231: Chapter 230 The Grand Finale

It was another autumn day in Xiao Realm; the Spirit Fruit in the mountains had ripened. Li Dan ordered people to harvest two large baskets and place them under the corridor of the main courtyard, piled high with a mix of golden yellow and bright red. From time to time, passing children would reach out and snatch one.

A-Zhu sat on the stone steps peeling chestnuts, popping one into her mouth after another, while handing some to the little ones squatting nearby.

Xiao Ye was in the main hall reviewing the autumn harvest ledger that Li Dan had sent. As he read, he put the ledger down and suddenly asked, "Calculating the days, shouldn't Yaner be coming back soon?"

Li Dan flipped through the notepad at his side. "The eldest Young Master wrote to say he would set off early next month and arrive mid-month. The second Young Master also replied, saying he would bring Xiao Xiao back with him."

Xiao Ye nodded and picked up the ledger again.

That afternoon, Palace Master Mosha came out of the pill room, stood beside him, and looked at the pile of Spirit Fruit under the corridor, saying casually, "With the children all coming back, your backyard will be full again."

"If it's full, we'll just expand," Xiao Ye said without looking up. "There's plenty of land anyway; they can stay as long as they want."

Palace Master Mosha didn't respond, just chuckled, and turned to go wash her pill furnace.

At the end of the month, Xiao Yan was the first to arrive. He was now a Golden Immortal in the Late Stage, wearing black robes with a narrow-bladed long saber hanging at his waist. His expression was calm, only quickening his pace slightly when he saw Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye was in the courtyard mounding soil around a newly planted immortal tree. Looking up and seeing him, he patted the dirt off his hands and stood up. "You're back?"

Xiao Yan stopped in front of him and called out, "Father." Xiao Ye looked him up and down. "You've lost weight." Xiao Yan smiled. "I eat well and sleep well; I haven't lost weight."

Xiao Ye didn't say anything more and pointed toward the main courtyard. "Go inside and sit; your mother is in there."

Just as Xiao Yan entered the main courtyard, Zhang Waner was coming out of the room, holding a basin of freshly picked Spirit Vegetables. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder. "You're finally back."

Xiao Yan let her pat him and reached out to take the vegetable basin from her hands. "Let me carry this for you."

"No need, you just got back from traveling; go rest first." Zhang Waner said this, but she didn't take the basin back. As she turned to walk inside, she called toward the kitchen to add two more dishes for the evening.

Xiao Yan stood there holding the basin of vegetables, watching Zhang Waner's retreating back. He shook his head with a smile and followed her into the room.

A few days later, Xiao Xie and Xiao Xiao arrived. Xiao Xie looked much more steady than when he was a child, but as soon as he entered the courtyard and saw A-Diao squatting on the stone railing, he still reached out and patted it on the head.

A-Diao raised its eyes to glare at him, but he acted as if he didn't see it. Xiao Xiao followed behind him, holding a young Spirit Beast she had picked up from outside. She said she found it on the road; it looked like a cat and a rabbit, with ears longer than its Face.

Xiao Ye took an extra look at the cub. "Can it eat Spirit Fruit?" Xiao Xiao stuffed it into her sleeve. "I've raised one before; it can."

A-Diao squatted on the stone railing, tilting its head to look at the new little creature, its eyes wary, probably wondering what kind of origin this one had.

Xiao Yi was the last to arrive. Her entourage was slightly larger than the others. As soon as she entered the gate, she glanced toward the pill room, then turned to find Palace Master Mosha first.

Xiao Ye asked about it later, and she replied, "I went to ask Auntie about some Pill Formula." Xiao Ye didn't press for more; she had been like this since she was small, doing whatever she wanted.

Over the years, Xiao Yan had established a firm foothold on the battlefield outside the Ziluo Immortal Domain. His Dao of Fire, after Fusion with exotic flames, became increasingly pure. A few years ago, he held his own in a small-scale domain conflict, single-handedly burning through a defensive line, earning him the nickname "General of Fire." He was somewhat famous within the Immortal Realm, though he didn't mention it much himself; Xiao Ye only heard about it occasionally from Fang Zhou.

The path Xiao Xie took was different from Xiao Yan's. He cultivated the Dao of Heavenly Secrets. Unlike Xiao Yan, who frequently entered the front lines of battle, over these years, it was vaguely heard that in certain situations where it wasn't convenient to go public, he could already independently support a Formation. When Master Wujizi occasionally sent messages, his words carried a hint of praise. Xiao Ye didn't offer much commentary after hearing it, only replying, "As long as he can walk steadily, that's enough."

Xiao Xiao, meanwhile, devoted herself entirely to her Dao of Divine Beasts. She raised that cub she picked up on the road until its coat was sleek and shiny, and she also managed to tame several Spirit Beasts of different attributes. Although she hadn't made any earth-shattering name for herself yet, when Xiao Ye heard people mention her, they said that she would be able to go very far on this path in the future.

Xiao Yi was the one who worried Xiao Ye the least among them—ever since she obtained the Empress Phantom, her combat power had always been at the forefront among the siblings, and it remained so today. She would occasionally go out for training, but every time she returned, she would stay for a while, tinkering with things in the pill room or sitting on the steps of the main courtyard, soaking up the sun in silence.

On the third night after the children had all arrived, Xiao Ye decided to host a family banquet. Li Dan set up four tables and called everyone who could sit, filling the entire courtyard with the family of Xiao Realm. The dishes were prepared by Zhang Waner and Bai Susu together, and the wine was brought by Fang Zhou, who said it was something he had picked up from the Ziluo Immortal Domain. He specifically praised it, saying, "This wine is brewed from Spirit Fruit; it has no lingering aftereffects, perfect for everyone to sit together and drink slowly."

During the banquet, everyone chatted among themselves. Xiao Yan was talking to Bai Susu about some immortal lands he had seen on the battlefield over the years. Xiao Xie sat in a corner listening to Liang Zhou talk about matters related to Formation, occasionally interjecting a few words. Xiao Xiao sat next to A-Zhu with her newly acquired cub, peeling Spirit Fruit for it, handing them over one by one with practiced ease. A-Diao squatted on the stone railing, tilting its head to watch the cub for a while, and finally couldn't resist. It flew down from the railing, landed on her knee, snatched a Spirit Fruit, and flew away. Xiao Xiao looked at her empty hands. "...Alright then."

Xiao Yi sat on the other side of the main seat, a plate of barely touched food in front of her, turning an empty bowl in her hands as if she were thinking about something, or perhaps just simply not wanting to speak. Xiao Ye did not interrupt her; he added a piece of osmanthus cake to the small plate in front of her. She looked down at it for a long while before picking it up and taking a bite, her brow smoothing out slightly.

Zhang Waner was busy running back and forth, occasionally adding dishes to various tables, and when she passed by Xiao Ye, she set down a plate of the fruits he liked to eat. Bai Susu sat nearby chatting with Palace Master Mosha about medicinal herbs, while A-Zhu and several younger children were causing a ruckus on the other side of the courtyard.

Xiao Ye sat in the main seat, holding a glass of wine, watching the figures and lights filling the courtyard, watching those children who had rushed back from all over sitting at the same table. He remembered the way Xiao Yan wobbled when he first learned to walk, remembered Xiao Xie squatting on the stone railing to raid bird nests when he was little, remembered Xiao Yi leaning on tiptoe at the door of the pill room to peek inside. At that time, he had felt that the days were far off; now, looking back, so many were already standing by his side.

After three rounds of drinks, Xiao Yan walked over with his wine glass and sat down beside Xiao Ye. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Father, I've heard those rumors outside."

"Heard what?" Xiao Ye took a sip of wine.

"That you defeated the Immortal King in White." Xiao Yan paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "When I mention your name outside, others always glance over."

"That's them giving me Face." Xiao Ye put down his wine glass. "You go on with your business; I'm doing just fine at home."

Xiao Yan didn't say anything more, just raised his glass to clink against the rim of Xiao Ye's cup, then got up to chat with the people at the table nearby. Xiao Xie had also somehow crept up to Xiao Ye's side and whispered, "Father, the font on the plaque at that place was a good choice." Xiao Ye followed his gaze to look toward the direction of the main hall. "Li Dan chose it." Xiao Xie seemed very satisfied with his answer, nodded, and walked away.

The twilight deepened, and the lanterns in the courtyard shone more steadily. A-Zhu had calmed down by the swing and was carrying a sleepy child back; Zhang Waner and Bai Susu were clearing the empty plates from the table; Xiao Xiao was already dozing off under the corridor, holding the cub. A-Diao had somehow flown back and was squatting on the stone railing not far from her, occasionally bobbing its head. Fang Zhou and Liang Zhou had also bid farewell and left; before leaving, Fang Zhou had snuck away with a plate of unfinished Spirit Fruit, saying it was to "relieve boredom on the road."

Xiao Ye saw off the last few guests. When he returned to the main courtyard, the lanterns under the corridor were still lit. He sat down on the steps, his robes falling onto the stone floor. The night breeze was not cold, blowing the tips of the leaves of the old tree in the courtyard to tremble slightly. A-Diao squatted on the stone railing beside him, tilting its head and chirping. Xiao Ye turned his head to look at it. "You think these days are pretty good too, right?" A-Diao tilted its head and made no further sound. Xiao Ye withdrew his gaze and looked toward the quiet ridgeline outside the courtyard.

The lights of Xiao Realm shone from the foot of the mountain halfway up, the warm, gentle light spreading out into the night. Occasionally, faint human voices drifted from afar, blending back into the night. Xiao Ye sat for a while, then got up and walked into the room without deliberately closing the door. The light from inside shone out onto the corridor, overlapping with the lanterns in the courtyard into a single expanse.

The night breeze slowly traveled between the courtyard walls, blowing past those immortal trees that had been planted for several years, blowing past the wind chimes newly hung under the corridor, emitting a delicate and clear sound. The night in Xiao Realm was as quiet and lively as always.