Mortal: I really didn't want to be reborn as Zi Ling!

Young Master Zhao turned around and glanced at the crowd again.

"What if he's away visiting friends, inspecting outlying islands, or in a crucial moment of seclusion—and doesn't even notice what's happening here?"

"What Brother Zhao said seems to make some sense."

Someone in the crowd whispered in agreement: "If she really is the Grand Elder's disciple, and if the Grand Elder were here, why hasn't he come out to help her out yet?"

These words caused the square, which had returned to calm, to erupt in noise once again.

Discussions, doubts, and speculations arose one after another.

The gazes of the crowd toward Zi Ling became scrutinizing again, even more complex than before.

Wang Heng and Zhou Yuan's expressions, which had just calmed down, became even more unpleasant.

"Ning'er!"

Zhou Yuan bent down, placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lips were blistered with anxiety, just like Wang Heng's.

"If you misunderstood something in the hall just now—it's not too late to apologize!"

Wang Heng also bent down and urged in a low voice, "Although that young master Zhao is aggressive, he is still a direct descendant of the Star Palace. As long as you sincerely admit your mistake, I believe he won't hold a grudge against a young girl."

Reason told Wang Heng that his daughter couldn't possibly be lying.

Ning'er was intelligent from a young age and acted with great discretion.

Since she dared to say in public, "The Grand Elder has accepted me as his disciple," she must have something to rely on.

But what that person said earlier wasn't entirely unreasonable.

The situation here has already escalated to this point. If the Grand Elder really accepted Ning'er as his disciple, why hasn't he shown up yet?

For a moment, Wang Heng felt a mix of emotions.

On one hand, she hoped that what her daughter said was true—after all, she had indeed been summoned by the Grand Elder and returned with a jade box in her hand.

On one hand, she was afraid that her daughter might not take things seriously and joke about the Grand Elder taking on disciples, which would be taken seriously by the direct descendants of the Star Palace.

This matter can be big or small.

At best, it was just that the little girl was immature and said something wrong.

On a grander scale, that would be impersonating a disciple of the Grand Elder of the Star Palace. If this charge is proven, he would truly be imprisoned in the Star Palace Prison.

Star Palace Prison —

That's where the most heinous criminals are imprisoned.

They're not even qualified to commit murder or arson.

Only those who collude with the demon race and betray the Star Palace will be thrown into it.

My daughter is only twelve years old. If she were locked up in a place like that—

Wang Heng dared not think any further.

He felt a tightness in his throat, and a few more blisters appeared on his lips.

Just when the couple was getting extremely anxious—

Zi Ling suddenly sighed:

"They kept attacking me, labeling me right off the bat, giving me no time to speak!"

Zi Ling's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

There was no panic or grievance in his tone, only a faint hint of helplessness.

It's like facing a bunch of silly kids.

Wang Heng was stunned.

Zhou Yuan was also stunned.

Jin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Young Master Zhao's brows furrowed even more.

Zi Ling raised her head and looked around.

His gaze lingered on Young Master Zhao and Young Master Liu for a moment, then swept over Jin Qing, and swept across the crowd of onlookers before finally settling on the patrol team and law enforcement team flying towards them from a distance.

The pale golden light drew ever closer.

Her lips twitched slightly.

Actually, she didn't expect that such a simple thing would cause such a big commotion.

Although there was an element of her doing it intentionally—she genuinely wanted more people to know that she had become Jin Kui's disciple, so that she could use Jin Kui's name to deter those forces that were secretly plotting.

But the commotion before my eyes—

It's way too big.

If she really attracts her cheap master over later, she'll definitely get a scolding.

Thinking of this, Zi Ling looked down at the jade box in her hand.

The jade box felt cool to the touch, and its surface was covered with densely packed restriction patterns.

Even through the lid, one could feel the spiritual energy fluctuations contained within.

Ugh--

Zi Ling sighed inwardly.

The commotion has already become quite big.

Hopefully, what's inside the box will be impressive.

Zi Ling was not very big; she only reached the chests of these Star Palace disciples.

But from the moment she opened her mouth until now, both her tone of voice and her calm and composed demeanor throughout have made many people present blush.

A twelve-year-old girl was surrounded by a group of adult cultivators. Despite the constant questioning and threats, she didn't even blink.

The onlookers, on the other hand, were all incredibly excited and spoke the loudest of their own.

Young Master Zhao's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

He also sensed that something was wrong.

This little girl is so calm. She's not afraid of the law enforcement team, nor does she seem like she'll be exposed for her lies in public.

She stood there, calm, as if watching a farce that had nothing to do with her.

And I am the monkey on the field.

Displeased, Young Master Zhao subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Young Master Liu beside him.

Young Master Liu was also looking at him, his eyes filled with the same doubt and a hint of unease.

Hmm~ He looks more like it!

At the same time, a bad feeling arose in both of their minds: they might have gone too far just now.

Even so, Young Master Zhao still refused to believe that Elder Jin Kui would actually take a little girl as his disciple.

Even he was rejected.

Even when his ancestor personally intervened, the Grand Elder politely declined.

What gives them the right?!

Is she pretty?

At this moment, the young man among the three, who was wearing a dark blue robe and had remained relatively calm throughout, spoke again.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the jade box in Zi Ling's hand, his tone calm: "Young lady, present your evidence. If you delay any longer—"

He turned slightly to the side and gestured with his chin toward the approaching black streaks of light in the distance. "The fellow Daoists of the Enforcement Team won't have our patience."

Zi Ling glanced in the direction of his gaze.

The pale golden patrol team's escape light had already hovered at the edge of the square.

Further away, three black streaks of light were slowing down, and the standard black armor worn by the three men gleamed coldly in the sunlight reflected from the sea of ​​clouds.

There are already enough people.

Zi Ling glanced around—the square was packed with people, at least a hundred.

There were direct disciples of the Star Palace, descendants of various families, stewards and managers waiting there, and even a few who had obviously heard the commotion elsewhere and rushed over to see what was going on.

These people will definitely spread the news of her becoming Jin Kui's disciple throughout the entire Star Palace.

There's no need to drag it out any longer.

Zi Ling withdrew her gaze and placed her fingers on the clasp of the jade box.

This action immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Those who had been whispering just moments before fell silent, while a few others who had been peering around stood on tiptoe.

Even the cultivators from the patrol and law enforcement teams in mid-air stopped their escape and hovered in mid-air, looking down in this direction.

Zi Ling exerted a slight force with her fingertips.

Click.

The sound of the jade box opening was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet square.

The moment the lid was lifted, a pale golden light poured out from the box, making Zi Ling's fair fingers almost transparent.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an undeniable sharpness, as if something had been dormant in the box for a long time and was now awakened by the sunlight.

The people closest to the camera instinctively took a half-step back.

Zi Ling held the contents of the box in her palm, making sure everyone around could see them clearly.

It was a golden bead the size of a fist.

The bead is perfectly round, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, without any patterns or inscriptions.

But when it was exposed to the sunlight, countless tiny golden lights could be seen flowing inside the bead, as if it were trapping some living thing.

Upon closer inspection, the golden light was as fine as cow's hair, layer upon layer, numbering in the thousands, slowly moving within the pearl, emanating an aura that sent chills down one's spine.

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