Reunited with Family

Lin Ze'an asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Qian Daoliu hurried forward and grabbed Lin Ze'an by the wrist, carefully examining the ring.

"You... What's your relationship to Jin Ling?"

The sudden gesture startled Lin Ze'an. He was just about to pull away when Qian Daoliu's next words stunned him. "You knew my mother?!"

How was that possible? Given Qian Daoliu's age, he shouldn't have known his mother.

At Lin Ze'an's words, Qian Daoliu's expression changed abruptly, and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes. "What did you just say?"

The sudden reaction left Lin Ze'an at a loss, but he still repeated himself earnestly. "Jin Ling is my mother. You knew her?"

The next moment, under his puzzled gaze, Qian Daoliu released his spiritual power. An invisible wave instantly passed through the Worship Hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Second Worship, was meditating in seclusion when he suddenly opened his eyes and snapped out of his cultivation.

"This is... the Great Elder summoning me?" Golden Crocodile stood up and, with a flash, sped toward the Worship Hall.

A moment later, Golden Crocodile walked in, his gaze immediately settling on Qian Daoliu in the center. "Great Elder, what happened?"

At the sound of his voice, Lin Ze'an turned around, and his eyes met Golden Crocodile's.

In an instant, they both froze. Golden Crocodile stared at Lin Ze'an's face in shock. It was a face he knew all too well.

Qian Daoliu sighed and said to Golden Crocodile, "Look at the ring on his right hand."

At that, Golden Crocodile turned a trembling gaze toward Lin Ze'an's right hand, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He knew that ring better than anyone. It was the gift he had personally given his granddaughter thirty years ago, when she awakened her Martial Soul.

Looking at Golden Crocodile's abruptly changed expression, Lin Ze'an glanced again at the face that bore some resemblance to his mother's.

His eyes reddened too, and it felt as if something had caught in his throat.

Could it be...

Golden Crocodile grabbed Lin Ze'an by the shoulders. "Child, was your mother's name Jin Ling?"

Lin Ze'an didn't answer. Instead, eyes reddened, he held back his excitement and slowly extended his right hand.

A drop of blood, rich with the aura of life, seeped from his fingertip and floated in midair.

Seeing this, Golden Crocodile extended his right hand as well. A drop of blood, glowing with a faint golden light, slowly seeped from his fingertip.

The instant the two drops of blood met in the air, they seemed drawn together by an invisible force. They slowly moved closer, then finally merged.

Golden Crocodile could no longer hold back his emotions. He pulled Lin Ze'an into a tight embrace.

His arms trembled slightly, and his voice choked with tears. "Child, you've suffered... You've suffered so much..."

The sudden embrace left Lin Ze'an a little bewildered, but he obediently let Golden Crocodile hold him, gently patting the old man's back with his small hand.

"What's your name?" Golden Crocodile asked, still holding him tightly.

Before Lin Ze'an could answer, Qian Daoliu sighed. "His name is Lin Ze'an... the one with Innate Soul Power of twenty."

At those words, Golden Crocodile's heart sank.

His body visibly stiffened. Then he jerked his head up, his eyes filled with shock. "What?! He... He..."

Of course he had seen the records on the genius with Innate Soul Power of twenty.

But the background in those records said that his mother had been killed by an evil Soul Master, and that his father had raised him alone...

His granddaughter... Why had fate treated him this way?!

Was it not enough to take his son away? Did it have to take his granddaughter too?!

Golden Crocodile wept, his whole body trembling as tears streamed down his face. He held Lin Ze'an close. "I searched for her for so many years... Jin Ling... My granddaughter..."

Great drops of tears fell onto Lin Ze'an's shoulder, soaking his clothes.

"Every time Spirit Hall received news, I went to check it myself... But every time... every single time, I came away disappointed."

Lin Ze'an's face, the shape of his eyes and brows—everything reminded him that this was the child of his beloved granddaughter, Jin Ling.

He reached out with a trembling hand and gently caressed Lin Ze'an's face. "Those eyes... that nose... that mouth... They're all like your mother's..."

At last, Lin Ze'an came back to his senses and pieced things together.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was... his mother's grandfather? His last living relative...

He slipped out of Golden Crocodile's embrace, took the jade pendant from his ring, and handed it to him.

Then he knelt and kowtowed to Golden Crocodile. "Lin Ze'an pays his respects to his great-grandfather."

"Ah..." Golden Crocodile hurriedly helped Lin Ze'an to his feet. "Good child... Come."

He gently wiped the tears from his eyes, doing his best to calm his excitement.

Carefully taking Lin Ze'an by the hand, he led him to a chair nearby and asked with concern, "Child, how have you been all these years? What about your father?"

It was not until late at night that Lin Ze'an slowly returned to his small courtyard.

He didn't go looking for his master or see anyone else. He simply closed the courtyard gate quietly, shutting the whole world outside.

The cool moonlight spilled across the courtyard's flagstones, casting a silvery sheen over the small space.

Lin Ze'an sat on the stone stool in the middle of the courtyard and lowered his eyes to the jade pendant in his hands.

"Mother... I met your great-grandfather. He misses you very much."

He had never imagined that his mother's past would be like this...

"If you're watching over me, don't worry. I'll work hard at my cultivation and reunite with you as soon as I can."

After a while, Lin Ze'an sighed softly and carefully put the jade pendant away.

Then he took out the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

Even without being activated, this legendary Immortal Herb was still bewitchingly beautiful.

It was crimson as fire from end to end, its petals smooth as silk, while blood and tears seemed to flow within its stamens.

Lin Ze'an lightly cut his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

The next second, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red was activated by his blood and bloomed in full.

The entire flower radiated a deep red light, making the whole courtyard look as if it had been drenched in blood.

Lin Ze'an raised his hand and gently brushed the blooming flower. "A love that breaks the heart... What a pity that the story behind it was nothing but a deception."

The moment his fingertip touched a petal, the entire Immortal Herb suddenly trembled violently.

"Vmmmm—"

The hum rang through the courtyard, and the Lovesick Heartbreak Red's eerie glow began to flicker rapidly.

Its petals turned transparent at a visible speed, transforming into pure energy that gathered in Lin Ze'an's palm.

The next moment, the life force radiating from Mo Ruier spread out, gently coiling around Lin Ze'an.

Then it slowly lifted him until he floated in midair.

Under the influence of this life force, Lin Ze'an was soon enveloped by a flower bud on the verge of blooming.