Bloodline Tree – [Clan Building]

“That kid might have grown taller than you by now, brother,” Tianyi said with a teasing smile, biting into an apple.

“It’s possible,” Tianhu said, nodding.

“The twins might have grown taller than you,” Shu Yang added.

They had just been shown to a private floor at a restaurant in Bian Immortal City, having arrived in the city just the night before.

In Xinmo’s last letter, he had said that they would finally be able to see the twins again, and now the time had come for the meeting.

The journey over was uneventful. They had opted to travel on a merchant flying ship, so they didn’t have to worry much about robber cultivators causing trouble.

The ones who went along for the journey were, just like last time, Shu Yang, Qianyue, Tianhu, Xiaoshi, Xinying, and Shen Ye.

This time, Tianyi had also nagged her way along. Shu Yang had apparently promised that she could come along after they left her behind last time.

“Huh? No way. They’re still so young, and I’m very tall, you know,” Tianyi refuted.

“Want to make a bet?” Shu Yang asked. Tianyi was, while not short, definitely not tall. Given Xiaoshi’s and Tianhu’s heights, their daughters could very well have outgrown her already.

“Alright. What are the stakes?” Tianyi asked excitedly.

“Let’s see,” Shu Yang said, rubbing his chin in thought.

‘Is there a way for me to sense their heights?’

He had never tried using his Bloodline Tree for that purpose. He imagined it wouldn’t be difficult if he practiced a bit, but he didn’t have time for that at the moment.

‘They might be in the city already. I’ll just have a quick peek.’

It was just a silly bet, but Shu Yang didn’t want to lose for some reason.

He used his Bloodline Ability on Xinjiang, and actually found her walking down the street not far from where they were.

‘There they are.’ Shu Yang thought with smile. He hadn’t seen his granddaughters in years, as there were too many powerful formations in the way, so he couldn’t normally use his Piercing Gaze to check on them.

But now, they were in the same city, and there was nothing hindering his vision.

‘They’ve grown up.’ Shu Yang thought with a sigh.

“Why don’t you decide?” Shu Yang asked, looking away from his grandchildren, canceling his Bloodline Ability. From what he could see, they should be an inch or so taller than Tianyi.

“Okay, okay,” Tianyi said, rubbing her hands. “Let’s make it five middle-grade spirit stones.”

“You want to bet with spirit stones?” Shu Yang asked.

“Or else?” Tianyi questioned.

“Alright then,” Shu Yang said, shrugging. “Can you afford it?”

“That much is nothing to me. So you agree?” Tianyi asked.

“I agree,” Shu Yang said, nodding.

Tianyi smiled, looking confident in her victory, and continued eating her apple.

“Did you cheat?” Qianyue pulled on his arm lightly and asked in a low voice.

“How could I cheat?” Shu Yang asked, rolling his eyes

“You have that smirk on your face. It’s too confident,” Qianyue said.

Shu Yang rubbed his face slightly. “Really?”

“Really,” Qianyue said, nodding.

“Well. What counts as cheating?” Shu Yang asked, keeping his voice low.

Qianyue just rolled her eyes at him. “I knew it. If you bully her too much, she might run away with some man one day, you know.”

Shu Yang frowned. “No way.”

Qianyue nodded with a serious expression on her face. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

‘Do I bully her too much?’

Shu Yang knew it was nonsense, but he couldn’t help but scratch his head, feeling a bit uneasy.

“Tianyi, let’s just forget about the bet,” Shu Yang eventually said.

“Huh? No way. Are you backing out?” Tianyi asked.

“Well,” Shu Yang looked to his wife, feeling helpless.

“Pfft,” Qianyue burst out laughing.

“What’s going on?” Tianyi asked.

“Never mind,” Shu Yang said.

‘I’ll just let her default on it. I can’t afford to take any risks.’

“Why did you have to put strange thoughts in my head?” Shu Yang asked, walking back over to his wife.

Qianyue just shook her head with a smile. “Are you the only one who gets to have fun? You should have brought Xiaorong; she would have appreciated it.”

“She needs to keep watch over the family,” Shu Yang answered, but then he shook his head. “No. Wait. Since when does Xiaorong like messing around?”

“I don’t know. But she does,” Qinayue answered with a shrug.

‘I somehow doubt that.’

Not long after, the doors at the end of the room slid open, and Xinmo, Xinjiang, and Xinxi stepped inside.

“Xinxi! Xinjiang!” Xiaoshi and Tianhu called out, rushing toward the twins.

The rest of the family gathered around them as well. Shu Yang quickly noticed that the twins had changed over the past few years, not as lively as when they were younger.

Their faces were a bit stiff, but they still smiled when they saw everyone. And gradually, their lively spirits seemed to come back again, and they started speaking over each other, talking about everything that had happened over the past few years.

“Dad. Are you still okay with canceling that bet?” Tianyi asked quietly, having discovered that she was indeed now shorter than the twins.

Shu Yang nodded slowly. “Let’s cancel it.”

“Seriously?” Tianyi asked, surprised.

“Seriously,” Shu Yang answered with a sigh.

‘It’s for my own peace of mind.’

“What happened here? Are you hurt?” Xiaoshi asked worriedly, spotting a scar running up Xinxi’s neck.

“It’s fine, Mom. You should have seen my opponent,” Xinxi answered with a smile.

“Wasn’t your opponent fine?” Xinjiang asked.

“Well. The previous opponent wasn’t!” Xinxi answered.

“Wait? Opponent? What opponent?” Shen Ye asked.

“Have you had a fight?” Tianhu asked.

“It wasn’t a fight. It was a tournament. You should have seen it, Dad. We were awesome. Right, brother?” Xinxi asked.

“They did very well,” Xinmo answered with a nod.

“You’re fighting in tournaments? Isn’t that dangerous?” Xiaoshi asked.

“It’s fine. No one gets killed or anything. There is an Elder watching over everything,” Xinjiang answered.

“Fine? Just look at this scar!” Xiaoshi said.

“It will heal, Mom. Don’t worry,” Xinxi said, putting her hands on her mother’s.

“You’re still so young. Why are you fighting already? What’s that Master of your thinking?” Tianhu questioned.

“Dad. Elder Renmeng brought us here, so…” Xinmo subtly warned.

‘She’s keeping watch?’

Shu Yang thought he imagined it, but he did feel like someone was watching him from time to time ever since he entered the city.

‘Is she watching with her divine sense?’

It was impossible for Shu Yang to tell for certain. Their master was a Golden Core cultivator, after all.

“So what? She should hear it. There is no need to risk injury for some stupid tournament’s sake. You’re still too young,” Xiaoshi said, not showing any fear.

“Mom,” Xinxi and Xinjiang complained, rolling their eyes.

“You…you shouldn’t fight, sisters,” Xinying said carefully.

“Oh, Xinying,” Xinxi said, smiling and pinching her sister’s cheek.

“You’re right, Xinying. We won’t fight anymore,” Xinjiang said, patting Xinying on the head.

“My words count for nothing anymore, huh?” Xiaoshi questioned.

Eventually, though, everyone got past the issue, and sat down to eat together. Xinmo had to be practically forced to say anything more than a few words about his own situation, but the twins were more than happy to rant about everything between heaven and earth.

“I can feel it. I’ll definitely be able to comprehend 4th-tier sword intent soon. I just need to cut!” Xinxi said, clenching her fist.

“Alright, alright,” Tianhu said. “Just don’t rush. You’re already doing very well. You too, Xinmo. I can’t believe you’re a Master already. You must have worked really hard.”

“It wasn’t hard,” Xinmo said, smiling slightly.

“Once you’re ready to advance to the Foundation stage, remember to write home,” Shu Yang said. “Your mother and I will advise you. I’ll start looking for the proper resources too; you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Thank you,” Xinmo said.

“Do you think Xinmo can build a Foundation, Grandpa?” Xinjiang asked, eyes shining.

“Naturally,” Shu Yang said, nodding. “It won’t be easy, though. He’ll have to keep working hard.”

“Hey, brother. You might be able to impress Jiu Yinlin if you build a foundation before 25. Work hard!” Xinxi said, raising her fist into the air.

Xinmo’s face stiffened slightly.

“Jiu Yinlin? Who is that?” Xiaoshi asked.

“You never wrote about her, brother?” Xinjiang asked with a teasing smile. “You came to ask about her so many times, I would have assumed-”

Xinmo hurriedly interrupted his sister from speaking further, “Alright, alright. I asked twice, that’s it. We had a run-in, so I got curious. That’s it.”

Shu Yang raised his eyebrow slightly, meeting the eyes of Qianyue, Tianyi, Shen Ye, and Tianhu.

‘Is the kid in love?’

“What kind of run-in?” Tianyi asked, smiling brightly.

“She fell from the sky,” Xinmo started explaining.

“Pfft.” Several people almost spit out their drinks.

“She did,” Xinmo said, raising his voice, turning a little red.

“And then their eyes met, and Xinmo, what did he say, ‘felt like I got struck by lightning,’ right?” Xinjiang asked.

Tianyi burst out laughing, along with the twins. Xinmo turned even more red.

“It wasn’t like that! It seriously hurt!” Xinmo explained.

Shu Yang couldn’t hold himself back, and started laughing as well. Soon the whole table was laughing at Xinmo. He just looked too comical.

“And then she flew up to the sky again. He’s been looking for her ever since!” Xinxi got out between bursts of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Xinmo asked, looking completely exasperated.

“So? Who is this girl who has hurt my son?” Xiaoshi asked with a wide smile.

Xinmo slammed his head against the table, and Xinxi and Xinjiang eagerly began explaining everything they knew about this Jiu Yinlin.