Zhu Ziyang was quite surprised. He had not expected Qian Lingyi's family to be living deep within the Northern Mountain Range.
Guiding him with ease, Qian Lingyi led Zhu Ziyang into a valley midway through the range. Nestled there was a small village with fewer than twenty households—the entirety of the surviving Qian Clan.
The clan's overall strength was modest. According to Lingyi, her grandmother, a Soul King, ranked among the top five in the family. The strongest of them was the clan chief, her second uncle, Soul Sage Qian Zhenyu.
Lingyi's family background was simple. Her father had married into the family, so both she and her mother carried the Qian surname. Interestingly, her grandfather had also married in. Together with her grandmother, Qian Zhiya, he had three children: eldest son Qian Zhenhuan, second son Qian Zhenyu, and youngest daughter Qian Chenxing.
Qian Chenxing was Lingyi's mother. But when Lingyi was three years old, her mother died while hunting for a spirit ring. That same accident also claimed the lives of her elder uncle Qian Zhenhuan, her father Ye Tianwei, and her grandfather Wang Chunqiu.
Thus, Lingyi's closest kin now were only her grandmother Qian Zhiya and her second uncle Qian Zhenyu's family of three. The rest of the villagers, though relatives, were distant compared to her grandmother. Since she had lost her parents so young, it was only natural that she was raised by her grandmother and shared the deepest bond with her.
Her sudden return, especially with a stranger by her side, stirred much gossip among the villagers. After all, her father had once arrived the same way—brought home by her mother. Life in the valley was monotonous, and the hint of a joyful event was something everyone welcomed.
"Grandmother, I'm back!" Lingyi cried, cheeks flushed from the teasing of her clansmen along the way. Spotting Qian Zhiya, she rushed forward happily and threw herself into her arms.
"Lingyi, you're back!" Qian Zhiya's joy was unmistakable as she hugged her granddaughter, her aged eyes brimming with relief and pride. "Mm, you've grown taller, and more beautiful too. As expected of a daughter of our Qian Clan!"
"Hehe, Grandmother, what are you doing at home? Where are Jiajia and Peipei?" Lingyi asked with a bright smile, clinging affectionately to her grandmother.
"They're out training, probably won't return until evening," Qian Zhiya replied while scrutinizing her granddaughter carefully. Suddenly, her wrinkled face showed a flicker of doubt. "Lingyi, I… I can't seem to see through your cultivation anymore. Did you reach the Soul Emperor realm?"
"Hehe, even better!" Lingyi said smugly. "Grandmother, I'm already a Soul Sage! I bet even Uncle can't beat me now!"
"Oh? And what's this I hear about you wanting to beat your uncle?" A handsome middle-aged man stepped into the house. His features bore a strong resemblance to Lingyi's—it was her second uncle, Qian Zhenyu. He first cast a probing glance at Zhu Ziyang before turning to his niece, his expression softening with affection and delight.
"Uncle, you're back!" Lingyi greeted him happily.
"Lingyi, what did you just say? Say it again?" Qian Zhiya, ignoring her son's arrival, fixed all her attention on her granddaughter's bold claim.
"Ehehe! I said, I'm already a Soul Sage! My soul power has reached rank 74!" Lingyi declared proudly.
"What?!" This time Qian Zhenyu heard clearly, his face frozen in disbelief. If he recalled correctly, his niece was only nineteen. How could she already have reached the realm of a Soul Sage?
Qian Zhiya was equally stunned, staring blankly at her granddaughter. Lingyi chuckled softly at their expressions, then released her martial soul and spirit rings. Six angelic wings unfolded behind her, radiating holy light, while seven spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, two black, and one red—rose in dazzling brilliance.
Both the angelic wings and the seven rings, especially the crimson hundred-thousand-year ring, struck Qian Zhiya and Qian Zhenyu speechless. Their jaws dropped as they stared in shock.
"How about that? I wasn't lying, was I?" Lingyi teased, retracting her wings and rings.
"Lingyi, your… your martial soul…" Qian Zhiya's voice trembled. "Could it be…?"
"Mhm!" Lingyi said proudly. "That's right, it's the Six-Winged Angel!"
"Th-this… Ancestors bless us… Angel God bless us… Ancestors bless us…" The old woman stammered, repeating prayers in her excitement, joy, and disbelief.
"Lingyi, just what kind of adventures have you experienced these past years? Tell us everything!" Qian Zhenyu urged, sitting down beside her in his agitation. For now, he even forgot to question Zhu Ziyang's identity.
Lingyi had already asked Zhu Ziyang's permission on the way home, so she didn't hold back. She gave her grandmother and uncle a simplified account of her journey.
When Qian Zhenyu learned that she had joined Shrek Academy—and that the boy she brought home was none other than Shrek's favored disciple, Zhu Ziyang—his feelings were complicated.
As clan chief, he was well-informed about the world outside. He had heard of Zhu Ziyang's fame, though he had once dismissed the tales of a youth with six hundred-thousand-year rings as exaggeration. But when he saw the red seventh ring on his niece, he realized how shallow his judgment had been. Respect and admiration welled within him.
Yet at the same time, as head of the Qian Clan, he had grown up believing that Shrek Academy bore responsibility for their family's decline. Thus, a lingering resentment toward the academy remained, which inevitably extended to Zhu Ziyang as well.
"You foolish girl, how could you join Shrek Academy?" Qian Zhiya scolded in shock when she heard the news. Her wrinkled face showed clear disapproval.
"Grandmother, what's wrong with joining Shrek Academy? I think our clan is too extreme, too sensitive!" Lingyi retorted. "The Sea God's grudge is with our family alone. What does it have to do with Shrek Academy? Why should we hate them?"
"Because the Sea God Tang San was trained by Shrek Academy!" Qian Zhenyu blurted, revealing his true feelings.
"Then by that logic, since Tang San's martial soul was awakened by Spirit Hall, should we hate them too?" Lingyi countered sharply.
"Uh…" Both grandmother and uncle were stunned into silence, not expecting such a rebuttal. Even Zhu Ziyang glanced sideways at Lingyi, wondering how to steer the situation.
"Forget it," Qian Zhiya finally sighed. "What's done is done. You're grown now and can make your own choices. We can't stop you."
"Grandmother!" Lingyi panicked at her grandmother's resigned tone, clinging to her arm like a spoiled child. "Don't say it like that! You're not abandoning me, are you?"
"Of course not," Qian Zhiya said with a smile, shaking her head. "I just don't want to dwell on such troublesome matters anymore. Let's talk about something else."
"Mother—" Qian Zhenyu started to speak, but his mother silenced him with a raised hand.
Turning her gaze to Zhu Ziyang, Qian Zhiya's eyes brightened. "So this is Zhu Ziyang? What a fine young man! Hmm? Youngster, have we met before?"
"Grandmother, you forgot? When you took me to find my third spirit ring, we met Brother Ziyang at Tianhui Canyon!" Lingyi said quickly, her cheeks glowing with delight as her grandmother finally acknowledged her chosen one.
"Ah, so that's why you looked familiar!" Qian Zhiya said with sudden realization.
"Grandmother, it's good to see you again," Zhu Ziyang said with a polite smile. "Allow me to introduce myself properly: my name is Zhu Ziyang, and I am the Pavilion Master of Tianyuan Pavilion at Shrek Academy."
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