Chapter 673: Chapter 673 - 658: Didn’t My Maternal Grandfather Die?_2

"But who would have thought that because of you, we all returned."

Xiaosuisui pouted, "How is it all my fault? Aren’t Seventh Uncle and Eighth Uncle always in Kyoto too?"

Hearing Xiaosuisui mention Eighth Uncle, Ji Youyuan’s eyes looked somewhat puzzled. "Your Eighth Uncle, he..."

"Why did you stop speaking? What happened to my Eighth Uncle?"

"It’s nothing much, let’s not talk about this. Hurry up and wake your Seventh Uncle, then go find your maternal grandfather! I should go now, otherwise your maternal grandmother will start worrying."

Xiaosuisui looked at the three solitary strands of hair in her hand, pouting.

"Why did they only give me three strands of hair? Can’t Maternal Grandmother let you bring me more?"

"It’s good enough that you were given any. Your maternal grandmother only has a small tuft herself. We didn’t know who you would pull into the Dream Realm, so everyone took a few strands, just in case."

"Oh, I see! Alright then! Eldest Uncle, let me escort you out. Tell Maternal Grandmother I will definitely find Maternal Grandfather."

"Yes! But there’s something I need to tell you. If you see your maternal grandfather, you’d better ask him if he has any other children besides your uncles."

"Huh?" Xiaosuisui looked at Ji Youyuan, a little perplexed. "Why should I ask that?"

"If he has other children, then don’t tell us his news. If he doesn’t, or perhaps..."

"Or perhaps what?"

"Or perhaps he has taken another wife; then you also don’t need to tell us his news."

Xiaosuisui nodded, only half understanding. "I understand. Eldest Uncle, rest assured, I will be sure to ask very clearly."

After sending Ji Youyuan out of the Dream Realm, Xiaosuisui woke up to the anxious gazes of Old Madam Ji and the others.

"How did it go? Did Suisui find you?" Old Madam Ji asked anxiously.

"Yes! She found me. I told her about the Array of Heaven and gave her Father’s three strands of hair. Whether she can succeed or not truly depends on Heaven’s will."

"If she really reaches the Dragon-Locking Array, and there’s no other way, I hope she can protect herself."

After saying this, Old Madam Ji slowly walked back into the house.

That man!

If there was one person in this life whose news she least wanted to hear, it would be that man.

She feared hearing that he was dead, but she feared even more hearing that he had left this world and started another family elsewhere.

「...」

"ACHOO!"

In a mist-wreathed, flower-filled mountain range, atop a mountain peak, a middle-aged man with hair turning gray and a beard let out a loud sneeze.

"What on earth is wrong with me? These past few days, I’ve been sneezing constantly, and today it’s incessant."

"Little Junior Brother, could you be allergic to the wildflowers in this mountain range? I have some medicinal liquid here; would you like to try it?"

An exquisitely beautiful woman with a stunning figure, dressed in revealing attire, suddenly appeared. She handed him a white jade vial.

This woman had phoenix eyes and willow-leaf brows, her almond-shaped peach-blossom eyes captivating enough to steal one’s soul.

"Eldest Senior Sister, why have you come so suddenly? I heard you were out ’corrupting’ respectable young men again. Did any of them catch your eye this time?"

"Alas! There were indeed a few respectable young men, but none quite caught my eye. I’ve roamed the entire Profound Celestial Continent, yet I haven’t found anyone who surpasses you, Little Junior Brother. Little Junior Brother, why don’t you just give in to your Senior Sister? We could become Dao companions and cultivate together. Who knows, we might even be able to have children!"

This was the sacred land of cultivation, the Profound Celestial Continent. Most people here possessed the innate talent for cultivation, though a small number could not cultivate. Foremost among the powers were the four major forces: Shengtian City, Lingzhou Island, Qianji Pavilion, and Lingxiao Mountain. These groups had seized the best cultivation lands on the entire continent.

These four major forces were brimming with talent, genius cultivators emerging one after another. However, these cultivators faced a significant drawback. They could cultivate, accumulate great destiny, and attain longevity.

Yet, once they embarked on the path of cultivation, they either walked the Great Dao of Ruthlessness, becoming indifferent to matters of the heart, or their cultivation altered their physical constitution, rendering them unable to bear children!

The two individuals before them were disciples of Lingxiao Mountain, one of the four major forces on the Profound Celestial Continent. Both were elder-level figures: one an Eldest Senior Sister, the other a Little Junior Brother.

For a hundred years, Lingxiao Mountain had seen little new talent emerge from its younger generation, while other forces were flourishing with prodigious youths.

Shengtian City had produced a chief disciple, Tang Tian, a beautiful young woman who entered the Grandmaster Realm at the age of twenty.

Lingzhou Island had a Young Island Master, Yu Wuxin, who, at eighteen, had also entered the Grandmaster Realm.

Qianji Pavilion’s old master had a granddaughter, also eighteen, whose skills in Mechanisms and Hidden Weapons were already superb, and it was said she too was on the verge of entering the Grandmaster Realm.

Only Lingxiao Mountain had failed to recruit any promising new talents for its next generation, a fact that greatly worried its elder masters.

A promising new generation is crucial for supporting a power and maintaining its dominant position!

For years, Lingxiao Mountain’s Great Elder, Fairy Mei Ji, had scoured the entire Profound Celestial Continent. Whenever she found a promising prospect, they were either snatched away by other forces, or the prospect themselves was unwilling to join Lingxiao Mountain.

Thirty years passed, and with Lingxiao Mountain’s new generation still showing no promise, everyone began to grow anxious.

Then, someone proposed a rather unorthodox idea: if they couldn’t out-recruit other forces, why not breed their own talent?

Thus, in recent years, the elders of Lingxiao Mountain began to encourage their disciples to have more children. Producing a child would earn the parents a reward of three hundred Crystal Stones. If the child showed excellent aptitude, they could even be accepted as a personal disciple by one of the Ten Great Elders.

When this rule was implemented, those truly talented individuals with bright futures became even more reluctant to join Lingxiao Mountain.

Those with the fortune of a celestial destiny all aspired to cultivate the Ruthless Dao, reach the pinnacle of existence, and attain the Great Dao of Longevity.

But Lingxiao Mountain? They were actually encouraging people to marry, have children, and multiply at that!

Wasn’t this completely putting the cart before the horse?

Having no other recourse, Elder Mei Ji, one of Lingxiao Mountain’s Ten Great Elders, thought of a solution: why not have a child herself?

After all, her own aptitude wasn’t poor; presumably, a child she bore wouldn’t be either. The only question was... the child’s father.

Consequently, she found no one suitable, except for her Little Junior Brother within the Sect. Yet, every time she approached him, he refused her, always offering the same excuse:

That he had a wife and many children in the outside world.

Anyone hearing this would think it was just an excuse to fend her off. How could a cultivator possibly have children so easily? Several, even! Who was he trying to kid?

Mei Ji, thinking this, sighed. "You’ve been saying for years that you have a wife and children, but I’ve yet to see you bring anyone back. Little Junior Brother, are you repeatedly rejecting me because I have too many suitors? If we were truly together, would you have to face the risk of being ganged up on daily?"

Ji Shang heard this, shook his head gently, and smiled without speaking.

Every time he spoke of his wife and children, no one in the Sect believed him. Eventually, he simply stopped mentioning them.

"What are you smiling about? Don’t tell me you’re going to repeat that nonsense about having seven or eight children, all of them geniuses? Let me tell you, don’t try to fob me off with that excuse! I’m not one of those gullible old fogeys you can easily trick!"