It's so hard being a hero!

Leila's expression changed slightly.

"A gold-level team?"

"Yes, I passed the test as soon as I entered second grade."

Sofia spoke calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Leila was silent for several seconds, then shook her head and said in a tone that was both amused and exasperated, "You're only fourteen years old, right? A fourteen-year-old Silver-level cultivator, ruining the Gold-level team certification? What do you think those people who have worked their whole lives to reach the Gold level will think?"

Before Sophia could answer, the voice of the young man from before came from outside the tent again.

"Laila? Are you really alright? Should I come in and check on you?"

"I already told you this has nothing to do with you."

Chapter 124 A Family Reunion

Those outside, seeing what Leila said, could only helplessly leave.

Sophia looked her up and down, then glanced at her own body.

“Look at you, you’re covered in blood, it’s all dried and stuck to your armor. Aren’t you uncomfortable? You’ve gotten me dirty too.”

Upon hearing this, Leila immediately looked down at herself and then belatedly clicked her tongue.

"I've been fighting for the past few days, and then I come back and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I'm so tired."

"Then go wash up quickly."

Sophia waved her hand dismissively.

"You smell so bad, I'm about to faint from the stench."

Laila chuckled upon hearing this, not angry at all. Instead, she moved closer to Sophia and deliberately offered her blood-stained arm.

"What? You're disgusted with your older sister now?"

"No, no, no, I have OCD."

Sofia quickly moved aside, raised her hand to cover her nose, and looked resistant.

"Go take a shower and change into clean clothes. We'll go find your mom later; she should be done with her work by now."

When Leila heard the words "Go find your mother," her smile faltered slightly.

She paused for two seconds, then nodded.

"Okay, wait for me a moment."

She turned and walked to the corner of the tent, pulled out a clean set of civilian clothes and draped them over her shoulders, and then grabbed a towel.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Sophia, and her eyes held an indescribable seriousness.

"Sophia, you've grown quite a bit taller in the past year or so."

Sophia paused for a moment, then looked down at herself.

"Really? I don't feel anything."

"Have."

Leila nodded, her gaze sweeping over Leila from head to toe, then she grinned.

"And she looks more like a girl now."

After saying that, she lifted the curtain and strode out before Sophia could react.

Sophia stood there, opened her mouth as if to refute, but found that she didn't seem to have anything to refute.

She looked down at herself again, then sighed.

"Never mind, it's not important."

About half an hour later, Leila returned.

She changed into clean casual clothes, a white shirt with a dark blue short jacket over it, her blonde hair draped wetly over her shoulders, making her look much more refreshed, and the weariness between her brows had faded somewhat.

"Let's go."

She walked up to Sophia and naturally reached out to rub the top of her head.

"Go find my mom."

Sofia's hair was all messed up by her rubbing, but she didn't dodge.

The two walked out of the camp one after the other, and followed the passage in the city to Frey's temporary residence.

It was a small courtyard located in the inner city of Zhenmo Pass. It wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. A magic lamp hung at the entrance, emitting a warm yellow light.

Frey was already standing at the door waiting.

She changed into some casual clothes, her blonde hair casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin, making her look much softer than during the day.

Seeing the two approaching, her gaze first fell on Leila, confirming that she had changed into clean clothes, before she nodded slightly. Then she looked at Sophia, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Come in, the food is ready."

Inside the house, food was already laid out on the table.

It wasn't much, just everyday dishes, but in this fortress shrouded in war, it was considered a rare feast.

The three sat down around the table, and at first no one spoke; they just ate quietly.

Sophia picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, then paused slightly.

This tastes exactly the same as it did decades ago.

In her previous life, when she was still in the Knights of Dawn, Frey often cooked for her personally.

Conditions were much tougher back then than they are now; sometimes even decent ingredients were hard to find, but Frey always managed to come up with some delicious dishes.

Back then, they often sat around a simple wooden table to eat, chat, and bicker. Life was tough but fulfilling.

Sophia lowered her head, silently ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and suppressed the stinging feeling in her nose.

Leila wasn't thinking about that. She was exhausted these past few days. She had been fighting hard for two days, then slept for a few hours, and took a shower after waking up. Now her stomach was growling with hunger, so she ate two big bowls of rice in one go before slowing down.

She picked up a piece of food, chewed a few times, and suddenly looked up, as if she had remembered something.

"By the way, Mom, is everything in the capital city completely over?"

Frey put down her chopsticks, picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and then nodded gently.

"It ended a long time ago."

She paused, then added.

"The old emperor passed away without much pain."

Leila paused slightly as she picked up some food.

She was silent for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm" and continued eating with her head down.

Sophia noticed that her fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the chopsticks, and her knuckles turned slightly white.

Several seconds passed before Lyra spoke again, her voice softer than before.

“I couldn’t even attend his funeral.”

These words were spoken calmly, without complaint or grievance, but that is precisely why they make one feel even more suffocated.

Sophia put down her chopsticks, looked at her face, which had become more angular from the war and exhaustion, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"Sister Leila."

Leila looked up at her.

Sophia met her gaze and said in a calm tone.

"The old emperor passed away peacefully. I met him once afterward."

Leila was slightly taken aback.

"Have you seen him?"

"Ah."

Sophia nodded.

“He passed away without much pain, and even had a smile on his face.”

Leila stared at her for a long time, as if to confirm whether what she said was true.

After a moment, she lowered her head, stirred the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, and muttered something in a low voice.

"That's good."

Frey sat opposite them, listening quietly to their conversation without interrupting.

Her gaze lingered on Sophia for a moment before landing on Leila's lowered head, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

Leila was silent for a while, then as if to shake off those heavy emotions, she suddenly looked up and gave Sophia a wide smile.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, it's all in the past."

As she spoke, she picked up another large piece of meat and put it into Sofia's bowl, her tone becoming much more relaxed.

"Eat more, you look too thin. You should eat more meat to grow taller."

Sophia looked down at the piece of meat in the bowl, which was bigger than her fist. Her lips twitched, but she didn't refuse.

"You too, don't just focus on fighting, eat and sleep when you're supposed to, don't exhaust yourself."

Upon hearing this, Leila glanced at her with some surprise, then smiled.

That smile had a more genuine warmth than the relaxed one before.

"The way you're saying that sounds a bit like a mother."

Frey glanced at her.

"What? I wasn't like that before? I used to be very talkative."

"No no."

Leila quickly waved her hand, smiling ingratiatingly.