A Melodramatic Background

At first glance, he appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, yet his eyes held the weight of profound experience, as if they could peer through everything in the world—a depth no youth of that age could possess. He bore a one or two-part resemblance to Ye Lingling. Dressed in white with a detached, refined air, his sky-blue hair draped over his shoulders without ever appearing unkempt. He seemed like a man upon whom the world had bestowed all its grace, embodying handsomeness, nobility, and elegance.

Yet, he gave off a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze, devoid of any overbearing arrogance. Moreover, while the soul power fluctuations radiating from this refined middle-aged man were clearly intense, they did not trigger any sense of danger in Lan Si; clearly, he was a support-type Soul Master.

"Student Ye Lingling, and this uncle, what brings you here?" Having confirmed the other party was a support-type Soul Master, Lan Si lowered his guard and asked, puzzled.

The middle-aged man did not answer directly, but nodded repeatedly, murmuring, "Alike, truly alike. You look so much like your mother."

"My mother?" Lan Si was stunned. A sense of desolation surged into his heart. When his parents in this life passed away, he was not yet two years old. At that time, he had not yet awakened the memories of his past life, and his memory was no different from an ordinary person's; he could not recall many images of his parents. However, Lan Si was certain of one thing: his parents had truly loved him.

Although he could no longer remember exactly what his parents looked like, the few remaining scenes of warmth were still deeply etched in Lan Si's mind to this day.

Yet, ironically, he did not even know his mother's name.

It was not that Otto, who had adopted him, had not told him; it was that even Otto did not know his mother's name. His parents had seemed unwilling to mention her name in front of others.

"Won't you invite us in to sit?" At this moment, the refined middle-aged man's voice sounded again, his gaze shifting toward the door.

"Please, both of you." Lan Si gestured, retrieved the key from his storage Soul Tool, and opened the door.

The three entered the room, and Lan Si brewed some fragrant tea. This was a specialty tea provided by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, bestowed by the Heaven Dou imperial family. Every member of the Imperial Dou Team possessed it. Named Cloud Mist, it was worth a thousand gold pieces and was harvested from a mist-shrouded canyon on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Originally reserved for the royal family, Emperor Xue Ye later ordered it to be supplied to the most outstanding students of the Imperial Dou Team to win their loyalty.

Lan Si did not usually have the habit of drinking tea, so he simply used it to entertain guests—though those who came to visit him were few and far between.

"Good tea. It truly lives up to the reputation of the royal-supplied Cloud Mist. Even for me, if I want to drink some, I have to have Lingling bring it to me." The refined middle-aged man took the tea and sipped it lightly.

"Can you two explain your purpose now? I heard you mention my mother earlier, and I want to know if you knew her," Lan Si said, feeling somewhat impatient.

The refined middle-aged man nodded and turned his gaze to Ye Lingling at his side. "Lingling, show your cousin."

Ye Lingling lifted her beautiful, fair chin from beneath her veil and pulled back her right sleeve, revealing a sapphire bracer identical to the one in Lan Si's possession.

"This is..." Lan Si's face showed astonishment.

"The Soul Tool Heart of the Sea Blue. It was originally a pair. When Lingling was born, your mother gave her one." The middle-aged man sighed softly and explained, "I am Ye Renxin, patriarch of the Nine Heart Begonia clan. Aside from Lingling, I am the only person in this world who possesses the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul. I am also your uncle, and Lingling is your cousin."

"Your mother's name was Ye Xinlan. The Nine Heart Begonia martial soul is passed down through a single line; each generation can only have one successor. There can only be two Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters alive at the same time. Only when one dies can another possibly appear in the next generation. I am a few years older than your mother and awakened the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul first."

"Therefore, when your mother awakened her martial soul, she could not awaken the Nine Heart Begonia. Her martial soul mutated from a begonia flower into a Cyan Lotus. However, it seems that in your generation, it mutated once more, gaining a fire attribute and leading you onto the path of a battle-type Soul Master."

Hearing Ye Renxin's words, Lan Si did not know what to say. He had not expected such a cliché drama to happen to him.

Ye Renxin sighed and continued, "It is my fault, in a way. If I hadn't opposed your mother being with your father, she wouldn't have run away from home. And they wouldn't have died..."

"Can you tell me why you opposed it? Was it because my father's talent was too poor? Or because he was just a commoner?" A mocking, disdainful smirk curled Lan Si's lips.

Ye Renxin shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his handsome face. "Although the Nine Heart Begonia clan, like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, stipulates that the partners of direct descendants must be battle-type Soul Masters with exceptional talent, I only had your mother as a sister. Even if your father's talent was average, I wouldn't have gone so far as to break them apart. There was actually a hidden reason why I opposed your father and mother being together."

"Speak freely." Lan Si wanted to hear what the man could possibly say to convince him.

"Do you know who your grandfather is?" Ye Renxin said in a deep voice.

"Why are you bringing up my grandfather again?" Lan Si was even more confused now.

"Very well. You would have known all this sooner or later; there is no harm in telling you now." Ye Renxin's expression darkened as he said in a low voice, "The Clear Sky Sect—perhaps you have never heard of this name. Your grandfather was a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, once the number one sect in the world. Your grandmother was a famous songstress in Heaven Dou City. Because your grandfather had a fleeting romance with her, she became pregnant with your father."

"The Clear Sky Sect places great importance on the purity of bloodlines. Because of your grandmother's status as a songstress, your grandfather could not and would not marry her. Thus, he chose to abandon her, settling her in a remote mountain village—the place where your father was born, Emperor Soul Village. It was originally called Iron Hammer Village, but because your grandfather was a Soul Emperor at the time, it was later renamed Emperor Soul Village."

"When your father was six years old, due to a martial soul mutation, he failed to awaken the Clear Sky Hammer. Consequently, after leaving a sum of money, your grandfather completely abandoned your grandmother and your father, and revoked your father's right to the Tang surname."

"Although your father's innate soul power was not high due to the martial soul mutation, he still became a Soul Master. Later, by chance, he met your mother. Your grandmother did not oppose their marriage before she passed away because she saw that your father was honest and kind. But twelve years ago, everything changed."

"Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect, killed Qian Xunji, the former Pope of Martial Soul Hall. Martial Soul Hall declared war on the Clear Sky Sect and hunted down its disciples across the continent. Any faction hiding a Clear Sky Sect disciple would be treated as an enemy of Martial Soul Hall. At that time, your father took the initiative to confess his background to me and your mother, stating that he did not want to implicate the Nine Heart Begonia clan. He only asked me to take good care of your mother and you, who had just been born."