Chapter Fifty-Five: Bury Both Myself and Tang the Bandit!

“Your Highness, Princess.”

The chief steward of Phoenix Palace, Chen Fenglei, saw Phoenix approaching and bowed respectfully in greeting.

Phoenix looked at Chen Fenglei and smiled, “Grandpa Chen, it’s been a while since I last saw you. How have you been?”

“Oh, my Princess, just call me Old Chen… How could I ever deserve such a title? You’ll shorten my life if you keep that up!” Chen Fenglei’s voice was soft and sharp, reminiscent of the old palace eunuchs from ancient times.

But Chen Fenglei hadn’t been deliberately castrated; the palace had no use for such practices anymore. As a child, he’d injured himself while practicing martial arts, disrupting his body’s balance of energies, so he could only cultivate the yin force. The more he practiced, the more delicate and effeminate he became, eventually even his voice and appearance changed.

“You watched my father grow up, and you’re about the same age as my grandfather… Isn’t it only right for me to call you Grandpa Chen?” Phoenix said with a cheerful laugh.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare… Please, just call me Old Chen or Steward Chen—whatever makes you comfortable. I’ll feel at ease, too.” Chen Fenglei bent his back humbly.

“My father doesn’t mind—so you shouldn’t, either. With the friendship you shared with my grandfather, calling you Grandpa is only natural.” Phoenix continued, “Where’s my father? Has he had dinner yet?”

“He just finished a meeting and was thinking of grabbing a quick bite when you arrived, Your Highness.” Chen Fenglei pushed open the main doors, inviting Phoenix inside.

“That’s perfect, I haven’t eaten yet either.” Phoenix smiled. “Ask the kitchen to send up something light… Oh, and bring me a bowl of star conch soup. I haven’t had it in ages—I’m really craving it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Chen Fenglei replied with a smile.

Phoenix entered the room. Her father, Zhong Daolong, was sitting on the sofa reading a document, a large cigar in his hand.

Phoenix walked straight over, took the cigar from Zhong Daolong’s hand, and pressed it out in the ashtray. “Why are you smoking at this hour? Didn’t we agree? No more than one cigar a day.”

Zhong Daolong was a tall man. His features, taken individually, were unremarkable, but together they gave off a sense of comfort and calm. He wore a perfectly tailored white suit and a pair of rimless glasses perched on his nose, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.

At first glance, he looked less like the ruler of an empire and more like a university professor—one who might teach a traditional course in literary studies.

Yet this gentle, refined man—once even accused by the people of being too mild—held the highest power in the empire.

Zhong Daolong gazed at Phoenix with fatherly affection. “Wasn’t it just a few days ago that we lost contact with you? I’ve been worried sick, smoking cigar after cigar… two or three a day. Now, suddenly cutting back is a bit difficult.”

“You’ll get used to it if you stick with it,” Phoenix said, her expression earnest. “If you keep smoking like this, your habit will just get worse. When you’re used to two or three a day, it’ll be even harder to cut back.”

“All right, all right, I’ll listen to my daughter.” Zhong Daolong laughed heartily. “In this whole country, you’re the only one who dares snatch away my cigar… It’s a wonderful feeling to have my daughter home again.”

“Is it, though?” Phoenix put on a mock stern face. “Nagging in your ear every day, forbidding you from drinking, banning cigars, telling you to go to bed early… It must be such a bother.”

“It’s a happy kind of trouble. Those who don’t have daughters could never understand this kind of happiness.” Zhong Daolong said with a smile.

“You know,” he continued, “these past days without you nagging, I really couldn’t get used to it. Meals lost their flavor, sleep wouldn’t come, and I smoked one cigar after another—my throat nearly went up in smoke, yet I couldn’t taste the tobacco as I used to…”

“That’s good then.” Phoenix looked very pleased. “So, I should keep taking care of you, right?”

“Yes, yes, keep it up—I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Let’s eat, then.” Phoenix glanced at the elegant mechanical wristwatch on her arm. “It’s already past seven. From now on, you must have dinner before seven o’clock. No more delays, or your stomach problems will flare up again.”

“I just finished a meeting…” Zhong Daolong protested. “By the way, I heard you asking for star conch soup at the door—has it been a while since you had it?”

“It has. You have no idea what I ate back on the Old Earth… goats with two heads, rabbits with red eyes, wild pheasants nearly as tall as a person, swamp frogs, rats…”

Zhong Daolong patted Phoenix’s shoulder with concern, his heart aching. “You’ve suffered so much these days.”

“They were delicious,” Phoenix replied.

“???”

Zhong Daolong stared at Phoenix in disbelief.

He knew his daughter was a picky eater—never touching anything she deemed unappealing.

In the past, if faced with two-headed goats or red-eyed rabbits… Just hearing the description would have been enough to keep them off her plate.

She’d refused to eat ugly food since she was little!

How could a trip away from home change her so drastically?

“They were delicious.” Phoenix’s expression was blissful, as if those foods had left her longing for more. “At first, I was terrified, but once I tried them… honestly, they were amazing. I never imagined Old Earth had such delicacies. It’s a shame I’ll never get to eat them again.”

“Heh… heh…” Zhong Daolong laughed awkwardly and replied, “As long as you like them. If you want, I’ll have someone make them for you.”

“Can I bring someone over to cook for me?” Phoenix asked.

Zhong Daolong looked at her. “Who do you want to bring?”

“Dad, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.” Phoenix slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder, speaking softly, “Honestly, I thought I’d never see you again. When the escape pod malfunctioned and crashed, I was so scared, so desperate… I thought I’d die, or worse, face something even more terrible.”

At her words, Zhong Daolong’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. His voice was low and steely: “I will see justice done for you. Whoever was behind this will pay dearly, no matter who they are.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Phoenix looked up at him and said, “I just want you to know how hard it was for me to come back. You said you were glad I made it home—I am too. It’s truly a blessing to be back.”

“These past days, lying in my room, I kept reliving those harrowing days on Old Earth—every morning a struggle to get up, every danger a brush with death…”

“And now, to have a comfortable bed, beautiful clothes, delicious food, and my father—who’s the most powerful man in the world…”

“I had lost everything, but I got it all back. But my friends on Old Earth, they helped me, saved me, got me through crisis after crisis…”

“They fed me, clothed me, helped me fight off assassins, protected me from those beasts of the Flame Shrine… They did so much for me, but their lives haven’t changed at all.”

“They still have to go hungry and cold, battle the fiercest mutated beasts, endure acid rain that could fall at any moment, and face enemies without humanity or conscience… even those assassins they made enemies of because of me…”

“I’m so worried about them. I fear they’ll be targeted for revenge… If they die because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Zhong Daolong looked thoughtfully at Phoenix. “So, what are you asking for?”

“I want to improve their lives, help them eat well, dress warmly, and live safely and happily…”

Phoenix lifted her face to Zhong Daolong, looking at him with sincere emotion. “Dad, I want to ask you to let me repay their kindness—give them a chance to live and thrive on New Star.”

“I believe they would be grateful to become citizens of the Phoenix Empire, and proud to have a benevolent ruler like you.”

Just then, a servant entered with a cart laden with food.

Zhong Daolong patted Phoenix’s head and smiled. “Let’s eat first. While we eat, tell me more about your time on Old Earth… and about those friends of yours. I’d like to know what kind of people they are.”

“All right,” Phoenix agreed readily.

But her heart sank. She knew her father was still undecided.

She had done everything she could—reasoned and pleaded with all her might—yet he still hadn’t agreed. Clearly, something had gone wrong.

Phoenix glanced at Chen Fenglei, who was busy arranging plates and serving soup, as if oblivious to their conversation.

Was it that phrase, “think of me”?

In that moment of parting, believing it might be forever, those words slipped out…

They were supposed to go their separate ways, yet now she wanted to give him a home.

“Zhong Yuxiuxue, you fool!” Phoenix cursed herself inwardly.

She had dug a pit, burying both herself and Tang Fei.

In this world, whether man or woman, offering someone a home was never easy.