“First Miss.” Elder Che called respectfully through the door. Xue Honghong stood by the open window. Her gaze lingered there reluctantly, and for a long time, she didn’t look back.
Ye Zichen had exited through that very window.
He didn’t say where he was going or what he was going to do. He simply left, taking her heart with him and leaving a solemn promise behind.
Was it so easy to win her family’s approval? Ten years sounded like a long time, but to cultivators, it was but the blink of an eye. She gave him ten years so he’d understand how difficult it really was and give up. At the same time, though, didn’t she want to give herself a chance as well?
Who knew? The odds were low, but in ten years, there might be a miracle.
She let out a calm sigh, walked up to the door, and opened it. Elder Che stood outside, as well as two transcendent-looking old men.
“First Miss.”
When they saw Xue Honghong, the two old men bowed slightly and Elder Che carefully looked around the bedroom.
“First Miss, he…..”
“He already left.” She let out a melancholy sigh, a hint of reluctance in her gaze. When Elder Che heard this, he sighed in relief. His status was nothing compared to the two men beside him. Their words carried immense weight within the clan. Moreover, the man carrying a medicine box was rather rigid and inflexible.
If he saw Ye Zichen lying in Xue Honghong’s bedroom, nevermind where her bloodline had awakened or if she had a king-grade bloodline or not, he’d definitely report here to the clan leader and elders.
“Where is the patient? This old man has official business to attend to. As soon as I’ve treated him, I must return to the clan. I have no idea what the clan head was thinking, sending me to such a barren wasteland.”
The old man with the medicine box frowned. It was clear that he disliked this environment. It was all too much for him to bear.
“If you’re uncomfortable, you can return to the clan right now.”
Xue Honghong had never liked this old man. He had an overinflated sense of self-importance and almost always acted as if others were beneath him. He was cold and distant to those weaker than him, but he bowed and scraped before the strong.
He was an utter snob. If not for his absolute medical expertise, there was no way someone like him would be allowed in their clan.
Xue Honghong’s words instantly provoked the old man’s ire, but because it sounded like she had a king-grade bloodline, he dared not let his anger show. He could only take it out on Elder Che, the one who’d asked the clan head for permission to lead him here, instead.
“Che Yuantai, can you explain what’s going on? On the Divine Mountain, I had countless affairs to attend to. Do I have time to waste playing with you here?”
Che Yuantai was visibly troubled, but he was nothing but a deacon of external affairs. He couldn’t compare to someone stationed in the clan’s main headquarters.
“I’m the one who seent Elder Che to bring back a doctor. I hadn’t realized it would be you. I told you, if you’re not happy here, you can go back. If you’re just going to fuss over wasted time, you might as well hurry back to the Divine Mountain and do something worthwhile instead.”
“You….”
“What?” Instantly, Xue Honghong’s aloof expression changed as her eyes blazed with golden flames and a flower formed of golden fire silently bloomed on her forehead.
“It really is a king-grade bloodline.” The other old man, who, despite his aged features had a youthful glow in his eyes, spoke up for the first time.
When the elderly doctor heard him, he instantly shut his mouth.
A king-grade bloodline.
In the entire Xue Family, there were no more than the people with such a bloodline, and every single one of them possessed transcendent status.
The old doctor had used his medical skills to win a position for himself within the Xue Clan, but he was still an outsider…..
If the Xue Family could hire him, they could also get rid of him. As a clansman with a king-grad bloodline, not even the clan head could disregard Xue Honghong’s words.
He absolutely couldn’t offend someone like that.
“First Miss, congratulations! I’ve known since you were young that you’d grow up into a supreme talent, a phoenix amongst sparrows. I knew it was strange when you didn’t awaken your bloodline earlier, but I never thought you’d remain ordinary forever. To think you had a king-grade bloodline! The heavens have granted us yet another king-grade clansman. They’re truly looking out for Xue Family!”
The elderly doctor was obviously the pragmatic type. Since he’d already confirmed Xue Honghong’s king-grade bloodline, he immediately started to flatter her.”
“Hah…. hurry back to your ‘countless affairs,’ then!”
Flattery was of no use against Xue Honghong. She had no good impression of the old man whatsoever. His attitude had changed dramatically when she turned sixteen without awakening.
Now he was saying all that? It was obviously nothing but dogfarts!
Although he’d just been chastised by a junior, the doctor wasn’t at all upset. He smiled broadly. His eyes, the size of mung beans, scanned the room. “I’ll head back, then, and share the news of your king-grade bloodline with the clan head.”
With that, he hurriedly left. As they watched him leave, both Xue Honghong and Elder Che’s faces flashed with contempt. Even the bright-eyed old man snorted softly. It seemed he disliked the doctor as well.
Once he was gone, the old man smiled in satisfaction. “Little Honghong, as expected, you didn’t disappoint me.”
“I’m sorry to have worried you, Third Great Uncle.”
She bowed deeply to the old man. She still remembered the way he’d fought on her behalf back when she’d first been sent to the seventy-two districts. He’d even argued with her father about it. Her great uncle worried about her from the bottom of his heart. She knew that for sure.
“No, no, don’t worry about it. Little Honghong, you’ve awakened a king-grade bloodline, so you can return to the clan. There’s no longer any need to linger in a place with such barren spiritual energy. I can already picture your father’s expression when he finds out. He’s going to be so happy!”
The old man still had his youthful exuberance. He chuckled, but when Xue Honghong heard the words ‘return to the clan,’ she couldn’t help but ask, “Do I really have to go back?”
“What? You don’t want to go back?” The old man furrowed his brows. “Since you’ve awakened your bloodline, you have to return to the clan. Furthermore, you’ve got a king-grade bloodline, so the clan will definitely spare no expense training you. I’m afraid it’ll be hard to leave once you’ve returned. However, I’ll be there looking out for you. If you truly get sick of living in the clan, I can help you sneak out. In any event, there’s absolutely no way your father would dare stop me!”
“Really?” Xue Honghong’s eyes lit up. More than anything else, she feared that returning to the clan meant losing her freedom, but her great-uncle’s words were enough to put her at ease.
“Has your great uncle ever deceived you?” He reached out to tousle her hair. “Let’s head back, then. If we wait any longer, our clansmen will die of impatience.”
Xue Honghong nodded firmly in response, then glanced at her window once more.
Ten years! I’ll wait for you!
