"Following you might not necessarily slow down my cultivation," said Ye Chaomu stubbornly.
"Little Mu Mu, listen to me. I need to do all I can to grow as quickly as possible. If you stay, even if you won't be affected, it will definitely affect me as I won't be able to focus. And with a big beauty like you by my side, how am I going to get a wife and find you a sister-in-law?" Xiang Shaoyun said earnestly.
"Hmph! I knew you were up to no good! I will be sticking to you! I don't need a sister-in-law. You only need me," said Ye Chaomu.
"Ye Chaomu, listen to me! As your big brother, I command you to grow as quickly as possible. In the future, we still need to get Father out of Wumo Pass," said Xiang Shaoyun solemnly.
A wronged expression appeared on Ye Chaomu's face as she said, "Why are you being so fierce? Fine, fine, I'll listen."
No matter how strong Ye Chaomu was, she was still Xiang Shaoyun's little sister. When he got angry, she still listened to him obediently.
"Sorry, I am not blaming you for anything, but it will be much better for us to cultivate separately. Perhaps the next time we meet I will already be stronger than you. You need to continue working hard," said Xiang Shaoyun with a gentle tone.
"I won't be surpassed by you. I'll be stronger than you forever! Otherwise, you'll bully me!" said Ye Chaomu.
"Hehe, we'll see," said Xiang Shaoyun with a confident smile. "But no matter how strong I become, I won't bully my Little Mu Mu."
"That's smart," said Ye Chaomu, satisfied with the answer. She then leaned into Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Big brother, do you think Father is still alive?"
The Wumo Pass was a forbidden zone, and few who entered survived. Back then, Xiang Yangzhan and Shangguan Wusheng had battled at the outer fringe, and both had vanished afterwards. It was obvious something bad had happened to them.
A look of worry flashed past Xiang Shaoyun's face, but he said, "Father is strong. He is definitely still alive."
...
The next day, Xia Datang woke up. He had recovered nicely after consuming the spirit medicine and spring water from Xiang Shaoyun. He was overjoyed to see his son Xia Liuhui back, but when he found out about the deaths of the villagers, he was overcome with sorrow.
Despite his sadness, he still forced himself to speak, seeing as there was a guest at his home, "Thank you, young man. Without your help, things would have been bad for us."
"You are too polite, uncle. Even without me, Liuhui would have been able to deal with all those bandits himself," said Xiang Shaoyun humbly.
"Hehe, yes, he is quite capable now, but still not enough to deal with all the bandits," said Xia Datang as he looked at his son with a satisfied smile.
"Father, you underestimate me. Even without your injuries, you might not be my match anymore," said Xia Liuhui.
"I see you think you are all grown up and have forgotten how I used to beat your ass when you were a kid," said Xia Datang with a glare, instantly shutting up Xia Liuhui.
Evidently, Xia Liuhui still remembered some unpleasant memories from his childhood. Xia Datang's recovery placed Xia Liuhui and Xia Yingying in a much better mood.
They gathered the villagers and started distributing the gifts they had received from Xiang Shaoyun. After selling the items at the nearby cities, the villagers would be able to live a good life for a while. The gifts did somewhat alleviate their grief, and their gratefulness toward Xia Datang's family grew even more.
Xia Datang already enjoyed great prestige in the hamlet. With Xia Liuhui returning in glory coupled with the gifts he gave them, they now regarded Xia Datang's family as a family of living Buddhas.
In a flash, three days passed. Xia Datang could now walk around again, and he had also recovered some of his combat prowess. With his daughter taking care of him full time, the smile on his face grew wider day by day.
Today, Xia Liuhui and Xia Datang were having a serious discussion in a private room. This was the first serious meeting they had since their reunion.
"Tell me, what do you want to talk about?" asked Xia Datang.
"Father, I am planning to go with my boss. I will rarely have the chance to come back in the future," said Xia Liuhui forthrightly.
"You've decided?" Xia Datang asked with a complicated expression.
"Well, I'm trying to talk to you about it," said Xia Liuhui.
"Let me ask you, what do you think about your boss?" asked Xia Datang.
Xia Liuhui sank into a short silence before answering, "Boss has an extraordinary background, outstanding talent, is massively generous, and is a giant among men."
"Since someone like that is willing to accept you, this is your luck. Go with him, then. The world is incomparably vast, and young people like you should really take a look at the world. An old man like me will not be a burden for you. I believe you will make me proud in the future," said Xia Datang.
"So you agree, Father?" Xia Liuhui asked.
"Of course. I was strict with you since your childhood because I had wanted you to be successful in life. Now, you are already at the Transformation Realm and will overtake me soon. In the future, you might even be a King. If that is so, you will bring honor to our ancestors," said Xia Datang expectantly.
Xia Liuhui shook his head. "My goal is not to be a King."
"True, it is not easy to be a King. It is good enough to reach peak Transformation Realm," said Xia Datang.
"No, I mean I am going to become an Emperor!" Xia Liuhui declared resolutely.
"W-what? Y-you want to be an Emperor?" Xia Datang cried out in alarm.
He had never expected his son to be so ambitious.
"Yes. Boss is already almost a King, and in the future he will be a Sovereign. If I can only become a King, I will embarrass him. Furthermore, Chaomu is already a Queen. I will not allow myself to be looked down upon by her," said Xia Liuhui, his eyes brimming with confidence.
"What? You are saying that girl Ye Chaomu is at the Skysoar Realm?" asked Xia Datang in shock.
"Yes. Late-stage Skysoar Realm, to be precise. She is boss's little sister, but boss has only recently started cultivating. I believe he will catch up to her soon," Xia Liuhui said.
Xia Datang was completely speechless by now. In his eyes, Skysoar Realm was already an insanely high realm of existence. But that little girl who looked to be about 16 or 17 years old was already a late-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. What kind of a freak was she?
"Oh, right, Yingying and Chaomu seem to get along well. I am thinking of sending Yingying off with Chaomu. What do you think?" asked Xia Liuhui.
"Yes, it is time she goes out and takes a look at the world. If they are willing to accept her, that will be great. I can see they are decent people and are not really people to put up airs. I believe they will treat her well," agreed Xia Datang without hesitation.