Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 646 A home that cannot be returned to

"Go ahead." Gu Xu said after pondering for a moment.

He is now unable to go directly to the blood pool of the demon fairy clan in Lingxiao Realm to help Shi Xiaohan awaken his bloodline.

In this situation, her sleep became a problem he had to face.

"Will you go back with me?" Shi Xiaohan turned his head, stared at him, and asked softly.

The flickering candlelight reflected in her bright almond-shaped eyes, as if stars had fallen into the clear autumn water.

"Your family, they probably don't want to see me," Gu Xu shook his head slightly, then paused and said, "But I will be in Luojing, watching you from afar."

…………

When Shi Xiaohan returned to his hometown, he did not make a big fanfare or advertise it.

She simply wrote a letter to her father informing him of the news.

The letter contained a note in red ink from Gu Xu, graciously allowing the imperial concubine to return home to visit her relatives on the first day of April in the second year of Yuanshi.

That day, she brought several palace maids with her, passed through the space passage opened by Gu Xu with the authority of "Qiankun", and arrived at the Shi family's residence in Jiaodong Province.

Today, the Shi family is no longer the wealthy and powerful aristocratic family it used to be.

After the change of dynasties, they lost their once profitable medicine workshop and the endless spiritual fields, and their status suddenly dropped to that of common people in the countryside, and they could only rely on the three-acre land in front of them to make a living.

Fortunately, they had accumulated some savings before, and Gu Xu gave Shi Lei a lot of property in the name of "dowry", which made it possible for them to maintain a relatively affluent life and not fall into the dilemma of having no food to eat.

…………

Shi Xiaohan's carriage slowly stopped in front of the door of a simple courtyard beside the field.

  This is a Ruyi Gate, with narrow doors and compact layout. There is a door pin with Ruyi-shaped floral decorations carved above the lintel.

It is very different from the spacious and majestic golden-pillared gate of the ancestral home in the past.

Although Shi Xiaohan was not wearing fancy clothes, did not bring any ceremonial objects, and did not ring a gong to clear the way.

Just like when he was an official in Yishui County in the past, he would sneak away to Laizhou Prefecture to visit his father on his days off and enjoy the local delicacies.

However, at this moment, the simple house in front of her had been renovated, and the steps were so clean that not even a trace of dust could be seen.

The roads outside the house were tightly blocked by curtains, completely blocking the prying eyes of the people around.

The old and young of the Shi family, from the great-aunt Shi Qiongying, who had the highest cultivation and prestige, to her peers of the same age, and even the children who had just entered school, all stood in front of the door in an orderly manner. They bowed their heads and bent over, their expressions solemn, and no one coughed.

Occasionally, a child could not stand and muttered "My legs are sore". The mother next to him immediately glared at him and scolded him harshly: "Shut up and don't offend the imperial concubine."

Shi Xiaohan's father Shi Lei was also in the queue.

Like everyone else, he lowered his head, as if deliberately avoiding her gaze.

"This home no longer seems to be the same as it used to be."

Looking at the scene in front of him, Shi Xiaohan couldn't help but think silently in his heart.

When Xiaohan stepped out of the carriage, all the practitioners present bowed their hands in greeting, while the ordinary people knelt on their knees and prostrated themselves on the ground, saying respectfully, "Greetings, the Imperial Concubine!"

Shi Xiaohan was stunned for a moment.

She usually only knows how to wield a big knife and is not very good at the ways of the world.

When Gu Xu was not around, she was not very good at dealing with such situations.

"You...you don't have to be so polite," she responded in a slightly unfamiliar tone, "We...we should just get along like we did in the past..."

"There is a difference between the emperor and his subjects, please don't embarrass us, Your Majesty," Shi Qiongying, who was standing at the front, immediately showed a panic expression after hearing what Shi Xiaohan said, and bent her waist even lower. "Your Majesty is nostalgic and is willing to condescend to come to Jiaodong to visit us common people. It is already a great honor for us. How can you ignore the etiquette of respect and inferiority?

"This is disrespectful to the Imperial Concubine, and even more so to His Majesty..."

It was this great aunt who had always been extremely strict with Shi Xiaohan. She thought that Shi Xiaohan was too carefree and did not have the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. She was worried that she would not be able to get married and would bring disgrace to the Shi family's reputation, so she rarely treated her well.

Last year, it was this great aunt who first urged Shi Lei to arrange a marriage for Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan. However, after Gu Xu was wanted, she accused Shi Lei of "being blinded by petty profits and failing to see through the true face of the traitor", and urged him to break up the marriage as soon as possible to avoid trouble.

Now, seeing her calling "Empress" and "Your Majesty" all the time, her attitude is as humble as possible.

Shi Xiaohan bit her lips gently, her mood becoming more complicated.

She didn't know how to respond, so she could only stand there like a piece of wood, listening silently to Shi Qiongying expressing her loyalty to the emperor in front of her, chattering non-stop.

"If Sister Zhao or Sister Shangguan were here, what would they do?" she couldn't help but think to herself.

…………

The Shi family prepared lunch for Shi Xiaohan early on.

Because the current emperor advocates frugality, the Shi family did not dare to make the meal too extravagant.

But they still took great care of her taste and prepared for her her favorite dishes, such as beggar's chicken, snails in butter, and sweet and sour pork tenderloin.

Objectively speaking, this can almost be regarded as the most delicious meal Shi Xiaohan has ever tasted at home.

However, she was not happy at all.

At this moment, she was sitting alone at the head of a long wooden table, with various dishes neatly displayed in front of her.

The other members of the Shi family stood respectfully on both sides of the long table, watching her eat alone in silence.

This undoubtedly made Shi Xiaohan feel very embarrassed.

After all, on weekdays, she never cared about her image when eating, or in Gu Xu's words, she "had the heroic demeanor of a female hero in the martial arts world."

When she sees delicious food, she always eats it with big slurps, often with her mouth full of grease.

But now that so many people are watching seriously, how can she dare to be as casual as before?

So she had to sit upright, hold the bowl with her left hand, hold the chopsticks with her right hand, take small bites, and chew slowly.

For her, this was as awkward as embroidering with a Kunwu knife.

Whenever she needed something, such as tissues, tea, or another bowl of rice, these former tribesmen would observe her expressions and rush forward to offer their services.

The most active among them was her cousin Shi Shuo.

In Shi Xiaohan's impression, this cousin has always been keen on doing business and making money. When she talked to him in the past few years, he often seemed indifferent and seemed to think she was childish.

But today, Shi Shuo always had a smile on his face, and sometimes, before she even opened her mouth to ask, he would be the first to respectfully hand over what she needed.

Shi Xiaohan also noticed that this cousin who used to love fine clothes was now wearing a washed-out coarse cloth suit with frayed edges and many patches on it, which was in stark contrast to his former glamorous image.

"Although the Shi family's property has been confiscated, they are not so poor!" She couldn't help but feel doubtful.

However, she soon thought of a story that Gu Xu had told her, which was called "The King of Chu likes thin waists, and many people in the palace starved to death."

The emperors of the Great Qi Dynasty always lived in luxury, paid attention to pomp and circumstance, built large-scale projects, and did not hesitate to seize resources from all over the world for their own cultivation. The entire court was also full of extravagance, and officials of all ranks competed with each other, often trying every means to make money in order to maintain superficial respectability.

But today, when the monarch who ruled the Great Wilderness was replaced by Gu Xu, a stingy guy who used to be reluctant to eat even meat and only liked to eat tofu, the national atmosphere changed 180 degrees, and people began to take pride in wearing simple and worn clothes.

When Gu Xu habitually wore his plain blue cloth shirt in the palace and severely punished a large number of corrupt officials, the ministers also began to wear patched clothes to court, and some even deliberately altered new clothes to make old ones and deliberately made a few holes in them.

Shi Lei stood aside and saw his daughter's uncomfortable look.

He wanted to put aside worldly etiquette, walk up to her, sit next to her, and ask her how she was doing in the palace recently, whether she had enough to eat, whether she was bullied by others, and whether His Majesty's attitude towards her was still the same as before...

However, when he looked at the tribesmen around him, especially Shi Qiongying who was standing motionless in the corner, he finally held back and did not do so.

My baby daughter has grown into a beautiful woman now. She is no longer the little girl who would grab my sleeve and beg for snacks.

…………

Shi Xiaohan did not stay in the Shi family mansion for too long.

After lunch, she took a short rest and then asked to leave.

Although she had grown up among this group of people, it was no longer her home.

Everyone in the Shi family saw him off respectfully.

When she came to the side of the carriage, she took a last deep look at her father.

Although she had many complaints about her father.

But when I thought that if I really fell into a deep sleep, I might not be able to see him again for a long time, my mood was still a little complicated.

At this moment, Shi Lei took a deep breath and could no longer suppress his emotions. Under the strange gazes of everyone, he took two steps at a time to the side of the carriage and grabbed his daughter's wrist.

Thousands of words come to my mind, but I don't know where to start.

He hesitated several times before finally speaking slowly: "Xiao Han, how have you been in the palace recently..."

At this moment, he vaguely heard Shi Qiongying scolding him behind his back, asking him to go back and not offend the imperial concubine.

But he turned a deaf ear to it.

Shi Xiaohan looked at him, in a trance for a moment, then the corners of her mouth raised into a smile, with two dimples clearly visible.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, father. His Majesty takes good care of me. He even taught me how to bake cakes recently."

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Shi Lei also smiled and watched his daughter board the carriage under the escort of palace servants.

The carriage started slowly, the wheels made a slight rolling sound on the ground, gradually accelerated, and moved farther and farther away.

When the carriage reached the end of the road, a black space crack appeared in the sky like lightning, and then the carriage drove straight into the crack and disappeared completely.

…………

"How does it feel to be home?"

After Shi Xiaohan returned to Changchun Garden, Gu Xu rubbed her fluffy black hair and asked with a smile.

"That place is no longer my home," Shi Xiaohan snorted after hearing his words, threw herself into his arms, and buried her head in his chest, "This is it."

(End of this chapter)