The dream from his previous life of becoming a pilot had come true after transmigrating.
Piloting the small airship, such a thought bubbled up in Yan Zhen’s mind.
Holy Land Academy lay in the central region of Jialan Continent, while Garo Kingdom sat far to the east—a vast distance between them. Even aboard the academy’s warship on his previous trip, it had taken three full days, and that was with frequent stops along the way.
The small airship was considerably slower than a large warship, but after racing nonstop, they finally returned to Garo after roughly three days.
“I’m heading home first, then off to Cloud Heaven Palace. What about you, Wenqing? Home first, or straight to Cloud Heaven Palace?”
“I’ve already told my master not to bother picking me up. I’ll go with you to Martial Tang City—perfect chance to see Grandpa Yan Lie.”
Uh oh, she wouldn’t be planning to tattle, would she? Yan Zhen suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He glanced back at Long Ying, sprawled out asleep in the rear seat, and a bad premonition stirred in his gut.
Less than half an hour later, the small airship reached Martial Tang City.
As one of Garo Kingdom’s top ten cities, it enforced a strict no-fly rule over its airspace. But Yan Zhen was the young city lord, after all—he had his privileges.
The airship soared directly over the city walls, threaded through the bustling streets, and descended smoothly before the city lord’s mansion at the heart of the inner city.
The two middle-aged guards at the gate went pale with alarm. One hurried forward to intercept while the other bolted inside to alert their superiors.
Airships like this were rare even in the royal capital. This had to be some major figure inbound—who knew if friend or foe?
“Old Zheng, relax—it’s me.”
Yan Zhen stepped down from the airship and flashed the middle-aged guard a smile. The man squinted, then his face lit up with recognition.
“Y-Young Master?! Young Master Yan Zhen?!”
“Yeah, I’m back from Holy Land Academy to visit family. Go let Grandpa know.”
“Right away! The city lord’s going to be over the moon.”
Old Zheng dashed into the mansion, his booming voice echoing even from outside: “The young master’s back!”
Huangfu Wenqing and Long Ying followed Yan Zhen down and into the city lord’s mansion. They hadn’t reached the main hall when Grandpa emerged at the head of several uncles and elders to greet them. Both parties halted mid-stride.
“Zhen’er!”
Joy radiated from the old man’s face. With his own son gone, his grandson was his sole remaining hope.
Though a transmigrator, Yan Zhen knew full well how deeply Yan Lie cared for him.
“Grandpa, I’m home.”
“Welcome back—welcome home! Come here, let Grandpa get a good look at you.” Yan Lie steadied his grandson’s shoulder and looked him over from head to toe. “Hmm, you’ve shot up a bit taller, filled out some too—no slacking on your training… Wait. Zhen’er, your aura—”
“I’ve broken through to Mystic General Realm, Grandpa.”
Yan Zhen laid it out plainly, no holding back, just to see the old man beam.
Yan Lie froze, the uncles behind him equally stunned.
“Mystic General? You’ve reached Mystic General, Zhen’er?”
Yan Lie had only just recovered his own Mystic General cultivation, yet he couldn’t pierce Yan Zhen’s aura at all. He’d assumed the boy was masking it—not that he’d caught right up.
A fresh chorus of “excellent, excellent” rang out as Yan Lie burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Not bad, not bad at all—worthy of the Yan Family’s prized unicorn! We’ve got a proper heir now!”
At that moment, Huangfu Wenqing stepped forward from behind Yan Zhen and offered her greeting.
“Grandpa Yan Lie, it’s been too long.”
Yan Lie started, then recognition dawned as he took in her features.
“Wenqing? How in the—”
“I followed my master’s instructions to study at Holy Land Academy for a year. This time, I returned alongside Yan Zhen.”
“Ah, I see. So the two of you were classmates there all this time?”
Huangfu Wenqing dipped her head shyly in affirmation.
Yan Lie’s delight swelled even further.
“Excellent, excellent—classmates together is perfect.” He’d lost count of how many “excelents” he’d said. “High time I chat wedding dates with old man Huangfu.”
“And me! And me too!”
A crisp, childish loli voice cut Yan Lie off. The old man glanced around in bewilderment before dropping his gaze to find a fluffy, pink-haired loli clinging to Yan Zhen’s leg. He blinked in surprise.
—Whose kid was this?
Yan Lie looked to his grandson, puzzled.
“Zhen’er, who’s the little one?”
Yan Zhen mustered an awkward yet courteous smile.
“Her name’s Long Ying—a friend I made at the academy. Don’t let the size fool you; she’s actually a Mystic King powerhouse.”
Mystic King!? The Yan Family retainers drew sharp breaths. Holy Land Academy truly hid dragons and tigers aplenty!
The loli dragon girl piped up sweetly.
“Hello, Grandpa Yan Lie! Hello, uncles! I’m Yan Zhen Zhen’s good buddy—please look after me~”
Her sheer adorableness eased Yan Lie’s tension, coaxing a gentle, grandfatherly smile to his lips.
“That’s my line. Zhen’er hasn’t got many friends—please keep an eye on him for me.”
“You got it! I’ll protect Yan Zhen Zhen—no one’ll bully him on my watch!”
“Heh heh haha, then she’s in your hands, little miss—Enough standing around. Inside, everyone. Servants—set up a grand feast in the city lord’s mansion tonight. A proper welcome for Zhen’er and his friends!”
That night, the city lord’s mansion overflowed with over a hundred banquet tables. The entire household gathered to celebrate Yan Zhen’s homecoming.
Huangfu Wenqing and Long Ying flanked Yan Zhen at the table, chatting animatedly with Yan Lie and the elders.
Long Ying in particular, for all her tiny frame, packed away food like a hamster—cheeks puffed to bursting. It had the cluster of aunts nearby glowing with delight, cooing inwardly at the cuteness.
After the meal, two of Yan Zhen’s closer cousins dragged him over to the ladies’ side, peppering him with questions about their daughters.
“How are Meng’er and the others? Why didn’t they come back with you?”
Yan Zhen answered truthfully.
“Meng’er and Cousin Ruyu have both hit Mystic Master Realm. They’re prepping for the Dragon Gate Grand Selection half a month from now, so they can’t make it back just yet.”
The news that their daughters had become Mystic Master experts thrilled the two women. They leaned in with sly whispers, probing if Yan Zhen had “made any happy progress” with them.
Under the aunts’ collective stare, Yan Zhen’s face flushed beet red. He offered no denial—an implicit admission.
The cousins beamed even brighter.
Daughters thriving, young lord capable: the union promised to bolster the Yan Family immensely. Their own standing would rise with the tide, letting them face other noble ladies with pride.
Yan Zhen beat a hasty retreat, escorting Huangfu Wenqing and Long Ying to their guest quarters and seeing them settled.
Defying expectations, Long Ying threw no fit about bunking with Yan Zhen Zhen. She accepted the arrangement meekly and chirped that she’d drop by his room later to play.
Huangfu Wenqing mentioned wanting to peek at his room later too.
Yan Zhen saw no issue with that. He made his way back to his courtyard—empty for a full year—pushed open his bedroom door, and found it immaculate, not a speck of dust. Someone clearly cleaned it daily.
He summoned a servant for hot bathwater, enjoyed a quick soak, slipped into a fresh night robe, then activated his Star Shifting Fire Seal. He slipped into the Fire Refining Starry Sky to update his beautiful master on his safe arrival home.
He’d hoped to linger and chat longer, but a knock sounded at his door—Yaniselle Lie, no doubt. Yan Zhen withdrew from the Fire Refining Starry Sky and opened up.
Grandpa plainly wanted a heart-to-heart.
They traded family chit-chat for a spell before Yan Lie grew solemn.
“Zhen’er, what’s your deal with the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce?”
Yan Zhen blinked.
“Why bring that up out of the blue, Grandpa?”
