14: The warmth of home

The hum of the dilapidated flying boat ceased above the bluestone-paved dock of Azure Wave Island. Lin Feng leaped off the flying boat, his feet landing on the solid, level ground, and a familiar scent, a mixture of sea saltiness, the fresh fragrance of Spiritual Plants, and the aroma of human activity, enveloped him instantly.

Azure Wave Island.

The place where the Lin Family's three-hundred-year Foundation lay, a medium-sized island nourished by a Tier 2 Spiritual Vein, was far superior to the barren Black Reef Island.

The island was neatly laid out with houses and crisscrossing streets, and the Spiritual Qi concentration was noticeably higher. The dock was bustling, with boats of all sizes moored: Lin Family patrol flying boats, as well as merchant ships and fishing boats flying different flags.

Family Disciples wearing the Lin Family's grey or plain white robes moved through the area, some hurrying, others stopping to chat, presenting a vibrant scene.

Besides these Cultivators, there was also a small town nearby, entirely populated by the Lin Family's Mortal Bloodline, numbering nearly a hundred thousand people.

The Lin Family upheld seniority.

Lin Feng concealed his Qi. With the Turtle Breath Qi Concealment Art circulating, he steadily suppressed his cultivation to Qi Refinement Middle Stage, blending in with the passing Family Disciples, utterly inconspicuous. He followed the path from his memory, passing through the bustling dock area and entering the interior of the island.

The Lin Family's ancestral land occupied the most Spiritual Qi-rich area in the center of the island. The core was an ancient and grand "Ancestral Hall," where the ancestral tablets of past generations were enshrined, and it also served as the Family's important meeting place. Around the Ancestral Hall, important buildings such as the "Hall of Transmission," "Hall of Enforcement," "Hall of General Affairs," and "Pill and Artifact Pavilion" were scattered, along with neatly planned Family Disciple residences and Spiritual Plant gardens.

According to seniority, Lin Feng belonged to the "Qing" generation. The Family currently had two Foundation Establishment Old Ancestors overseeing it, serving as its pillars of stability. Below them were eight Qi Refinement Late Stage Elders and deacons, forming the Family's core decision-making body. Further down were the middle-tier forces, like Lin Feng's father, numbering over forty Qi Refinement Middle Stage Cultivators, and nearly a hundred young Qi Refinement Early Stage Disciples and servants.

Lin Feng's steps involuntarily quickened as he headed towards a relatively quiet residential area on the east side of the island. The houses here were slightly older, and the Spiritual Qi was thinner, making it a gathering place for Family Disciples with ordinary Aptitude and lower cultivation.

Pushing open a familiar, somewhat paint-chipped wooden door, the small courtyard was clean and tidy, with a few ordinary Spiritual Plants growing in the corner, emitting a faint herbal fragrance.

"Father? Mother?" Lin Feng's voice held a subtle tremor.

"Lin Feng?!" A surprised voice came from inside the house. Immediately after, a middle-aged man, wearing a faded blue cloth robe, with an honest face showing the signs of years of toil, walked out quickly. It was Lin Feng's father, Lin Qingshan. His cultivation had been stuck at Qi Refinement Fourth Layer for many years, and he now worked as a Spiritual Plant farmer in the Family's medicinal garden, managing a few acres of ordinary medicinal fields.

"It really is Lin Feng who's returned!" Lin Qingshan's face broke into a smile, though his eyes were a little red. He stepped forward and patted Lin Feng's shoulder firmly, "You've gotten darker and sturdier! Black Reef Island... you've suffered there."

"Father, I'm fine, really good." A warm current surged in Lin Feng's heart. After nearly a year away from home, he truly felt the ties of Bloodline for the first time.

At this moment, a gentle-faced woman with a noticeably swollen abdomen emerged, leaning on the doorframe. It was Lin Feng's mother, Madam Liu. Seeing Lin Feng, her eyes instantly filled with tears, and her voice choked, "Lin Feng... my Lin Feng is back!" She started to move forward.

"Mother! Slowly!" Lin Feng quickly stepped forward, carefully supporting his mother. His gaze fell on her swollen abdomen, both surprised and delighted. "Mother, you're..."

Madam Liu's face flushed, radiating maternal glow, and she smiled, nodding, "Yes, almost seven months. You're going to be an older brother again."

"That's wonderful!" Lin Feng was genuinely happy. He quickly helped his mother sit down on the stone bench in the courtyard. The Family of three sat together, and Lin Feng briefly spoke about the "local customs" of Black Reef Island.

He naturally spoke evasively, only mentioning that the Mortals on the island were simple and honest, that he diligently Cultivated, and that his station was relatively peaceful. He then took out the wooden box containing two "roasted" azure jade spiritual peaches, saying they were fruits from an old tree accidentally discovered on the island, offered to his parents as a filial gesture.

Lin Qingshan and his wife looked at the "ordinary" looking spiritual peaches, simply taking them as a sign of their son's filial piety and not thinking much of it. They only exhorted him to be careful outside and not to show off.

The warmth of home was like a hot spring, soaking Lin Feng's heart, which had been hardened by his trials on the isolated island. He had a simple lunch with his parents, listening to his father's nagging and his mother's advice, feeling this ordinary yet precious tranquility.

In the afternoon, Lin Feng bid farewell to his parents and headed to the "Hall of General Affairs" in the center of the island to hand over his tribute.

The Hall of General Affairs was bustling with people; it was the busiest time during the harvest season. Cultivators stationed on various islands and Family Disciples responsible for escorts came and went, submitting supplies and receiving Family allocations. The air was filled with a mixed scent of Spiritual Grain, medicinal herbs, and animal hides.

The person responsible for tallying the tribute from Black Reef Island was a white-haired, stern-faced Qi Refinement Ninth Layer Elder, Lin Qingsong.

Lin Feng respectfully handed over his identity token and the Jade Slip recording "this year's harvest," then presented the large Storage Pouch containing a full hundred and twenty bundles of High Grade Spiritual Rice.

Elder Lin Qingsong took the Jade Slip, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, his brows subtly twitched. In previous years, Black Reef Island would be considered good if it submitted thirty or forty bundles of ordinary quality Spiritual Rice. This year, it had more than tripled, and the quality was High Grade?

His sharp gaze fell on Lin Feng, scrutinizing him: "Lin Feng? Black Reef Island had a good harvest this year?"

"Reporting to Elder Lin Qingsong," Lin Feng replied respectfully, his tone steady, "The island had favorable weather, and the Disciple patrolled day and night, driving away many low-level sea demons that disturbed the Spiritual Fields, so we were fortunate to harvest a bit more." The reason was airtight and consistent with the identity of a "diligent" stationed Cultivator.

Elder Lin Qingsong nodded and did not ask further. He personally inspected the quality of the Spiritual Rice, and after confirming it was correct, he marked the Jade Slip: "Hmm, good. You have exceeded your tribute quota, and according to Family rules, there should be an extra reward." He took out a small cloth bag that had been prepared earlier and handed it to Lin Feng, "This is your Family allocation for this year, as well as your extra reward, totaling fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills (five pills), and the basic spell 'Object Manipulation Art' Jade Slip you applied for."

"Thank you, Elder!" Lin Feng took them and put them into his robe.

"There are no urgent matters on Black Reef Island for now. Since you have completed the handover, you may rest in the ancestral land for a few days," Elder Lin Qingsong said as a matter of routine.