Immortal of the Nine Realms

Since Shopkeeper Wu wasn’t from the Grand Qian Empire, he didn’t know much about its history. That’s why he was very astonished to see how the faces of Fang Ao and other members of the Fang Family had changed after hearing what Fang Chen had said.

Who exactly was this Fang Tingyuan, and why would the mention of his name cause the Foundation Building disciples of the Fang Family to be this astounded?

It had been many years since those days, and except for the members of the Fang Family, the Jue Family, the imperial family, and some long-standing cultivation families and sects, hardly anyone remembered the once-legendary figure of the Fang family, Fang Tingyuan.

Fang Ao’s brows furrowed in puzzlement, and he glanced at Fang Chen, then at Xia Ji. "You can’t speak carelessly about this."

Xia Ji was surprised. "If it weren't for Fang Da’s lineage, how would’ve we known about something that happened four hundred years ago?"

Fang Ao and the others became incredibly serious. Their gazes toward Fang Chen were complex, tinged with a hint of strangeness.

To think that after four hundred years since what happened in the past, they’d meet a descendant of that ancestor.

Fang Chen glanced at Xia Ji.

Xia Ji had to have deliberately revealed his identity to Fang Ao. He was probably worried that Fang Chen wouldn’t want to acknowledge his ancestry, which would cause him to miss out on accessing the Fang Family’s resources.

"You are... Fang Chen? Is your ancestor really Fang Tingyuan? Do you have any proof?" asked Fang Ao, his brow scrunched up.

"I only have this jade token," said Fang Chen, taking out the jade token that Fang Zhentian had given him and handing it to Fang Ao.

There was a map that showed the route to Grand Qian inside the jade token.

When Fang Ao and the others saw this simple jade token, they were convinced that Fang Chen was indeed from their family; the jade token bore the unique mark of the Fang family.

"This is not the place to talk. Both of you, come with me back to the Fang family," whispered Fang Ao.

Fang Chen nodded. "I can go, there's no need for Xia Ji to come."

Xia Ji's lips moved slightly, and he nodded. "I still have some things I need to buy here. I'll stay and continue browsing. Remember to come back and find me later."

"Alright," said Fang Chen, smiling.

Before long, Fang Chen left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with Fang Ao.

The shopkeeper watched them leave, and his gaze couldn’t help but fall on Xia Ji, asking, "Young brother, who exactly is Fang Tingyuan?"

He knew that Xia Ji was Master Chanyuan's disciple. That scripture was just way too famous; he had even scaled the mountain to read it once.

"He's my brother's ancestor. That ancestor used to be a member of the Fang Family. My brother is here to acknowledge his ancestry," explained Xia Ji with a smile.

"I see," Shopkeeper Wu nodded slightly, still somewhat doubtful. The reactions of Fang Ao and the others when they heard that name just now were clearly odd.

"Do you happen to know if your brother’s ancestor knew how to craft Purple Lightning Talismans?” asked Shopkeeper casually.

"I'm not sure about that, Mr. Wu,” said Xia Ji. “These are private cultivation matters, and they aren’t easily shared.”

Shopkeeper Wu nodded, feeling very much the same way. Even brothers related by blood wouldn’t be completely transparent with one another when it came to their cultivation.

"Shopkeeper Wu, I would like to buy a sword with twelve Soul Imprints. Do you have one?" asked Xia Ji.

Shopkeeper Wu's eyes lit up, and he answered, "We do."

***

The group didn’t talk at all on their way to the family manor, each lost in their own thoughts.

They walked for a while, and after turning a corner, a magnificent manor came into view.

The courtyard walls, built out of blue stones, were as high as four zhang, and beyond the walls stretched several li of green willow trees. A gentle breeze rustled the willow branches, as if welcoming the distant guests.

Fang Ao suddenly spoke up. "Fang Chen, have you already been to the Profound Void Temple?"

The others looked at him with strange expressions, clearly aware of the significant connection between that incident and the Profound Void Temple’s decline.

Fang Chen nodded lightly. "Master Chanyuan told me a lot about the events of that year."

"Sometimes, what the eyes see may not be true, and what the ears hear may not be real." Fang Ao nodded slightly, then fell silent.

As Fang Chen entered the mansion, he saw many people going about, all members of the family. Some had low cultivation levels, while others were at the seventh or eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Upon seeing Fang Ao and the others, these members, regardless of their status, respectfully saluted them.

In the Fang Family, Foundation Building Realm cultivators were the backbone, managing various affairs, and they held high status.

"Who is that young man?"

"He must be someone extraordinary if he’s walking with Elder Fang Ao. Could he be from the Jue Family?"

"I've never seen him before, he looks unfamiliar."

Whispers circulated among the family members as they cast curious glances at Fang Chen, silently speculating about who he might be.

After a while, Fang Chen was brought to a grand hall. When he arrived, there were already more than a dozen figures standing in the hall, all of them Foundation Building Realm cultivators.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Fang Chen, scrutinizing him for several moments before turning to Fang Ao and the others, revealing a curious eye.

"Is he blind?"

"Was he blind at birth, or did something happen to him that caused him to turn blind?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in black robes, with a dignified and imposing presence like a mountain, slowly walked into the hall.

"Greetings, Family Head," everyone saluted respectfully.

Fang Chen's eyes flickered slightly. Grand completion of Foundation Building Realm?

The man's aura was similar to that of the ancestor of the Heavenly Southern Sect, indicating he was just a step away from reaching the Golden Core Realm.

The middle-aged man nodded lightly, glancing at Fang Chen for a few moments before suddenly speaking, "You said your ancestor is Fang Tingyuan. Do you possess any inheritance of the Fang Family?"

Fang Chen whispered, "My ancestor did not pass down any immortal techniques to us. I have chanced upon another inheritance through fate."

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, and the other Foundation Building Realm cultivators exchanged glances.

Indeed, the Fang Family had forbidden that ancestor from passing down their immortal techniques to his descendants.

"Although you have the jade token as evidence, to verify if you truly have the bloodline of the Fang Family, you need to drip a drop of your blood onto this plaque," said the middle-aged man slowly, raising his hand. Suddenly, a wooden plaque appeared above his palm. It resembled an ancestral tablet.

Fang Chen thought for a moment, then slowly raised his hand, letting a drop of blood fall onto the wooden plaque.

Everyone watched the plaque, holding their breath and staring at it unblinkingly. After a few moments, a faint blue light slowly emanated from the wooden plaque, confirming that Fang Chen was indeed a member of the family!

The descendant of Fang Tingyuan!

Many Foundation Building Realm cultivators looked at Fang Chen with new-found curiosity.

There were very few people in the empire who had lived from that time until now, so that ancestor had long since become a myth, and most people came to learn about his deeds and achievements by stumbling upon them through ancient texts.

Fang Ao's expression was solemn. "Should we awaken the ancestor?"

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "The ancestor has been in seclusion for many years and is striving to break through his bottleneck. If he were to come out of seclusion for such a trivial matter, it might delay his cultivation." After a pause, he continued, "Here's what we'll do. This young man will acknowledge his ancestry and stay in the third branch to cultivate. Fang Ao, you will look after him. News of this must not be leaked. Just say he’s a descendant of a side branch."

With that said, he looked at Fang Chen and said in a deep voice, "It doesn’t matter how much you know about Fang Tingyuan, now you’re just an ordinary member of the family. Don't go around telling people who your ancestor is, or else you won't be allowed to stay here. Understood?"

The faces of those present turned strange. Why was the Head treating the descendant of that ancestor like this?

Fang Chen nodded slowly. "Understood. If there's nothing else, I'll go find my friend."

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a second, but he waved his hand. "Go ahead."

Fang Chen turned to leave.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man asked, "Wait, what happened to your eyes?”

Fang Chen's steps faltered briefly."I got into a fight and was injured."

"Hmm," the middle-aged man nodded slightly and didn’t say anything else, he only watched Fang Chen walk away.

Fang Ao seemed to have something he wanted to say, but he was hesitant to speak his mind. Finally, he couldn't help it, and he whispered to the Head, "Family Head, he is the descendant of that ancestor. How can we treat him as an ordinary disciple?"

"Do you want to cause trouble? That ancestor might’ve been indeed talented and outstanding, but that doesn’t mean that his descendants will also be the same. The situation back then was more complicated than you think. The return of a descendant of his cannot be publicized. Remember this, I only want the family to keep its stability, I want none of the chaos this might bring," said the middle-aged man before turning to leave, leaving the others staring at each other in confusion.

"Forget it,” muttered Fang Ao. “Let’s put him in the third branch for now. I’ll take care of him.”

"Why do you get to have the new disciple?” someone questioned Fang Ao. “My second branch can take care of him too."

Glancing at him, Fang Ao replied, "Because the Head said so," then walked away.

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