Just as Felicia stepped out to fetch Xiao Pei, a sudden flash of golden light lit up the chamber.
A system notification shimred before Fang Yuan’s eyes.
[New Quest: Eliminate the bandits near Tushar Village. ]
Reward: 500 SP
Failure: Village Faith Loss
Almost imdiately after, another ssage blinked into existence.
[Host, would you like to activate the Faith System in full view?]
Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes at the prompt, then exhaled softly.
"...Yes," he whispered.
The mont the word left his lips, the golden light surged, brighter, warr, almost divine.
[Integrating The Heavenly Clan Building system with Faith System...
1%... 2%... ]
He stared at the numbers ticking upward.
Still staring at 26%.
"...Tch."
With a sigh, he waved the screen away. "It’ll keep loading whether I watch or not."
The golden light of the system had already faded from his eyes.
Adjusting his robes, Fang Yuan left the eting room and made his way toward his personal chamber, his steps unhurried.
He pushed open the door to his quarters and stepped inside.
Shedding his ceremonial robes, he changed into sothing simpler, comfortable dark inner robes, loose at the sleeves, and tied with a thin silver cord at the waist.
No armor and no emblems, just Fang Yuan, as he preferred to be.
He took a mont, adjusting the cuffs with practiced ease.
Then, with a faint sigh and a flick of his sleeve, he stepped out to greet an old friend.
Fang Yuan stepped out into the garden, the gentle splash of water and the lazy swirl of koi in the pond greeting him like an old lullaby.
The breeze was cool, carrying the faint scent of lotus blossoms.
His gaze drifted to the distant southern mountain range, veiled in a soft blue haze.
"I wonder what that old man is still up to..." he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing slightly at the peaks beyond.
The thought passed like a shadow, and he quickly shook it off.
From the pathway near the inner gates ca a familiar laugh, boisterous and unmistakable.
Fang Yuan turned, just in ti to see a plump figure waddling beside Felicia, buried under what looked like a small mountain of baggage.
Yet despite the clear burden, the man still found the breath to chatter animatedly, throwing exaggerated complints at Felicia, who rely smiled with polite indifference.
"Hah... still old Da Pang..." Fang Yuan muttered with a faint smirk, watching the way Xiao Pei angled his head a little too close to hers. "Perverted as always."
He stepped forward, hands behind his back.
"Long ti no see, Xiao Pei!"
Xiao Pei froze mid-sentence, eyes lighting up as he turned.
"Shou Ge?!"
The bags clattered slightly as he stumbled forward, arms spread wide like he might attempt a dramatic embrace until he rembered who he was dealing with.
He stopped just short, panting slightly. "Shou Ge... you haven’t aged a day, but I swear these bags have added twenty years to my back!"
Fang Yuan chuckled. "That’s your fault for packing your entire house whenever you leave."
"I packed modestly!" Xiao Pei declared, puffing up his chest. "Just a few daily essentials—pill furnace, seven cauldrons, ergency snacks, one spiritual duck..."
Felicia glanced sideways. "You have also tried to pack your family’s ancestral altar before."
Xiao Pei looked wounded. "It’s a good luck charm!"
Fang Yuan just shook his head, lips twitching.
Yes... so things never changed.
Fang Yuan crossed his arms with a slight grin. "So? Did you succeed this ti?"
Xiao Pei sighed dramatically, shoulders slumping. "Nope. My grandpa caught red-handed and gave a good beating."
Fang Yuan burst out in hearty laughter. "Pfft again?! You never learn!"
Xiao Pei pointed a chubby finger at him in mock offense. "How dare you laugh at my suffering, you vile fox! No wonder you’re still single!"
Still chuckling, Fang Yuan turned to Felicia. "Felicia, go get so of the servants to carry his luggage to the guest room."
She gave a graceful bow. "Understood, Clan Head," she said before turning and walking away swiftly.
Xiao Pei’s eyes followed her with exaggerated admiration. "So her na is Felicia... She’s beautiful, Shao Ge. Where’d you find her?"
"? No, no," Fang Yuan waved a hand dismissively. "My parents adopted her."
Xiao Pei blinked. "Huh? So she’s your sister?"
"Yup," Fang Yuan nodded. "So if you’re eyeing her, I can’t help you."
"Seriously?" Xiao Pei frowned, disappointed.
Fang Yuan suddenly laughed louder. "Are you stupid? If she were truly my sister, I wouldn’t have her working as a servant."
Xiao Pei stared at him, slack-jawed.
"But," Fang Yuan continued with a smirk, "she is one of the very few servants I trust, so you can’t have her either way."
"Tch. Stingy." Xiao Pei muttered.
"Co on," Fang Yuan gestured, leading him along the paved path through the courtyard. "What brings you here anyway?"
Surely not because he misses , Fang Yuan thought with a hint of suspicion. That’d be too weird. That’s gay.
"Because I missed you, brother Shao Ge," Xiao Pei said cheerfully.
Fang Yuan stopped in his tracks, his expression turning to horror. "Ugh, I’ll kill you."
Xiao Pei clutched his heart, pretending to be wounded. "Okay, okay! Sheesh. I got kicked out, alright?"
Fang Yuan blinked. "What? I thought you were already kicked out of the Xiao family ten years ago."
Xiao Pei turned away dramatically. "Tch. Should’ve known better than to co crawling to you..."
Fang Yuan laughed, quickening his pace to catch up. "Hahaha! Brother Da Pang, co on, I was joking! Don’t be so dramatic."
He slung an arm around Xiao Pei’s shoulder. "I’ll treat you to my best wine. Let’s go, cheer up before I make you run laps."
Xiao Pei perked up. "You still have the plum wine?"
"Of course I do. You think I’d run out on that?"
They walked off together, bantering as they vanished deeper into the estate, two friends, reunited at last.
**
[Quick Side Note: Lukas von Avetide is now Qin Hai. ]
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