Xiao Chen's Home

Tang Ru threw an arm around Xiao Chen's neck. "It's been so long, and we've never once visited Fourth Brother's home. Seriously... do you not want us over?" Walking ahead, Ye Feng chimed in with a tease of his own. "Who knows?" "Sigh... maybe it's because I've kept him under too tight a leash." "Tsk, who knew Fourth Brother actually came from a prominent, prestigious clan?" The others clamored all at once, noisily talking about all the things they would do at Xiao Chen's home. Yet this raucous chatter dispelled much of the gloom weighing on Xiao Chen's heart. Xiao Chen grinned and threw up an arm, calling out loudly, "Let's go! To my home!" With that, Xiao Chen took out a jade slip and sent a message to his mother, Cheng Yun, telling her that he was bringing his brothers back with him. Cheng Yun was overjoyed at the news. All these years... Ever since Xiao Chen's father, Xiao Yue, had perished at the hands of the Abyss Demons, even when Xiao Chen occasionally returned to the Great Xia Domain, he rarely set foot back in the clan. And whenever he did return, he would stay for merely half a day before leaving again. Xiao Chen brought Ye Qing'er along as well. Though Ye Qing'er was nervous along the way, it was different from Li Qingchan's kind of nervousness. After all, the Xiao clan was still situated within the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect, and she would occasionally visit them. In fact... over the years, Ye Qing'er had visited the Xiao clan even more often than Xiao Chen had. And deep down, she more or less understood why. The brothers all knew about the tragedy that had struck Xiao Chen's family in the past. Yet, just like the matters in Ye Feng's family, in most cases it was not their place to butt in. Xiao Chen's spirits were somewhat low. Sensing this, Ye Qing'er gently comforted him, "I'm here. We're all here." Xiao Chen took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly, a rare smile appearing on his face. At this moment, scenes from accompanying Li Guanqi to the cemetery earlier today flashed through his mind. In this moment, Xiao Chen seemed to have made peace with himself. He no longer held a grudge against the father with whom he had constantly argued over rules and restrictions. Before Xiao Yue died, even knowing that Xiao Chen possessed the Great Sky Haze Flame—which was sufficient to suppress the Abyss Demons—he had still shouted in his final message, telling Xiao Chen not to come back. Perhaps in his final moments, the man's only concern had been that his child would plunge into mortal peril trying to save him... What Xiao Chen had truly feared facing was not an inanimate spirit tablet. It was... a fatherly love that, to him, was as profound and heavy as a mountain. The group soon arrived before the entrance to the Xiao clan's domain realm. The light barrier rippled, yet not many from the Xiao clan came out to welcome them. There were only a scattering of Xiao clan elders and Xiao Chen's mother, Cheng Yun. The woman had a radiant complexion, though her eyes were red, clearly having just wept. Dressed in exquisite, brocaded robes, she carried an air of dignified nobility, with sharpness evident between her brows. For a woman, after the Xiao clan suffered such a catastrophe, to manage to develop such a massive clan to where it was today was remarkable. One had to know that the Xiao clan had not relied in the slightest on the shelter of the Great Xia Sword Sect! Even when doing business with the Guanyun Pavilion, they conducted affairs with genuine competence and integrity. Because of this, Li Guanqi held deep admiration for Xiao Chen's mother. Cheng Yun looked toward Xiao Chen with a smile. "You brat, you finally remember to come home? If Qing'er hadn't been visiting me whenever she had free time, I would've gone over to your side to drag you back long ago." Xiao Chen scratched his head in slight embarrassment. "Wasn't it just... that I couldn't let it go in my heart..." Hearing this, Cheng Yun felt a pang in her heart and nagged him no further. She turned to the others and bowed slightly in greeting. Though a simple gesture, it left everyone feeling flattered and honored. The woman looked at Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu and couldn't help smiling. "Guanqi, I didn't expect you to come as well." "And this must be Wanshu? Truly a match made in heaven." Just then, Ye Feng couldn't resist chiming in. "Aunt Cheng, don't bother praising my Big Brother this time—it's time to start preparing betrothal gifts for Fourth Brother Xiao." Cheng Yun naturally knew Ye Feng. Hearing his words, her eyes instantly lit up with pleasant surprise. "Little Ye, you mean...?" Seeing Ye Feng nod, Cheng Yun pressed her lips into a smile, murmuring under her breath, "Good, good, good..." "Quickly, let's head inside to talk. What does it look like, standing out here?" The group followed Xiao Chen into the domain realm. The moment they stepped inside, rich spiritual energy washed over them. Soaring peaks and flowing waters; the calls of immortal cranes echoed. Pavilions and towers stretched across the landscape in unbroken succession, with a grand hall perched atop the highest summit. Seeing this, Li Guanqi couldn't help but sigh in praise. "Aunt Cheng has truly worked hard over the years, leading the Xiao clan to such thriving prosperity." The others nodded in agreement. Today, the foundation of the Xiao clan was in no way inferior to lineages that had been passed down for generations. Soon, Cheng Yun personally hosted everyone in the clan's grand hall. After everyone took their seats and chatted for a while, Li Guanqi took the initiative to suggest taking a stroll around. Not wanting Cheng Yun to spend all her time entertaining them, they let someone lead them on a casual tour of the grounds. Meanwhile, Xiao Chen went with his mother to pay respects to Xiao Yue. Xiao Chen hadn't invited the others along, presumably because there were things he wanted to say to his father in private. None of them minded such minor matters. Ye Qing'er, however, couldn't stop glancing back as they toured the Xiao clan's domain realm. Ye Feng stood beside Li Guanqi, letting out a long sigh as a wave of emotion washed over him. In the span of just a single day, so much had happened among them. Ye Feng spoke softly, "Big Brother, the brothers have already discussed it. In a couple of days when we go to propose marriage, we'll carry the betrothal gifts." Li Guanqi smiled at his words. "Even if you wanted to run, you wouldn't be able to. This task was bound to fall on you guys anyway." "Heh, that's great then." "Honestly, several decades have flashed by in the blink of an eye. I never thought time would pass so fast." Li Guanqi sighed softly in agreement. "Yeah, who would have thought several decades could slip by just like that?" "Counting the time we spent inside the Nirvana Pagoda, we've been walking the path of cultivation for several centuries now." Ye Feng felt the same sentiment. Ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had truly felt the passage of time. He hesitated, looking as if there was something he wanted to say, but in the end, he held his tongue. Li Guanqi didn't know what Ye Feng wanted to say either. Yet since Ye Feng had chosen not to speak, it meant he felt the time was not yet right. The group strolled through the Xiao clan's domain realm with tranquil minds. Without continuing their cultivation, they found that their bottlenecks had actually loosened somewhat. It seemed that even for them, cultivation required a balance between tension and relaxation. Before long, the group returned to the Xiao clan's grand hall. When Xiao Chen came out to meet them, Li Guanqi felt that his steps were noticeably lighter. Cheng Yun's eyes were rimmed with red, her gaze filled with deep gratification. Sitting in his chair, Li Guanqi curled his lips into a faint smile. It seemed that after resolving his own matters, this journey back had untied many knots and cleared away worries for quite a few people. After chatting with everyone for a bit, Xiao Chen brought out some special local products unique to the Xiao clan for them to take along. Looking at the pouches of black medicinal fluid in his hands, Gu Li couldn't help but frown slightly. "What kind of stuff is this...?" Tang Ru and the others also furrowed their brows, though none of them spoke up. At that moment, Cao Yan, who had remained quiet all along, suddenly had his eyes light up. Tearing open a pouch, he began chugging it down immediately. After drinking it, Cao Yan wiped his mouth and whispered via sound transmission: "Uh... this stuff... replenishes! That's right, it boosts *that* department, exactly what you're thinking!" Gu Li subtly tore open a pouch and threw his head back to gulp it down. "Ahem, I suddenly got a bit thirsty." "Fourth Brother, got any more? I'd like to bring some back for my dad."