Chapter 454: Chapter 454 : Fengxi Is Back

After the tenth lightning bolt struck Zhang Fengxi, Jiang Muchen was no longer able to look.

In their youth, he loathed Zhang Fengxi for his cruelty towards his Little Uncle, whose own gentle nature fueled his resentment. Yet, a shared history of battles and losses forged a grudging bond between them.

Ultimately, it was Xie Jianyu’s passing that truly united them in their grief, a catalyst not just for their reconciliation but for collective mourning.

If Xie Jianyu knew that he, Jiang Muchen, was in charge of overseeing Zhang Fengxi’s punishment, would Xie Jianyu come to hate him...?

"... Ninety-nine."

Another scream shredded the silence, but this time, devoid of the earlier vigor. It rasped, a hollow echo escaping a shell robbed of its strength, like a candle’s flicker before snuffing out.

Jiang Muchen turned to look at Zhang Fengxi as soon as the brutal punishment ended.

"Zhang Fengxi!!!"

The tiny body was gone. In place of his younger form, Zhang Fengxi’s adult body rematerialized, battered and bloody. The lightning punishment had etched its wrath across her flesh, wisps of smoke rising like tormented sighs.

"... Zhang Fengxi...?"

Jiang Muchen carefully lifted Zhang Fengxi’s chin with two fingers.

Zhang Fengxi’s eyes were squeezed shut, blood seeping continuously from seven orifices of his body.

"Oh, damn."

Jiang Muchen took out a single pill from the folds of his robe. His mother told him to feed it to Zhang Fengxi as soon as he regained his adult body.

He forcefully opened Zhang Fengxi’s jaw and fed him the pearl-sized pill.

"Eat, come on," Jiang Muchen gnashed with his teeth. "This is Mother’s concoction. It can bring anyone back from the brink of death, a blessing considering your situation. He usually only reserves it for Little Uncle, you know..."

Zhang Fengxi gave no reply, but he successfully ingested the pill.

Jiang Muchen half-expected Zhang Fengxi to regain his consciousness within minutes, but of course, it did not happen.

"Let’s get you back to Fuxi Palace, then," he murmured. "Hey, Guards! Release the Supreme General!"

At Fuxi Palace, Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie awoke from their slumber at almost the same time.

"Good morning, Junjie," Zhang Mingrui mumbled.

"Good morning, Mingrui..." Xie Junjie rolled on his side and prepared to sleep for at least one more hour.

"..."

"..."

Both boys jumped off their beds at the same time.

"You can talk!" Zhang Mingrui exclaimed.

"We are back in our human forms!" Xie Junjie cried out.

Overcome with joy, Zhang Mingrui poured outside with nothing on.

"Mingrui, wait!!!" Xie Junjie grabbed their robes from the nearest closet and chased after Mingrui.

"Your clothes! You are naked!"

"Oh, right."

Zhang Mingrui had enough self-control to get dressed. Afterward, nothing and no one could stop him from running and tumbling on the ground like a rubber ball.

Even Xie Junjie was barely able to contain his happiness. They hugged and bounced off the ground like two balls of pure joy.

The two little boys only froze in their spots when they heard the sound of porcelain breaking nearby.

"Young Master Mingrui! Young Master Junjie!" Disbelief contorted Qingyun’s features as she pressed both hands against her lower face. At her feet, a discarded wooden tray and the shattered remnants of one of Xie Jianyu’s prized tea sets lay scattered, testaments to her shock.

Mingrui and Head Servant Zhou quickly ran out of the inner chambers when they heard the ruckus.

"Qingyun, what happened?"

"Are the two young masters alright?"

Their jaws went slack when they saw Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie.

"Young Masters, you... You have returned to your human forms..." Mingyu started to sob. "Oh, heavens... Thank all the gods and deities... I cannot believe it."

Xie Junjie was immediately reminded of something else.

"Where is Daddy?" He asked.

"Reporting to Young Master Junjie, His Highness was summoned to the Golden Dragon Palace."

Zhang Mingrui’s mouth dropped open.

"Why?"

Mingyu shook her head.

"Unfortunately, this servant doesn’t know."

She did not have to know, because Jiang Muchen chose that time to land in the front yard with his spiritual lion, with a blackened lump of something sprawled across his lion in front of him.

"Mingrui, Junjie!"

Jiang Muchen climbed off his lion and gathered his little cousins into his arms.

"I am so glad. Thank goodness."

"Elder cousin, Daddy has been summoned into the Golden Dragon Palace," Xie Junjie mumbled as he was smothered in Jiang Muchen’s embrace. "Do you know why?"

Jiang Muchen cleared his throat.

"Now that we are talking... I brought your father back to you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

It took everyone a while before they recognized the eerie lump across Jiang Muchen’s spiritual lion as a battered and beaten-up Zhang Fengxi in his adult body.

"DADDY!" Zhang Mingrui cried out in horror.

He and his twin brother ran toward the spiritual lion and attempted to drag Zhang Fengxi to the ground.

"Ouch! Hot!" Zhang Mingrui exclaimed.

"Babies, don’t touch him. He just got struck by lightning bolts. Let him cool down for a while," Jiang Muchen said in a hurry.

"..."

"..."

Both boys stared at Jiang Muchen in disbelief.

"Lightning bolts???" Zhang Mingrui shouted.

"Why? Did Imperial Uncle punish Daddy???" Xie Junjie asked.

Jiang Muchen winced.

"Well, he did. But it was by request. To be exact, your father asked for a punishment."

"Why would he??? Noo, Daddy!!!"

Zhang Mingrui threw himself at Zhang Fengxi again. Jiang Muchen had to drag him away by his collar.

"Don’t touch him. He is fine. He will be fine. I did not bring him here for you to bury him..."

"We have to bury him???" Zhang Mingrui started to wail. "Waaaaaaaahhhhh... No, I don’t want to bury Daddy...!!!!"

"... No one is getting buried," Zhang Fengxi’s voice rang out.

"Daddy!"

Xie Junjie, ever the smart one, rushed to his father’s side without touching him.

"Daddy, are you badly hurt?"

Zhang Fengxi moved his head slightly to look at Xie Junjie’s face. He looked like he’d been dragged through the desert, sun-scorched and bone-dry, yet a spark of determination still flickered in his eyes, refusing to surrender.

"Hi, Baby Junjie," he whispered. "I am back."

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Author’s note :

Author : I love reunions.

Fengxi : I would love it more if you did not roast me with lightning bolts.

Author : ... Do you want to return to your younger body?

Fengxi : I mean... Yum! I smelled like roast potatoes!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay