Even animals show deep affection for their offspring; humans, being the most advanced of all creatures, have an even stronger attachment to family ties.
Wuyazi was betrayed by Ding Chunqiu decades ago and fell into despair. Apart from his eldest disciple Su Xinghe, he had almost no contact with anyone.
The old man was overjoyed to suddenly have a granddaughter.
Wang Yuyan nimbly walked to a spot about three steps away from Wuyazi, stopped, and called out softly again:
Grandpa.
The word "Grandpa" struck a chord deep within Wuyazi's heart, and the old man's eyes practically overflowed with kindness.
"Good, good, good child."
"I've been trapped in this cave for decades, and to be able to see my bloodline's descendants again, Heaven has been kind to me."
" Yuyan, tell your grandfather about your story with your mother over the years."
"Okay, Grandpa." Wang Yuyan first turned to look at Xu Xiao, and seeing that he was still smiling, she immediately began to chat about everyday things with a smile.
She started talking about her mother, Li Qingluo, and continued until she was taken away by Xu Xiao. Of course, it wasn't kidnapped, but rather how the two met.
Interspersed throughout were some anecdotes or minor conflicts between her and her mother, Li Qingluo, which made Wuyazi laugh heartily at times and offer gentle advice at others.
This person doesn't resemble a hermit at all; he's simply an elderly person who loves their younger family members.
The two chatted for half an hour, until Wang Yuyan seemed to suddenly remember something, and blushed as she introduced Xu Xiao to Wuyazi.
"Grandpa, this is my... husband, Xu Xiao!"
" The Military Command Commissioner of the Great Song Dynasty, wielding immense power in the court, is also a martial arts master whose skills are unparalleled."
Wang Yuyan felt a little smug, like a little girl introducing her excellent boyfriend to her family.
Although Xu Xiao's promised wedding in the palace has not yet taken place, the two have already become intimately entwined and consummated their marriage, so naturally her heart belongs to him.
By the way, it's not that Xu Xiao didn't want a wedding in the palace, but it was just too much trouble.
A typical imperial wedding requires preparations to begin six months to a year in advance, a very long preparation period.
In addition, Xu Xiao is the kind of person who either doesn't do something at all, or if he does, he does it to the best of his ability.
Since he left Kaifeng Prefecture, the entire imperial palace has been undergoing renovation and expansion, waiting for him to finish dealing with matters in the martial arts world before a grand and extravagant wedding is held.
Xu Xiao is a man of his word; he promised a wedding, so naturally he won't break his promise.
Returning to the point, after hearing Wang Yuyan's grand introduction of Xu Xiao, Wuyazi finally shifted his focus back to Xu Xiao.
Even just looking at it, I was secretly surprised.
'Although this man is thin and appears seriously ill, his eyes still shine brightly, his skin is warm and smooth, and his body is Hunyuan harmonious and abundant inner energy, almost to the point of fullness. He can be considered a master of internal martial arts!'
Based on Wang Yuyan's introduction, Wuyazi dared not be negligent and asked softly:
"Since he's Yuyan's husband, then we're family. Xu Xiao, right? Your internal energy cultivation is arguably the best in the world."
"I have only ever seen someone with such perfectly balanced and complete Internal Energy, like you, through my late master."
There was no sense of superiority in his words; he treated her entirely as a peer.
The shrewd Wuyazi would never have imagined that such a high-ranking and powerful man would come to this remote mountain to allow him to enjoy the warmth of family in his later years.
Moreover, according to Wang Yuyan, the other party possesses unparalleled martial arts skills and the power of the Great Song at a young age.
In Wuyazi's mind, such people were all arrogant and self-important, looking down on everyone else. How could they be so peaceful?
Something unusual must be going on; giving gifts to others always implies an ulterior motive.
Xu Xiao never expected that Wuyazi would analyze him so thoroughly after just one meeting.
Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
He prefers to achieve the desired result through peaceful means, but if that fails, he will not hesitate to use violence.
For his own purposes, he would show no mercy, not even to Wang Yuyan's maternal grandfather, but to his own.
Of course, he still maintained proper etiquette, saying, "This humble son-in-law greets Grandfather, I am unworthy of such praise."
Upon hearing Wuyazi say that he had met someone with the same Internal Energy as him, who was his master, Xu Xiao felt a surge of excitement.
It seems that some answers can be found here regarding his stagnant Internal Energy cultivation.
Of course, in order to deepen Wuyazi's impression and for some other reasons, Xu Xiao first revealed Ding Chunqiu's head floating behind him.
"I heard that my grandfather was ambushed by this villain years ago. I came here specifically to capture him and behead him in the valley, thus avenging my grandfather for the betrayal he suffered."
Ding Chunqiu's head, with its eyes wide open in death, stared at Wuyazi. Although they hadn't seen each other for decades, Wuyazi could still recognize that this was his second disciple.
Although he had already learned from Su Xinghe that this fellow had been captured as a gift, Wuyazi's resentment only slowly dissipated when he saw the head with its eyes wide open in death.
"Good! Good! Great!"
Three consecutive "good"s made Wuyazi feel that today was the happiest day of his life.
Not only did he see his bloodline descendants, but the enemy who had troubled him for many years was also killed, thus ending his life without any regrets.
"Good lad, you call me grandfather, and you're also Yuyan's husband. Now you've even helped me settle a deep-seated grudge. Tell me, how can I thank you enough?"
"Or is there anything here that you want?"
Wuyazi didn't mince words and directly asked Xu Xiao about the carriages and horses.
Both were intelligent people; he could tell that Xu Xiao's purpose in coming was because he had something that Xu Xiao could use.
Playing the family card and offering the head of an enemy as a gift—this was clearly premeditated.
Even knowing that the other party had premeditated a plan, Wuyazi still didn't want to refuse.
He was just an old man who had been hiding in a cave for decades, barely surviving. If he could help this young man in any way, it would be a way of helping his own bloodline.
"Alright, I thank you in advance, Grandfather." Xu Xiao wasn't embarrassed at all and stepped forward to demonstrate his Internal Energy.
" The Northern Darkness Divine Art! Where did you learn the Northern Darkness Divine Art?"
Wuyazi was somewhat surprised, but upon closer examination, it made sense.
Aside from the martial arts of the Carefree Sect, what other martial arts could allow someone to cultivate their internal strength to this level at such a young age?
After all, other people's internal cultivation requires arduous effort, while the Carefree Sect can simply steal it.
As the saying goes:
"The great flood of the Northern Sea is not of its own making."
"All rivers flow into the sea, for it is the sea that embraces all rivers!"