Family Reunion

In the blink of an eye, one Kun Day had passed.

At ten in the morning, with the sky only just beginning to brighten, Zhuang Xingyu and Zihan stood at the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion with a group of guards and maids.

Today was the day Zhuang Jingxing and Li Xuanhua had previously agreed to return home.

About a quarter of an hour later, the sound of carriages and horses suddenly came from ahead. Looking closely, it was Zhuang Jingxing and Li Xuanhua's carriage.

Zhuang Xingyu hurriedly grabbed Zihan's hand and ran over. Every time his parents returned from a trip, they brought him little gifts. Though they were nothing precious, and though Zhuang Xingyu, with the mental age of someone in his twenties, was not truly a child who only knew how to play—

In his previous life, Zhuang Xingyu had been an orphan. In this life, he had finally gained parents and experienced both paternal and maternal love. Naturally, he treasured these small gifts greatly. Every time, he placed them atop the cabinet in his bedroom, often taking them out to play with and clean them.

Just as Zhuang Xingyu stood by the carriage door, waiting for his father to step down—

He suddenly felt someone pinch his handsome face and knead it back and forth. Looking up, he found that it was his little aunt, Zhuang Jingxi, smiling at him.

"Greetings, Auntie." "Greetings, Elder." Zihan, along with the guards and maids beside her, quickly called out.

What was going on? Hadn't Little Aunt said she would only return from her training next month? Why had she come back with Father and Mother? Zhuang Xingyu was deeply puzzled.

"Little Xingyu, did you miss your little aunt? Come, let Auntie have a look!"

"I did! I missed you so much, Auntie!"

Zhuang Jingxi immediately beamed with joy. Taking the opportunity, Zhuang Xingyu slipped free from his little aunt's grasp and prepared to run to the other side, lest she rub his head again. In his previous life, he had heard that having one's head rubbed too often could stunt one's growth.

However, before Zhuang Xingyu could move, his little aunt stopped him again.

His little aunt crouched down, spread her hands, and met Zhuang Xingyu's gaze at eye level. With a serious expression, she said, "Little Xingyu, your little aunt has been away from home for so long and has finally returned. Didn't you prepare a gift for me?"

Zhuang Xingyu was instantly dumbfounded. What did she mean? What elder asked a junior for gifts? Weren't elders supposed to give gifts to juniors? Besides, she had said she would return next month. He had not prepared anything yet!

Seeing the increasingly dangerous look in his little aunt's eyes, Zhuang Xingyu did not dare say he had prepared nothing. "Yes, I did. Of course I prepared one! Auntie, don't worry. I'll deliver the gift to your room this afternoon!"

"Oh? Since you've prepared one, why not take it out now? I came back today. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to wait until this afternoon?" His little aunt looked at Zhuang Xingyu teasingly.

"Uh, well, it's like this... therefore... so..." Zhuang Xingyu continued looking firmly at his little aunt, but he stammered and had no idea what to say. He could only turn his eyes toward Zihan, hoping Sister Han would help him.

His little aunt also turned to Zihan. "Come, little Han. Look what gift Auntie brought you." With that, she took a huge pile of clothes from her Storage Ring.

"Look, Auntie carefully picked these out for you. They're all woven from Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Silkworm Silk. They're warm in winter and cool in summer, and they can even repel dust to some extent. You'll definitely look beautiful in them!"

"Thank you, Auntie. I love them." Zihan hurriedly accepted the clothes, then gave Zhuang Xingyu a helpless look.

His little aunt turned her gaze toward Zhuang Xingyu once more.

"Enough, little sister. Stop teasing Little Xingyu. Look how frightened you've made your nephew." At that moment, Li Xuanhua and Zhuang Jingxing stepped down from the carriage as well.

"Greetings, Clan Head. Greetings, Madam." The guards and maids nearby hurriedly bowed and called out.

"Uncle, Auntie," Zihan said as well.

Zhuang Jingxing and Li Xuanhua rubbed Zhuang Xingyu's head, then smiled and nodded to the guards and maids, dismissing them to attend to their own duties.

Oh no, I'm never growing taller now. Sure enough, this was a world where only Zhuang Xingyu got hurt. Hahaha.

Li Xuanhua stepped forward, took Zihan's hand, and smiled. "Sure enough, our Han'er has become even prettier. Look, this is what Mother-in-law—I mean, a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue—this is the hairpin Auntie brought you from the Boutique Pavilion in Heaven Dou City. Come, let me put it on for you."

Zihan lowered her head with a flushed face, not daring to look at anyone around her. "Mm, thank you, Auntie. It's so beautiful!"

"Haha, the important thing is that our little Han'er is beautiful!" his little aunt teased from the side.

"Come on, let's talk inside. We finally made it home, so what are we doing standing at the gate?" Father Zhuang Jingxing said with a smile.

Yet Zhuang Xingyu caught a trace of nervousness in his father's eyes. Had something happened?

"Yesterday, while your father and I were on our way home, we ran into your little aunt at an inn. Your little aunt thought she had been training for quite a while and missed you all, so she decided to return early with us." As the family walked along the path through the City Lord's Mansion, Mother Li Xuanhua explained from the side.

Upon entering the main hall, Father dismissed the maids around them and shut the doors, ensuring there were no outsiders nearby.

Mother, Little Aunt, and Sister Han all wore puzzled, nervous expressions, not knowing what had happened.

"Little Han, have you recently taken any medicine that rapidly increases Soul Power? You're already at the peak of Level 26. How could your Soul Power have risen so quickly?"

"What? Quickly? Let me see." Upon hearing this, Li Xuanhua hurriedly pulled Zihan over and nervously examined her body with Soul Power.

Father and Little Aunt watched anxiously from the side, afraid that Zihan's body might have been harmed.

Although they had no blood relationship with Zihan, they had lived together for five years. They had long since regarded this kind, strong, and pitiful child as their own daughter.

Over the years, they had never mentioned the tragedy of Zihan's family's extermination five years ago, fearing it would upset Zihan. They knew she had never forgotten what had happened back then. Through subsequent investigations, they discovered that those Bandit Cultivators had actually belonged to an affiliated faction of the Clear Sky Sect.

Before the Clear Sky Sect had been forced to seal itself away, it had secretly sent people to pose as Bandit Cultivators in order to rapidly develop the sect and address the shortage of cultivation resources it faced after losing its ancestral land. They had robbed Spirit Bones and Precious Medicine from various small clans.

Seeing this, other factions had also disguised themselves as Bandit Cultivators and fished in troubled waters.

The grudges they had been unable to avenge before were avenged today!

The luxuries they could not afford before were stolen today!

The servants who had once been oppressed by nobles rebelled today!

The incomprehensible tax bills from before were all torn up today! Yes, it was all the Clear Sky Sect's doing.

After doing all that, they would leave behind the words: Clear Sky Sect was here!

Though anyone with eyes knew it was fake, everyone did it, everyone said it, and everyone benefited. It did not matter whether it had truly been them or not. If everyone believed it, then the Clear Sky Sect had done it.

Why not let the Clear Sky Sect take the blame when something went wrong?

During those months, one clan lost several stalks of Precious Medicine, another had a few talented disciples die. You slashed me once, I slashed you once—it was all perfectly normal.

It caused every Soul Master to feel endangered, and taxes from every region could no longer be collected.

Later, a group of wanted Bandit Cultivators—desperadoes with no ties or attachments, bold beyond measure—actually set their sights on the royal families of the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall, intending to pull off something huge.

Unfortunately, they were discovered in advance. Thus, the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall were furious. Had they not feared Tang Chen, they would have long since joined forces to destroy the Clear Sky Sect. Later, the Two Great Empires jointly pressured the Clear Sky Sect, forcing it to end the operation.

Although the matter was suppressed, the harm inflicted upon those small clans could never be undone.

A grain of sand from an era became a mountain crushing an ordinary person.

This was the sorrow of ordinary people and small clans on the Douluo Continent.

After Zihan learned this news and discovered that her true enemies were still alive, she had cultivated desperately ever since.

Zhuang Jingxing, Li Xuanhua, and Zhuang Jingxi were worried that Zihan might take medicine that damaged her foundation in her pursuit of revenge.

"Uncle, Auntie, Little Aunt, don't worry. Didn't I leave the city a few days ago? At the time, I accidentally consumed a stalk of Precious Medicine, and my cultivation became what it is now. I was worried at first as well, but later I found that there was nothing wrong. That Precious Medicine must not have been ordinary medicine. Instead, it made my foundation even more solid," Zihan explained softly.

"Mm, that should be it. Little Han's body is fine, and her foundation is extremely solid." Li Xuanhua finished her examination and spoke with relief.

Hearing this, Zhuang Jingxing and Zhuang Jingxi also let out sighs of relief.

"Little Han, you must never casually consume unfamiliar medicine in the future. You possess Innate Level 9 Soul Power, and with the clan's support, as long as you cultivate properly and lay a solid foundation, you have a great chance of becoming a Titled Douluo. Once you become a Titled Douluo and gain sufficient strength, every problem can be resolved. Don't rush things, understand?" Zhuang Jingxing earnestly cautioned her from the side.

"Uncle, Auntie, Little Aunt, don't worry. Before I possess absolute strength, I will not seek revenge against the Clear Sky Sect. I'm sorry for making you worry. I had originally planned to tell you about this after entering the mansion. I didn't expect you to notice it before we even entered, Uncle," Zihan said seriously.

"Mm, it's good that you think that way. The clan will always be your strongest support. Take it slowly. Don't rush," Zhuang Jingxing urged again.

"It's fine as long as you're fine. Come on, everyone, give me a smile! Let's go eat. It's already noon. Nephew, come here. These are ancient books Auntie brought for you. Finding these things took a great deal of effort." Zhuang Jingxi took out a stack of books from her Storage Ring.

"Thank you, Auntie. I knew you hadn't forgotten me!" Zhuang Xingyu grinned foolishly from the side.

After awakening his memories, Zhuang Xingyu had read frantically in order to understand the differences between the Douluo Continent and the novel as soon as possible. After finishing the relevant books in the Family Library, he often begged the adults to help him find ancient texts.

Thus, his family often collected such materials for Zhuang Xingyu.