Homecoming and reunion

On an afternoon in the year 9993 of the Yulan Calendar, a gentle, warm breeze carried Fenlai City's distinctive floral fragrance over the Chinese parasol trees lining the streets. Carrying a simple travel bag, Linley stood before the gates of the Baruch family residence.

The family had purchased this residence after its fortunes rose. Blue bricks and dark roof tiles overlapped in tier upon tier, brass knockers adorned the vermilion gates, and a gilded plaque reading "Baruch Residence" hung above them, gleaming in the sunlight. It was far grander than the old home in Wushan Town. The servant guarding the entrance was an unfamiliar face, a young man of twenty or so. Seeing Linley's brocade Ernst Institute robes, the exquisite Earth Element magic patterns embroidered at his collar, and his refined yet composed bearing, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully as he opened the gates. "Young master, you're back!"

Linley nodded slightly, glanced at the brand-new stone lions outside the gates, and stepped into the courtyard. Several magnolia trees grew there, their pink-and-white petals fluttering down onto the smooth bluestone path. The path had been swept spotless, without so much as a fallen leaf in sight. The sitting room doors stood open, and sunlight slanted inside onto a polished rosewood square table. The celadon tea set on it had been rubbed to a shine, lending the room an air of ease.

As soon as he entered the sitting room, a letter on the rosewood table caught his eye. The envelope was made of thick kraft paper, its corners worn slightly round, clearly from a long journey. There was no name on it, only a small dragon-shaped emblem-the unique mark of the Baruch Clan. Its lines were ancient and vigorous, a symbol handed down through generations of Dragonblood Warriors, representing the clan's glory and bloodline.

Linley hurried over, picked up the envelope, and opened it. Familiar handwriting met his eyes. The letter was from Hiri, the housekeeper. His writing was neat and elegant, and its few lines held unmistakable joy: "For the young master's eyes only. Lord Hillman has returned. The master, Young Master Wharton, and I have accompanied him back to the old residence in Wushan Town to repair the ancestral shrine and await your return for a family reunion."

Warmth instantly flooded Linley's heart, and his fingertips trembled slightly. Uncle Hillman was back! And Father and Wharton had both returned to Wushan Town. He clutched the letter tightly in his palm. Hillman's hearty smile appeared in his mind, along with Wharton's soft little voice and the figure of his father standing at the village entrance, watching him leave two years ago. His longing to return home grew ever more urgent, almost leaping from his chest.

He lingered no longer in Fenlai City. Turning, he instructed the servant at the gate to take good care of the residence, particularly to dust the magic tomes in the study regularly. Then he strode out and headed straight for the posting station by the city gates. People streamed through the station, shouts and hoofbeats rising one after another. Linley went directly to the stables and paid a hefty sum to rent the fastest horse-a magnificent, long-legged steed, jet-black from head to hoof and capable of covering a thousand li. He swung into the saddle, tightened the reins, and cracked his whip, galloping toward Wushan Town.

Hoofbeats rang out sharply. Wind roared past his ears and whipped his robes into a snapping flutter as roadside trees and houses raced backward. Linley bent low over the horse's back, feeling the speed of the wind, while longing spread through every corner of his heart like wildly growing vines. He remembered Wharton tugging at his clothes when he left home two years ago, crying until his nose turned red and insisting that he take his favorite little wooden sword. He remembered his father patting his shoulder and solemnly telling him to study magic diligently and look after himself. He remembered the refined-iron dagger Uncle Hillman had pressed into his hand, saying it could protect him at a critical moment.

Along the way, he also recalled something Doehring Cowart had once said. The Saint-level Magus had been especially grave when discussing a Dragonblood Warrior's awakening. "Silly boy, dragon blood is extremely potent and contains violent power. If an ordinary person rashly drinks it, their blood vessels will burst and they will die. It must be supplemented with Blue Heart Grass, which grows in the bitter cold of the far north. Only then can the blood's potency be neutralized and the power of the dragonblood awakened safely." Yet Linley had read through his family's Dragonblood Secret Manual, and its yellowed pages recorded only that dragon blood could trigger Bloodline Awakening. They had never mentioned Blue Heart Grass. He had discussed this with Doehring Cowart at the time, but each had held to his own view, and they had reached no conclusion.

As the sun sank in the west, clouds along the horizon turned golden red, and Wushan Town's outline finally came into view. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the scattered rooftops, and the faint sounds of chickens and dogs reached his ears. The familiar bluestone streets wound through the town, and the shops lining them looked just as he remembered. Even the aroma of food drifting through the air was the same as in his memories. Linley drew back the reins, and the swift horse gave a loud whinny. He dismounted and slowly led it toward the old Baruch residence at the eastern end of town. From a distance, he could see that the courtyard walls had been repaired. White walls and black tiles looked entirely new, and two new bluestone pillars stood outside the entrance, carved with dragon patterns and exuding a solemn dignity.

Even from afar, he saw that the courtyard gates stood open. Three figures waited at the entrance, their shadows stretching long in the sunset.

Hogg stood in the middle, dressed in fitted black clothes, his figure as straight as a pine and his expression composed and spirited. Compared with two years ago, he had gained more of a Dragonblood Warrior's sharpness, and a faint yet unmistakable pressure emanated from him. Beside him stood a small figure-Wharton. The little fellow had just ended his Dragon Transformation. The horns at his temples and the scales on his body had receded, revealing his original delicate, cherubic appearance, though a trace of sharpness still lingered in his eyes and brows.

On the other side stood the travel-worn Hillman. He wore brown traveling clothes, with a little dust clinging to his trouser cuffs, and carried that familiar longsword over his shoulder. Its scabbard had been worn to a shine. Wind and weather had left their marks on his face, but his smile remained as hearty as ever, and his eyes were filled with the warmth of reunion after a long separation.

"Father! Uncle Hillman! Wharton!" Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Linley handed the reins to a neighbor who came forward to greet him and rushed toward them, his voice catching with an unmistakable sob.

Watching his son run toward him, Hogg's eyes reddened slightly. He strode forward and pulled Linley into his arms, patting his back with a broad hand, his touch firm yet full of tender concern. "It's good to have you back. It's good to have you back." In the two years since they had last met, his son had grown considerably taller, and his shoulders had broadened. He had grown into a true man.

Hillman stepped forward and patted Linley's shoulder with a firm, familiarly warm touch. "Linley, it's been two years. You've grown into a fine young man, and a genius magus at the institute, too. I hear you're now a genius in both the Earth Element and the Wind Element, and even your instructors can't stop praising you. You've truly brought honor to the Baruch family."

Linley looked at Hillman, his nose stinging as he smiled and nodded. "Uncle Hillman, you're finally back. These past two years, I've often thought of the days when you taught me swordsmanship, and the times you took Wharton and me hunting in the hills behind town."

Just then, a little figure threw himself forward, spread his arms, and hugged Linley's legs. Wharton tilted his little face up, his eyes shining like two black grapes, his voice clear and still babyish. "Big brother! You're back! I can transform now! I'm a Dragonblood Warrior! I don't need to drink dragon blood or eat Blue Heart Grass. I can transform all by myself!"

As he spoke, the little fellow proudly puffed out his chest, as though showing off his greatest skill, completely unaware that his hair was still somewhat tousled.

Linley paused in the act of crouching down, a deep bewilderment passing through his heart. He remembered that the Dragonblood Secret Manual clearly stated that a Dragonblood Warrior's awakening required dragon blood to stir the bloodline. This was an inviolable rule passed down for over a thousand years, without a single exception. Doehring Cowart had also repeatedly stressed that Blue Heart Grass was essential to neutralizing dragon blood's potency; neither could be dispensed with. Yet Wharton said he had neither drunk dragon blood nor eaten Blue Heart Grass. Then where had those two things come from? How had Father awakened Wharton? After all, dragon blood was exceedingly rare and could only be obtained by slaying a true dragon, while Blue Heart Grass grew only on sheer cliffs in the frozen plains of the far north. Ordinary people could scarcely find either, much less gather both. He looked at Wharton's tender little face, his eyes filled with incredulous delight. Yet his questions about dragon blood and Blue Heart Grass were like a small pebble, sending ripples through his heart.

But the joy of their reunion soon softened that bewilderment. He reached out and ruffled Wharton's soft hair, his voice full of admiration. "You're amazing, Wharton. Even better than your big brother."

"Of course!" Wharton puffed out his little chest, his face full of pride, and raised his head even higher. "Father said I'm the purest Dragonblood Warrior in the Baruch Clan, and that I'll become the strongest person in the future!"

The sunset's lingering light fell over the four of them, stretching their shadows long and bathing the entire old residence in warmth. Chinese parasol leaves rustled in the courtyard, and a faint sandalwood fragrance drifted from the ancestral shrine, distant and solemn. Hearing the commotion, Hiri came out of the house with a freshly washed towel still in his hands and approached them with a smile. "Young master, you're back! You must be tired from the journey. The food's all warmed up, and we've made your favorite mushroom soup. We were only waiting for you."

Linley looked at the loved ones before him, at the smile at the corners of Hogg's eyes, at Hillman's hearty face, and at Wharton's bouncing figure, and his heart burned with warmth. He knew that this homecoming was not only a reunion with his family, but also a brand-new beginning for the Baruch Clan.