Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan's "twisted logic" left the Third Elder bristling and glaring, yet he could find no solid evidence against them. There really were no obvious signs of a fight on the ground, and the injuries on Xiao Ning and the others did indeed... well, look rather like they had fallen or hurt one another while shoving around. Coupled with Xiao Yan's argument about the potential threat of a "future powerhouse," all he could do in the end was give a heavy snort.
"Disperse, all of you! What a disgrace!" The Third Elder swept his sleeve and snapped impatiently, "Such a little matter, and you've sent the chickens flying and the dogs jumping! If this happens again, you'll all be punished under clan law, regardless of the reason!" He gave Xiao Yi a long look, then swept his gaze over the calm-faced Xiao Yan, as though committing the faces of these two "troublemakers" to memory. Then he stormed out of the little courtyard with several stewards and Xiao Ning's group, who looked indignant but dared not say another word.
With the elder gone, the other spectators lost interest as well and drifted away, chattering among themselves. The courtyard, so crowded and noisy moments before, soon fell quiet again, leaving only Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi looked toward the empty courtyard entrance and curled his lip, then turned to Xiao Yan, clapped the dust off his hands, and flashed a toothy grin. "All done, job finished! Did my quick thinking and silver tongue make you admire me a little more?" Seeing the somewhat complicated look in Xiao Yan's eyes, he stopped teasing and merely shrugged. "All right, judging by that look, it must be nearly time for that checkup of yours, right? I'll get going before your dad shows up and decides he doesn't like the sight of me again." With that, Xiao Yi slipped both hands into his pockets and strolled out of Xiao Yan's courtyard.
Xiao Yan was left alone in the spacious courtyard. He watched Xiao Yi's retreating figure, then lowered his head to look at the dirt and footprints covering his clothes and sighed softly. Walking over to the well in the courtyard, he drew a bucket of cool well water and scooped some up to wash himself again. Its icy touch cleared his head considerably. The chaos and arguments just now seemed like a farce.
Back inside, he took off his filthy coarse-cloth clothes and changed into a clean, tidy outfit. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell across the floor, illuminating the fine dust drifting through the air. It was indeed getting late, almost noon. By his reckoning, his father and the physician should be arriving soon.
Before long, steady footsteps sounded outside the courtyard entrance. Xiao Yan stirred inwardly, straightened his collar, and walked to the doorway. His father, Xiao Zhan, came in beside an elderly man with white hair and a white beard carrying a medicine chest. It was the Family Physician responsible for tending to his health.
Xiao Zhan's gaze swept over the courtyard, and he seemed to sense something unusual in the air. He asked no questions, however, merely turning his attention to Xiao Yan and examining him closely. Only after confirming that nothing was seriously wrong did he give a slight nod.
Whenever a checkup approached, his father always set aside his work and came in person. Xiao Yan knew this sprang both from a father's concern for his son and from a clan leader's hopes for a former genius and the clan's future. Even at his most despondent, in the depths of his lowest moments, that weighty concern always brought warmth to the cold recesses of Xiao Yan's heart.
The white-haired physician motioned for Xiao Yan to sit, placed his wrinkled fingers on Xiao Yan's wrist, and closed his eyes in concentration as he carefully examined the state of his body. Xiao Zhan sat in a chair nearby, watching his son with a gentle gaze and a barely perceptible trace of concern on his face. The room grew quiet, save for the physician's even breathing and the occasional birdcall outside the window.
After a brief silence, Xiao Yan finally seemed unable to hold back. He glanced at the physician taking his pulse, then turned his eyes toward his father. After a moment's hesitation, he gave a brief account of what had happened in the courtyard, from Xiao Ning's group coming to provoke him, to the short clash between the two sides, to how Xiao Yi had used that strange "Bouncy Ball Force" to beat them until they scattered like fallen petals and flowing water. He placed particular emphasis on how Xiao Yi had turned black into white before the Third Elder, brazenly recasting a group beating as the other side "hurting themselves to frame someone."
Xiao Yan had expected his father to get angry, or at least frown and reprimand him. Fighting within the clan was no small matter, after all. To his surprise, as Xiao Zhan listened, astonishment first appeared in his eyes, then the corners of his mouth gradually spread. When he heard Xiao Yi's absurd argument about "injuring one another and coordinating their stories before filing a complaint," he finally let out a snort of laughter. By the end, he was slapping the table and roaring with laughter, shaking his head repeatedly. "Hahahaha! Good! What a lad! Interesting! Truly interesting! Stirring up something this entertaining on his very first day! That Xiao Yi really hasn't disappointed me!"
Xiao Zhan's laughter rang especially loudly in the quiet room. Even the physician could not help opening his eyes to give the clan leader a surprised glance before continuing to take Xiao Yan's pulse. Watching his father laugh so delightedly, Xiao Yan felt his dignity slipping, and a touch of anger and grievance crept onto his face. "Father! What's so funny about this?"
Xiao Yan could not help raising his voice. "Where on earth did you find such a... such a fellow? It's bad enough that he fights with those... those crude moves, but he also spouts utter nonsense! You brought him back and took him as your adopted son without even discussing it with me?!" The thought of Xiao Yi's smug expression earlier, and his teasing claim that Xiao Yan was "falling for his big brother," left Xiao Yan feeling deeply uncomfortable.
At that, Xiao Zhan's smile gradually faded, though his gaze remained gentle as he looked at his son's annoyed face. "Yan'er, I don't care for that remark. Back then, I told you I wanted to find you a companion around your age, someone to talk to and ease your boredom so you wouldn't sit alone brooding. I mentioned it to you. Have you forgotten?"
Xiao Yan froze, his brows drawing together as he struggled to remember. Prompted by his father's words, he thought back carefully. Vague fragments gradually surfaced in his mind: when he had first lost his Dou Qi and spent his days dispirited and dazed, his father had indeed mentioned finding a child he liked, a lively boy who might keep him company and stop him from shutting himself away in his room. At the time, he had been utterly disheartened, uninterested in anything and merely irritated. He had probably mumbled a few perfunctory acknowledgments without taking any of it to heart. He had never imagined... that it would actually be Crazy Ghost! A "fellow countryman" from Earth!
Once the floodgates of memory opened, the scene became clear. His father's expression back then had held a cautious mixture of hope and tentative inquiry, yet he had been so immersed in the pain and despair of losing his strength that he had completely overlooked his father's thoughtfulness. Looking back now, his past self really had been...
"...I think... that did happen." Xiao Yan's voice grew quieter, and the hint of anger on his face dissipated, replaced by a trace of regret and barely discernible embarrassment. He looked up at his father, then quickly lowered his head again and stared at the hem of his clothes. "Back then, I... wasn't really listening."
Seeing his son like this, Xiao Zhan understood. He pressed no further, merely sighing softly and gentling his tone. "Yes, your mind wasn't on such things back then. I know." He reached out to pat his son's shoulder, but withdrew his hand when he saw that the physician was still taking his pulse. "Still, you did agree at the time, and I've already brought him home. We can't really throw him out over a little scuffle today, can we? What would that make our Xiao Clan?"
"Besides," Xiao Zhan continued, a hint of amusement returning to his eyes, "that boy may be a little unpredictable, but he thinks on his feet, and his fighting skills are... well, quite distinctive. From what you just told me, he even brought Xiao Ning and those other boys thoroughly to heel. That takes some ability. Having him beside you as another companion might not be a bad thing."
Xiao Yan fell silent. His father's words were not without reason. Matters had already reached this point, and Xiao Yi was now his brother in name. He could hardly do anything to him. He sighed again, with a measure of helplessness and resignation. "...I understand, Father."
Though his son was still somewhat reluctant, Xiao Zhan could see that he had finally yielded. More importantly, his son had actually taken the initiative to say so much to him today. Whether he complained or argued, it was far better than his former lifeless silence. A long-missed sense of relief filled Xiao Zhan's heart, and his gaze softened further. It seemed bringing Xiao Yi here really had been an accidental bull's-eye, producing an unexpected effect. Taking this adopted son had not been in vain!
Just then, the elderly physician, who had been silently taking his pulse all this time, finally released his hand, slowly opened his eyes, and stroked his grizzled beard.
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