anwhile, within Li Family Clan territory, Yu Qiuyan’s flying carriage drew countless gazes as it glided overhead.
"We’re here!" Li Xiang announced cheerfully as she guided the carriage down, landing it directly outside the Patriarch’s main residence.
The Li Family Clan lay nestled between two towering mountains, its vast grounds bathed in deep greens and shimring jade. Erald adorned nearly everything—clothing, jewelry, buildings, even the decorative tiles beneath one’s feet. Xiao Fang had learned from Li Lian that the clan owned a massive erald mine and was the largest distributor of jade in the entire province. Subsidiary clans often paid tribute in raw eralds, and it showed.
The mont the carriage appeared in the sky, the city erupted.
"Woah—look at that!"
"Who does it belong to?"
"Isn’t flying only possible for Heavenly Realm cultivators?"
"Could they be from the Heavenly Fate Sect?"
"Then why would soone like that co here...?"
The murmurs followed the carriage until it finally settled outside the Patriarch’s estate.
Drawn by the commotion, the Patriarch and his wife hurried outside. The instant the Patriarch saw who stood atop the carriage, his breath caught.
"You—" he stamred, pointing.
Standing proudly atop the carriage, Li Xiang planted her hands on her hips, grinning brightly. Beside her, Xiao Hei sat with her legs dangling off the edge, nose twitching as she sniffed the air.
’So many sweets...’ she thought eagerly. ’I need to try them all.’
"Father. Mother," Li Xiang declared grandly. "Your daughter has returned."
The Patriarch stared in disbelief. "Xiang’er... where did you get a flying carriage?"
"You’ve only been gone a year," her mother added, stunned. "Your sisters will be green with envy."
Li Xiang puffed up slightly, then quickly restrained herself. Boasting in front of Yu Qiuyan—and Xiao Fang—didn’t feel appropriate.
"Father, Mother, I’ve co with my friends," Li Xiang said instead, holding up the control pendant. "The carriage belongs to them. I only drove it here using this."
The Patriarch’s eyes sharpened as he examined the pendant. The intricate formation engraved upon it told him everything he needed to know.
’Heavenly Fate formation...’ he imdiately recognized it.
Before he could say anything, Yu Qiuyan stepped out of the carriage, stretching lightly before descending with effortless grace.
The Patriarch imdiately straightened and bowed. "Welco, esteed guest," he said respectfully, his wife following suit.
Yu Qiuyan smiled politely. "The pleasure is mine."
A brief exchange of courtesies followed.
Monts later, Xun Wei stepped out, her presence modest yet composed.
The Patriarch examined them carefully. As a cultivator himself, it wasn’t difficult to gauge relative strength. Yu Qiuyan’s cultivation clearly surpassed his own. Xiao Hei, however, unsettled him even more—her realm was similar, yet she was far too young. As for Xun Wei... despite possessing the lowest cultivation among them, she carried an air that felt untouchable. Her potential, subtle yet unmistakable, ran deeper than the rest.
’That should be all of them. What an impressive group, the Patriarch thought warmly. It seems my daughter has made so powerful friends."
"Good, good, good," he said aloud. "Please co inside. You must all be tired from the journey."
The Patriarch gestured for them to follow him, but the mont he turned he felt the air shift only slightly, but for soone with his cultivation, it was enough. There was soone else coming out of the carriage. However, he couldn’t sense that person’s presence at all.
When he turned around to check, that’s when he saw him—a blindfolded man carefully descending.
That man was Xiao Fang.
Xiao Fang despised false sincerity. He had kept his blindfold on to better judge the Li Family Clan without interference.
Fighting through lingering pain, he stepped down slowly. Even after absorbing several soul crystals, the backlash had yet to fully fade.
Fighting through the pain, Xiao Fang carefully stepped out of the carriage. Even after absorbing several soul crystals, it still wasn’t enough to completely heal him from the backlash.
He carried no oppressive aura like the others. And yet—
The Patriarch felt it clearly.
The subtle way the others angled their bodies. The way their attention unconsciously returned to him. As if they were waiting for his lead.
"Young man, what might your na be?" The Patriarch asked respectfully.
"My na... is Fang."
"Welco to my humble family clan, Fang. It’s a pleasure to have you."
The Patriarch’s smile remained warm, but inwardly, his thoughts churned.
’Fang... I wonder what family he’s from.’
The na carried no weight to him at first glance, yet the mont it was spoken, the air seed to settle—almost as if the space itself acknowledged it. More unsettling still was the way the others reacted. Yu Qiuyan’s posture remained relaxed, yet subtly deferential. Li Xiang, who monts ago had been bursting with energy, stood quietly now. Even the strange little girl atop the carriage—whose cultivation baffled him—kept glancing toward the blindfolded man.
They were waiting on him.
That realization made the Patriarch’s spine stiffen.
"Well then," he said smoothly, masking his thoughts behind practiced hospitality, "since you are all guests of my Li Family Clan, please—co inside. We will prepare the finest accommodations."
Xiao Fang inclined his head slightly. "Thank you for the hospitality."
...
Rooms were prepared, refreshnts served. As the day wore on, the group dispersed.
Yu Qiuyan vanished into the first bathhouse she could find. Li Xiang and Xiao Hei made plans of their own. Xun Wei remained in her room, cultivating quietly.
Xiao Fang, however, took to the streets.
By the ti night ca around, he was done exploring, and had found what he was looking for.
Li Lian’s family estate.
"Not bad," Xiao Fang murmured as he approached the gate and knocked.
"Coming," a sweet voice called out.
It reminded him of Li Lian—older, calr, yet unmistakably similar.
As footsteps approached, Xiao Fang slowly removed his blindfold. If he was to et her again, he would not hide himself.
The door opened.
The woman behind it was exactly who he had hoped to see.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught.
Seeing Xiao Fang again, her jaw nearly dropped.
"...You ca."
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