This Is Your Grandson

Steward Cai pushed the door open and strode inside, his heart full of grief and indignation. At a glance—

On the ancient bed lay a woman whose face was like golden paper, her breath as thin as a thread, the light in her eyes dim.

Standing beside her, caring for the woman, was an exceedingly young man who looked no more than twenty.

When their door was suddenly pushed open and an unfamiliar old man entered, both looked at Steward Cai with equal parts surprise and wariness.

"Who are you? Why have you broken into my house?" the youth demanded.

Steward Cai's expression stiffened.

Because the frail woman lying on the bed, pale-faced and carrying a trace of worry, was not his Cultivation Partner, Si Jun.

Steward Cai turned to look at Lu Qingshan, who had just finished sending off the yellow-robed Rogue Cultivator and followed inside.

His gaze was full of questioning.

Lu Qingshan did not know the full details either.

But after glancing at the woman on the bed and the young man's features, Lu Qingshan had more or less guessed what had happened.

Thus, faced with the question in Steward Cai's eyes, Lu Qingshan did not rush to explain.

Pointing at Steward Cai, Lu Qingshan politely asked the woman on the bed, "Forgive us for disturbing you so abruptly. This gentleman is a relative of Si Jun. Do you two know Si Jun?"

Upon hearing this, the woman on the bed struggled to sit up.

Cai Xingchao hurriedly supported his mother at once. "Mother, be careful!"

"This humble woman is Shi Youling. May I ask what relationship this senior has with my mother-in-law?"

"Mother-in-law?" Steward Cai froze.

Understanding dawned on Lu Qingshan. Pointing at Cai Xingchao, who stood beside them with a blank, bewildered expression, he said to Steward Cai, "This is your grandson."

Foundation Establishment cultivators lived for two hundred years. Steward Cai, who had formed his dao foundation, was already nearing the end of his lifespan. His Cultivation Partner had not achieved Foundation Establishment, so how could she possibly still be alive now?

Many years ago, Si Jun had already died when her lifespan ran dry.

And the child Si Jun had carried when she secluded herself in Ziyang Town was Cai Xingchao's father.

So much time had passed since then that Steward Cai's son had long since grown up, established a household, taken a wife, and had children.

This Shi Youling was Steward Cai's son's Cultivation Partner—in other words, Steward Cai's daughter-in-law.

Those involved were often lost in the fog.

Steward Cai had been too anxious, and so he had failed to realize it at first.

But he was an astute man by nature. Once Lu Qingshan put it that way, he immediately understood the crux of the matter.

"This is your mother-in-law's Cultivation Partner," Lu Qingshan explained, glancing at Shi Youling.

Shi Youling's heart jolted. Though she had already vaguely suspected as much, having it confirmed still sent waves crashing through her heart.

Her mother-in-law had arrived in Ziyang Town pregnant and had later painstakingly raised her husband.

Shi Youling had always held this mother-in-law in some esteem.

Yet according to her husband, whenever he asked his mother-in-law who his father was, she always said that his father had long ago died in the jaws of a demonic beast.

Now, the father-in-law said to have died in a demonic beast's maw had suddenly appeared before them. How could Shi Youling not be shocked?

However, Shi Youling believed Lu Qingshan's words.

In order to suppress the Jiangzhu Snake venom in her body, their household was now as poor as church mice. What benefit could there be in impersonating her father-in-law?

"Do you have any tokens that can prove your identities?" Lu Qingshan asked.

A reunion of kin was a reunion of kin. Even if they already believed it seven or eight parts out of ten, how could they skip its most important step—exchanging tokens?

Shi Youling reacted quickly. She immediately took Cai Xingchao's hand and rolled up his sleeve.

On Cai Xingchao's wrist was a crystal-clear, lustrous jade bracelet, profound and exquisite. "This is the jade bracelet Spirit Artifact my mother-in-law left behind."

Steward Cai's eyes reddened. "Jun'er."

Steward Cai slowly extended his left hand and rolled up his sleeve. On his withered wrist was a matching jade bracelet Spirit Artifact.

These had been their tokens of love.

Everything was clear.

Shi Youling hurriedly forced herself to give Steward Cai a respectful curtsy. "Father-in-law."

Seeing Cai Xingchao standing there dumbstruck, Shi Youling tugged his sleeve. "This is your grandfather. Hurry and greet your grandfather."

Cai Xingchao's expression remained blank. Under Shi Youling's urging, he was like a puppet on strings as he painfully squeezed out the two words, "Grandfather."

Steward Cai looked at Cai Xingchao's face, which bore some resemblance to his own in his youth. He raised his arm and reached forward, his hands trembling as it took him several tries to touch Cai Xingchao's hand.

"Good child, good child... I have wronged you both." The aged Steward Cai clasped Cai Xingchao's hand tightly in his rough palm, tears finally spilling from his eyes.

He, Cai Heng, belonged to the Pacification Department of Zhenjiang City, overseeing and suppressing cultivators who violated Great Xia's prohibitions with iron-blooded methods.

Yet because of his duties, his Cultivation Partner's Lineage had suffered extermination.

It was an agony etched into his heart, one he could never wipe away.

Looking at Cai Xingchao before him, his eyes were filled with affection and guilt. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his chest heaved and no words came.

"Grandfather, can you save my mother?" Cai Xingchao suddenly remembered something. His eyes as he looked at Steward Cai were full of pleading and hope.

"Isn't it merely Jiangzhu Snake venom? What is so difficult about treating it?" At this moment, Steward Cai's voice carried a hint of high spirits. "Come back to Zhenjiang City with me. I will definitely cure your mother's poison."

The Jiangzhu Snake was a first-rank demonic beast, and its venom was intensely virulent.

If a Qi Refining cultivator was poisoned by a Jiangzhu Snake, they could only rely on Spirit Pills to barely suppress the venom. Completely purging it was extremely difficult!

But for Steward Cai, given his current cultivation and status, curing this poison could not be called effortless, yet it was indeed no difficult matter.

Saving Shi Youling from the poison and treating her injuries was the pressing priority, and Steward Cai moved with great speed.

"What is that?!" Supporting his mother, Cai Xingchao looked at the enormous creature before him, its fierce Killing Intent pressing down on him, and felt somewhat panicked.

"This is your grandfather's Demonic Pet, the Black Feather Eagle. Help your mother aboard. We will return to Zhenjiang City at once to cure her poison and treat her injuries."

The Black Feather Eagle was enormous. Even carrying four people did not affect its flight speed in the slightest.

Without further delay, the group soon returned to Zhenjiang City.

Inside the study.

"How did you know of this old man's affairs? And Xingchao and his mother—even I could not find the slightest trace of them. How did you locate them?"

"I naturally have my own methods." Lu Qingshan remained composed and did not wish to say more on this matter.

How was he supposed to explain cheating?

Steward Cai fell silent for a long while before speaking again. "Since you are unwilling to say, I naturally cannot force you. But no matter what, you saved Xingchao's mother's life."

The Jiangzhu Snake venom in Shi Youling's body had already become extremely severe. Had they delayed for a few more days and allowed the venom to enter her heart, even a Golden Core cultivator would have been powerless to turn the tide.

That Sword Cultivator player from Lu Qingshan's previous life had presumably completed the task too late. By the time he found Cai Xingchao, Shi Youling had already died because the snake venom had seeped into her heart, leaving him only able to bring Cai Xingchao back.

Now that Lu Qingshan had intervened, he had avoided the lengthy chain of errands and saved a crucial amount of time, finding them before Shi Youling's snake venom entered her heart.

And thus, he had saved Shi Youling's life.