Family

After the battle with Duong Han, Hoa Van Town almost exploded with retellings of what had happened.

Less than an hour after Hao Nhien left the arena, the story of the fight had already spread through the streets, tea houses, taverns, and even the temporary camps outside town. Those who had witnessed it firsthand told those who arrived late, while those standing farther away listened to people who had been closer and then added a few details of their own. By midday, no one knew how many different versions of the battle were already circulating.

In a noodle shop near the square, the owner was ladling broth while gesturing dramatically with his free hand.

“I saw it with my own eyes! Three fire bombs came flying in, and Young Master Hao Nhien didn't retreat at all. He charged straight forward, grabbed Duong Han, and spun him around—”

He picked up the ladle as though dragging someone by the armor, then slammed it against the edge of the pot.

“Bang! Duong Han became a shield against his own fire bombs!”

A customer seated near the entrance raised an eyebrow.

“You were more than five hundred zhang from the arena. How exactly did you see that with your own eyes?”

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then calmly set the ladle down.

“I heard it from someone who was standing closer.”

The person beside him immediately burst out laughing.

“A moment ago, you were telling it like you were the one who got blown up.”

The entire shop erupted in laughter.

Not far away, a roadside pastry stall had moved even faster.

The ink on its newly hung sign was still not completely dry, but the large characters were enough to make passersby stop and look:

DUONG FAMILY SPECIALTY — THREE PER SERVING

The food on the table was nothing more than three round baked pastries coated in red sugar.

Yet by midday, the entire batch had sold out.

Even an artifact shop that specialized in importing goods from the Duong family was unusually crowded.

A cultivator held a replica fire bomb in his hand and asked the shopkeeper seriously:

“Do you sell the kind Duong Han used on the arena?”

“Yes.”

“Same power?”

“Not too far off.”

The cultivator thought for a moment before asking:

“Is there any way to make sure it doesn't explode on me instead?”

The shopkeeper fell silent.

After a while, he answered:

“Yes.”

The cultivator immediately became more attentive.

“What way?”

“Don't let your opponent grab you and turn you around.”

The buyer slowly nodded.

“That makes sense.”

The assistant behind the counter lowered his head as far as he could. His shoulders were visibly shaking, but he somehow managed not to make a sound.

The excitement did not remain confined to Hoa Van.

That very night, communication jade slips began leaving the Western Wastes one after another.

Sa Binh, ranked seventy-ninth on the Huyen Bang, had lost.

Duong Han, ranked fifty-first, had lost as well.

Receiving first place from Doc Hanh could be considered a fortunate opportunity, but remaining there required strength of one's own.

After two consecutive victories, more and more people were beginning to understand that distinction, and the number of visitors heading toward Hoa Van increased even faster than before.

Caravans lined up outside the gates.

Inns hung out “FULL” signs early in the day.

The temporary camp in the eastern district had to be expanded yet again, while the Hoa Van Treasure Pavilion was forced to open additional trading counters.

Restaurants stayed open from morning until late at night, and merchants were already asking to rent storefronts before some buildings had even had time to hang their signs.

Hoa Van Town seemed to have been pushed into an entirely new pace of life.

Yet the most noticeable thing was that it still had not descended into chaos.

New arrivals were registered. Dangerous goods had to be inspected. Disputes were taken to designated mediation posts, while patrol teams worked increasingly long shifts.

Those who tried to take advantage of the crowds to steal or rob others rarely made it far before being caught.

The more people arrived, the more Hoa Van's rules were tested.

And the more people saw with their own eyes that those rules were actually enforced.

By the time the sunlight over Hoa Van had begun turning orange, the door to the cultivation cave slowly opened.

Hao Nhien stepped out.

On the surface, he had not changed very much.

His robe was clean, his hair had been tied neatly again, and his expression remained as calm as before.

But the aura around him was completely different.

The spiritual power that had once been compressed at peak sixth-layer Foundation Establishment now felt noticeably denser and deeper. The flow of energy around his body had become more natural, and although his meridians still carried the swollen fullness left behind by the breakthrough, his entire state had clearly entered another level.

Seventh-layer Foundation Establishment.

Late stage.

The Realm Advancement Pill had not carried him through the bottleneck effortlessly.

Its medicinal power had merely pushed the spiritual energy he had already accumulated to its limit one step farther. The rest still depended on the foundation he had spent so long strengthening during his time in the Lightning Domain and the days after returning to Hoa Van.

Hao Nhien crossed the courtyard and had only just reached the door when he heard laughter.

The scene before him made the corner of his mouth lift before he could stop it.

Tieu Nhan stood in the middle of the courtyard, one hand pretending to hold a sword while the other stretched straight ahead, her expression so serious that anyone might have thought she had been the one who had just fought Duong Han.

“Three fire bombs came flying in, and he immediately charged forward…”

As she spoke, she retreated three steps, grabbed a pillow from the stone bench, hugged it to her chest, and spun hard.

“Spin!”

The pillow slipped from her hands.

It flew straight toward Tieu Lan.

Thump!

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Tieu Nhan froze.

“Sister Tieu Lan…”

“That was an accident.”

Tieu Lan slowly removed the pillow from her face and stared at her for a long moment.

“Didn't you just say you wanted to learn the Young Master's calmness?”

Tieu Nhan lowered her voice.

“Yes…”

“Then start by learning not to throw pillows at the person standing beside you.”

Quan Nha, seated near the tea table, burst out laughing.

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Hao Nhien, still standing at the entrance, could not hold back either.

His laughter made all three of them turn at once.

Tieu Nhan's eyes immediately lit up.

“You're out!”

She had barely started toward him when Quan Nha slowly rose.

Her gaze did not stop on Hao Nhien's expression. Instead, it moved across the aura around his entire body.

The smile at the corner of her mouth faded slightly.

“You broke through?”

Tieu Lan immediately looked more carefully as well.

Hao Nhien entered the courtyard, pulled out a chair beside the tea table, and sat down before nodding.

“The Realm Advancement Pill worked.”

He picked up the tea Tieu Lan had just poured for him, his tone still calm.

“I've entered late-stage Foundation Establishment.”

Tieu Nhan blinked.

“Seventh layer?”

“Yes.”

She looked Hao Nhien up and down as though trying to figure out exactly what was different between the sixth and seventh layers.

Quan Nha did not ask further.

She only watched him a little longer, confirming that his aura had stabilized before slowly sitting back down.

“So this time you finally decided to use that pill.”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“After the fight with Duong Han, I realized that continuing to remain at the sixth layer just to preserve a safety margin for Rage was beginning to interfere with my normal combat foundation.”

He took a sip of tea.

“Rage was always only meant to be a final trump card. Cultivation realm is what I have to rely on in every battle.”

Quan Nha gave a slight nod.

No one asked anything more.

Tieu Nhan, meanwhile, clearly could not stay interested in cultivation realm for long.

After only a few breaths, she remembered that her performance had been interrupted, hurried over to pick up the pillow, and asked:

“Can I continue now?”

Tieu Lan looked at her.

“No.”

Tieu Nhan immediately fell silent.

Tieu Lan adjusted her hair, then turned toward Hao Nhien.

“Young Master, when you were avoiding those crossbow bolts earlier, were you really relying on the movement of the air to sense them?”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Yes, but it isn't something I can always use.”

He raised a hand and stirred a thin current of air before him.

“At close range, an arrow moving fast enough disturbs the air around it. If I already know the general direction and focus on sensing it, I can catch part of that change and estimate the path of approach.”

He paused slightly.

“But it doesn't replace my eyes, and it certainly doesn't let me sense everything around me. It only gives me one more way to react a little earlier.”

Tieu Lan nodded.

She already knew that Hao Nhien's sensitivity to Wind was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators, but his explanation made the limits of that ability clear as well.

Quan Nha set her cup down.

“And at the end, you accelerated too quickly.”

She looked at him.

“That wasn't Phong Van Step.”

Hao Nhien looked back at her.

The courtyard fell silent for one beat.

Then he smiled slightly.

“A short-burst movement method from the Wind inheritance. It can only be used for a very brief period.”

Quan Nha watched him for another moment, then did not ask further.

Neither did Tieu Lan.

Both of them understood that Hao Nhien had methods he had never fully explained, but neither felt any need to pursue every secret to the end.

Tieu Nhan completely missed the brief silence.

She had already moved on to something else.

“Then when the hidden needles came at you, did you burn them all with Fire?”

“No.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“There were too many. Trying to stop them one by one would only make things more complicated.”

Quan Nha continued for him:

“Fire disrupted the front of the attack, then Wind swept across and pushed the whole field off course.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Exactly. The needles were small and light. I only needed to force most of them off their paths. There was no need to destroy every one.”

Tieu Nhan's eyes immediately brightened.

“And then you used Duong Han himself to block the fire bombs.”

She clapped once.

“That was the best part.”

Tieu Lan looked at her.

“What lesson did you learn from it?”

Tieu Nhan thought with great seriousness.

“In battle, anything can be used.”

She paused.

“Even the opponent.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

“That's not wrong.”

Then his expression became slightly more serious.

“But more importantly, you need to know which part of an attack chain is actually the most dangerous.”

All three looked at him.

“The dark iron bolts forced me to change position, the hidden needles restricted my escape, and the fire bombs were the true finishing strike. If I tried to deal with everything at once, I would only be dragged into the opponent's rhythm.”

Hao Nhien picked up his tea.

“You only need to break one important link for the entire sequence to lose its continuity.”

Tieu Nhan slowly nodded.

“I want to learn how to do that.”

“Then you have to train.”

Hao Nhien replied.

“Calmness isn't something you gain just by reminding yourself a few times. You have to see enough, experience enough, and understand what you're capable of. Once you do, you won't panic as easily when something actually happens.”

Tieu Lan asked:

“Is that also why Young Master allows the people of Hoa Van to watch these challenge matches?”

“Yes.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“An arena can't replace a battlefield, but it can at least let them see types of opponents they've never encountered before. Hidden weapons, mechanisms, poison, sword arts, body cultivation… Even seeing something once means that when they truly encounter it later, it won't be completely unfamiliar.”

Quan Nha's lips curved slightly.

“Everyone outside only sees that you've won two matches.”

“They don't know you're also planning to use them to teach the people of Hoa Van.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

“Now you know.”

Quan Nha nodded faintly.

Tieu Nhan looked between the two of them for a moment, then very wisely turned to take another pastry instead of interrupting.

At that moment, a guard hurried into the courtyard and dropped to one knee.

“Clan Leader, there is news from the west.”

Hao Nhien immediately stood.

“Speak.”

“Lanh Hoa has returned. He is leading the remaining members of the Hoa Ky Tribe and is now less than half a day's journey from Hoa Van Town.”

The guard lifted his head.

“One hundred and seventeen people, including more than twenty children.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“All of them are safe.”

Hao Nhien's eyes immediately brightened.

The joy came so quickly that he barely had time to hide it. It was even clearer than when the presiding cultivator had announced his victory over Duong Han.

“Is anyone injured?”

“No. A few are only exhausted from the long journey.”

Hao Nhien slowly exhaled.

Something that had weighed on him for a very long time finally began to lift.

Those people still wandering outside had never been merely a number to him.

There were not many experts among them. Most were elders, women, children, and ordinary warriors with unremarkable cultivation.

But those people were what made the Hoa Ky Tribe.

From the day he had accepted the Hoa Ky Jade and become Clan Leader, Hao Nhien had also accepted the responsibility of bringing them somewhere safe enough that they would no longer have to wander from place to place.

Now those one hundred and seventeen people were finally about to reach Hoa Van.

Hao Nhien looked at the guard.

“Call Luu Thanh. I want the housing and supplies checked again before everyone enters town.”

The guard had just cupped his hands and begun to turn when a familiar voice came from outside.

“No need to call. This subordinate is already here.”

Luu Thanh entered the courtyard quickly, unable to hide the smile on his face.

Hao Nhien asked:

“How far along are the preparations?”

“Everything has been ready for several days.”

Luu Thanh answered at once.

“The housing in the southwest district has been cleared and can accommodate the entire group. Grain stores have already sent food there, and the pill room has prepared medicines for injuries and recovery. Clothing, bedding, and everyday supplies are all in place.”

He continued:

“Families with children have been assigned housing near the water source and school.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Notify the Hoa Ky people already living in town. Tonight, we'll all go out to meet them.”

“As ordered.”

Luu Thanh had barely turned when Hao Nhien called again.

“Wait.”

“There is no need for a large ceremony.”

He looked toward the western gate.

“They've traveled for too long. Let them eat and rest first.”

Luu Thanh immediately understood.

“This subordinate will arrange it.”

After he left, Tieu Nhan stepped closer.

“They're your clanspeople?”

“Yes.”

Hao Nhien was still looking west.

“They've finally arrived.”

It was only a short sentence, but the feeling in his heart was completely different from what he had felt stepping down from the arena.

Victory over Duong Han had brought relief and confirmation that the road he was walking was not wrong.

This news touched something much deeper.

The people he had been waiting for since the day he accepted the Hoa Ky Jade were finally almost here.

Tieu Nhan stood beside him for a moment before immediately saying:

“I'll go help prepare.”

Tieu Lan also stood.

“I'll go to the pill room. Elders and children can easily fall ill after such a long journey. I'll prepare more medicine.”

Quan Nha looked toward the western gate.

“I'll go with you to meet them.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

“All right.”

Before midnight, Hao Nhien was already outside the western gate with Quan Nha, Tieu Lan, Tieu Nhan, and the Hoa Ky people currently living in town.

The night wind moved across the dunes, carrying a faint chill.

Hao Nhien stood on a rise near the gate, his gaze fixed continuously on the road disappearing into darkness.

Before long, a point of light appeared in the distance.

Then another.

Soon, dozens of torches formed a long line between the dunes, slowly approaching Hoa Van.

Hao Nhien immediately recognized the man at the front.

Lanh Hoa.

He was thinner than before, his skin darkened by the sun and his clothes covered in road dust, but his steps remained steady.

Behind him came a group of Hoa Ky warriors carrying luggage.

Farther back were the elders, women, and children.

Several children were already asleep on their relatives' backs.

Those still awake stared wide-eyed at the lights of Hoa Van ahead.

One child tugged at his mother's hand.

“Mother…”

“Is that our new home?”

The woman looked toward the illuminated walls in the darkness.

She remained silent for a moment before nodding gently.

“Yes.”

“Our new home.”

When the group was still several hundred zhang from the gate, Lanh Hoa recognized Hao Nhien.

He immediately quickened his pace.

When he reached them, he dropped to one knee.

“Clan Leader.”

“This subordinate has completed the mission.”

His voice was slightly hoarse from the long journey, but every word remained clear.

“One hundred and seventeen clanspeople.”

“Not a single person missing.”

Hao Nhien stepped forward and used both hands to pull Lanh Hoa to his feet.

“You've worked hard.”

Lanh Hoa shook his head.

His eyes had already reddened slightly.

“It wasn't hardship. As long as I could bring everyone here, all of it was worth it.”

Hao Nhien struck his shoulder firmly.

“You did well.”

Lanh Hoa turned toward the people behind him.

“On the road, many of them still couldn't believe that there was truly a place like this in the middle of the Western Wastes.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the lights beyond the gate.

“Now they can believe it.”

He spoke slowly.

“This is our home.”

At first, many in the group were still cautious.

But the moment they saw Hoa Duong, Luu Thanh, and the familiar faces of people who had been separated from them before, every remaining distance disappeared.

“Dai Son!”

“You're alive!”

“Second Uncle!”

“Grandmother!”

People began running toward one another.

Some embraced tightly.

Some laughed loudly.

Others laughed and cried at the same time.

Children broke from the line and rushed toward relatives they had not seen in a long time.

There were no drums.

No welcoming ceremony.

No one shouted grand slogans.

Under the torchlight, there were only reunions that seemed to stretch without end.

Hao Nhien stood to one side and watched quietly as a feeling difficult to describe gradually filled his chest.

From today onward, these Hoa Ky people would no longer have to wander or move simply because another faction ordered them to.

In Hoa Van, they had water to use, medicinal gardens and land to live from, family beside them, and, most importantly, a place protected by their own people and allies.

Tieu Lan, Quan Nha, and Tieu Nhan slowly came to stand beside him.

Hao Nhien looked at the three of them.

“It will take time for everyone to adjust. Help them settle in first.”

Tieu Lan nodded.

Quan Nha said:

“I'll work with the people responsible for the residential district to register each family and handle whatever they need. Anything missing can be added gradually.”

Tieu Nhan immediately patted her chest.

“And I'll take the children around town.”

Tieu Lan turned to look at her.

“It's midnight.”

Tieu Nhan paused, then corrected herself very quickly.

“Tomorrow. I'll take them tomorrow.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

He looked at the Hoa Ky clanspeople still embracing one another beneath the torchlight, then turned toward the three beside him.

“They are my clanspeople, but from today onward, they are also our family.”

Tieu Lan answered softly:

“Yes, Young Master.”

Quan Nha nodded.

Tieu Nhan looked toward the children curiously staring at the lights inside the town, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward.

“Then our family just got a lot bigger.”

Hao Nhien followed her gaze.

After a brief silence, he gave a slight nod.

“Yes.”

“A lot bigger.”