Bringing His Girlfriends Home, the Warmth of Family

Xiao Yan then launched into a vivid account of his travels.

At the dangerous parts, he lowered his voice and slowed his words. At the funny parts, his eyes lit up and his hands flew.

He looked as though he were living it all over again. The two girls listened wide-eyed and utterly absorbed, bursting into bell-like laughter now and then.

"Brat, with a gift for storytelling like that, you ought to set up a stall someday." Even Yao Lao, listening from the ring, could not resist teasing him.

Xiao Yan chuckled to himself, feeling rather pleased.

After all the novels he had read in his previous life, telling a good story came naturally to him.

He had already noticed what was on the girls' minds, so he gave them a full account of what Qing Lin and her mother, and Medusa and her sisters, had been through.

Both girls were kindhearted. Hearing of their hardships made their hearts ache.

One pair was a mother and daughter with nowhere left to turn; the other, twin sisters trapped by their clan's rigid old rules.

The first reminded Xiao Yi Xian of her parents, who had died too soon. The second made Xun'er think of her own family.

Would those high-and-mighty Gu Clan Elders ever allow her to be with Brother Xiao Yan?

At that thought, both girls grew subdued.

But their gloom passed as quickly as it came.

The moment Xiao Yan saw their faces fall, he offered to take them shopping. A few playful remarks later, they had cast their sadness aside and were smiling brightly again.

From the shadows, Ling Ying saw it all.

Seeing how easily Xiao Yan could sway his young mistress's mood, he sighed to himself. I'm afraid she'll never escape this boy's grasp.

The three stayed out having fun until darkness had fully fallen, then reluctantly headed back.

When they returned to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan remembered what his father had told him that day. Instead of taking Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian back to their lodgings, he led them straight to his parents' courtyard.

He invited Qing Lin and her mother along too.

The mother and daughter had only just arrived, and he thought this would be a good chance to help them settle into life with the Xiao Clan.

The five reached Xiao Zhan and Su Wan's courtyard. Before they even entered, the tempting aroma of dinner drifted out to meet them.

"Mother!" Xiao Yan called as he stepped inside.

A gentle figure came out to greet him at once.

At the sight of Xiao Yan, Su Wan's face broke into a tender smile, and her eyes reddened slightly. "Yan'er, you're home. Come in..."

She wiped her wet hands, came forward, and drew her son into a gentle embrace.

Then she held him by the arms and looked him over from head to toe, her eyes full of love and pride. "My Yan'er... You've grown up."

The boy before her was a little taller and more mature than when he had left. The first hints of a man's strong features had appeared in his face.

The moment Xiao Yan saw his mother, all the tension left him.

He did not have to think about cultivation now. Dou Qi, Heavenly Flames, the Soul Hall—he could put it all out of his mind.

In front of his mother, he would always be her child, someone she could hold and cherish.

Su Wan's gaze moved to Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian behind him, and she smiled warmly.

She knew the two girls as well as she knew anyone. In her heart, she had long since begun treating them like daughters-in-law.

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

Xiao Yan introduced Qing Lin and her mother.

Su Wan's smile grew warmer still. She welcomed them in such a gentle, easy manner that a few words were enough to ease much of their unease.

At Su Wan's enthusiastic invitation, all five went into the courtyard.

Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian had eaten here before, but never in this role or on an occasion like this.

Xun'er was less flustered. She had come to the Xiao Clan alone as a child and grown up alongside Xiao Yan. She had often come here for meals, and Su Wan had looked after her countless times.

In a way, Su Wan had filled the gap left by the motherly love Xun'er had missed as a child.

For Xiao Yi Xian, though, it was enough to make her blush fiercely.

Being brought home by Xiao Yan to meet his parents left her so embarrassed that she did not know what to do with her hands.

Inside, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were already seated. Xue Lan was there too.

Xiao Yan made another round of introductions.

Xiao Li glanced at the graceful Xue Lan beside his elder brother, then at the lovely faces behind Xiao Yan. Finally, he looked at the empty space beside himself, and an indescribable grievance welled up in him.

"Big brother, Little Yanzi, could you warn me next time? You're making things awkward for me!" Xiao Li complained.

His words made Xun'er and the other girls blush bright red.

"Second Brother, you'll have to work harder too." Xiao Yan raised a brow and gave him a wicked grin.

Xiao Li had already been feeling sorry for himself. That jab pushed him over the edge, and he declared that he would teach Xiao Yan a lesson.

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

The room was filled with warmth, and everyone wore a smile that came from the heart.

Even Qing Lin and her mother, amid all the noise and affection, felt for the first time what it truly meant to be at home.

"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 at once. Both rushed into the kitchen to carry out the food, neither willing to let the other get ahead.

When the last dish reached the table, the whole family finally sat down and began to eat.

Xiao Zhan glanced over the table and noticed an extra bowl and pair of chopsticks beside Xiao Yan, along with an empty seat. "Yan'er, why have you left another place? Is someone else coming?"

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

To Xiao Yan, Yao Lao had long since become family. How could he leave his teacher out of a reunion like this?

Everyone nodded. Their respect for the mysterious teacher they had never met grew a little deeper.

If Xiao Yan treated him with such care, the man must have helped him a great deal.

Inside the ring, Yao Lao watched in silence, his eyes growing red. "That brat..."

Home... family... It had been far, far too long since he had known either.

In the midst of that happy reunion, the two Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons woke on Xiao Yan's arms at nearly the same moment and poked out their little heads, still half asleep.

Smiling, Xiao Yan gave each of them a bottle of Companion Amethyst Source. The little creatures gulped it down, let out satisfied burps, then lazily slipped back into his sleeves to sleep.

Xiao Yan briefly explained where the two Heaven Swallowing Pythons had come from, and the little interruption became another story for the dinner table.

Then the meal went on.

Every face shone with a happiness that came from the heart, the happiness of being home.

Dinner lasted until very late.

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

Slowly, he clenched his fist and made himself a silent vow.

He would protect everything he had before him. He would not let even a fraction of the tragedies from the original story happen again.