A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Li Lei hurriedly responded, “Yes, yes.”

Madam Xia turned and left the room in the same calm and collected manner.

Li Lei watched her leave. Xia Ling had, at some point, hugged onto the corner of his shirt and her face was on his arm, drool flowing down his hand.

Madam Xia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Li Lei tensed up again in nervousness.

Madam Xia turned and gave the messy bed a once over before landing on Li Lei again. “Hmm.. you seem to have quite good stamina…”

“Of course!” Li Lei proudly reacted, before realizing that something felt amiss. He tried to explain himself. “Auntie.. no… I can explain.. It’s an accident, all an accident…”

Madam Xia turned and left, ignoring his pleas.

Li Lei thought to himself that he was in deep trouble now. Xiao Ling had really put him in the hot soup now. Her sleeping in today was akin to pushing him into the fire pit. He didn’t think that his animalistic behavior last night was a problem but rather thought that his girl was too weak. Why couldn’t she withstand his onslaught yesterday? It looked like they would need to have lots of “practice” and “training” in the future…

He lowered his head to look at Xia Ling, letting his mind wander to future bedroom trysts…

Xia Ling slept deeply, and when she finally woke up, it was already noon. Li Lei was standing by the window and greeted her. “Madam, are you awake now? Your parents have already come and went.”

“Ah? My parents were here?” Xia Ling responded in shock. “They didn’t find out about us, did they?” Even though they already had a child together, she was still embarrassed to think that her parents had found out about their lovemaking.

Li Lei calmly responded, “How would that be with me around? Your mum thinks that you are feeling unwell from the food and water, and told me to take good care of you. Hurry and get up now. They’ve prepared clothes and makeup for you. It’s going to take some time for you to get ready.”

Xia Ling got up in a daze and groaned as she felt her body ache.

Li Lei looked at her in disdain. “You’re really weak. Tonight, we’ll…”

“Fat hope for tonight!” Xia Ling smacked him with a pillow. “If you dare climb through my window again, I’ll call the police!”

They bickered as she got ready.

The makeup artist in the village was waiting, together with several villagers, and they all scrambled to get her ready—clothes, make-up, hair… When everything was done, the sky was just starting to get dark.

The ceremony would commence shortly, and she was escorted to the venue.

The sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the torches in the village lined the corridor, burning like a long dragon, lighting up the night sky.

The Phoenix Comeback Ceremony was formal and all the villagers, regardless of gender and age, were in attendance. The crowd organized themselves by seniority, all dressed in greenish-grey robes, their expressions serious.

The place was full of people but it was quiet, so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the burning torches.

Xia Ling was led by two female attendees dressed in grey to the mountain path in the middle. That mountain path was lined with genuine white jade, and the stairs were covered with peacock feathers. Walking on the path made her feel so light like she was walking in the sky, and the train of her long, white dress flowed out behind her. It swept over the sea of feathers, creating a rainbow wave behind her.

“So beautiful…” Many remarked in the crowd. “Truly a Phoenix…”

They watched her in full reverence. In the Xia Family, everyone had heard about the legend of the Phoenix. It was said that the Phoenix had a hard life because she was tanking all of the worries of the family on herself, and was a more precious existence than Preceptor Xia and the Xia Family Head. Every Phoenix was a treasure in the family.

Yet, in so many generations, Xia Ling was the only Phoenix that could make a comeback.

This alone was worth the full respect and reverence of the village. They watched as she walked to the altar in the front. Flying birds gathered behind her. At first, there were only two or three birds, but slowly, more birds joined the procession and followed behind her, their chirping filling the entire mountain top.

Everyone didn’t dare to speak as they watched this scene pan out.

It was said that when she was born, birds circled the skies above the house. Many thought that it was an exaggeration, but the procession of birds today made them realize that it was not an exaggeration at all. The birds were coming to pay respects to the Phoenix. A whole variety of birds were gathered behind her.

There was no repetition in the breed of birds.

“I didn’t even know there were so many types of birds in these mountains.” Some of the villagers had been staying in the mountains their whole life, but this scene still marveled them. They became even quieter, and some even bowed their heads respectfully as Xia Ling walked by.

Xia Ling kept walking forward without looking back.

She didn’t know about the procession of birds gathered behind her but could hear the sounds of the birds chirping. Their chirps helped her nervous heart to relax, displaying a familiarity that she couldn’t explain. She lifted her head and walked step-by-step to the altar at the top. Preceptor Xia Moyan was standing at the stop, dressed in his usual white robe, watching his sister as she ascended the steps.

She stopped when she was in front of her brother.

Xia Moyan’s voice had an unusual seriousness. “Today, you will reclaim your real name.”

He recited a long verse of scripture and raised his left hand. “Bring them up here.”

An attendee in grey brought two people up to the altar. They were Father Ye and Auntie Liu.

Xia Moyan’s voice became more serious. “Ye Xiaozhong, Liu Zhaodi, you’re the biological parents of the human that the Xia Family Phoenix took in this life. Everything that you’ve done for her will be rewarded. There is always an end to the intertwining of destinies. Tonight, the Phoenix will return to us. From now on, she has no relation to the Ye Family.”

One of the attendees brought up an exquisite dagger that had intricate carvings all around.

Xia Moyan received it and aimed it at Xia Ling’s forehead between her brows.

Xia Ling didn’t move as she watched him. She knew that her brother wouldn’t harm her.

Xia Moyan pierced the spot between her brows deftly and a single drop of red blood fell into the jade bowl that he placed beneath the dagger. The clear water in the bowl was soon dyed red from Xia Ling’s blood.

Xia Moyan placed the bowl in Xia Ling’s hands.

Xia Ling held the jade bowl in her slender hands and walked in front of the Ye Family couple, pouring the bloody water beneath their feet. “This breaks the family ties between us. We no longer have anything to do with each other.” She said.

Father Ye looked at her, his expression a mix of sadness and unwillingness. His lips shook and he struggled as he echoed, “This breaks the family ties between us. We no longer have anything to do with each other.”

This was the rundown of the ceremony that they had been briefed on before.

Father Ye hadn’t thought that saying those words would be quite so difficult. Could family ties really be broken? At this moment, he felt that his heart was empty and he felt unbearably sad.