In the brief silence, Ji Jue, holding a teacup beside them, looked as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself.
Noticing the severity and solemnity in the old man's expression, his heart tightened slightly...
If An Ran had passed Grandfather's first test by returning home openly and honestly, as himself and with his own wishes, then now was probably the moment to decide how Little An would be dealt with.
Family matters ought to be settled by family.
There was naturally no need for a family to mince words with one another. A conversation between grandfather and grandson should be frank and open, without any pretense—but likewise, it could not tolerate any falsehood.
Under Flying Light's gaze, there was no place for lies to hide.
Now, An Ding questioned him as his grandfather.
Why had he defied the family?
Why had he been so stubborn that he would rather join Blade Tooth than set foot upon the path of Hunter Finger?
Little An fell silent in thought, earnestly trying his best. After thinking for a long time:
"...Because they're different."
At last, he had figured out the answer. He told the old man before him, "What the family does and what people do outside are different."
"How are they different?"
An Ding gave a humorless laugh and shook his head. "Isn't it all killing? Is there really any difference in nobility or baseness between using projection and using sword qi?" To that, An Ran answered:
"Don't know."
With no attempt at concealment, he lifted his chin and looked directly at the old man before him, earnest and blunt.
"I don't really understand it either."
He struggled to organize his words before answering solemnly, "All those principles and things are too complicated. I don't understand them, and when Grandfather suddenly