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After finishing his conversation with Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng, Xiao Lin returned to his small courtyard.
"Dad!"
Just as he stepped into the courtyard, Xiao Lin saw his son come flying toward him. It was clear that Xiao Zhan had been craning his neck in anticipation of his father's return for quite some time.
"Zhan'er!"
Xiao Lin rubbed the small head of his son who had run up to him, his face brimming with a smile.
Xiao Lin cared deeply for his son.
Although Xiao Zhan's talent in cultivation could only be described as slightly better than average—completely incomparable to his own—Xiao Lin didn't care about that at all. As a father, shouldn't he be the one to prop up a vast blue sky for his son?
Mm, and then when he got old, he'd let his grandson prop up the sky for him!
Xiao Lin thought to himself with a sense of bliss.
Clinging to a grandson's thigh wasn't embarrassing; after all, by then, he would be "old." On this point, Xiao Lin was perfectly justified!
"Dad, look! I'm already at the Third Stage Dou Zhi Qi!"
After the father and son chatted for a while, Xiao Zhan immediately showed off his Dou Qi cultivation level to Xiao Lin.
Xiao Zhan had already been practicing for three years.
Under Xiao Lin's guidance, he basically rose by one stage of Dou Zhi Qi every year!
While this cultivation speed couldn't compare to Xiao Yan's, it actually crushed the majority of the current Xiao Clan members.
If nothing unexpected happened, by the time Xiao Zhan reached his sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony, he should be able to reach Ninth Stage Dou Zhi Qi and might even become a Dou Zhe.
Don't forget, in the original story, after Xiao Yan had his Dou Qi absorbed by Yao Lao for three years, he had only cultivated back to the Eighth Stage Dou Zhi Qi by the time of his ceremony.
Of course, that was Xiao Yan cultivating from the Third Stage Dou Zhi Qi to the Eighth Stage in a single year. Therefore, at this moment, Xiao Zhan's cultivation speed wasn't considered slow.
When Xiao Lin saw his son's iconic "Third Stage Dou Zhi Qi," his expression stiffened for a moment before quickly turning into a smile before his son could notice.
"Not bad at all, as expected of my son!"
With children, one had to focus primarily on encouragement.
Upon receiving his father's praise, a massive smile broke out on Xiao Zhan's face. Looking at his son's smile, for a moment, Xiao Lin didn't know how to bring up the fact that he was heading out for a period of experiential training.
"Dad, are you going away on a long trip again?"
Just as Xiao Lin was looking conflicted, he didn't expect Xiao Zhan to speak first and see right through his thoughts.
"Zhan'er, who told you your dad was going on a long trip?"
Xiao Lin looked surprised.
But on second thought, that didn't seem right. Regarding his departure for training, he had only discussed it with Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng so far; it was impossible for the other clansmen to know!
He had come straight back after the talk with the Clan Leader, so Xiao Zhan hadn't even had contact with Xiao Dongcheng yet!
In that case, how did his son know?
It was no wonder Xiao Lin was so surprised.
"Hehe, you told me yourself, Dad!"
Xiao Zhan answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Me?"
Now, Xiao Lin was even more baffled.
For a moment, he even doubted if he had amnesia. After all, he recalled their conversation just now and didn't think he had revealed a single hint!
While Xiao Lin looked at his son with a face full of confusion, Xiao Zhan spoke up at the right time.
"I saw it on your face, of course. Don't you know, Dad? Actually, every time before you go on a long trip, you always have this conflicted expression when facing me. So, I naturally guessed that you're going away again..."
Xiao Zhan first explained how he guessed his father was leaving, but as he finished speaking, a visible flash of loneliness appeared on his face. For Xiao Zhan, who had been without a mother since he was young, Xiao Lin acted as both father and mother.
Although Clan Leader Xiao Dongcheng often looked after Xiao Zhan, and Xiao Zhan already considered the Clan Leader family in his heart, he still wasn't his parent.
There was a difference.
"Zhan'er..."
Looking at his son's expression, Xiao Lin's heart softened.
In this moment, he even had the urge to give up on the idea of going out to train. He had already failed his late wife; he didn't want to fail his son too!
However, before Xiao Lin could speak, Xiao Zhan interrupted him.
"Dad, if you have business to attend to, then go. I can take care of myself!"
"Besides, I have the Clan Leader and so many clansmen around. Don't worry about me! When you come back from this trip, I'll definitely let you see how much stronger I've become! By then, I'll be able to share your burdens."
It had to be said that at such a young age, Xiao Zhan was terrifyingly sensible!
Although he truly didn't want his father to leave, he knew that his father only wore that expression when there was something that truly needed to be done.
Therefore, he wouldn't willfully stop his father from leaving. Seeing the look in his son's eyes—a mix of reluctance and determination—Xiao Lin smiled with relief.
"Alright, Zhan'er. When Dad returns, I will personally choose a suitable cultivation technique for you!"
If this training trip took five or six years, then by the time he returned, Xiao Zhan's cultivation would likely have reached Ninth Stage Dou Zhi Qi or even Dou Zhe.
At that point, they could start considering a cultivation technique. If he could obtain a cultivation technique suitable for Xiao Zhan during this trip, that would be great; if not, Xiao Lin planned to spend some time personally creating one!
Even if it took some time, what did that matter when it was for his son?
"Mm, Dad, I'll be waiting!"
Regarding his father's promise, Xiao Zhan cast aside the sadness of the upcoming parting and nodded excitedly.
"Come, I'll take you to visit your Uncle Nalan's house. You and Nalan Su probably haven't seen each other in a while. I'll take you over so you two can have some fun. There's no need to stay home and train your life away every day."
"Okay!"
Then, Xiao Lin put his arm around his son's shoulder and left the Xiao Mansion, heading all the way to the Nalan residence.
As for the arrival of the father and son, the Nalan family's doorman led them straight inside. Given the current relationship between the two families, there was no need for empty formalities. Soon, led by the doorman, Xiao Lin and Xiao Zhan saw Nalan Jie and his son, Nalan Su.
"Uncle Nalan."
"Uncle Xiao."
Xiao Zhan and Nalan Su spoke almost simultaneously, greeting Nalan Jie and Xiao Lin respectively. Because of the current relationship between Xiao Lin and Nalan Jie, the two families naturally visited each other often.
Since Xiao Lin was heading out for training, he naturally had to visit Nalan Jie.
At the same time, Xiao Lin wanted Nalan Jie to help keep an eye on the Xiao Clan during his absence. His relationship with others wasn't quite at that level, so it wouldn't be easy to ask, but with Nalan Jie, there was no need for embarrassment.
This was the main reason why Xiao Lin chose to visit the Nalan residence first before leaving.
After all, Xiao Lin's trip this time would take a considerable amount of time. Without him, a Dou Wang powerhouse, to suppress things, it was possible that some small-time clowns might come out to cause trouble for the Xiao Clan.
Therefore, having Nalan Jie, a Dou Wang, help keep an eye on things was indeed very necessary. Even if no clowns came looking for trouble, it could be considered a precaution just in case.
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