Only after everything had been arranged did Xiao Yan slowly step out of the cave, climbing the steep path with cautious steps toward the summit. Once he confirmed that no one was around, he finally exhaled in relief and began walking steadily toward the family compound. Upon returning to the family, he paused at the front courtyard, noticing the three senior elders passing by him hurriedly, their steps brushing against his. He stopped, slightly puzzled—just moments before, he had clearly seen the stern expressions and simmering anger on their faces. "Who has caused this disturbance?" he asked, shaking his head in surprise. Turning around, a young woman in a green robe burst out from a side path and stood gracefully before him. Gazing at Xun'er, her warm and endearing smile, Xiao Yan felt a slight flutter in his chest. Recalling the questions the old herbalist had asked him in the cave, he felt his cheeks grow warm, a touch of embarrassment spreading through him. He shifted his gaze to the sky, feigning deep thought. Stunned by Xiao Yan's unusual behavior, Xun finally shook her head in confusion after a moment, stepped forward, and gently shifted her gaze over him. A subtle sense of wonder bloomed on her refined features. With both hands behind her back and her body slightly inclined, she brought their faces within just one centimeter of each other, smiling faintly. "Xiao Yan, brother—have you advanced to the Battle-User rank?" The warm, fragrant breeze blowing across her face momentarily caused Xiao Yan to lose his composure. He vigorously shook his head to clear his thoughts, pushing down the fluttering sentiments that stirred within him. He then gently patted the young woman's head—almost as tall as himself—and sighed, "Could you just let me say it, so I can at least satisfy my sense of pride?" Upon hearing this, Xun's eyes curved gently, like beautiful crescents. She extended her delicate, fair hands, as always, carefully smoothing out the slightly creased folds of Xiao Yan's garments. Previously, Xiao Yan had never felt particularly stirred by Xun's treatment of him, but ever since the old doctor laid bare his inner thoughts today, he suddenly felt a flutter of excitement within. Occasionally, members of the clan would pass by near the path and, seeing Xun attending to Xiao Yan with the tenderness of a young bride—gently adjusting his clothes—would often be struck with admiration and envy. Gazing down at Xun's refined, flawlessly beautiful face, a strand of dark hair drifting gently across her smooth forehead, occasionally lifted by the breeze to reveal her bright, lively eyes, which sparkled with captivating grace, Xiao Yan found his breath growing increasingly rapid. His gaze warmed with growing intensity. "Xiao Yan brother... what are you looking at?" Xun finally noticed the intensity of his gaze, her cheeks flushing slightly as she gently scolded. "Ah?" "Well...," stirred awake, Xiao Yan's face also turned slightly rosy. Fortunately, his skin was much thicker than Xun'er's, so after clearing his throat twice, he composed himself and said, "Nothing much—just that Xun'er is becoming more and more beautiful." Hearing this, Xun'er gave a quiet, indistinct hum, her rosy lips curling into a contented smile. "Oh, by the way..." As if remembering something, Xun'er suddenly turned her gaze back to Xiao Yan, speaking softly, "Since Xiao Yan has already advanced to the Battle-User rank, shouldn't you have started learning a Battle Technique?" Her face stiffened slightly, and Xiao Yan nodded bashfully. With delicate fingers resting on her snow-white chin, Xun'er smiled gently, "Could I see what level of technique you've been studying?" "Uh... the techniques themselves are just external things," Xiao Yan cleared his throat, "Well, as long as one practices diligently, doesn't it all come down to the same thing?" Seeing Xiang Yin's current state, Xun'er's eyes gradually narrowed into a threatening arc, yet her voice remained gentle and tender: "Xiao Yin, brother, let me have a look at you first..." Watching Xun'er persist, Xiao Yin could only sigh and shrug helplessly, then extended his hand. A faint, pale yellow glow soon rose, though delicate and weak. "Xiao Yin, brother, is this what you meant by finding a better cultivation technique?" Gazing at the dim, almost flickering yellow light, Xun'er's face fell slightly, her once rosy lips pressed tightly together, revealing her growing frustration. Xiao Yin smiled awkwardly, at a loss for words. "You knew well that having an advanced technique in the early stages would bring immense benefits for your future cultivation. Yet you still refused me. Xun'er isn't giving you anything—she's not being charitable. You can always find a more advanced technique later and return it to her. But now you're practicing the most basic one. Are you deliberately trying to make me angry?" Xun opened her eyes wide, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yan, with a few droplets of shimmering moisture still clinging to her long lashes—so delicate and endearing, utterly charming and heartwarming. It was remarkable that such a gentle and composed Xun could express herself with such clear frustration and indignation, revealing just how much she didn't understand and how deeply she was upset by Xiao Yan's actions. Watching Xun, her lips pressed firmly together, stubbornly demanding a clear answer from him, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and murmured with a soft sigh, "We've lived together for over a decade—do you really think I haven't shown you who I am? Do you truly believe I'm some kind of fool who deliberately neglects advanced cultivation techniques to instead pursue the most basic ones?" "But your cultivation method—clearly a lower-tier Yellow Stage technique—I can feel that very clearly," Xun said, her initial anger slightly easing, though she remained resolute. "Nothing can be judged solely by appearances. Right now, I'm not quite ready to go into detail about the reasons—eventually, you'll understand that at this very moment, I am absolutely not acting out of emotion or impulse." Xiao Yan smiled. "Really?" Observing Xiao Yan's earnest expression, Xun'er paused slightly, then hesitated again and asked. "Really, really, absolutely really..." Nodding quickly, Xiao Yan, fearing she would keep pressing on this point, swiftly changed the subject and said, "Has anything recently come up in the family? Why have the elders all seemed rather unwell?" "Yes. Recently, the Jiale family has hired a first-rank alchemist from somewhere unknown. Now, their marketplace features a healing medicine called 'Spring-Revival Powder.' It's affordable and highly productive, and it's especially popular among the mercenaries in the surrounding areas of Wutan City." Xun nodded, furrowing her brows slightly and speaking softly, "Under the influence of the 'Spring-Reviving Powder,' the foot traffic at all of Xiao's markets has dropped by nearly half. As a result, the merchants from these markets have moved directly to the markets of the Jiale family. In just a few days, Xiao's family has suffered significant economic setbacks, and Uncle Xiao has been completely overwhelmed by this situation." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded in understanding—now it made sense why the three elders looked so gloomy. He rubbed his nose, his eyes narrowing slightly, and murmured to himself with a quiet, cold smile, "A mere first-rank alchemy master? Does the Jiale family really have something extraordinary?"