The One Who Returned

Quan Nha turned to look at Hao Nhien. Her eyes, which had only just regained their calm, reddened slightly again, but in the end she only answered softly.

“Mm.”

The Tieu Dao Sword continued descending.

The closer they came, the clearer Hoa Van Town became.

What Quan Nha had seen from above was only a small part of it. Once her feet truly touched the stone road outside the town, the sounds of people, carts, hammering iron, and the scent of medicinal herbs all rushed toward her at once.

The moment the two of them passed through the gate, several Hoa Van guards recognized Hao Nhien.

“Patriarch!”

“The Patriarch is back!”

The news spread quickly. Before long, people near the gate had already begun looking over.

More than a few curious gazes lingered on the woman in red walking close beside Hao Nhien. But seeing that he had no intention of explaining, everyone merely observed in silence before returning to their work.

Quan Nha slowly looked around.

A convoy had just passed from the western warehouse district, with several members of the Hoa Ky Tribe unloading sacks of spirit herbs. Elsewhere, two young men from Cat Loi were repairing an irrigation trench together with Hoa Van workers. Farther away, a group of children were running around a water cart, their laughter mixing with the voices of people calling to one another as they worked.

After days of seeing nothing but armor, long spears, chained spirit beasts, and rows of formation flags covering city walls, the sight before her made Quan Nha unconsciously slow her steps.

This was a place that was alive.

Hao Nhien stopped with her.

Quan Nha watched for a long time before asking:

“Did you really build this place?”

“I already told you.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“I didn’t do it alone.”

Quan Nha did not argue. She only said plainly:

“But without you, this place wouldn’t exist.”

Hao Nhien paused.

That was exactly like Quan Nha. She had always been this way, saying whatever she thought without circling around it or trying to make her words sound gentler.

Hao Nhien said nothing more and simply reached out to take her hand.

“Come on.”

They had not gone far before a group of Cat Loi people appeared ahead.

Most were elderly people, women, children, and others who had been evacuated from the city earlier.

An old man recognized Hao Nhien first.

“Patriarch Hao!”

The call immediately made those around him turn.

Before long, hundreds of people had gathered.

“Where is the Patriarch?”

“What happened to Cat Loi City?”

“What did Huu Thanh’s army do?”

Questions rang out one after another.

Hao Nhien raised a hand.

The crowd gradually fell silent.

He looked over the faces before him. For the past two days, many of these people still had no idea whether their homeland remained standing.

Hao Nhien said:

“Cat Loi City still stands.”

The entire area instantly went quiet.

One man seemed unsure he had heard correctly.

“Patriarch Hao… what did you say?”

“Huu Thanh withdrew.”

Hao Nhien spoke each word clearly.

“Before I left, Cat Loi scouts entered the city to inspect it. The city remains intact.”

An elderly woman covered her mouth with one hand.

The man behind her tilted his head upward, drew in a deep breath, then turned his face away as though afraid that one more moment would make him cry.

Then a voice suddenly rose from the crowd.

“The city still stands!”

“Cat Loi City still stands!”

The entire area erupted at once.

“Our ancestral land is still there!”

“Our homes are still there!”

“Huu Thanh’s army withdrew!”

Some people laughed. Others threw their arms around one another. A woman holding a child suddenly sat down, tears streaming continuously down her face.

The child looked up at her.

“Mother, can we go home now?”

The woman hugged the child tightly.

“Yes. We’ll be able to go home.”

“But not yet.”

Hao Nhien’s voice carried over the crowd.

The cheering gradually softened.

“Patriarch Cat Thanh is still near Cat Loi. He has people continuing to track Huu Thanh’s army, and he will come here soon once he confirms everything is safe.”

Hao Nhien looked at everyone.

“He asked me to pass on a message. Everyone stays in Hoa Van until he arrives. Only then will you decide when to return.”

Several people who had already been preparing to pack immediately stopped.

The elderly Cat Loi man nodded.

“Patriarch Hao is right. We managed to wait until today. A few more days won’t matter.”

He turned toward those behind him.

“Everyone stays where they are. We wait for the Patriarch to return before deciding anything else.”

One after another, people agreed, though their joy did not lessen.

The news quickly spread deeper into Hoa Van Town. From the temporary housing area to the medicinal gardens, voices rose everywhere.

Quan Nha stood beside Hao Nhien and watched quietly.

Hao Nhien asked softly:

“What are you thinking?”

Quan Nha answered at once:

“You almost made them lose their homes.”

Hao Nhien turned to look at her.

The corner of Quan Nha’s mouth had already curved upward slightly.

He let out a helpless breath.

“I know.”

“That’s why you chose a place as far from the Thunder Sacrifice as possible.”

“But the city still would have been destroyed.”

“Mm.”

Hao Nhien admitted it.

“Fortunately, I didn’t have to use it.”

Quan Nha looked at him, and the teasing expression on her face gradually disappeared.

“Fortunately, you saw me.”

Hao Nhien fell silent.

After a moment, he only tightened his hold on her hand.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Mm.”

Both of them understood that if things had been delayed by only a few more breaths, the outcome of that day would have been completely different.

Hao Nhien led Quan Nha farther into town.

The Hoa Van Treasure Pavilion was still open. A merchant convoy that had just delivered goods was lining up its carts outside. In the medicinal gardens, several disciples were bent over harvesting mature spirit herbs, while white smoke continued drifting from the pill-refining district farther away.

Hao Nhien looked in that direction.

“Come on.”

Quan Nha asked:

“Where?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to see Tieu Lan?”

Quan Nha immediately looked at him.

“I said I would see her when we got back to Hoa Van.”

“We’re back now.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

Quan Nha said nothing and simply quickened her pace until she was half a step ahead of him.

The pill-refining district lay in the southeastern part of Hoa Van Town.

Compared with when Hao Nhien had left, the area had expanded again. Two new buildings had been constructed beside the old ones, and the courtyard was filled with baskets of freshly delivered medicinal ingredients.

Several people responsible for sorting spirit herbs were bent over their work.

A young woman in a pale green dress stood beside a stone table, her hair neatly tied behind her. She was inspecting a medicinal herb while speaking to someone nearby.

“Keep this type separate. Any damaged leaves go to the medicinal-liquid section. Don’t use them for pill refining.”

Her voice suddenly stopped.

Tieu Lan raised her head.

Her eyes first landed on Hao Nhien.

Joy immediately lit her face.

“Young Master!”

But in the next moment, she saw the person standing beside him.

Tieu Lan froze, and the medicinal herb in her hand fell onto the table.

Quan Nha also stopped.

The two women looked at each other.

Tieu Lan’s eyes quickly reddened.

“Sister Quan Nha?”

The calm Quan Nha had maintained throughout the final stretch of the journey finally wavered visibly.

“Tieu Lan.”

Tieu Lan immediately ran forward, abandoning the entire basket of herbs and the watching eyes around her, then threw her arms around Quan Nha.

“Sister Quan Nha!”

Quan Nha was hugged hard enough to stumble back half a step. Her arms were stiff at first, but they soon wrapped around Tieu Lan as well.

Tieu Lan was already crying.

“It really is you…”

“You really came back…”

She could not finish the sentence and only hugged Quan Nha even tighter.

Quan Nha lowered her head and gently stroked her back.

“I’m back.”

Tieu Lan still refused to let go.

“You didn’t send any word for so long. No one knew where you were.”

She turned her head toward Hao Nhien.

“Young Master kept looking for news of you.”

Quan Nha also looked over.

Hao Nhien only raised his brows slightly.

Quan Nha turned back.

“I know.”

Tieu Lan wiped away her tears, then seemed to remember something and immediately looked Quan Nha up and down.

“Are you injured?”

“No.”

“Did anyone do anything to you?”

“No.”

“Were you forced to take any pills?”

Quan Nha looked at her.

“No.”

Tieu Lan was still unconvinced.

“Give me your hand.”

“What for?”

“I’m checking your pulse.”

“I’m not injured.”

“Give me your hand.”

Tieu Lan’s voice was firm.

Quan Nha looked at her for two breaths before obediently holding out her wrist.

Hao Nhien stood nearby watching, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

Quan Nha immediately glanced at him.

Hao Nhien gave a light cough.

Still wiping her tears, Tieu Lan placed her fingers on Quan Nha’s wrist. Only after checking for a while did she finally breathe out in relief.

“You’re fine.”

Quan Nha withdrew her hand.

“I told you.”

Tieu Lan looked at her.

“I had to check for myself. You’re just like Young Master. Your mouth is always saying you’re fine.”

This time, Quan Nha did not argue.

Hao Nhien stood beside them watching the two women—one still as cool as ever, the other having barely finished crying before already checking meridians—and the familiar feeling made him smile unconsciously.

Only then did Tieu Lan fully turn toward him.

“Young Master.”

“Mm?”

“Where did you find Sister Quan Nha?”

Hao Nhien looked at Quan Nha.

She answered for herself.

“Huu Thanh.”

Tieu Lan froze. The smile on her face disappeared almost immediately.

“Huu Thanh?”

“Mm.”

“Heavenly Eye?”

“Mm.”

Tieu Lan looked at Hao Nhien, then back at Quan Nha. Clearly, there were countless things she wanted to ask, but in the end she only took Quan Nha’s hand.

“Let’s go home first.”

Quan Nha paused slightly.

Tieu Lan pulled her along.

“Whatever happened, we’ll talk about it at home.”

Quan Nha looked at the hand holding hers and, after a moment, nodded softly.

“All right.”

Tieu Lan turned toward the people nearby.

“Sort the remaining medicinal ingredients the way I just explained. If there are any problems, set them aside. I’ll handle them tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

After saying that, she pulled Quan Nha several steps away before turning back.

“Young Master?”

Hao Nhien was still standing where he had been.

“I thought the two of you wanted to talk.”

Tieu Lan looked at him.

“You’re not coming home?”

Hao Nhien immediately followed.

“I’m coming.”

Quan Nha walked between the two of them, and the corners of her eyes suddenly grew slightly damp.

The three figures left the pill-refining district together under the evening light.

One wore red, another a pale green dress, while Hao Nhien walked beside them. The silence between the three now felt completely different from the heavy silence of before.

When the small courtyard appeared at the end of the road, Quan Nha slowed down.

The place was simple: one main house, two side rooms, a small courtyard, and a young tree newly planted near the gate. Several bundles of medicinal herbs, nearly dry, hung beneath the eaves.

Tieu Lan pushed open the door.

The room inside was clean and complete. A wooden bed stood against the wall, with a small table beside it, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, and a low table placed near the window.

The moment Quan Nha crossed the threshold, she stopped.

Her gaze slowly moved across everything.

The table by the window.

The small bookshelf against the wall.

The pale gray ceramic vase on the table.

Even the simple wooden box she had once used for a few miscellaneous belongings sat in the same familiar corner.

Quan Nha took another step and reached out to touch the tabletop.

Hao Nhien stood at the doorway, watching her quietly.

Before he ventured deeper into the Western Wastes, Quan Nha and Tieu Lan had stayed in Tam Thanh waiting for him, living together in a small courtyard. This room had once belonged to Quan Nha.

After she disappeared, Tieu Lan had kept everything exactly as it was. When Hoa Van Town gradually became stable and Hao Nhien finally had a permanent residence, she had people move everything from Tam Thanh, including Quan Nha’s belongings.

Every book, every set of clothes, the old wooden box, even the little items worth hardly any spirit stones had all been brought here and arranged almost exactly as before.

Quan Nha stood there for a very long time.

She opened the wardrobe.

Inside were the clothes she knew so well. An old red dress, worn slightly at the cuffs, was still there—the very one she had once said she would replace but never had the chance to.

Quan Nha lightly touched the fabric.

“These things…”

Her voice was very quiet.

Tieu Lan stood behind her.

“We brought them all from Tam Thanh.”

Quan Nha turned to look at her.

Tieu Lan spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

“When we moved here, I packed everything. Young Master’s things, mine, and yours too. If we left them in Tam Thanh, then when you came back, you’d have to go all the way there to get them.”

Quan Nha looked at her.

When you came back.

From beginning to end, Tieu Lan had never spoken of it any other way.

Quan Nha turned toward Hao Nhien at the doorway.

“You thought the same?”

Hao Nhien leaned against the doorframe.

“I never thought you wouldn’t come back.”

Quan Nha fell silent.

She looked around the room again and finally understood why it had never felt like a place hastily prepared for a guest.

This was still her old room.

It had merely been moved from Tam Thanh to Hoa Van and continued waiting for its owner to return.

She lowered her head, her fingertips still resting on the wooden box.

After a long while, she asked softly:

“What if I really hadn’t come back?”

Tieu Lan was quiet for a moment.

“Then we would have left it like this.”

Quan Nha turned toward her.

Tieu Lan looked at her.

“Until you came back.”

Quan Nha lowered her head deeply.

A tear fell onto the wooden box that had followed her belongings from Tam Thanh all the way into the Western Wastes.

Tieu Lan stepped forward, wrapped her arms around one of Quan Nha’s arms, and quietly stood beside her.

The room before them had already said far more than words could.

During all the time Quan Nha had been missing, her place had remained untouched in this home, just as it had remained untouched in the lives of the other two.

Dinner that evening was simpler than Quan Nha had expected. There was only a pot of spirit-beast meat soup, a few vegetable dishes from the cultivation plots, a plate of roasted meat, and hot rice.

Tieu Lan prepared everything herself.

Hao Nhien was pulled into the kitchen as well.

Quan Nha sat at the table watching him cut meat for a while before commenting flatly:

“You’re better with a sword than with a kitchen knife.”

Hao Nhien stopped.

“I think I’m doing fine.”

Quan Nha looked at the slices of meat, each one a completely different thickness.

“Mm.”

“Very fine.”

Tieu Lan, standing nearby, could not hold back her laughter.

“Young Master, let me do it.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“I should contribute something too.”

Quan Nha immediately answered:

“Then tend the fire.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

In the end, he was genuinely sent off to tend the fire.

By the time the three sat down, night had fully fallen.

The lamp inside the room cast a soft golden glow.

Tieu Lan placed a piece of meat into Quan Nha’s bowl.

“Eat.”

“I can serve myself.”

“I know.”

Tieu Lan added more vegetables.

“But you’ve gotten thinner.”

Quan Nha looked at the bowl, then stopped arguing.

Hao Nhien watched the two for a moment before naturally pushing his own bowl forward.

“I also…”

Tieu Lan placed the entire plate of vegetables in front of him.

“Young Master can serve himself.”

Quan Nha lowered her head slightly.

Her shoulders trembled.

Hao Nhien looked at her.

Tieu Lan was the first to laugh.

The atmosphere at the table instantly became much lighter.

After they had eaten for a while, Tieu Lan finally set down her chopsticks.

“Now tell me.”

Hao Nhien looked up.

“Tell you what?”

“Cat Loi.”

Tieu Lan looked at him.

“You went there once, then nearly ten thousand Heavenly Eye soldiers appeared, Cat Loi almost fell, and somehow you came back from Huu Thanh with Sister Quan Nha.”

She looked at both of them.

“I want to hear it from the beginning.”

Hao Nhien looked at Quan Nha.

She also set down her chopsticks.

“I’ll tell my part too.”

And so the story began.

Tieu Lan listened for a long time, occasionally asking a few questions to confirm something.

At the end, she looked at Quan Nha.

“Sister Quan Nha.”

“Mm.”

“Do you want to stay here?”

Quan Nha looked at her.

She barely needed to think.

“Yes.”

Tieu Lan nodded.

“Then stay.”

Only two words.

Quan Nha looked at Tieu Lan for a long time before answering softly:

“Mm.”

Hao Nhien sat beside them, feeling something inside him ease as well.

Perhaps this was exactly what Quan Nha needed most right now.

A seat at the dinner table.

A room that had already been waiting for her.

And one simple sentence telling her that if she wanted to stay, she could.

Tieu Lan picked up her chopsticks again.

“Keep eating.”

Quan Nha looked at the bowl already piled with food.

“There’s more?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t finish all of this.”

“You can.”

“Tieu Lan.”

“Sister Quan Nha got thinner.”

Hao Nhien lowered his head and ate, trying to keep a serious expression.

Quan Nha immediately looked at him.

“Are you laughing?”

“No.”

“Look up.”

“I’m eating.”

“Look up.”

Hao Nhien slowly raised his head.

Quan Nha was still staring at him.

He suppressed his laughter and said with perfect seriousness:

“Yes, Sister Quan Nha.”

Quan Nha froze.

Tieu Lan also stared blankly for a moment.

Then Quan Nha’s gaze immediately turned cold.

“Hao Nhien.”

“Mm?”

“You did that on purpose?”

Hao Nhien maintained an innocent expression.

“What did I do?”

Quan Nha set down her chopsticks.

“Stop calling me ‘Sister.’”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

“Then what should I call you?”

Quan Nha was silent for a beat.

“Just call me Quan Nha.”

She paused before continuing:

“And I’ll call myself ‘em’ with you.”

The corner of Hao Nhien’s mouth immediately lifted.

“All right.”

“Quan Nha.”

Only then did her expression soften.

Tieu Lan, sitting beside them and watching the exchange, suddenly spoke:

“But I’m still calling you Sister Quan Nha.”

Quan Nha turned toward her.

“You can call me whatever you want.”

Tieu Lan immediately smiled.

“Good.”

She pointed to herself.

“Young Master is my older brother, Sister Quan Nha is my older sister, so that makes me the youngest.”

Quan Nha froze.

Hao Nhien also fell silent for a beat.

Then the corners of both their mouths lifted almost at the same time.

That night, Heavenly Eye, Cat Loi, and the battle they had just left behind were temporarily shut outside the small room.

At the table, only a meal that had not yet gone cold remained, along with three people who had finally managed to sit together again.

Quan Nha had returned.

And the chair that had remained empty in this home finally had its owner sitting in it again.