The Road Home

The Blood Wolf Mountain of Momo City in the Jia Ma Empire.

The Blood Wolf Mountain had not always been called the Blood Wolf Mountain; it got its name because the Mad Wolf Gang resided upon it. Running amok and murdering passing travelers to plunder their goods had become routine for the Mad Wolf Gang.

Momo City had also appealed to the imperial family for help on multiple occasions, but who could have known that for some reason, whenever the imperial family took targeted action, the Mad Wolf Gang managed to cross the border into a neighboring country beforehand.

The imperial family knew this was simply a way for the neighboring country to disgust the Jia Ma Empire. Consequently, they strengthened the city defenses of Momo City on one hand, while on the other, they reminded passing merchant caravans to detour whenever there were special circumstances.

With official authorities unable to do anything about them, the gang grew even more unbridled, frequently raiding surrounding villages. Each successful raid involved using human blood to boil a pot of soup, which they called the Blood Banquet. Amidst their notorious reputation, the mountain itself was renamed the Blood Wolf Mountain.

Today was also the day the Mad Wolf Gang held a Blood Banquet, but people near the mountain suddenly noticed that the fire for today's banquet was a bit too large, as if the entire mountain were ablaze.

Is the Mad Wolf Gang making another big move? We better leave quickly. A stray passerby or two with high confidence in their martial prowess felt a tightness in their chest upon seeing such a scene.

At the peak of the Blood Wolf Mountain where no one was paying attention, Xiao Yan stood suspended in mid-air, flapping his blood-red wings while toying with a storage ring in his hand.

He smacked his lips and said, "This Mad Wolf Gang is truly ridiculously wealthy. So many of these items are priceless medicinal herbs."

Yao Lao materialized and said, "Entrenched in their own territory, naturally their family fortunes run deep. It's to your benefit, you brat. How is the backlash?"

Xiao Yan chuckled, summoning a stream of blood-red flames with his left hand—none other than the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame. "The Crimson Lotus Karma Flame is good and all, but unfortunately, this backlash requires burning those with sins. I only managed to trigger it onto Yun Leng in the Misty Cloud Sect for two days before I had to kill again."

Yao Lao consoled him, "What the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame burns are the evil thoughts in everyone's heart. The people here started combusting the moment you arrived, which shows their sins are monstrous. You need not feel any displeasure, just like that Yun Leng; having even a shred of that fire enter his body injured him to that extent, which proves he has committed no shortage of evil deeds himself. This is also a side effect of your forcible absorption of the flame; it should gradually disappear once your cultivation level rises."

Xiao Yan smiled gently, "It's fine, Teacher. With this happening today, I estimate there won't be any backlash for half a month. Let's go home; Father has been waiting for my news for a long time."

With a flap of his wings, Xiao Yan transformed into a black streak, eager to return as he hurtled toward Wutan City.

What Xiao Yan did not know was that because the Mad Wolf Gang was exterminated, the Chuyun Empire assumed the Jia Ma Empire was initiating a counteroffensive, causing them to accelerate their war preparations. A war was slowly brewing, but that was a matter for another day.

Xiao Yan flew to the outskirts of Wutan City and slowly descended.

Looking at the city where he had lived from childhood to adulthood, Xiao Yan smiled involuntarily.

Finally back.

Xiao Yan strolled toward that familiar street, at the end of which stood his family courtyard. Two clear, bold characters were inscribed on the gate—Xiao Clan.

"So many people," Xiao Yan muttered in astonishment.

Outside his own gate, rows of queues had formed, all striving to contend for the daily limited share of healing medicine.

Remembering the days when he and the alchemist from the Jia Lie Clan engaged in a pill-refinement contest felt as though it had happened just yesterday.

Just as Xiao Yan was fretting over how to squeeze through the crowd, a sharp-eyed guard shouted, "Young Master Xiao Yan!"

All gazes amidst the crowd converged on Xiao Yan. Who in Wutan City did not know Xiao Yan? The three-year agreement had arrived, and everyone was currently awaiting news from that side, yet Xiao Yan had traveled at top speed, arriving even earlier than the news.

The guard hurried to Xiao Yan's front, bowed, and said, "Welcome home, Young Master Xiao Yan. I am Li Yun; I wonder if the young master still remembers me."

Xiao Yan smiled. "You were guarding the gate here before, and after three years you're still guarding the gate."

Li Yun scratched his head and said, "Guarding the gate for the Xiao Clan is quite a coveted post now. The patriarch has been muttering about you every single day these past few days. I'll go pass along the message for you."

Xiao Yan casually handed a jade bottle to Li Yun and said, "Let's go together."

Li Yun's eyes held suppressed, overflowing surprise. Could anything flowing from Xiao Yan's hands fail to be a fine treasure?

The moment they stepped through the gate, a familiar feeling rushed over them. Coming home is truly the best. Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.

"Little bastard, why aren't you hurrying off to cultivate? Or do you want your battle qi to regress just like your Cousin Xiao Yan?" A harsh voice rang out in the courtyard.

Li Yun said awkwardly, "Young Master Xiao Yan, this..."

Xiao Yan simply rubbed his nose and shook his head with a helpless smile. It seemed that three years had passed, and he was still serving as a negative example. His past self might have grown angry, but now he merely felt resignation.

"Ahem, Aunt Rong." Xiao Yan spoke up first, seeing as he was the junior.

"Hm... Hm? Xiao Yan? You're back?" The matron who had been lecturing the child first gave a nod, then her voice executed a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. "Nephew Xiao Yan, this, this... have you eaten? You really didn't even send word to the family."

"Mom, is that the trash cousin Xiao Yan you always talk about?" Aunt Rong's son, Xiao Feng, who had just turned six, asked curiously when he saw Xiao Yan.

"How are you talking, child? So lacking in manners." Aunt Rong blushed as she reprimuted him.

"But isn't that what you always said?" Xiao Feng asked, looking aggrieved.

Xiao Yan shook his head with a helpless smile and walked toward the main hall.

The news of Xiao Yan's return ignited this small city like a firebomb, and Xiao Yan himself had no way of knowing this, because he was currently receiving consolation.

"Yan'er, think nothing of it. Your father believes in your potential. Three years won't do, but who can say for sure ten years from now? You must not give up on yourself." Xiao Zhan walked up to Xiao Yan and consoled him.

"Father, actually I..."

"Hey, the patriarch is mistaken there. Xiao Yan is an alchemist after all! No matter how formidable Nalan Yanran is, that is merely her own strength. With that mysterious back-stage alchemist aiding him, won't Xiao Yan's future achievements surpassing the Pill King Gu He be something to look forward to just around the corner?" the Second Elder said.

He then added in a thoroughly casual tone, "My grandson happens to need some foundation-nurturing and origin-bolstering pills. I wonder if the Yan kid can help out. Rest assured, the materials will be provided in quintuplicate, with the excess counting as compensation."

"Second Elder, refining pills is no problem, but the three-year agreement actually..."

"Coming back is fine. You can just continue striving at the Jia Nan Academy in the future." The Great Elder sat in his seat, gently stroking his beard. The profits gained from selling healing medicine over the past three years had long since left this old man overflowing with uncontainable satisfaction regarding Xiao Yan.

"Patriarch! Elders! Xiao Yan... Young Master Xiao Yan defeated the Misty Cloud Sect's great elder and... the former sect master! He's a... Dou Emperor!" A young man burst into the main hall, out of breath as he spoke.

Astonishment and wild joy erupted in the eyes of Xiao Zhan and the three elders. Xiao Zhan clapped Xiao Yan's shoulder and exclaimed, "Good! Well done, Yan'er! As expected of my, Xiao Zhan's, son! To be able to defeat Nalan Yanran—splendid!"

The Third Elder snapped at the messenger guard, "Stupid fellow, you even got news like this wrong! Don't you know about the three-year agreement the young patriarch set with Nalan Yanran? He defeated the young sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect!" Even as he scolded, the delighted surprise in his eyes refused to fade.

"I didn't read it wrong?" The guard rubbed his head, even handing the message over to the three elders.

The Third Elder inspected the slip of paper, then looked back at Xiao Yan, who sat in his seat smiling and offering no denial whatsoever. The Great Elder probed cautiously, "Is this true?"

Xiao Yan slowly nodded.

And then Xiao Yan watched as his father's mouth stretched open into an exaggerated circle. Xiao Yan had never dared to imagine that a human mouth could open to such an extent, and the hand clapping his shoulder went rigid.

The Second Elder applied force, pinching the Third Elder's arm until it turned bruised, though the Third Elder remained utterly oblivious.

A strand of the Great Elder's beard was likewise yanked out by his own hand.

A moment later, "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, my son is a Dou Emperor! My son is a Dou Emperor!" Xiao Zhan's voice propagated throughout the entire Xiao Clan under the amplification of the Yellow Lion Rage Aura technique, causing the beams of the main hall to vibrate.

That very night, the Xiao Clan transformed into an ocean of joy.