My Celestial Ascension

Chapter 537: Unique Family Dynamics

With Xi Meili's guidance, Anna, Grace, and Mireya quickly located Sylvia and the others and soon arrived before them.

"Sylvia! Thank god you're okay! I was so worried about you!" Mireya exclaimed, immediately pulling Sylvia into a tight embrace. She had missed her greatly during the days of separation.

Sylvia, surprised by their sudden appearance, ignored everything else and returned Mireya's hug just as tightly, feeling a wave of relief and happiness wash over her. She had missed Mireya just as much.

The two stayed like that for a while, their bond evident to everyone present. Seeing the heartfelt reunion, Anna, Grace, Julie, and Ava couldn't help but smile sweetly, feeling overjoyed for the two of them.

While the two friends hugged, Anna, Grace, and Xi Meili used their Divine Sense to check on Sylvia, Julie, and Ava. To their relief, they found no injuries or signs of poison from any unknown beasts or monsters.

'Thank goodness they're in good health, and nothing bad happened to them…' Anna and Grace sighed inwardly, feeling a wave of relief.

However, when they checked their cultivation bases, Anna, Grace, and Xi Meili were taken aback to discover that Sylvia, Julie, and Ava had all reached the second-level Spirit Master.

"Incredible! They managed to reach the second-level Spirit Master after staying inside this secret realm for only a few days… They've grown so much in such a short time!" Anna exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. A proud smile appeared on her face.

"Indeed. If they continue cultivating for a few more days, I'm sure they'll reach the peak of Spirit Master," Grace nodded with a smile, though her expression remained somewhat cold.

A couple of minutes later, Sylvia and Mireya broke their embrace and began explaining what had happened to them after entering the secret realm. In turn, Anna, Grace, Mireya, and Xi Meili shared their own experiences and how they had been searching for the others since they arrived.

"You three must be hungry, having gone without food for days. Let me prepare something good for us," Anna offered.

She quickly started a fire and began to cook a few dishes using the meat stored in her Spatial Ring, along with some vegetables. The delicious aroma of the food filled the air, instantly capturing the attention of Xi Meili, who was chatting with Ava.

"It smells so good! Mom Anna, what are you cooking in that pot?" Xi Meili asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Curry. It's the same dish my darling prepared for us," Anna replied with a smile, playfully pinching Xi Meili's cheeks.

Meanwhile, Lily, Valeria, Rose, and Leah were searching for Yuan and the others while riding on their flying swords. Suddenly, Lily's nose picked up the familiar scent of her mother's cooking from a distance as the wind carried the aroma of delicious food.

Not just Lily, but the other three also caught the scent. They looked at each other with surprised expressions.

"Did you smell that too?" Lily asked with a curious smile, raising her brows slightly.

"I did. And it's coming from that direction!" Rose pointed toward a massive tree in the distance.

Valeria nodded and added, "I can also smell the delicious aroma of the food. It's definitely Mother-in-law Anna's cooking. I'm sure of it!"

"I agree. Let's follow the scent before it disappears," Leah suggested, her stomach rumbling with hunger since she hadn't eaten anything since entering this place.

They followed the scent and soon arrived at the massive tree. Looking down from their flying swords, they saw Anna, Grace, Mireya, Sylvia, Julie, and Ava sitting under the tree while Anna was preparing food for everyone.

"Finally, we found you guys after searching for days!" Lily exclaimed, relieved to see them safe and sound.

However, she quickly noticed Yuan's absence, which left her puzzled. "By the way, I don't see Yuan with you. Where is he?" Lily asked as she descended to the ground and walked toward the group.

"We don't know about his whereabouts either. We've been searching for you all, and for him, for days. We managed to reunite with Sylvia, Julie, and Ava just a few moments ago," Grace replied in a calm voice, with a hint of concern, though her expression remained composed.

"Is that so… I wonder where he is now…" Lily looked up at the sky with a sad expression, thinking of where Yuan could be.

—

Yuan and Fang Xiaoyan arrived at a vast clearing in the middle of the forest, hidden by a formation that concealed it from the greedy eyes of others.

At the center of the clearing stood a massive wooden house that appeared very old; it was more like a mansion than a simple house — a truly enormous building.

"Is this where you live, Miss Fang?" Yuan asked, staring at the old house with a dazed look. Despite its age, it was beautiful. There were also a few smaller buildings surrounding the house, giving the place an appearance straight out of a fairytale. It was peaceful, with beautiful surroundings.

"Yes, with my parents and grandparents," Fang Xiaoyan said, nodding with a smile. "Come on, I'll introduce you to them. They'd love to meet you."

"Sure, lead the way," Yuan replied with a smile, unable to take his eyes off her. Not only was she tall and beautiful, but she was also quite strong, a Spirit Lord — a level above Spirit Grandmaster. Furthermore, she had a noble aura about her, like that of a powerful empress.

"Hmm? What an unexpected surprise," said a mature woman with long black hair, emerging from the house before they could reach the entrance. She was holding a basket of freshly picked vegetables.

Thud! The basket fell from her hands as she stared at her daughter in disbelief.

"Father! Mother! And you, old man! Come quickly! Look at what Xiaoyan brought home! And she looks like a total mess!" the woman shouted, her voice filled with excitement.

"What?! A handsome young man?! How can this be?!" another voice echoed. A man with crimson hair, around the same age as the woman, came out of the house, his face filled with surprise as he looked at Yuan.

"What?! A man!? Impossible!" Suddenly, another voice sounded — this time, it was an elderly woman's. Moments later, an old lady emerged from the house, looking shocked.

"You old witch! Are you seeing things?! How could there be a young man with our granddaughter?! Impossible!" Yet another voice came, and shortly, an old man with white hair came running toward them.

'What?! It really is a young, handsome man! But how could this be?! I thought Xiaoyan hated men!' the old man thought to himself in disbelief.

"Who are you calling old, you useless thing!" the old lady snapped at the old man, who swallowed nervously, sensing the anger in her eyes.

"I-I'm the old one here… my eyesight isn't what it used to be…" he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It's good that you understand…" the old lady said with a vicious smile before turning to look at her granddaughter, who looked quite a mess.

"Oh, dear! Look at her! It looks like they had quite the intense adventure before coming back!"

"Indeed! Her clothes are nearly in tatters! This young man seems to be quite the handful!"

"Look at the smile on my granddaughter's face, the glow in her eyes. She seems to have enjoyed it a lot."

"Finally! I might get a grandchild from my daughter! I'll spoil them so much!" the mature lady exclaimed, her voice full of excitement and anticipation.

"I'm back, everyone," Fang Xiaoyan greeted them, pretending not to hear their comments.

"Xiaoyan, who is this handsome young man with you? He's so good-looking! Is he your boyfriend?" the mature lady quickly asked, her tone filled with curiosity about the young man standing next to her daughter.

"Yes, tell us quickly, Xiaoyan, what's your relationship with this young man?" The old lady approached Fang Xiaoyan with a wide grin, then turned to look at Yuan when her granddaughter didn't respond.

"Young man, who are you? Are you my granddaughter's boyfriend? How far have you two gone? Have you already reached 'that' point?" the old lady bombarded Yuan with questions.

Meanwhile, Yuan was speechless at their strange questions and could only stare at them with a dumbfounded expression.

'Whoa! This is totally unexpected! I never anticipated something like this before coming here… what a strange family,' Yuan thought, feeling awkward. It seemed that Fang Xiaoyan's family had misunderstood his relationship with her.

"You old witch, calm down a little, will you? You're clearly scaring the guy our precious granddaughter has brought home for the first time," the old man immediately shouted at the old lady, only to receive a cold glare from her that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hello, young man. Don't mind what they're saying. Let's go inside; we'll chat there," the old man said with a grin, giving the old lady a smug smile.

"Sure," Yuan nodded with a smile.

"You see that, old witch? That's how conversation works." The old man snorted at the old lady, making Yuan chuckle inwardly at Fang Xiaoyan's unique family dynamics.

Once they were all seated on the sofa inside the house, the old lady asked curiously, "By the way, young man, when are you two getting married? And when can we expect a child from the two of you?"

"That's right, young man! Tell us quickly, and don't keep us waiting!" the mature woman said, nodding eagerly, her eyes full of excitement.

"One grandchild won't do! We want two — one boy and one girl," the old man added with a wide grin.

"What the hell are you all asking?! Stop joking around! We don't have that kind of relationship! Besides, we're barely acquainted with each other!" Fang Xiaoyan shouted at her parents and grandparents, her face flushed with embarrassment in front of Yuan.