Morning sunlight filtered through the trees of the Xiao Clan.
Servants had already begun sweeping the courtyards.
Young disciples hurried toward the training grounds while several elders gathered to discuss clan affairs.
Everything had returned to its familiar rhythm.
It almost felt as though the expedition to the Magic Beast Mountain Range had been nothing more than a dream.
Almost.
Inside his courtyard, Xiao Feng slowly opened his eyes.
A faint stream of Dou Qi completed another circulation through his meridians before settling back into his dantian.
His cultivation had not advanced.
Not in terms of realm.
Yet something else had changed.
His control felt smoother than before.
Like water flowing through a river that had been carefully widened.
He preferred that feeling over reckless breakthroughs.
A stable foundation would always support a taller building.
He stretched his arms before standing.
The Ancient Evergreen Body Refinement Art quietly began circulating through his body.
There was no dazzling light.
No overwhelming aura.
Only a warm sensation spreading through muscles, bones and blood.
It resembled morning exercise more than cultivation.
Which amused him.
The stronger the technique became, the less dramatic it appeared.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
“Young Master Feng.”
A servant entered after receiving permission.
“The Elder requests your presence.”
Xiao Feng nodded.
“I’ll be there shortly.”
The clan hall remained as lively as ever.
Several elders sat around a long table discussing merchant caravans, medicinal purchases and training resources.
The moment Xiao Feng entered, Elder Xiao Zhan looked up.
“You’ve recovered from the journey?”
“I wasn’t particularly tired.”
One elder laughed.
“Young people recover quickly.”
Another shook his head.
“Speak for yourself.”
The discussion immediately drifted away from cultivation and toward complaints about aching backs.
Xiao Feng quietly accepted a cup of tea.
Sometimes it was better to remain silent. This story is hosted at g.com.
Eventually the conversation returned to serious matters.
“The expedition brought back quite a few medicinal herbs.”
“We’ll distribute them over the coming weeks.”
“Some should be sold.”
“Some kept for clan physicians.”
Xiao Feng listened without interrupting.
Clan management wasn’t glamorous.
Yet without people handling these ordinary matters, even powerful cultivators would struggle.
Strength alone couldn’t support an entire family.
After the meeting ended, Elder Xiao Zhan stopped him.
“I heard you spent most of your time gathering information instead of treasures.”
“I gathered both.”
The elder chuckled.
“Books again?”
“They’re lighter than magical beasts.”
“…Fair enough.”
Leaving the hall, Xiao Feng wandered toward the clan library.
The elderly librarian noticed him immediately.
“You came back alive.”
“I did.”
“Pity.”
Xiao Feng smiled.
“I’ll try harder next time.”
The old man snorted before disappearing between the shelves.
Their conversations had become strangely normal.
Hours slipped by unnoticed.
One book became two.
Two became four.
Ancient trade routes.
Regional customs.
Poison resistance.
Mountain geography.
Each contained small fragments of knowledge.
Individually, they seemed insignificant.
Together, they slowly painted a larger picture of the continent.
Near noon, footsteps echoed through the library.
“Cousin.”
Xiao Yan leaned against the doorway.
“You really came here first?”
“I had business.”
“You’ve been reading for three hours.”
“I had a lot of business.”
“I don’t know whether to admire your patience or fear it.”
“Both are acceptable.”
The two cousins walked out together.
Unlike before the expedition, their conversations now came more naturally.
They no longer needed awkward introductions.
Shared experiences had a way of shortening distance.
“Cultivation?”
Xiao Feng asked.
Xiao Yan nodded.
“Teacher says I’m improving.”
“That’s good.”
“He also says I’m still terrible.”
“…That also sounds like him.”
Xiao Yan laughed.
“Exactly.”
Inside the ring, Yao Lao observed the two quietly.
He said nothing.
The relationship between the cousins remained…
peculiar.
Not close enough to call inseparable.
Not distant enough to call strangers.
It felt balanced.
Natural.
And somehow, that made it more difficult to understand.
As evening approached, Xiao Feng returned to his courtyard carrying another small stack of books.
He placed them beside the handwritten medicinal notes the Little Fairy Doctor had given him.
His eyes lingered on the wooden box for only a moment before moving away.
There was still too much to learn.
Too much to understand.
The future could wait until tomorrow.
Tonight…
He simply wanted to read.
Above him, the first stars quietly appeared across the evening sky.
Wu Tan City settled into another peaceful night.
No great battles.
No hidden inheritances.
No shocking revelations.
Just another ordinary day.
And sometimes, ordinary days were exactly what allowed extraordinary futures to take shape.