C23 Go Home.

"Mom, I'm home."

"Tian Er, you're finally back. Your father and I have been beside ourselves with worry. We must have gone to the library at least ten times. If it weren't for the librarian's repeated assurances and the library's system showing you were always in the private reading room, we would have thought you'd disappeared."

"Just look at you now, you've lost all the weight you'd gained. Who survives on Yi Gu Wan for three months? Hold on, I'll make you something delicious. Oh, you seem... different somehow?" Xia Xiaodie couldn't help but notice the change in her son, whom she had missed so dearly, now standing before her. She couldn't contain her words.

"No need, Mom, I've already eaten... uh, Yi Gu Wan tonight. Is Dad not home?"

"Oh, your father had to attend an urgent meeting. I'm afraid he won't be back until you're out of the Scripture Pavilion. Let me send him a message through the Holo-Brain so he doesn't worry." Xia Xiaodie, distracted by Hanyu Xiaotian, momentarily forgot her son's altered appearance. After all, no matter the changes, he was still her son.

But a second later, as if struck by a sudden thought, Xia Xiaodie exclaimed, "Yi Gu Wan? That won't do at all. I'm going to make you sweet and sour fish right now. You have to eat something proper." Without another word, she didn't even bother to message Hanyu Zhan'an and hurried off to the kitchen.

"Okay, Mom, I'll go take a shower first, then come down for dinner."

"Go on, go on."

In the bathroom, after his shower, Hanyu Xiaotian studied his reflection. A ten-year-old shouldn't look so mature. His slender physique was lean but not frail; his untrimmed hair, now reaching past his shoulders, was simply tied back with a hairband, bangs dripping water onto his forehead. His pale, oval face had features that were mesmerizing, especially his eyes. Three months ago, they radiated innocence and curiosity, but now they held a calm and composed depth, dark as ink.

"Mom's sweet and sour fish is so much better than Yi Gu Wan."

"Of course it is. How could you even compare my specialty to those pills?"

"I'm sorry, Mom!" Hanyu Xiaotian quickly apologized.

Such simple exchanges, a rare warmth—this was the feeling of home.

"By the way, Mom, aren't you working these days? You're usually so busy."

"Busy? I've been swamped for over two years, developing new armor for the ninth military district to withstand the harsh conditions on Sheng No. 2 mining star. Thousands of materials tested, tens of thousands of experiments, and finally, I synthesized a new material suited for that inhospitable environment. That contract alone brought the Xia Family orders worth tens of billions. Can't I take a break? It's nice to be home with my husband and son. I'm not rushing back until you're ready to start your cultivation. Speaking of which, Tian Er, have you... found a way?"

Xia Xiaodie's tone was skeptical, but her expression betrayed her doubt that her son could have succeeded.

Nonsense, she and Hanyu Zhan'an had tried everything over the years: top medical experts from the government, Western super gene serums, rune array Masters, even the family Chief had made attempts, all to no avail. Could Hanyu Xiaotian, a mere child, have found a solution after just three months in the library? It seemed impossible to even consider.