He didn’t lower the spoon. "Open your mouth. That is a direct order from your Dad."

Ji’an groaned, hiding her face behind her hands in embarrassment, but she eventually relented, leaning forward and taking the bite.

For the next thirty minutes, the supreme commander of the Azure Empire’s military forces painstakingly spoon-fed his incredibly capable, highly lethal daughter like a toddler recovering from a cold.

It was utterly humiliating, but Ji’an actually loved every single second of it.

Because she has always been the one taking care of others in both lives, no one took care of her like this aside from Wangchen and her father.

Once the tray was empty and Ji’an was adequately fortified with tea, the atmosphere in the room settled into a comfortable, easy intimacy.

It was a dynamic they had rarely shared in the original host’s memories, but one that felt entirely natural now.

"So," Ji’an said, leaning back against the pillows, wrapping her hands around her teacup. "Xuan gave me the summarized version of the family circumstances. But I want the official military report. What exactly happened after I went away?"

General Lin’s expression darkened.

The doting father vanished, replaced by the ruthless tactician.

"When I returned from the border and found your quarters empty, I ordered a full lockdown of the estate," the General explained, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "It’s as you gave me the clues, my men searched thoroughly and found the hidden compartments in her quarters. We already found the ledgers."

General Lin’s silver-flecked eyes met Ji’an’s, burning with a cold, protective fury.

"She had been actively suppressing your monthly allowance, bribing the physicians to misdiagnose your spiritual roots, and encouraging the second son to ensure you would remain docile for that political marriage to Duke Wei’s daughter."

Ji’an nodded slowly. She knew the backstory, but hearing the clinical, military breakdown of the abuse made it feel chillingly real.

"I did not show mercy," General Lin stated, his jaw tight. "I stripped her of her titles. I shattered the boy’s cultivation base. I had them escorted to the border of the Ding’an Marquisate with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The Lin clan no longer recognizes them."

"That is... incredibly thorough," Ji’an murmured, genuinely impressed by the unhesitating ruthlessness.

In most web novels, the abusive family members linger for hundreds of Chapters as annoying recurring villains, but General Lin had deleted them from the plot.

"It was the absolute minimum required to cleanse my house," the General said dismissively. He reached out, his large hand gently squeezing Ji’an’s shoulder through the quilt. "But the damage was already done."

"I am sorry for scaring you, Dad," Ji’an said softly, looking down at her tea. "But if I hadn’t left... I wouldn’t have found my path."

"And what a path it is," General Lin sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. He looked at her with a mixture of profound pride and lingering bewilderment. "You return to me not as a delicate noblewoman, but as an Inner Sect elder. You breached a subterranean fortress, my daughter, who now smells of blood and iron. Xuan told me you shattered magical restraints with a cooking utensil. What exactly have those immortals been teaching you on that mountain?"

Ji’an grinned, a spark of her usual arrogant, vibrant chef persona returning.

"I was accepted as the sole apprentice of the Drunken Peak," Ji’an bragged, sitting up straighter. "My Master is a Second Generation Sovereign. He’s an alcoholic who uses ancient cauldrons as planters, but he taught me the Dao of the Iron Wok."

"The Dao of the... Iron Wok?" General Lin repeated, his aristocratic brow furrowing in profound confusion. "Is that an orthodox sword technique?"

"Better. It’s an internal meridian compression technique," Ji’an explained enthusiastically. "I don’t cultivate Qi to cast spells or shoot lasers. I forcefully compress the ambient spiritual energy derived from high-grade ingredients directly into my muscle fibers. It increases my kinetic density exponentially. I look fragile, but my physical mass and striking power are practically siege-weapon level."

General Lin stared at her. He was a Grandmaster of martial arts.

He understood the fundamental laws of physics and cultivation. To compress Qi into physical mass without bulking the musculature was a terrifying, almost suicidal method of training.

"You are turning yourself into a living cannonball," the General summarized, a hint of awe bleeding into his voice.

"Basically," Ji’an nodded proudly. "It’s fantastic for tenderizing tough meats and breaking kneecaps."

"And your companions?" General Lin asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The Imperial Second Prince, that boy is a snake. I have navigated the Imperial Court long enough to recognize a predator when I see one. Why was he traveling with you? Why was he covered in blood?"

Ji’an groaned, dramatically throwing her head back against the headboard. "Do not get me started on that guy, Dad. He is the most manipulative, dramatic, high-maintenance peacock I have ever met. He actually threw Xuan to the bandits just to get an invitation to their base, and then he murdered an entire cavern of mercenaries because I forced him to wear a dress to infiltrate the boss’s room."

General Lin blinked slowly. He processed the sentence, the political implications of forcing the Emperor’s favored son to cross-dress.

The War God of the Azure Empire closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You forced the Imperial Second Prince to wear a woman’s gown," General Lin repeated, his voice remarkably steady.

"I stuffed travel pillows down his bodice to give him a cleavage, too," Ji’an added helpfully, completely unrepentant. "It was either that, or I went in alone. He owed me. And honestly? He pulled it off. The bandits were very impressed."

General Lin let out a long, shuddering sigh.

He looked at his daughter, realizing with absolute certainty that the fragile child he had mourned was entirely gone.

In her place was an agent of pure chaos who apparently treated imperial royalty like annoying line cooks.