Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Once it was decided what was to be done, the patriarch called Qing Zhangru into the room so that Alex and the rest could be shown to their rooms, where they could rest and work.

“What about Lainie, Patriarch? You called for her, and she’s waiting outside,” Qing Zhangru said.

“Ah! I nearly forgot about that,” the patriarch exclaimed. “Call her in.”

Before Alex and the rest could say anything, the doors opened and Pearl’s grandmother walked into the hall with a strange expression on her face.

Her eyes fell on Pearl, and a Divine sense washed over him.

Immediately, the dragon’s eyes went wide in what Alex could only call a pleasant surprise.

“So it’s true,” she said in quite an excited tone. “You really have awakened your bloodline.”

Pearl looked around, somewhat confused and hesitating. “Grandmother,” he said softly.

“How did you do it?” she asked.

Alex placed an arm on Pearl and stepped before him so he could continue talking, but Pearl stopped him. He wanted to be the one to say what he had to say.

“The last time I met you, you said you didn’t want me to contact you ever again,” Pearl said. “Since that is the case, we won’t be bothering you.”

Pearl looked away and tried to move, but Lainie moved as well, stopping him in his tracks.

“Forget about what I said before,” she said. “I only said what I did because you were weak back then. But now, you are a proper Azure Dragon worthy of being called my grandson.”

Her words were quite proud, and Pearl couldn’t find any words to say. “So, how did you do it?”

“My brother helped me,” Pearl said, pointing to Alex. “Of course, he wasn’t alone. I had Grandpa too, and more importantly, my father helped me.”

The female dragon’s face froze for a moment before she narrowed her eyes with a doubtful expression on her face. “Your… father?”

“Yes,” Pearl said. “And I don’t mean that in any figurative or metaphorical way. My brother found a way to make Father alive for a short time. And he was there to help me.”

The other Azure Dragons were certainly confused, but Lainie’s expression was the one most filled with confusion as well as shock. “What do you mean?”

“Again, I am not saying anything that’s hard to understand,” Pearl said. “Father was alive. Your son, Qing Tianchui, was alive for a short time.”

Lainie’s breathing grew ragged. “You… you’re lying.”

“No,” Pearl said. “I would not lie about something so serious.”

“Where is he then?”

“He died over a decade ago. As I said, he was alive for a short time,” Pearl said.

The female dragon seemed to grow mad upon hearing that. “My… my son was alive and you didn’t tell me? You’re telling me now after he’s dead? again?”

“We tried to tell you before,” Pearl said. “We even called to meet you, remember? Grandpa sent you letters many times, and you only finally accepted a long time later.”

“I…”

Lainie remembered those letters, but nowhere had it said that her son was alive. Was there some hidden message that she had missed?

“And when you accepted,” Pearl continued, “you only did so to deride me. You should have remembered someone other than us three there. That was Father. We brought him to meet you, but before giving us a chance, you told me to never contact you again and left. Father had been so excited to meet you, and yet… you left him without giving him a chance to talk.”

Lainie remained frozen for a long time. “That… that’s not true.”

“I have no reason to lie,” Pearl said. “Just like how I have no reason to keep talking to you either. You told me to never contact you again, so I will adhere to your request. Let us never meet again, Grandmother.” Pearl finally stepped beside the stunned Qing Lainie and walked past her with a brave front. Inside, his emotions were tumultuous, but outside, he remained perfectly cold as he cut away the last remaining thread to the Azure Dragons that he could be said to have.

Alex turned away from the female dragon and looked at the other Azure Dragons in the room, who could hardly believe what had just

happened.

“Senior Zhangru, would you mind showing me the room? I wish to get my task here done quickly,” he said.

Zhangru finally came out of his stupor and quickly nodded. He led them away from the room, leaving the four Azure Dragons behind to

deal with the situation.

Pearl remained silent from the hall all the way back to the room, and

no one said anything.

Only after they finally entered the room did he speak.

“Do you think I did the right thing?” Pearl asked, turning toward Alex and Bai Jingshen. “She seemed to be trying to reconcile, and I ruined

it.”

“If a familial relationship isn’t built on love and only on the merit of your existence, then it isn’t a relationship worth keeping,” Alex said. “If they throw you away when you’re weak and only accept you when

you’re strong, then when eventual misfortune falls upon you and makes you weak again, they will abandon you without a second thought. At that point, they are nothing more than a disease, and it’s better to cut them off before they can harm you.”

Bai Jingshen let out a short laugh. “Well, that’s about what I would’ve said anyway,” he said. “And it’s not like you’re lacking in grandmothers either. You already have seven great-grandmothers, and plenty of grand-aunts as well who love you. One less isn’t going to hurt you.”

Pearl finally smiled and nodded.

Alex patted his white and blue fur and turned toward Bai Jingshen.

“Could I ask you to message the Black Tortoises that I wish to visit them next?” Alex asked. “As soon as I am done here, I want to go visit the palace.”