A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

Tian Ling'er sat on a stone bench in Dazhufeng Square, kicking small pebbles on the ground with her toes.

The setting sun cast her long shadow, stretching all the way to the edge of the bamboo grove.

The clouds over the distant Tongtian Peak rolled and churned, but the figure of the person they had been waiting for for two years was nowhere to be seen.

"Why aren't you back yet...?"

She muttered to herself as she crushed the bamboo leaf in her hand into tiny pieces.

Just as she was about to get up and return to Shoujing Hall, a small black dot appeared on the horizon.

The black dot quickly grew larger, transforming into a familiar gray shadow.

The way it flew wasn't exactly graceful; it even looked a bit clumsy.

But Tian Ling'er could recognize that dark, heavy fire poker even with her eyes closed.

She stood up abruptly.

Zhang Xiaofan landed at the edge of the square, his feet still feeling a little unsteady—of course, he was just pretending.

Having been away for two years, one would expect to show some signs of "post-abnormal delusions," wouldn't one?

Before he could even steady himself, a red shadow crashed into his arms.

"So you finally decided to come back!"

Tian Ling'er wrapped her arms around his neck and practically hung on him.

The girl's unique, fresh scent, mixed with the pleasant aroma of sunshine, wafted over.

Zhang Xiaofan subconsciously reached out and caught it, his palm touching the thin fabric of her back, his fingertips feeling the warmth of her body.

He froze for a moment.

Two years have passed, and Tian Ling'er has grown up.

Her face, which originally had a somewhat childlike quality, has become much softer, and the curves of her figure can now be seen beneath the loose Taoist robe.

She looked up at him, her eyes shining like starlight she had collected over two years.

"Senior sister," Zhang Xiaofan smiled.

Tian Ling'er released her grip, took a half step back, and looked him up and down.

My gaze swept from his face to his shoulders, then to his waist, and finally settled on his eyes.

"I've grown taller," she said, with a hint of resentment in her voice.

Zhang Xiaofan then realized that he was already half a head taller than her.

When they left two years ago, they were about the same height.

Tian Ling'er reached out to ruffle his hair, but he turned his head away.

"Don't hide!" she glared at him.

Zhang Xiaofan laughed and let her ruffle his hair until it was a mess.

When that hand landed on his shoulder, it slid down naturally and grasped his hand.

My palms were warm and my fingers were slender.

"Come on, Dad and Mom are waiting for you to eat."

Tian Ling'er pulled him toward Shoujing Hall, her steps as light as a deer's.

"If you don't come back soon, the braised pork will be eaten up by the senior students!"

The atmosphere inside Shoujing Hall was quite solemn.

Tian Buyi sat in the main seat with a dark expression, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair.

Song Daren, Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, He Dazhi, and Lü Daxin stood with their hands at their sides below the hall.

Each of them kept their eyes down, barely daring to breathe.

"He Dazhi," Tian Buyi said in a deep voice.

"You went down the mountain last month to exorcise demons and encountered a three-tailed fox demon. How did it manage to get away?"

He Dazhi's forehead was covered in sweat: "Disciple...disciple was careless for a moment..."

"Careless?" Tian Buyi sneered.

"I think you've been focusing all your energy on studying those messy formations!"

For those who cultivate the Tao, cultivation level is fundamental!

His gaze turned to Lü Daxin.

"And you too. I asked you to go to the back mountain to gather herbs, but you did the opposite, gathering half and then falling asleep halfway through."

"Was that fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum stolen by the mountain monkey while you were dozing off?"

Lu Daxin's face turned as red as a pig's liver, and he dared not utter a sound.

Just as Tian Buyi was about to continue scolding people, the hall door creaked open.

"Dad! Xiao Fan is back!"

Tian Ling'er pulled Zhang Xiaofan across the threshold, and the stagnant air in the hall suddenly began to move.

The anger on Tian Buyi's face subsided like a receding tide.

It changed into a kind of joy that she tried hard to suppress but still let slip from the corners of her eyes and brows.

He coughed and sat up straight.

"So you know how to come back, huh?" His tone was curt, but the corners of his mouth had already involuntarily turned up in a smile.

Zhang Xiaofan released Tian Ling'er's hand and stepped forward to bow:

"Disciple Zhang Xiaofan greets Master and Mistress."

Su Ru came out from the side hall, carrying a bowl of soup.

His eyes lit up when he saw Zhang Xiaofan, but he didn't say anything, he just nodded at him.

"Get up." Tian Buyi waved his hand. "Go stand over to your senior brother."

Zhang Xiaofan didn't move: "Disciple hasn't returned to the mountain for a long time, so I should stand here and listen to Master's instructions."

These words warmed the hearts of the fellow disciples below.

He Dazhi winked at him secretly, and Lü Daxin grinned foolishly.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Tian Buyi's eyes, but he snorted and said, "Whatever."

Song Daren couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Fan, are you... fully recovered?"

Two years later, this senior brother had become more robust, and his brows showed a greater sense of composure.

Looking at Zhang Xiaofan now, the concern in his eyes was genuine.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I'm all better now," Zhang Xiaofan replied casually.

The people in the hall exchanged glances.

Fully healed? To have gone so far as to require the sect leader's personal intervention to save someone, it's already a miracle that they're "fully healed."

As for cultivation level... everyone tacitly skipped over this topic.

It's good that he came back alive; his cultivation can be improved slowly.

"It's good that you're alright." Song Daren patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, tell your senior brother."

"Our Great Bamboo Peak may not have many people, but we will never let our junior brother suffer any injustice."

Tian Ling'er also came over, her eyes sparkling: "Yes! I'll protect you from now on!"

Looking at them, something inside Zhang Xiaofan melted away, flowing warmly and gently.

He suddenly noticed that someone was missing from the hall.

"Where is Sixth Senior Brother?"

Tian Buyi's face darkened again at the mention of Du Bishu.

"That bastard said he was going down the mountain to find a suitable magic weapon two years ago, and he still hasn't come back."

He scoffed, "I think he's gotten too wild and doesn't want to come back!"

Song Daren explained with a wry smile:

"Sixth Junior Brother sent two messages, saying that the treasure hunt has reached a critical stage..."

"Treasure hunting?" Zhang Xiaofan suddenly smiled, recalling his sixth senior brother from the original story who was addicted to gambling.

"The magical artifact that Sixth Senior Brother is looking for...could it be...dice?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then Tian Buyi slammed his hand on the table with a "bang":

"He wouldn't dare! If he actually brings back a die as a magic weapon, I'll break his legs!"

Her words were harsh, but anyone could see the deep concern hidden beneath her cold exterior in her eyes.

Su Ru finally spoke, her voice soft:

"What are you all standing for? The food is getting cold. Xiao Fan, sit down and eat."

The lively atmosphere at the dinner table continued until late at night.

The senior students vied to serve Zhang Xiaofan food, and the braised pork in his bowl piled up like a small mountain.

Tian Ling'er sat next to him, occasionally leaning over to ask him questions—was the food at Tongtian Peak good?

Is it cold inside the ancestral hall? Is that mysterious master fierce?

Zhang Xiaofan answered them one by one, some true and some false.

Tian Buyi was a man of few words, only occasionally asking, "Is your cultivation going smoothly?"

When Zhang Xiaofan answered "not bad," a meaningful light would flash in his eyes.

He actually knew.

This seemingly careless master actually knows his disciple's background better than anyone else.

So he watched as his disciple pretended to be "damaged in cultivation and in need of protection" in front of his senior brothers and sisters.

Watching Song Daren pat his chest and say, "I'll protect you from now on," and watching Tian Ling'er vow to "protect Xiao Fan forever," I felt an urge to burst into laughter that I couldn't suppress.

The Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament.

Tian Buyi couldn't wait to see what would happen to this disciple who was being protected like a "sick patient" by the entire sect.

How interesting will those people's expressions be when they show their true strength in the ring?

He took a sip of the liquor, and the spiciness went straight to his throat.

The best is yet to come.

It was late at night, and everyone had left.

The senior brothers returned to their rooms, while Tian Ling'er was pulled by Su Ru to wash up.

Only Tian Buyi and Zhang Xiaofan remained in the hall when the lamp wick crackled and popped, sending up a few sparks.

"Come with me." Tian Buyi stood up and walked towards the inner hall.

Zhang Xiaofan followed.

The inner hall is smaller than the outer hall and is simply furnished.

A coffee table, two chairs, and a faded landscape painting hanging on the wall.

Tian Buyi didn't sit down. He stood by the window with his back to Zhang Xiaofan, looking at the dark night outside.

"These past two years..." he began, his voice lowering, "have you been doing well at the Ancestral Temple?"

"Master Wan treats his disciples very well."

"He..." Tian Buyi turned around, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face.

That usually stern, dark face now showed an unusual seriousness, even... a bit of nervousness.

This is Tian Buyi, the head of Dazhu Peak, who is known in the Qingyun Sect for his fiery temper.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed his cuffs, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he finally asked the question:

"Was the person who taught you... really Senior Brother Wan?"

With the problem resolved, the inner hall fell completely silent.

The chirping of insects outside the window, the sound of the wind in the distance, and even the faint sound of a burning candle could all be heard clearly at this moment.

Tian Buyi stared intently at Zhang Xiaofan, his eyes unblinking, a torrent of emotions churning within them—

Awe, anticipation, remembrance, and a kind of pain that has been buried for hundreds of years and has finally broken through the soil.

He was waiting for an answer.

An answer that would allow him to confirm that the legend who once shone as brightly as the sun and fell like a shooting star is still alive.

Zhang Xiaofan looked at his master.

This man, who took him in as his apprentice when he was at his lowest point, scolded him harshly but gave him the best of everything.

Now, all the hard outer shells have been removed, revealing the softest part inside.