Where My Heart Finds Peace Is Home

Old Jack was so excited that he planted his cane and tried to hurry over.

But before he could move, Xu Yuan had already bounded over in a few leaps.

Looking at the old man, now much thinner than he remembered, Xu Yuan's eyes grew warm as he threw himself into Old Jack's embrace.

"Grandpa!"

Old Jack wrapped an arm around Xu Yuan's back, a warm smile on his face as he rubbed Xu Yuan's head.

"Good, good, good. My precious grandson is home."

Xu Yuan hugged Old Jack's noticeably thinner waist. "Grandpa, why have you gotten so thin? Are you sick?"

"Grandpa missed you, that's why. Hehe, but you've put on weight and grown taller, haven't you?"

"Of course. I'm another year older now, so how could I not grow taller?"

"Hehe, you've grown a year older, but Grandpa has grown another year older too."

"How are you old? You're still strong, aren't you? I'm doing fine over there, so you just need to eat and drink well. You'll still have to help me look after your great-grandson someday."

"Good, good, good. Grandpa will listen to you."

Watching the old man and the young boy embracing beside them, the old men of the village were filled with envy.

They all knew that Xu Yuan had been taken away by Spirit Hall and accepted as the Pope's disciple.

Su Yuntao had told them all about it whenever he came by.

Behind them,

Hu Liena, Ghost Douluo, and Su Yuntao slowly followed, but none of them went forward to disturb the reunited grandfather and grandson. They simply watched quietly.

When he saw that they had all arrived, Xu Yuan immediately released Old Jack and pointed to Hu Liena and Ghost Douluo as he introduced them.

"Grandpa, this is my senior sister, Hu Liena. You can just call her Nana. This is a Title Elder from our hall, Elder Ghost."

Hu Liena stepped forward with a radiant smile to greet him.

"Hello, Grandpa Xu!"

Hearing this, Old Jack first looked Hu Liena over from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction and called out "good" several times before respectfully bowing to Ghost Douluo.

"This old man is Xu Jack, village chief of Holy Soul Village. Greetings, Elder Ghost!"

The other villagers beside him were terrified as well, dropping to their knees in a rush.

A Title Elder of Spirit Hall—a figure like an immortal!

In the past, they might never have seen one even once in their entire lives.

This was something to boast about. When they visited relatives in the neighboring village later, they could brag to everyone that Old Zhang, Old Li, and Old Zeng had seen the world.

They had once chatted and laughed with a Title Elder of Spirit Hall.

Well, the Title Elder had chatted and laughed, while they had knelt on the ground in terror, not daring to make a sound.

"You're too polite. There's no need for such formalities."

Ghost Douluo smiled faintly and waved a hand. The villagers kneeling on the ground immediately rose to their feet against their will.

"I only came along with Xu here. We get along quite well, and he calls me Grandpa too. By that logic, we're practically relatives."

Xu Yuan: "..."

When had he ever called him Grandpa?

Hu Liena was the one who called him that, all right? Xu Yuan usually called him Old Ghost or Elder Ghost.

Still, Xu Yuan did not say anything. He knew Ghost Douluo was saying it to show him favor.

But even so, the old men present showed no sign of relaxing.

The other party could say that, but they could not take it seriously.

Wasn't that treating a Title Douluo far too casually?

"Oh, it's almost noon already, isn't it? I'm getting a little hungry. How about we go back and cook first?"

Old Jack looked up at the sky, then prepared to bring them home.

There was no helping it. Village folk were like this. Couldn't he see that the old fellows' legs were trembling nonstop from fright?

If they stayed any longer, they might end up kneeling again.

Xu Yuan smiled without saying anything. He knew his grandfather's concern for appearances was acting up again. He was afraid the villagers would make fools of themselves if Ghost Douluo stayed any longer.

Xu Yuan did not expose him. He supported Old Jack by the arm, then looked at the group of elderly men whose legs were shaking beside them.

"We'll head back first, then. Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa Fan, Grandpa Wang... come by the house when you have time."

The old men hurriedly agreed.

The village chief's house.

When Xu Yuan returned and saw the grand villa covering three to four hundred square meters, he was rather stunned.

In his memories, their home had still been the shabby little courtyard from before he left.

Seeing this, Su Yuntao quickly explained with a beaming smile.

"Before you went to the Main Hall, Elder Yue gave orders that the old man had to be well looked after."

Xu Yuan understood and silently remembered it.

The group entered the house.

Old Jack immediately began bustling about to prepare a meal. He even brought out the dried soul beast jerky that Spirit Hall had sent him, which he normally could not bear to eat.

"Grandpa Xu, let me do it. You just sit and wait to eat."

Old Jack was already so old that Hu Liena naturally felt embarrassed to sit around waiting for food. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snow-white arms.

"Xu Yuan, come tend the fire."

Guests had come from afar—how could they be asked to cook?

Old Jack immediately went up to argue his case, but Hu Liena's attitude was extremely firm.

After failing to win the argument, Old Jack let her have her way.

Yet the look in his eyes as he watched Hu Liena grew ever gentler and more satisfied.

Hu Liena's pretty face flushed slightly. Pretending not to understand the meaning in Old Jack's gaze, she began chopping vegetables with a rapid chop, chop, chop.

Despite her young age and outstanding cultivation, she was equally skilled in the kitchen. Xu Yuan had only ever seen someone chop vegetables that swiftly on television in his previous life.

Xu Yuan tended the fire while Hu Liena cooked.

As they watched the strangely harmonious pair in the kitchen, both Ghost Douluo and Old Jack wore meaningful smiles.

Before long, the meal was ready.

Hu Liena had clearly put thought into it. She made more than a dozen dishes, and some of the ingredients had even been taken from her Storage Bracelet.

She had bought and stored them in Spirit City before setting out.

The dishes were placed on the table.

Everyone took their seats.

With a smiling expression, Hu Liena served a chopstickful of food to Ghost Douluo and Old Jack respectively. "Grandpas, please try it and see how it tastes."

Old Jack took a bite, and his taste buds seemed to blossom. His eyes immediately lit up.

"Nana, these cooking skills of yours are no ordinary matter. Did you often cook for yourself at home?"

At home?

Hu Liena's expression suddenly darkened. "I no longer have a home. My parents died a long time ago.

All these years, I've depended on my brother and he's depended on me, so I cooked more often. Over time, I naturally got better at it."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became somewhat subdued.

Old Jack knew that he had said the wrong thing. He secretly smacked his own mouth and was about to explain himself and comfort her.

But Xu Yuan, seated farther down the table, suddenly spoke.

"What are you talking about, Senior Sister?

You call Elder Ghost Grandpa Ghost, and you call my grandpa Grandpa Xu. Aren't we all your family?

There's also Xie Yue, Yan, Teacher, and so many people who care about you and cherish you.

And that includes me.

As long as there is somewhere in this world that lets us feel at peace, that place is our home!"

Hu Liena stared blankly at Xu Yuan.

A place where one felt at peace was home?

Ghost Douluo nodded in agreement as well. "Xu is right. You still have us, and Xie Yue. Spirit Hall is your home."

Hu Liena sniffed hard.

"Mm-hm!"

Xu Yuan chuckled. "Hurry up and eat. You're already so grown up, yet you're still crying. Honestly."

Hu Liena snorted and waved her fist in front of Xu Yuan's eyes.

"You brat, are you asking for a beating again?"

"Hmph, you can't beat me anyway."

"Oh? Say that again. Who can't beat whom? Have you forgotten who the senior sister is?"