Bloodline Tree – [Clan Building]

“When did you get here?” Shu Yang asked, thoroughly surprised. He had assumed that Bian Fenglin’s arrival would cause quite the commotion, as he was sure to arrive in a pretty big flying ship. He certainly never expected him to just knock on his door like this.

“Just now,” Bian Fenglin answered, stretching his neck to peek inside. “Are those girls here?”

“Yeah. Right. Sorry, come in,” Shu Yang said, awkwardly inviting this assumed prodigy into his house.

“Everyone!” Shu Yang shouted, making the room full of people fall quiet. “This is Bian Fenglin. The man from the Sword Sect who helped me and Tianyi escape.”

No one spoke for a few seconds, taken aback by the sudden visit, just like Shu Yang.

“Greetings, senior.” Tianyi was the first to recover.

With an example set, the rest of his family quickly followed. “Greetings, senior.”

“No need for any formalities,” Bian Fenglin said with a smile. He quickly found two girls, now seven years old, who bore a striking resemblance to each other. He turned to Shu Yang and asked. “Do you mind if I check their Sword Bone?”

“Of course not,” Shu Yang said. “Xinjiang, Xinxi. This is the man who will bring you back to the Sword Sect. The place with the greatest swordsmen in the world. You should address him as Senior Bian.”

“Hello, Senior Bian,” The twins greeted him as told, looking a bit cautious.

“Come here and let him take a look at you,” Shu Yang said. 

“Go on,” Xiaoshi said, leading the two girls over.

“Would you roll up your sleeve and let me feel your arm?” Bian Fenglin asked with a kind smile. “I promise it won’t hurt and will be over in a few seconds.”

“I’m not afraid of pain,” Xinjiang said stubbornly, rolling up her sleeve as told.

“Me neither,” Xinxi said. “But that doesn’t mean I like it. So you don’t need to hurt us.”

“Right. It doesn’t mean I like it,” Xinjiang agreed.

Bian Fenglin laughed and assured them. “I certainly won’t hurt you.”

He bent down and clasped their forearms one by one, nodding in satisfaction. “It truly is a Sword Bone. Very good!”

He let go of their arms and stood up straight again. “I heard you already comprehended sword intent? Can you show me?”

“We’re not allowed to,” Xinxi answered.

“Right. It’s dangerous,” Xinjiang said.

“They can’t really control it very well yet. It’s better to go outside and do it,” Shu Yang clarified.

“Right, that makes sense,” Bian Fenglin said, looking around the room. Shu Yang guessed that he wasn’t used to being around people who could actually be harmed by such a weak sword intent. “It’s no rush. I can take a look at it later. It looks like I interrupted some sort of celebration?”

“It’s no interruption. We’re all very happy you’re here,” Shu Yang said. “As for the celebration, that’s because Xiaoshi here is pregnant.”

“Oh? Congratulations,” Bian Fenglin said. He laughed and put a hand on Shu Yang’s shoulder. “You have to tell me your secret sometime. I’ve never seen two cultivators at the Foundation stage being able to have so many children one after another. Perhaps it’s a benefit of body cultivation.”

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward, and Shu Yang cleared his throat and explained. “Xiaoshi is my daughter-in-law. Xinjiang and Xinxi are her and my son Tianhu’s children, my grandchildren.”

“Ah?” Bian Fenglin’s smile froze on his face.

Shu Yang didn’t blame him for the misunderstanding. Xiaoshi was at the Foundation stage, and no other woman there was even a Master. It was probably a rare family composition in the cultivation world.

“This is my wife, Ren Qianyue. I should have introduced you earlier,” Shu Yang said, pulling Qianyue forward. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for saving my daughter and husband,” Qianyue said, smiling.

“It was nothing,” Bian Fenglin said, chuckling a bit awkwardly and giving Shu Yang an inscrutable look. 

“Do you want to join us for dinner?” Qianyue asked.

“This is a family occasion. I won’t disturb you,” Bian Fenglin said, shaking his head.

“It’s really no bother,” Qianyue said.

Bian Fenglin chuckled. “Thank you, but I think I’ll take the opportunity to stretch my legs; I’ve been stuck on a flying ship for over a month.”

“Alright then,” Qianyue said, nodding.

 “We have a long journey ahead of us, so enjoy your meal. I’m afraid things aren’t quite as comfortable on the flying ship as this lovely home,” Bian Fenglin said, smiling and waving goodbye.

“I’ll stay with him. You guys go ahead and eat,” Shu Yang whispered to his wife and followed Bian Fenglin outside.

“Not eating?” Bian Fenglin asked when he noticed Shu Yang coming after him.

“Not hungry,” Shu Yang answered. “Do you mind if I join you on your walk?”

“Not at all,” Bian Fenglin said, and the two of them made their way through the settlement. After a few seconds of silence, Bian Fenglin spoke up. “You’re going to have to give me a run-through of how you’re all related; I admit I’m a bit confused.”

Shu Yang laughed and answered. “It really isn’t very complicated. Tianyi, who I went north to get, is my youngest child. She has six older siblings, all in the house just then. Anyone who is younger than Tianyi is my grandchild.”

“Is Qianyue your only wife?” Bian Fenglin asked.

“Yes,” Shu Yang answered.

“Then you really do have to have some secret,” Bian Fenglin said. “Seven children? Are you practicing some kind of fertility secret art?”

“Is it that strange? In my village there were plenty of people with more than seven kids,” Shu Yang said, a bit confused.

Bian Fenglin smacked his forehead. “I forgot where I was for a moment. You weren’t at the Foundation stage when you had children, were you?”

“No,” Shu Yang answered. He wasn’t even a Master when he had Tianyi. “Why? Is it very difficult?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. It’s just a lot harder to conceive as you advance to the higher stages. In the Foundation stage, perhaps you could get pregnant after ten years of trying, or something like that,” Bian Fenglin answered. “In the Golden Core stage, it’s a lot worse. My parents have wanted another child for ages without succeeding.”

‘His parents are Golden Core cultivators?’

‘I guess that’s to be expected, when I think about it.’

“I see,” Shu Yang answered. He hadn’t really thought about that before.

‘I guess Xiaoshi and Tianhu are really lucky then.’

“I’m surprised there is actually a spiritual vein here. How come it looks like this is all built recently? Did you just discover it?” Bian Fenglin asked.

Shu Yang gave a brief overview of the circumstances that led them to take shelter there. He also took the opportunity to tell Bian Fenglin about the situation in the Far West.

“How daring,” Bian Fenglin said with a scoff. “Don’t worry, my Sword Sect doesn’t tolerate such practices. I’ll report this matter, and then a mission should be issued to take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Shu Yang said, greatly relieved. “By the way, how did you get here?”

“With a flying ship, of course,” Bian Fenglin answered. Noticing Shu Yang’s confusion, he explained further. “I didn’t want to cause any panic, so I didn’t deactivate the stealth formations on the ship. I set it down just on the other side of the hill there.”

‘It’s invisible? I wonder if I could see it using my Piercing Gaze?’

“I see,” Shu Yang said, “I’m really grateful for all the help. It must have been quite a bit of trouble for you.”

“The more trouble, the better,” Bian Fenglin said with a casual smile.

“How can more trouble be better?” Shu Yang asked.

“I took a closer look at that pill you gave me after we parted ways,” Bian Fenglin said. “I guess I was a bit eager and scratched the surface of it a little. Turns out it really is of the supreme grade. Do you know how rare that is?”

“No,” Shu Yang answered.

“Very rare,” Bian Fenglin said seriously. “You might want to kill me for taking it from you if you ever reach the peak of the Foundation stage.”

“How could that be? The pill is yours. I gave it to you willingly,” Shu Yang said. He really didn’t care about any of that. The pill would have been nice to have, sure, but it was nothing compared to the help he received from Bian Fenglin. Shu Yang was confident he could reach the Golden Core stage even without that pill.

“Well, either way, it’s very valuable to me,” Bian Fenglin said. “I feel a bit guilty for taking it. Luckily we made a deal, and I was able to offer some more help. You should know that advancing to the Golden Core stage is no joke. Even if you have all the talent and resources you need, you can still fail if your dao heart isn’t stable enough. So you see, I really need to repay the favor. I would happily sacrifice a year or two of trouble in exchange for being able to break through with peace of mind.”

‘So that is how it is.’

That assured Shu Yang somewhat, as he almost felt a bit overwhelmed by the favor Bian Fenglin showed him and his family.

“Dad.”

Shu Yang turned around and saw his son Tianhu running after them. 

“Senior Bian,” Tianhu greeted Bian Fenglin as well. “I’m sorry to inconvenience you. But I just had to ask: what exactly are the criteria for entering the Sword Sect? Even as the lowest-level disciple?”

“Are you talking about yourself?” Bian Fenglin asked.

“No. My son Xinmo. He is ten years old, and already an Innate warrior, or a middle-stage Qi Refiner, and he has been practicing with the sword his entire life,” Tianhu said.

Shu Yang sighed slightly. He would love for all his grandchildren to be able to enter the Sword Sect, but it was impossible. He knew they were nowhere near talented enough.

Still, he could understand Tianhu’s unwillingness.

“In body cultivation? He doesn’t have spirit roots either, does he?” Bian Fenglin asked.

“No,” Tianhu answered. “But he has a heart devoted to the sword.”

“You know, someone with that talent…Even if he could enter, it wouldn’t be a good thing. He would be surpassed by his peers in no time at all, and never be able to catch up. Surrounded by geniuses from all over the province…I don’t think it’s very suitable,” Bian Fenglin answered hesitantly.

“So it’s impossible?” Tianhu asked, looking unwilling. “Absolutely impossible?”

Bian Fenglin hesitated slightly.

“I guess the question is, would it be too much trouble for you, senior?” Shu Yang asked.

Bian Fenglin looked over to Shu Yang and laughed. He shook his head and answered, “It really is quite troublesome. But it’s not too much trouble. I’ll handle it.”

“Wait, really?” Tianhu asked, shocked. “He can enter the Sword Sect?”

“Yes,” Bian Fenglin answered, looking a bit helpless.

Tianhu paused for a moment before bowing deeply. “Thank you. I won’t forget it.”

Shu Yang smiled. He hadn’t expected Xinmo to actually be able to enter. He hadn’t even considered asking about it.

‘I guess we’ll have to wait and see if it’s actually a good thing or not.’