Immortal of the Nine Realms

In the Fang Family’s inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was a forbidden area for the family’s juniors, and even the Head couldn’t easily step in without prior notice.

Only Fang Wanli, the ancestor of the Fang Family, could come and go freely. The inner courtyard was where Fang Tingjian, the old ancestor of the Fang Family, remained in seclusion.

There were formations placed everywhere, and if an ordinary Foundation Building Realm cultivator accidentally triggered them, the consequence would be death or severe injuries.

Fang Wanli had been waiting for a long time, so when he saw Fang Ao bringing Fang Chen over, he waved his hand to signal Fang Ao to step back.

Fang Ao bowed, glanced at Fang Chen, then turned and left.

”I never expected this, Kid,” said Fang Wanli a little curiously. ”Are you an Immortal Origin Stone Master?”

”I once obtained a manual that recorded some Immortal Origin Stone techniques, but the title of Immortal Origin Stone Master is probably far beyond my reach,” replied Fang Chen.

Fang Wanli nodded slightly. He suddenly became curious about which sect or school Fang Chen had practiced in before coming to the Grand Qian Empire.

”What do you want to see me for, ancestor? Is there anything you need to tell me?” asked Fang Chen.

”It’s not me who wants to see you, it’s my uncle,” said Fang Wanli with a faint smile. ”Follow me. The juniors who get to meet my uncle are far and few between. Fang Lingxing is one, and you are the second.”

Was Fang Tingjian the person who wanted to meet me?

Fang Chen was momentarily stunned, then calmly nodded and followed Fang Wanli toward the secluded courtyard.

Fang Chen had a hunch why Fang Tingjian wanted to see him.

But Fang Chen also wanted to see if he could learn about the secrets of the past from this old ancestor, so it worked out.

Fang Tingjian was standing with his hands clasped behind his back in front of a hall. When he saw Fang Chen, a faint smile appeared on his pale face.

”You’re called Fang Chen, right?”

Fang Chen bowed. ”I am Fang Chen. I pay respects to you, Ancestor.”

”It’s been four hundred years. If my elder brother knew that another talent had emerged among the younger generation, he will probably be able to rest in peace,” Fang Tingjian said softly.

”Uncle, what are you talking about?” exclaimed Fang Wanli.

”He’s Fang Tingyuan’s descendant,” said Fang Tingjian.

Fang Wanli gasped in shock. ”What!? He’s Uncle Tingyuan’s descendant?”

Fang Wanli looked at Fang Chen incredulously before bursting out swearing. ”Those little bastards actually hid the news and didn’t even inform me, their ancestor, about this!”

”Fang Kun’s the family head, and he takes the family’s interest into consideration at every turn. The fewer the people who know about this, the better. He informed me at the first opportunity,” said Fang Tingjian calmly.

”These brats clearly don’t care about me!” grumbled Fang Wanli. ” Fang Chen is a descendant of Uncle Tingyuan. That’s such a big deal and yet he didn’t even tell me. It’s infuriating!”

”It’s because you’re so fascinated by my elder brother, always talking about him whenever you have the chance. They’re afraid that if you knew about this, it would cause a stir and everyone would know,” Fang Tingjian coldly chuckled. ”Stop the nonsense and stand aside. If you have anything to say, say it later.”

Fang Chen seemed to understand something from that conversation.

It seemed as though Fang Wanli admired his ancestor very much, mentioning him from time to time even after hundreds of years, which was why the Head did not inform him of Fang Chen’s origins.

Fang Tingjian looked at Fang Chen and calmly asked, ”How have your side of the family been doing over these hundreds of years?”

Fang Chen’s mind stirred. The fact that Fang Tingjian didn’t ask about the Greenwood Token and the mysterious old man, but instead inquired about how their lineage had been doing, indicated that Fang Tingyuan held a certain weight in his heart.

”Old Ancestor, our lineage has been relatively stable over these years. We were previously martial artists. It wasn’t until my generation that we had the opportunity to explore the path of immortality,” replied Fang Chen.

”That’s good to hear.” Fang Tingjian nodded slightly. The emotions in his eyes were very complex.

Fang Wanli was anxious to say something, but he was afraid that Fang Tingjian will berate him for it.

Fang Tingjian continued, ”Someone must have told you that you shouldn’t publicize the fact that you’re Fang Tingyuan’s descendants and just consider yourself an ordinary member of the Fang Family, alright?”

Fang Chen nodded lightly.

”Don’t hold it against us. The matter concerning your ancestor is very complicated. This is for your own good and for the good of our family as a whole,” said Fang Tingjian.

”What’s so complicated about it?” muttered Fang Wanli under his breath. ”Isn’t it just that Uncle Tingyuan offended some petty people in the Central Continent? What did Uncle Tingyuan do wrong? The real wrongdoers are those so-called cultivators of a first-tier empire, who are petty and scheming. They tried to harm uncle! Even Grandpa had to pass away prematurely because of this!”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up? Didn’t you hear me?” Fang Tingjian’s gaze suddenly became sharp. ”I’ve said it before, don’t mention these things again. Don’t think that what you say here won’t be heard by others!”

Fang Wanli, seeing that Fang Tingjian was truly angry, immediately zipped his mouth and looked elsewhere sheepishly, not daring to meet Fang Tingjian’s eyes.

Fang Tingjian snorted coldly and changed the subject, ”Fang Chen, have you ever met that senior in the past?”

”I haven’t met him,” replied Fang Chen.

”I heard he gave you something?”

Fang Chen directly took out the Greenwood Token and handed it to Fang Tingjian.

”The Greenwood Token... it seems that the senior intends to form a bond with you. In the future, you can use this token to see if you can become his disciple,” said Fang Tingjian thoughtfully while playing with the token.

Afterward, he returned the Greenwood Token to Fang Chen and advised him to keep it safe. Then, after chatting a bit more, he waved his hand to dismiss Fang Chen and Fang Wanli.

Fang Wanli quickly left the courtyard with Fang Chen. Shortly after, he whispered, ”Fang Chen, did your ancestor leave behind any admonitions or sayings?”

Fang Chen was momentarily stunned.

What sort of question is this?

Seeing that Fang Chen seemed a bit confused, Fang Wanli whispered, ”Remember when I told you that a gentleman should not delay his revenge?”

Fang Chen nodded. ”I do.”

”That’s what Uncle Fang Tingyuan once told me,” continued Fang Wanli. ”I remember that year, I was only sixteen, and I was severely injured by Jue Feichen. I had to lie in bed for several months. When Uncle Fang Tingyuan came to visit me, he told me this. When my injuries recovered, I immediately spent money to hire several cultivators to ambush Jue Feichen and incapacitate him.”

Fang Wanli looked proud as he said this.

”Since then, Jue Feichen has not dared to offend me easily.” Pausing for a moment, Fang Wanli added, ”If Uncle Fang Tingyuan left any useful words, you must tell me!”

”Haha, you truly are a little admirer of our family’s ancestor.” Fang Chen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, ”My ancestor did not leave behind any wisdom.”

”I see...” Fang Wanli looked a bit disappointed.

”Where was Uncle Fang Tingyuan buried? I want to burn incense for him.”

”To be honest, our lineage has a short lifespan due to being martial artists. By the time my generation came around, it had already been many generations since my ancestor. We have experienced migrations and crises in between. So, we don’t where the ancestor was buried,” explained Fang Chen.

Fang Wanli sighed, fell silent for a while, then nodded. ”Alright, you can go back now.”