Asura and Su Lin stood outside Asura's family bungalow. Since Asura belonged to a middle noble family, his bungalow was large enough to accommodate many families. However, in his home, there were only three members him, his mother, and his sister.
Asura's mother asked Xie Ling, "Ling'er, please go and open the gate. Asura has arrived, but it seems he is not alone. Go and invite them inside."
Xie Ling replied, "Oh, has my brother really returned? But Mom, how do you always know when he comes home?"
Asura's mother replied with a smile, "It's a mother's intuition. Now, let's not keep them waiting."
On Asura's side, Su Lin was feeling nervous about entering Asura's home. She had agreed to meet his family, but when the moment arrived, her nerves got the best of her. Now, they stood at the gate of Asura's family house, and she couldn't take a step forward; her feet were frozen in place.
As Asura tried to persuade her to enter and calm her nerves, a cheerful voice echoed in their ears, "Big brother!"
When they turned around, they found someone opening the gate, and that someone was none other than Xie Ling. Xie Ling was very excited because her brother had been gone for a long time. Under normal circumstances, he would return home every two or three months, but this time, it had been almost five months since his last visit.
However, she noticed that he was not alone; someone was with him, and that person was Su Lin. Xie Ling stared at Su Lin for a few seconds and asked, "Aren't you Senior Sister Su Lin?"
Su Lin felt a little nervous. She knew that Xie Ling was just Asura's little sister, but after confessing to Asura, she felt a bit anxious about talking to his younger sibling. Nevertheless, she managed to calm her nerves and replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, I am. Also, I apologize for not being able to talk to you during the time of competition we met."
Xie Ling smiled and said, "No problem. During the competition, everyone was busy. By the way..." Xie Ling paused for a moment to look at Su Lin again and then continued, "Senior Sister deserves the title of the prettiest girl of the Xiao Sect."
Su Lin blushed slightly and quickly responded, "I'm one of the prettiest, not the prettiest woman in the Xiao Sect." Asura, on the other hand, thought that his little sister was quite skilled in praising someone.
Xie Ling shook her head and added, "Senior Sister may not know, but us juniors conducted a survey on the prettiest and most popular senior sisters, and the result showed that Senior Sister Su Lin was at the top of the list, followed by Li Xin and the others senior sisters."
Asura then interrupted their conversation by saying, "Let's go inside first, and then you two can talk as much as you want. Xie Ling, won't you invite your senior sister inside?"
Xie Ling nodded and gently took Su Lin's hand, saying, "Senior Sister Su Lin, please come inside."
Su Lin nodded, and her hesitation had disappeared. She added, "Xie Ling, you can call me 'big sister' if you don't mind instead of calling me 'senior sister'." Xie Ling was happy to hear this and replied, "Yes, big sister." The three of them then went inside the house.
When they went inside, Su Lin noticed that there were no servants in Asura's family house. Asura, who was standing beside her, noticed her question and answered it.
Asura said, "As you can see, there are no servants in my house because my mother likes to do her work on her own. Xie Ling is here to help Mother whenever she needs it. Xie Ling is not like me, who wanders outside the home for months. She spends most of her time with Mother when she's not in the Xiao Sect."
Su Lin nodded and said, "I understand, but Xie Ling is in the Temper Realm, right? She will have her own quarters in the Xiao Sect when she reaches the Spiritual Realm. When that happens, it may be hard for our mother."
Xie Ling, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly spoke up, "Don't worry, big sister Su Lin. When I reach the Spiritual Realm, I will still stay with my mother because it's not necessary to live in the quarter assigned by the Xiao Sect when you reach the Spiritual Realm."
Su Lin agreed and said, "That's true." In reality, she had asked this question because she wanted to help Asura's mother when she had free time. However, after thinking for a while, she rejected the idea, realizing it might be too direct. She needed to build a healthy relationship with Asura's mother without being overly forward.
While they were talking, they arrived at the dining table where Asura's mother was waiting for them. Upon seeing Su Lin, she exclaimed, "What a beautiful young lady! Isn't she, Su Lin?"
Xie Ling giggled, as she had almost asked the same question when Su Lin arrived with Asura.
Su Lin bowed her head and greeted Asura's mother, saying, "Greetings, Aunt."
Asura's mother was surprised and delighted to see Su Lin. She hadn't expected Asura to bring a girl home; she had been thinking the newcomer would be Kallu, who had become Asura's best friend in recent months.
Asura's mother nodded and told her, "Sit down and have dinner with us." It was already nighttime when Asura had arrived home with Su Lin.
Su Lin, Asura, and Xie Ling took their seats at the table, and Asura's mother began to serve them. Su Lin, who was sitting, suddenly stood up and offered to help, saying, "Aunty, let me help."
However, Asura's mother declined her offer with a smile, saying, "You are a guest, how can I allow you to work?"
Asura chimed in, "My mother can be stubborn at times like this. So, sit down, Su Lin, and enjoy the dinner. I can tell you, my mother is one of the best chefs in the entire Xiao Kingdom."
Xie Ling pouted and added, "Big brother, I also helped Mother."
Asura quickly said, "And Xie Ling is also one of the best chefs."
Everyone laughed at Asura's reaction, and they started to enjoy dinner made by Asura's mother and his little sister.