Chapter 551 Conversation with Zhu Kun

"It's all my fault, all my fault! I shouldn't have thought about coveting the ancient emperor's cave. It's all because of that bastard Tushe Ancient Emperor. He deliberately set up a trap to plot against me, which caused me to be trapped here for so long!" Zhu Kun said bitterly with a face full of regret.

Seeing tears falling from Zi Yan's eyes, Zhu Kun panicked and hurriedly stepped forward and said anxiously:

"Child, don't cry, don't cry, it's all your fault. From now on, no matter what you ask me to do, I will listen to you. If you don't believe me, I can swear on oath!"

But who would have thought that Zi Yan just sniffed her pretty nose lightly, dodged the hands extended by Zhu Kun, walked straight to Xiao Ling, took Xiao Ling's arm, and didn't even look at Zhu Kun. She looked so distant, as if the person in front of her had nothing to do with her.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Kun felt like being struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze. Then, his eyes turned towards Xiao Ling with a hint of ferocity, as if he was blaming Xiao Ling for snatching Zi Yan away.

"It seems that His Majesty the old Dragon Emperor is a little hostile to me. Humph, if I hadn't brought Zi Yan here, you two father and daughter would never have the chance to meet now." Seeing Zhu Kun's unfriendly look, Xiao Ling couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart.

But on second thought, he could understand Zhu Kun's feelings at the moment. If his daughter was closer to another man than to himself, he would probably feel bad too.

After a brief thought, Xiao Ling raised his hand and gently touched Zi Yan's soft purple hair under Zhu Kun's still unfriendly gaze, and said softly: "I think Zi Yan should have made a decision in her heart about this matter. Senior, let her make the choice according to her inner thoughts. However, no matter what, I will stand by her side and support her."

"Yeah!" Zi Yan nodded vigorously, and her eyes gently turned to Zhu Kun, whose face was full of bitterness. Her eyes had quietly changed a little. After all, the person in front of her was her biological father, and the fact that they were connected by blood could not be faked in any way.

Zi Yan bit her lip slightly, as if a thousand emotions were surging in her heart. She had imagined countless times what it would be like to have her father by her side, but when this day really came, she didn't know how to face it. At this moment, looking at Zhu Kun's anxious and cautious appearance, the originally hardened resistance in her heart began to slowly loosen.

“Um… I…” Zi Yan opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back. After all, she was still not used to communicating with Zhu Kun so intimately. However, there was a little more entanglement and hesitation in the look when she looked at Zhu Kun, and it was no longer as cold and distant as before.

Seeing this, Zhu Kun's eyes flashed with surprise. He quickly struck while the iron was hot and said in a soft voice, "Son, I know that you have been wronged over the years. It is my fault. I will make it up to you in the future. Just give me a chance, okay?"

As he spoke, Zhu Kun's eyes were full of earnestness. His usual majestic appearance was long gone. At this moment, he was just a father who longed for his daughter's forgiveness.

Zi Yan was silent for a while, her hands unconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Then...then tell me first, what happened back then, why haven't I seen you since I was born..."

Zhu Kun sighed slightly, a look of reminiscence appeared on his face, and he slowly said:

"Back then, the situation was really complicated. My father's cultivation level was stuck at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm, and he couldn't make any progress. That's why I left the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan to look for an opportunity to break through to the Dou Emperor. But after I found the cave of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, I was trapped here after being tricked by the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. I was completely cut off from the outside world and had no way to find you and your mother."

"I have felt guilty all these years. I always thought that if I could see you again, I would make it up to you..."

Zi Yan listened quietly, her eyes slightly red again. Although she didn't say anything, her expression showed that she had already begun to slowly accept this father who suddenly appeared in her heart.

Zi Yan rolled her eyes, then pointed at Zhu Kun and said crisply, "Since you keep saying that you are my father, now that I, your daughter, have come to you, you must give me some benefits, right? After all, you are the previous Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, and a Nine-Star Fighting Saint at the peak level. You must have a lot of good things in your hands."

When Zhu Kun heard Zi Yan's words, the smile on his face froze, and his expression became quite bitter. He sighed helplessly and explained:
"My child, I have been trapped here for so many years. I have used up all the things I brought with me. Now I really have nothing left. It's not that I don't want to give it to you, but I am really short of money and can't give you anything good."

As he spoke, Zhu Kun looked at Zi Yan with eyes full of guilt, his heart full of helplessness and self-blame. As a father, he couldn't even give his daughter the benefits she asked for, which made him feel really uncomfortable.

When Zi Yan heard this, her expectant face instantly fell, and she muttered:
"Humph, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. It sounds good, but it turns out there's nothing. Then it doesn't matter whether I have you as my father or not..."

When Zhu Kun saw Zi Yan's disappointed look, he became anxious and said quickly:

"Child, don't be disappointed. I still have a lot of good things to give you. I have a few fighting skills passed down by the Dragon King of our Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan. Those fighting skills are extremely precious. Except for the Dragon King, no one else in the clan has the opportunity to get in touch with them. I can teach them all to you. Some of them are high-level fighting skills of the heavenly rank. They are top-notch in this Douqi Continent and should be of great help to your future cultivation."

As Zhu Kun spoke, he looked at Zi Yan eagerly, hoping to make his daughter happier.

Zi Yan's eyes lit up slightly after hearing this. In fact, she had not originally thought of gaining any benefits from Zhu Kun, but she was quite looking forward to the opportunity to learn this heavenly advanced fighting skill.

"If you say so, then you can teach me all these fighting skills when you have time later."

Changing the subject, Zi Yan frowned again and asked with a little concern: "By the way, you have been trapped here for so long, how can we get you out? We can't let you be trapped here forever."

"This Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave and the restriction that trapped my father are bound together. Only when Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave is opened, the restriction that trapped me will dissipate and fade away."

Zhu Kun explained helplessly, his words full of resentment towards Tushegudi.

"Back then, my father relied on his own strong martial arts to forcibly break the restriction, but he was ambushed by that old bastard and was trapped here. So for all these years, my father has been waiting here for the person holding the ancient jade to come."

Zi Yan couldn't help but frown slightly, with a look of disappointment on her face. She muttered and complained:
"Humph, I thought I could gain something, but there is nothing here except the cave of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. Now Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave cannot be opened without the ancient jade, and you need the ancient jade to regain your freedom. What kind of rare thing is the ancient jade? Where can you get it?"

Seeing Zi Yan's disappointed look, Zhu Kun felt full of guilt, but he really had no good solution.

After all, if he had a way to get out of this predicament, he wouldn't have been trapped here for thousands of years, unable to escape.

"Since the senior said that you found this Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave in order to seek an opportunity to break through to the Dou Emperor's aura, then according to what the senior said, is there something related to breaking through to the Dou Emperor in this Tuoshe Cave?" Seeing that the scene was a little quiet for a moment, Xiao Ling hurriedly took over the conversation.

Zhu Kun stared at Xiao Ling, who seemed to have "kidnapped" his daughter, with unkind eyes. Just as he was about to say something, he was glared at by Zi Yan. He was like an eggplant hit by frost and could only reply angrily:
"Tuoshe Ancient Emperor is the last Dou Emperor in this world. There is indeed a chance for him to become an emperor in this cave."

Although Zhu Kun admitted that he had a chance to become an emperor, he was obviously reserved in his words and did not reveal the complete situation in front of Xiao Ling.

If he and Zi Yan were alone at this moment, Zhu Kun would be willing to tell Zi Yan in detail about this matter without reservation, and tell Zi Yan everything he knew and guessed.

After all, Zhu Kun really didn't trust Xiao Ling. If it wasn't for Zi Yan's sake, based on how close Xiao Ling and Zi Yan were when they first met, Zhu Kun would have been considered kind-hearted if he didn't kill Xiao Ling directly after seeing him.

How could he possibly reveal all the relevant information in Tushe Ancient Emperor's cave without reservation?
As for the opportunity to become an emperor, there is no need to keep it secret. After all, no matter whether Xiao Ling reveals it to the outside world or not, no one can open the cave without the ancient jade.

As long as someone comes here with the Tushe Ancient Emperor Jade one day, Zhu Kun will be able to use it to escape from the predicament, so it is okay to reveal a little in this regard. However, Zhu Kun will not disclose other key secrets so easily.

Zhu Kun's mind was full of calculations, but unfortunately he didn't know that Xiao Ling knew more about the Tushe Ancient Emperor's Cave than he did.

Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, and the subtle movement was almost imperceptible to others.

Yes, this opportunity to become an emperor is so precious, how could Zhu Kun reveal it easily.

In the original timeline, the other party knew clearly that the opportunity to become an emperor in the cave of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor contained the emperor-grade embryo pill and the origin of the emperor contained in the statue of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

It was not until later when Emperor Hun Tian began to refine the continent and the situation became extremely critical that he revealed the secret of the statue of Emperor Tushegu.

After all, the temptation of Emperor Cheng is too great. Anyone faced with such a temptation would probably have some reservations. This is just human nature and there is really nothing to blame.

After Zhu Kun casually explained, he frowned slightly. After all, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and doubts, and took the initiative to ask Xiao Ling: "What is your origin? How did you get so close to my daughter?"

As he spoke, there was a bit of scrutiny in his eyes as he stared at Xiao Ling closely. There was a father's vigilance in his eyes, as if he wanted to see through Xiao Ling inside and out.

Xiao Ling was slightly stunned, then smiled calmly and replied:

"Senior Dragon Emperor, Zi Yan and I have known each other for a long time. In the many experiences along the way, we have supported and helped each other, and unknowingly formed a deep friendship, which is why we are so close. I have no bad intentions, and Zi Yan and I really like each other. I hope that Senior will not misunderstand me."

When saying this, Xiao Ling subconsciously looked at Zi Yan beside him, and his eyes naturally revealed a hint of tenderness from the heart.

When Zi Yan heard this, her pretty face suddenly turned red, and the blush spread quickly like the sunset in the sky. She quickly hid her body behind Xiao Ling like a frightened little rabbit.

If Xiao Ling talked about this in front of other people, given Zi Yan's carefree personality, she would not only not feel shy, but would probably even show off proudly.

But now Xiao Ling actually talked about all this in front of his biological father, which made Zi Yan feel almost embarrassed to death.

When Zhu Kun saw Zi Yan's shy look, he felt extremely upset. But when he saw Xiao Ling's eyes full of affection and not fake when he looked at his daughter, and then looked at his precious daughter's reaction, he understood in his heart that these two people truly loved each other.

Although I was still a little unhappy in my heart, I felt it was not appropriate to say anything more for the moment. After all, my daughter had grown up and had her own thoughts, and as a father, it was not easy for her to interfere forcefully. However, I still felt like there was a stone blocking my heart and I didn't feel comfortable.

During this time, Zi Yan came back to her senses from her initial shyness, and immediately began to tell Zhu Kun about her experiences with Xiao Ling.

They first met at Canaan College when they were young and ignorant. Then they grew up together and their feelings gradually deepened during this time together.

After that, they set out on the journey to Zhongzhou together. After that, he returned to the Ancient Dragon Clan, and Xiao Ling also made a name for himself...

Zi Yan spoke briefly and to the point. Although she did not describe too many details, she still allowed Zhu Kun to roughly understand the difficulties they had gone through along the way and the friendship they had maintained.

Zhu Kun listened to Zi Yan's story quietly, and his expression gradually softened unconsciously.

As Zi Yan recounted her past experiences, the resistance he had felt towards Xiao Ling gradually faded away.

While asking Zi Yan in detail just now, Zhu Kun already knew that Xiao Ling usually took great care of Zi Yan.

Although he was not happy in his heart that his precious daughter was "kidnapped" by another man, looking at Zi Yan's unconcealed joy when she mentioned Xiao Ling, even though he was reluctant, he also understood that feelings cannot be forced, and finally he could only accept this fact helplessly.

(End of this chapter)