Li Yunjing gently raised his hand. A mild yet irresistible force swept over them like a spring breeze across the earth, lifting Elder Zhao Ming and all the disciples kneeling before him to their feet.
"Everyone, rise."
His voice was calm and quiet, yet it reached everyone present with perfect clarity. An uncanny soothing power instantly settled the emotions churning within them from overwhelming excitement. "Now that I have returned, there is no need for such ceremony."
"Yes! Thank you, Grand Elder-Patriarch!"
They answered in unison and rose, but remained standing respectfully with their hands lowered, their fervent gazes fixed on Li Yunjing. None dared behave presumptuously.
Li Yunjing nodded slightly and said no more.
He lifted his foot as though ascending invisible stairs. One step carried him beyond Guest-Welcoming Peak; the next brought him into the sky above the distant Seven Stars Peak. With a third, he descended leisurely into Qiwu Villa.
Qiwu Villa was Li Yunjing's former residence.
Nestled beside mountains and water, it held clear springs, cascading waterfalls, and swaying bamboo shadows. Several elegant, old-fashioned pavilions and buildings stood among them, every corner imbued with the leisurely serenity of a secluded retreat.
As Li Yunjing stepped into the villa, familiar sights and scents greeted him, bringing peace to his heart.
He had been gone a hundred years, yet every blade of grass, every tree, every pavilion, and every building seemed frozen as they had been when he left. Only a deeper stillness had settled over them with the passing years.
He strolled along the bluestone path to the Tide-Listening Pavilion before the main residence and sat down casually. His gaze passed over the thousand-year-old Qiwu Tree outside, its graceful crown spreading like a canopy and spiritual light faintly glimmering within it. A trace of reminiscence entered his