After several minutes of breathless running, the two finally arrived at Chief Tyson's house.
At the edge of the courtyard, Xiao Ling suddenly came to a halt. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs,
"Uncle Tyson! Are you home?"
"Hey—stop shouting!" Lu Tianming, standing beside her, winced and covered his ears. "You'll wake the whole village."
"Huh? What did you say?" Xiao Ling turned toward him, genuinely confused, as if she hadn't heard a single word. Before Lu Tianming could repeat himself, the wooden courtyard door was suddenly flung open.
A tall figure stormed out.
Within the courtyard, Tyson emerged with an irritable expression, clearly disturbed from his rest. But the moment his sharp gaze fell upon Xiao Ling and Lu Tianming standing outside, the anger on his face eased, replaced by mild confusion.
"What's wrong with the two of you?" he asked, his brows still furrowed. "Coming to my house so early in the morning."
"Uncle Tyson, it's really important!" Xiao Ling blurted out excitedly, barely able to contain herself. "You won't believe it—Xiao Lu… Xiao Lu can smile now!"
"What?" Tyson stiffened at once. His eyes widened as he stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Lu Tianming by the shoulders, pulling him closer as if afraid his eyes were deceiving him.
"Is that true?" Tyson's voice lowered, carrying a trace of disbelief and urgency.
Caught off guard, Lu Tianming felt his face heat up. He nodded slightly and said in a restrained, almost shy tone,
"Uncle Tyson… it seems I can express my emotions now."
For a brief moment, the courtyard fell silent—yet that silence carried more weight than any shout.
"Hahaha! Thank the heavens!" Tyson laughed heartily, his voice echoing through the courtyard. "You've finally become how a child of your age should be. This truly is a joyful occasion."
At first, when Xiao Ling had rushed over with her excited claims, he had thought it nothing more than childish exaggeration. Yet now, looking at the unmistakable embarrassment on Lu Tianming's face—the lowered gaze, the stiff posture—any lingering doubt vanished.
It was real.
"Uncle, are we just going to stand outside like this?" Xiao Ling complained, stamping her foot on the ground in irritation.
"Oh—no, no! Of course not." Tyson waved his hands hurriedly, snapping out of his daze. "Why would you stand outside? Come, come. Let's go in. I need to tell my wife this good news!"
He turned and led them into the courtyard.
As they stepped inside, Tyson quickly disappeared into the inner rooms to inform his wife, leaving Xiao Ling and Lu Tianming standing beneath the open sky.
"Wow… Uncle Tyson's house is really big," Xiao Ling exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked around in awe.
"Mm." Lu Tianming nodded in quiet agreement.
Not only was the house spacious, even the courtyard itself was unusually large. Lu Tianming knew the reason well—Tyson was the only Soul Master in the entire village, a status that naturally set him apart from ordinary villagers.
As he continued to observe his surroundings, soft footsteps approached from behind.
Tyson soon returned, accompanied by his wife.
The moment Lu Tianming saw her, a wave of distant memories surfaced. His mother and Tyson's wife had once been close friends, before illness had taken his mother away.
Her name was Qing Wei.
She was not originally from this village, but from Gengxin City.
When her gentle eyes fell upon Lu Tianming, she smiled faintly and stepped forward.
"Xiao Ling… Xiao Lu," she greeted softly.
"Hello, Auntie," the two replied in unison, bowing politely.
"Well then, let's go inside," Qing Wei said softly, her gaze warm as it rested on the two children. "We can talk more comfortably while sitting."
"Okay," they both nodded.
Once inside the house, Qing Wei gently instructed Tyson to fetch some fresh fruits before turning and heading into the kitchen herself. Xiao Ling and Lu Tianming sat down on the couch, quietly waiting.
A few minutes later, Qing Wei returned, carrying a plate filled with neatly arranged pastries. She set the plate on the table before them and then sat down beside the two.
"Here, have some pastries," she said kindly. "I made them myself."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Xiao Ling replied cheerfully as she reached out and picked one up without hesitation.
Lu Tianming, however, remained still.
Noticing this, Qing Wei turned her attention to him, her expression filled with gentle concern.
"What's wrong, Xiao Lu? Why aren't you eating?"
"It's nothing, Auntie," Lu Tianming answered after a brief pause, forcing a faint smile. "I just… don't really feel like eating."
Hearing Lu Tianming's reply, Qing Wei's expression dimmed almost imperceptibly. The warmth in her eyes faded, replaced by a quiet sorrow.
"It seems… you're angry with me," she said softly, her voice tinged with regret. "And you wouldn't be wrong. I was at fault for not taking care of Lu Ling."
Her gaze lowered. "She was my closest friend ever since I arrived in this village as a newlywed."
Lu Tianming remained silent.
The truth was—he was angry.
But not for the reason Qing Wei believed.
What lingered in his heart was the fact that after his mother passed away, Qing Wei had not appeared at the funeral. Not even once. For a child who had already lost everything, that absence had carved a quiet wound.
Yet, despite the bitterness, he said nothing.
As if sensing the weight in the room, Qing Wei drew a trembling breath and continued, her words slowly spilling out.
"Before she fell ill… I was already pregnant," she said, her hands tightening together. "But due to an accident, the child… they never got the chance to see the world."
Her voice broke.
"I was already devastated, barely holding myself together. Tyson feared that hearing about Lu Ling's death would push me into severe illness." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook her head. "So he didn't tell me. I only found out… yesterday."
With that, her restraint shattered, and quiet sobs filled the room.
At that moment, Tyson entered with a plate of fresh fruits. The instant he saw his wife crying, he stopped in his tracks. Without a word, he set the plate down and walked over, gently pulling her into his arms.
"Don't cry," he said softly, his voice low and steady. "Everything will be alright."
He held her until her trembling eased, then carefully guided her toward the inner room to rest.
Tyson had already guessed the cause of her tears the moment he saw her expression. The guilt she carried over Lu Ling's death had never truly faded. And so, instead of asking questions, he chose silence—offering only comfort.
Because sometimes, comfort mattered more than explanations.
After seeing his wife to rest, Tyson returned to the main hall.
Xiao Ling sat quietly on the couch, absent-mindedly chewing her pastry, while Lu Tianming stared ahead, lost in thought.
In truth, both children were still shaken by what they had just heard. As for Lu Tianming, a heavy guilt settled in his chest.
How could I have doubted her?
He had blamed her without knowing the truth—without giving her the chance to explain.
Tyson took in their expressions with a single glance and sighed inwardly.
"Enough," he said firmly, yet not unkindly. "What happened was tragic, but it's something none of us could stop." His gaze swept over the two of them. "That's why we can only do one thing—keep moving forward."
"…Mm."
Both nodded quietly.
Seeing the heavy atmosphere linger, Tyson leaned back slightly and let a small smile appear on his face.
"Alright then," he said, deliberately changing the subject. "How were your first cultivation practices?"
At once, Xiao Ling's eyes lit up. The earlier heaviness vanished as if it had never existed.
"They were amazing!" she said excitedly. "Uncle, after practicing the technique you taught me, I feel much stronger than before!"
Tyson chuckled softly, clearly pleased.
"And you, Xiao Lu?" he asked, turning toward Lu Tianming.
Lu Tianming hesitated for a moment before replying honestly.
"I… broke through Level Six. I've reached Level Seven in soul power."
The room fell briefly silent.
/////
Thanks for Everyone's support!