At the end of the bluestone path.

The enormous canopy of the old banyan tree cast a gentle shadow in the twilight.

Mingxi, carrying the 鬆糕 she specifically went to the next street to buy, along with some small snacks for her elderly father's pet beasts, turned the familiar street corner with light steps.

Golden Yuanbao squatted on her shoulder, while Little Silver Flower, with his legs crossed, chewed on a toothpick in her hood.

Black Pearl was hidden in the air, occasionally sticking to Mingxi's back, only to be kicked away by Little Silver Flower...

Before she even reached her doorstep, she heard a robust, clearly triumphant voice carried by the wind:

"...Old Li, your 'chariot' move is truly terrible! Unbearably bad! See that? My 'cannon' is set here, and the next step will be to blast your old general!"

Mingxi paused, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Wasn't that her elderly father's voice?

She quietly circled behind the large banyan tree and peeked out.

Under the shade of the banyan tree, there was a well-worn stone chessboard.

Her elderly father was locked in a fierce game with Old Li from Building No. 3.

Although it had only been a month since Ming Zhiyun returned home, his relaxed mood, coupled with the abundance of good things Mingxi provided, meant his condition was immeasurably better than when Mingxi first saw him.

At this moment, he held a chess piece, slamming it onto the board with a crisp 'thwack,' his face displaying a rare, somewhat childish exuberance.

"Heh! Checkmate! Do you concede? I'm asking if you concede?"

Ming Zhiyun's loud voice drew a burst of laughter from the neighbors fanning themselves and watching the game nearby.

Old Li frowned, staring at the chessboard, muttering, "You little rascal, you only won one game against this old man? What's there to be so proud of?...Again, again!"

Ming Zhiyun picked up a very aged-looking large teacup nearby, took a big, satisfying gulp of cold tea, wiped his mouth, and that triumphant air became even harder to suppress.

He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice a bit, but his voice was still loud enough for the old sparrows in the tree to hear:

"Old Li, playing chess is like raising children! You need to think about the bigger picture, about strategizing."

His fingers unconsciously tapped the edge of the chessboard, habitually steering the conversation towards his daughter, "You guys don't know about my daughter..."

Mingxi silently pricked up her ears.

"...I dare say, she alone is worth all of your descendants combined! My daughter, from a young age, has been independent and self-reliant, exceptionally talented, intelligent, beautiful, and filial (ten thousand words omitted here)..."

Mingxi felt her ears burning with embarrassment.

An elderly man fanning himself nearby finally couldn't help but interject, "Xiao Ming, stop bragging! Is your daughter really that outstanding? It sounds like you're telling a story.

Even if we take it a step further, if your daughter is really that excellent, what does that have to do with you? Weren't you missing for over ten years?"

"Mr. Zhang, how can you say that? How am I bragging?! Every single word I've said is the truth!

And what's wrong with me being missing?" Ming Zhiyun's eyes widened, and his neck stiffened as he pointed at the speaking elder, "This is called winning from a thousand miles away! Even if I'm not by my child's side, I can still push them to forge ahead!"

The more he spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, almost spitting.

"My daughter, just for me, struggled and worked hard from a young age, achieved success early, and traveled countless miles to an alien planet to save her father! I am the driving force behind her growth and progress!"

"Hahaha, you little rascal, your skin is too thick! If what you're saying is all true, then your daughter must be quite unlucky to have a dad like you, huh?"

"Speaking of which, Xiao Ming, you boast about your daughter every day, but who exactly is she? Your family has been living here for quite some time, so why have we never seen her?"

"My daughter is currently a teacher at Wanling Beast University, normally..."

Before Ming Zhiyun could finish his sentence, his gaze inadvertently swept over a certain corner, and his entire body instantly froze!

Seeing that her elderly father had discovered her, Mingxi walked out from behind the tree with an irrepressible smile, quietly watching her stiff father.

Ming Zhiyun's face visibly flushed, from the base of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

The chess piece he was toying with clattered onto the chessboard.

He opened his mouth, his throat seemingly blocked by something; that booming voice and spirited demeanor from moments ago vanished without a trace, leaving only the awkwardness and embarrassment of being caught, like a primary school student discovered by their teacher after doing something wrong.

"Mingxi? You...you're back?"

His voice was dry, his gaze flitted about, and he didn't know where to put his hands.

"I'm back, Dad."

Mingxi stepped forward, her voice tinged with amusement, and tucked the large snack gift bag into her father's hands.

Her gaze swept over the curious neighbors observing her, "Hello, everyone, grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunties. I am my father's excellent daughter, cultivated from a thousand miles away. You can call me Xiao Xi."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

"So her name is Xiao Xi."

Old Li, who had lost the chess game to her father, huffed, looking at Mingxi's face, which she had unmasked out of respect: "Xiao Xi, you don't look very old, do you? Are you in high school or college? Your dad actually said you're a teacher at Wanling Beast University; he's really blown his own horn."

Ming Zhiyun's face immediately began to redden again upon hearing this.

"What bragging! I told you I wasn't bragging!"

Mingxi held her elderly father's hand, "Uncle, I am indeed teaching at Wanling Beast University now. {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} My father wasn't lying."

Everyone was stunned.

"Child, how old are you?"

"Almost 20."

She was 16, but rounding up, why wouldn't that be almost 20?

"Oh, then your dad was right. This child truly is outstanding."

To become a teacher at Wanling Beast University before the age of 20, Ming Zhiyun's daughter was indeed remarkable.

They didn't doubt Mingxi was lying.

Bragging is bragging, lying is lying, two different things.

Don't think of them as just a group of idle old men and women; anyone who could live in this World City wouldn't be ordinary people.

The worst family among them had at least one B-Grade Beastmaster.

If a lie were exposed at a time like this, the embarrassed ones wouldn't be them, but Ming Zhiyun and his daughter.

So, the fact that this Xiao Guniang was a teacher at Wanling Beast University couldn't be false.

It also proved that Ming Zhiyun really wasn't bragging.

After all, to be able to teach at the Alliance's top Beast Taming University at such a young age meant that this Ming family girl's future was absolutely limitless.

"Yes, yes, Xiao Ming truly has good fortune."

"Girl, come visit Mr. Zhang's house sometime. My grandson is your age; you two can learn and exchange ideas with each other."

The neighbors praised her voluminously, easing Ming Zhiyun's embarrassment.

Ming Zhiyun scratched his head, looking at his daughter's smiling eyes, and that sense of awkwardness slowly faded away.

Only a full, almost overflowing warmth and pride remained.

He had always been thick-skinned since he was young, and although he had been suppressed in the Nine Gods Temple for over ten years, after returning to a normal life and receiving the doting affection of his elderly mother and beloved daughter, he quickly regained his spirits.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to boast about his precious daughter to the elderly men and women every day.