"Dad, will we celebrate the New Year with Aunty again?" Ye Jiao asked with sparkling eyes. She had longed to meet with her aunt and played with the latter again.

Ye Xiao nodded his head. "Yes. We're going to meet with your aunt. Have you prepared the soup?"

"Yes!"

Ye Jiao could cook several dishes, but she could cook soup the best. There were plenty of vegetables in the forest that they could use for soup, so she didn't need to take a long time.

"Should I taste it first?" Ye Xiao grinned.

"No! It's for Aunty," Ye Jiao turned her body around, her small arms were hugging the pot that they had. The size of the pot was not that big, but it looked like a large bucket for the small Ye Jiao.

"Alright, let's go."

Taking her father's hand to hers, Ye Jiao followed after her father happily. Even though they would visit the city again, the place that she disliked a lot, she was happy to meet with her aunt again.

Her aunt married Wei Shang when Ye Jiao was one-year-old. At that time, her father was pressured by Wei Shang and others, so he had to give his sister to them. Ye Jiao didn't know the detail, but she had heard that story numerous times in the past.

Both her father and her aunt were exceptionally famous in the capital city.

But not in a good way.

As they got closer to the gate, Ye Jiao tightened her grip. After the practice to absorb Eon Energy to her body for the past few months, her senses have grown sharper. Hearing things like this was not of a problem to her at all and the distance has grown even larger.

Ye Xiao also sensed his daughter's nervousness, so he stopped in his track. "Do you want to be carried again, Jiao'er?"

"No," Ye Jiao shook her head. She had to deal with this for a long time in the future. If she had to rely on her father forever, she wouldn't be able to grow strong. He would worry for her and unable to focus in his practice.

"Ye Jiao has become stronger, so I can walk by myself."

Ye Xiao smiled and patted his daughter's head. "Ok, but if you feel overwhelmed, you can always tell me, okay?"

"Yes!"

The two of them started to walk into the city. As they entered the gate, Ye Jiao could hear the people's voices even clearer. Her grip tightened slightly, but she forced her face to remain calm. As they walked inside, she could perfectly hear the people talked about her.

"Ah, that trash come again."

"They're really disgrace of this kingdom. Really, I don't understand why the king hadn't killed them."

"Well, he's a 'former' genius after all."

Their talk, which she was unable to hear clearly before, entered her ear perfectly. Even though only those that was close enough to her that she could hear, their words were clearly painful. Her eyes captured their disdain and jeer directed at the two of them as she walked.

'I'm okay.'

Ye Jiao chanted internally as she circulated the Eon Energy in her body. Trying to focus her attention to the Eon Energy inside her body, she did her best to ignore their taunting words and obvious provocation. Even though she felt sad and angry, she pushed them down and focused her attention to train her body.

There was no use caring for them.

Before long, the two of them stopped before a large residence. The sign of 'Wei' word was placed right at the front of the gate with several guards guarding the area. They looked at Ye Xiao with derision.

"You come again, little genius?" one of the guards asked with mocking tone.

Ye Xiao kept his calm as he pointed to the door. "Is there celebration?"

"Our General Wei is eating dinner with his family. Your sister is at the back, you can enter through the side gate," the guard pointed to the side carelessly.

"I see."

Ye Jiao felt her father pulled her hand as she followed after him. From behind her, she could hear the guards mocked her father. Her body tensed up slightly, but she didn't say anything.

After having keener sense, she had just understood what her father have gone through all these years. He had to face their mock and all for the past seven years. With her father martial arts, it was clear that this man would be able to hear much more and saw their mocking gaze even clearer.

Compared to her, he must have heard much more.

It didn't take long for them to reach the side door. The guard looked at Ye Xiao and snorted before opening the door. "You have time until midnight."

"I know."

Ye Xiao replied shortly before guiding Ye Jiao inside. The location looked like a small forest as it was not tended. The stone road was filled with gra.s.s here and there with some broken stones.

The girl watched her father walked in unhurried pace as she wondered how he could withstand all of those treatment. It was hard for her to ignore them all.

"Jiao'er."

"Yes, Daddy?" Ye Jiao replied in quivering voice. She was stunned to hear her own voice cracked. Even though she didn't cry or anything, her voice sounded as if she was crying.

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Ye Xiao sighed. He didn't wish for his daughter to see them all because he knew that what she could hear and experience has become much more than before. Stopping on his step, he turned around and crouched down, putting his eyes at the same level with his daughter.

"You did great, Jiao'er," his finger caressed the girl's cheek, trying to calm her down.

Ye Jiao stared at her father as she nodded her head in a slow movement. It seemed that her subconsciousness was not as calm as her consciousness. Even though she forced herself to stay calm and composed, her inner self was shaken terribly.

"Jiao'er is already seven, so of course, Jiao'er is strong," Ye Jiao replied as she forced a smile on her face. By the end of her sentence, her voice had returned back to normal.

"Yes, you're strong," Ye Xiao smiled back and caressed his daughter's head. He felt complicated. On one side, he didn't wish to put his daughter in this difficult position. On the other side, he was proud to see that his daughter could keep on smiling and faced what he used to be unable to.

She is strong, much stronger than what he thought.

"I want to meet with Aunty," Ye Jiao raised the pot in her hand higher. She wanted to let her aunt taste the soup she had specifically made.

"Yes, let's meet with your Aunt."