Chapter 122: Do You Understand What

She gave a sheepish laugh, "Yes, yes, that's right."

Qintai He then nodded, "Then you should accompany me to the Qintai Family; otherwise, I really don't know how to face them."

This kid actually had a bit of social anxiety.

Ruan Xing agreed readily, "Okay."

"With things as they are now, I'm afraid you won't be able to return to the Sect for a short while." Qintai He shifted to a worried expression, "After all, this matter started because of me. Once I send a message to ask my Master, if it hinders you, I will share with you the cultivation resources my parents left behind."

?

Holy moly! Ruan Xing nodded repeatedly, her eyes brimming with tears, "If Brother does not despise me, Xing is willing to be your sworn sister!"

"Uh? It hasn't reached that point yet..." Qintai He stammered a few times, then suddenly patted the white wolf beneath him, "Let's go, Silver Wind."

The two asked passersby for directions and soon learned the location of the Qintai Family.

Although some branch family members no longer lived in the main clan, Qintai He did not know which branch he belonged to himself, so he still had to go to the headquarters to ask.

The headquarters of the Qintai Clan looked like a medieval European stone castle, yet its layout possessed the elegance of the Jiangnan region. It was a large manor covering dozens of acres, housing over a hundred people surnamed Qintai, as well as several hundred servants.

The two waited at the gate for the gatekeeper to announce them. They didn't experience any of those cliché plots where a gatekeeper looks down on people, as Qintai He was riding a white wolf; in Xizhou, anyone with the ability to raise a Monster Beast for their child was not someone to be trifled with.

Ruan Xing touched the stone gate and sniffed the fragrant flowers upon it, sighing, "How magical. These are real flowers, yet they actually grow on stone."

If they were some kind of spirit plant, the world of Cultivation was full of wonders, and it wouldn't be strange for them to grow on stone. But Ruan Xing had just touched and examined them, confirming the flowers had not a shred of Spirit Qi; they were ordinary plants.

Just a decoration, and quite an elaborate one at that.

Ruan Xing secretly critiqued it. Qintai He was somewhat reserved, quietly poking Ruan Xing's shoulder with his finger and asking in a low voice, "I sense many high-level Cultivators inside. Why is it necessary for mortals to announce us? It's so strange... wouldn't a sweep of Divine Sense reveal us?"

"Pah, what do you know? This is called 'decency'," Ruan Xing said dismissively.

Among mortals, the profession of a gatekeeper is established mainly to receive guests in a timely manner, and occasionally to warn of or block uninvited intruders.

But in the world of Cultivation, who could a mortal gatekeeper possibly warn off?

However, letting other Cultivators treat a mortal servant with courtesy for the sake of the Qintai Family's face does make one's own family appear more noble.

After all, Qintai He did not understand Xizhou; often, what hinders the development of Xizhou is precisely the family system they have inherited for thousands of years.

Before long, a servant invited them inside.

The two walked for half a quarter of an hour until they reached a small flower hall, where a luxuriously dressed woman was sitting. Seeing them, she broke into a smile, "Good child, you've finally returned."

Qintai He hesitated, "You are..."

The woman only had the cultivation of Foundation Establishment Perfection, and judging by her demeanor and appearance, she was likely quite old.

The woman smiled, "Look at my memory, I forgot to introduce myself. I am your Second Grandmother."

Second Grandmother? What kind of title is that? Ruan Xing and Qintai He were both stunned for a moment. Qintai He looked at Ruan Xing for help, but the latter could only shake her head helplessly.

Her experience in Xizhou was mostly superficial, or limited to interactions between young Cultivators.

She had never actually joined a family in Xizhou, so how would she know the ins and outs of family internal affairs? The woman didn't explain anything, pulling Qintai He along and asking about his life as if she cared. Qintai He answered one by one, suppressing his impatience.

There was no help for it; he couldn't figure out the situation either. Although the woman's cultivation was low... she seemed perfectly natural. No matter how impatient Qintai He was with social interactions, he could only endure it for now.

After a long while, Qintai He finally couldn't help but ask, "There's no need to say more. I... I came this time just to know if my father has any other relatives. I want to see them."

The woman paused, the smile on her face fading slightly, "I know, good child. As soon as the report came from the front, I knew it was you who had returned. After all these years, you are the only child of the Qintai Family left wandering outside."

She sighed, "After your grandfather passed, our family's status within the clan declined day by day. Second Grandmother didn't have the ability to bring you back; please don't blame Second Grandmother."

Qintai He opened his mouth, unable to bring himself to use that title. Finally, he said, "Besides you, does my father have no other relatives?"

The woman wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and smiled, "There are. You still have a biological uncle and a biological aunt. Your aunt married into the Song Family; I will send her a message to have her come back tomorrow to see you. Your uncle's aptitude is poor, and he is currently helping the Clan Leader manage the family businesses; he won't be back until evening."

Ruan Xing curled her lip. This woman's acting was truly subpar, and her mindset still revealed a mortal way of thinking. From these few sentences alone, she could conclude the other party was lying.

Qintai He's father could afford to raise a white wolf for his son; could his family background be anything but substantial? If he hadn't been pampered since childhood, how could he have such ideas?

Even if Qintai He's grandfather had died and the family had fallen, it was impossible that they had only sent a few thousand Spirit Stones to Central Province as child support.

Furthermore, to send someone to fetch Qintai He, the round-trip fare for a Teleportation Array would only cost a few thousand Spirit Stones.

She didn't lack the ability to bring him back; she simply didn't want to. Her current concern for Qintai He was merely superficial, focused only on herself, without the slightest consideration for Qintai He's awkwardness and helplessness when facing strangers.

Yet Qintai He didn't seem to notice at all; he only felt that this 'relative' didn't quite match his imagination of Xizhou.

In his heart, his father's image was towering and grand, and the family his father belonged to was also powerful and glorious.

How could it... be this result? He couldn't quite accept this psychological gap.

Ruan Xing thought about it but didn't expose her. After all, they had just arrived and didn't know the situation. If Qintai He's family really only had this woman and the aunt and uncle she described, Qintai He would probably rather go to Nanzhou to die.

But she hadn't found any benefits to reap yet... better to wait and see.

She unobtrusively patted Qintai He's hand to comfort him.

The woman asked questions for a long time, seemingly finally satisfied with her curiosity about Qintai He's life in Central Province, and said leisurely, "I have told the servants to clean up a room for you. Come here tonight to eat with Second Grandmother; it will be a good chance to get close to your uncle."

Qintai He gave a dull response of "okay," and then the woman called a servant to lead them away.

The servant was only a mortal, so Qintai He impatiently used a small Magic Art to isolate their voices from everyone else.

"Junior Sister, I can't say why, but I feel very stifled here. I don't like this place," Qintai He said to Ruan Xing.

"I feel the same," Ruan Xing rubbed her chin, "Shall we leave?"

He let out a heavy breath, "Let's leave tomorrow, after I've seen my uncle and aunt."

"That works, but, Senior Brother, I always feel she is lying to you."

Qintai He paused in his steps, tilting his head in confusion, "How so?"

The novel I'm following hasn't updated in seven days. I suspect the author has run off, and my world has collapsed. QAQ (End of chapter)