“Just give them something to eat and let them look around.” Jin Yu said, sighing. “They’ll calm down eventually.”

  “Okay.” Min Li responded lazily.

  Then he turned to the kids. “You heard that? Stop crying and eat already. You look scrawny and half-dead.”

  He carved out generous chunks of roasted meat, slapping them onto six plates and pushing them in front of each child.

  “There. If you’re still crying after this, I’m feeding you to the horses.”

  Jin Yu blinked slowly. “…Don’t say that.”

  “Huh?, Okay.”

  Jin Yu sighed and sent the remaining vials into the room.

  “You both raise your realm while in here.”

  Both of their eyes lit up. They caught the pills without hesitation, bowing with genuine gratitude.

  “Thank you, Master.” They said in unison.

  “It’s nothing,” Jin Yu replied casually. “Do you need anything else? You won’t be coming out for a while.”

  Min Lei hesitated slightly, then spoke, “I actually think... the Qi in this small world isn’t potent enough. It’s too thin, like watered wine. And... the few spirit stones I have left wouldn’t support both Haozi and me through the breakthrough these pills demand.”

  “Really?” Jin Yu frowned, focusing his senses on the Qi density in the mansion.

  True enough, the atmosphere felt stale compared to the real world, quiet and weak. Like trying to breathe through a cloth.

  He pondered for a moment, then his eyes sparked with a solution. Without another word, he reached into the formation room via spiritual sense and tucked away the used-up spirit stones.

  Then, from his spatial ring, the one given by his father's man, he pulled out ten Mid-tier spirit stones and a black boot.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  This man even put a boot for me, that's thoughtful. He wore them and patted it loudly. Fitting.

  He looked at the spirit stones, Their vibrant color and the sharp density of Qi within them made the surrounding air hum softly.

  “So this is Mid tier” he muttered, slightly impressed.

  Without wasting a second, he slotted the stones into the mansion’s formation nodes.

  Almost immediately, the entire formation awakened.

  A low hum resonated from beneath the mansion’s foundations. Wisps of Qi danced like fog around every corridor and corner. Mist rose in soft waves, veiling the interior in a mystical glow.

  “Wooooow” Min Li whispered, eyes wide.

  Even Haozi stood there, visibly stunned. Jin Yu raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself.

  Even the children, sitting silently at the table, stirred. The shift in atmosphere dulled their fear. A few blinked and looked around curiously, eyes wide with wonder.

  “What did you do, Master?” Haozi asked, still surprised.

  “Nothing much. I just fed it some stones.” Jin Yu said simply.

  “Do you still need more spirit stones?” he asked.

  “Not at all,” Min Li said quickly. “This feels like a top-tier cultivation ground now.”

  “Good. Take care of the kids.”

  “Yes!” they both chorused with more energy than before.

  A small voice chimed in suddenly, unexpected and pure.

  “Are you... a god?”

  Jin Yu’s gaze shifted. One of the children, a girl was staring upward at the floating mist above her. Her voice was tiny but filled with awe.

  He smiled faintly. “No. I’m a cultivator.”

  “Oh...” she murmured, still enchanted.

  “What’s your name?” he asked gently.

  The girl hesitated. “Yara.” she said quietly.

  “Yara, huh...” Jin Yu nodded. “Be a good girl.”

  “Yes.” she replied, her fears fully melting away under the warm glow of Qi and comfort.

  Seeing the children start to relax, Jin Yu decided to seal the moment.

  “All of you, be at ease and eat, okay?”

  “Okay!” a few replied. The others nodded, including the boy who had been crying earlier. He wiped his face and reached for the food.

  Jin Yu smiled faintly and retracted his Will from the orb.

  He tucked it away and grabbed the reins tightly.

  “Let’s move faster. I must leave this Forest today.”

  The stallion neighed, as if agreeing, then kicked forward into a full sprint.

  Jin Yu’s robes whipped behind him like wind-torn banners.

  His long black hair flowed freely in the breeze. If not for his sharp features and intense eyes, someone might have mistaken him for a woman from behind.

  Minutes passed. Then hours. The Golden Sun slowly climbed its way to the sky’s center.

  Bright, but not scalding. Just warm enough to keep the cold away.

  The run continued for four more hours. And slowly, Jin Yu began to notice a shift in the terrain.

  The trees were thinning.

  The forest was growing sparse.

  That’s good.

  But what lies ahead? Civilization? Or the slavers’ hideout?

  He didn’t know.

  All he knew was that he would reach it today.

  The sun began to dip toward the horizon. Another four hours passed.

  By now, the trees were gone entirely. A wide, barren wasteland stretched before him. As he pushed forward, the ground began to incline, rising gradually beneath the stallion’s hooves.

  Am I going uphill? A mountain?

  His suspicions were confirmed as clusters of jagged rocks began to litter both sides of the road. The air also felt thinner and cooler.

  The road turned crooked. The straight, easy path had become a winding, jagged trail full of sharp corners and sudden bends.

  One hour passed.

  The horse huffed and climbed with power, its hooves clashing against stone.

  And finally, Jin Yu saw something faint through the lingering mountain mist.

  He slowed the horse and narrowed his eyes.

  No... It couldn’t be.

  But the shape ahead... the silhouette... it looked too defined to be a natural rock formation.

  Is my vision playing tricks?

  He squinted harder. No... he needed to get closer before nightfall confirmed or dismissed what he saw.

  He urged the stallion forward again.

  The ride was rougher now, but the beast was strong and carried him with relentless strength.

  The slavers... they must have taken another route. This path was clearly too narrow, too unstable for a carriage.

  Which means I’m off their trail.

  But it doesn’t matter.

  Because if what I just saw is truly what I think it is... then I’ll find them anyway.