Chapter 142 He Has Returned

Back when they had not long emerged from Mount Wushan, they ran into King Wu's punitive expedition against Zhou. Because Yang Jian had received instructions from his master early on, upon learning of this, he unhesitatingly prepared to head towards Xiqi.

Hearing of the various deeds committed by Di Xin, Li You could not help feeling a sense of righteous indignation. Moreover, having failed to obtain any news of his father for a long time, after a brief moment of thought, he followed Yang Jian to Xiqi, figuring that he would go search for his father after helping King Wu overthrow the Yin-Shang dynasty...

Never had he expected to encounter him here today.

"Hmm."

Li Tian glanced at Li You and nodded, while simultaneously sweeping his divine sense to inspect the extra eye that had grown on his forehead.

With his realm of cultivation, he naturally saw through the essence of this eye with effortless ease, prompting him to sigh inwardly at Li You's incredible fortune.

However, wasn't this Heavenly Eye supposed to belong to Yang Jian?

Instantly, Li Tian's gaze shifted towards Yang Jian. A brief appraisal revealed that Yang Jian's current situation appeared somewhat miserable—possessing merely the cultivation of the peak Golden Immortal realm, and even with all his trump cards, he could at best trade blows with weaker Taiyi Golden Immortals...

Though still quite respectable, compared to Nezha nowadays, he seemed somewhat inferior, didn't he?

"It seems that the reason Yang Jian's cultivation level was so high before was largely thanks to the Heavenly Eye..."

Glancing once more at Li You, who was now at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, Li Tian could not help but shake his head.

He was naturally familiar with Li You. If he remembered correctly, when he left back then, this boy only had the cultivation of an Earth Immortal, right?

Of course, to someone of his standing, beneath the level of a Sage, mortals and Great Luo Golden Immortals were practically no different, because as long as he desired it, turning a mortal into a Great Luo Golden Immortal was entirely a matter of lifting a finger, and vice versa.

Having reached his realm, he naturally had no desire to take advantage of a junior. Thus, remembering that he seemed to have a mediocrelgrade spiritual treasure—the Tri-pointed Halberd—in his storage pouch, which bore some resemblance to the weapon of the God Erlang in mythology... with a movement of his mind, he took it out.

"This is a medium-grade spiritual treasure known as the Tri-pointed Halberd. I bestow it upon you to forge a good karmic connection."

"A medium-grade spiritual treasure, bestowed upon me...?"

Gazing at the halberd suspended before him, Yang Jian was left dumbfounded.

The others were equally stunned.

After all, this was a primordial spiritual treasure! They were the exclusive possessions of ancient primordial deities and disciples of sages, items of which even the successive Human Sovereigns of the human race's Holy Land could not produce more than a handful!

And yet, he was casually giving one away to someone he was meeting for the very first time?

Standing to the side, Li You was likewise lost in a daze. No matter what, he had never imagined that his father would be so unimaginably generous. Had the occasion not been inappropriate, he would have desperately wanted to ask: Exactly who here is your biological son?

"Take it."

Unfazed by the shock ripple across the surrounding crowd, Li Tian waved his hand casually, causing the Tri-pointed Halberd to descend straight into Yang Jian's grasp.

He still had five or six primordial spiritual treasures of medium grade or higher lying within his storage pouch, so giving away a single one was nothing worth mentioning.

Besides, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yang Jian was destined to join the Heavenly Court in the future anyway, so granting him a spiritual treasure could hardly be considered a loss.

"Let's go. Take me to see your mother."

Seeing Yang Jian accept the spiritual treasure, Li Tian turned his gaze to Li You and spoke.

"Father?"

Hearing these words, Li You could not help being slightly startled, and instinctively looked towards Ji Fa, Jiang Ziya, and the others.

"Since ancient times, filial piety comes first. Since your esteemed father has made this request, General Li should accompany him first." Seeing this, Jiang Ziya immediately stepped forward at the opportune moment.

Although he had no idea who this person before him truly was, anyone who could casually pull out a primordial spiritual treasure and give it away must possess an extraordinary background. Naturally, Jiang Ziya had no intention of arbitrarily thwarting Li Tian's wishes.

"Let's go."

Li Tian was extremely satisfied with Jiang Ziya's attitude. He nodded slightly at him and then looked back at Li You.

"Yes, Father."

Li You cast a final glance at Ji Fa, Yang Jian, and the rest. After a brief hesitation, he ultimately nodded.

Having been away from home for over a year, his heart harbored a deep yearning for his mother.

...

The two of them flew side by side.

During the journey, Li Tian briefly inquired about the situation after his departure. Learning that Daji had continued waiting for him all this time, to be honest, he still felt a lingering sense of guilt within his heart.

Yet, as for how he ought to settle Daji, he still had not figured it out even now.

Before they knew it, the two descended into that nameless little city.

Knocking on the door, after a short while, an elderly servant opened it and cast a glance outside.

"Master? Second Young Master?"

Seeing Li Tian and Li You, the old servant was visibly stunned before his face immediately blossomed with an expression of pleasant surprise as he hurried forward to welcome them.

"Master, you've finally returned! The mistress has been worrying about you all these years!"

"Hmm."

Li Tian nodded softly and stepped inside. This old servant was someone he had personally selected back then, and having lived together for quite some time, his loyalty was exceptionally high.

"Father is back!"

Stepping into the courtyard, Li Tian heard the ethereal voice of a young maiden echoing from afar. Raising his head, a trace of a smile involuntarily surfaced on his face.

"Yaoyao has grown up."

When he left back then, his daughter was barely ten years old; but now, she was in the blossoming youth of fourteen or fifteen.

"Father, you're not allowed to pinch my cheeks anymore!"

Seeing Li Tian reach out his hand, Li瑶 puckered her delicate lips, stepped back, and protested with dissatisfaction.

"Alright."

Li Tian could not help but chuckle. Nonetheless, stretching out both hands, despite Li瑶's continued complaints, he gave her cheeks a thorough, playful kneading before finally letting go.

"Father, how can you do this!"

Li瑶 covered both cheeks with her hands, her little face written full of displeasure.

"Who is here?"

At this moment, hearing the commotion, Daji walked out from the inner room. Upon catching sight of Li Tian, she froze momentarily, then stood rooted to the spot in a daze.

Li Tian looked back at her as well.

Li You, Li瑶, and the surrounding servants all took a step back at this sight, silently watching the scene unfold.

"Husband, you're back."

A thousand threads of yearning and ten thousand unspoken words ultimately dissolved into a gentle smile and this simple sentence.

"Hmm, I'm back."

Li Tian nodded as well, then walked over to Daji, extended a hand, and gently stroked her cheek.

Compared to four years ago, Daji's appearance had not undergone any surface changes, yet Li Tian could still perceive the subtle differences, causing a slight pang of heartache to stir within him.

"These past few years, you've suffered."

Daji's heart trembled faintly. A sweet smile bloomed across her face, and gently pushing Li Tian's hand aside, she retorted playfully: "What suffering could I possibly have endured?"

Li Tian smiled and remained silent.

The two of them walked into the room side by side, Daji chatting about various events from the intervening years while the smile on her face grew increasingly radiant.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Li Tian turned around, gently wrapped his arm around her slender waist, and kissed her.

Daji froze for a fraction of a second before realizing what was happening; she closed her eyes and responded with fervent passion.

Unawares, the two of them moved toward the bed. With a gentle lowering of the curtains, garments fell away, and their embrace became an endless, lingering entanglement...