“Why would such a group of powerful individuals come to this small town looking for someone surnamed Jiang?” Ye Fan could not settle his heart. He feared it might have something to do with Old Uncle Jiang and little Tingting.
Qingfeng Town had never seen so many strange beasts before. Scales flashing and divine radiance streaming from over a dozen mounts, the people on the street were struck with terror and scrambled backward in a panic.
A middle-aged rider of around thirty, seated atop a beast blanketed in green scales, did his best to put on an amiable expression and said: “There’s no need to be afraid — we mean no harm. We’re simply asking whether there is anyone in this town with the surname Jiang.”
Though he made every effort to appear calm, these people were clearly battle-hardened riders tempered by blades and blood, and the killing air they naturally exuded made ordinary folk tremble to their bones the moment they sensed it.
An old farmer pointed toward the western main street, his lips quivering, his words coming out in a jumble: “That street… the largest courtyard… that’s the one.”
“Many thanks.” The riders guided their savage beasts and slowly moved toward the western main street of the town.
Not far away, Ye Fan felt a wave of relief — there were other families surnamed Jiang in this town. He quickly rushed toward the eastern main street, and in no time had returned to the small restaurant.
“Old Uncle Jiang…”
“Child, what’s happened?” The old man walked out from the kitchen.
Tingting carried out a plate of bright-red wild fruits she had just washed, well-behaved as ever. Her large, jet-black eyes blinked, sparkling with curious light as she asked: “Big Brother, what’s wrong?”
“It’s like this…”
Ye Fan recounted to Old Uncle Jiang everything he had just seen and heard, then asked: “Elder, do you have any connection with these people?”
Old Uncle Jiang shook his head. “I’ve lived over seventy years and have almost never left this small town. There’s no way I would know people like that.”
“There are so many strange beasts — I want to see what they look like…” Tingting’s bright, lively eyes filled with little stars as she ran out of the small restaurant and peered curiously toward the end of the street.
With Tingting out of earshot, Ye Fan said quietly: “Could it be connected to Tingting’s parents?”
“It shouldn’t be.” A trace of sorrow flickered in the old man’s eyes. “They were always cultivating at Yanxia Grotto-Heaven and never traveled far. The friends they knew were all fellow disciples.”
“So many strange beasts — they’re not even touching the ground…” Tingting stood at the entrance of the small restaurant, her rosy little face lit up with both excitement and astonishment. She called out: “Grandpa, come look! They’re coming straight toward us!”
Ye Fan and the old man hurried out and saw over a dozen riders charging over rapidly, without a speck of dust rising in their wake — every beast floating three inches above the ground, traveling through the void.
“They look so fierce,” Tingting said, growing a little frightened. For aside from the three at the front, all the other riders naturally exuded a powerful killing air, a battle intent born and bred into them, permeating the air around them.
Ye Fan quickly took Tingting’s hand and steadied Old Uncle Jiang with his other arm. Ordinary people truly could not withstand this kind of oppressive pressure; if common folk faced it for any length of time, they would be trembling with fear.
The dozen or more savage beasts came to a stop before the small restaurant — shaking their heads and swishing their tails, scales flashing, radiating various glows, each one magnificent and powerful. Yet even the divine radiance could not conceal the blood and carnage clinging to them; it was plain they had all been through fierce battles and were not pampered pets raised in a hothouse.
“Excuse me — is this the Jiang family?” The refined and handsome young man at the center spoke up. In his snow-white robe, his eyes like still water with hints of divine radiance flowing within, seated atop the golden divine Houwu, he carried an air of otherworldly elegance entirely different from the battle-hardened riders around him.
Old Uncle Jiang’s wrinkled face was full of bewilderment. “Yes — might I ask what brings you all here?”
The old man was over seventy, his face carved with the weathering of the years, creased with furrow upon furrow, his aging eyes grown somewhat clouded.
Seeing how frail and elderly he was — the very picture of a man with few years left — the arrogant young man of sixteen or seventeen seated on the five-colored beast frowned at once and said: “This is nothing but an ordinary country elder whose lifespan is nearly spent. He couldn’t possibly be the one we’re looking for.”
The young man on the golden divine Houwu shot him a glance. The boy on the five-colored beast seemed to have some reservation and held his tongue, saying no more.
“Elder, have you always lived in Qingfeng Town?”
“Yes — I’ve almost never traveled far from here.” The old man answered honestly.
“Did your ancestors settle here, or did your family move here at some point?” The young man on the golden divine Houwu continued to ask.
“My father’s generation moved here, and I was born in this place. You… what is this about?” Old Uncle Jiang was thoroughly puzzled.
Upon hearing this, the young man on the golden divine Houwu immediately leaped down. His white robes billowed in the breeze, even his boots spotlessly clean. He was remarkably handsome and exceptional in bearing — a rare beauty, whom it was no exaggeration to describe as one of jade-like elegance.
“Elder, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you, and I hope you’ll be able to answer them. Might we go inside and speak in more detail?”
“You flatter me — if I know the answer, I’ll certainly tell you.” Old Uncle Jiang was merely a simple old man; he held these cultivators who had come riding on strange beasts in a certain reverence.
Tingting was a little nervous, gripping Ye Fan’s hand tightly and pressing close between him and the old man, watching the savage beasts and riders with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
“Please first forgive the rudeness of my question — I’d like to ask whether your father is still living in this world.” The man in white asked with a trace of anxiety in his tone.
Old Uncle Jiang first looked puzzled, then answered: “He passed away over fifty years ago.”
“What…” The man in white was momentarily stunned. A trace of shock crossed his jade-like face, and then he gave a quiet sigh.
“I already said it — this is just an ordinary old country fellow…” The young man on the five-colored beast showed an impatient expression, as though eager to leave as soon as possible.
“Shut your mouth!” The man in white turned and shot him a sharp look, then turned back and continued: “Elder, once again I ask your forgiveness — was your father’s name Jiang Zhe?”
“You… how do you know that?” Old Uncle Jiang’s face showed a look of shock.
The young woman seated on the silver-glowing divine deer revealed an expression of surprise. “It seems we’ve truly found them.” Her figure was slender, her skin as white as jade, her features delicate and beautiful. A trace of pride rested between her brows, giving her an unapproachable quality.
The young man on the five-colored beast frowned and said: “How could such an ordinary country elder possibly carry the blood of our Jiang Family? If he were truly a descendant of Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe, how could he know nothing of cultivation? It must simply be a case of people sharing the same name…”
“Elder, could you tell me more in detail?” The young man in white maintained a gentle and courteous manner throughout. He stepped forward to support Old Uncle Jiang and said: “Might we go inside and speak at length?”
The riders all remained outside while the man in white escorted Old Uncle Jiang back into the small restaurant. The arrogant young man and the exceptionally beautiful young woman also followed them inside.
Seeing that they harbored no ill intentions, Ye Fan pulled Tingting along and sat to one side, saying nothing.
“Does Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe’s left arm bear a cluster of red birthmarks?”
“Five of them, in total. How do you know even that?” Old Uncle Jiang’s face showed an expression of shock and bewilderment.
“So Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe truly did live as a recluse in the Yan region — yet to think he passed away over fifty years ago…” The man in white let out a soft sigh, then said: “Elder, perhaps I ought to address you as Great-Uncle.”
“I couldn’t possibly — I couldn’t!” Old Uncle Jiang was startled to see the man bow to him, and hurried to pull him upright.
“You two — come and pay your respects!” The man in white turned to the two behind him.
“Greetings, Great-Uncle.” The beautiful young woman of sixteen or seventeen gave a graceful bow, casting a glance at Ye Fan and Tingting as she did.
The young man, on the other hand, was clearly reluctant, muttering: “Greetings, Great-Uncle,” and offering a perfunctory bow, thoroughly dismissive.
“This is…” Old Uncle Jiang’s expression was full of confusion; he could not understand why they were doing this.
“Big Brother, Big Sister — do you know my Grandpa?” Tingting was equally puzzled, her long lashes fluttering as her bright, lively eyes filled with incomprehension.
Seeing her so innocent and adorable, the man in white gave her head an affectionate pat and said: “We come from the same family.”
“What family?” Tingting asked with curious, blinking eyes.
“An ancient clan that has been passed down since the age of primordial antiquity — the Jiang Family. In time, you’ll come to understand how remarkable our family is in the Eastern Desolation.”
Ye Fan’s heart stirred deeply. Ancient desolate clans were absolutely supreme existences that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Sacred Grounds — their status in the Eastern Desolation was lofty beyond all reach.
As far as Ye Fan knew, the surname Jiang, like the surname Ji, was among the oldest family names in China. Historical records noted that the Jiang surname descended from the Divine Farmer Emperor Yan, taking its name from the land of his birth: “The Divine Farmer dwelled by the Jiang River, and thus took it as his clan name.”
Ye Fan was astonished. He would never have imagined that, on the far side of this starry expanse, the name Jiang still commanded such supreme distinction — truly beyond all his expectations.
“Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe was a man of breathtaking talent and genius in his day. Before he had even come of age, his name was already renowned throughout the land. Later he shook the Eastern Desolation itself — one stamp of his foot, and all eight directions trembled. Yet to think that he…” The man in white seemed deeply moved. He had already seen that the old man’s life was not one of comfort, and he could not fathom how the bloodline of such a peerless powerhouse had come to be reduced to this state.
The young woman beside him was equally perplexed, asking: “Did Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe not pass on any cultivation methods to you?”
“What cultivation…” Old Uncle Jiang was befuddled by their words, murmuring to himself: “I have no idea what any of you are talking about.”
“A great many things happened back then that are difficult to explain all at once. Elder, would you be willing to come with us?” After saying this to the old man, he turned to look at Ye Fan and Tingting.
“I’m not surnamed Jiang — Tingting is Old Uncle Jiang’s only granddaughter.” Ye Fan quickly clarified.
“The main family line owes a great debt to Great Ancestor Jiang Zhe, but the long-sealed past has finally come to light. I wish to invite you and Tingting back to the Jiang Family.”
The old man sat in a bit of a daze. Though he had not fully understood everything, he had grasped the general picture, and it was difficult for him to accept.
The young woman noticed how lovable little Tingting was, and smiled at her: “Tingting, is there anything you wish for? Big Sister can make it come true immediately.”
“I don’t have any special wishes — as long as I can always be with Grandpa and Big Brother, that’s enough.”
“Are there any other wishes?”
Tingting tilted her head and thought carefully, her voice soft and childlike: “That we can eat our fill every day, and that no one bullies me and Grandpa.”
Upon hearing this, the young woman was momentarily stunned.
And the man in white’s expression shifted with a subtle ripple. He asked in a low voice: “Have you been bullied in your daily life?”
“Yes — before Big Brother came, bad people came to bully us every day.” Tingting’s innocent words caused everyone present to change color.
“Elder — I forgot to ask. Where are Tingting’s parents?”
Old Uncle Jiang’s face instantly took on a sorrowful expression. “I had a child late in life, only to see white hair mourn black…”
“How could this be?!” The young woman’s eyes immediately went wide.
“I didn’t even know they’d been killed by someone — I thought it was truly an accident…”
Beside them, Tingting’s large eyes instantly reddened upon hearing these words.
“Tell me in detail!” At that moment, two flashes of divine radiance flickered through the man in white’s eyes.
The old man gave only a few brief sentences, and the man in white immediately rose to his feet: “Yanxia Grotto-Heaven — I’ve never heard of it. We’ll pay them a visit shortly. If anyone dares to stand in our way, I won’t mind making that sect cease to exist!”
The beautiful young woman beside him gave a cold laugh: “They dared to bully someone from our Jiang Family. Before we go to Yanxia Grotto-Heaven, we should first pay a visit to the Li Family!”
The riders standing guard outside heard these words, and in that instant a terrifying killing air and battle intent erupted from them. In that moment, the entire Qingfeng Town was blanketed in a dreadful, overwhelming presence.