It was not until evening, after all that fuss, that Su Fan finally finished meeting the younger generation one by one. Unconcealable fatigue lay hidden between his brows, and even the warmth he had forced himself to maintain had faded somewhat.
Dealing with these greetings and pleasantries had never been his forte. He had relied solely on an elder's sense of responsibility to tough it out for most of the day, and now he felt mentally and physically exhausted, as though more than half the strength had been drained from his body.
He had prepared gifts for every junior in advance—all Spirit Crystals. They were not especially rare, but each contained a piece of his affection for the younger generation.
When he handed them out and saw the delight in the children's eyes, some of his fatigue dissipated.
At dinnertime, the Su Family Old Residence held a grand feast. The place blazed with lights, and laughter swept away the gloom that had shrouded the lineage in recent days.
The entire family, young and old, gathered together. The clinking of cups brimmed with joy, and even the air carried a long-lost sense of ease.
At the main table in the central hall, Su Fan sat shoulder to shoulder with Luo Guyin and his three dao companions. Beside them were their children and two disciples—the people closest to them.
It should have been a pleasant moment of family reunion, but Su Fan felt every muscle in his body taut, even his shoulders weighed down heavily.
The socializing during the day had already consumed most of his energy, and during the evening feast, junior after junior kept coming forward with cups of wine to toast him.
Every one of them spoke with heartfelt sincerity. Though impatient, he could not bring himself to reject