"Mm." Lan Shengxue nodded.
"Cough cough cough--cough cough cough cough--"
Lan Mingxi coughed even more violently, whether from choking or from receiving the definitive answer.
Seeing this, Lan Shengxue quickly came up behind the old man and patted his back.
It took the old man a long time to recover.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask again, but then he thought of his granddaughter's temperament; she wasn't the type to joke around.
In the end, he never got the answer.
"Grandpa? Please let me go to the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm."
Seeing her precious granddaughter making a rare request, Lan Mingxi's heart softened immediately.
He sighed again.
"I know you don't want to fall too far behind that kid."
Seeing that Lan Shengxue was about to deny it, Lan Mingxi didn't give him the chance.
"Don't say no. Your grandpa has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. If you keep saying no, then you can forget about going to the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm."
This time, Lan Shengxue remained silent.
Lan Mingxi gave her a look that said, "You've finally admitted it," but given her granddaughter's stubborn nature, she didn't continue the topic.
"That kid has truly impressed me time and time again, it's just a pity he refuses to join my Lan Family."
"If he were willing to join, he wouldn't be himself, and I would look down on him too," Lan Shengxue said.
Lan Mingxi shook her head and laughed, her expression a mixture of helplessness and doting affection.
"What can I say to you? But what you said makes sense. If that kid really agrees to my conditions and chooses to rely on my Lan Family, he'll lack a bit of arrogance."
"So Grandpa, you agree to let me go to the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm?" Lan Shengxue's eyes lit up.
"Who said I agreed?"
"Grandfather!"
Lan Mingxi raised her hand, signaling her not to speak yet.
"You've already been to the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm once, so going again wouldn't be very effective."
"But if I want to quickly improve my strength, I can only go to the secret realm."
"There's another way."
What method?
Lan Mingxi fell silent, as if she were making some kind of decision.
Seeing this, Lan Shengxue very sensibly did not urge them, but stood quietly to the side and waited.
A short while later, Lan Mingxi clenched her fist.
"I'm going all out for my precious granddaughter!"
"Grandpa? Is it dangerous?" Lan Shengxue looked at her grandfather with a questioning expression, a hint of worry appearing in her eyes and brows.
"Fortune favors the bold, but don't worry, I'm quite confident. Even if it doesn't work out, I can still walk away unscathed."
After hearing Lan Mingxi's words, Lan Shengxue became even more worried.
Her grandfather was one of the top experts in the Great Xia Dynasty, so for him to say something like that shows how dangerous the upcoming operation was.
"I think I'll go to the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm. Even if my strength increases slowly, every little bit helps."
"I've made up my mind about this. Don't worry, I won't risk my life. After all, besides me, no one else in the Lan Family can handle things on their own."
As Lan Mingxi spoke, her hopeful gaze fell upon her beloved granddaughter.
As he just said, there is no one in the entire Lan Family who can shoulder the responsibility alone.
Except for his Little Shengxue.
However, she is still young and lacks strength; she is far from being capable of taking over his position.
I'll be leaving in a couple of days.
Seeing that the old man was determined, Lan Shengxue decided not to try to persuade him any further.
"Grandpa, what exactly was the method you mentioned?"
"This story goes back a long time, to my experience during a land reclamation mission in the Outer Wilderness Zone," Lan Mingxi recounted slowly.
The so-called Outer Wilderness Zone reclamation mission is a routine task that the Great Xia Dynasty and other countries do every so often.
The reason is simple: the Outer Wilderness Zone occupies three-quarters of the Blue Star's surface.
The currently developed territory is pitifully small. If humanity wants to survive better and longer, it must continue to reclaim Outer Wilderness Zone and explore more unknown places.
"It was around that time that I stumbled upon an extraordinary rare and precious herb."
Lan Shengxue's eyes were bright. "Grandpa, the method you mentioned, is it that rare and precious herb?"
"Hmm." The old man nodded. "That rare and precious herb exudes unparalleled spiritual energy, so abundant that I've never seen anything like it in my life."
"Then why didn't you take it with you?" Lan Shengxue asked curiously.
"At that time, that rare and precious plant was not yet fully mature; to forcibly pluck it would be a terrible waste."
After listening to her grandfather's explanation, Lan Shengxue suddenly understood.
"I've calculated the time, and it should be ripe by now. I plan to go to the Outer Wilderness Zone in the next couple of days to check if it's ripe. If it's not ripe, it means your opportunity hasn't arrived yet. So don't have 100% hope, lest your expectations be too high and your disappointment too great."
"I know, Grandpa. If my opportunity hasn't come yet, then I'll go to the secret realm." Lan Shengxue said this without much emotional fluctuation.
The old man knew that his granddaughter was a very stable person. In fact, he favored his eldest granddaughter as the most likely successor to the vast Lan Family and the future head of the family, not only because of her martial arts skills, but also largely because of her calm and composed nature.
The next day, Jiang Fan led the Tang Family back to Fortress No. 31 by train.
Standing at the exit, looking at the familiar fortress, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Of course, it's mostly a feeling of returning home in glory.
" Xiao Fan, you go see your master first. Your dad, your family, and I will go to your second great-aunt's house first," Tang Fugui suggested.
Jiang Fan nodded, "Alright, I'll head over there after I deliver the medicine to the Crazy Old Man."
"Um."
After making the decision, Jiang Fan parted ways with his family and went to the cemetery alone.
The Crazy Old Man was enjoying the evening breeze on his recliner when he saw Jiang Fan, and his expression showed a slight surprise.
Why did you suddenly come back?
Without giving Jiang Fan a chance to reply, she pointed towards the kitchen with the palm-leaf fan in her hand.
"It's almost dinnertime. Go cook two dishes and buy me two bottles of wine."
It's been so long since I've had this kid's cooking. To be honest, it's fine when I don't see Jiang Fan usually, but now that I see him here, my mouth is practically watering.
"Don't rush to cook, I came here specifically to bring you something." Jiang Fan said as he took out a wooden box from his spatial ring.
The Crazy Old Man wasn't interested in what Jiang Fan had brought; he just wanted Jiang Fan to quickly cook a couple of dishes to go with his drinks.
"We'll look at the stuff later, let's go copy it first--"
As they were talking, Jiang Fan opened the wooden box, revealing a peach that shimmered with a faint glow.
He suddenly jumped up from the recliner, rushed to Jiang Fan in one stride, snatched the chair, and stared at it intently.