A few days later, at the clinic, Gu Hui was seeing patients, drowsy with sleep.
"Father!"
Suddenly, a figure darted into his arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Hm? Nian'er?"
"Waaah, Father, I thought you and Mother..."
Gu Hui patted Gu Nian's shoulder and comforted her. "Nian'er, this was to cultivate your independent nature. We'd actually been following behind you the whole time, protecting you. Your mother and I only left after you met Yang Guo."
Clang!
"Yang Guo, Nian'er!"
Mu Nianci came out from the courtyard. When she saw Yang Guo and Gu Nian, the medicine jar in her hands fell to the ground.
"Nianci, be careful. You weren't burned, were you?" Gu Hui started in alarm and hurriedly checked her over.
"Brother Gu, I'm fine. I wasn't burned."
"Mother!" Gu Nian threw herself into Mu Nianci's arms again. Yang Guo was delighted as well, though he remained fairly composed.
"Mother!" Seeing Gu Hui's concern for his mother and the happiness on her face, Yang Guo immediately understood that this adoptive stepfather truly treated her well. He was happy for her, though he also felt...
"Good. Nian'er and Yang Guo have both become accomplished. Mother is so happy." Mu Nianci wept tears of joy as she stroked Yang Guo and Gu Nian's foreheads.
"Father, Mother, it's wonderful that you're both alive!"
"All right, all right, girl. You're already a seventeen-year-old young lady. Aren't you embarrassed?" Gu Hui said, ruining the mood.
Gu Nian protested, "Even if I'm seventy, I'll still be your daughter."
"Haha, that's true!
You've trained hard and reached the pinnacle at such a young age. You two siblings are both quite impressive.
At your age, you may have a chance to attempt a breakthrough into the Innate Realm within your lifetimes."
"The Innate Realm? That's just