If they were only going somewhere within Mingzhou City, Stoneborn would not have minded taking his little sister along.
But Qi Zhongbin had left Mingzhou City after Granny Yu died, so Stoneborn would have to travel quite some distance to find him this time.
Fortunately, they had already made arrangements, so finding his junior brother was not difficult. It was merely a thousand-mile round trip.
On a coastal reef in Reef Province, where the sea wind howled, Stoneborn and Qi Zhongbin sat together gazing out at the sea.
"The Starwoven Dharma Assembly is almost here. I'm actually pretty nervous. Aren't you, junior brother?"
Although Stoneborn had grown up, his speech still carried that same sincerity. Or perhaps the transformation dream three years ago had helped him recover more of his innocence.
Qi Zhongbin stretched his limbs and sorted through the fishing gear beside him, answering with a smile.
"A little. I wonder how Master is doing. He's refining pills deep in the Celestial River. Will he come out of seclusion when the Starwoven Dharma Assembly begins, or wait until it ends?"
"Who knows? Maybe even Master doesn't know."
Stoneborn's remark made Qi Zhongbin laugh as well. Once he settled down, however, he reflected on his gains and losses over the years and could not help sighing.
"Master hasn't tested my cultivation in a long time. I wonder what he would think of my progress over these years."
Seeing how serious Qi Zhongbin was, Stoneborn's heart tightened.
"Ah, now that you've said that, I'm even more worried. All I've done is play."
Qi Zhongbin did not see it that way. He baited his hook, cast it into the sea, and sat on a rock with his fishing rod in hand.
"Senior brother, your nature is innocent, and you're naturally close to