Jin was at a loss not knowing how to respond to Grandma Yuan’s question. After what felt like an eternity to Jin her expression slowly changed into a smirk while she waited. At the same time Jin tried to figure out how she had learned about his most important secret. Did he mess up at some point? Was it Yun who told told her? Or was she a past user herself?
“The User has been progressing fairly well despite an initial rocky progress. Current classified activities may even lead to a new breakthrough if User gets lucky.” Suddenly it was the System who broke the silence through the speakers of the shop instance. For a moment the expression on Grandma Yuan seemed to change. Sighing once again she felt comforted after the System replied to her since Jin seemed to be too stunned to even utter a single word.
“So exactly what Grade is he at?” Grandma Yuan asked and the System replied accordingly.
“Hmm…Seven. A little better than what I had expected, but still lower than the ideal scenario.” Grandma Yuan commented while she continued to drink her Hoji tea.
“System wishes to point out the fact that User has managed to achieve Spiritual Union early on during the Zoo visit.” The System added and Grandma Yuan laughed at that. She still remembered how she coaxed Jin into that near impossible fight back then.
“I see. I see. That’s good to hear. That explains how he managed to reach Grade 7 in such a short time. It will prove as a good excuse for whoever tries to find out more about him. Achieving Spiritual Union early does wonders to one’s cultivation. However too many shortcuts and it will be a bad thing if his foundation turns weak because of this.” Grandma Yuan continued to talk to the System.
“Lady Yuan. Do not worry. I have personally ensured he does not neglect his training even while he attends to his shop.” Zeru had appeared in front of Grandma Yuan and chimed in.
“Kei- hmm…Zeru.” Grandma Yuan stopped herself before she finished. Zeru bowed at the calling of his name and appreciated that Grandma Yuan managed to control herself by not saying out his true name although the others were too restless to take notice of it. Grandma Yuan seemed to know a lot more than she was letting on.
“It’s been a while.” Grandma Yuan tone was more kind and gentler than before. Zeru could only smile back while maintaining his quarter bow before he stepped back via a portal and let the living humans resume their conversation.
“Did Grandpa Ming tell you about the erm….?” Jin finally seemed to have collected himself enough to function and tried to politely ask Grandma Yuan with a conscious effort but all he received was a serious gaze back.
“I doubt Ming would have brought it up to since Yun was gone, but I was the one who instructed Yun in her cultivation arts. I had been unaware of the System or really anything surrounding the Panda Clan. Only after I gained his trust did Ming reveal his secret to me. I feel it was the same for that little chef girl you have with you right now.” Grandma Yuan narrated to Jin as she put her tea cup down. Again she was not really acknowledging his presence and instead she stared at Yun with an expression of disgust.
The System proceeded to inform Jin that Grandma Yuan was once a Sub System User similar to Lynn. Jin assumed that could be why her memories were not entirely taken away when the System turned back time on Ming.
Yun, on the other hand, did not back down and kept her head high in front of Grandma Yuan. She had no recollections at all to verify the reality of the story. However, she roughly guessed that Grandma Yuan’s story was very possibly true. And if she was to assume that the old Guardan was her teacher it would certainly explain her cultivation…which was based on the Griffins too. That was partially the reason why Yun had refused to use her cultivation to prevent Jin from having any misunderstanding.
“To see this abomination standing right in front of me. I really cannot take it.” Grandma Yuan swore and the System could only give a logical explanation. Using Yun’s image at the start allowed the System to save resources in case things did not work out. Economically speaking, the broken soul was cheap to “fix” and it had been one of the last request of Ming to “resurrect” her. Objectively, it appeared to be the most ideal solution rather than placing an entirely new soul or utilising a veteran Panda Clan member’s soul which cost a lot to be a tutor for Jin. Someone who had familial ties to Jin was ultimately the best candidate to introduce him to the System (Though we know Yun was not exactly the best teacher.)
“To hell with you, System!!!” Grandma Yuan did not mince her words which kind of scared Jin and Lynn. Her rage briefly displayed her cultivation though it was too short for Jin to count the number of Griffins, before she just as quickly calmed down again. Then she finally shifted her eyes on to Jin, who immediately got goosebumps, before Grandma Yuan started to explained the full tragedy of the real Yun to Jin.
“You deserve to know it. You are after all, her child. And I doubt that cheapskate System would share this with you, otherwise you would not have been so surprised to see me act this way.” Grandma Yuan took a big sip and her face revealed a deep sorrow recollecting her thoughts about the incident back then. It felt like she reopened a large wound she had tried her best to close a long time ago.
Grandma Yuan started at the time of the incident. The day had already started very weirdly for the now old woman. A photo of herself training with Yun and Ming in the background had fallen from the shelf and there was a large crack around Yun and Ming. Not being one who usually believed in superstitions she had nevertheless warned Ming to be careful on that day.
Then nothing happened… until she was notified by Ming about that particular incident. She had rushed over but when she arrived at the site where the Banned Emperor assassins killed Yun and her husband, she uncontrollably vomited despite being a veteran who had killed and seen people die to the point of getting used to it. However, the shock of seeing someone very close to her die had hit her far more serious than she expected.
The scene was not just bloody with Yun’s body ripped into pieces. The walls of the alley were vandalised with their internal organs. They were mutilated so badly that the only way they were able to identify her so fast were the unique swords Grandma Yuan bestowed to her and her husband. Yet, it did not seem like it was an instant assassination.
There were signs of an intense fight and when the scene was reconstructed by police investigators and herself, there were shreds of evidence of ritual magic having been used to ensure that they would stay trapped and forced to fight to the death. Whether it was the victim’s doing to prevent the assassin’s escape or vice versa, the outcome was ultimately not favourable to Yun and her husband.
Grandma Yuan was unsure because the Griffin Style had a trap technique Yun could have utilised, but Yuan also knew that it was too dangerous to use it at her current Grade. Then again, there were also signs of other magical sources that were utilised to trap them too.
Whoever was behind this had to have planned this for a very long time and had made ample preparations. Being the Guardian for Tiangong District, Grandma Yuan simply could not let this injustice go by and she had spend a large amount of time afterwards chasing this incident. Only in recent years did she finally decide to stop since the trail went too cold. She emphasised the word assassins since the media did say the police managed to apprehend a culprit. That was after the time reversal, but she explained more about the events leading to the time reversal.
“Ming, however, did not think the same. He was convinced that the Banned Emperor assassins were employed by the Royal Zodiacs themselves.” Grandma Yuan said in a depressed tone. “He knew about the history of the Panda Clan and the Royal Zodiacs involvement. Whoever was behind this had either really convinced them or simply planted a lot of evidence pointing in that direction. There was a particular trace of a special technique in the crime scene that was unique only to the Royal Zodiac Bulls. Ming managed to acquire that info from a trusted informer from the Royal Snake Zodiac. What made things worse was that this information was made to disappear as to not indiscriminate the Royal Zodiacs. After finding that out, Ming snapped and that was why he was also brash enough to announce his intention to tear down the Royal Zodiacs.” Grandma Yuan explained. For the first time the powerful woman’s fingers were trembling around the cup, who seemed to be near the point of shattering.
“Yet, I kept trying to reason with him. I kept emphasising to him that it was impossible since the Banned Emperor assassins would never work with the Royal Zodiacs or that the assassins should be unaware of the existence of the dying Royal Zodiac Panda Clan. However, he could not listen or he simply did not wish to. The loss of his precious daughter made him irrational. In the end, I do not know if he was aware of it or if he simply needed someone to vent his frustrations…” Grandma Yuan said before pausing for a moment.
“For the rest of the story, you can let that crafty fox fill you in.” She slowly turned her head to the side and looked at Kraft who was sitting in one of the couches in the auditorium waving at her.
“Your senses did not dull after such a long time. Have you missed me, Birdy?” Kraft grinned one sided as he stood up from the couch and slowly walked towards Grandma Yuan with his hands in his pockets.
“I was pretty sure that you had accompanied Ming in the Afterlife, you ancient Monster.” Grandma Yuan turned the barstool and stomped her walking stick on the ground. A large golden Griffin silhouette appeared from the bottom of her stick screeching at Kraft and subsequently charging towards him at full speed.
Kraft took out his No Mercy and used it. Itori the white fox enlarged herself and challenged the Griffin. The two beasts fought furiously for a few seconds with claws slashing at each other, beaks and fangs biting one another before they distanced themselves and later disappearing as chi particles at the behest of their owners.
“Impressive, your edge is as sharp as ever. A shame how cruel time can be.” Kraft clapped lightly.
“Hmph. Not all of us can cheat the wheel of time like you. You are just as unpleasant as I remember the last time I saw you.” Grandma Yuan noted before she let out a slight grin to Kraft as an acknowledgement.
Jin did not realise the incident back then was that dire. Kraft had preferred Ming to tell Jin but he decided to follow suit since Grandma Yuan already initiated it. “What she said is true. Yuan did try to stop Ming and warned him that he should do things rationally. Rushing in with little evidence in hand would not help bring Yun back to life at all. In fact, it would be suicidal. However, Ming… was unlike you. He did not have a shop to ponder over nor any other remaining attachments, all he had been doing up until that point was…” Kraft stopped for a while as he sat beside Grandma Yuan and glared at Jin seriously.
“Train. Practice. Strengthen his cultivation like all past cultivators who stopped at nothing to reach the best of his abilities. The System at that time did not stop him and continued to feed him with more power via missions. All for the sake of potentially reviving the Glory of the Panda Clan one day. Imagine this. When you have been enduring all this training day in day out without having any outlet to vent, do you know what happens? There will be this itch.” Kraft said.
“At first the itch will only be barely there. Kinda like a craving for something. It can appear and be gone the next moment. However, without ever satisfying the craving it will only get stronger every day. At some point the itch will irritate not just your skin, but the fibres of your muscles and later the itch will gradually move towards your heart. But Ming was a very logical man. He was able to control that urge to succumb to that itch….until the death of his daughter.” Kraft pointed out.
“I am not the one who should give you all these details but yea. He lost pretty badly against the combined strength of the Royal Zodiacs. Afterwards they did not bother and left him to bleed to death… except for one. The last one whispered in Ming’s ear that all that was left to do was to crush his Dantian core. That was when the previous System realised Ming could be right. Only the Banned Emperor disciples were able to perform such an action. “
“At that instant, the System purposely reverted time but doing something like that cost it dearly. It was forced to use a plethora of valuable resources. The time change was not only aimed at reverting the undoing of Ming, but also should have changed the perception of everyone involved with him. Your grandpa cried out why the System was unwilling to revert to the point at which Yun was not killed yet. The System at the time answered if it did that all its resources would be gone and the System would most likely cease to exist. Self preservation continues to be its utmost importance. It was regrettable. Another loss of a potential panda clan member that could exact revenge. However there was already a potential successor. Yun had already given birth to you, Jin and the System did not deem it necessary to endanger itself any further. Instead, the resources could be better used to foster you.” Kraft added and the rest could only listen and not respond for a while. Yun just kept her silence when Kraft gave them the full story. All of this.
“I guess…to the System…a huge number of Panda clan members had already sacrificed themselves before. What is one more to its cause.” Jin spelled out the ugly truth and Grandma Yuan could only sigh out once more. At that point, she really looked more like a weak old lady instead of a powerful Guardian.
“So System, why did you change your mind of exacting revenge and allow me to do things at my own pace?” Jin asked loudly.
“User should be aware of the collective entities in the System. After the newest informations regarding the Banned Emperor it decided to reevaluate its strategy. The System did not lose sight of its objective to exact revenge against the Banned Emperor or the Jade Emperor’s Royal Zodiac subjects. The System’s collective entities had decided that User had a major potential to grow the Panda Clan to its former glory by fulfilling User’s dream. Money is Power. Hence, the System felt that gathering power was necessary to prevent such an incident like with Ming again.” The System stated.
“Also, even if User does not wish to pursue the objectives of exacting revenge, the System does not mind. After calculating the probability, the subjects of Banned Emperor coming for User is high enough to warrant deeming their defeat as a second main objective.” The System said and Kraft laughed.
“Hahahahahaha! In other words you are saying Jin is simply a magnet for trouble?” Kraft continued to laugh loudly which indirectly offended Jin a bit.
“Using past events as the sample size, the probability of User getting into trouble are forecast as high to very high. Possibility peaking in the 95th percentile.” The System replied and the rest of the group could not help and agreed. Even Grandma Yuan chuckled at that fact while Lynn nodded her head unhesitatingly too.
“Fineeeeeee!” Jin pouted for a while before Grandma Yuan got back to business. From her storage ring, she took out a piece of paper and dialled her phone to call for the lady attendant that was previously helping her.
“Bring him in.” Grandma Yuan ordered and almost in an instant, a familiar figure appeared in front of them. It was none other than Xiong Da in a very formal suit with tie and high class leather shoes.
“Good Evening, Grandma Yuan.” Xiong Da greeted Grandma Yuan as he placed his suitcase in front of Jin. “I assume the rest here are the witnesses to this?” Xiong Da asked formally as he saw Yun and Lynn in the crowd too. (Kraft had already disappeared when he appeared)
“Yes, proceed.” Grandma Yuan said and Xiong Da then faced Jin.
“I am the Lawyer enforcing the will of your late grandfather, Xie Ming. It was previously a case of my colleague but he decided to retire early. So it was really a mere coincidence when I saw your name in one of his cases.” Xiong Da smiled at Jin as he took a few more pieces of paper out.
“Under the will, he requested that more of his inheritance properties would be given out to you as soon as you prove yourself worthy. What he did not state to you in your version of his last will was that the person judging you in terms of your worthiness was actually the one right in front of you. Grandma Yuan.” Xiong Da pointed out.
“I approve of him. He is somewhat worthy. Cut to the chase, you can transfer the content to him now.” Grandma Yuan hurried him up in a stern voice. Xiong Da did not dare to mess with her. However, he said that it was his responsibility to let both parties understand the papers they were signing. Thankfully, Xiong Da was brief enough that he did not test Grandma Yuan’s patience. They then proceeded to sign a few documents regarding the release of inheritance property.
“If you are done, please leave us. Thank you for your assistance.” Grandma Yuan said abruptly when it was obvious that the papers were done.
“I will pass you the payment later, Xiong Da.” Jin said and Xiong Da gave the ‘okay sign’ before he hastily made his way out of the instance.
“Now, in order to not waste any of your or my time. The boxes are there for you to explore. As a safety measure only cultivators of the Griffin Style can open those boxes. I believe they will prove valuable to your shop…and I am sure that is also what Ming would believe.” Grandma Yuan slowly got down from the barstool and took a look of the shop instance for herself. Then she walked back to the bar counter and placed a name card down.
“Prepare a Zoo instance if you get my drift. Those NPCs will not be able to teach your customers much. Call this number for my head attendant to assist you in this but remember only I know about the System.” Grandma Yuan said but before she truly left the place, she stopped a final time and looked at Lynn.
“Girl, I look forward to coming back and enjoying your next cup.” Grandma Yuan remarked as she teleported out of the shop instance.
