White Cloud Temple

"Celestial Venerable Han! Bastard..."

"He's too arrogant. Someone actually dared to provoke our Dragon Sparrow Clan like this."

"He dares call himself a Heavenly Venerable. That man truly doesn't know the meaning of death."

"Notify the main branch, notify the main branch. We absolutely cannot let this thief go."

"Every household, remain on high alert. If that thief dares return, we will fight him to the death."

Inside the villa of the Jiujiang Dragon Sparrow Branch, the many gathered Dragon Sparrow Clan experts all spoke up, though their bluster concealed their fear.

They were afraid as well. This so-called Celestial Venerable Han had effortlessly infiltrated the Underground Palace Spirit Ground and made off with more than half of their branch's treasures.

They felt humiliated, but they were scared too. He had not taken their lives this time, but what about next time? It felt as though a sword hung over their heads. How could they possibly sit still or sleep soundly?

The Jiujiang Dragon Sparrow Branch was left anxious by the two lines Yan Kuan had written, while the culprit himself was already heading north to Jingcheng with his gains.

Yan Kuan had wanted to travel a little longer and take in the nation's magnificent landscapes, but the New Year was approaching, and his mother, Xiao Lin—Ms. Xiao—had ordered her precious son to hurry home. Yan Kuan had nothing pressing to do, so naturally, family came first. He headed for Jingcheng.

As the year drew to a close, Forty-Nine City was bustling and prosperous. Yan Kuan's family's Courtyard House was among the finest in this district, and quite a few people greeted him along the way.

He did not recognize most of them, but he could more or less guess who they were. They were probably tenants of Old Yan's family.

Old Yan had followed his precious son's strategic arrangements. While taking on the task of facilitating exchanges between the antique industries of Hong Kong and the mainland, he had also begun laying out investments in real estate early. At this time, Jingcheng's real estate market showed no signs of taking off, and acquiring land could not have been easier.

"I'm back!"

Yan Kuan jogged all the way back to the renovated Courtyard House, only to receive two glares the moment he pushed open the door. Good heavens, what were his parents doing? Trying for another child? It was not as if he were a disappointment. Was it really necessary just because he was often away from home?

"Son, you're back!"

By the time Yan Kuan walked over, Ms. Xiao had already regained her composure. Smiling sweetly, she pulled her son over and looked him over from every angle.

It had to be said that women were born actresses. And married women, how should one put it? Their skin was basically never thin; they often blurted out some rather outrageous things.

Yan Kuan looked up. Aside from her still slightly flushed face, his mother appeared completely normal. She truly was a master of changing expressions. As for his father, Yan Qiang, his performance was far stiffer. He picked up a newspaper and pretended to be a cultured man, without noticing that he was holding it upside down.

"Dad, your newspaper is upside down."

Yan Kuan patted his father on the shoulder and "kindly" reminded him. Old Yan became even more embarrassed, tossing aside the newspaper in a flurry before instinctively reaching toward his trouser pocket.

"Smoking is bad for your health. Have you forgotten that you quit when I was born? You mustn't pick up that bad habit again."

As Yan Kuan spoke, he flopped down with his head on his mother's lap. Old Yan's eyes practically spat fire at the sight. This brat was far too arrogant, making him lose all the dignity of the head of the household. Yan Qiang had once been nicknamed "Smoke Gun," yet now his own son was lecturing him. There was nothing he could do.

Old Yan slumped back onto the sofa. His helpless, teeth-gritting expression made Ms. Xiao cover her mouth and laugh. Having a son who was too sensible was not necessarily a good thing—it only made the parents seem incompetent. In this household, the one truly calling the shots was actually the youngest.

"Son, do you have something on your mind?"

Ms. Xiao seemed to sense that her son was somewhat different from usual, though even as she spoke, she could not resist reaching out to knead his cheeks.

As her first child, Yan Kuan had suffered plenty at the hands of her "poisonous claws" ever since his birth. Mainly because he had been round and adorable as a child, with exceptionally good skin, and his mother had simply gotten used to it.

It was much the same now. Yan Kuan's cultivation had borne fruit, and his skin was even better than an infant's. It was only because he had grown older that Ms. Xiao no longer had the chance to hold him in her arms and play with him all day.

However, he had experienced quite a lot during this trip. Naturally, his heart was not entirely at peace. Returning home and being close to his family like this truly helped him relax considerably.

Across all three of his lives, he had been a good child in peaceful times. Let alone killing people, he had barely even killed chickens. He had killed twenty-eight people harboring ill intent toward him outside Three Pure Palace in one go. Though he had long been prepared for such things when he embarked on the path of cultivation, it was inevitable that he would feel something difficult to describe after it was over.

It was not because he was overly soft-hearted. The overall environment on the Ancestral Star was peaceful, unlike the chaotic cultivation ancient stars such as Big Dipper and Ziwei.

When ordinary people lived in an environment like the Ancestral Star's for too long, they would feel somewhat uncomfortable after taking lives. But once there was a first time, there would basically not be much of a reaction afterward.

Yan Kuan shifted his head without evading his mother's "poisonous claws" and replied softly, "Some things happened while I was away. I've already dealt with them."

"Son, you've been traveling for so long this time. You should come back and rest for a while. I was thinking that after the New Year, why don't we start with school?"

Ms. Xiao knew her son was smart and sensible. If he said that, he surely had his own thoughts and plans, but she did not press him further. Instead, she changed the subject. "My son is so smart that he can definitely skip grades. You could be in university at ten or so. How impressive would that be!"

Old Yan also looked toward Yan Kuan. He had always hoped that his son would amount to something, though as things stood now, their family had already amounted to quite a lot.

"I'm not planning to go to school."

Yan Kuan's words made both of his parents want to object, but before they could speak, he continued, "School is for learning knowledge, making friends, and finding work to earn money.

"The knowledge I possess now is deeper than that of most professors. There's really no need to waste time. As for making friends, do you think I could really get along with those little brats?

"And regarding future degrees, work, and money—does our family still need to worry about such things?"

Yan Kuan's words left Yan Qiang and Xiao Lin speechless. They thought it over carefully and realized that perhaps, it seemed, indeed... their son had a point. But they still felt that studying was the proper path, yet they could not figure out how to argue it.

"This trip, I obtained some things. I intend to cultivate the Dao."

Yan Kuan had no intention of giving his parents time to calm down. While they were still thinking about how to persuade their son to return to school, he dropped another bombshell.

A jade box suddenly appeared in Yan Kuan's hand. The moment he opened it, a delicate fragrance swept through the room. Yan Qiang and Xiao Lin had still been thinking about getting their son back onto the right path, but the instant they smelled that fragrance, they were intoxicated by it. Then Yan Kuan's voice rang out again.

"Tomorrow, let's go to White Cloud Temple in the west of the city and settle this matter."