Time slipped quietly by, and the warm winds of late spring arrived in Wutan City. Life in the Xiao Clan went on as usual. To most people, the Third Young Master was still that "good-for-nothing" with Three-Star Dou Qi, while Xiao Yi, the adopted son who often hung around him, was an oddball who disliked cultivating and spent his days loafing about.
At that moment, beside a clear little river outside Wutan City, Xiao Yan clambered ashore, bare-chested and dripping wet. A breeze from the approaching summer swept over him, making him shiver despite himself. He angrily kicked a pebble on the bank and burst into complaints.
"Old man! Do you actually know what you're doing? You insisted I soak in this freezing water, saying it would heal my hidden injuries. Why do I feel like I'm about to catch a cold?"
Beside a campfire not far away, an illusory elderly figure leisurely turned a roasting spit. A plump wild rabbit sizzled on it, dripping fat and filling the air with its fragrance. Yao Lao could not even be bothered to raise his eyelids.
"What's the hurry? Thirteen or fourteen is prime growing age. If you don't spend more time in nature, eat more meat, and drink more milk, your body will be too weak to absorb the nourishment no matter how many miraculous medicines you take."
As Yao Lao spoke, he sniffed the air, thoroughly pleased with his own roasting skills.
"Look how fat this rabbit is. Once we've finished eating, we'll take another stroll through the woods. Plenty of wild animals have just given birth this season, and their milk couldn't be more nourishing. We'll raid a few nests for eggs too. I guarantee you'll grow even sturdier than that brat Xiao Yi."
Xiao Yan's cheek twitched for