Chen Yunhao smiled wryly, not saying much, gently put down the jade token in his hand, and turned to go to another stall.
"Little brother, wait, wait, it's yours...."
Chen Yunhao chuckled. This trick was learned from his old man, and it never failed.
Casually tossing down a five-tael silver piece, Chen Yunhao picked up the jade token with one hand and the ancient mirror with the other, then turned and left. He was already eager to return home.
As he walked, he tucked the jade token and the ancient mirror into his embrace, which was actually to avoid attracting attention, as he subtly put them into his Storage Pouch.
On this continent, ordinary Mortals know that Cultivators exist as a special group, but Cultivators do not easily display their Divine Abilities in Mortal cities; this is an agreement that has been passed down since ancient times.
Now Chen Yunhao was anxious to return home to visit his parents; he would slowly study that ancient mirror later when he had time.
It was twenty to thirty li from the North City to the South City. Chen Yunhao walked quickly, hurrying on his way.
Looking at the increasingly familiar streets, Chen Yunhao's expression began to become complex.
There was both excitement and a feeling of 'nearing home, yet fearing to go', all in all, very complicated.
Chen Yunhao's family lived in what was essentially a commoner's area, neither extremely wealthy nor impoverished.
Because Chen Yunhao's father was an educated man, working as an accountant in a business firm, his income was decent.
Just as he turned from the main road into the small alley in front of his house, the scene before him struck him like lightning.
"This, this... how could this be!"
Chen Yunhao's alley had about a dozen households in a row.
But what met his eyes at this moment was a scene of rubble, like a ruin.
The entire alley's dozen or so households had vanished, leaving only charred wooden beams and blackened rubble.
Chen Yunhao quickened his steps, relying on memory to find the approximate location of his home.
His house was the fourth one in the alley, closer to the main road, and easy to find.
Seeing this ruin, Chen Yunhao, being of a youthful Heart-Nature, was at a loss for a moment, his eyes vacant, muttering continuously.
"How could this be, how could this be...!"
Let alone a youthful Heart-Nature, even a seasoned adult, upon suddenly seeing their home gone, would surely lose their composure.
Chen Yunhao was a Cultivator after all. Not long after, his body trembled, and he hurriedly ran out of the alley, grabbing a passing pedestrian at random.
"Big brother, what exactly happened in this Ping An Alley? How did it turn into a ruin?"
The middle-aged passerby, whom Chen Yunhao had stopped, craned his neck to glance at Ping An Alley, then sighed and shook his head.
"Two years ago, Ping An Alley caught fire; a dozen households burned down. It's a pity that dozens of people inside didn't make it out...."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunhao's mind, which was already somewhat flustered, became even more chaotic, his brain blank, his eyes hollow as if he had lost his spirit.
"Gone, gone, all gone...."
Chen Yunhao was like a walking corpse at this moment, somehow returning to the ruins of his own small courtyard.
At this moment, his heart was twisted as if by a knife. He had left home young and returned old, but he never expected such a situation upon his return.
After a long while, a cry of anguish finally escaped Chen Yunhao's mouth.
Chen Yunhao collapsed to the ground, wailing. Even though he was a Cultivator at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Stage, he was still a youth, born of a father and mother. How could he not be heartbroken!
He didn't know how long he cried, but Chen Yunhao seemed to remember something. Ignoring the tears on his face, he jumped up and ran south.
Although this incident greatly affected Chen Yunhao's mental state, he did not forget his identity as a Cultivator. He dared not use his Divine Abilities in this Mortal city, relying only on his legs to run to Ziyi Alley.
Chen Yunhao's eldest sister's home was in Ziyi Alley. He had to find out what caused his family's destruction.
His brother-in-law's family was also an ordinary household in this prefecture, with a similar financial situation to his own.
Looking at the familiar gate, Chen Yunhao hesitated slightly.
Eight years can bring many changes. Was his elder sister's family safe? Had they moved away?
He was afraid that a stranger would answer the door.
Chen Yunhao hesitated only briefly before stepping forward and gently knocking on the door.
The sound of a latch moving came from behind the door, and a half-grown boy of eight or nine years old poked his head out.
Chen Yunhao had lost his composure and was muddled. Normally, he would only need to release his Divine Sense to know if his elder sister was in this small courtyard.
Although a Cultivator's Divine Sense in the Qi Refinement Stage is not yet powerful, it can still cover a range of over ten zhang.
When Chen Yunhao left home, his eldest sister had just given birth, and he had the chance to hold his nephew.
Seeing that this half-grown boy resembled his brother-in-law by sixty or seventy percent, Chen Yunhao's tense heart finally relaxed a little.
"Chong'er, is your mother home?"
The half-grown boy looked up, staring at Chen Yunhao with a wary expression.
"How do you know my nickname? Who are you?"
Looking at his precocious nephew, a bit of the sorrow in his heart dissipated.
Chen Yunhao smiled faintly: "I remember the day after you were born, when I first clumsily held you, you squirmed in my arms like a bug, so I suggested to your mother that your nickname be Chong'er...."
"You're my Little Maternal Uncle! I've heard Mother talk about you often...."
Chong'er's small eyes widened, looking at his Little Maternal Uncle, whom he had no recollection of, with a look of surprise and delight.
Time passed quickly. He remembered when Chen Yunhao was playing at the entrance of Ping An Alley, and the passing Drunken Taoist took one look at him and insisted on taking him as a disciple.
With Chen Yunhao's natural talent, he was a born cultivation prodigy. Let alone the Drunken Taoist, any School would have taken him in.
Initially, Chen Yunhao's parents thought the Drunken Taoist was a Jianghu swindler. How could they let him take their young son away with just a few words?
Finally, the Drunken Taoist had no choice but to display some cultivation methods in front of the Mortals, stating directly that Chen Yunhao had a Spiritual Root, and if he did not cultivate, it would be like a pearl covered in dust, too great a pity.
After witnessing true immortal methods, Chen Yunhao's parents agreed for the Drunken Taoist to take Chen Yunhao back to the School. Eight years had passed in a blink of an eye, and the infant of that year had already become a half-grown boy.
Chen Yunhao's thoughts drifted for only a moment, and the next moment he was pulled by his nephew Chong'er by the sleeve into the small courtyard.
The small courtyard still maintained its original appearance, just as it was in his memory when he left.
"Mother, come out quickly! My Little Maternal Uncle is back...."
Chong'er shouted as he hurried towards the main house.
The next moment, there was a clattering sound from inside the house, and a figure stumbled out.
"Big Sister...."
Chen Yunhao's eyes reddened, and he almost couldn't help but cry out again.
"Little Brother...."
Looking at her little brother, who had grown into an adult, the elder sister, being a woman, could not suppress her emotions and wailed as she hugged Chen Yunhao.