Yi Yang vaulted the last low wall and landed beneath the locust tree in his courtyard. Only when his boots touched the familiar blue bricks did the cord stretched taut inside him all night loosen a little.
The courtyard gate was bolted, and a bean-sized glow seeped through the kitchen's paper window.
He had barely reached the door when hurried footsteps sounded inside. The bolt slid back, and Jiang Yuexin poked half her head out, her eyes red. The instant she saw Yi Yang, her nose stung and her lips trembled twice.
"Grandpa!"
She rushed out and hugged Yi Yang's arm, gripping so tightly that her fingernails dug into his clothes.
Yang Hui followed, clutching a kitchen knife, half her hair hanging loose. Seeing Yi Yang standing in the courtyard whole and unharmed, her hand went slack, and the knife clattered to the ground.
"Uncle Yi! You're finally back!" Yang Hui's voice cracked. "Whistling arrows and shouts of killing outside scared Yuexin and me into pushing the table against the door. We sat there half the night with a kitchen knife in hand!"
Yi Yang patted Jiang Yuexin's head and peeled the little girl off his arm.
"What are you crying for? Have some backbone."
Despite his dismissive words, he rubbed the back of her head twice. "A bunch of mountain bandits made trouble under cover of night. Nothing worth calling a major battle. Steward Fang was holding the fort at the Heaven Patrol Office. He's an expert at the Qi-Blood Fifth Level. Dealing with a few petty crooks is no different from swatting flies."
Jiang Yuexin wiped her eyes, still sniffling, and looked twice at the torn clothing over Yi Yang's left shoulder. "Grandpa, your clothes..."
"Caught them climbing a wall. A couple of stitches will fix it." Yi