By the time the morning light came in, the Li household was already alive with the smells of cooking. In the kitchen, Li Jian stood over the stove, steam curling around his sleeves. The clink of chopsticks against porcelain produces a steady rhythm.
It had been days since all seven children had been under the same roof. He received messages from Liu Xiong and Ding Weiyuan that they would be back during the morning hours.
He wanted their return to feel warm, Therefore; he's preparing a feast. The platters lining the counter were almost ready: honey-glazed spirit chicken, jade-green stir-fried lotus shoots, braised cloud carp, sweet date pastries, and a pot of fragrant spiritual rice that filled the air with a subtle calming aura. The spiritual fruit juices were cooling in the space.
The front door slid open, letting in the cool morning air.
"Daddy! We're back!" Juanxin's voice boomed through the hall before they even stepped in.
Li Jian turned toward them, his eyes softening. "Welcome home."
Liu Xiong stepped forward. His eyes were gleaming with warmth despite his calm expression. In his hands, he carried a small spirit-sealed storage bag.
"Here's the blood lotus fruit. We had quite the harvest. There were tons of the trees hiding in a mortal village. After helping the villagers deal with their beasts' invasion problem, they allowed us to dig out the trees." His tone held a note of pride and a small smile appeared on his face.
"Thanks to Juanxin who helped the villagers with their injuries, no one died."
Juanxin peeked out from behind Liu Xiong's sleeve, cheeks pink from the praise. "I wasn't that good…"
Liu Xiong smiled faintly: "He even earned the name 'Little Immortal' from the villagers."
Li Jain's gaze softened and patted Juanxin's hair: "Good work, Xin'er."
"You kept saying how you wanted to prove yourself and make me proud. This time, you've gone beyond my expectations. Good job, sweetie."
Li Juanxin's eyes curve with a smile: "Thank you father, I'm glad I was able to be of help."
Li Jian's hands stilled over the rice pot but his expression still softened: "I knew he could do better. That was just the break he needed." He said to Liu Xiong.
"I missed you too," Liu Xiong said suddenly: "So… where's my welcome?"
Li Jian blinked, and said seriously: "Welcome back." The sudden change of subject caught him off guard.
"I meant a kiss." The request was so straightforward
"Right now?" Li Jain asked hesitantly.
"Yes."
Juanxin had already darted toward the dining hall, when he saw that the two adults had important matters to discuss. Besides, he can't act like a spoiled kid in front of Uncle Liu Xiong so he left blissfully unaware.
Li Jian hesitated, then leaned in quickly, carefully brushing his lips clumsily against Liu Xiong's cheek.
Liu Xiong stared at him, unimpressed. "That's all?"
Li Jain looked at him doubtfully: "What else? My little ones always kiss me this way. It has to be the right way."
Liu Xiong was speechless: "Children kissing their parents is different from that of lovers."
Before Li Jian could argue, a strong arm looped around his waist, closing the distance between them. He captured Li Jain's mouth with a firmness that brooked no refusal. It was possessive and warm. The sudden rush of spiritual energy hit Li Jian like warm lightning, flowing through his meridians. His meridians were drawing in the energy almost greedily.
For a few seconds, he let himself sink into it. The energy was rich, intoxicating. This is the second time he felt this way but he didn't hate this feeling.
Then, just as Liu Xiong was getting to what he clearly considered "the good part", Li Jian broke away abruptly.
"Wait. I need to stabilize my energy."
Liu Xiong blinked. "...What?" He thought something was wrong with his hearing.
But Li Jian had already sat cross-legged in the corner. His hands forming a seal, breathing settling into a cultivation rhythm. The air around him thickens with spiritual pressure. It took a long while before his aura surged, breaking through a level cleanly.
When he finally opened his eyes, Liu Xiong was still staring at him in disbelief. "…Do you always have to turn every kiss into cultivation sessions?"
Li Jian tilted his head and thought about it seriously before answering: "Only when they're effective."
Liu Xiong could only stare at him doubtfully: "…I think I need to rethink my life."
Li Jain smiled sweetly. To him, Liu Xiong was like a pool of spiritual energy. Every time he touches him, he would make a breakthrough. Thinking like this, Li Jain secretly decided to increase Liu Xiong's monthly salary.
If Liu Xiong knew what Li Jain was thinking right now, he would've vomited a mouthful of blood and passed out.
"Father, we're back." Jingxuan rushed into the kitchen and threw himself into Li Jain arms.
Li Jain picked him up and pulled his cheeks: "Welcome back."
"Greetings Father." Jingsheng came over as well. He looked at Jingxuan in his father's arms and also wanted to be picked up, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Li Jain saw through him and picked him up into his other arm. He was aware that his triplets were only seven years old and it's alright for them to act like their age.
Jingsheng's cheeks flushed when he was picked up, but he didn't request to come down. He'd miss his father a lot during the short journey.
"Why do you guys look thinner? Was the food not enough?" Li Jain looked at his babies and asked worriedly.
Jingxuan wanted to nod but was slapped on the head by Jingsheng who reassured their father: "The food was ok. We were traveling and training hard so it wasn't like home."
"Oh, ok." Li Jain thought about it and felt that it made sense: "You guys should wash up and up and join your brothers at the dining table in the backyard."
"Is Juanxin back, Father?" Jingxuan asked
"Yes, he and uncle Liu came back a while ago."
The two nodded and ran upstairs to take a shower.
...
The Feast
When the family gathered around the long table, the dishes steamed invitingly. Jingxuan and Li Zhang's eyes lit up at the sight of the honey-glazed chicken, and they immediately reached for the pastries before Yujian tapped his chopsticks against his bowl in warning.
The room filled with overlapping voices.
Jingxuan spoke first, voice louder than usual. "I broke through to the Physical Body realm!"
"That's good," Li Jian said warmly. "Congratulations."
But instead of the expected grin, Jingxuan's expression was tight. "Yeah, but Jingsheng reached the third level of Physical Body. How is that fair? We did the same training!"
Jingsheng gave him a cool look. "You thought I wouldn't progress? That's just careless thinking."
"I'm not careless!" Jingxuan cheeks puffing: "You ruined my moment!"
"That's not my fault," Jingsheng replied flatly: "Maybe you should've trained dedicatedly, instead of running to food every few seconds."
"Food is important!"
"Not when you're supposed to be focusing on your spear form."
The twins' voices rose in overlapping protest until Li Zhang, grinning, leaned over. "If it helps, I think you both are still worse than me. I'm at the sixth level of Physical Body."
"That doesn't help," Jingxuan frowned: "When did you level up?"
Li Zhang smirks: "Oh, you think you guys are the only ones who went on an adventure?"
Afterwards, he told them about the secret realm. The more the others listen, the more excited they become.
Li Jian listened, letting the noise wash over him. He had missed this; the little arguments, and the half-hearted competition.
When the bickering reached the point where Zhang offered to "settle it with a duel in the yard," Li Jian raised a hand. "Enough. I'm proud of all of you. Progress isn't a race. With me here, you'll reach the highest realm within due time."
Li Yujian nodded in agreement: "Yes, Father is right. After all, we all have different roots and bloodlines. There's no need for comparison."
Li Jain suddenly asked the three children that were out on mission: "Were you bullied?"
The table quieted. The triplets looked at each and shook their heads.
"No, we didn't encounter any trouble along the way."
Li Jian's lips curved faintly: "Good. I'm glad you're all back safely."
"Let's eat before the food gets cold."
"Thanks for the food…"
The dining hall was noisy again, bowls clinking, and chopsticks tapping. The children wasted no time filling their plates. They have a satisfying dinner with delicious food.
On the side, Fluffy was asking Shiny why it shrank. The two were beginning to get along after not seeing each other for a while.
...
After the plates were emptied, the children went playing in the courtyard. Li Zhang pretended to be the riddle crab trying to show his younger siblings what his first trial was like.
Li Jain sat in the chair watching them play.
"Play for now," he told them: "But meet me in the study by late evening. We have something to discuss."
The children exchanged curious glances.
"Is it about training?" Yujian asked.
"Not exactly," Li Jian said.
They returned to their games, thinking about the surprise their father had prepared for them. The evening sky slowly deepened above the courtyard.
Everything was back to normal again.