27: Lin Qingxi of the Lin family, he is her salvation

“Your Highness, the Divine Son, is coming…!”

“We should still leave!”

“Wait, what if he’s not coming for us? This might be our only chance to see His Highness, the Divine Son, up close…”

The center of the God Tablet Platform was made up of many arenas, and that small group of people stood around the outer edge of an arena, watching from a distance.

They were both male and female, of varying ages, and seemed no different from the people of the Jun Family, except for their eyes.

When Jun Lingxiao looked at the people from the Jun Family, they stood tall and proud, but this group was different. With one glance, he saw a deep-seated inferiority born from their hearts.

“I’m right here. From now on, you can see me whenever you wish.”

Jun Lingxiao said to them as he walked, effectively quashing their thoughts of fleeing.

Seeing him, their first reaction was to run; these people were truly accustomed to humility.

“Greetings, Your Highness, the Divine Son!”

“Greetings, Your Highness, the Divine Son!”

For a moment, greetings rose and fell in succession.

“You’re gathered here because you want to spar with me, aren’t you? Then why don’t you step forward?”

He didn’t beat around the bush; after telling them to rise, he asked directly.

“This…”

For a moment, the few of them exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. At this point, a young girl walked up to Jun Lingxiao, knelt down directly, and spoke:

“Your Highness, the Divine Son, we are not from the main Family. To be able to Cultivate and spar here is already a great blessing…”

Jun Lingxiao looked at her. She was a little girl, seemingly his age, probably no more than five or six years old, making her among the youngest group standing on the God Tablet Platform now.

She was at an age meant for enjoying her youth, yet she knelt there ramrod straight, her figure delicate, her dark hair tied into twin pigtails falling behind her, swaying slightly in the wind. She wore the black training uniform of the Jun Family, with a skirt hem that was a bit short, barely covering half her thighs. Her expression was serious, but a faint smile seemed to be hidden at the corner of her lips, and she looked at him with piercing eyes, filled with an uncontainable respect and adoration.

“Have we met?”

Jun Lingxiao felt a little unnerved by her gaze and asked subconsciously.

“Yes…”

The girl’s small, delicate eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was a bit excited: “A few days ago, when the Divine Son snuck out of the Divine Son Hall, the one he met… was me…”

Her serious expression made her look like a little cold beauty, but when she said this, she couldn't help but reveal a hint of excitement. Her long twin pigtails behind her also swayed, making her look incredibly cute.

“Oh, it’s you.” Jun Lingxiao took a closer look and realized it truly was her. After all, he wasn't really a child; he couldn't sit still. So, when Old Ancestor and his grandfather weren't around, he would sneak out of the Divine Son Hall to look around. He hadn't expected that one time, just as he climbed over the wall, he would encounter a girl behind it. But at the time, he had only made a shushing gesture to tell her to be quiet and hadn't paid her any mind. So it was her.

With this connection, Jun Lingxiao couldn't let her continue kneeling, so he told her to get up.

Everyone else was on one knee, which was the proper kneeling etiquette for seeing the Divine Son, but this child was on both knees.

Unexpectedly, however, she refused to get up no matter what.

“How noble is Your Highness, the Divine Son? How can we compare? This is perfectly fine.”

She spoke softly, not intending to defy Jun Lingxiao. It was just that, for some unknown reason, she particularly adored Jun Lingxiao; her bright eyes were almost sparkling with stars.

Her companions around her, however, were a bit anxious, wondering, “How dare you defy the Divine Son?”

But when they looked at Jun Lingxiao, they found that he didn't seem to mind.

“Is that so? Then I’ll do the same.”

Jun Lingxiao nodded, not forcing the issue. Instead, he simply sat down cross-legged, meeting her gaze.

At this, the girl panicked, her eyes filled with disarray as she tried to pull Jun Lingxiao up. But seeing his precious clothes, she didn't know where to place her hands, anxious like an ant on a hot pan. A moment later, she seemed to realize something, so she quickly bent down and used her sleeve to wipe the ground beside them, speaking nervously:

“Your Highness, the Divine Son! How can you sit here! The God Tablet Platform has countless visitors every day, it’s so dirty! At least! At least let me wipe it… Here, please sit here.”

As she spoke, she nervously cupped her hands, gesturing for Jun Lingxiao to sit on the small clean spot she had just wiped. She didn’t even glance at her own dust-covered sleeve, or at the fact that she had accidentally scraped her hand. Jun Lingxiao could clearly see that the girl’s palm was bright red, even showing a wound.

But she was oblivious, her eyes still filled with adoration as she looked at him.

Jun Lingxiao was silent for a moment, then, feigning generosity, he moved to sit on the meticulously wiped spot on the floor: “Then I shall accept with pleasure.”

As he spoke, he chuckled, joking, “Look, so many people are sitting. Can you sit, but I cannot?”

“No… that’s not it… it’s just that Your Highness is the Divine Son, of invaluable status…” The girl’s small face flushed crimson as she stammered an explanation, but this scene drew a light laugh from Jun Lingxiao. The people around, seeing such an unpretentious Divine Son, also began to laugh.

Suddenly, laughter erupted, and the tense atmosphere vanished.

However, this scene also attracted the attention of other Disciples of the Jun Family, as Jun Lingxiao was already the sole focus of the arena.

“What is Your Highness, the Divine Son, doing here? With some of them…”

A few Disciples of the Jun Family walked over; they were the ones who had frequently sparred with him these past few days.

“We’re discussing the Dao. You all sit down too.”

After Jun Lingxiao finished speaking, he turned to the little girl who was still kneeling in front of him and asked her name.

“Lin Qingxi…”

As she spoke her name, she glanced warily at the few people who had sat down with them, particularly noting that the spot where Jun Lingxiao had just sat was now occupied by a Fat Man. She felt very uncomfortable.

“If Your Highness, the Divine Son, wants to discuss the Dao, just say the word. I’ll certainly accompany you. What’s there to discuss with them…”

“Exactly, exactly. They’re just stragglers.”

“Before, someone from an affiliated Family even tried to attack the Divine Son. You must be careful.”

“If you ask me, Your Highness, the Divine Son, should organize a Dao Discussion Assembly sometime.”

There were more than ten people who sat down with Jun Lingxiao. A few of them chattered, surrounding Jun Lingxiao, deliberately keeping a certain distance. Although they didn’t explicitly say it, their attitude towards these people from the branch Families was obvious.

Those from the branch Families sat opposite Jun Lingxiao, while those from the main Family sat behind Jun Lingxiao. There was a clear line in between.

The expressions of the branch Family members turned ugly after hearing this, but when Jun Lingxiao looked at them, they still managed to force a smile.

Jun Lingxiao was not angry about this. He knew that such ideas were deeply ingrained, but he had his own methods.

“As I see it, as long as one is a Jun Family member, whether from a branch Family, the main Family, or an affiliated Family, there must certainly be a distinction of primary and secondary roles. But ultimately, everyone is one Family.”

“Primary and secondary roles are essential, but with that in mind, I hope everyone can integrate. After all, no matter how powerful a Family is, if it's scattered, it won't work. If one day an external enemy invades, only by uniting as one can we resist them.”

“The Jun Family is indeed very strong now, but this is not enough. We can make it stronger! Everyone present here today could be the hope of the Jun Family in the future, my hope.”

Jun Lingxiao spoke slowly, his tone gentle and solemn, not sounding like he was speaking falsely.

“The Divine Son said I am the hope of the Jun Family…”

Lin Qingxi looked at Jun Lingxiao, her eyes shining even brighter. She would never forget the beautiful young man diligently Cultivating within those high walls… He was the only reason she could persevere when she felt lax and wanted to give up.

She was a child from an affiliated Family, cast out by the high and mighty Lin Family in ancient times, and later joined the large Family of the Jun Family. But from the moment she was born, she was very dissatisfied with this Family. There was a clear difference in treatment between affiliated Families and branch Families, and an even more pronounced difference in treatment between branch Families and the main Family.

Yet, she had to work hard at Cultivating. Her parents’ expectations, the urging of those around her, the strange looks—only by becoming stronger could others respect her. But she was truly a child; no matter how hard she tried, there were always times when she wanted to give up.

Lin Qingxi couldn’t remember which year it was, but she defiantly wanted to see what kind of leisurely life the high and mighty Divine Son truly led, and what she was fighting so hard to Cultivate for. So, she risked her life to climb the lofty Divine Son Peak. Unable to enter the Divine Son Hall, she climbed the wall outside the peak to peek inside.

With that one look, she saw the legendary Divine Son… He wore clothes not much different from hers, both white training uniforms, but the only difference was that his clothes were completely soaked with sweat. His small body wielded a wooden sword custom-made for his size, swinging it tirelessly, without the slightest slack, not enjoying himself as she had imagined.

“Though the Divine Son holds a high position, he is no different from me, and even more, even more diligent…”

After realizing this, she returned in silence, and from then on, she never complained about arduous Cultivating again. When she truly couldn't bear it, she would secretly go to that wall to watch him. Watching him, she would inexplicably feel that she could persevere again.

Jun Lingxiao gave her the motivation to move forward, allowing her to find a ray of light in her tragic childhood… a ray of salvation.