A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling heard about the news that Xia Yu had escaped.

She asked her brother in confusion, “The people guarding the forest are so strict. How did she manage to escape?”

Xia Moyan took up the mountain slowly. Looking as the people changed every inch of the tactical formation at the entrance, he said, “She’s very smart. We have all underestimated her intelligence.”

“She’s not smart!” Xia Ling was annoyed and refused to accept this statement. She walked up the mountain with Li Lei before and they were stuck in it at the start until Li Lei called Old Master Li for help. If he said that Xia Yu was smart, didn’t that mean that she and Li Lei were stupid?!

How could her man be stupid?!

Xia Moyan did not pay attention to her thoughts and only said, “She graduated from Cambridge.” As for his sister? Yesterday, their mother took her to count her dowry, but after counting with her fingers for half a day, she still got the amount wrong. If it weren’t for her memories of her past life, Xia Moyan would seriously doubt if she were really his sister.

Xia Ling was more furious. “I don’t care! She’s just not smart!”

As she raised her volume, a few of the clansmen exploring the mountain looked over.

Xia Moyan felt a little embarrassed. It was enough that his sister was so stupid, but did she have to let the entire world know? He silently sighed and moved her focus to something else. “Besides knowledge, we left out something. Her background.”

“What sort of background can she have?” Sure enough, Xia Ling’s curiosity was piqued.

“Last night, Wei Lingnan sent a small team to try to enter the clan and was discovered.” As Xia Moyan walked, he spoke. “They tried to enter using the way Xia Yu escaped. We captured a few people and after an overnight interrogation, I discovered that Xia Yu disappeared for years because she was held in Wei Lingnan’s base and has become a member of the Wei Family. This time, she returned to the Xia Family only to help the Wei Family with an agenda.”

Xia Ling was shocked. It was as if she was listening to the story of Arabian Nights.

After a long time, she finally made sense of her thoughts. “Are you saying that Xia Yu appeared now not because she wanted to acknowledge her roots and ancestors but because she deliberately wanted to mix with the family to help them with a mysterious task?”

“Yes.” Xia Moyan said. “It’s probably a mission to explore the territory of the Xia Family and create a topographic map for Wei Lingnan.”

Xia Ling remembered that night when Xia Yu was suspiciously lurking near her room. It turned out that she had this sort of motive! She couldn’t help but spitefully say, “Well that, we should have tied her up and thrown her out at that time!”

“Why?” Xia Moyan suddenly had a premonition.

Xia Ling told Xia Moyan about what happened that night.

“Take me to see that kind of flower.” Xia Moyan said decisively. All this time, he had a vague speculation that Wei Lingnan was trying to uncover the secret of reincarnation of the Xia Family. This secret definitely had something to do with Xiao Ling, so what exactly did they take away near Xiao Ling’s room?!

Xia Ling took him to the flower patch.

Under the sun, the scattered little white flowers looked ordinary. They had a hint of red and looked different from the white and transparent flowers in the moonlight. “Oh, it seems that they can change.” Xia Ling whispered in amazement. She crouched down and plucked one flower.

“This is the flower of Nirvana.” Xia Moyan said.

“Flower of Nirvana?” Xia Ling was shocked. She thought it was an ordinary wildflower.

“This is also the first time I’m seeing it. However, there is a record in the family’s records.” Looking carefully at the flower in her hand, Xia Moyan said in a clear voice, “Legend has it that the flowers will sometimes bloom near the place where the phoenix lived after reincarnation. No one knows its feelings.”

“Perhaps Wei Lingnan knows?” Xia Ling examined the flower. Now, she guessed a little bit of the truth. “Xia Yu must’ve been looking for this flower. It can’t be that she just plucked them by coincidence.” She also said, “Luckily I was smart enough to not let her take it away.”

“She has already taken it away.” Xia Moyan said.

“What?” Xia Ling was stunned.

Xia Moyan lowered his gaze. “If she didn’t complete her task, would she dare to leave the Xia Family? No one is willing to face a furious Wei Lingnan who is a madman.”

“What sort of person is… Wei Lingnan?” Xia Ling was finally curious.

“He’s not human.”

“What?!” Xia Ling had a fright.

Xia Moyan looked at her faintly. “This isn’t strange and depends on what you define as a human. To a certain extent, you aren’t human too.”

This… Why did it sound like an insult?

Xia Ling was not calm anymore. “How am I not a human?”

“How could ordinary people reincarnate? You’re a phoenix, not a human.” Xia Moyan said.

“So is he also a phoenix?” Xia Ling seemed to understand a little.

“A phoenix is unique and only appears in the Xia Family.” Unexpectedly, Xia Moyan immediately corrected her. “Honestly, I don’t even know what sort of… creature he is. No one knows.”

Xia Ling blinked, horrified.

“Why are you so sure that he isn’t human?”

“That’s because the first time the Xia Family ancestors saw him was four hundred years ago.” Since things were at this stage, Xia Moyan did not intend to hide anything more from Xia Ling. Besides, Wei Lingnan now had his eyes set on her. He said to Xia Ling, “I said you aren’t human because you reincarnated. I said he isn’t human because he doesn’t grow old and doesn’t die.”

Doesn’t grow old and doesn’t die?!

Xia Ling was thoroughly frightened this time. “Are there really people who can’t grow old and die in this world?!”

“At least, in the eyes of ordinary people, he doesn’t grow old and can’t die.” Xia Moyan said. “No one is sure of what sort of creature he is. Of course, no one knows if he can die either. No matter what, his lifespan is longer than ordinary people and we just take it that he can’t grow old or die.”

Can this sort of thing be assumed?

Xia Ling fell silent.

“But…” She still had questions. “Why are we so sure that the Wei Lingnan from four hundred years ago is the same person as the Wei Lingnan today? Perhaps they have the same name and gender or maybe they look alike?”

Xia Moyan shook his head and said, “I wish it were so simple.”

He began to tell Xia Ling about this secret history. “The first time the Xia Family ancestor saw him was at a place called Weiling. It was in the wilderness and there was a run-down wooden sign that was buried halfway in the sand. On it were the words ‘Weiling, Nan.’

“The ancestor then met a naked youth. He was very handsome and very wet as if he had just climbed out of the water. However, it was very strange. The weather was hot on that day and there was no water source nearby.

“Then, he attacked a passerby. He hid behind a rock and jumped out like a beast, tearing the passerby’s limbs, sinking his teeth in his flesh and gorging the passerby’s body. According to the handbook left by the ancestor, he really thought at the start that he met a beast or a feral child.”