Time slipped away before anyone noticed.
On February 13th, while it was still dark on New Year's Eve morning, firecrackers of all sizes began popping across Magic Martial University. Amid the dense barrage of crackling firecrackers, the festive atmosphere grew stronger and stronger. At home, Lu Jingxuan had already returned. He had only come back last night, and he would only be staying through New Year's Eve before leaving again. Early in the morning, Bai Qiuyao got up to prepare the ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen. Lu Hao tried to help, but since he did not know how to do anything, Bai Qiuyao chased him out of the kitchen.
Lu Hao came to the balcony, watching the fireworks rise outside while sending New Year greetings to all the contacts on his phone.
Before long, Lu Jingxuan got up as well. He walked over to Lu Hao's side and lay down on a recliner.
For a moment, silence hung between them. This was how the relationship between Chinese fathers and sons was—both often cared deeply for each other, yet on the surface, they were like strangers, neither skilled with words.
"Dad, how are things over at South Mountain?" Lu Hao was the first to break the silence.
"Pretty good. It's been stable for many years, nowhere near as chaotic as a newly opened Earth Cave like Nanjiang. Besides, I'm not the only Grandmaster stationed there. You, on the other hand, have become incredibly famous. I could hear stories about you even inside the South Mountain Earth Cave—the number one among Rank Sevens, killing nearly ten Rank Sevens in the battle at Nanjiang..." Lu Jingxuan did not know what to say. Tell him to be careful? Lu Hao was already far stronger than he was, and he