In the rear courtyard of the Xiao Clan estate in Wutan City, warm sunlight spilled over a path paved with bluestone. A few sparrows chirped and hopped among the branches, filling the scene with peace and quiet.
Young Xiao Yan sat alone beneath an old locust tree, his eyes vacant. His little brows were tightly knitted, and every so often he murmured strange syllables under his breath, as though recalling something-or struggling to piece together fragments of shattered memories.
Xiao Yan stared at the ring in his hand, his heart filled with longing for his mother and fantasies drawn from fairy tales. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the plain ring. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, dappling him with light and shadow.
Xiao Yan's soul came from another world, one of advanced technology and entertainment above all else-Earth. An accident, however, had brought him to this unfamiliar Dou Qi Continent, where he had become the youngest son of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.
In that world called Earth, there was a story named "Aladdin's Magic Lamp." Rub the lamp, and a magical genie would appear to grant its master three wishes. The story also featured a genie who lived in a ring and could grant its master only one wish.
At that moment, Xiao Yan wished desperately that this ring possessed the same magic, that it could bring the mother he had lost back to his side.
"If only a genie lived in this ring too, one who could grant my wish..."
No sooner had the thought surfaced than he laughed despite himself and shook his head, finding the idea rather childish and ridiculous.
Everything on the Dou Qi Continent seemed so unfamiliar to Xiao Yan. Its language, culture, and way of life were utterly different from the Earth in his memories.
That enormous gulf made it difficult for him to fit into this world, leaving him wary of and distant from everything around him.
At the other end of the courtyard, Xiao Zhan, the clan head, stood in the covered walkway, watching his youngest son from afar. As the leader of the Xiao Clan, he had a stern, resolute face, yet deep worry now clouded it.
His youngest son possessed exceptional talent, and his progress in cultivation delighted him, but the maturity and detachment so at odds with the boy's age always left him uneasy.
More puzzling still, Xiao Yan occasionally said things no one could understand or wrote strange symbols on paper. Those twisting lines were neither the continent's common script nor any known ancient writing.
"Ah..." Xiao Zhan slowly approached Xiao Yan and gazed at him affectionately. As a father, he had all but worried himself sick over his youngest son. Xiao Yan always kept to himself, refusing to play with children his own age, and was strikingly different from the others.
Xiao Zhan crouched down and gently stroked Xiao Yan's head. "Yan'er, what are you thinking about now?"
Xiao Yan looked up, a trace of bewilderment flashing through his eyes before they quickly turned cold again. "Nothing." His tone remained indifferent, as though he had no desire to say much to his father.
Xiao Yan's gaze drifted into the distance, his thoughts returning once more to that familiar world. Little by little, he recalled everything on Earth: his parents' love, his friends' laughter. An indescribable loneliness and sense of loss welled up in his heart.
Watching Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan felt all five flavors mingle in his heart. His youngest son harbored so many secrets. How he wished Xiao Yan would open his heart, find his place in this new world, and grow up as happily as other children.
"Yan'er, sitting here alone must be so dull. How about... I take you out for a walk and some fresh air?" Xiao Zhan spoke gently, deliberately slowing his words in an attempt to catch his son's attention.
Xiao Yan finally raised his head and looked at his father. His little brows creased slightly, and he shook his head. His voice held a hint of childishness, yet his tone was unusually earnest. "No, Father. I must make the most of my time to cultivate. I cannot afford to slack off."
At that answer, Xiao Zhan smiled helplessly and reached out to ruffle Xiao Yan's hair again. Xiao Yan looked thoroughly unwilling, but Xiao Zhan took no offense.
"Cultivation is important, of course, but you must also learn to balance work and rest. Your cultivation has always advanced at astonishing speed, far beyond ordinary people. That is certainly a good thing, but if you charge ahead like this without a stable foundation, you could easily run into trouble instead. Relaxing a little will also benefit your future cultivation."
Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, his little face expressionless, then let out a soft sigh. Was this what they called 'your parents deciding you're tired'? Although he did not understand why his father was so insistent, he could not seem to find a reason to refuse either...
At last, Xiao Yan stood and brushed the bits of grass from his clothes. "All right. I'll do as you say, Father."
Seeing his son finally agree, Xiao Zhan broke into a gratified smile. He immediately arranged for a carriage and took Xiao Yan out through the gates of the Xiao Clan estate toward Wutan City's bustling streets. The carriage rode smoothly, and Xiao Yan leaned beside the window, watching the scenery rush past with utter boredom.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan warmly greeted acquaintances they passed from time to time. Whenever someone spotted Xiao Yan inside the carriage, they invariably smiled and offered a few words of praise.
"Clan Head Xiao, your son truly has extraordinary talent! To possess such astonishing Dou Qi cultivation at such a young age-there's no limit to what he might achieve!"
With every compliment, Xiao Zhan's smile grew brighter, pride all but spilling from his eyes.
Xiao Yan turned a deaf ear to their praise, finding it rather noisy, and could not suppress a small yawn. Just then, a peculiar sight moving swiftly along the street caught his attention.
A strange child was weaving rapidly down the road, riding a contraption with two wheels that was propelled by pedaling.
Stranger still, the child held the handlebars with only one hand while brandishing a small wooden stick in the other, lashing at a mongrel that chased behind, barking furiously and snapping. The blows made the dog yelp and howl, leaving it utterly bedraggled and afraid to venture too close.
The child's face was filled with a smug grin, and his handling of the contraption appeared quite practiced.
As Xiao Yan watched the child and that deeply familiar means of transportation, a word long buried in the depths of his consciousness slipped from his lips, carrying an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Bicycle..."
His voice was quiet, and the word was not spoken in the language of the Dou Qi Continent. Hearing his son's murmur, Xiao Zhan froze for a moment, then raised his brows and looked curiously at Xiao Yan. "Hm? Yan'er, what did you say? Bi... cycle? Do you know what that thing is?"
At his father's question, Xiao Yan's heart gave a sudden jolt. Oh no. Why had he blurted out that word? He had only a vague impression of that thing, as though it came from a distant dream.
He hurriedly lowered his head, avoiding Xiao Zhan's searching gaze, and muttered, "Nothing... I just thought the way that thing turned was interesting. I was only saying whatever came to mind..." His voice grew quieter and quieter. Even he thought the excuse was painfully clumsy.
Xiao Zhan frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced by his son's explanation. Though cold by nature, his son never lied, and the word he had blurted out had been perfectly clear, certainly no idle nonsense. Just as Xiao Zhan was about to question him further, a boy's slightly excited shouts drew closer from the distance.
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