After everyone finished dinner, Lady Millings personally accompanied Riven back to his room.
Looking at her son, she smiled gently and said,
"You must be exhausted after traveling so far."
"Get some proper rest."
Riven nodded with a smile, and after exchanging a few more words, Lady Millings left.
The room had long been cleaned, and although the furnishings were simple and somewhat old, everything was arranged neatly.
After closing the door, Riven sat cross-legged on the bed.
He took out the brush and gently stroked it with his fingers.
The brush trembled slightly in response, as if acknowledging its master's touch.
After a moment of contemplation, Riven focused his consciousness.
Soon, one of the blood vials stored inside the brush appeared in his hand.
The blood-red vial landed gently on his palm.
Riven quietly looked at the blood inside for some time.
Then, black scales slowly emerged across his left hand.
One of the scales gradually enlarged, becoming almost the size of his palm.
Taking the brush in his right hand, Riven began drawing upon the enlarged scale.
Slowly, a blood-red figure took shape.
The lines were intricate and complicated, filled with strange symbols that seemed alive.
After finishing, Riven calmly observed the blood-red pattern on his hand.
Soon, the figure began to heat up, and the red markings slowly dissolved and were absorbed into the scale.
Seeing this, Riven quietly put away the brush and then took a chair and placed it beside the window.
Feeling the cool night breeze pass through his white hair, Riven slowly closed his eyes.
...
Inside the City Lord's Mansion.
The City Lord was pacing nervously around his study. It had been many years since he had felt such unease.
Just then, a guard entered and bowed respectfully.
"My Lord."
The City Lord immediately stopped.
"So? Which family did those cultivators visit?"
The guard quickly answered,
"My Lord, they were seen entering the Millings Manor."
"And since then, there has been no further news."
The City Lord frowned.
"The Millings family?"
The guard nodded.
"There is something else, My Lord."
"The beast outside the city can no longer be found. We've already searched nearly two miles around Murong City."
"But..."
The guard hesitated.
"The strange thing is that even the wild animals around the forest have disappeared."
The City Lord frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The guard explained,
"The hunters who returned today all reported the same thing. There are almost no animals left near the city."
"Even beasts such as wolves and tigers have vanished."
Hearing this, the City Lord fell into thought.
After a while, he nodded.
"The spirit beast mount of those cultivators must have frightened them away."
Then his expression became serious.
"Continue keeping an eye on Millings Manor, and if anything unusual happens, report it immediately."
"Yes, my lord."
The guard bowed and left.
Meanwhile, the City Lord looked out the window.
"The Millings family..."
"Just what secrets are you hiding?"
...
The next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the horizon, Riven slowly opened his eyes.
The cool morning breeze entered through the open window.
He looked down toward his left hand.
His entire hand was dyed red, and faint wisps of smoke rose from it.
Tiny cracks had appeared on the skin, and traces of blood slowly seeped from them.
Looking at it, Riven smiled helplessly.
"It's still too much to combine them."
Shaking his head, he stood up.
He went to the bathroom and cleaned the blood and dried clots from his hand, and by the time he finished, someone knocked softly on the door.
"Young Master?"
"Are you awake? Breakfast is ready."
Hearing Xiaomei's voice, Riven replied,
"Alright. I'll be there shortly."
After changing his clothes, Riven stepped out of the room.
The corridor was empty and quiet.
Walking through the manor, he soon arrived at the dining hall.
Inside, his grandfather, grandmother, and Lady Millings were already seated.
Seeing him enter, smiles immediately appeared on their faces.
"Riven. Come, have breakfast."
Riven nodded and sat beside his mother.
After a while, the servants brought the food.
As everyone began eating, Lady Millings suddenly looked at Xiaomei and asked,
"Where is Rose? Is she still sleeping?"
Xiaomei nodded.
"Young Miss returned quite late last night."
"She seemed exhausted, so she's still resting."
Hearing this, concern appeared in Lady Millings' eyes.
"I've already told her not to push herself so hard, but she never listens."
As the topic was brought up, silence gradually descended upon the table.
Everyone knew why.
Since the family had fallen into hardship, Rose had voluntarily taken over many responsibilities.
Every day, she personally visited the shops that still remained under the Milling name.
She checked accounts, negotiated with merchants, and handled various matters.
The burden on her shoulders was far greater than someone her age should carry. Even the old master sighed softly.
"Our family has truly troubled that child."
Riven quietly listened while eating.
From the stories yesterday and the silence today, he had already understood much about what had happened during these three years.
Still, no one continued the topic.
Instead, they occasionally asked Riven about his life outside.
The atmosphere gradually became cheerful once again.
After everyone finished eating, the old master wiped his beard and smiled.
"Riven. What plans do you have for today?"
Riven thought for a moment before answering.
"I was thinking of walking around the city. It's been quite a while, so I want to take a look around."
Hearing this, the old master's eyes lit up.
"Then let's go together."
"It's been a long time since this old man properly walked around Murong City."
"And besides..."
He laughed.
"I want everyone to see that my grandson has returned."
Lady Millings immediately glared at him.
"Father, stop acting like a child."
The old master coughed awkwardly.
"What child?"
"I'm just taking my grandson for a walk."
Riven smiled.
"Alright. We'll go together."
Hearing his answer, the old master immediately became delighted.
Meanwhile, far away inside another room, a girl sleeping peacefully slowly turned over in her bed.
Unaware that the brother she had not seen for three years had already returned home.
The sun had already risen high in the sky by the time Riven and his grandfather stepped out of the Millings Manor.
Unlike the quiet atmosphere within the manor, Murong City was as lively as ever.
The streets of Murong City were bustling with activities, and vendors called out their wares; children chased each other, and general clamor filled the surroundings.
Horse carriages passed by, while merchants loudly haggled over prices.
The entire city was filled with noise and activity.
The old master supported himself with his cane and looked around with a smile.
"It has been a while since I last walked around the city like this."
Riven simply smiled and quietly accompanied him.
As they walked down the street, they soon passed by a small food stall.
Many people had gathered there, eating breakfast while discussing all kinds of topics.
Just as they were about to pass, the old master's ears twitched.
"Did you hear? Two cultivators were seen entering the city."
Hearing this, the nearby discussions immediately became lively. Even the old master slowed his pace slightly and listened with interest.
"Of course I heard about it. Many people even saw them yesterday."
"Yet I've been walking around the city since morning and still haven't seen any."
Another man snorted.
"Do you think cultivators would just casually wander around the streets?"
"They must have come to one of the noble families."
"So which family do you think they're from? The Zhang family or the Luo family?"
Before anyone could answer, another person shook his head.
"I don't think it's either of them."
"From what I know, none of the major families have produced a cultivator in nearly fifty years."
"Then why would they come here?"
The man lowered his voice mysteriously.
"From my sources, one of the cultivators has come to visit his family."
"I think some family has been hiding the fact that a child with spirit roots was born."
Everyone immediately nodded.
"That makes sense."
"I even heard that they arrived riding a flying beast."
As the discussion continued, some people spoke of truths while others exaggerated things far beyond reality.
Someone claimed the cultivators had descended from the heavens.
Another insisted they had come to recruit disciples.
One even confidently declared that a genius with spirit roots had recently been discovered among the noble families and the cultivators had come personally to accept him as a disciple.
Listening to all this, the old master couldn't help but chuckle.
His eyes narrowed into crescents as a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Although no grand banquet had been held and no announcement had been made, half the city was already discussing his grandson.
As they walked, Riven noticed the curious glances from passersby. Some recognized the old master and offered respectful bows, while others eyed Riven with a mixture of curiosity and speculation.
Yet none of them knew that the very cultivator they were talking about was quietly walking among them.
The old master couldn't help but straighten his back a little.
Looking at the crowd, he suddenly felt much younger.
Meanwhile, Riven simply observed everything quietly.
Some passersby recognized the old master and respectfully greeted him.
"Good morning, Old Master Millings."
Others offered bows, though their eyes occasionally drifted toward the white-haired young man beside him.
Some looked curious, while others were suspicious.
Some even whispered among themselves; after all, many people in Murong City knew that the Millings family had been declining over the past year.
Seeing the old master walking with such an elegant young man naturally attracted attention.
Still, no one recognized Riven.