Amidst the year-end revelry with firecrackers erupting outside, inside the villa, Luo Buyu and his wife sat in the living room, watching television and the Spring Festival Gala. Xun'er and Luo Bing, accompanied by Luo Qinghan, excitedly ran into the courtyard, where fireworks purchased earlier were set up.
For the two children, these fireworks were an irresistible temptation.
Lin Xiao stood on the second floor, watching the two little ones below playing with fireworks, while Luo Qinghan, ever the worrier, offered them occasional reminders.
"This is the essence of life," Qi Tian suddenly said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Yes, this is what they call the essence of life... Unfortunately, there isn't much of it around here. If you were in the older districts, you'd see much more," Lin Xiao replied.
This was a newly built villa area, not densely populated, with no other residential communities nearby. It was primarily chosen for its beautiful environment and suitability for living.
Of course, the trade-off was sparse population and a lack of liveliness.
Almost everyone in each villa stayed indoors, with very few venturing out.
"It's enough," Qi Tian shrugged. "I haven't seen this in many years."
He had almost forgotten this feeling. Years in the Artificer Sect passed by without much notice, leaving him with only the joy of delving into the sect's heritage.
However, in recent years, he felt his state of mind had stagnated.
He didn't know why. He had clearly entered the secular world for cultivation, obtained all the external resources to aid his practice, and even integrated modern technology with their "Hundred Refinements Divine Machine." Yet, he felt his state of mind hadn't kept pace.
Progress was too slow.
He had seen through the masses and interacted with the mundane world, but it was clearly not enough.
Before, he didn't understand why. Now, he knew.
What he had encountered lacked the true essence of daily life.
It was the secular world, yes, but not the ordinary people.
His experiences were not comprehensive enough.
To align with heavenly principles and govern with humanistic virtue—this was the best form of tempering in the mortal realm.
Now, he finally understood.
To be precise, he learned it from Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao, this person, never seemed to care about differences in status. For him, he simply did what he wanted to do, and that was that.
Qi Tian stared at him, thinking that such a person would likely not have any mental pressure. Otherwise, how could he have surpassed Qi Tian in cultivation within just one month?
Without his puppet, Qi Tian was no match for Lin Xiao anymore.
"You must not have seen it either. I've barely seen it myself," Lin Xiao shrugged. "It's been five years, this is the sixth... I only had the opportunity to return home for the New Year this year, to witness this scene."
Lin Xiao looked at everything below, feeling the warmth and comfort of the house, and he relished it.
"Then what were you doing for the previous five years?"
Qi Tian asked, somewhat puzzled. "You didn't come back at all?"
Having spent these past few days together, he could tell Lin Xiao was a very family-oriented person, always thinking of his home, his daughter, and his wife. He hadn't returned in previous years?
"Of course not. I only had the chance this year to steal some leisure time from my busy schedule and return for a short holiday. In the years prior... I was in the Northern Frontier," Lin Xiao said, his eyes holding a trace of nostalgia. "I wonder how those fellows in the Northern Frontier are doing now..."