Yin Zhang chuckled and looked at Hu Liena beside him.
"Alright, Nana. There's no need to look for Tang San anymore. Let's head straight back to Saint Spirit Village and visit Grandpa Jack."
Visit Grandpa Jack?
Hu Liena's heart stirred slightly.
You had to know—even Qiangu Yunying had never met Brother Zhang's grandfather.
Yin Zhang, however, didn't notice what she was thinking. He only saw her giggling softly and felt a bit puzzled.
Hu Liena looked at him, her eyes flickering.
For her, being brought along to meet Yin Zhang's grandfather was already a very meaningful signal—and perhaps even more than that.
"I don't want to keep traveling anymore," Yin Zhang said calmly. "We'll fly straight back to Saint Spirit Village and see Grandpa Jack. I don't know how he's been living these past seven years, or whether he's missed me. What I regret most is that when I left back then, I didn't properly say goodbye. These seven years, I've missed him a lot. I just hope he hasn't forgotten me."
"Brother Zhang, don't worry," Hu Liena said gently. "From what you've said, Grandpa Jack loves you very much. Since he loves you that much, there's no way he's forgotten you. We just need to think about how to properly catch up with him when we return."
Yin Zhang smiled slightly. She was right.
In these seven years, he truly had missed Grandpa Jack.
Sometimes he even wondered—if he had returned alone back then just to say a proper farewell, would everything have felt different?
Yin Zhang summoned Charizard to possess him and carried Hu Liena as they flew straight from Nuoding City toward Saint Spirit Village.
Looking down at the familiar village below, emotion surged in his heart.
After landing steadily, Hu Liena began to look around curiously.
"Even though it's small, it's actually very beautiful," she said with a smile.
Yin Zhang retracted his martial soul, returning from his dragon-man form to his human appearance. Smiling, he replied, "Saint Spirit Village is just a small place—don't flatter it too much. I just don't know whether Old Jack has changed his habits over these seven years. Normally, at this time of day, Grandpa Jack should be resting inside his house. Thinking about these years… his life probably hasn't had many other changes."
As they walked toward the center of the village, Hu Liena suddenly saw a middle-aged man riding a yellow ox, a cart of vegetables trailing behind him, heading toward the village entrance with a cheerful expression.
"Uncle Li?" Yin Zhang asked curiously.
Even after seven years, he still remembered some of the villagers.
Uncle Li was one of the larger farmers in Saint Spirit Village. His family owned the most farmland, and aside from this old yellow ox, he also had two others. He had three sons and one daughter, but unfortunately none of them possessed innate spirit power. They could only live ordinary lives in the village.
Yin Zhang didn't know whether Uncle Li would still recognize him after all this time, but now that he had returned, he hoped everyone in the village would know. Otherwise, he would seem like someone who forgot his roots.
Uncle Li pulled on the rope, stopping the ox. He looked at Yin Zhang and Hu Liena suspiciously.
"Who are you? I don't think I know you. Why are you calling me Uncle Li?"
Yin Zhang laughed.
"Uncle Li, it's me—Yin Zhang. It's been seven years; don't you recognize me anymore? Back then, I even snuck sweet potatoes out of your fields. I've finally returned from Spirit Hall to see my grandfather, and just happened to run into you, so of course I had to say hello."
Uncle Li froze for a moment, then suddenly pointed at him excitedly.
"Oh! Xiao Zhang! You've finally come back! Do you know how much the village chief has missed you these past seven years? And who's the girl behind you? Don't tell me—Xiao Zhang, is she your…?"
Yin Zhang laughed openly.
"Haha, Uncle Li, you guessed right. Her name is Nana—she's my girlfriend. She came back with me to Saint Spirit Village. By the way, where is Grandpa Jack right now? I want to go see him."
Even though he knew Old Jack was usually at home at this hour, he asked just to be sure.
Uncle Li answered without hesitation.
"The village chief should be at home right now. If you're going, go quickly. Lately, he's been taking walks around the village in the afternoons. I don't know what's on his mind. If you hurry, you should be able to catch him before he goes out."
Yin Zhang nodded.
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Li."
He didn't linger any longer. Taking Hu Liena with him, he followed the familiar paths from memory until they arrived outside the village chief's courtyard—Old Jack's home.
Yin Zhang released his mental power and gently probed inside.
As expected, within the courtyard, an elderly man leaned on his cane, gazing fondly at stacks of documents spread across the table. From his expression alone, his mood was clearly good—perhaps even joyful.
"Saint Spirit Village's grain output has been steadily increasing," Old Jack murmured happily as he flipped through the papers again and again. "If this continues, in a few years every household will have surplus grain, and more money in their hands. The village will only get better and better… this is truly wonderful."
Hearing this, Yin Zhang felt a dull ache in his heart.
He hadn't imagined that after seven years, Grandpa Jack was still living much the same life as before—and that without him around, Old Jack's days had become even more orderly and stable.
Time really did change many things.
Even someone already in old age, like Grandpa Jack, had slowly adjusted his habits with the passing years.
Hu Liena noticed the change in Yin Zhang's expression and couldn't help feeling curious.
What exactly was going on?
Did this Old Jack truly hold such an important place in Yin Zhang's heart…?
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