"Xiao Lin, you are the hope of our clan's revival! I told you these secrets—secrets I intended to take to my grave—for a reason. Do you truly understand why?"
Xiao Dongcheng spoke with heavy sincerity, his gaze fixed on Xiao Lin's shifting expression. In truth, the old man wanted Xiao Lin to stay within the safe walls of the capital. He feared that Xiao Lin, like the many ancestors before him, would become just another tragic name in the ledger of "accidents."
"Clan Head, I understand your fear," Xiao Lin replied calmly, turning the old man's logic back on him. "But didn't you say the ancestors' deaths were mere accidents? If I have the talent, shouldn't I shoulder the responsibility of our revival? And to revive us, must I not become the strongest version of myself?"
Dongcheng opened his mouth to argue, but found himself completely cornered by Xiao Lin's reasoning. He realized the younger man was using his own words as a shield. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Fine. Your wings have grown hard, and now you've learned how to talk back with these twisted truths, eh?"
Though his words were sharp, Dongcheng's tone was filled with paternal affection. To him, Xiao Lin was the son he never had. Their private conversations lacked the rigid formality of "Leader and Subordinate," replaced by a casual, familial warmth.
"It's not twisted logic, Clan Head. It's the truth," Xiao Lin insisted.
Knowing that his ancestors were likely "pruned" by a hidden hand only hardened his resolve. If he stayed stagnant, he would eventually be "accidentally" dealt with. He had to grow so powerful that the "accidents" could no longer reach him.
"I see your mind is made up," Dongcheng sighed. "How long do you plan to be away?"
"Two or three years at the short end... five or six at the long," Xiao Lin replied after a moment of silence. "But I promise: I will be back before Zhan'er's Coming-of-Age Ceremony."
Dongcheng's brow furrowed. "That long?" Even prepared for a departure, the thought of a half-decade without his best strategist and strongest warrior brought a surge of worry to his heart.
A heavy silence fell between them—one side filled with worry and reluctance, the other with a faint guilt and the cold determination of a traveler.
"When do you leave?" Dongcheng finally broke the quiet.
"In three days. I need to prepare supplies and say my goodbyes to a few friends in the capital."
Xiao Lin wasn't a loner; he was a pillar of a burgeoning empire. He couldn't just vanish. He had business with the Miteer Auction House, the Nalan Clan, and even a final word for Yun Shan.
"I understand," Dongcheng said, forcing a weary smile. "Go then. Don't worry about the clan. This old bag of bones can still hold the fort for a few more years."
"Clan Head, don't say that. I believe you'll live to see a hundred!" Xiao Lin offered the blessing sincerely, though his medical knowledge told him a different story. Dongcheng's internal injuries from his younger days were starting to surface. Without a Tier 6 or 7 miracle pill, the old man's candle was visibly shortening.
"And what about... Zhan'er?" Dongcheng asked, his voice softening. In his heart, the young Xiao Zhan was his own grandson.
"I'll tell him tonight," Xiao Lin said, a pang of sadness hitting him. "While I'm away, I'll have to trouble you to watch over him."
"That goes without saying," Dongcheng replied.
Returning to his quiet courtyard, Xiao Lin was immediately greeted by a whirlwind in small boots.
"Father!"
Xiao Zhan sprinted across the grass, his face lighting up with the pure, unadulterated joy that only a child can muster. Xiao Lin scooped him up, ruffling his hair.
"Zhan'er!"
As a father, Xiao Lin didn't care that his son wasn't a world-shaking genius like the future Xiao Yan. He took pride in being the umbrella that shielded his son from the storm. And hey, Xiao Lin thought with a grin, when I'm old, I'll just lean on my grandson's leg. There's no shame in being a legendary grandfather!
"Father, look! I've reached the Third Segment of Dou Qi!" Xiao Zhan declared, his chest puffed out with pride.
Xiao Lin's face momentarily twitched. Three Segments... that cursed number. He quickly smoothed his expression before his son could notice. In reality, Xiao Zhan's progress—one segment per year—was actually quite respectable. By the time of his Coming-of-Age ceremony at sixteen, he would likely be a 9-Star or even a full Dou Zhe. Compared to the average Jia Ma citizen, he was a rising star.
"Splendid! That's my boy," Xiao Lin encouraged. Seeing his son's beaming smile, the words he had prepared—the announcement of his departure—felt like lead in his throat.
"Father... are you going far away again?"
The question caught Xiao Lin completely off guard. He hadn't told anyone but the Clan Head. "Zhan'er, who told you that? Did the old man let it slip?"
"Hehe, no one told me. You did, Father!" Xiao Zhan replied matter-of-factly. "You don't realize it, but every time you're about to leave for a long mission, you get this specific 'tangled' look on your face when you look at me. It's obvious."
Xiao Lin felt a pang of guilt. For a child without a mother, he was the entire world. Seeing the subtle shadow of loneliness creep into his son's eyes nearly made him cancel the trip then and there. Is a breakthrough worth my son's sadness?
But before he could speak, the nine-year-old straightened his back. "If you have work to do, go! I have the Clan Head and the uncles here. I'm not a baby. When you come back, I'll be even stronger so I can help you shoulder the burden!"
Xiao Lin's heart swelled with pride. His son was maturing into a true leader. "Good. When I return, I will bring you the finest Qi Method in the empire. If I can't find one perfect for you, I'll create one myself!"
To ease the transition, Xiao Lin decided to take Xiao Zhan to the Nalan Estate. If he was going to be gone for years, he needed a "Watcher" he could trust with his life.
"Uncle Nalan!" "Uncle Xiao!"
Xiao Zhan and Nalan Su (Nalan Jie's son) greeted their respective elders simultaneously. The two boys were close, their friendship mirroring the ironclad bond between their fathers.
Xiao Lin's visit to Nalan Jie was strategic. With the "Xiao Clan Dou Wang" leaving the capital, there would inevitably be vultures—minor clans or business rivals—who might try to test the Xiao family's resolve.
"Nalan, I'm heading out for a while. A long while," Xiao Lin said as they sat in the Nalan study.
Nalan Jie didn't ask where or why. He just nodded, his expression turning solemn. "The Xiao Clan is my brother's clan. As long as I draw breath in this capital, no one will touch so much as a brick of your estate. Go do what you must. I'll keep the peace."