly curry favor with the Kong family, both Qin Gou and Kong Songfeng knew it in their hearts. The notorious reputation of the Purple Xuan Alliance was known to all, from Arc-Moon Mountain in Chu Zhou to Dragon God Island of the Sea Race.
At this moment, Kong Songfeng cupped his fists and bowed to Li Yuanzhen, Xiao Yizi, and the others, “I have not yet asked for the honorable names of you fairies. May I know if you are close friends of our Ling’er, or if you are high disciples of the Celestial Master?”
“Sir, please dispense with the formalities.” The Little Gambler meticulously returned the salute, “This humble Daoist is Li Yuanzhen of the Sword Questioning Sect.”
“Ao Banwei of the Sea Race.”
“Yi Chengying of the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace.”
Kong Songfeng couldn’t help but be filled with emotion. He looked at Mo Ning with great satisfaction and said, “So, Ling’er is already accompanied by so many chivalrous heroes and virtuous friends!”
Upon hearing this, Mo Ning hadn’t even shown any reaction, but Xiao Yizi beside her suddenly covered her small mouth in surprise.
Chivalrous heroes and virtuous friends?
Xiao Yizi believed that in her life, other than managing herself and being loyal, she hadn’t done anything particularly great. In the past, she would have been lucky if people hadn’t privately called her a lewd demoness. Yet, this was the first time she had received such treatment!
Whether it was polite talk to her face or not, this was enough to make her happy for a while!
“Ah, I am truly too excited and muddled!” Kong Songfeng suddenly slapped his head and said with shame, “How can it be proper for the Celestial Master and all the fairies to be standing outside the main gate?”
With that, Kong Songfeng and Madam Xiao, faces full of smiles and overflowing with enthusiasm, invited Qin Gou and the others into the Zi Xuan Academy and immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared.
…
“Master, sit closer to Mo Ning later. I’ll remind her how to respond to the elders, lest she accidentally reveals a clue due to Mo Ning’s and my differing personalities,” Kong Ling quietly poked her small head out from Qin Gou’s embrace and whispered her request.
Qin Gou frowned slightly, “Kong Wench, do you really intend to keep this up forever?”
“To see my parents safe and sound, and to see them so joyful, I am already very content.”
Kong Ling smiled faintly, “After all, plans cannot keep up with changes. Since things have come to this, if they were to see my current appearance again and spend half an hour explaining sadly, it would be too much of a downer. I’ll wait until I have an independent Dao Body with the help of Senior Saint Spirit before I ask for forgiveness from my parents.”
“You always say you’ve changed a lot over the years, but in your Master’s eyes, you still look like you did when you were young.” Qin Gou reached out and gently stroked Kong Ling’s little head.
This girl had been the type of child who always considered others’ feelings from a young age, never fighting for anything, seemingly without desire, but in reality, she was just exceptionally good at making herself suffer.
At the banquet.
Kong Songfeng and Madam Xiao experienced another emotional outburst, thanking Qin Gou profusely and holding Mo Ning’s small hand with tears streaming down their faces.
Up to this point, with Kong Ling’s sound transmission reminders, Mo Ning had responded quite well to some of the elders’ inquiries about her well-being.
And on a few occasions, Qin Gou thought the questions were irrelevant. Besides, father and daughter had been separated for too long, so how could Mo Ning possibly expose herself so easily?
But Xiao Ling’er insisted with meticulousness that her parents understood her too well, and she had to be absolutely perfect to ensure no mistakes.
“Actually, your mother and I have also been paying attention to you through various channels,” Kong Songfeng said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “We’ve seen many of the great things you’ve done as the Grand Princess of the Abyss over the years, and it has truly astonished both your mother and me!”
“Father and Mother actually know about my deeds in the Abyss!”
Kong Ling’s body suddenly shivered, and her mind went blank.
Those years, in order to get revenge on Demon Emperor Mo Qingyang and find release in death, she had acted with extreme brutality and barbarity. This made all the Abyssal Demons feel that the returned Grand Princess was no different from ‘that one’ before. She was still infamous and as cold-blooded as ever, striking terror into the hearts of those who heard of her.
She dared to take responsibility for all of this, but she was terrified that her own parents would find out. That girl, born in Lanxi City, gentle as jade and as pure as a clear breeze, was actually the same person as the bloodthirsty, wicked demoness of the Demon Race Abyss.
She feared they would be immensely disappointed in her because of this.
“Child, your father asks you, if you were to encounter those people from the Three Slash Sect again, what would you do?” Kong Songfeng suddenly asked.
The Three Slash Sect?
Mo Ning had no memory of Kong Ling’s childhood, and for some reason, Kong Ling didn’t remind her in time. She had to improvise, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
This answer was somewhat plausible, but Kong Songfeng then asked in more detail, “How would you take an eye for an eye?”
Mo Ning still hadn’t received any information from Kong Ling, and her small face turned red with frustration. She gritted her teeth and said, “If they dare to take my eye, I will slaughter their entire clan, devour their flesh, desecrate their graves, and grind their bones to dust!”
“You…” Kong Songfeng was dumbfounded.
Upon hearing this shocking statement, Kong Ling finally snapped back to reality. “It’s, it’s okay, Sister Mo Ning. It’s my fault. It was already asking too much for you to pretend to be me all along, and it was inevitable that you’d be exposed now. I’ll reveal myself and ask for forgiveness from Father and Mother!”
However, Mo Ning also said with a face full of shame, “No, I am the one who should apologize. In fact, as soon as I entered the Kong manor, I sensed something unusual. A strange aura kept disturbing my mind, making me unusually impulsive… but Kong Ling, believe me, it’s definitely not like that. You know, I’ve never eaten human flesh!”
The little demoness still thought the reason for the slip-up was that she mentioned ‘devouring flesh,’ unaware that her definition of the human idiom ‘an eye for an eye’ was completely misunderstood from the very beginning!
At this moment, whether it was Mo Ning, Kong Ling, or even Qin Gou, they all felt that this play of substituting one thing for another could no longer go on.
“Good!”
Just then, Kong Songfeng slammed the table and stood up, his expression excited, passionate, and fervent, “Ling’er’s previous personality was too gentle and weak. Your mother and I actually didn’t like you that way! Now you’ve finally grown, and you have this iron-blooded heart and strong will. This is my good girl!”
Upon hearing this, Mo Ning’s face lit up with joy. She quickly reported the good news to Kong Ling, “Don’t be sad anymore. Look, just like Master Qin said, it’s fine for me to handle the elders from the start! Now everyone is happy…” However, Mo Ning’s words were not finished.
“Waaah!”
Kong Ling had already burst into tears.
