The Eaglet Leaves the Nest

More than a month had passed since the thunderclouds above the forbidden grounds on the rear mountain dispersed.

Si Chen's life had returned to its former tranquility.

The charred wounds left by the lightning had long since faded. His new skin was smooth and supple, yet beneath it lay strength far beyond what he had possessed before. Whether walking, sitting, or resting, he seemed taller and more poised.

The roundness of childhood had vanished completely, leaving a handsome, composed young man.

To outsiders, however, the once-renowned young master of the Si Household had gradually faded into obscurity after his dazzling achievement of reaching Foundation Establishment at seven, much like so many geniuses whose brilliance bloomed for only a fleeting moment.

Five years was enough for the cultivation world to forget many names.

New legends arose, old topics of conversation were swept aside-that was simply how things went. But this was precisely what Si Chen wanted.

Early that morning, he pushed open his door and headed straight to his father Si Kai's study.

Si Kai was attending to lineage affairs. Looking up as his son entered, he let his gaze linger on him for a moment.

In little more than a month, the boy seemed to have grown taller still. He could not help sighing softly. Time flowed like water; children always grew up before one noticed.

"Father."

"Mm. Have your injuries healed completely?" He set down his jade slip, his voice gentle.

"They've long since healed," Si Chen replied.

He approached the desk and bowed. "I came today to inform you, Father, that I wish to go out and travel."

Si Kai was not particularly surprised. Ever since the successful body tempering on the rear mountain, he had known that the confines of the lineage could no longer satisfy this eaglet whose wings were steadily filling out.

He looked at his son without immediately giving his answer, asking only, "Where do you intend to go? Do you have a plan?"

"I don't know."

Si Chen answered candidly. "I just feel it's time to see what's out there. The second stage of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body requires tempering with Yang Thunder. I want to... find it myself."

Si Kai considered this for a moment. His son's reasoning was sound. Going out in search of an opportunity to break through was perfectly normal.

"What else?" He looked at Si Chen, his gaze blazing like a torch, as though he could see through everything left unsaid.

Si Chen met his father's eyes without looking away. "I also want to... see the world outside. The real world."

Those words carried a deeper meaning, but Si Kai immediately understood what his son meant.

After they returned from Cloud Brocade City five years ago, his second and third brothers had spent plenty of time giving the boy "lessons."

It seemed he had truly listened and remembered. He no longer thought all those smiling faces greeting him came from universal courtesy; he understood that most were offered to the title of "young master of the Si Household."

Now, he wanted to set that identity aside and undergo trials of his own.

"You don't intend to join a sect?" Si Kai asked to confirm.

Si Chen shook his head. "Not for now. Even if I do someday, I hope to find one that truly suits me myself."

Rather than enter somewhere arranged by his lineage, perhaps illustrious, but not necessarily right for him.

That clear-eyed understanding left Si Kai more reassured than worried.

His son had grown up. He had not only strength, but ideas of his own.

"Very well." Si Kai's answer was brisk and decisive. Sons of the Si Household were never meant to be flowers sheltered in a greenhouse.

"I'll speak to your mother."

Unexpectedly, Ye Fu reacted more calmly than they had imagined.

She simply listened in silence as her husband finished, her gaze resting on their son as he stood quietly waiting in the courtyard.

The twelve-year-old stood straight as bamboo.

The Si Household was a cultivation aristocratic clan, and sending its children out to hone themselves was a tradition. She had long been prepared, but she had not expected this day to come so soon.

She rose and walked over to Si Chen. Without a word, she lifted her hand and gently smoothed an unruly lock of hair on his forehead.

Then she slipped off the lustrous, translucent jade bracelet she had worn on her wrist for countless years.

"Chen'er, hold out your hand."

Si Chen did as she asked. Ye Fu slid the bracelet onto his wrist. The jade felt slightly warm against his skin, and it actually shrank on its own, fitting his youthful wrist perfectly.

"This is called Heartguard. With you wearing it, I... can feel a little more at ease."

Ye Fu's voice was soft as she lightly touched the jade bracelet with a fingertip.

A gentle light flashed. The bracelet gradually turned transparent, then vanished entirely, leaving only an extremely faint blue-green pattern on Si Chen's wrist, like a natural vein.

Yet Si Chen could clearly feel a mild, soothing warmth seeping into his body from that pattern, thread by thread. It faintly resonated with the abundant vitality within him, bringing an indescribable sense of peace.

This was more than a protective treasure. It was his mother's silent concern and protection.

An unfamiliar emotion quietly took root in his heart.

Suddenly, leaving this familiar courtyard and the mother who always enveloped him in her gentle gaze no longer seemed to be something he could feel only anticipation for.

"Mother..." he called softly, but he did not know how to say what came next.

Seeing that rare trace of reluctance in his eyes, Ye Fu suddenly smiled, her smile filled with acceptance and pride. She gently hugged him, just as she had when he was little.

"Go on. Remember to take care of yourself. When you're tired, come home."

The weather was bright and clear on the day of his departure.

There was no grand send-off. Si Chen wore only plain blue-green cloth robes, looking like a boy from an ordinary household leaving home to study.

On his finger, he still wore the storage ring his lineage had given him as a child, with its vast interior space. Now, however, it too looked plain and unremarkable.

His second uncle, Si Che, and third uncle, Si Shuo, had both come.

Si Che pressed several bottles of pills into his hands and cautioned him, "Things outside aren't like they are at home. Keep an extra eye open in everything you do."

Si Shuo casually slung an arm around his shoulders and winked. "Brat, you won't have your third uncle acting as your bodyguard this time. Remember, if you can beat them, fight. If you can't, run. There's no shame in it!"

Si Kai stood a little farther away, his hands clasped behind his back, and merely gave Si Chen a slight nod.

Si Chen slowly swept his gaze over his parents and two uncles, engraving each of their faces in his heart. He stepped back and gave his four elders a solemn, deep bow.

Without another word, he turned and walked out through the gates of the Si Household.

His steps were steady and resolute as he walked farther and farther away.

Only after her son's retreating figure had vanished completely did Ye Fu lean gently into her husband's embrace and murmur, "He really has... grown up."

Si Kai wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, his gaze still fixed ahead, as though he could still see that blue-green figure.

"Yes," he answered softly. "An eagle must fly away eventually."

Si Chen walked along the winding mountain path.

This time, he was not the young master of the Si Household. He was simply Si Chen.

A young cultivator just stepping out into the world, hoping to see it with his own eyes.

The road ahead was full of unknowns, yet his stride was unhurried.

This time, there was no Mystic Boat, no guards.

The road ahead was unknown, but it also brimmed with endless possibilities.

The wind lifted the loose strands of hair on his forehead, and the entire sky was reflected in the young man's eyes.

For the first time, he set out on a journey of his own.