Craving for Relatives

"Holy Soul Village?"

"Yeah, that's where my home is."

Xiao Wu looked at Jiang Jiu, leaving the decision to him.

She didn't mind either way; wherever Jiang Jiu went, she would follow.

"Would it be an intrusion?" Jiang Jiu met Xiao Wu's gaze before speaking up.

Tang San had extended the invitation himself, and although Jiang Jiu's conversational tactics had guided him there, the result was what mattered.

Regardless of whether they would eventually become sworn brothers, a visit wouldn't waste much time, and it was a perfect opportunity to further deepen their relationship.

"Not at all, not at all. My house is actually quite big."

Tang San felt a bit awkward at that moment. He had just remembered that his father, Tang Hao, didn't exactly have the best temper; he had been viewing his father through rose-colored glasses a bit too much.

Forget it, I'll deal with it when the time comes.

In Tang San's eyes, even if Tang Hao was a bit grumpy, he, Jiang Jiu, and Xiao Wu were all Spirit Masters, so nothing too chaotic should happen.

"So, is that settled?"

"Yeah." Now it was Tang San's turn to offer a bitter smile to himself.

On the day the break began, Jiang Jiu and the others met up early in the morning to head toward Holy Soul Village together.

Holy Soul Village wasn't far from Nuoding City; it took half a day on foot, and given their pace, they would arrive even faster.

"Whoo-hoo! Jiang Jiu, come and catch me!"

Having left the small town for the countryside, Xiao Wu seemed to let herself go, darting back and forth through the fields like a butterfly among flowers.

"Do you even know the way, running around like that?"

"It seems I don't, actually. Ah! Jiang Jiu, you're cheating again!"

Xiao Wu was ambushed and locked in a hold by the student she had taught so well. She looked completely unconvinced, regretting that she had stopped just because she listened to Jiang Jiu, only to be caught instantly. It was so humiliating.

"You can play all you want once we get there."

"You promised!" Xiao Wu began to look forward to what was coming next.

Jiang Jiu tapped her little head and dragged her back onto the right path.

It seemed Xiao Wu hadn't yet realized how fast he had moved just now.

Since he began his strength training, Jiang Jiu had naturally adjusted his previous running regimen.

Although he wasn't increasing his long-distance mileage anymore, his explosive speed—both his starting acceleration and his top speed—had seen a qualitative leap.

It wouldn't be as easy to toy with him as it had been a year ago.

"It's fine to go a bit slower." Tang San didn't know how to describe his current feelings.

From his initial envy, he seemed to have become desensitized; he feared that if the two of them weren't so clingy one day, he would actually find it strange.

Occasionally seeing them like this even made life feel more interesting—a truly bizarre mindset.

"You were eager to get home earlier."

Tang San smiled, offered no rebuttal, and continued on his way.

After walking for a while longer, Tang San pointed toward a small hill in the distance.

"Holy Soul Village is at the foot of that hill."

Approaching home, Tang San's mood grew increasingly excited, and his pace quickened unconsciously.

"Is this what it feels like to go home?" Watching Tang San, who seemed completely different from usual, Xiao Wu leaned her head against Jiang Jiu's shoulder.

She was lucky to have met Jiang Jiu; she now had a home of her own in Nuoding City.

"After all, it has been a year since he went back."

Xiao Wu felt a bit embarrassed at that thought.

It had been a year since she had been home, too, and she had almost forgotten about Daming and Erming.

Well, cultivation is the priority. It's just that Big Sister Xiao Wu loves to cultivate too much.

Besides, it had been so difficult to run from the Star Dou Forest to this tiny Nuoding City. Not to mention whether a return trip would go smoothly, she couldn't even outrun the spirit beasts on the periphery anymore.

Xiao Wu contentedly decided to postpone her plans to return to the Star Dou Forest for an indefinite number of years.

The two of them walked slowly in the direction Tang San had run off to.

Things were a bit unexpected; the heartwarming scene of a father and son reuniting was nowhere to be found. Instead, Tang San stood there silently holding a letter, looking deeply depressed, while an old man stood beside him offering words of comfort.

If Xiao Wu had actually seen the scene she had imagined, she would have been the one trembling in her boots.

Xiao Wu looked at Jiang Jiu, and Jiang Jiu began to act silently.

He set down the bag containing the Iron Essence and began to help tidy up the house.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build some goodwill.

If Tang San were a girl, Jiang Jiu's progress bar for the "corner" would have surged forward by a massive margin.

It was just that Tang San was a man, and Jiang Jiu had no interest in being gay.

He only hoped that when Tang San looked back on this period in the future, he would share a decent immortal herb with his bro.

As for staying with Old Poison for half a year, Jiang Jiu didn't think he could do it himself.

With Jiang Jiu's help, the dusty Blacksmith Shop was cleaned up in no time; after all, Tang Hao had only been gone for two days.

Usually, he did most of the household chores, while Xiao Wu could only be said to be in the process of learning hard.

"Brother Jiu, Xiao Wu..."

Xiao Wu glared at him.

"...Sister Xiao Wu, thank you both."

"Look on the bright side, as long as Uncle is fine, you'll be able to see him again eventually."

Jiang Jiu offered words of comfort.

One could only say that Tang Hao was truly a god-tier man, treating Tang San exactly like a vegetable.

"I just... miss him a little." Tang San took out his newly purchased forging hammer; it was a gift he had bought for Tang Hao, but unfortunately, he could no longer give it to him.

"Why are you being so sentimental! It's not like he's dead. Jiang Jiu and I don't even have the chance to see our fathers anymore!"

Jiang Jiu hurriedly covered Xiao Wu's mouth.

This kind of thing wasn't meant to be compared.

Xiao Wu actually felt down because of her own parents, but Tang San simply hadn't reached the level where he could trigger her empathy.

Although the three of them had acted together a few times, it was clear that without Jiang Jiu in the middle, Tang San and Xiao Wu couldn't even say a few words to each other.

If it were Jiang Jiu, Xiao Wu would have already held him tight in her arms. Unfortunately, Xiao Wu had never found such an opportunity, which led her to genuinely feel that Jiang Jiu was a strong and towering man, even if he looked so beautiful.

Yet, Xiao Wu's words had an unexpectedly good effect. Once she said that, Tang San's reaction felt, illusionally, even more effective than Jiang Jiu's comfort.

Tang San's expression trembled slightly. "Brother Jiu, you... really..."

"I haven't seen my parents since I was born, and as for Xiao Wu, I don't know about her."

Tang San's reaction was passable; at least he was more polite than Tang Ya.

"My parents have also passed away." Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and turned her face away.

Looking at the "pretentiously" carefree Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu, who had been stirred into sadness by him, an inexplicable impulse rose in Tang San's heart.

"Brother Jiu, Sister Xiao Wu, let's swear brotherhood! Let's become each other's family!"

Tang San's heart was surging with emotion, and he looked at the two of them with immense anticipation.

"Swear brotherhood? Like brother and sister family?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.

"Yes, after we swear, we will be family closer than biological siblings." Tang San looked at Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu with burning eyes.

Right now, he truly wanted new family members. If he didn't have them, he felt like he would wither away and die, even if he wasn't close to Xiao Wu, it didn't matter.

"I don't want to be siblings with Little Jiu!"