They were entirely too big for the thirteen-year-old, the sleeves hanging past his fingertips, but they were warm, soft, and smelled of laundry soap instead of despair. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Come to the kitchen when you’re dressed," Ji’an ordered, turning her back to give him privacy. "I’m making dinner."

When Xuan timidly pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the Drunken Peak’s kitchen, the sight that greeted him nearly brought him to his knees.

The hearth fire was roaring, casting a warm, golden glow over the meticulously scrubbed stone and wood.

Standing at the massive iron stove was Ji’an, expertly tossing a heavy wok with one hand while stirring a simmering clay pot with the other.

The aroma filling the room was so profoundly, agonizingly delicious that Xuan’s malnourished stomach let out a loud, painful rumble.

It smelled of rich, slow-simmered chicken broth, toasted sesame, and the earthy, luxurious scent of the Cloud-Silk Truffles Ji’an had harvested back in the Myriad Illusions Lower Realm.

"Sit," Ji’an commanded without looking back.

Xuan scrambled to the wooden table, climbing onto a stool that was slightly too tall for him.

Jiu Zui was already sitting there, casually polishing his rusted sword with a rag, watching the sibling dynamic with profound, drunken amusement.

Ji’an brought over a massive, steaming porcelain bowl and set it down in front of the boy.

It was a restorative congee. The rice had been simmered in the spiritual chicken broth until it broke down into a thick, velvety porridge.

It was topped with thinly sliced, pan-seared strips of premium spirit-pork, finely chopped scallions, and generous shavings of the highly coveted Cloud-Silk Truffle.

"Eat," Ji’an said softly, handing him a wooden spoon. "Slowly. Your stomach shrank in the cages. If you eat too fast, you’ll throw it all up."

Xuan looked at the bowl. He was a noble child, raised in the lap of luxury at the General’s estate. He had eaten delicacies prepared by imperial chefs.

But as he took the first, trembling spoonful of the congee and placed it in his mouth, his entire world shifted.

The sheer, overwhelming density of the Harmonious Five-Grain Qi infused into the meal hit his exhausted, battered meridians like a warm, comforting embrace.

The flavors were perfectly balanced: the savory depth of the broth, the earthy richness of the truffle, the sharp, clean bite of the scallion.

It wasn’t just food; it was liquid vitality, crafted with absolute, unconditional care.

Silent, fat drops of tears began to well up in Xuan’s silver-flecked eyes.

They spilled over his cheeks, dropping into the porridge as he ate, unable to stop himself from shoveling the food into his mouth.

Ji’an sat across from him, resting her chin on her hand, her expression softening.

She had never had a close relationship with Lin Xuan in the original host’s memories. Xuan was the youngest, the fourth child, born to a different concubine.

But unlike the insufferable, cruel Second Son, who used to take delight in tormenting the "trash" third child, Xuan had always been quiet.

He was a calm, composed kid who preferred reading military history scrolls in the library over participating in the estate’s toxic bullying dynamics.

In fact, right before Ji’an had run away two years ago, it was a ten-year-old Xuan who had accidentally left the side gate unlocked, silently facilitating her escape.

He wasn’t a bad kid. He was just a naive, sheltered boy who had gotten way in over his head.

"Alright, brat," Ji’an said, pouring him a cup of warm water once he had scraped the bowl clean. "You’re safe now. You’re fed. Now start talking. What in the name of the Heavenly Emperor possessed you to sneak out of the most heavily guarded military estate in the Azure Empire and wander into a Xianxia black market?"

Xuan wiped his mouth with the oversized sleeve of his gray robe, taking a deep breath to regain his aristocratic composure.

He sat up straight, trying to look dignified despite his tear-stained face.

"I didn’t mean to go to the Black Market, Third Brother," Xuan said, his voice quiet but steady. "I... I just wanted to leave the manor. I couldn’t stand being trapped behind those walls anymore. Not after everything that happened."

Ji’an raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Last I checked, the estate was a toxic snake pit run by Stepmother and her precious Second Son. But didn’t Dad already take care of them by now? I believe he did after the last time we had a conversation."

Xuan shook his head, looking down at his empty bowl. "Things changed after you disappeared, Brother. Father returned from the western campaign. When you finally left the estate, he..."

Xuan hesitated, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his face as he recalled the General’s wrath.

"Father was furious. He didn’t care that you lacked spiritual roots. You were still Lin blood. He ordered a full investigation into the inner courtyard. When his shadow guards uncovered the extent of Stepmother’s abuse, and how Second Brother had been beating the servants and stealing your rations... the General did not show mercy."

Ji’an’s eyes widened. This was some new information she finally had about her own family after so long.

The original novel had barely touched on the Lin family after the villain ran away when he accidentally killed Lin Ji’an.

"What did he do?" Ji’an asked, leaning forward.

"He already stripped Stepmother of her authority," Xuan explained, his voice hushed. "He had her publicly flogged in the courtyard for failing her duties as the matriarch. And Second Brother... Father shattered his cultivation base. He said a son who uses his power to torment his own bloodline is unfit to lead an army. They were both banished in disgrace. Sent back to Marquis Ding’an’s house, to Stepmother’s maiden family, to live out their days in exile."

Ji’an stared at the boy, her mind reeling.

The butterfly effect of her transmigration and leaving the estate had completely upended the Lin General’s Estate.