Time passed, and soon the wheels of the carriage rolled into Jin Yang City, the heart of the south-eastern region.
Xu Yuan lifted the carriage window, letting the evening gold sunlight spill across his face.
The air was thick with fragrance smoke rising from apothecary shops, herbal powders ground freshly in the streets, roasted meat from stalls blending with the faint light of spiritual ores.
Merchants shouted prices at the top of their lungs, while young cultivators in bright robes bargained for pills.
"Brother, You told me this pill boosts stamina and improves bed performance!"
"Yes, it does!"
"Then why is my wife still cheating with my neighbour?"
"You need the deluxe version for that."
"Ah~ It's quite lively," Yuan muttered under his breath, eyes twitching faintly due to light.
Not long after, the carriage halted, Yuan jumped from the carriage on the ground. After paying some respect and coins to the humble carriage driver, he finally braced his gaze up.
In front of his stretched Xu Clan's Grand Residence.
"Y-Young Master Yuan?!"
A servant, who had been lazily sweeping near the entrance, spotted him from afar.
He rushed forward to greet him, and soon, led him through the gates and into the grand hall.
Yuan followed at a calm pace, his expression unreadable, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Jade pillars carved with pill cauldrons and flame patterns lined the entrance, and with each step pulse a faint alchemy aura can be sensed.
Disciples walking with chattering, their expressions tightening when they recognized the Yuan.
At further distance the air was thick with herbs that made even a breath feel warm. Furnaces burned quietly in the side alchemy rooms, the faint hiss of steam, quiet crackle of flames burning behind closed doors.
From one side room, a loud echoed.
[BOOM!]
A disciple shouted, "It's not my fault! The pill exploded by itself!"
Another voice yelled back, "Fucking bastard! You added the wrong herb again!"
Ignoring the chaos, they soon reached a grand room.
Inside, a row of elders and alchemists sat in solemn formation.
At the center, on a slightly raised platform, sat an old man, Grand Elder Xu Wanshan. His hair was silver, his beard long, his eyes clouded with age but still sharp as an eagle's. He sat leaned on a seat, expression unreadable.
The moment his gaze fell on Yuan, a ripple of surprise passed through the hall.
"Yuan," the old man said slowly in a deep voice, "You've returned."
A sudden silence stretched in the atmosphere like they had just seen a ghost. Then, faint murmurs erupted from elders,
"His aura… only the first layer of Qi Refining Realm?"
"Impossible, wasn't he already at the Foundation Realm?"
"Maybe he was cultivating backward?"
"Shut up!"
"Yuan, are you well?" one of the female Elders asked.
Yuan sensed the tension in the room but he was already prepared for this, clasping his fists politely, he bowed slightly. "Elders, There's no need to worry, it's just a technique to conceal my cultivation."
The words were light, but his gaze was steady. Some Elders exchanged doubtful glances, unable to decide whether to believe him or not.
The atmosphere grew heavy, then broken by a warm voice.
"Little Yuan, go and rest. After such a long journey, you must be tired." Grand Elder Wanshan's deep voice resonated through the chamber, filled with the weight of authority.
Xu Yuan was shocked at first hearing his words. He wasn't expecting those words but he just quietly bowed in response. "As you say, Grand Elder!"
Servants hurried forward, bowing, and they led Yuan to his room.
The tension in the hall loosened at once. Elders leaned back, their glances turning polite again.
They were strangely shocked and pleased with the fact that not even a single person had managed to sense Xu Yuan's presence upon his arrival, simply unthinkable.
The elders began whispering.
"That concealment art must be good!"
"Where did he find it? Did my given charm worked."
Even the people above Foundation Realm present should have been able to detect Yuan's presence, yet they had sensed nothing at all—until his footsteps came near.
And not to mention his strange technique which can hide his cultivation was clearly unexpected.
As Yuan walked away, Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Seems like something serious was being discussed…'
Xu Yuan was the only child of the Xu family's previous patriarch. He had grown up spoiled, the kind of child who always got whatever he wished.
Yet now, returning after such a long time and receiving such dry reactions, he couldn't help but find it truly suspicious.
....
On the other hand, Xu Yuan's arrival had created another storm. Disciples gossiping everywhere like their lives depended on it.
"Hey! Did you hear? Young Master Yuan is back!"
"WHAT?! That Bastard?!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! If he heard, he'll fuck us!"
A random disciple started crying into another's robe. "Why now… I just started enjoying a peaceful life…"
Another disciple ran to Eldest Disciple, bowing deeply.
"Senior Sister! I want to take thirty days off! My grandmother's spirit tablet cracked!"
Another joined, "Senior Sister! I'm pregnant—uh, I mean, I've got stomach pain!"
The Senior Sister stared with a strange expression. "...You're a man right?"
Another whispered loudly,
"Didn't you hear? It's all that demon's doing. That girl went into his room one night and the next day she was pregnant!"
"Bah, I also heard he also did Dual Yang Cultivation with Senior Brother Tian, and made him pregnant too!"
"Hah! For real!"
"Yes! I even heard their voices that night."
From behind, a furious voice thundered,
"I can hear you bitches! What nonsense are you spouting?! Your mother's pregnant, your brother's pregnant, your whole clan's pregnant!"
And disciples scattered like terrified chickens.