Bringing His Girlfriend Home to Meet His Parents, the Warmth of Home

Next, Xiao Yan vividly recounted his experiences during his travels.

When he got to the dangerous parts, he deliberately lowered his voice and slowed his pace; when he came to the amusing parts, he grew animated, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

He looked as though he were reliving it all, making the two girls blink their wide eyes and listen intently, breaking into peals of laughter now and then.

"Brat, with a gift of the gab like yours, you could set up a stall and tell stories for a living." Hearing Xiao Yan's vivid account, Yao Lao couldn't help teasing him.

Xiao Yan laughed to himself, feeling rather pleased.

He'd read so many novels in his previous life that telling a story came as naturally to him as breathing.

He'd noticed the two girls' little thoughts long ago, so he simply told them everything about Qing Lin and her mother, and Medusa and her sisters, in thorough detail.

Both girls were kindhearted, and hearing about their hardships filled them with sorrow.

One was a mother and daughter with nowhere left to turn; the other was a pair of twin sisters being tormented by the constraints of outdated clan rules.

The former reminded Xiao Yi Xian of her parents, who had died young, while the latter made Xun'er think of her own clan.

Would those high-and-mighty Gu Clan Elders agree to let her be with Brother Xiao Yan one day?

At the thought, both girls' moods sank.

But their bad moods came and went quickly.

The moment Xiao Yan saw their downcast expressions, he smiled and suggested taking them shopping. Then he casually teased them a little, and the two girls cast their sadness to the winds, their bright smiles returning.

In the shadows, Ling Ying saw it all.

Watching his young lady's mood so easily swayed by Xiao Yan, he couldn't help sighing to himself: his young lady would probably never escape that brat's clutches in this lifetime.

The three of them played outside until night had fallen completely before finally heading back, still reluctant to call it a day.

Back at the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan remembered his father's instructions from earlier that day. Instead of escorting Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian to their respective residences, he took them straight to his parents' courtyard.

He even invited Qing Lin and her mother along.

They had only just arrived, and he thought this was the perfect opportunity to help them settle into life with the Xiao Clan.

The five of them arrived at the courtyard of Xiao Zhan and his wife. Before they even entered, the enticing aroma of food wafted toward them.

"Mother!" Xiao Yan stepped into the courtyard and called out loudly.

As soon as his voice rang out, a gentle figure came to greet them from inside.

The instant Su Wan saw Xiao Yan, her face bloomed into an exceptionally tender smile, and her eyes reddened slightly. "Yan'er, you're back. Come in..."

She wiped her wet hands and came forward, gently embracing her son.

After the embrace, she took hold of Xiao Yan's arms and looked him over from head to toe, her eyes full of boundless love and relief. "My Yan'er... my Yan'er has grown up."

The young man before her seemed more mature than when he'd left, and he'd grown taller, too. The lines of a man were beginning to show between his brows and eyes.

The moment he saw his mother, Xiao Yan relaxed completely.

At that moment, he didn't need to think about cultivation, Dou Qi, Heavenly Flames, or Soul Hall. He could put it all out of his mind.

In front of his mother, he would always be the child who needed her love.

Su Wan's gaze fell on Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian behind Xiao Yan, and she smiled warmly.

She knew the two girls so well that, in her heart, she had long thought of them as daughters-in-law.

Then she noticed Qing Lin and her mother nearby, and tilted her head slightly as she asked, "Yan'er, who are these two?"

Xiao Yan introduced Qing Lin and her mother.

At his words, Su Wan's smile grew even more welcoming and affectionate. She warmly welcomed the two of them, and in just a few words, eased much of the tension in their hearts.

With Su Wan's warm welcome, the five of them entered the courtyard.

Although Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian had eaten here before, this was the first time they'd come in this capacity, on this occasion.

Xun'er was more at ease. She'd come to the Xiao Clan alone as a child and had grown up alongside Xiao Yan. She'd eaten here plenty of times and received Su Wan's care on countless occasions.

Su Wan's presence had helped make up for the motherly love missing from her childhood.

But for Xiao Yi Xian, the scene was terribly embarrassing.

Being brought home by Xiao Yan to meet his parents made her so bashful she didn't know what to do with her hands.

When they entered the house, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were already seated, and Xue Lan was there as well.

With Xiao Yan introducing them, everyone got to know one another.

Xiao Li looked first at the gentle and gracious Xue Lan beside his elder brother, then at the lovely faces behind Xiao Yan. Finally, he looked down at the empty space beside himself, and a hard-to-describe sense of frustration welled up inside him.

"Big brother, Little Yanzi, could you at least give me a heads-up next time? You've made things so awkward for me!" Xiao Li couldn't help complaining.

Those words instantly brought a blush to the faces of Xun'er and the other girls.

"Second brother, you should put in some effort too." Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and teased him with a mischievous grin.

Xiao Li was already brimming with frustration. The taunt pushed him over the edge, and in a fit of embarrassment and anger, he insisted on teaching Xiao Yan a lesson.

The brothers chased each other around the table, roughhousing just as they had when they were children.

The house was filled with harmony, and everyone wore a smile from the heart.

Even Qing Lin and her mother felt, for the first time, the warmth of home in that lively, welcoming atmosphere.

"Dinner's ready!" Xiao Zhan emerged from the kitchen carrying a fragrant dish and called out in a booming voice.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Li stopped fighting at once and raced into the kitchen to carry out the dishes, neither willing to be outdone.

Once the last dish was on the table, the whole family finally sat down together and began their meal.

Xiao Zhan glanced over the table and suddenly noticed an extra set of bowls and chopsticks beside Xiao Yan, along with a seat that had been left empty. Puzzled, he asked, "Yan'er, why have you set another place? Is someone else coming?"

Xiao Yan paused, then answered honestly, "It's for my teacher. For certain reasons, he can't come in person, so I wanted to leave him a seat."

In Xiao Yan's heart, Yao Lao was already just like family. How could he leave his teacher out of such a family reunion?

Everyone nodded at his words. They couldn't help feeling even more respect for the mysterious teacher they had never met.

The fact that Xiao Yan treated him with such solemn regard meant that this teacher must have helped him immensely.

Inside the ring, Yao Lao quietly watched everything, his eyes growing red without him realizing it. "That brat..."

Home... family... It had been far, far too long since he'd felt anything like that.

At that moment of reunion and happiness, the two Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons also woke on Xiao Yan's arms, poking their little heads out in a daze.

With a smile, Xiao Yan handed each of them a bottle of Companion Amethyst Source. The two little creatures gulped it down, gave satisfied burps, then lazily crawled back into his sleeves to keep sleeping.

Xiao Yan also briefly explained the origins of the two Heaven Swallowing Pythons to everyone, treating them as a little aside at the dinner table.

After the brief interruption, the dinner continued.

Everyone's faces were alight with genuine smiles of happiness, the kind that truly belonged to a family.

The meal went on until very late before it finally ended.

Back in his room, Xiao Yan lay on his back and stared at the rafters overhead, replaying every moment of the evening in his mind again and again.

He slowly clenched his fists and silently swore to himself.

He would protect everything before him, and never let the regrets of the original story play out again—not even in the slightest.