The night air on the same day across the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda clan garden carried the scent of lanterns and distant blossoms drifting on a faint breeze. Thousands of lanterns floated above the central courtyard, softly illuminating the marble pathways below. A mild hum of music underscored the atmosphere—delicate notes drifting from string instruments and woodwinds, punctuated by light laughter from clan members enjoying the evening gathering. Yet to Ning Fengzhi, every lantern felt like an unspoken question, every melody a reminder of change.
He stood at the pavilion railing, the warm glow reflecting in his tightly held eyes, weighing the moment heavy on his chest. The sounds of celebration echoed around him, but to his ears, a deeper resonance had begun—a chord struck by his daughter's return, and by the man standing beside her.
Tonight, he had agreed to introduce Li Wei to the clan. Tonight would be the true crucible.
___________
A soft footstep approached. He felt it before he noticed her presence—Gu Rong, the clan Bone Douluo, had joined him at the pavilion. His massive frame cast a long, silent shadow beside him.
"Uncle Bone."
Gu Rong voice rumbled, deep and slow. "She's laughing. Doesn't sound like a girl who came back uncertain about herself and also a girl coming back from that place."
Ning Fengzhi exhaled. "She's changed."
He wanted to believe it. He wanted to accept that she had found her own light—that the weight she carried now was lightened, not burdened. But there remained a father's worry, newness, and the cost of being hurt again.
"There's more to this father-daughter dance," Gu Rong said, voice surprisingly gentle. "You know it. And you aren't the only one watching." He paused. "Clamp down. Not on her or him. On yourself."
Ning Fengzhi watched a lantern float into the sky, its glow drifting upward until it was lost among the stars. "Uncle Bone, you helped raise her. You also saw the moment she leave the clan ground that day. No matter what happen." He spoke not to deny, but to invite Gu Rong understanding. "Nothing changes the fact that she is my daughter."
Gu Rong nodded. "And she's still your daughter, even if she brings a warrior home."
______________
Inside the central courtyard. Ning Rongrong and Li Wei entered side by side, smiling back at the clan members who bowed low. The courtyard itself was an elegant expanse of polished tile and carved foliage patterns, branching outward like the petals of a lotus. The lanterns above reflected in the surface of a shallow reflecting pool running through the center, giving the illusion of floating lights in mid-air.
A hush fell as they approached the dais. Ning Fengzhi awaited them there, head held high—dispassionate, measured, but not cold. Beside him stood Chen Xin, calm as driftwood in gentle current. Behind them, rows of clan elders and sisters whispered in low excitement.
Ning Fengzhi gaze flicked over Li Wei—sharp, curious—and then to Rongrong, whose hand rested lightly on Li Wei arm. Her blush was quiet but noticeable, as if to remind everyone that this was the deepest bond that this child and she'd ever been to him.
He inclined his head in greeting. "Rongrong. We meet again young Li Wei."
"Father," Rongrong replied, tone respectful.
Li Wei bowed. "Elder Ning. Honored to meet you again."
A soft murmur passed through the assembly—some impressed by his composure, others stepping in shock as though seeing him for the first time.
Ning Fengzhi turned his attention to the gathering. "Tonight, we honor the return of my daughter. I also wish to recognize the man who stood by her side. That requires more than words. So let us see him as family—at least for one night."
He touched a small statue on the dais, and one by one, clan musicians dropped their instruments. Conversation stilled. Attention focused inward.
Rongrong squeezed Li Wei hand. The world narrowed around them, everything beyond the lanterns and the dais muted.
Then Ning Fengzhi nodded once.
"Come," he said to Li Wei and Ning Rongrong. "Walk with me."
_______________
Behind them, whispers stirred—
"He's look polite."
"Is that… what place that clothes present?"
"They look happy."
Ning Fengzhi led Li Wei and Ning Rongrong through the crowd, pausing only when a guards bowed. He guided Li Wei to a marble bench under a canopy of cherry blossoms. The petals hovered in the air like confetti, falling so gently they might have been digital illusions.
The patriarch sat slowly. Li Wei was offered a seat and bowed his head. "Thank you, Patriarch Ning."
Ning Fengzhi watched him and his daughter settle. He measured the man spirit—his posture, his restrained thoughts, his composure in silence. This wasn't a man seeking favor. It was a man presenting himself deliberately, unwounded by ceremony.
"How do you know my daughter?" Ning Fengzhi asked quietly, voice drifting to only Li Wei and Rongrong nearby.
Li Wei met his gaze. "We met at Shrek Academy. From there we fight side by side more after we were put into the same team. She taught me compassion. I taught her strength. Together, we faced the obstacle in front of us while in that rift."
Rongrong stepped forward. "Seven Treasure Clan holds strength in boosting other attribute and finding treasures, but that power was nothing in the Rift. He was there when I faltered. He pulled me back."
"Yes," Li Wei said softly. "I saw her strengths and her fears. And I loved them both."
Ning Fengzhi drank that in. The courtyard lights blurred, he found himself studying his daughter as he would have studied those lights as a child—brilliant, beautiful, but always drifting.
He hesitated—guarded, then spoke: "Love is not weakness. But I must ask questions."
"Have you faced the Axis?" he asked quietly. Anything less than honesty could destroy everything.
Li Wei met his eyes again. "We encountered what remains. We fought before it—and one morning, five of us stood together and the Axis revealed as much as it would. I won't lie—we were tested."
The old one lips twitched—approval, or perhaps contemplation? Both were dangerous.
Ning Fengzhi dipped his head. "And what did you learn?"
"That unity is more than magic. It's trust. Shared pain. Shared purpose." Li Wei's voice hardened in memory. "I earned that trust. By standing and choosing to stay."
Laughter seems to be fluttered again around the courtyard—young voices, hopeful ones. Rongrong once danced among them. He can hear his daughter voice when she was still small. He closed his eyes, breathing in air filled with cherry petals, recalling how her youthful spirit once tethered his own seriousness.
He opened them. Now she tethered someone else seriousness.
"Then," he said finally, tone even, measured, as the myriad sands seemed falling steadily, "you have earned my respect."
A ripple passed across the face of Li Wei and Ning Rongrong—first surprise, then admiration. The patriarch inclined his head. Li Wei exhaled, relief steady.
Ning Fengzhi extended his hand. "Rise, Knight of Seven Treasure. You are welcome under this roof, not as guest… but as family."
Li Wei rose slowly. They shook hands. Then, with Rongrong guidance they return to hall before they bowed together to the crowd. A triumph—but quiet. Subtle. Meaningful.
_________________
Weeks later. Li Wei and Rongrong walked the palace corridors—ancient mosaic floors beneath their feet, walls etched with history, and the hum of clan politics quietly inevitable.
Rongrong stayed close. "I never thought he'd really do it and approve us," she whispered.
Li Wei shrugged. "He had reasons enough. You… showed him and give enough reason. Which father do not want their daughter becoming happy."
They stopped at a window overlooking the clan inner garden—moonlight rippling across the pond, koi below stirring lantern reflections. It was a peaceful moment.
He slipped an arm around her shoulder. "Your clan's treasure isn't just power or wealth. It's the chance to choose who you become."
She rested her head on his chest. "Promise me we'll face it together? Tomorrow, the clan council assembles to discuss my return."
He kissed the top of her head. "Always."