"Brother!" Qingyu saw that familiar smile. Hearing that familiar voice, she could no longer hold back her tears and rushed into Teng Qingshan's embrace.

"Brother, you're finally back. I missed you so much. I dreamed of you constantly." Qingyu held Teng Qingshan tightly, like a child clinging to a treasured toy. In terms of affection, Teng Qingshan had cared for her since childhood; indeed... in Qingyu's heart, her brother was a towering mountain, a peak of strength and reliance she could always depend on.

"Brother, where have you been all these years?" Qingyu looked up at Teng Qingshan.

"Where else could I be? Being hunted, I had no choice but to flee across the world," Teng Qingshan chuckled playfully, flicking his sister's nose as he spoke.

Qingyu wrinkled her nose, deliberately glaring at Teng Qingshan.

Yet, this familiar sibling interaction settled a calm within her heart.

"Look at you two," Yuan Lan watched her son and daughter with a warm smile. "Xiao Yu, now that your brother is back, shouldn't you introduce him to Xiao Shan and the other one?"

"Brother," Qingyu half-crouched down, gently taking the hand of a little boy. She smiled, "This is the son of Zhuge Yun and me, named Zhuge Yushan." Then she took the hand of the other little girl, "This is our daughter, Zhuge Yuting. These two little ones are twins; Xiao Shan is the older brother, and Tingting is the younger sister. Xiao Shan, Tingting, quickly greet your Uncle!"

The exquisitely featured children looked curiously at the stranger before them.

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly.

That smile instantly made the two children feel a sense of closeness to him. The boy shouted loudly, "Uncle!" as if competing, and the girl beside him immediately echoed, "Uncle!"

"Uncle, Uncle, Uncle," the boy called out three more times, looking at the girl as if he had won.

"Uncle, Uncle, Uncle..." the girl continued to chant.

Witnessing this scene of pure, innocent joy, Teng Qingshan, Qingyu, Li Jun, and the couple, Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan, all burst into laughter.

"Haha, who are you calling Uncle? Is Qinghu here?" A clear, bright voice rang out.

"It's Xiao Yun," Qingyu immediately identified the speaker.

The newcomer was indeed Zhuge Yun, drawn by the voices of his young children. As Zhuge Yun stepped into the courtyard, the boy and girl inside spoke in unison, "Father!" Zhuge Yun, who had been walking in with a smile, had just begun to call out to Teng Yongfan, "Father-in-law—" when his gaze swept over Teng Qingshan. His voice abruptly cut off.

"Qing... Brother Qingshan?" Zhuge Yun's eyes widened.

"Xiao Yun, long time no see," Teng Qingshan said with a gentle smile.

"Y-you're back?" Zhuge Yun’s expression was a mix of shock and delight, his eyes filled with disbelief. He observed the person before him closely; compared to the prodigious talent Teng Qingshan once was, the current Teng Qingshan appeared far more mature and reserved. Simply standing there, he seemed like the vast, boundless earth—inspiring trust while naturally commanding deep respect.

Although Zhuge Yun had met 'Jing Yi' before.

However, Teng Qingshan's current appearance was his original face. Neither Zhuge Yun nor Qingyu recognized that this was the Jing Yi they had encountered.

As for... Li Jun.

During the time she had been back in the Nine Provinces, Li Jun had stayed on Jiulang Lake Island and sometimes in Yicheng. More often than not, however, she resided at the main headquarters of the Snow Lotus Sect in Huye Commandery, Qingzhou. Neither Zhuge Yun nor Qingyu had ever seen Li Jun. They certainly did not know that Li Jun was Jing Yi’s wife, and thus failed to deduce that... Jing Yi was Teng Qingshan!

Qingyu, standing nearby, laughed: "What are you staring at so blankly? This is my brother! Look ten times, a hundred times, he's still my brother! Are you afraid that now my brother is back, I'll use him to bully you?"

Zhuge Yun could only offer a wry smile, "How would I dare bully you."

"Hahahaha..." Teng Yongfan laughed heartily, "Come inside, don't stand out here. It's rare for the whole family to be gathered. Come in and talk." Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan were experiencing the happiest day; their daughter and son-in-law, along with a pair of grandchildren, were present. Their son, missing for nearly five years, had returned with his pregnant wife. As parents, what more could they ask for?

When Teng Qingshan and his wife, Zhuge Yun and his wife, and the two children, Xiao Shan and Tingting, entered the main hall and talked for a short while.

Suddenly—

"Commander Zhuge!" An anxious voice called from outside.

"Hmm?" Zhuge Yun walked out of the hall and looked outside in the corridor. "What is it?"

"Elder Yan has summoned all the elders and commanders to the main hall; there is a major matter to discuss," the disciple respectfully reported before quickly departing.

"Oh?" Zhuge Yun was startled.

Recently, Zhuge Yuanhong had been staying near Yicheng, so in Jiangning Prefecture's Guiyuan Sect, matters were usually managed by the Enforcement Elder Yan Motian. Major issues were passed on to Zhuge Yuanhong in Yicheng. Therefore, Elder Yan Motian rarely convened the high-ranking members of the Guiyuan Sect.

"What major event is it?" Zhuge Yun felt puzzled and offered an apologetic nod to Teng Qingshan and the others in the hall. "There's an important sect matter; I must go to the main hall first."

"What important matter?" Qingyu huffed slightly, dissatisfied. She was usually very understanding, but today, with her brother, missing for years, finally home and the entire family assembled, it was a profoundly joyous occasion... for Zhuge Yun to have to rush off on an errand naturally made her unhappy.

Teng Qingshan smiled, "Xiao Yun, you go ahead. Finish up, and come back for dinner tonight. The food my mother cooks is even better than what the chefs in the restaurants prepare."

Yuan Lan glanced at her son, her eyes nearly closing with joy. A mother worries when her child travels far; after years of worry, seeing her son now felt sweeter than eating honey.

"Alright, I'll definitely be back tonight."

Zhuge Yun dared not waste any more time and rushed off toward the main hall.

Inside the hall, Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan chatted happily with their daughter and son.

"Father, on this journey across the ocean, I obtained a treasure," Teng Qingshan suddenly began.

"A treasure?" Teng Yongfan chuckled. "Your father eats and sleeps with your mother by his side. What treasure do we need? If there's a treasure, it's for the children. We don't need it."

"Brother, what treasure is it?" Qingyu was curious.

Teng Qingshan took out a jade box from his embrace and looked at his parents. "On my voyage across the sea, I met a good friend. Together, we obtained a treasure—the Cloud Dream White Fruit! Part of this fruit was used by my friend, and now half of the Cloud Dream White Fruit remains. This fruit possesses the miraculous effect of 'reviving the dead and regenerating bone and flesh.'"

"What?" His parents and Qingyu in the hall were stunned.

"It can bring dead people back to life?" Qingyu exclaimed in shock.

At this moment, they did not yet grasp the true significance of the Cloud Dream White Fruit.

"A person who has just died, whose spirit has not yet dissipated, can be brought back to life by consuming the Cloud Dream White Fruit! That is the 'reviving the dead.' As for 'regenerating bone and flesh,' it means... whether it's a severed leg or arm, consuming the Cloud Dream White Fruit allows it to grow back," Teng Qingshan said, his voice trembling slightly. At the same time, he clicked open the jade box!

"Severed legs can grow back?"

Yuan Lan and Qingyu held their breath, and Teng Yongfan, seated in his wheelchair, trembled even more violently, looking at Teng Qingshan in disbelief. "Qingshan, this is..."

Only when one's legs are truly severed does one understand how great a blessing it is to be able to walk. Teng Yongfan had dreamed of standing up every night. However, Zhuge Yun and Qingyu had long since scoured every book detailing rare spiritual treasures; even the legendary Undying Grass did not possess the ability to regrow severed legs. Teng Yongfan had long resigned himself to fate, never imagining he would ever stand again in this lifetime.

Teng Yongfan collected himself and said, "Qingshan, such a spiritual treasure must be incredibly important. I, your father, am old now. Such a treasure, rare even in the Nine Provinces, shouldn't be wasted on an old rustic like me..."

"Father."

Teng Qingshan shook his head repeatedly. "If all the spiritual treasures in the entire Nine Provinces combined could heal your legs, I would conquer the Nine Provinces and unify them, and I would gather every single treasure. Father, please consume this Cloud Dream White Fruit."

"Father, just eat it," Qingyu urged.

"Fan Ge," Yuan Lan couldn't help but call out.

Teng Yongfan looked at his son, then down at the cut fruit inside the jade box, which faintly still held the shape of an infant. He couldn't help but smile. "Good, Qingshan, I will eat it!" Suppressing the surging emotions within him, Teng Yongfan reached out and grasped one portion of the fruit, swallowing it directly. With a few crunches, he chewed and swallowed it.

"Hmm?" Teng Yongfan's face suddenly flushed crimson.

Crunch, crunch, crunch~~~~

A strange sound emanated from within Teng Yongfan's body.

"My legs, my legs." Teng Yongfan stared wide-eyed at his lower limbs. His trouser legs were empty and flat. But suddenly—

From his thighs upward, the empty, sunken trouser legs began to stretch taut. Though his eyes couldn't see, everyone clearly sensed that his legs were growing. Yuan Lan and Qingyu stared, their mouths agape. When the effect began to wane, Teng Qingshan quickly grabbed the second portion of the fruit and handed it over... to fully regrow both legs, he would need to consume a third portion.

Hiss, hiss~~

Suddenly, two strong, fair-skinned men's feet emerged from the trouser cuffs, their toes clearly visible to the naked eye as they grew out.

...

In the main hall of the Guiyuan Sect.

"What in the world is going on? Why did Elder Yan summon so many people?" Zhuge Yun sat in the hall, puzzled. The Guiyuan Sect's Enforcement Elder Ni, Elder Zang Feng, along with numerous other elders, Black Armored Army commanders, and the four commanders of the Longgang Army, were all gathered, everyone looking perplexed.

Suddenly—

"Elder Yan is arriving." Silence fell over everyone.

Elder Yan Motian’s face was faintly flushed, his forehead veins throbbing. He stepped into the hall and surveyed the crowd.

"Elder Yan, what is the matter?" Elder Ni couldn't help but ask.

"Everyone," Yan Motian took a deep breath and announced loudly, "I just received intelligence from Tianyun Mountain. The report states... Elder Jing Yi was battling several Void Realm experts, along with a Void Realm demonic beast, against another group of Void Realm experts."

A battle among Void Realm experts?

Everyone present gasped audibly.

"And our scout discovered an earth-shattering secret," Yan Motian's expression couldn't hide his excitement. "Elder Jing Yi, he is... the Teng Qingshan of our Guiyuan Sect from back then!!!"

"What!"

Almost everyone present shot to their feet, utterly dumbfounded.

"Moreover, this news was overheard by thousands of people at the base of Tianyun Mountain. It will absolutely spread throughout the Nine Provinces in a very short time," Yan Motian stated. "The Sect Master should know this news. He will probably rush back today. We must ensure the Sect Master knows... Elder Jing Yi is one of us, one of the Guiyuan Sect's own, our Teng Qingshan!"

Zhuge Yun, seated and stunned by the revelation, finally came to his senses after a long pause.

"Elder Yan," Zhuge Yun spoke suddenly.

"Hmm?" Everyone in the hall turned to look at him.

Zhuge Yun said quietly, "I don't know if Elder Jing Yi is truly Teng Qingshan, but I do know... Qingshan, Teng Qingshan, he is currently within our sect."

"Within the sect? Where?" Yan Motian exclaimed involuntarily.

"At my father-in-law's place," Zhuge Yun replied.