DURING THE banquet, the clans gathered at the Pei Clan Estate to celebrate.
At the seat of honor sat Lord Pei. Beside him were Lily and the other children.
Seated along the sides were the children's mothers, together with Concubine Qin.
The banquet was lively.
Laughter echoed throughout the hall as guests chatted freely over food and wine.
Lily watched the scene with quiet amusement.
Beside her, Lord Pei stared absentmindedly at the bustling crowd.
Noticing his expression, Lily suddenly spoke.
"Father."
"Hm?"
"I agree and disagree with what you said earlier."
Lord Pei turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
"A clear mind is important for a Clan Head. But so is power."
Lord Pei smiled.
"Then let me hear your reasoning."
Lily nodded.
"A clear-minded Clan Head may lead the clan down the right path. But it would only be a short chapter."
Lord Pei raised an eyebrow.
"Why is that?"
Lily casually drew her thumb across her neck.
"Because he would die early."
"..."
"A Clan Head must never rely on others for his survival," Lily continued. "He must possess the strength to protect himself, especially if his concubine mothers and half-siblings are constantly plotting against him."
"..." said the concubines.
Their eyes never left the festivities.
They smiled gracefully and laughed at the appropriate moments...
As though they hadn't heard a single word.
"..."
The siblings quietly lowered their heads.
Lord Pei cleared his throat.
"What if he has the strength but not the mind?"
Lily offered no reply.
As far as she was concerned, she had already answered that question during their conversation about Tianrui.
Without another word, she rose from her seat and walked toward Bai Yichen, who had been waving at her enthusiastically from across the banquet hall.
Before she could reach them, she noticed a lady lose her footing. She would have fallen if Lily hadn't caught her in time.
"Concubine Wei, be careful. If you're not feeling well, you can eat your soup—" Lily paused for a moment "…You should take a rest."
A faint smile appeared on Concubine Wei's face as she steadied herself.
"Thank you, Young Heir."
Lily watched Concubine Wei make her way toward her father before continuing toward Bai Yichen and Lu Jingxuan.
"Not fair!" Bai Yichen complained the moment she arrived.
The moment she heard those words, Lily had a feeling another round of complaints was about to begin.
She quietly turned to leave.
Too bad...
Bai Yichen was quicker.
He grabbed her sleeve before she could take another step and pulled her into a seat.
"Unfair! You and Jingxuan are now famous geniuses while I'm just an ordinary heir!"
Earlier, he had overheard the crowd talking.
At first, he had been happy for them.
Then...
He realized he had been left behind.
That simply wouldn't do!
"..."
Lily calmly took a bite of her berry.
Lu Jingxuan, on the other hand, blatantly ignored him.
Still, Bai Yichen didn't care about either of their reactions.
He continued complaining until, at last, he slammed his hands onto the table and stood up.
"Starting today, I'm going into closed-door cultivation! You don't have to miss me!"
With that declaration, he ran toward his father.
Lord Bai raised an eyebrow.
"You've finally had an enlightenment?"
"I refuse to become the weakest among the heirs!"
"Good! Good!" Lord Bai laughed heartily. "That's an excellent motivation! Since you're entering closed-door cultivation, let's begin immediately."
Bai Yichen froze.
"I... I meant tomorrow!"
Lord Bai paid him no mind.
He wrapped an arm around his son's neck, bid Lord Pei farewell, and dragged the struggling Bai Yichen toward the exit.
"Father! Tomorrow! I said tomorrow!"
"You said starting today."
"I was speaking figuratively!"
"Too late."
"Lily! Jingxuan! Save me!"
Neither of them even looked his way.
Seeing their Clan Head leave, the rest of the Bai Clan also rose from their seats and followed after him.
The once lively table fell silent.
Lily and Lu Jingxuan quietly continued eating until the latter broke the silence.
"When are you going to tell everyone that you've already chosen a path?"
"..." Lily looked at him.
They're still not done with that topic?
She hadn't even chosen a path yet.
Even if she had...
"What do you think my chosen path is?" Lily asked curiously.
"Mage," Lu Jingxuan answered without hesitation.
He still remembered the azure flames she had conjured in the forest.
If that wasn't the Mage Path...
Then what was?
"..."
Lily was speechless.
She knew next to nothing about mages.
Why would she choose such a troublesome path?
"That would be a pain," she muttered.
Lu Jingxuan frowned.
"Is that why you don't want to tell everyone you've already chosen your path?"
Only then did he realize another possibility.
The Pei Clan had always produced warriors.
Although Lord Pei had repeatedly said he would respect his children's choices...
Lily was different.
She was the future Clan Head.
Perhaps...
She was worried about disappointing him.
Lily stood up.
Whatever Lu Jingxuan had concluded...
She had no interest in finding out.
Besides...
It was about time to end the banquet.
—
"Father, a child needs proper sleep," Lily said with a yawn as she followed behind him. "It's already so late. Can't we talk about whatever you want to talk about tomorrow afternoon instead?"
Lord Pei didn't answer.
He remained silent until they reached the study.
After Lily settled into a chair, he finally spoke.
"When did you awaken your Soul Core?"
Earlier, the academy elders had confirmed that Lily's Soul Core hadn't been awakened by the Soul Crystal.
But if not then...
When?
Lily looked up at him.
"Two years ago," she answered.
She hugged a small pillow to her chest, looking even sleepier than before.
Lord Pei frowned.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know I had to."
Her voice was already growing sluggish.
"Don't you trust your father?"
"I do."
Her answer came almost instinctively.
Only after a moment did Lord Pei realize she had already fallen asleep.
"..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Yet...
A trace of bitterness lingered in his heart.
Lily never lied.
He had always known that.
That was precisely why he believed her when she said she trusted him.
Yet she had kept something as important as her awakened Soul Core to herself.
Earlier that day...
When the academy announced that she possessed no Soul Core...
She had looked at him and asked,
Am I a disappointment?
The memory lingered in his mind.
It made him wonder...
What kind of father had he been?
Still...
Knowing that Lily trusted him eased his heart, if only a little.
He let out a quiet sigh before walking over to her.
Carefully, he lifted the sleeping child into his arms.
Only at times like this...
Could he carry this little brat without her slipping away.