Alaric Ye was momentarily stunned, unable to immediately comprehend why Feng Hongyi would compare his legitimate Dao Companion to a "fox spirit." Perhaps it was due to Feng Hongyi's typically playful nature. Alaric shook his head repeatedly and said, "If it's been such a long time, how could I possibly hide it? They would be worried all the same. I might as well be honest about my injuries..."

The Empress Fengming, standing nearby, gave Feng Hongyi an exasperated look. "Why are you scaring him like that? Alaric, it's not as serious as she makes it out to be. Your recovery ability is quite formidable, and with the Great Freedom True Intent cultivated to such a high level, the backlash from Heaven isn't too severe. As long as we sisters work together to heal you, you'll fully recover in a few years to a few decades."

Hearing this, Alaric finally breathed a slight sigh of relief and gave Feng Hongyi a hard glare, to which she responded with a mischievous giggle. "Just a little joke to test if you're the kind of scoundrel who looks elsewhere while eating from your bowl. Didn't expect you to be quite responsible."

Alaric was speechless.