Rebirth of the Ninth Princess

Yuanjiu looked up, puzzled. "She hit Xiaoding first. I wasn't wrong."

"That's not what your father meant. Have you forgotten that your father told you not to leave the Heavenly Dragon Palace?"

Yuanjiu fell silent.

Ouyang Qingtian added, "Brother, after what happened today, word will spread quickly about how much you dote on the Ninth Princess. When that happens, Xiaojiu's danger won't just increase by a little."

Yuanjiu turned to Ouyang Qingcheng in surprise.

Ouyang Qingcheng nodded, meeting her gaze directly. "That's why your Father Emperor forbade you from leaving the Heavenly Dragon Palace."

"I'm not afraid. Didn't Father Emperor say he'd protect me?" Yuanjiu's tone was pure and matter-of-fact as she stated the truth, her clear eyes reflecting her unwavering trust.

Ouyang Qingcheng's lips curved into a faint smile as he pulled her into his arms. "Yes, my darling, Father Emperor will always protecting you. Thank you for trusting me so much."

Ouyang Qingtian observed the interaction between father and daughter with amusement.

From what he knew, Yuanjiu had no magical abilities, which likely had something to do with why Ouyang Qingcheng had urgently summoned him back.

Ouyang Qingcheng noticing Ouyang Qingtian's unspoken question, said calmly, "We'll discuss this back at the hall."

Once everyone was seated in the study room of the Heavenly Dragon Palace, Ouyang Qingtian gave Ouyang Qingcheng a questioning look.

"Imperial Brother, now that you've returned, I assume you're staying for good this time?"

Ouyang Qingtian sipped his tea leisurely. "Yes, I've had my fill of adventures over the years. Time to rest and settle down."

"Since you're a prodigy in both magic and martial arts, I'd like you to guide my daughter in magic."

"Hmm?" Ouyang Qingtian's eyes widened in surprise.

Ouyang Qingcheng took out a crystal ball he had prepared in advance.

Yuanjiu, understanding Ouyang Qingtian's curiosity, placed her hands on the crystal ball.

When Ouyang Qingtian saw the multitude of colors within, his expression was hilarious—his mouth gaping wide enough to swallow an egg.

He quickly regained his composure, and delightedly he rushed over to Yuanjiu, examining her up and down as if this would reveal even more information. "Excellent, excellent. Brother, rest assured, leave Yuanjiu to me. I guarantee I'll cultivate her into a prodigy."

Having finally encountered a genius student, he eagerly accepted the responsibility.

His enthusiasm was barely contained, and he was just shy of carrying Yuanjiu off immediately.

Ouyang Qingcheng sternly reminded him, "Imperial brother, don't get too excited yet. As you've likely guessed, only a handful of people know about Yuanjiu's abilities. Publicly, you'll be teaching her swordsmanship. Privately, you'll oversee both her swordsmanship and magic training."

It was clear Ouyang Qingtian's task would be quite demanding.

"Don't worry. Being able to spend time with such an adorable little one is an honor for me. I'll get everything ready, and we can start tomorrow."

Turning to Yuanjiu, he added, "Xiaojiu, let your Father Emperor get back to his work. Come on, tell your royal uncle more about your abilities."

He tried to pick Yuanjiu up, but she slid down from Ouyang Qingcheng's arms. "Uncle Qingtian, I can walk on my own."

Ouyang Qingtian shaking his head with exaggerated disapproval, trailed behind her. "Xiaojiu, let me tell you, children should act their age, not like little adults."

Yuanjiu acted as if she hadn't heard him.

The two of them returned to the main hall of the Heavenly Dragon Palace, dismissing the attendants and keeping only Xiaoding by their side.

Yuanjiu then detailed her abilities: possessing all elemental magic attributes and an additional mutated lightning attribute.

Ouyang Qingtian exclaimed about her genius and dramatically lamented his inferiority.

Since Yuanjiu was still very young, Ouyang Qingtian decided that until she turned three, he would focus on introducing her to magical concepts and systematically training her magic control abilities.

As for swordsmanship, he worried her current physique wouldn't handle the strain.

However, Yuanjiu shook her head. "Uncle Qingtian, I can handle it."

Her past life had involved rigorous physical training.

Both Ouyang Qingcheng and Ouyang Qingtian insisted on laying a strong foundation first.

For the time being, her daily training would prioritize physical fitness.

Yuanjiu, realizing she was still small, didn't push further.

To facilitate her training, Ouyang Qingcheng specially constructed a secret chamber within their living quarters for Yuanjiu to practice.

Ouyang Qingtian's lessons were also conducted there.

Although Ouyang Qingtian only had four magical abilities, his mastery of each was unparalleled, providing significant help to Yuanjiu.

Over four years, Yuanjiu's extraordinary learning speed nearly drained Ouyang Qingtian of his knowledge.

Her seven elemental abilities had greatly advanced, with her power restored to 80%.

As for lightning magic, which was exceedingly rare in this world, Yuanjiu relied entirely on her instincts to figure it out on her own.

During these four years, Xiaoding had also grown considerably.

His abilities had reached the level of a Tier 7 magical beast.

One of his unique talents was size-reduction, which allowed him to shrink his overly large body to the size of a kitten, so Yuanjiu could easily carry him around.

His greatest ability, however, was dream manipulation—he could enter and control a person's dreams once they were unconscious, allowing him to peer into their innermost thoughts.

This power also granted him a secondary skill: detecting malice through scent.

For the Dark Spirit Clan, each person's moral alignment emitted distinct auras, which their keen noses could effortlessly discern.

Ouyang Qingcheng had a love-hate relationship with Xiaoding.

What he loved was that having such a shrewd "little spirit" around Yuanjiu served as a safeguard, especially since Yuanjiu still didn't fully understand human nature.

What he hated was Xiaoding constantly staying in Yuanjiu's arms, disrupting their "father-daughter bonding time."

Thus, most of the time, Ouyang Qingcheng would mercilessly toss Xiaoding onto the ground, unwilling to let his precious one be burdened too much.

Ouyang Qingtian still frequently reported in, though he was no longer teaching magic but swordsmanship, continuing until Yuanjiu formally enrolled in school.

Another thing Ouyang Qingtian often did was freeload meals.