Glenn's family and Hermione's family boarded a public bus to the airport. With such a large group, they decided not to trouble Antin Hawthorne to drive them.
Standing at the street corner, watching the big family leave, Antin and Lin Yingqing turned back toward their home once the bus disappeared from view.
"The house has suddenly become so quiet. It feels strange… even though this is just like how it was a year ago," Antin sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice. His children were leaving again.
He silently hoped they would come back to visit more often.
Lin Yingqing nodded in agreement.
What parent wouldn't wish for their children, who were far away, to return home more frequently?
The two walked into their courtyard house, preparing to clean up the yard and rooms. However, Antin noticed something left on the table where the young girl had been eating watermelon earlier.
He walked over and took a closer look. It was a delicate bottle filled with a clear liquid. Antin picked it up and wondered aloud, "Did Hermione forget to take her belongings?"
Lin Yingqing approached after hearing this. "They probably haven't gone far yet. I can head straight to the airport and wait for them there to return this to the little girl."
Antin handed the bottle to Lin Yingqing. The moment she took it, she noticed something unusual about it.
"This is… traces of spiritual energy. Are these words?" Lin Yingqing murmured, puzzled. This method of using spiritual energy to form words for communication was quite common, and she immediately thought of it.
With a light touch of her finger on the bottle, Lin Yingqing injected a trace of spiritual energy. A faint golden glow began to emanate from the bottle, gradually becoming brighter. The glow formed small, delicate characters in the air.
"This is a gift Glenn and I left for Grandpa and you. Half for each of you. Please drink the liquid in the bottle as soon as possible—it's not suitable for overnight consumption. And don't tell anyone else about it."
The words in the air lasted only a moment before quickly dissipating.
Lin Yingqing immediately understood that this was Hermione's handiwork. She glanced again at the mysterious clear liquid in the bottle and realized what it was.
"This isn't something they accidentally left behind. It's a gift from Glenn and Hermione," Lin Yingqing said with a smile. With a wave of her hand, two cups appeared out of thin air and floated in the air.
Although she didn't know what the liquid in the bottle was, Lin Yingqing trusted her children.
Following Hermione's instructions, Lin Yingqing immediately prepared to share the mysterious liquid with Antin.
She divided the liquid into two portions, pouring them into the floating cups. One cup floated into her husband's hand, while the other landed in her own.
"Oh, they even prepared a gift for us," Antin said, looking a bit guilty. Over the past month, he had hardly spent time with Glenn and Hermione. Being a businessman, he often came home late, by which time Glenn and Hermione were already asleep.
As a grandfather who hadn't spent much time with his grandchildren, receiving a gift from them now made Antin feel a bit embarrassed.
Sitting under the shade of a tree on stone chairs, each holding a cup of the clear liquid, Antin and Lin Yingqing exchanged a glance. Antin chuckled and asked, "Shouldn't we test it first?"
With no one else in the courtyard, Lin Yingqing dropped her reserved demeanor and playfully scolded Antin, "Don't you trust Glenn and Hermione?"
"Of course I do," Antin replied, waving his hand.
The two clinked their cups together in a toast and then drank the clear liquid in one go.
It was colorless, tasteless, cool, and smooth—this was Lin Yingqing's first impression as the liquid went down her throat. Then her expression changed as she felt the liquid being completely absorbed by her body the moment it entered her esophagus.
More importantly, she realized her body… seemed to have become younger?
Although Lin Yingqing already appeared to be a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl due to her cultivation of the Lin Family's secret sorcery, her sensitivity to her own lifespan was heightened because of it.
To her astonishment, she discovered that her body had become even younger and her lifespan had significantly extended!
If that was the case… She looked at her husband, trembling with excitement.
Antin Hawthorne's half-black, half-white hair had entirely fallen out, but new strands immediately grew in and continued to lengthen. In an instant, his hair transformed into a head of jet-black, shoulder-length locks.
His previously aging and wrinkled face became smooth and youthful, resembling his appearance in his younger days. His slightly frail body and shrinking muscles were also gradually regaining their former vigor.
Both of them had grown younger after drinking Glenn and Hermione's gift.
Antin stared at his now smooth hands, trembling. When he turned to look at Lin Yingqing, she had already tightly embraced him.
"This is wonderful…" Lin Yingqing said in a trembling voice, her eyes welling up with tears.
Lin Yingqing had guessed correctly—Glenn and Hermione's gift was none other than the legendary Elixir of Life!
Her father had already informed her that Glenn was a master alchemist and a student of Nicolas Flamel, and he had shared this information with her.
Nicolas Flamel's greatest achievement, the Philosopher's Stone, which could produce the Elixir of Life, was something Lin Yingqing had heard of even in the magical world of China.
As a sorcerer, Lin Yingqing already had a lifespan far longer than that of ordinary people. Coupled with the Lin Family's secret sorcery, her lifespan was even more extended.
The Elixir of Life given to them by Glenn and Hermione was actually more effective for Antin, who was an ordinary man in his fifties.
For Lin Yingqing, who had spent years searching for ways to extend her husband's life, this was a moment of overwhelming joy.
Antin also understood what had happened to them. Holding Lin Yingqing tightly in his arms, he sighed, "Our children have truly given us an extraordinary gift…"
"…Yes…" Lin Yingqing replied softly, her voice choked with emotion.
Feeling his wife, who seemed even smaller now, in his arms, Antin let out a long sigh.
Taking his wife out for a walk just got a lot more challenging—this would definitely lead to misunderstandings. And China had a well-established legal system; Antin didn't want to end up in trouble.
...
Indeed, the gift Glenn and Hermione left for their grandparents was the Elixir of Life, created using the Philosopher's Stone.
"Glenn, do you think Grandpa and Grandma have already received our gift?" Hermione, leaning on Glenn's shoulder on the bus, glanced at her parents, who were chatting across the aisle, and asked softly.
Glenn nodded. Judging by the time, they probably had.
The Elixir of Life was the most precious thing they had. There was nothing else they could offer that would match its value.
So, they decided to use the Elixir of Life to show their filial piety.
"With Grandma and the Lin Family supporting us now, it's time to consider giving the Elixir of Life to our parents as well," Glenn whispered his thoughts to Hermione.
During these days, they had learned from Lin Yu about the Lin Family's high status in China.
With such strong backing, they no longer needed to be overly cautious in their actions.
Since that was the case, secretly giving their parents the Elixir of Life and dealing with any potential consequences was no longer a concern. If necessary, they could simply bring their parents back to Grandma's house in China.
Despite appearing to be a harmless artificer, Lin Yingqing's past feats, as recounted by Grandpa, were anything but ordinary.
She had single-handedly dismantled criminal organizations both domestically and internationally, leaving them in complete disarray.
Truly formidable.
"When we get back, we'll mix the Elixir of Life into their drinking water so they can drink it every day," Hermione said, making a fist with her right hand and lightly tapping her left palm.
Glenn didn't agree with this approach. "The Elixir of Life should be consumed in moderation. You wouldn't want our parents to suddenly become our age, would you?"
Hermione imagined the scenario in her mind and shuddered, her expression turning peculiar.
She nodded solemnly. "Moderation is indeed necessary."
After some discussion, the two decided that their parents would consume a moderate amount of the Elixir of Life once a year. This way, their appearance wouldn't change too drastically all at once, and their bodies would gradually be healed and improved without them noticing.
It wasn't about keeping the Elixir of Life a secret from their parents but rather understanding their personalities. If their parents knew such a thing existed, they would likely drink it all at once, turning themselves into children and pretending to be kids to do things only children could do.
And they would probably drag the Grangers into it, who surely wouldn't refuse.
Glenn was certain of this, and Hermione agreed wholeheartedly.
During the bus ride to the airport, the two quickly finalized their plan.
After getting off the bus and carrying their luggage, the six of them headed to the terminal to check in for their flight.
After passing through security, it was soon time to board. The group boarded the plane.
Just like last time, Hermione sat by the window, resting her chin on her hand as she watched other planes take off and land outside.
As the plane taxied and left the Chinese soil, with the buildings below growing smaller and smaller, Hermione asked softly, "Glenn, do you think we'll have the chance to come back to China to visit Grandma and the others?"
Her voice was filled with reluctance.
Who wouldn't feel the same? Antin and Lin Yingqing were reluctant to see them leave, and they, along with their parents, were equally reluctant to leave the warm and cozy courtyard house.
But people always have reasons to part ways. They each had their own tasks to complete, their own jobs, and their own studies.
Glenn gently stroked Hermione's head.
"We will," he said softly.
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