Fang Xuan followed the elder into the Main Hall.
The Fifth Elder had already set up a tea table beside the head seat. Seeing Fang Xuan enter, he gently raised his hand to gesture for him to take a seat.
The conversation that followed was essentially a one-sided exchange of pleasantries from the Fifth Elder, along with a report on the family’s current affairs.
Fang Xuan endured it patiently for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, occasionally offering a brief "mm" in response.
"...The Young Master’s talent is unparalleled, a genius the Fang family hasn't seen in a century... no, in a millennium! Your safe return is truly a great fortune for the family! If the family head knew, he would surely be overjoyed!"
As the Fifth Elder spoke, his eyes actually reddened with emotion.
"The Young Master’s injuries have not yet healed, so it is the perfect time to rest and recover within the clan. All resources in the family treasury are at your disposal."
Feeling that enough groundwork had been laid, Fang Xuan interrupted the long-winded speech and stood up. "I have a general understanding of the situation. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I cannot stay for long."
"Urgent matters?" The Fifth Elder was stunned and hurriedly stood up as well.
"The Young Master has just woken up and is heavily injured. What urgent matter could be more important than peaceful healing? Young Master, the Fang family needs you! Currently, undercurrents are surging in the Southern Wilderness, and various families are fighting both openly and in the shadows. Although our Fang family has a deep foundation, we desperately need a peerless genius like you to take charge and restore our prestige!"
He spoke with such heartfelt sincerity that he even began to choke up. "Young Master, you cannot leave! The Fang family cannot survive without you!"
As he spoke, this usually dignified and serious Fifth Elder actually began to weep in distress, reaching out with tears and snot to grab Fang Xuan’s sleeve.
Fang Xuan: "......."
This shift in tone happened a bit too fast...
He subtly avoided the Fifth Elder’s reaching hand, his tone flat but firm. "Let's not say anything more. My senior... dao companion, where is she now?"
A... a dao companion?!
The Fifth Elder's wailing stopped abruptly, his eyes bulging wide, his expression looking as if someone had stuffed an egg into his mouth.
He had previously received a report from the Third Elder, which only said the Young Master was being pestered by a powerful "enchantress" suspected of being a lingering immortal, and that the two had encountered a powerful enemy and lightning tribulations together.
The Young Master had been brought back heavily injured, while the enchantress's fate was unknown.
He had automatically filled in the blanks with a drama where "an enchantress coveted the Young Master’s beauty and talent, using evil arts to control him, ultimately inviting catastrophe."
Because of this, he had felt deep regret and wariness.
But now the Young Master was saying it himself... she was his dao companion?!
In an instant, the Fifth Elder was overwhelmed with regret, wishing he could turn back time to the site of the lightning tribulation and slap himself twice!
If he had known she was the Young Master’s chosen dao companion, he would have definitely had her carried back as well, even if it meant throwing away his old face!
A powerful dao companion who could casually shatter a earth-grade artifact would be an incredible blessing and a massive boost to the family's strength.
Not only could she keep the Young Master’s heart here, but she would also add a top-tier combatant to the family!
What a loss, a total loss.
He coughed several times before speaking:
"Well... that young lady... she, she... she woke up on her own... and left."
Fang Xuan narrowed his eyes at him, the meaning in his gaze very clear.
How could his senior sister leave him and go off alone?
He would rather believe he was the First Emperor of Qin and had finished reviewing all the imperial memorials overnight.
Pressed by his gaze, the Fifth Elder felt immense pressure, sweat appearing on his forehead as he quickly changed his story. "Alright... she, she actually... woke up quite early. Perhaps... she’s still sleeping in somewhere safe nearby... and I just didn't see her."
He didn't even believe his own made-up excuse, his voice growing smaller and smaller.
Fang Xuan sighed; he should have just said they hadn't brought her back.
He closed his eyes, sinking his mind into his body.
Within his senior sister’s body... he had secretly carved a soul mark. Cough, the location was inconvenient to mention, but in short, it was in a rather private place.
He had done it secretly one time when his senior sister was exhausted from "punishing" him too much and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Regardless, she didn't know about it herself.
He carefully sensed that faint but clear connection.
The mark was still there, meaning his senior sister’s life was not in danger.
The direction was roughly... the Northern Plains? It was actually that far away.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Fang Xuan opened his eyes and asked.
"A little less than two months," the Fifth Elder answered honestly.
Fang Xuan’s heart felt slightly chaotic.
This was bad.
Two months.
Based on his understanding of his senior sister, if she didn't see him for two months, it definitely wasn't something that could be solved by just sobbing for a few days.
His problem girl of a senior sister was likely playing out countless tragic scenes in her mind right now, thinking things like "Junior Brother doesn't want me anymore" or "Junior Brother was snatched away by his family."
She might be cultivating like a madwoman while simultaneously planning something foolish, like "just taking one secret look at him."
He couldn't delay any longer.
"I’m preparing to leave," Fang Xuan said directly.
"Don't, Young Master Fang! What will we do without you!"
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Elder forgot all his elder dignity and lunged forward, desperately hugging Fang Xuan’s leg, tears and snot flowing again.
"You just woke up! Your injuries aren't healed! It’s so dangerous outside! Where are you going? The family needs you! This old man... this old man also needs you!"
He simply couldn't imagine what would happen if the hot-tempered Second Elder, who was far away at the Southern Wilderness ancestral grounds, found out.
If he knew that not only did the Fifth Elder fail to bring back the Young Master’s dao companion, but also "let" the newly awakened Young Master run away, the Second Elder would beat his backside to a pulp!
Fang Xuan tried to pull his leg away but couldn't move it.
This... he really was holding on tight. "I’ll come back once I find her."
He tried to reason with him.
Right now, nothing was more important than his fragrant, soft senior sister who tended to be shy and throw little tantrums. He hadn't held her for two months.
"Really?" The Fifth Elder raised his tear-streaked face, half-believing and half-doubting.
"Then... how about staying for a few days first? At least heal your injuries a bit more before going? The Northern Plains is a harsh and cold place, and the journey is long. We really can't be at ease if the Young Master goes like this!"
"No," Fang Xuan refused flatly.
"Then... then let us send some people to follow you? To serve you?" The Fifth Elder tried a different approach.
"Fine," Fang Xuan replied casually.
When the time came, he would just find an opportunity to shake them off.
Seeing Fang Xuan relent, the Fifth Elder felt a surge of joy and remembered one more vital matter that he hadn't dared to mention.
He carefully watched Fang Xuan’s expression. "Well... Young Master, actually... would it be okay if you left tomorrow? Just stay for one more day... tomorrow is your family head succession ceremony. Could you just show your face?"
Fang Xuan: "???"
Family head succession ceremony?
The Fifth Elder hurriedly explained, "It’s not for you to actually handle family affairs. It’s just a title, going through the motions."
"It’s mainly to boost the morale of the young disciples in the clan and stabilize people's hearts. It’s to let the outside world know that our Fang family’s peerless genius has returned and the future family head is set! You just need to stand there for a bit during the ceremony and receive the seal."
Fang Xuan didn't believe a word of his nonsense.
With a thought, he used his right hand's sword fingers to lightly slash at the air beside him—
A pitch-black spatial rift instantly appeared.
Fifth Elder: "!!!"
The Young Master can actually use spatial power?
Even while injured like this, he can casually tear open space! This strength...
Before he could finish being shocked, he saw Fang Xuan lifting his leg to step into the rift.
"Young Master, don't!!"
The Fifth Elder exploded with unprecedented potential, once again desperately hugging Fang Xuan’s waist. He was practically hanging off him as he wailed, "You can't leave! If you leave, the Second Elder will kill me! He really will! I don't want to be killed!"
"Young Master, I beg you! Just one day, just stay for one more day! As soon as the ceremony is over, you can leave immediately, and I’ll personally see you off! I’ll even serve as your mount! Waaaah..."
Fang Xuan’s movement stalled from the lunge, and the spatial rift flickered slightly due to the unstable spiritual energy.
He looked down at the old man hanging off him, crying without any regard for his image.
"Fine," Fang Xuan frowned, finally compromising.
"I’ll stay for one day. I’m leaving the moment the ceremony is over."
"Good, good, good! One day! Just one day!"
The Fifth Elder looked as if he had received a grand pardon, immediately letting go and haphazardly wiping his face with his sleeve, his tears turning into a smile.
"Don't worry, Young Master. The ceremony will be kept simple and won't waste your time. I’ll go arrange it right now. You go back to the quiet room to rest and heal."
Watching the Fifth Elder’s back as he almost skipped out of the Main Hall to make arrangements, Fang Xuan rubbed his brow, feeling more exhausted than if he had fought a battle.
He walked back into the quiet room and closed the door...
Rate on N.U.
