The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 283- 285

Chapter 283: We Could Also Use Them a Little

“Your father won’t wake up so soon. Besides, Ya is in the house. Come here and take a look at this. You two have come a long way to be here with the Prime Elder and haven’t had a moment’s rest so far. The south wing-room is unoccupied, and Ya has just cleaned it. If you don’t mind its narrowness, you may take it as a temporary convenience. You can wash and change clothes there,” said Mr. Mu, walking inside.

Ling Zhang nodded. He indeed could use a room to talk with Yuwen Tong about something private.

The south wing-room was not big, with only a bed, a table, a couple of chairs and a wardrobe inside, but neither Ling Zhang nor Yuwen Tong was picky. Besides, they were in someone else’s house. They each had a quick bath and changed. After everything was handled, they sat down to talk.

“Back there in the great hall, why did you take Ji Yanlai’s offer without asking about the details first? The Millennium Pavilion is not just any organization. What he wants is definitely something big. What if his terms are too difficult for us to meet? What are we going to do then?”

Ling Zhang had given it a lot of thought and still felt that Yuwen Tong’s immediate acceptance of Ji Yanlai’s conditions had been too risky a decision.

Yuwen Tong replied, “What Ji Yanlai wants undoubtedly has something to do with the Millennium Pavilion. With the strength of this clan, they could have thrown the whole Great Yue into chaos over the past hundreds of years and one of their leaders could even have taken the throne, but they didn’t do that and have been living in seclusion all along, which shows that it’s not power that they seek. As long as they don’t want to wreak havoc on this country or put the common people’s lives in danger, for the handbook they gave you on mental cultivation method alone, I would’ve agreed to the deal, not to mention that this will save Uncle Ling. I think it’s a pretty good deal.

On top of that, the miracle drug is the very thing we came here for. Since Ji Yanlai is willing to give it to us, we will have to accept his terms eventually, no matter how hard we try to delay it. He had a quite straightforward take on this, which made it inappropriate for us to hesitate. Think about it, if he’d changed his mind because of our hesitation, wouldn’t we be regretting not having taken his offer while it’s available?”

Ling Zhang knew in his heart of hearts that even if Yuwen Tong hadn’t agreed today, sooner or later he himself would have to accept Ji Yanlai’s terms. He just wanted to find out more details about what Ji Yanlai might ask him to do. After all, Ji Yanlai had made it very clear that he’d need Yuwen Tong’s help to fulfill his end of the bargain. If it endangered Yuwen Tong’s life, he would never agree to it. It was true that he wanted very much to save his father, but Yuwen Tong was not someone that could be sacrificed to that end.

“Take it easy. I know what I’m doing.” Yuwen Tong held Ling Zhang’s hand. “You forgot what I talked with Ji Yanlai about on our way in here?”

Ling Zhang looked at him in puzzlement. “What did you talk about?”

He remembered that Yuwen Tong had seemed to be having some small talk with Ji Yanlai at that time.

Yuwen Tong explained with a smile, “Actually Ji Yanlai was confiding something to me at that time. Yes, he’s the leader of the Millennium Pavilion, but the yearning for another life of the younger generation of this clan have been getting increasingly intense. Your uncle was the first one to put it into action, and there might be others following his suit. All these people are yearning to get out of this place and see what the world outside is like. No matter how beautiful or good this secluded place is, it’s a prison for youngsters, and they want to break out of it. Although Ji Yanlai, having the big picture in his mind, is unwilling to let them go, he knows very well that he cannot force them to toe the line forever, because if he tries to do that, sooner or later it’ll backfire on him very hard. In comparison with holding them back, channeling their enthusiasm would be a wiser choice. Ji Yanlai disclosed some of his thoughts to me during that talk. He was considering whether or not he should move the Millennium Pavilion somewhere else and give the younger generation a chance to seek their fortune in the world outside. Maybe at that time, though having made up his mind, he still had some concerns about his plans, and the reason why he asked me about it was that he wanted to hear my opinions. I told him expressly, so he made his choice. As a result, Ji Yanlai’s so-called terms definitely have something to do with transferring the Millennium Pavilion elsewhere – at least with the future of the younger generation of this clan.”

Ling Zhang’s mouth fell wide open with astonishment, his eyes fixed on him. “You…caught on to his intentions after talking with him for merely a few moments?”

Yuwen Tong said, “After all, I’m the commander of the North-western Army, and there are occasions when my subordinates have needs that cannot be met without breaking the rules. I know it’s impossible to have them suppressed all the time, that I’ve got to compromise when necessary, which is why I could guess some of Ji Yanlai’s thoughts.”

“Besides…” Yuwen Tong broke off in the middle of a sentence.

Ling Zhang looked at him anxiously. “Besides what?”

“Ji Yanlai would never place a hundred percent of his trust in us. He let us in, allowed your grandfather to impart the mental cultivation method of internal energy of the Millennium Pavilion to you, and even turned a blind eye to you instructing your security guards in those martial formations – all these are against the rules of the Millennium Pavilion, otherwise the situation wouldn’t have been that difficult for your mother. According to the rules, your grandfather is not allowed to teach you the cultivation method, and you’re not supposed to teach those formations to your security guards, which means that you, your grandfather as well as I and your father who have gained entry into this place are all supposed to be hunted by the Millennium Pavilion, for after all, dead people are the only ones in this world who would never divulge secrets, and killing us is the most secure way to make sure the existence of their clan does not come to the knowledge of any outsiders.”

Ling Zhang, who had never thought of this before, widened his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat in spite of himself. Didn’t this mean that they had had brushes with death? Ji Yanlai’s kung fu was unbelievably high, and neither his grandfather nor Yuwen Tong was a match for him.

“You were aware of all this before we came here?” Ling Zhang stared at Yuwen Tong. Otherwise, given how cautious he had always been, Yuwen Tong would never have made such a risky move as to bring him to the Millennium Pavilion.

Yuwen Tong replied, “Sort of. What happened to your mother and all those things that occurred after we met your grandfather made me feel that the Millennium Pavilion’s current way of handling things doesn’t correspond with the rules they’re rumored to have, so I had a bold guess that there’d been some kind of change of situation in this place.”

Ling Zhang glared at him. “But this is still too risky! How could you not have warned me?!”

Yuwen Tong hastened to hug him. “Easy, easy. Don’t be mad. Actually… I sounded out Mr. Ji’s attitude with a couple of questions during a brief private talk. Mr. Ji is an astute man and he might’ve confided a thing or two to me, which is why I have such confidence.”

Ling Zhang was antagonized even further. Why hadn’t Yuwen Tong told him about these dealings he’d had with his grandfather in private?

“Because I don’t want you to get worried. Uncle Ling is here, so nothing would stop you from coming here. Had I told you about it beforehand, you definitely wouldn’t let me come with you. How could I let you come here alone? And surely you won’t expect me to stay home alone enduring the torturous, long wait? This is the reason why I didn’t tell you.”

Ling Zhang was consumed with anger. This guy actually thought he’d done the right thing?

Seeing that Ling Zhang really got angry, Yuwen Tong craned over and kissed him. “Stop being mad. Think about it, if I’m in trouble, will you stand by and do nothing?”

“Of course I won’t!” Ling Zhang shot him a sulky glance.

“Exactly. That’s why I cannot let you face all this alone. I care about you too much to do that,” remarked Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang, “…”

Seeing Ling Zhang’s countenance soften somewhat, Yuwen Tong hurriedly resumed coaxing him. After the sulk on Ling Zhang’s face disappeared completely, he felt a sense of relief and continued, “The facts confirmed my conjectures. The situation in the Millennium Pavilion has indeed changed, and Ji Yanlai has been considering finding a way to get his clan out of the predicament. There’s yet another reason why I can be positive that Ji Yanlai’s terms have something to do with his intention of transferring his clan – he didn’t kill us and has decided to let us leave, but he also cannot trust us completely, and difficult to reach as this place is, people could still find it if they’re determined to; by doing this, he’s disclosed to us the location of the Millennium Pavilion. Although this place is easy to hold and hard to attack, it will become his grave if besieged. The only plausible explanation is that he’s set out to move to another place.”

Ling Zhang asked, “If he wants to find a way out, why does he need you to make it happen? Since his way out has nothing to do with power, is it about your armies, by any chance? But that’s also a form of power, isn’t it?”

Yuwen Tong smiled, “You’re constrained in your perception of this matter. You forgot our final goal? The one I told you about before we came here?”

Ling Zhang’s eyes gradually dilated. “But how could he have known that?!”

Yuwen Tong’s smile faded away. “Ji Yanlai is an extremely formidable man. You see, he has the ability to command all kinds of birds and communicate with almost all other animals, and the Millennium Pavilion has its own sources of information in the world outside, but most importantly, I feel that the way his eyes see things is different from the one ours do.”

“Different?” Ling Zhang was perplexed. “Different how?”

“You forgot what your grandfather told you that day? Anyone who manages to cultivate the mental cultivation method to the extreme develops the power of foreseeing the future. I think he’s foretold something.”

Ling Zhang was shocked at first, and after a few moments, rapturous. He sprang to his feet and said, “If that’s the case, if Ji Yanlai has really foretold something, doesn’t that mean you’ll…”

He’d succeed!

Ecstasy flooded Ling Zhang in waves. The thrill brought by this conjecture left him unable to think about anything else for quite a while. It was like a giant, intangible rock weighing his heart down gradually dissolved, and though it hadn’t disappeared completely, he was feeling much more relaxed.

Yuwen Tong said, “What he’s foretold could just be taken as a blessing. The key to success is still efforts. I think you should put more trust in my abilities than you do in Ji Yanlai’s prophecy.”

Seeing that he looked more relaxed, Yuwen Tong felt both somewhat relieved and a trifle jealous.

Ling Zhang fixed him with a gaze, his eyes glittering. “Of course I trust you. I trust you more than anybody in the world.”

These explicit words brought Yuwen Tong’s heart fluttering, his jealousy vanishing instantly. Lips curving in a grin, he put his arms around Ling Zhang and kissed him again and again. “I know. I trust you the most, too.”

Ling Zhang’s cheeks were wet with saliva from his sloppy kisses, but he didn’t push him away. After a few moments, feeling that it was about time Yuwen Tong stopped kissing him, he said, “Okay, that’s enough. If you give me one more kiss, I’m going to have to wash my face!”

Yuwen Tong chuckled, holding him in contentment. “So there’s nothing for you to worry about. Just stay here for half a month. After getting the drug, we’ll take Uncle Ling back to Tanyang and then we’ll return to the capital city.”

“Um,” said Ling Zhang. Naturally, he was the happiest one to know that they’d get the drug. “You still haven’t told me about the specific connections between Ji Yanlai’s plan and you.”

“No matter what his plan is, there’s no doubt that I’ll have to gain the required power first before I can help him carry it out, and because of this…” Yuwen Tong gave a mysterious smile and continued beside Ling Zhang’s ear in an undertone, “maybe we could use these people a little.”

Ling Zhang’s face took on a quizzical expression. Use them? How?

Chapter 284: Growing Trust

“Me getting the required power is a precondition for helping the Millennium Pavilion move to another place, which means that for their own good, they will definitely give me a hand if the occasion arises.”

Ling Zhang’s eyes instantly lit up at this remark Yuwen Tong made in a low voice beside his ear. He caught on to what Yuwen Tong meant.

“You’re pretty good at this. I was worried that we were in a passive position. It didn’t occur to me that you seized the initiative,” Ling Zhang also breathed beside Yuwen Tong’s ear.

Yuwen Tong smiled and gave him a kiss. “In order to shape a bright future for us, I’ve got to make full use of everything within my reach. It’s a natural thing.”

Ling Zhang gave him a pinch on the arm. “Lower your voice.”

Arms around Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong rubbed himself against him. “Relax. There’s no doubt Ji Yanlai knows I’ll figure this out. What’s the point of worry about him finding out something he’s already known?”

Ling Zhang let out a soft cough and listened hard to the sounds from outside, but this was the Millennium Pavilion, and he really couldn’t say for sure that he wouldn’t mishear. There was no telling whether or not some kung fu expert was hiding somewhere outside this house.

Yuwen Tong, however, was totally unworried, a quite relaxed and contented look on his face.

…

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong stayed in this courtyard house. Later this day, Ling Zhaowu woke up but appeared a little listless. With his pallid face and thin figure on top of it, he looked as though he could collapse at any moment. Seeing this, Ling Zhang knitted his brows.

Ling Zhaowu’s eyes was obviously still a little unfocused when they fell on Ling Zhang, who tentatively walked over and sat opposite him. “Father.”

Ling Zhaowu looked at him, opened his mouth to utter “Ah” and then averted his gaze. After a while, his eyes moved onto Ling Zhang against, as though he had something to say to Ling Zhang but was somewhat afraid.Update by

“Father, you don’t have to be afraid of me. I’ll stay here to take care of you as well, okay?” Ling Zhang tried to make himself sound as mild as possible, fixing his father with a sincere stare.

Eyes on him, Ling Zhaowu understood. After quite a while, he bobbed his head and replied, “Okay.”

Ling Zhang inwardly let out a sigh of relief and hesitantly reached out his hand to take his father’s arm. “Father, let me support you outside to go for a walk.”

Ling Zhaowu didn’t flinch at Ling Zhang’s approach and stood up with his help. Ling Zhang brought him out of the house to have a stroll in the orchard outside the front yard. Maybe it was because of that brief mental stimulation he’d been subjected to at noon, Ling Zhaowu had been a trifle dull since he’d awoken, and he wasn’t walking with as much ease as he used to. Though Ling Zhang was guiding him, he still tripped over small rocks or short clusters of grass occasionally, and Ling Zhang had to watch his step for him all the time, his arms steadily supporting Ling Zhaowu to prevent him from falling.

Maybe because Ling Zhaowu had realized that Ling Zhang was reliable, he gradually became much more relaxed, smiling at Ling Zhang from time to time. Though his smile was simple and barely contained any emotions, Ling Zhang felt a brief twinge of sadness every time he saw it.

After walking around the front yard twice, worrying about Ling Zhaowu’s physical condition, Ling Zhang intended to take him back, but Ling Zhaowu seemed to have gradually taken a liking to walking with Ling Zhang. He grabbed Ling Zhang’s hand, pointed at the fruits on the trees and told Ling Zhang excitedly, “We can eat those!”

Those were plum trees. The climate in the Sanguan Mountains differed greatly from area to area. It was very difficult for plum trees outside this basin to successfully fruit, but those inside were now laden with plums some of which were beginning to redden and would be ready to eat in a few days. Ling Zhaowu was pointing at a couple of relatively red ones on a twig from which plums were hanging in clusters.

Ling Zhang looked at him. “You want to have a try, Father?”

Ling Zhaowu gave a nod, his expectant eyes on Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang turned his head around, shifting his gaze to Yuwen Tong, who took the hint and returned to ask Mr. Mu about it. Mr. Mu replied, “It was Ya who grew all those fruit trees. Please help yourself.”

So Ling Zhang had Ling Zhaowu stand under a tree. “Just stay here, Father. Don’t walk away.”

Ling Zhaowu inclined his head, eyeing yearningly at those plums, swallowing hard.

Ling Zhang released Ling Zhaowu’s hand, took a flying leap upward, nimbly picked the couple of plums hanging from the twig and then landed steadily on the ground, the several reddish plums lying in his palms, along with a few leaves.

Judging from their color, these plums had a faint sweetness in the outer layers of their flesh at the most and were largely tart and astringent.

Seeing Ling Zhaowu was straining at the leash to taste them, Ling Zhang hastily removed the leaves, wiped those plums with his sleeve and then handed one to Ling Zhaowu. “Father, these plums are very sour. You–”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ling Zhaowu had taken the plum and stuffed it into his mouth. The next moment, his brows contracted, his countenance changing, and as though what was in his mouth tasted terrible, he instantly spat out the plum, an aggrieved expression in his eyes which looked at Ling Zhang incredulously.

Ling Zhang almost dissolved into laughter at the sight of Ling Zhaowu’s amusing reaction, but he forbore from doing so, for after all this man was his father, and he had to show him some respect. Otherwise when his father recuperated from his amnesia and recollected this, he’d probably feel embarrassed and angry.

“I can’t eat these,” said Ling Zhaowu in an aggrieved and quizzical tone of voice, as though unable to understand why the plums he’d had in the past had been sweet but these were so tart.

Ling Zhang explained, “These plums are still green, so they’re sour. They’ll taste sweet when they turn red.”

Ling Zhaowu, who’d lost interest in plums and didn’t want to see plums any more, swept the remaining couple of plums in Ling Zhang’s palms off to the ground and said to him, “Don’t eat them.”

He seemed to want to prevent Ling Zhang from eating the plums and tasting the tartness.

As Ling Zhang saw this movement of his father’s, some fragments of his vague memories of his father when he’d been a little boy flashed across his mind, which this time around were of neither the madness on his father’s face when he’d been burning the books nor his receding figure when he’d been leaving home without a backward glance but the moments when his father had been smiling at him.

Ling Zhang suddenly felt that Ling Zhaowu was actually very piteous. Previously he couldn’t understand why Ling Zhaowu had done those crazy things, but after Yuwen Tong walked into his life, he’d slowly begun to fathom it. He believed that if something like that happened to Yuwen Tong, he’d probably also act as though the whole world had fallen apart, just like Ling Zhaowu had.

It was true that Ling Zhaowu had left home and forsaken him, but he still had his maternal grandfather and uncle and had grown up safe and secure. His maternal grandfather and uncle were very good to him, and he actually didn’t have much regret…

Ling Zhang tried letting go of some of his grudges against his father. Though it was not all of them, he still had a much milder face when he was with Ling Zhaowu.

Ling Zhaowu, as though able to perceive this, smiled at Ling Zhang more and more often.

Mr. Mu said, “This is the first time that I’ve found him to be so easy to look after since he came to half a year ago. When you’re around, he never throws tantrum and virtually acts like a well-behaved kid.”

Ling Zhang inwardly contradicted, ‘My father’s not a kid.’

But he knew that Mr. Mu was not deliberately being mean or something, that it was just a casual remark, so it was unnecessary for him to correct Mr. Mu.

On the first day, it was Ling Zhang who took Ling Zhaowu outside for a walk. The next day, as Ling Zhaowu was in a better state, Yuwen Tong tentatively got closer to him. At first Ling Zhaowu was quite wary of him, but gradually he found that Yuwen Tong meant him no harm and even gave him goodies several times, so he slowly let his guard down and got used to Yuwen Tong’s staying around.

Yuwen Tong felt a sense of relief. He’d really been worried that if he was unable to have his father-in-law take to him, he’d feel it awkward to approach Ling Zhang in the presence of him.

On the third day, Yuwen Tong further narrowed his distance with Ling Zhaowu. Occasionally, when Ling Zhang intentionally created an opportunity for him, he could even support Ling Zhaowu and walk with him for a while.

Three days later, Ji Yin showed up. He’d seemed to be quite occupied during the past few days and they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him.

“Zhang’er, I consulted with Clan Leader about the Force of Blood in you. Clan Leader found something after looking it up in various ancient books and records, but he wants to talk with you about it in person. How about you go with me right now and pay him a visit?”

Ling Zhang inclined his head and looked at Ling Zhaowu who had developed a heavy dependence on him over the last three days. “Father, Grandfather and I are going to visit the Clan Leader. I’ll be back in just a while. I want you to wait here for me. Can you do that?”

On hearing that Ling Zhang was leaving, Ling Zhaowu immediately grabbed Ling Zhang’s arm, refusing to let him go, a somewhat uneasy expression on his face.

Seeing him like this, Ling Zhang found it rather difficult to bring himself to walk away.

Ji Yin said, “Bring him with us. We could just have him sit in the hall. You may come as well, Yuwen boy. We could use someone who can help take care of him.”

Yuwen Tong expressed his gratitude to him and then, along with Ling Zhang, took Ling Zhaowu and followed Ji Yin out of the front yard, through the orchard, down the gentle flowery slope, across the reed marsh beside the lake, and onto the bridge leading to the island.

The moment they stepped onto the bridge, Ling Zhaowu curiously glanced around the place and specially cast a last lingering look over his shoulder at those brightly colored flowers. As his intelligence level was almost the same as that of a child, these things were irresistible to him.

A melodious chirp was heard and with that, from an orchard by the opposite bank of the lake flew up a large flock of multicoloured birds, which flitted over their heads towards the other side. Ling Zhaowu, his head up, stared unblinkingly at them, standing motionlessly.

Ling Zhang and the other two all patiently waited until he finished watching the birds. Then they slowly crossed the bridge and set foot on the island at the center of the lake. After going through some guards, they entered the great hall in which Ling Zhang had had a talk with Ji Yanlai three days ago.

Ji Yanlai was wearing another outfit which was not yellowish and white but black and white and looked more similar to some kind of a foreseer’s robe, but Ji Yanlai’s face was just as casual and carefree as always. He flicked a glance at Ling Zhaowu and said, “He looks a lot better. It surprises me that he’s willing to come here with you guys. This means that he trusts you very much.”

Ling Zhang said, “I have to thank you for allowing us to use all those precious medicinal herbs to treat my father, Clan Leader.”

Ji Yanlai replied, “You’re welcome. After all, we have a deal of some sort. I think if I show more generosity, you guys will naturally be more generous to me as well.”

Ji Yanlai put it in such a blunt way that Ling Zhang found himself unable to contradict these words.

Not a big fan of pleasantries, Ji Yanlai soon came straight to the point. “Come with me. I need to check your progress in cultivation of internal energy in detail. You may have Yuwen Tong keep an eye on your father.”

Ling Zhaowu gripped Ling Zhang’s arm and Ling Zhang consoled him in a low voice for quite a while before he released his grip and agreed to let Yuwen Tong keep him company.

Ji Yin looked at them and said, “Clan Leader, I want to go inside and take a look as well.”

Ji Yanlai replied, “Suit yourself.”

Thus Ji Yin also left. Obviously Ling Zhaowu was not quite used to staying alone with Yuwen Tong, but Yuwen Tong was sharp-witted and had got more acquainted with Ling Zhaowu during the past few days, so he knew what kind of topic would pique Ling Zhaowu’s interest – one about Ling Zhang.

Chapter 285: Secrets? You’re a Real Character

Ling Zhang, seeing his father’s attention was soon distracted by Yuwen Tong, finally felt a sense of relief, and went into the inner hall with Ji Yanlai. The inner hall was like a meditation room. It was very spacious but had no furnishings inside except for a couple of cattail hassocks. Opposite the doorway of the inner hall was not a wall but four columns, which allowed people to have a wide view of the outside and plenty of light to come in, and between which were see-through hangings. Beyond the hangings was a large carpet of grass, and farther away the giant trunk of that towering phoenix tree.

“This tree has been here since before our ancestors moved here to dwell in seclusion. I don’t know how old it is – perhaps even older than the Millennium Pavilion,” explained Ji Yanlai as he saw Ling Zhang curiously gaze at that tree. “Sit. There’s no table or chair here. You may sit on one of the cattail hassocks.”

Ling Zhang thought for a brief moment and then sat down.

Ji Yanlai and Ji Yin also settled themselves on hassocks.

“You’ve been following our mental cultivation method of internal energy for quite some time. Are there any questions you want to ask me?” said Ji Yanlai.

Ling Zhang had got explanations from Ji Yin for most of the things that he’d found confusing during his cultivation of internal energy. Right now he mostly had some queries about the so-called Force of Blood.

“My grandfather told me that as the Force of Blood in me grows stronger, I might develop the ability to communicate with all kinds of animals. Is that true?”

Smiling, Ji Yanlai flicked a glance at Ji Yin, who let out a somewhat embarrassed cough. After all, in respect of the ability to communicate with animals, the incumbent clan leader was hitherto the only one who was capable of it apart from the missing former clan leader. It was very difficult for other people to reach that level. Even Ji Yin himself probably would never make it to the eleventh layer.

Ji Yin was just about to explain when he heard Ji Yanlai reply, “It is.”

“It’s quite difficult for other members of our clan, but you’re different from them. The Force of Blood in you is so strong that even I have become somewhat interested in it. As long as you don’t die before reaching the eleventh layer, it won’t be hard for you to develop the ability to communicate with animals.”

His conjecture confirmed, Ling Zhang only felt amazed. “Is the Blood of the Millennium Pavilion really so divine?”

Ji Yanlai gave a smile. “It’s the Blood of the Phoenix Clan, to be precise. Half of the members of the Millennium Pavilion don’t bear the surname Ji, and it’s impossible that any of them has this kind of endowment. The other half are descendants of the original Ji family, and more than eighty percent of these people surnamed Ji are not suitable to adopt this method left by our ancestors to cultivate internal energy, which means only less than twenty percent of them could do that, and then more than half of this twenty percent progress very slow in their cultivation, because the Force of Blood in them is too weak. In a word, the Blood of the Phoenix Clan is divine for none but a very few.”

Ji Yin, standing on the side, observed, “The Force of Blood in me could be regarded as relatively strong, and I originally thought that your mother and uncle had inherited it from me, but it’d never occurred to me they were not suitable to cultivate at all. So you see, the inheritance pattern of the Force of Blood is really very erratic.”

The only exception was the hereditary clan leaders. As though it’d been predestined, one of every previous clan leader’s offspring had possessed strong Force of Blood, which enabled them to get twice the result with half the effort, and most of them had reached the eleventh layer and been capable of communicating with animals, and at the same time led the Millennium Pavilion, but even so, almost all previous clan leaders had been stuck in the acme of the eleventh layer and failed to make a further breakthrough to reach the twelfth layer, as though there was some kind of innate restriction. Over the years, generations of members of the Ji family had adopted numerous methods, trying to make a difference, but all their attempts had eventually been met with disappointing failures.

Ji Yin didn’t tell Ling Zhang about this, for the time was not ripe yet. Besides, in the presence of Ji Yanlai, he didn’t dare disclose everything.

“So, you could say that it’s divine, but not everybody can do that. You’re very lucky,” Ji Yanlai told Ling Zhang.

His mouth a thin line, Ling Zhang kept silent for a few moments and then said, “Previously I never felt there was anything special about me.”

Ji Yanlai replied, “Of course you didn’t. Before adopting our method to cultivate internal energy and activating the Force of Blood, a descendant of the Phoenix Clan is no different than the next person.”

“Besides…” Ji Yanlai looked at Ling Zhang meaningfully. “There’s something going on in you – something I cannot completely see through for the moment, right?”

Ling Zhang gave a start. What was Ji Yanlai referring to?

Had his rebirth come to Ji Yanlai’s knowledge, by any chance?

He tensed all over in spite of himself and replied, “I don’t quite understand, Clan Leader.”

Ji Yanlai gazed at him for a while, the mood in the hall going somewhat subdued. Taken aback, Ji Yin watched them worriedly.

Right at the time when Ling Zhang felt the palpable aura of power radiating from Ji Yanlai was going beyond his endurance and was about to blurt out the truth, Ji Yanlai, to Ling Zhang’s surprise, suddenly stopped emanating that sense of power and said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. Actually I’ve more or less guessed part of it. You’re such an interesting guy. I thought this kind of thing should be impossible, for after all, it couldn’t sound any more absurd, but you gave me a pleasant surprise, Ling Zhang. You’re really a character.”

Ling Zhang could feel cold sweat on his back, and even that scarlet mole in the middle of Ji Yanlai’s forehead now struck him as rather creepy.

“Don’t worry. Since you’re unwilling to tell me, naturally I won’t make you, but if you keep it from me and anything by any chance happens to you in future, I wouldn’t be able to offer you help,” remarked Ji Yanlai, sitting idly.

Ling Zhang lapsed into silence. He was positive that Ji Yanlai had come to know it, but he still wouldn’t tell him the truth. This was his deepest secret, so he wouldn’t confide it, not even to descendants of the Phoenix Clan who were the most likely to understand him, for he couldn’t trust these people completely yet. After all, he was not technically a member of the Millennium Pavilion. The only person he could trust was Yuwen Tong, but he wouldn’t even tell this secret to Yuwen Tong unless the occasion arose.

Ji Yanlai, seeing that Ling Zhang was utterly unswayed, made no further attempt to persuade him. He just looked at the phoenix tree in the distance, a deep and impenetrable expression in his eyes. “The Blood of the Phoenix Clan has been passed down over countless generations. Even descendants of the Phoenix Clan don’t know all the history of it. Maybe there have been people like you in the past. If you don’t feel like telling us, keep it. The Blood of the Phoenix Clan in you is very strong, and maybe you’ll be the second person who manages to reach the highest layer. If you have any questions, feel free to come here to ask me.”

“Thank you,” said Ling Zhang in a deep voice. He appreciated Ji Yanlai’s understanding, but he didn’t believe Ji Yanlai’s statement about him standing a chance of reaching the highest layer of the mental cultivation method of internal energy.

Ji Yin was thrown into perplexity by their bewildering remarks, his countenance growing grave. He knew that this meant Ling Zhang was keeping something from him, and it was about the Force of Blood. Though deeply concerned, he felt it inappropriate to ask about it in Ji Yanlai’s presence.

After a while, Ji Yanlai’s eyes flashed towards the front of Ling Zhang’s robes. “Remove that medicinal jade pendant you’re wearing.”

Ling Zhang was sent into a brief trance of surprise and then removed the pendant from his neck. The originally blackish green pendant was now much lighter in color. It had been gradually whitening.

Ling Zhang looked at it with mild eyes. “It saved my life twice.”

Then he told them about Jia Yuanling’s using knockout powder on him as well as his being bitten by Yuwen Qi’s venomous snake.

Ji Yanlai’s countenance, however, had been inscrutable all along, his eyes which seemed to be able to see through many things boring into Ling Zhang.

His gaze made Ling Zhang’s skin crawl. From a few moments ago, he had been feeling that Ji Yanlai had come to know all his secrets as though he could read his mind.

Eyes on Ji Yanlai, Ji Yin asked anxiously, “Is there a problem with this medicinal jade pendant, Clan Leader?”

Ji Yanlai took his staring eyes off Ling Zhang. After quite a while, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with the pendant, but the power it holds is somewhat weak now. Leave it here with me for a couple of days. You may take it back when you’re leaving.”

Ling Zhang nodded, removed the pendant from the string and handed it to Ji Yanlai.

Ji Yin looked at the pendant and said, “This pendant originally belonged to Zhang’er’s mother. I find this very strange. Never have I ever seen such a great decrease in the healing power of a medicinal jade pendant before. I wonder whether or not it is because Zhang’er is not the original owner of it. Clan Leader, how about we give Zhang’er a pendant of his own?”

Ji Yanlai took the pendant Ling Zhang handed him and said, “That won’t be necessary. This jade pendant has acknowledged him as its master.”

Ji Yin was astonished. “H–How’s that possible?”

Ling Zhang was somewhat confused. “Grandfather, are you saying that this jade pendant is capable of choosing its own master?”

Instead of making an immediate reply, Ji Yin looked at Ji Yanlai, as though asking him for permission.

Ji Yanlai directly responded, “To be honest, there are some things that I always believed were unnecessary… What happened today turns out to be a revelation to me.”

His words brought a thoughtful look to Ling Zhang’s face, but he still couldn’t completely fathom out what Ji Yanlai could possibly mean.

“The making of a medicinal jade pendant like this requires not only precious medicinal herbs but also extremely special refining techniques which were passed down from clan leaders to their successors. This is a secret of the Millennium Pavilion, and I’m not going to disclose more details about it. My father personally made this pendant for your mother. He’s more powerful than me. It’s just that he’s taken a back seat. Actually I don’t even know where he is. Compared with having me make a new pendant for you, continuing to use this pendant that has already acknowledged you as its master is a better choice.”

Special refining techniques? Ling Zhang was befuddled by these words. In addition, Ji Yanlai still hadn’t explained how a jade pendant acknowledged someone as its master.

“You’ll be able to solve some of the mysteries concerning this pendant after you reach the ninth layer in your cultivation of internal energy. There’s no hurry about finding out the answers.”

Ling Zhang kept silent for a while and then inclined his head. “Okay, then. Thank you for helping repair this pendant, Clan Leader.”

Eyes on the jade pendant in his hand, Ji Yanlai gave a quite amused smile, as though having found something fascinating. “You may rest assured that I’ll restore its healing power. It’ll be returned to you intact on the day you leave.”

From Ji Yanlai, Ling Zhang had got answers to some of his questions, but at the same time some new questions had emerged, which obviously Ji Yanlai was in no hurry to answer but expect Ling Zhang to find the answers to them himself.

…

“Clan Leader, what is wrong with this pendant of Zhang’er exactly?” asked Ji Yin in an anxious tone immediately after Ling Zhang left. “And what were those charades-like remarks of yours and Zhang’er’s about?”

Ji Yanlai gave a mysterious smile. “Some day, when I’m in a better mood, maybe I’ll tell you.”

Ji Yin, “…”

Ji Yin rose to his feet and hastened outside to catch up with his grandson, feeling that he had a better shot at getting the answer from his grandson than he did from the Clan Leader.