In a vast grassland with forests on the sides, in the middle of it was a magnificent palace with a mountain backdrop. Where many fox spiritual beasts that had yet to gain their consciousness roamed freely around it.
It was a peaceful afternoon as usual, guards were roaming around the palace and the Qing Qu king was now sitting in his study, moving his ink brush on a parchment carefully.
'BRAKK'
The door of the large study was violently smashed from the outside.
The Qing Qu king was shocked and his writing was smeared. He looked at the perpetrator with annoyance.
"Your Majesty!" Hong Yilan was the perpetrator, he pulled Hong Mei's hand beside him to follow him.
"Yilan? Xiao Mei?" Hong Zhu asked the two of them who suddenly entered his room without any prior warning.
Hong Mei released her hand from her uncle's grip and ran to her father, who was sitting on his chair.
"FATHER…" she shouted, spoiledly and pitifully.
Hong Mei sat kneeling at her father's feet and begged him for help with pleading eyes.
"What's going on?" Hong Zhu was confused.
Hong Yilan massaged his suddenly aching head and said with a little emotion to his brother.
"Xiao Mei wandered into the human world without asking permission." he said in a tired tone.
"Xiao mei? The human realm? But why?" Hong Mei's father was also confused; all this time, his youngest daughter had never left Qing Qu even though the last time she tried to go to the immortal world to meet her sister without telling anyone beforehand. But she had been scolded, she should have changed and learned from the experience, right?
"Father… Xiao Mei only went to the human realm for one day, don't be angry, okay…" The girl coaxed, trying to look cute in front of her father.
"Hong Mei!" Her father called her full name which made the girl realize that her cuteness wouldn't work on her father this time.
"Tell me the whole story, father wants to hear it directly from your mouth." Hong Zhu said firmly.
"I didn't do anything bad. I just wanted to gain enlightenment for my cultivation and help my friend, father, trust me there is nothing bad."
Hong Yilan glared at her niece.
Hong Mei shrank. She pursed her lips. "The important thing is that I'm fine…" she squeaked.
Seeing that his niece didn't open her mouth anymore, Hong Yilan then told her brother everything without hiding anything, Hong Zhu's expression gradually worsened and she stared at Hong Mei angrily.
"Hong Mei ah? Why are you so naughty, kid? Look at your sisters, they are very orderly and never cause any trouble. Why do you wander here and there seeking knowledge but don't you practice the knowledge you already have diligently? What do you want to be in the future Hong Mei?"
"Hmmph, father is unfair, you are always comparing me with my sisters, I'm different from them, I am me!. This is the reason I became naughty, it's all because father's fault! Hmpph." Then Hong Mei sulked and ran out of her study.
Hong Yilan stared at his brother with a puzzled look, and Hong Zhu looked at him helplessly.
"Maybe she became like this because I spoiled her too much." Hong Zhu thought, to which Hong Yilan nodded without a pause. The two grown men just sighed in resignation.
~~~~
The immortal realm is divided into three. Lower, middle, and high immortal realms.
The lower immortal realm is inhabited by immortals who have just ascended and have immortal bodies. While the middle immortal realm is inhabited by prominent immortal clans and the high immortal realm is inhabited by ancient immortals who are also the highest empires.
All these realms cannot be entered by ordinary creatures who have not reached the immortal realm; their bodies cannot withstand the high pressure in this realm. Even if they force their way in, they need tools or talismans that can withstand the pressure of these three realms, otherwise, their bodies will self-destruct.
Every gate which usually pass by immortals guarded by a guardian dragon; the higher the realm, the stronger the dragon that protects it.
Hong Shou is the first princess of Qing Qu who married the fourth prince, they lived in the middle immortal realm after the emperor of heaven gave the territory for the fourth prince to manage, as the mistress of the house Hong Shou is a beautiful woman with noble character, she is like a white lily that is very bright and also elegant in every behavior.
Her marriage to the fourth prince was a marriage of love; their love story is famous everywhere and is one of the favorite stories that are often told in art performances.
In the past, before meeting the fourth prince, Hong Shou was one of the princesses of Qing Qu who held an important position in her father's kingdom, she was often sent by her father to negotiate with the surrounding kingdoms and also able to solve every problem he experienced himself.
She previously had the ambition to replace his father as the king of Qing Qu and become one of Qing Qu's protectors like his uncle. Therefore, she trained very hard and became very strong so that she could reach the immortal realm, but when she was able to reach the lower immortal realm, she decided to stay in Qing Qu and only occasionally go there to strengthen her knowledge.
At that time there was a secret realm opened in the lower immortal realm, which was said to be the legacy of an ancient immortal in the high realm who chose to isolate himself.
This is where the fate of Hong Shou and the fourth prince Mu Beili was tied. At that time many strong people from the immortal realm tried to enter the secret realm and try their luck.
Hong Shou was accompanied by several of her fox friends and also her senior who was the son of a powerful fox clan in the desert.
While Mu Beili came with his junior from the same teacher.
Their first meeting did not go so smoothly, there was tension and also disputes at first. But when they accidentally get trapped for a long time in a cave that turns out to be a tomb filled with traps, their feelings slowly form and after fighting for their love for a long time, they finally get married and have a child who is very much loved.
Currently, Hong Shou is massaging her dizzy forehead, after receiving news from his father in Qing Qu about his youngest sister, she starts to think too much. Currently, only Mu Beili can relieve her headache, so she waits for her husband to come home quietly into her pavilion.
Mu Beili, who is the city leader. Has a routine patrol duty once a week. today is his schedule, maybe soon her husband will return because he has been on duty since morning.
Now the afternoon has arrived, Hong Shou hears her husband's footsteps walking into the pavilion, she sees her husband has changed into home clothes and is walking towards her, his smile is etched on his handsome face when he sees his beautiful wife who usually greets him cheerfully, but that cheerful face is filled with anxiety that inevitably makes Mu Beili curious about what is bothering his wife right now.
"My wife, is there a problem?"
"Husband,..." Hong Shou held back her words, she felt reluctant to say it because her husband had just come home from work, he was probably tired right now, and she shouldn't bother him for now.
"It's okay, just say it, I don't have much work today so I'm not too tired."
Mu Beili sat beside his wife and hugged her, trying to calm her down with his presence.
"Father sent news from Qing Qu just now..."
"Oh yeah? What news?"
"It's about Hong Mei,"
"Your youngest sister? What's wrong? Did she try to visit you again without telling anyone first?"
"Not that,"
"Then?"
"Father said she slipped away to the human realm without telling anyone, why is she so careless, I can't understand."
"Then what happened?"
"Did something happen to her?"
"Thankfully not,"
"Then what made your pretty face so upset?"
"Father asked me to go back to Qing Qu, it looks like there will be a family meeting, do you want to come?"
"Did father tell us to leave immediately?"
"Yes, the sooner the better."
"Hmm, then we will go home tomorrow, sleep peacefully tonight don't think too much, Hong Mei is like that because she is not mature enough, one day she will change and become better."
"But still, I am worried about the little girl."
"Worrying is natural, but don't burden yourself with excessive thoughts. Let's go inside, the air outside is very cold, I don't want you to get sick."
"Okay." Then the husband and wife then stood up and walked slowly into the room while holding hands.
On the other side of the place in the Qing Qu realm, precisely in an area surrounded by the ocean with a large island and in the middle of it is a vast and green land filled with lots of vegetation and also beautiful buildings.
There is a large classical style house built in a box shape with a neat yard covered with ornamental plants, a cemented field and also white stones around it.
Five young men and one adult man were practicing martial arts there; the adult man was the teacher, and the five young men were his students. Although the sun was almost setting, there was no sign that they would stop doing their activities soon.
"Don't be lazy, our training is still long." The adult man scolded one of his students who looked the youngest among the others. When he wanted to complain and lie on the ground because of exhaustion.
"But father, uhm, teacher! We are already very exhausted!" The young man protested, which was only answered with a glare from his father who was also his teacher.
"What's? exhausted? This is nothing! When I was young, Father used to train for days without stopping at all, You guys are so spoiled! Who are you guys inherited this trait from!" The father complained about the nature of his children whom he thought were spoiled in themselves.
"Why do you say that, husband?"
That voice made the father who was facing his children turn around and see his wife standing behind him. The woman asked the person who was called her husband probingly.
"My wife!"
Seeing their mother standing not far from them, the five young men ran and rushed into their mother's arms.
"Mother... Mother has returned from seclusion!" The eldest son greeted her mother respectfully.
"We miss you, mother!" Said the youngest one. He hugs her leg, which is the only part of her body that the little boy can reach.
"Mother, father is evil, he told us to train without resting at all." Complain, the third son.
"My wife is not like what you think it is, let me explain!" The husband rushed to hold his wife's hand, he is also happy but scared at the same time that her wife's cultivation has improved a lot after her seclusion.
"Get away, I want to be with my children!" The lady of the house coming in into the living room nearby with her children following and her pitiful husband who was harsh with their child before, then he following his wife from behind to enter the room.