11: Chapter 11 Family Reunion

Standing before the main gate, Li Changqing carefully confirmed that the location was indeed his home. With a flicker of his figure, he leaped onto the wall and peered inside.

The courtyard was now more than twice its original size. Directly ahead were eight tiled rooms, with four side rooms on each side. The central room was brightly lit, and the sound of people talking could be heard from time to time.

Returning to the gate, Li Changqing gently knocked on the door ring. A creaking, friction-filled knocking sound echoed through the courtyard.

"Who is it?"

A man in his forties of medium build walked out of the house. He wore old, dark green coarse cloth clothes, had large hands and feet, a short, full beard, and dark skin. Seeing someone knocking, he opened the gate, paused in a daze, and then grinned, "Is that you, Sixth Brother? You're back."

"It's me, Big Brother."

Li Changqing's throat felt choked, and his mouth felt a bit dry.

The bearded man before him was Li Changqing's own eldest brother, who was over a dozen years his senior. In his memories, because his parents were busy, his eldest brother had always taken care of him when he was a child. Li Changqing's parents had given birth to three sons and three daughters, and Li Changqing was the youngest.

The bearded man's eyes widened as he carefully examined Li Changqing, then suddenly shouted loudly, "Father, Mother, Sixth Brother is back!"

"What? Our youngest son is back? Let me see him quickly."

Soon, an elderly couple emerged from the courtyard. Seeing them, Li Changqing hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects, "Father, Mother, I'm back."

Father Li and Mother Li hurriedly stepped forward to hold Li Changqing's hands, their eyes filled with tears. Looking at Li Changqing, they said, "It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back." As they spoke, they happily pulled Li Changqing into the house to ask him about everything.

In the courtyard, the eldest brother was chopping wood, the eldest sister-in-law was already slaughtering a chicken, and the second brother and second sister-in-law were busy in the kitchen. Since it was rare for Li Changqing to return, they were determined to treat him well. This was all because Li Changqing had not only allowed their entire Family to live a prosperous life, but the Li Family's status in Meihua Village was exceptionally high, surpassing even that of the village chief's Family.

That evening, the Family happily sat together for dinner. This was the first time in over ten years that Li Changqing had eaten with his Family.

For five consecutive days, Li Changqing stayed in Meihua Village with his Family. He would either accompany his father to forge iron at the smithy, chat with his mother at home, or play with his nieces and nephews, completely relaxing his mind.

During these few days, Li Changqing gave two Semi-Spirit Dogs and four Yellow Spirit Chickens to Father Li and his two elder brothers. Among them were one male and one female Semi-Spirit Dog, and one male and three female Yellow Spirit Chickens.

Li Changqing's father was a Late Stage Body Tempering Martial Artist and also a blacksmith; his mother was not a Martial Artist. His eldest brother, Li Yuandong, had inherited his father's mantle; his martial arts cultivation was at the Peak of Body Tempering, and he was also a blacksmith. His second brother, Li Yuancai, did not like practicing martial arts and was a schoolteacher.

The eldest brother's and second brother's families had a total of thirteen children. Besides the nieces who had already married, there were nine nieces and nephews still at home, and Li Changqing gave each of them a gift.

Although none of these nephews had a talent for immortality cultivation, one nephew had an extraordinary talent for martial arts; at only sixteen years old, he had already Cultivated to the Peak of Body Tempering.

This speed of Cultivation could rank within the top one hundred among the two million Mortals of the entire Li Family. This nephew was his eldest brother Li Yuandong's child, named Li Zifan.

According to Father Li and Mother Li, Zifan had been intelligent since childhood and loved practicing martial arts. Over the years, one-third of the gold coins they sent back had been used to send him to the martial arts academy in Tiexuan Town to study.

During their conversation yesterday, Li Changqing's parents and Li Yuandong had expressed, both implicitly and explicitly, their wish to entrust Zifan to Li Changqing for training.

Based on his observations over the past few days, Zifan had good character, so Li Changqing felt no pressure taking him to Xuanling Lake. He also currently needed someone he could truly trust to manage some affairs for him.

At night, in a room in Meihua Village, Li Yuandong was instructing a young man: "Zifan, tomorrow, after you leave our home with your Third Uncle, your father has three points to tell you, which you must remember well.

The first is that from now on, you must address your Third Uncle as Ninth Uncle. Your Third Uncle ranks ninth among the Cultivator generation. Do not try to be different, so as to avoid being exploited by those with ulterior motives, and it will be easier to address him in the future when you have children.

The second is to Cultivate well and earnestly complete every task your Third Uncle entrusts to you. When working by your Third Uncle's side, do not ask what should not be asked, do not look at what should not be looked at, and definitely do not say what should not be said.

The third is to take good care of yourself, do not cause trouble for your Third Uncle, and do not let anything implicate your Third Uncle, even if it means sacrificing your life. Do you understand?"

"Father, I understand. I will definitely not embarrass Third Uncle, nor will I fail your expectations." The young-faced Zifan answered firmly.

Before parting, Li Changqing handed over some Medicinal Pills he had prepared in advance to strengthen a Mortal's Physique and improve a Martial Artist's cultivation to his parents and eldest brother.

Due to his age, Father Li's cultivation would likely stop at the Body Tempering Realm for the rest of his life. Although eldest brother Li Yuandong was nearly fifty, he still had a chance. Li Changqing had specifically purchased an Innate Pill for him in the marketplace last time to help him achieve a Breakthrough.

Early the next morning, Li Changqing took Zifan back to Xuanling Lake.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, another three months went by. The summer sun on Xuanling Island was scorching like fire, baking the vast sky into transparent colored glaze; not even a wisp of cloud dared to linger before it.

A layer of fine duckweed floated on the lake surface. The spirit fish that should have been swimming on the water were now huddled in the shade under the trees, revealing only their dark, shiny tails and flat mouths that occasionally surfaced to breathe. Occasionally, one would leap and splash, and the water droplets falling onto the surface would instantly be steamed into fine white vapor.

The children on the island had long since bared their bottoms. The adults were also shirtless, waving cattail-leaf fans continuously.

The Psychic Dog under the beast wall pressed its belly against the cool bluestone slabs, its tongue hanging out long, its panting sound mixing with the chirping of cicadas, becoming the most noisy background sound of the summer heat.

A few Yellow Spirit Chickens flapped their wings and pecked a few times at the broken rice scattered by the threshold, then immediately jumped back into the shade, their small, sharp beaks opening and closing, as if complaining about the excessive heat.

In this sweltering weather, Zifan's thin figure stood straight under the glaring, hot sun. His clothes were already soaked with sweat, sticking to his back and outlining the boy's back, which, though not yet fully grown, already showed sharp angles.

"Hu, Ha!"

A violent shout tore through the heat waves. His right leg swept out with a sharp whistling sound that pierced the air, the wind from his leg kicking away the stagnant summer heat, actually whipping up a fine airflow at his side.

Crystal-clear sweat beads hung from Zifan's hair, rolling down his jawline into his collar, pooling into a small puddle at his collarbone, only to be instantly steamed into white mist.

The bluestone slab beneath his feet had long been worn smooth and shiny. Circles of sweat stains spread across the slab and were baked dry by the scorching sun, leaving white marks of varying shades. Yet, the boy's shoulders and back stood even straighter, with only the veins on his forearms knotted like the roots of an old tree, testifying to this diligence.

The goal Li Changqing had set for him was to step into the Innate stage within three years and become an Innate Realm Martial Artist.