"Eat a spoonful of rice pastry, will you?" Lv Xiuer scooped up a spoonful and made as if to feed Jun Jiuqi directly.
"Mother, I can eat by myself." Jun Jiuqi smiled helplessly, took a large bite from the spoon, and then gently relieved Lv Xiuer of the bowl.
A look of complete contentment bloomed on Lv Xiuer's face.
The family was wrapped in warmth and happiness, but the arrival of uninvited guests shattered this hard-earned peace.
"Third Master, still eating? It seems we've come at a rather inconvenient time."
A throng of estate guards poured unceremoniously into the courtyard. The head steward stepped forward with a slick, ingratiating smile, pulled out a gift box, and set it down right beside them.
The moment Jun Qingfeng caught sight of them, his expression darkened instantly.
"What brings you here?"
"Third Master, the family head asks for your return."
With a sharp *bang*, Jun Qingfeng slammed his bowl down hard upon the table. "I told you, I severed all ties with that family fifteen years ago. I am nothing more than a commoner now, far too humble to associate with the noble Jun Family of Liucheng. You've knocked on the wrong door."
The steward maintained his forced, mirthless smile. "Third Master, the family head has indulged your absence for fifteen years. Let me offer you a word of advice: do not push his patience too far. The only one who will suffer in the end is you."
Jun Qingfeng's voice dropped to a dangerous register. "Are you threatening me?"
"I wouldn't dare! It's simply that the family head issued strict orders today. If you persist in refusing to cooperate, we will have no choice but to escort you back by force."
With a flick of the steward's hand, over a dozen Rank One Warriors surged forward, boxing them in from all sides!
Lv Xiuer's knuckles turned white as she clenched her handkerchief, the color draining entirely from her face.
Jun Jiuqi reached out to clasp her mother's hand, her gaze sweeping coolly over the circle of Rank One Warriors.
"Third Master, even if you refuse to consider your own safety, surely you must think of your wife? And what of your two children? Do you truly intend for them to pay the price for your stubbornness?"
"Bastards!" Jun Qingfeng snapped, his fury exploding past the breaking point!
These despicable, shameless wretches—to think they would stoop to threatening Xiuer and Jiujiu!
Like an enraged bull, Jun Qingfeng charged straight ahead, driving a vicious, heavy fist squarely into the steward's face!
The steward crashed to the ground, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth as his eyes flashed with venomous malice. "Take them down! The family head gave the order—no need to hold back!"
Instantly, the courtyard erupted into the chaotic sounds of a brawl.
Jun Jiuqi had already guided her mother back to a safe corner, though Lv Xiuer remained a picture of pure anxiety.
"Don't be afraid, Jiujiu. Mother is here."
Looking at Lv Xiuer, who was trying desperately to shield her despite her own terror, Jun Jiuqi felt a rush of warmth flood her chest.
"Don't worry, Mother. Father can handle these men."
Jun Jiuqi squeezed Lv Xiuer's hand in reassurance.
Jun Qingfeng's strength was close to the Rank Two Realm, so dealing with these Rank One Warriors should have been child's play.
The real trouble, however... was the figure lurking in the shadows.
Jun Jiuqi's pitch-black eyes drifted casually toward the carriage parked outside the courtyard. That man possessed the strength of a Rank Two High Stage. If her father crossed swords with him, victory was far from certain.
Though Jun Qingfeng was fighting fiercely against the dozen Rank One Warriors, formidable though he was, two fists could ultimately never match four hands...
At that exact moment, the figure inside the carriage moved.
Like a fierce tiger descending from the mountains, the man shot forward in a blur, launching a direct, vicious sneak attack at Jun Qingfeng's unprotected back!
Everything happened far too quickly. By the time Jun Qingfeng realized someone was ambushing him from behind, it was already too late!
Yet a flash was even faster. A flying kick slammed ruthlessly into the attacker's chest!
*Bang!*
imbued with terrifying, overwhelming force, the Rank Two Warrior was sent hurtling backward through the air, crashing violently into the side of the carriage!
*Boom!*
The carriage shattered into splinters, collapsing into a heap of wreckage!
The courtyard plunged into an abrupt, absolute silence. Every combatant froze, turning stunned, disbelieving eyes toward the one who had struck the blow...
A child?!
A little girl had actually sent a Rank Two Warrior flying with a single kick?!
The steward stared in sheer disbelief. Slowly, laboriously, the battered Rank Two Warrior pulled himself up from the ruined timber, his eyes locked onto Jun Jiuqi with unconcealed horror and shock.
Jun Jiuqi's voice remained cold and detached. "No wonder you were acting so bold today. So you had a Rank Two Warrior backing you up."
Jun Qingfeng's expression shifted drastically. He swept forward to place himself protectively in front of his daughter, eyeing the newcomer outside the courtyard with extreme wariness.
***
The newcomer stepped slowly into the courtyard, casting a look of bewildered shock at Jun Jiuqi. "Little girl, step aside at once, or don't blame this old man for bullying a child!"
Jun Jiuqi folded her arms lazily, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "You still have the breath to make threats? It seems my kick was far too gentle."
Enraged, the man let out an explosive roar and charged straight at her like a wild beast!
Jun Qingfeng moved to intercept, but Jun Jiuqi was faster.
With a flicker of movement, she materialized directly in front of the rushing man and threw a punch!
*Bang!*
The collision of their momentum whipped up a violent gale of spiritual energy!
The man was driven staggering back several paces, a sharp pain radiating through the back of his hand.
Jun Jiuqi, on the other hand, merely slid back a single step before standing completely steady.
Recovering his balance swiftly, the man swallowed his shock and surged forward once more!
Jun Jiuqi's movements were like lightning. She dodged his ferocious strike with ease and delivered a devastating punch straight to his stomach!
"If you want to fight, take it outside. Don't ruin my mother's courtyard."
The man was sent flying backward once again. Jun Jiuqi planted her rear foot firmly and launched herself after him in an instant!
Moments later, loud concussive impacts echoed from outside the courtyard, accompanied by flashes of spiritual energy that kicked up dust, gravel, and shredded grass.
Jun Qingfeng watched anxiously. The steward sidled up to him quietly. "Third Master, that must be Miss Jiujiu, I presume? Who could have imagined she possessed such cultivation at her tender age?"
The words sent a cold jolt through Jun Qingfeng's heart, breeding a sudden, ominous premonition.
Outside, Jun Jiuqi was treating the man like a punching bag, quickly reducing him to a bruised, battered wreck of wandering consciousness.
Though Jun Jiuqi possessed the strength of a Rank Two Realm, the cultivation of the Empress of Tianxuan was far beyond that of any ordinary cultivator at that level.
With one final punch, she smashed the man's front teeth clean out, leaving the steward and his men gaping in utter astonishment.
Planting a straw-sandaled foot firmly on the man's chest, Jun Jiuqi ground her heel down. "Go back and tell your family head: if he wants my parents to return, he had better bring some genuine sincerity. Otherwise, every time I see you lot from now on, I'll beat you once."
The steward's face turned livid with rage at her utter arrogance.
Jun Jiuqi grinned, her expression chilling instantly. "Also, I detest being followed. Pull your watchers back immediately. Otherwise, I'll personally send them to see the King of Hell."
"You... how did you know?" The steward stammered in shock. How could this little girl possibly know they had left people to monitor the place?
Jun Jiuqi sneered. That amateurish tailing technique was far too pathetic to be paraded in front of her.
If she hadn't wanted to uncover their true intentions, would she have let these spies live this long?
If she had still harbored doubts before, she was certain now: the real reason the Jun Family was in such a frantic rush to bring her father back was... her.
Jun Qingfeng realized the truth in an instant, his expression darkening into a stormy scowl. "You're after Jiujiu?"
Realizing the ruse was completely up, the steward decided to drop all pretexts. "Miss Jiujiu carries the bloodline of the Jun Family. Naturally, once the family head learned of this, he could not allow her to remain lost outside. Third Master, at Miss Jiujiu's age, she should have begun her martial studies long ago. If you stubbornly refuse to return, you are only holding her back."
"If it weren't for Jiujiu's talent, would you people have condescended to visit this wretched little courtyard of mine? If I recall correctly, the tri-family realignment is coming up very soon, isn't it?"
There were three great noble houses in Liucheng: the Ji Family, the Tang Family, and the Jun Family. Every five years, a martial tournament was held to determine the ranking of the three clans.
It was a grand event in Liucheng, directly tied to the honor and interests of all three families, making them treat it with the utmost gravity.
However, only younger generation members under the age of twenty were permitted to participate. In recent years, the Jun Family had suffered from a dwindling pool of talented youths, which was why stumbling upon Jun Jiuqi had made them so desperate to reclaim her.
Jun Jiuqi understood the Jun Family's calculations perfectly. Having reigned as a supreme authority in her past life, she understood the ruthless power struggles of noble houses better than anyone.
"Since the Third Master understands, please don't make things difficult for us subordinates. We are merely following orders."
"Hmph! I will never allow my Jiujiu to become a tool for your power struggles! You can banish that thought from your minds! Go back and tell my so-called good eldest brother that if he expects me to return, he's dreaming in broad daylight!"
"Get out! Get out of here!"
Jun Qingfeng flew into a rage. The steward opened his mouth to retort, but catching sight of Jun Jiuqi's chilling gaze, he swallowed the words back down.
"I will report today's events truthfully to the family head. But allow me to offer the Third Master one final piece of advice: a wise man submits to circumstances. After all, the blood of the Jun Family flows in your veins; an arm cannot twist off a thigh. Wouldn't you agree?"
It was a blatant, unvarnished threat.
Jun Qingfeng ground his teeth in fury. Moments later, the group retreated. The beaten Rank Two Warrior cast one last lingering, profound look at Jun Jiuqi, cupped his fists in a salute, and departed as well.
Peace descended upon the courtyard once more.
"Jiujiu, come with me."
Father and daughter stepped into the house, and Jun Qingfeng gestured for her to sit. "When did you find out?"
Jun Jiuqi knew what her father was asking. "Three months ago, when they came to find you. I happened to overhear the conversation between you and them. As for the watchers in the shadows, I discovered them by chance. When I saw they weren't causing immediate harm to the household, I let them be while I figured out their purpose."
Looking at his daughter with complex emotions, Jun Qingfeng motioned for her to approach. "Jiujiu, come here. Come to Father."
Jun Jiuqi obediently walked over. Jun Qingfeng took her small hand and sighed heavily. "Since Jiujiu is so clever, you must have guessed why they are so insistent on dragging us back."
Jun Jiuqi nodded slightly.
"Fifteen years ago, I had a bitter falling out with my family. I insisted on marrying your mother, refusing the marriage arranged by the clan. In a fit of rage, your grandfather severely punished me, cursing me for unfilial defiance. Unwilling to let him manipulate my life or fail your mother, I stubbornly severed ties with the family and left with her. I have never set foot back in that household since."
Jun Jiuqi listened quietly, withholding any interruption.
Lost in memory, Jun Qingfeng continued, "Your grandfather is an obstinate man. Having ruled the Jun Family for decades, he is accustomed to issuing absolute commands and tolerates no disobedience. Back then, the relationship between father and son shattered completely... Jiujiu, through all these years, even in our darkest hours, I never once considered begging him for help."
Jun Qingfeng wrapped his calloused hand tenderly around hers. "But now, your mother and I have you. We can no longer afford to think only of ourselves."
Jun Jiuqi offered him a gentle smile. "Father, you needn't worry about me. Even without the Jun Family, I am fully capable of providing a good life for you and Mother."
Returning to the Jun Family would undoubtedly provide leverage to achieve her goals more quickly. Yet if it required sacrificing those around her to achieve an end, Jun Jiuqi disdained such a path.
Jun Qingfeng looked at her with a mixture of pride and heartache. His Jiujiu was not only intelligent but possessed transcendent talent. Yet precisely because of this, he could not bear to see her potential buried in obscurity.
With a solemn expression, he asked, "What are your thoughts on this, Jiujiu? Father wants to hear your opinion."
Jun Qingfeng had never treated Jun Jiuqi as an ordinary child, knowing well that she had a mind of her own. In a matter of this magnitude, he naturally wanted to hear her perspective.
Lowering her gaze, Jun Jiuqi replied in a steady, earnest tone, "Father, I think you should go back."
***
"Why?" Jun Qingfeng asked, completely bewildered.
"Father, you have been poisoned, haven't you?" Jun Jiuqi asked.
Jun Qingfeng started in alarm. "You... how could you possibly know?"
"Father knows I am no ordinary child. I haven't mentioned this before, but I am well-versed in medicine and skilled in alchemy and pharmacology. The moment you brought me in, I discovered the poison in your body. For all these years, you've relied on your spiritual energy to suppress the toxins, which has caused your cultivation to steadily regress. If the poison isn't purged now, you will not only lose your cultivation entirely, but your life will also be in grave danger."
Jun Jiuqi had already analyzed the affliction. The poison inside Jun Qingfeng targeted and paralyzed the nervous system. Given how long it had lingered in his system, complete eradication would not be easy. Furthermore, the medicinal herbs stored within her Void Cauldron were currently inaccessible; to gather the necessary ingredients for the antidote, she needed the resources of the Jun Family.
Jun Qingfeng had once been considered a prodigy of the Jun Family. If not for that immense talent, how could Old Master Jun have reacted with such explosive fury when he abandoned the clan?
Jun Jiuqi continued, "With the Jun Family's backing, I can gather the herbs much faster to detoxify you, supplemented by a set of golden needle acupuncture techniques. It might even allow your cultivation to return to its peak."
"Jiujiu, are you serious? This poison... it can truly be cured?! And my cultivation can be restored?" Jun Qingfeng's emotions flared instantly, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
Given the choice, naturally he did not wish to live as a cripple stripped of all power.
As long as the poison was cleared, he was confident he could recover his peak strength—and then, no petty steward from the Jun Family would ever dare to march onto his doorstep so brazenly again.
His family would no longer have to live life treading on thin ice.
"Your daughter is ninety percent certain."
In truth, once the ingredients were gathered, this level of poison was trivial to Jun Jiuqi; she merely had a habit of never speaking with absolute arrogance.
As a former Empress who held life and death in the palm of her hand, medicine and poison were mere parlor tricks to her, things she had never displayed in public, treating them merely as casual pastimes.
Moreover, within her Void Cauldron lay a patch of primordial divine soil, specifically suited for cultivating precious spiritual herbs. Unfortunately, her current strength was still too low, leaving many sectors of the Void Cauldron sealed and inaccessible.
Otherwise, she wouldn't need to go through such trouble—a single pill from her hands could easily cleanse Jun Qingfeng's system.
Jun Jiuqi was also well aware of her father's lingering heartache. In the Tianxuan Continent, strength was everything, and as the third young master of the Jun Family, he had his own pride. That much was evident from his preference to suffer thirteen years of agony rather than bow his head to ask the Jun Family for help.
"Father, you were destined to return sooner or later. And right now... the timing is simply perfect."
Returning at the moment the Jun Family needed them most meant the Jun Family would be the ones begging *them*, placing her family firmly in the position of power.
A flash of inner struggle crossed Jun Qingfeng's eyes. A moment later, he bit his tooth down in a firm resolution. "Very well, we'll go back! I've run away for more than a decade; it's time to face them again."
He would no longer run. Those who had harmed him and poisoned him—this time, when he returned, he would settle every single score!
***
Returning to her chamber, Jun Jiuqi sank her consciousness deep into the Void Cauldron within her sea of awareness.
Before her lay dense, billowing fog. As the mist parted, she found herself seated upon a grand imperial throne constructed entirely of piled skeletal remains.
She tossed a handful of first-tier beast cores hunted today into the box before her. Inside, dozens upon dozens of beast cores had accumulated—mostly first and second-tier, with a sprinkling of third-tier cores among them.
After so much hard work, she had finally gathered enough.
Jun Jiuqi formed a series of hand incantations in a rapid blur. Accompanied by a chorus of complex, echoing chants, a beam of golden light descended from the heavens, completely enveloping and absorbing the cache of cores.
In the blink of an eye, the beast cores vanished. A wave of surging energy accompanied by the lingering primordial pressure of sea beasts spread outward throughout the Void Cauldron.
Then, nine colossal stone pillars manifested before her, each carved with the majestic likeness of a mythical divine beast.
They were awe-inspiring, soaring through clouds and mist.
Some snarled with ferocious fangs, some roared to the heavens, others let out silent bellows of wrath.
Only the first pillar stood entirely empty.
Chiyun materialized out of nowhere. Bathed in the radiant light, he transformed into a massive beast with the head of an ox and the tail of a Qilin. His vertical pupils gleamed golden, devoid of childish clarity, radiating instead a terrifying, icy ruthlessness.
A ring of blood-red mane encircled the great beast's neck. As it let out a roar, a tyrannical pressure rippled through the empty void.
Jun Jiuqi traced an inscription in empty air, causing the first stone pillar to blaze with brilliant light as a spectral gateway slowly ground open.
Her eyes brightened. Her body dissolved into a streak of light, plunging through the gate in an instant.
The next moment, she materialized inside a vast chamber.
The room was stacked high with countless magical artifacts—thousands of them. Any single one of these items, if carried out into the mortal world, would be enough to spark bloody wars of greed.
These were collections gathered from her past life, alongside creations forged by her own hands.
Jun Jiuqi swept her gaze across the room with a flick of her consciousness. Not far away, an object came hurtling through the air toward her.
It was a palm-sized bronze furnace, exquisitely crafted with miniature bells hanging from its four cardinal directions—North, South, East, and West. As it moved, it chimed with crisp, clear tones. Sensing her summons, the ringing grew rapidly more urgent.
The Four Directions Bronze Furnace.
This was a divine cauldron Jun Jiuqi had forged using Black Sea Mysterious Gold ore retrieved from ten thousand meters beneath the ocean, tempered for thirty-nine days using the flames of a divine dragon.
The furnace resonated with her very lifeblood and soul. A single thought was enough to perfectly balance flame temperatures, integrate medicinal ingredients, and yield completed pills.
Presently, her cultivation was merely at the Rank Two Realm; the power she could exert to control the furnace was limited, and she could not yet handle spirit treasures of exceedingly high grade. But concocting a simple detoxifying pill was a trivial task.
This Four Directions Bronze Furnace had remained sealed within the Nine Dragon Stone Pillars. Previously, her residual strength had only been enough to awaken Chiyun, leaving the treasure chambers locked tight.
Fortunately, over the past year, through relentless cultivation and hunting beast cores, she had finally accumulated sufficient energy to crack the seals.
This Void Cauldron, also known as the Great Void, had existed ever since Jun Jiuqi was born.
In her past life, she had only managed to awaken three divine beasts, alongside the Treasure Chamber, the Meditation Chamber, and the Spirit Herb Garden.
The Treasure Chamber functioned as a storage space—a boundless dimension capable of holding all manner of objects, with the sole exception of living creatures.
The Meditation Chamber served as her daily sanctuary for cultivation and introspection. The flow of time inside was slower than the outside world, granting twice the results for half the effort during meditation.
The Spirit Herb Garden was naturally where she cultivated medicinal herbs, spiritual ingredients, and mystic grains. The power of the primordial soil could nurture all living things, bringing forth new vitality and multiplying yields—a peerless treasure hard to come by anywhere else.
She had stumbled upon this patch of soil by chance inside the cavern lair of an ancient fierce beast she had slain long ago. After years of cultivation, she possessed only a dozen patches or so—barely enough to make do.
"Jiujiu, Jiujiu! Look, look! I've finally recovered my true form!"
Chiyun charged in eagerly, completely forgetting his massive size until his enormous head wedged firmly into the doorway!
Chiyun stuck out his tongue, his face turning bright red as he flailed his gigantic body in a clumsy panic, retaining none of his previous majestic aura.
Jun Jiuqi couldn't bear to watch. With a sweep of her spiritual energy, she sent a wave rushing forward. With a soft *poof*, Chiyun's colossal body deflated like a leaky balloon, rapidly shrinking until he resumed the appearance of a small toddler.
Chiyun trotted over on his chubby short legs, puffing out his cheeks in annoyance. "Jiujiu, I wanted to play a little longer! Why did you force me back?"
Jun Jiuqi reached out to stroke the small horn atop his head. "Your power has only recovered by thirty percent. Maintaining your true form for too long is bad for your body."
***
The chubby toddler puffed out his cheeks even further, looking remarkably like a pufferfish.
Jun Jiuqi chuckled. "Once I find more high-tier beast cores for you later and your power recovers to seventy or eighty percent, you can play in your true form as much as you like. But not right now. Be a good boy."
Chiyun was an ancient divine beast—a Qiongqi—and the companion who had stayed by Jun Jiuqi's side the longest.
Despite being thousands of years old, in terms of human maturity, Chiyun was still just a baby.
Thus, Jun Jiuqi pampered him deeply, much like a mother raising her own child.
It wasn't until three months after her rebirth that Chiyun's primordial spirit had gradually stabilized, allowing him to manifest briefly in human form.
Six months later, he had gained the ability to maintain a human child's appearance permanently.
And now, after a full year of hard work, she had finally gathered enough energy—derived from beast cores—to let Chiyun truly recover his original form.
Her Void Cauldron grew stronger by devouring beast cores, spirit beasts, and supreme treasures of pure essence.
To put it simply, the Void Cauldron was an embryonic seed of chaos, formed from the condensed essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon.