Insufficient balance

  Ziyan was startled by my painful expression and hurriedly explained: "No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I just said that you guys sleep together at night (in a low voice), with deep feelings for each other, how can you not be intimate? I really didn't mean anything else."

  After hearing her words, I felt much better in my heart, sighed and said: "I'm just recovering from injury, what can I do? Moreover, I really don't dare to get close to you now, I'm afraid you'll think about that again, I..." Just as I said this, my mouth was covered by Zixue's warm and soft lips. All my worries were dissolved by her gentle kiss.

  Her lips parted, and Zi Xue breathed softly, saying: "Ah Xiang, we really have forgiven you. Don't think about it anymore, okay? Although you did something wrong back then, people will always make mistakes, and you were just worried about your sister and lost control for a moment. Don't let it leave a shadow in your heart, trust us, okay?" As she spoke, she leaned into my broad chest.

  I reached out and pulled Ziyan over as well, the three of us filled with a deep affection, everything was understood without needing to be said. I really wished that time would just stand still like this forever, letting us stay in this wonderful feeling forever.

  The door suddenly opened, scaring us to quickly separate. Feng asked with a probing head and a teasing tone: "Ah, I'm really sorry, disturbing your good thing, otherwise, I'll come back later."

  Ziyan and Zixue's heads hung in shame, I laughed and scolded: "Get in here, you've already disturbed us."

  Feng asked with a smile and walked in, followed by Kailin behind him.

  Seeing Kailin, I retorted: "You're quite something, aren't you? You've managed to win Miss Kailin's heart in just a few days."

  Ke Lin's face turned slightly red as she said, "You're injured, how can you still be so......"

  Feng Wen's face also turned red, and he changed the subject: "Lei Xiang, my injuries are almost healed. How about you?"

  I smiled at him and said, "We're the same, with the nourishment of love, how can we not be happy?"

  Feng Qing nodded lightly and said, "You're really something, you've even secretly won over Zi Yan. You've taken two of the academy's beauties at once, what are your brothers supposed to do?"

  Kailin kicked him from behind and said with a blush: "I'll go first. I'm about to die of embarrassment being with you guys."

  "Haha, you're dead if you don't get used to the way we brothers talk. Feng Wen will fight with me to the death."

  Kai Lin glared at Feng Wen and stuck out her tongue at me, then turned around and ran away. When she reached the door, she turned back to Feng Wen and said, "Wait for a while, I'll come find you." After that, she blushed and rushed out.

  Ziyan said with a sigh of resentment: "Axiang, why did you scare away someone's girlfriend?"

  I laughed and said: "It's not a gas run, but a shameful run. Who let the wind blow our good things? It's just right to take revenge on him."

  Feng asked with a bitter smile: "Unfair. I didn't see anything."

  His attempt to cover up only made Ziyuan and Zixue blush even more, and they lowered their heads again. However, they didn't want to leave me now, they just remained silent.

  Feng asked: "Lei Xiang, since you're better now, we should head back to the academy. The other two academies left yesterday and the vice principal asked me to ask you when you can set off."

  As he said that, the smile on my face suddenly disappeared. I sighed and said: "Fengwen, I know that brothers care about me, but now I still can't go back, there are many things waiting for me to do." Alas... How can I bear to leave Ziyan and Zixue? However, the Beast Emperor's task is not yet complete, and I must also go to the Demon Clan to find Mo Yue and resolve the matter between us. These are all necessary things to do.

  Feng was taken aback, saying: "What? You're not going back to Tiandu? How can that be? The deputy dean will not let you pass, you don't know, this time you represented Tiandu in the battle and brought such great honor to the college, he has high expectations of you. If you don't go back, he won't agree."

  I thought to myself, what can he do if he doesn't agree? Can he stop me from sneaking away? I smiled slightly and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this for now. Anyway, I won't be able to leave even if I want to. You should focus on your training, don't forget that when the opportunity arises, we'll have another match."

  Feng asked with a smile: "I'm still afraid you won't make it, waiting respectfully at any time, I'm just afraid you don't dare to fight me. I'll go find her first, we've just started, and it's better to take the initiative." As he spoke, his face revealed a happy expression.

  "You this lecherous fellow, get out of here!"

  The wind asked with a smile and didn't refute, turned his head and ran away.

  Feng Xiang left, and Ziyuan sisters just came back to their senses. Ziyuan said somewhat desolately: "Are you really going to leave?"

  I hugged them to my side again, although the broken bones had been connected, but with a slight force, it still hurt. I frowned and said softly: "You should know that I have to go, I still have many things to do. We agreed on three years at first, didn't we? Within two years, I will definitely come back to find you, and then I will never be separated from you again, okay?"

  Zi Xue said: "Then how do you want to handle Mo Yue's matter."

  I kissed her forehead and said, "Don't worry, I promise you, no matter what the outcome is with Mo Yue, I will definitely come back to see you safely, don't worry."

  Zixue nodded with her eyes red, saying: "You have to remember what you said, my sister and I have discussed it, if Princess Mo Yue doesn't mind us, then you can take her in too. You've done something so excessive, at least give her a name."

  Her words moved me deeply, and for Mo Yue, I only had two choices: one was to exchange my life for hers, and the other was to win her heart and make her mine. Since I promised Zi Yan that I would come back alive, there was only one way left - to execute the second method. Zi Xue's words dispelled my concerns.

  "I said with deep feeling: 'Thank you. I will try my best to get her forgiveness, and if it's really not possible, I will think of a way to make it up to her.'"

  Ziyan sat up straight and said: "You haven't answered the question I asked you just now, hurry up and say it. Otherwise, we won't let you leave."

  I thought they had forgotten, but it seems I couldn't avoid it after all. However, those things must be made known to them; otherwise, they will blame me later on.

  I sighed and said, "Okay, since you all want to know so badly, I'll tell you, but you'd better be mentally prepared."

  "Are you really going to have another new love? I won't let it happen, I..."

  I pecked her small mouth lightly and said, "Don't you have any faith in me? I've already regretted making a mistake once, how can I do it again? It's not my fault, it's your father's."

  "Father." exclaimed Ziyan and Zixue simultaneously.

  I nodded.

  Ziyan said: "Dad, is there something you know more clearly than we do? Is it related to that Lingling you mentioned?"

  I nodded and said, "You're right, don't interrupt. Let me tell you a story about your father. Decades ago, your father, the Duke, was also a student at Tiandu Academy. Due to his poor family background since childhood, he developed an unyielding determination to succeed. He worked hard and made progress... I retold the story that the Duke had once told me in my own way, "...Miss Lingling disappeared, and the Duke was heartbroken. He secretly went to the Beastman's place several times to look for her but to no avail. After a period of time, he gradually came out of his sorrow. Having lost the woman he loved most, he could only move on to another goal. So, he agreed to your great-grandfather's request and married into the Purple Family, rising through the ranks until he reached his current position."

  After hearing this story, Ziyuan was shocked and couldn't close her mouth, while Zixue was moved to tears by the story of her father and Lingling.

  "Father is so pitiful, it turns out that he had such a deeply hidden story in his heart all along."

  Ziyan's mind turned quickly, and she immediately realized the problem. "So, that means Father and Mother got together for political purposes, doesn't it? Didn't Mother become a sacrifice to politics then? No wonder, no wonder I always felt there was a barrier between Father and Mother, turns out the key issue is here, they didn't get together because of love."

  I sighed and said, "Unfortunately, that's probably true. It was unfair to your mother, but your father and Lingling didn't have it easy either. When I first came from the Beastman Country to Longshen and infiltrated Tiandu College, I fell in love with Zixue. Do you remember when I first visited your home? The Duke had many suspicions about me at first, but when he saw the token Lingling gave him, his whole demeanor changed. Although it's been a long time since then, your father never erased that feeling from his heart."

  Zixue looked at me with a puzzled expression and said: "How did you know that Lingling? What's her situation now?"

  Ziyan said: "At first you told me to tell father to go to the Beastmen's Ruiqin Wangfu to find Lingling, what's going on?"

  I kissed each of them on the cheek, and a strong sense of longing for my mother welled up in my heart. My eyes were slightly dazed as I said, "You two should be the first to know this secret, not even the Duke knows about my true relationship with Lingling. Now, I'm telling you that the poor girl who was mutually in love with your father is actually my biological mother."

  "What?" The sudden shock temporarily deprived them of their ability to think.

  "That's right, the poor Dragon God Princess Lingling is my mother. My mother suffered too much in her life, and during the battle between the Dragon God and the Beast tribe, she was unfortunately captured by the first warrior of the Beast tribe, Bimon King Leio, who raped her and took her as his concubine. And I am their son. It's because I saw my mother's suffering that I made up my mind to take responsibility for Mokugetsu. I absolutely cannot let my mother's tragedy repeat itself. Because of my identity, I didn't tell the Duke about this. My mother has always loved him deeply. The first time I came to Ryujin, my mother entrusted me with her token and asked me to hand it over to the Duke, telling him to forget about Lingling. It wasn't until I gained power among the Beast tribe that I took her out of Bimon King's mansion. I know this is unfair to your mother, but my mother suffered so much, and I really couldn't bear to see her like that anymore."

  Ziyan gradually came back to her senses and said: "Then what are you going to do?"

  She gently kissed her face and said softly, "I want to bring my mother back to Longshen. She has always been thinking about coming back, and so many years have passed. The Duke and Mother are both old, let them see each other. However, you can rest assured that Mother will not affect your mother's. Originally, Mother said that even if she returned to Longshen, she would never meet with the Duke, but just wanted to take a peek at him in secret and be satisfied. But as children, how could we let them suffer for a lifetime? I want to find a small courtyard in the imperial capital to settle my mother down, as long as the Duke occasionally goes to see her, that's enough. What do you think? I really want to make this happen."

  Ziyan and Zixue fell silent, unable to speak. After all, one was the mother of her loved one, and the other was her own mother, which really put them in a difficult position.

  After a long while, Zi Yan sighed and said: "It can only be like this, as long as Aunt doesn't make things too difficult for my mother, I understand the feelings between Father and Aunt."

  Zi Xue said: "I also agree, if Father had really gotten along with Auntie in the first place, then we wouldn't be here either. Let's just let them be."

  I tightly hugged them into my arms, with red eyes saying: "Thank you, thank you for understanding me, I'm really too happy."

  Ziyan spoke in a soft voice: "Then when are you planning to pick up Aunt back? Why would Aunt be at the Ruiqin Prince's estate?"

  I smiled slightly and said: "When I come back to find you, I will bring my mother together, and that Ruiqin Wangfu is precisely not my humble abode."

  Zixue struggled out of my arms and exclaimed: "Your mansion, you are the wise king of the Beastman tribe."

  "What? Can't I? Let me tell you, the Beast Emperor has taken a liking to me and adopted me as his son, and also appointed me as the King of Wisdom and Commander-in-Chief of all beastmen. Your husband is quite impressive, isn't he? The tens of millions of beastmen are now completely under my control. However, don't worry, the beastmen are currently developing on their own and will absolutely not go to war with the Dragon God. I promised Mother that for the rest of my life, I would never lead an army to invade even a single blade of grass or tree in the Dragon God's territory. When the time comes, I'll quietly bring Mother back, resign from my position, and we can be together forever. Then, I'll take you all to find a secluded place to live in seclusion, have many children, how about that?"

  Zi Xue pouted and said: "Who wants to give birth to a big bunch of girls for you? Do you think we're pigs?"

  I chuckled and said, "How could that be? Even if you were pigs, you would still be the most beautiful and lovely little pigs. Ah yo." Upon hearing me tease them, the Purple Snow sisters suddenly launched an attack on me, with their target being my armpits.

  "Aer... I was wrong...... Spare my life, noble mages."

  …………

  A few days later, when everyone in the academy set foot on their journey home, I parted ways with them. Although the vice president repeatedly tried to persuade me to stay, I was determined to leave and had Ziyan and Zixue speak on my behalf. Before we parted ways, I reminded Ziyan and the others to take care of themselves and not to tell the duke about my relationship with my mother. I also promised them once again that I would definitely return within two years to reunite with them.

  Biting back the pain in my heart, I headed towards Mount White Smoke. The wound on my meridian had fully recovered, thanks to my robust body and astonishing recovery ability. My severed arm was also healing well, except for not being able to exert too much force, it didn't have much of an impact. I had to go take care of the task entrusted by the Beast Emperor, even if it was just a glance. After all, the Beast Emperor had been kind to me, and this was my responsibility.

  Just as I was heading towards White Smoke Mountain, Panzong also ended his closed-door meditation.

  …………

  Beastmen Kingdom Ruiqin Wangfu.

  Pan Zong, who had just finished his closed-door training, ran to the room where Jin and Yin were in closed-door training and knocked on the door vigorously. "Second brother, I've come out of my training, you guys should come out too." If it weren't for this being the home of his sworn brothers, he probably would have burst in long ago.

  Half a day later, the door finally opened and Jin and Yin walked out. Jin said: "Boss, you're out of seclusion, how's your cultivation? Have you broken through to the Absolute Ground?"

  Pan Zong puffed out his chest and said proudly: "Of course, with your brother's skills, how could I be any worse?"

  Jin and Yin looked at Pan Zong up and down, and indeed, compared to before, there was an additional air of a monarch's overbearingness on Pan Zong's body, obviously his power had greatly increased.

  Yin Bu Xi said: "Isn't it just the Absolute Boundary realm? What's so special, I'm afraid you still can't beat Old Fourth. Why wake us up in such a hurry?"

  Pan Zong's eyes narrowed, unaware that I had already cultivated the Tianmo Decree to the seventh level and could perform a four-wing transformation. "Why can't I beat Old Fourth? Even if you two join forces now, it's unlikely you'll be my match. Hmph, don't believe me? Let's try it out right now."

  A sly smile, "We wouldn't dare to try with you, if you have the ability, go find Lao Si to try. I ask you, can you beat that four-winged guy (Furukawa) from back then?"

  Pan Zong's nine snake heads coiled together, and after a while, he said, "I'm afraid it won't work out. That guy's power is too strong."

  Yin Dao: "That's it, isn't it? Old Fourth can also transform into four wings now, you can't beat him either, can you?"

  " What? Old Fourth has actually cultivated into a Four-Winged Fallen Angel. You're not kidding me, are you?"

  Yin Xiao said, "I'm telling you this is what Old Fourth personally told me. If not, how could we have closed the door? Don't believe me? Let's go find him right now and you can compare with him to see who's better."

  "Alright, let's go to Longshen now. I'll find Lao Si and see if he's as formidable as that guy from the other day."

  "Going to Longshen? What for?"

  Pan Zong also nodded and said, "You guys don't know either, just now, after I left the pass, I went to look for Lao Si, but Auntie said he had already gone to Long Shen to do some task, and also said let us wait honestly at home for him. This Lao Si is too unreasonable, going out to play without even calling us, I came to find you guys just to ask you to go with me to Long Shen to look for him."

  Yin Nu said, "Well, well, well! Old Fourth has actually sneaked away alone. Alright, let's go. We'll catch up with him after finding him at Longshen and then deal with him. Even if he's become powerful, he should still listen to his sister's words!"

  After finishing speaking, Pan Zong and Jin Yin hastily walked to the front courtyard. Their mother was chatting with Bai Jian, and upon seeing them all come out, she smiled and said: "You've all come out, how's your cultivation going?"

  Yin Dao: "Auntie, I heard from Eldest Brother that Lei Xiang went to Long Shen. Such a fun thing, why didn't he wait for us to go together?"

  "Xiang'er said it's not convenient for you to go, your appearance is hard to conceal, and his task is urgent, so he didn't scold you. When he left, he asked me to take care of you and not let you find him. You just came out of seclusion, rest well for now, later mother will cook something delicious for you."

  Although the mother's culinary skills had a strong appeal to them, their longing for the Dragon God took precedence. Jin Dao said: "Auntie, it's too dangerous for Lei Xiang to go there alone, we'd better go and help him out. Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble when we're over there, and we'll definitely bring Lei Xiang back to you quickly."

  "Mother smiled and said: 'I knew you wouldn't listen to me, but Xiao Er's concerns are right. With your current appearance, even if you want to enter the Dragon God Temple, I'm afraid you won't be able to get past the gates of Struwu Fortress.'"

  With a sly smile, he said, "Let me show you the result of my seclusion." As he spoke, his nine heads murmured incantations in unison, slowly entwining together. In an instant, they merged into one head, and gradually, the scales on his head disappeared, revealing a face identical to mine.

  Not only were Mother and Bai Jian surprised, but even Jin and Yin were startled. Jin said: "Older brother, what kind of kung fu is this?"

  He transformed into my appearance and sneered: "You don't know this, do you? After our Nine-Headed Snake Clan reaches the Absolute Boundary realm, we can change our nine heads at will. How's that, impressive, right? Now, I can go to the Dragon God, you two big heads can't change, just stay here and watch the house, I'll go have fun by myself."

  Jin and Yin hastily grabbed him, Jin Piao smiled and said: "Big brother, take us with you, at worst we'll cover our heads with a cloak, not speak on the road, and lean in close, it's okay, right?"

  Jin called out "Big Brother" and Panzong, pleased with himself, shook his head and said: "How can that be? I'm more comfortable on my own, it saves you guys from always trying to keep up with me. Unless..."

  "What else?" Jin asked hastily.

  Pan Zong smiled and looked at Yin.

  Jin warned: "What are you going to do? Xiang is my wife, don't have any ideas about her."

  Pan Zong burst out laughing and said, "What are you thinking? You two are a perfect match, I couldn't possibly have any designs on her. What I mean is, let her also call me 'big brother', and I'll reluctantly take you both with me. Moreover, on the way, you're not allowed to argue with me again, everything must be done my way, agreed?"

  Jīn and Yín exchanged a few words in their hearts, then Yín lowered his head and called out softly: "Big brother."

  "This big brother called out with great satisfaction, saying: 'Good brothers and sisters, let's set off on our journey.'"

  The mother looked at them helplessly, knowing she couldn't stop them, and said: "Be careful on the road when you go. It's best to go to the Imperial Palace first and ask the Beast Emperor for a map of the Dragon God's territory, then ask clearly where Lei Xiang went, and then set off."

  "Got it." Two figures flashed out like lightning.

  …………

  Although leaving Ziyan and Zixue makes me feel lost, it also feels incredibly liberating. I've finally resolved the difficult problem that's been stuck in my heart, and now I can wholeheartedly focus on completing the Beast Emperor's task. Baishan Mountain, where I once closed myself off to cultivate and break through to the Two-Winged Fallen Angel realm - who knows if it will bring me some surprises this time around?

  I calculated that if I relied solely on my feet to rush, it would take about 7 or 8 days to arrive. With the mysterious energy of the Hu Xing Jing, I am no longer afraid of the invasion of the death breath, so I decided to transform and fly.

  After a night of flying, I had covered more than half the distance. At dawn, I found a secluded spot and quietly descended, transforming back into my original form. The mustard seed bag is indeed a treasure, with it, I no longer need any other luggage, everything can be stored inside. However, I discovered that putting Mo Ming in the mustard seed bag would consume a lot of my energy, making it impossible for me to sustain long-distance flight. So, I had to put it back on my back again.

  Although energy has not decreased, I am still a bit tired, so find a place to have a good meal and sleep, and rush at night.

  There are no big towns around, and when I just landed, I saw a village not far away.

  Approaching the village, it's not an exaggeration to call it a small village. This simple village is surrounded by a simple fence, with only about a dozen or so households inside. The surrounding scenery is quite good, with trees standing tall, green grass covering the ground, and all sorts of plants everywhere. Occasionally, the clear calls of birds can be heard, making people feel carefree and relaxed.

  As soon as I entered the village, a thick voice shouted: "What kind of person are you and what brings you here?" I turned my head to look, and a burly man like an iron tower appeared beside me. He was over 2.2 meters tall, with his upper body exposed, and his entire body was made up of muscles as solid as granite. In the human world, I am already considered very strong, but standing next to him, I was actually dwarfed. Just now, because he was bent over repairing the fence, that's why I didn't see him.

  "I politely said: 'Hello, I'm just passing by and looking for a place to rest for a day. I'll be leaving tomorrow.'"

  The big Han looked at me with a puzzled expression and said: "Sorry, our village does not welcome outsiders, please leave."

  Aren't humans supposed to be very hospitable? Why did he refuse me, but after all, this is someone else's place, I couldn't force my way in. "Can you tell me if there are any other villages or towns around here?"

  The big man replied coldly: "I don't know." After finishing speaking, he continued to repair his fence.

  This guy is simply a stubborn mule, and I'm not exactly in a good temper myself. After being provoked by him for two sentences, I couldn't help but get angry and said: "I'm just a passerby, can't I just stay conveniently? I'll only be staying for one day, I can give you more money."

  After hearing my words, the big Han suddenly became furious and roared: "Is it that you think you're invincible just because you have money? I despise your kind of people who use money to bully others the most. Well, if you want to stay here, as long as you can pass through me, I'll let you stay for free, not a single penny will be charged. If you can't, get out of here early!" As he spoke, he took a big step forward and blocked my way.

  I'd like to see who's afraid of taking action, looking at his silly expression, I'm both angry and amused. Since he wants to compete, I'll just let him have it. "Alright, remember what you said."

  I stretched out my left hand, exerting a bit of force, and tentatively pushed him. With my body being stronger than average, I was born with boundless strength, even without using internal energy, it's not something an ordinary person could withstand. The big man steadied his horse, but this push of mine had no effect on him. He sneered and said, "You're overestimating yourself."

  I added another three tenths of strength, but the big man still didn't budge. If what I did earlier was just a probe, then with this five-tenths strength, I should be able to push over a 400-kilogram bull or more. It seems that he really does have some brute strength. My power is increasing bit by bit, but the big man's face is slightly stern and he remains standing there without moving.

  I withdrew my left hand and praised, "Good strength, I didn't even use half of my power to push you." His robust body was unexpectedly powerful, with a strength that was in no way inferior to that of an ordinary Bimon beast.

  The big fellow saw me withdraw my hand and snorted, saying: "You know you're no match, so hurry up and leave."

  "Wait," I said, seeing him about to go back to work.

  "Hey, what's wrong with you? Can't you see we're not easy to bully just because we're from the countryside?"

  I shook my head and said, "I didn't use my full strength just now. Let's just forget about it and not hold any grudges. If I were to hurt you, that wouldn't be good. How about this: if you can do something the same as me, or even better than me, I'll leave immediately."

  The big fellow looked at me and said: "Don't try to fool me. If you take out a needle and embroider flowers, I'll do the same."

  I couldn't help but feel a surge of indignation in my heart. The great Beastman General, reduced to being treated like a lowly scoundrel here. I spoke in a deep voice: "I'm going to compare strength with you, watch closely." After finishing speaking, I intentionally showed off, taking two steps back and activating the Crazy God's Fighting Aura, instantly enveloping my body in a hazy golden light.

  The big man was startled and stared at me closely.

  I glanced at him and shouted, "Crazy War Under Heaven." I suddenly swung my fist backwards, and a golden light column shot out in response to the punch. It burst forth abruptly and rushed towards a giant tree five zhang away that three people could encircle with their arms. With a loud crash, the tree didn't fall but kept shaking violently, its leaves falling like rain. On the trunk of the tree that I had hit head-on, a circular hole about half a meter in diameter appeared. Looking at the hole, I couldn't help but shake my head - my power was still impure, otherwise, I should have been able to punch out a hole without shaking the tree or making its leaves fall.

  Da Han stared foolishly at the big tree and said: "Are you playing a trick?"

  His silly appearance looked very cute, I smiled slightly and said: "It's not a trick, this is called Dou Qi."

  He shook his head and said, "It must be something you prepared beforehand. I don't believe it's possible to shoot a hole in the tree from such a distance."

  It's really a case of a scholar meeting a soldier, and even with courtesy, it can't be explained clearly. My patience is almost worn out, I said angrily: "Then what do you want to believe?"

  The big fellow puffed out his chest and said: "Unless you knock me down."