The formation circle in the hidden room glowed faintly at first, then flared with a steady light as the first figure came out. Li Yujian stepped out, posture calm as if nothing in the realm had rattled him, but the faint gleam in his eyes betrayed his calmness. He brushed a bit of dust from his sleeve and set the branches of herbs on the low table.
Almost immediately, another flash of light filled the room. Li Zhang stumbled through, sweaty, hair sticking to his forehead. He was grinning like he'd just eaten an entire tray of meat buns without getting caught.
"I fought a giant crab," Zhang announced proudly, holding up a thick bracelet shaped like a coiled hammer: "The previous crab gave me riddles, and I still won. And when I went back, I encountered another crab again. Also,... look! This thing can double my punches."
"What do you mean again? Did you enter the secret realm twice?" Yujian asked
Li Zhang scratched his head embracingly: "Well,.. the first floor tired me out mentally, so I came out to take a breather. Father gave me another talisman to re-enter."
"I see… so how was your experience in general?"
Before Li Zhang could answer, another pulse lit the formation, and Li Yuhan stepped through with a new fan in his hand. One look and one can see that he got that as a reward from the realm.
Yuhan fanned himself with his new jade fan, grinning smugly. "My Trials were much harder, obviously. Real brain work is exhausting."
"Tell me about it…" Li Zhang nodded in agreement.
Yujian only shook his head at them, but the faint curl at the edge of his mouth betrayed his amusement.
Li Cheng came last, carrying a small wooden box. He didn't speak, but when Yuhan leaned over to peek, a faint spiritual aura spilled out, scented with sandalwood and lightning.
"What's that?" Yuhan asked.
Li Cheng closed the box calmly: "A storage case for storing lightning energy. It filters unstable qi, I'm not sure what other function it has, so I brought it for Father to take a look."
Li Zhang leaned closer to Yuhan and murmured: "Translation: he's very happy right now, he just won't say it out loud."
They filled the corridor with overlapping voices, swapping stories and exaggerated reenactments of their challenges.
Li Jain heard the noise and came over. He told them to clean up and get ready for dinner. It was only then that most stomachs started growling.
After dinner, they couldn't wait to tell Li Jain about their expedition. The next few minutes were a blur of voices, each child eager to tell their version of events.
"I jumped over lava!"
"I solved a puzzle without even knowing the rules!"
"I literally flew on wind rings. flew, Father!"
"My opponent copied every move I made. It was like fighting a mirror with better hair."
"I fought many of my shadows."
"Every single floor I went on has giant crabs. But I defeated them without a scratch.
Yujian frown: "You guys are just making things up at this point."
"What do you mean? My floors really have many giant crabs!" Li Zhang defended himself.
"Crab?" Yuhan said with mockly. "That's cute. I had a moving labyrinth with wind trials, an airwalk challenge, and a duel with… myself. I feel like I should be charging an admission fee for my performance."
"You mean the wind carried you through again. That's cheating." Li Zhang complained angrily.
Yuhan's fan snapped open. "I didn't make the challenges, how can you accuse me of cheating?"
Li Cheng said thoughtfully: "The trials were so random. I came across tons of change challenges as well."
Yujian was speechless: "Am I the only one that fought monsters all the way to the 12th floor?"
The others were shocked and said in unison: "You reach the 12th floor?"
"Yes, apart from level 3 beasts, I only met a few level 4. I also picked up tons of herbs for Father."
"I barely made it to the fifth floor." Li Zhang said dejectedly.
Yuhan also looked dejected: "I reached the 7th floor, and it was very difficult. I thought everyone would stop there as well."
"Same, I also stopped at the 7th floor. I couldn't go forward for some reason." Li Cheng said
They all turned to look at Li Jain for answers, but Li Jain was just watching them with interest. He has a faint doting smile on his face. He thought letting them enter the secret realm was a good idea.
...
The Next Morning
The air was cool, sunlight spilling in through the paper screens. Breakfast was as lively as usual, warm congee, pickled vegetables, and a side of sweet lotus paste buns.
After the meal, they gathered once more in the hidden room. The formation circle shimmered faintly on the floor. Each child took their pair of talismans from the table and adjusted their gear.
"Don't push yourselves." Li Jian reminded them. "Return at sunset, and if you use the emergency talisman, I expect you home faster than Zhang finishes a plate of dumplings."
"That's fast." Li Zhang said proudly.
Li Zhang tucked his talismans into his belt. "Father, do you think I would fight the crab again today?"
"If the realm gives you a crab, then yes. I can't control the randomness of this secret realm, just do your best." Li Jian said gently.
Yuhan smirked: "Why are you bothering father? Are you scared that you'll lose?"
"I didn't lose yesterday!"
"Mm-hm. You only almost fell off the lava bridge."
"That was tactical!"
"Suit yourself."
Yujian interrupted before Li Zhang could respond. "Focus. The sooner we go, the sooner we return."
They stepped into the formation one after another, light swallowing them whole until the room was empty.
...
Without their extra hands, the tavern was a storm of movement from the moment the doors opened. The tavern was buzzing non-stop by midmorning. Li Jian worked in the kitchen alongside two of his ghost helpers Bai Lian and Huo Mingyu balancing a constant stream of orders. Customers came and went, some eating in, others hurrying off with takeout carefully wrapped in spirit insulating paper.
Several regulars noticed the little masters were missing again today.
"Where are the young masters today?" Asked a middle-aged woman as she accepted her takeout parcel.
"Training," Bai Lian said, offering her a polite smile.
"Oh? So diligent at such a young age."
Another customer leaned in with curiosity. "Secret training, is it? Or just regular sword drills?"
Bai Lian only chuckled and moved on, offering no further details.
...
By midday, a familiar voice boomed from the doorway.
"Owner Li!"
Boss Lan of the Joyous Restaurant came inside, his robe a riot of bright colors. Followed by Old Man Ling from the broken talisman shop, leaning on his cane but with eyes sharp as ever.
"Boss Lan, Old Man Ling," Li Jian greeted. "You're early."
"We came to see how that blood lotus experiment is going," Boss Lan said cheerfully.
Li Jian's smile was mild. "Still in progress."
Old Man Ling tapped his cane against the floor. "Don't rush a good thing. But when it's ready, we expect to hear it from you first."
"Of course, don't worry. I'm sure the result would satisfy everyone."
Haha
"As expected of owner Li." They laughed
They stayed for tea, trading light gossip about business and cultivation trends in Fengwu City. After a while, Li Jian shifted the conversation. "Boss Lan, you know the city well. I need to register my sons for the upcoming school section. What's your recommendation?"
Boss Lan's brows rose and he put his cup down: "Finally sending them to formal schools, eh? Plenty of options depending on what you're after. If you want prestige and resources, Fengwu City's schools are the best in the region. But their tuition is very expensive. More than most can afford."
Li Jian waved a hand. "That's not an issue."
"Of course, with such a buzzing business. It's a drip in the bucket." Old man Ling teased.
Li Jain only laughs it off.
"You're in luck." Boss Lan said, leaning forward: "Fengwu City has the best schools in the region. Some schools focus on martial training, others on theory and craft. The top three in the city are Azure Cloud Academy, Vermillion Sword Hall, and Moonstone Scholars' Institute. Outside the city, you have smaller sect schools but those have fewer opportunities."
Li Jian thought consideredly. "Knowing my sons, they won't all want the same school."
"I'm sure you'll be able to find schools that suit them."
"I'd like to see each school myself," Li Jian said.
Boss Lan slapped his knee. "Then let me take you around. I've got some connections in Fengwu city. We'll make a day of it."
Li Jian agreed without hesitation. "Good. I'll trust your experience."
As the three men continued their conversation.
Going to school would mean letting them out of his sight more often.
But watching them step into that secret realm yesterday, he knew to himself, ready or not, they were already growing into their own paths. And he had to get used to it.
Li Jain felt like a proud and understanding father. It's just that,... He misses his three little ones a lot.