Tang Xiaojie’s experiences during those seven days in ancient times had left him unable to ever again take lightly what Professor and Yue Nannan had warned about the future. He had witnessed the battlefield where hundreds of thousands perished. He had faced incredibly powerful opponents. He had even been personally bestowed the Ultimate Heaven Blade by the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. This mission could be considered successfully completed. However, for a long time after returning to modern society, Xiaojie would dream of the same scene every night: Chi You’s curse uttered after his death. On the night they returned, the Yellow and Yan Emperors bade farewell to Xiaojie and the others with gratitude. The last thing the Yellow Emperor said to Xiaojie was, “Our difficulties have been resolved thanks to you, but we may not have the ability to help you with the difficulties you will face in your time. Good luck to you!”

The Nine Heavens Goddess had left the Yellow and Yan Emperors forever, but their resilience deeply moved Xiaojie. Parting and death truly are painful things. If one of the four of them had fallen during those seven days, never to return, could he have faced that reality with such strength? Xiaojie often pondered this. He especially felt a pang of pain in his heart when he remembered Yue Nannan being injured in the left shoulder by Chi You. What if she had died in ancient times? Those seven days were truly a life-and-death struggle. Thinking about it made Xiaojie unwilling to dwell on it any further.

“We’ve been back for a while now, Xiaojie. Why don’t we go visit your father tomorrow?” Yue Nannan suggested, coming up to Xiaojie, who was lost in thought.

Xiaojie looked at Yue Nannan. “Sure, since we’ve been practicing the skills Master taught me ever since we got back. I do miss my dad. I really want to see him.”

“Yes, having family is a very happy thing. I really envy you,” Yue Nannan said, with an expression that conveyed a near familial affection.

Xiaojie got up early the next morning. He was in particularly good spirits, probably because he was going home! Master Wang and Yue Nannan accompanied Xiaojie on the journey back home. The three of them took a boat to Dalian, and then traveled from Dalian to Anshan. It took two days in total. When Xiaojie stepped out of the Anshan passenger station, everything looked both familiar and new to him. He had been a Missionary for almost two months, with one trip lasting over a month, and had even traveled to ancient times. Who would believe it if he told them? Being alive is great! Just as he was lost in thought, Master Wang timely reminded him, “Why don’t you buy something for your dad? If you don’t have money, use your salary card at the bank. Your salary should be in there by the tenth of each month, and you should have received a few thousand yuan by now. Don’t be extravagant with the elderly!”

Xiaojie nodded and said with a smile, “Master, I’ll buy some good food to take home. You and Yue Nannan should come to my house for dinner. After all, it’s normal for colleagues to visit my home, right?”

“Sure, sure. We’ve been eating vegetarian food on the mountain or wild vegetables and animals in ancient times. I’ve been longing for some home-cooked food. Haha, you’re a thoughtful guy.”

Hearing this, Xiaojie and Yue Nannan said in unison, “No need to guess, we knew you’d say that.” Then everyone laughed.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Around three in the afternoon, they arrived at Xiaojie’s home. Tang Xiaojie’s home was on Changqing Street in the Tie Dong District. It was a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment. His father, 53 years old, was a retired senior technician due to health reasons. Mr. Tang was very hospitable. Seeing his son return after such a long trip, he was overjoyed and warmly welcomed his son’s two colleagues.

Xiaojie’s mother had passed away early, so he lived with his father. The greatness of fatherly love was fully evident in this home. Mr. Tang felt an inexplicable fondness for Yue Nannan upon seeing her. Perhaps this old father had already decided that she was his future daughter-in-law. Mr. Tang was very talkative and had a great time chatting with Master Wang. Usually, he was bored at home alone, but now that there were more people, he opened up even more. Master Wang, being a naturally humorous person, found great rapport with Mr. Tang.

Xiaojie took on the task of cooking, with Yue Nannan volunteering to help in the kitchen. It was actually quite simple. Most of what they bought was pre-cooked for convenience. After all, how many young people enjoy cooking? However, they did buy a live grouper because Mr. Tang loved braised fish. This dish really stumped Xiaojie. He intended to ask his father to cook it, but Yue Nannan stopped him. Having grown up without parental care, she had learned to take care of herself and was a skilled cook. She was indeed an exception among modern young people.

At around five in the evening, they officially started dinner at Xiaojie’s suggestion. With six dishes and one soup, it was a very sumptuous meal. In this extremely warm atmosphere, the four of them happily enjoyed a reunion dinner. Xiaojie had no idea that this meal might be his last dinner with his father. After he left home again, he would never have the chance to return. The only way to fulfill his filial duty would be to send money home to his father every month and call him when he had the time. In the days to come, Xiaojie would face a life that defied normalcy.

Xiaojie initially planned to stay home for a few days to spend time with his father. Master Wang and Yue Nannan also had this idea. After all, the feeling of home is warm and happy for everyone. However, things didn’t go as planned. Early the next morning, Master Wang’s phone rang. A major problem had arisen.

The call was from Professor Wang. It turned out that the headquarters had been unable to contact the Anshan liaison point for the past few days and didn’t know where Dawei, who was left behind to guard Yue Nannan, had gone. At that time, Yue Nannan and the others hadn’t returned yet. The professor, whose injury had long since healed, decided to come to Anshan to investigate. When he arrived at the liaison point (the farmhouse at the foot of Qianshan), he discovered that Dawei was already dead. It seemed he had been dead for quite some time. Strangely, he was killed by a special elemental force, which persisted on his body, preventing any decay.

When Xiaojie and the others arrived at the liaison point, National Security personnel were already there handling the scene. The professor was talking with a security official, describing Dawei’s identity and the situation when he found Dawei’s body.

Xiaojie and the others examined Dawei’s body. There was indeed an undispersed elemental force. This force was very peculiar, different from any magical or Taoist form. But it was undoubtedly elemental energy, which was puzzling.

After gathering some information, the National Security personnel took Dawei’s body away. The professor and the others began to investigate who might have attacked Dawei and why such a strange incident occurred. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t reach any conclusive results.

The professor said, “Let’s stop speculating. I’ve taken a blood sample from Dawei and some of the undispersed element from his body. I’ll analyze them at the lab to see if we get any results.”

Everyone agreed with the professor’s suggestion. After a long and disappointing day, with one incident after another, they were unsure of what these events portended.

As night fell, Xiaojie intended to go home to be with his father, but two special visitors made him stay.