"My father is here?"
Hearing her father's name, Chu Lingwei's heart was filled with joy. She was finally going to see him.
"Yes, Daoist Chu is waiting for you in the front hall." The butler respectfully took a step back, gesturing for Chu Lingwei to follow him.
"Please lead the way." Chu Lingwei was a little impatient. She had many questions to ask her father.
Chu Lingwei followed the butler hastily to the front hall. As she walked through the grand entrance, she saw a familiar face standing in the center of the hall, looking at her with kind, loving eyes.
"Weiwei."
"Father."
Chu Lingwei stepped forward and bowed to Chu Ze, "Father, your daughter has finally found you."
Chu Ze reached out to stroke Chu Lingwei's hair, his eyes filled with both relief and guilt. "Weiwei, it's all father's fault that you've suffered so much."
"Father, I did this willingly." Chu Lingwei shook her head. Even without their subtle guidance, she felt she would have taken this path.
In the cultivation world, it was a constant pursuit of increasing one's strength.
"Weiwei, you haven't disappointed your father." Chu Ze watched his daughter grow step by step. Her current achievements made him, as a father, feel proud.
"Father, why have you come here?"
Chu Lingwei looked at her father. This place, on the surface, was the Long family estate, but in reality, it was the Phoenix clan. Her father's presence here must mean he knew about her and her mother's identities.
Chu Ze did not answer, smiling enigmatically.
"Father, why don't you come to my courtyard and rest?" Chu Lingwei suggested. This was the front hall of the Phoenix clan, and their every move was being watched by Phoenix clan cultivators. It was inconvenient to talk here.
"Alright."
Chu Ze had been suppressing his true emotions. Upon arriving at his beloved's family's domain, his entire being struggled to remain calm.
Chu Lingwei led Chu Ze back to her courtyard and set up several layers of barriers, preventing anyone from outside from seeing or hearing what was within.
"Father, I've seen mother."
Chu Lingwei spoke directly. She believed her father had come here for her mother.
"Really?" Hearing the word "mother," Chu Ze could no longer control his excitement. He tightly grasped Chu Lingwei's shoulders. "Where… where is your mother now?"
Chu Ze had searched for years and finally, the day before yesterday, learned that Xiu Shui Zhi Bin was where Qing Qing had last disappeared.
When he rushed there, he learned that the Dragon family patriarch had brought Chu Lingwei back to the Dragon family, which was why he had hurried over.
"She is well." Chu Lingwei dared not joke about her mother and the Phoenix clan. She couldn't guarantee there weren't spies from other sects here. "Father, don't worry, your daughter will let you see mother soon."
"Really?" Hearing this, Chu Ze relaxed his whole body and sat down in a chair. "Your mother left only a few cryptic words after giving birth to you and then departed. Since then, there has been no news, no trace of her."
Chu Ze closed his eyes. It was the thought of them, mother and daughter, that had sustained him during the long period of torment when he was imprisoned by Chu Chang.
"Father, my mother had her reasons," Chu Lingwei said, attempting to comfort him.
Chu Ze gave a wry smile. He knew, of course. In the past few years, he had been investigating his lover's identity and had uncovered some information.
Now that he was here, his suspicions were confirmed.
"Weiwei, when do you plan to return to the Cultivation Academy?" Chu Ze, relieved to know his lover was safe, changed the subject. This was not a place for Weiwei to stay.
"Father, I only left the Cultivation Academy not long ago." Chu Lingwei's face darkened. She had just rescued the Phoenix clan cultivators from Xiu Shui Zhi Bin, and now they wanted her to return to the academy? This would not do.
"Weiwei, you must return soon," Chu Ze said sternly. "This is not where you should be."
"Father, do you know something?"
Chu Lingwei countered. Her father had been the sect master of the Xuan Xin Sect, and he knew many secrets about various sects. The Xuan Xin Sect must have records about the Phoenix clan, otherwise, her father wouldn't have been able to find this place in just a few years.
Chu Ze did not answer. He stood up and walked to the door. "Weiwei, I'm going to see the Dragon family patriarch."
Chu Lingwei: "..."
Just then, the barrier Chu Lingwei had set up was opened from the outside. Lan Xingning and Lan Xingyi stood outside the barrier, both looking at Chu Ze with complex expressions.
Chu Lingwei couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for her father. This must be the first time her father had faced his two brothers-in-law directly. It was unlikely to be a harmonious meeting.
"Sect Master Chu, you grace us with your presence." Lan Xingning's indifferent voice rang out.
Chu Lingwei's lips twitched. Her eldest uncle was truly sharp-tongued, his first words striking a nerve.
"Patriarch Long, forgive my intrusion. I hope you will pardon my abruptness." Chu Ze stepped forward and gave Lan Xingning a slight bow.
"Sect Master Chu, let us speak privately." Lan Xingning gave a soft hum of assent, turned, and walked away.
Chu Ze gave his daughter a reassuring look and strode after Lan Xingning, with Lan Xingyi following.
Chu Lingwei watched their retreating figures, feeling displeased. They were clearly keeping something from her.
"Daoist Chu."
Long Ziqian approached Chu Lingwei, following her gaze. "Grandfather has left?"
"Why are you here?" Chu Lingwei withdrew her gaze and turned to go back into the courtyard.
"I've come to deliver spirit stones to Daoist Chu." Long Ziqian quickly took out a storage bag from his robe and handed it to Chu Lingwei. "Thank you, Daoist Chu, for the medicine."
Chu Lingwei took the storage bag. Inside were five thousand mid-grade spirit stones. She thought to herself, it seemed the Long family was not short of money.
"Thank you."
Chu Lingwei put away the storage bag and sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard, feeling a bit dejected. In front of her father and the others, she was just a child.
"Daoist Chu, you seem unhappy?"
Long Ziqian did not leave, but instead took a step closer.
"Yes, do you have any way to make me happy?"
Chu Lingwei's expression was blank. While she was the junior in front of her father, there was someone even younger standing before her now, so she could act as the elder.
Long Ziqian smiled. "Daoist Chu, this is your first time in Lingzhou. You probably don't know much about it. We have many interesting things in Lingzhou."
"Such as?" Chu Lingwei's interest was low.
"For example, there is a mirror here that is favored by demon beasts." Long Ziqian's eyes twinkled with a knowing smile.
Chu Lingwei raised an eyebrow, a sliver of interest piqued. What kind of mirror would be favored by both demons and spirit beasts?
"It's said to be a mirror, but in reality, it's a standing lake," Long Ziqian said, a hint of mystery in his expression. "If a demon or spirit beast stands within it, not only will their cultivation greatly increase, but it can also reveal their true form."
"A standing lake?"
Chu Lingwei's interest was genuinely piqued.
"Yes, it is located within the Jingliang Forest, a hundred miles from here," Long Ziqian replied.