When the old madam heard that the marquis would make the decision, many of the wrinkles on her face smoothed out.
The Marquis of Jinyang, Jian Zeyang, courtesy name Shanrun, was sixty-five that year. He had once served in the Ministry of Works. After the old marquis died and Jian Zeyang inherited the Marquis's Estate, he became obsessed with cultivating immortality. He usually lived at a Taoist Temple in secluded cultivation, returning to the Marquis's Estate once every ten days or fortnight.
After Jian Zeyang became obsessed with cultivating immortality, he stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs. Almost everything in the Marquis's Estate was decided by the old madam.
The marquis generally would not oppose anything the old madam decided. All he needed was money to cultivate immortality.
So Jian Xilu's marriage would most likely be settled today.
Heh. Once the engagement was settled, Jian Xilu would be putty in their hands. Then they would make Jian Zhang pay.
At that thought, the old madam felt much more at ease, and even her spirits improved.
Jian Zeyang was receiving the Fourth Prince, Fifth Young Master Shi, and the Seventh Young Master in his study. Second Master Jian, Jian Lang, and Third Master Jian, Jian Jin, were also present. Min came in person to invite everyone to gather in the Flower Hall.
This was the first Jian Zeyang had heard of having a granddaughter named Jian Ruonan. After hearing her story, he merely said, "Everyone has their own destined path."
He did not take it to heart.
He took nothing concerning the Marquis's Estate to heart. All he cared about was cultivating the Dao and becoming an immortal.
Jian Ruonan sat in the old madam's room for a while, then promptly went to the Flower Hall for the feast. As long as there was food, she was happy. But when the seats were assigned, she was placed beside Jian Zeyang, with Dantai Mo on her other side.
The other women sat at another table. She had been seated here at Dantai Mo's request, supposedly because he wanted to discuss medical principles with her. In reality, the Black Tortoise System wanted to seize the opportunity to steal more lamp oil.
Jian Zeyang had a long beard and white hair, which he wore in a round topknot secured with a wooden hairpin. Dressed in a long gray robe, he did have something of an immortal's bearing.
Jian Ruonan glanced at Jian Zeyang. [Is this my grandfather? He looks like some venerable immortal.]
Jian Zeyang: ????
Who was talking?!
How was that voice going straight into my head?!
[In reality, he's just a dumbass. Those fake Taoist priests swindled him out of a fortune and fed him loads of elixir pills containing lead and mercury!]
Jian Zeyang considered himself half an immortal, and he soon realized that the voice was coming from Jian Ruonan.
His heart jolted. Could this granddaughter have had some extraordinary encounter and gained the ability to transmit her voice through the air?
He suddenly grew excited and wanted to ask Jian Ruonan what was going on. "You said beep-"
"Beep-"
"Beep-"
??
Why couldn't I say it?
Having cultivated the Dao for years, Jian Zeyang immediately understood: heavenly secrets could not be divulged.
After all his years of cultivation, he had never expected to encounter someone with extraordinary powers in his own residence.
Min, Jian Xilu, and Teng all breathed a sigh of relief.
Wonderful! Grandfather could hear Nannan's thoughts. Xilu wouldn't have to marry Fifth Young Master Shi.
Dantai Mo lowered his eyes in thought.
After these several observations, if he was not mistaken, Jian Ruonan's father, mother, older sister, younger brother, and even her grandfather could all hear her thoughts.
And they could not speak of being able to hear them, either.
So he was not the only one who could hear her.
[Ding-] [The target has been detected in a poor mood. Points -2.]
Jian Ruonan: "..."
She had not done a thing!
She stole a glance at the Fourth Prince. His expression had not changed in the slightest, either!
Why had her points dropped again?
Was the Fourth Prince on his man-period?
Forget it. She was used to it by now.
The Fourth Prince was a temperamental, blackened weapon of mass destruction.
Maybe the points would go back up in a moment.
Dantai Mo and Jian Ruonan were sitting very close together. On top of that, they had spoken and held hands earlier, so the Black Tortoise System had plenty of lamp oil. He had heard the system's announcement deducting two points in its entirety.
Dantai Mo: [?? What are points?]
The Black Tortoise System said smugly, [Your Highness, if I'm not mistaken, you're the Fifth Miss's conquest target. When you're curious about her or like her, she earns points as a reward. When you're in a bad mood, she loses points as punishment.]
Dantai Mo: [What are the points used for?]
The Black Tortoise System: [They can be exchanged for items, medicine, and so on. They can also be used to draw cards. Card draws are a kind of gambling-based reward.]
Dantai Mo: [So I'm providing the Fifth Miss's gambling capital?]
The Black Tortoise System: [Yes.]
*[...]* Dantai Mo was rather speechless. [The medicine the Fifth Miss used to treat Madam Wang came from drawing cards?!]
[Most likely.] The Black Tortoise System sighed. [Even with rewards available, the Fifth Miss won't take the initiative. She's no ordinary lazybones! Your Highness, if you want to stand again, you have to rely on yourself!!]
Dantai Mo: *[...]*
Jian Zeyang still wanted to confirm his suspicions. He looked at Jian Ruonan and asked, "Little Five, you beep-"
"How can you beep-"
Jian Ruonan sat with her eyes lowered, looking obedient and harmless, like a soft little white rabbit. She looked innocently at her grandfather. "Grandfather, what are you trying to say?"
[Has Grandfather taken too many elixir pills? Is he poisoned and addled, with his mouth twitching?]
Marquis Jian: "..."
Though his granddaughter was very rude, faced with such a miracle, Marquis Jian still could not hide his excitement. "Nan Nan, Grandfather feels as though we should have met long ago. Someone, pack up the Fifth Miss's belongings and move them to Pine and Crane Hall. I will personally teach her the Daoist Immortal Arts."
Jian Ruonan: ??
[This dumbass grandfather isn't planning to use me to refine elixir pills, is he?]
A dumbass?
Jian Zeyang sucked in several breaths. Swallowing his anger, he explained, "Don't be afraid, Nannan. Grandfather can see that you have fine, upright features."
He counted on his fingers and murmured an incantation. "Your birth chart is complete in all five elements. You are someone destined for great fortune. Are you willing to cultivate with Grandfather?"
He had also heard a little about Jian Ruonan being possessed by the Queen Mother of the West. Previously, he had dismissed it as a joke. He had never expected this granddaughter to truly be so extraordinary.
Jian Ruonan blinked and asked, "Grandfather, what level of immortal cultivation have you reached?"
Jian Zeyang stroked his beard. "Grandfather has just reached the heavenly innocence realm."
Heavenly innocence meant "uniting with the truth of the Dao, becoming one with heaven." The Daoist Canon stated that those who attained heavenly innocence were in bodily harmony with nature, pure and tranquil within and without. It was an advanced realm. (1)
Jian Ruonan played dumb, indicating that she did not understand.
[Innocence? So stupid, so innocent?]
[Let me see how those elixir pills Grandfather eats are made. A virgin's menstrual blood? Blech-can anyone actually eat that? That's way too disgusting! Why not eat a virgin boy's shit instead?]
[Otherwise, they add heavy metals like mercury, copper, chalcanthite, and azurite. Every last one is poisonous. Sooner or later he'll die of poisoning. No way am I cultivating with this short-lived moron. I want to live a few more years!]
[Grandfather seems even more outrageous than Grandmother. Grandmother just picks at the coachman's feet and sniffs actors' shoes, but Grandfather's hobby will kill him!]
Jian Zeyang: "..."
What?!
Poisoning?!
Licking feet?!
Sniffing shoes?!
Was that really true?
She even knew exactly which ingredients went into his elixir pills. The other information was probably not far off the mark.
Jian Zeyang looked at the old madam, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face.
He summoned his personal servant and said quietly, "Tie up the coachman. I'll question him myself."
The old madam knew nothing of this and was still scheming to marry Jian Xilu into the Shi Family. "My lord, what do you think of Fifth Young Master Shi and Xilu as a match?"
Jian Zeyang had been about to tell her to decide for herself-he still wanted to discuss elixir pills with his treasure of a granddaughter-when Jian Ruonan's thoughts suddenly reached him again-
[She absolutely can't marry Fifth Young Master Shi! None of Shi Fan's five sons are his biological children, and these grandsons are bastards too. Grandfather isn't going to marry my sister off to a bastard, is he?!]
??!!
Jian Zeyang's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table. "Absolutely not!"
Before you continue