Shi Lang followed Shi Yua and Shi Ting calmly. They led him through the woods and into a city. The city was big and bustling with activity. It was surrounded by twenty feet high walls and strong guards. Shi Lang gulped when he sensed the aura coming from all these people and mumbled, “Hello, Mediocre Shi Lang.”
Shi Ting glanced at him with a smirk and said, “Do you understand what is true strength?”
Shi Lang looked back at her and said, “I know full well what strength is, unlike someone who provoked a guy stronger than her and invited trouble.”
Shi Ting sensed her eyelid twitch and snapped, “What do you mean to say? If you are so scared, run away.”
Shi Lang shook his head and avoided comment. Shi Ting wanted to get back at him when Shi Yua asked, “Why do you think you are in trouble?”
Shi Lang rolled his eyes and said, “This is a cultivation world. People here do not value money, wealth, or rules. They value their face and image. Your sister snatched the artifact. That young man wouldn’t have come over to bring it back if it were something not worthy. It would have been fine if you had been the only parties involved. However, in his eyes, I am a weakling who should not have seen him looking bad.”
Shi Yua was stunned and said, “I did not expect you to have such deep insights about the mind of a cultivator.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “Cultivators are easy to figure out.”
Shi Yua did not say anything, and Shi Ting also got flustered. She asked, “Is what he said true? Did I cause him trouble?”
Shi Yua sighed and said, “Do not worry. I will talk to Father.”
The three people passed the city gate, and Shi Yua paid a low-grade spirit stone for Shi Lang to pass through the gates and took him to their home. The city was big, and it took them half an hour to reach a mansion. Shi Yua was greeted by the guards at the gate, and they cast Shi Lang a cautious gaze.
Shi Ting said, “Big Brothers, this person is a guest.”
They did not take their eyes off Shi Lang but said, “Yes, second miss.”
Shi Lang bowed to them with his hands clasped and said, “Greetings, Seniors.” 𝐎𝐕𝑙xt.𝗇𝓔t
The guards nodded and then went back to their duties. Shi Lang sighed and said, “I am half thankful to have a lower realm and half remorseful.”
Shi Yua consoled, “Do not worry. It will be fine as you grow stronger.”
Shi Lang followed the two of them but did not say anything. He was observing the landscape and the situation in the manor. They walked across a garden on both sides. Shi Lang saw two artificial ponds and rock gardens on both sides of the walkway. He sighed and mumbled, “The concept of Yin and Yang. Someone has good taste in architecture.”
Shi Yua nodded and revealed a faint smile. “It was my mother.”
Shi Ting nodded heavily from the side. Shi Lang walked across the not-so-luxury-looking corridors and raised his eyebrow. He could spot a lot of woodwork and delicate jade carvings on the walls. This place may not look like it, but this delicate aesthetic build must have cost the people a fortune.
Soon they arrived at a room. Shi Yua said, “Ting, you wait here with him. I will go and inform Father and the elders of the situation.”
Shi Ting nodded and cast Shi Lang a gaze. The man had already turned around and admired the pattern on the wall. Shi Yua saw this and entered the room after opening the door. Shi Lang could feebly sense some overwhelming aura leaking out of the room. He sighed and asked, “Your elders are almost Immortal Soul King realm cultivators, right?”
Shi Ting nodded and said, “How do you know?”
Shi Lang said, “The aura leaking from the room suppressed my primordial soul, not my physical body. So, I guessed.”
Shi Ting nodded and said, “You are very perceptive of the situation. What was your line of work in the lower realm?”
The terran wanted to reply, but the door was pushed open from the inside, and Shi Yua came out. She said, “Ting, go to your room. You will be called over later, Shi Lang. Come with me.”
Shi Lang nodded and followed the girl inside the room. The pressure immediately made his shoulders heavy. However, it was still within range of tolerance. The terran raised his head and observed the room. The place did not look like a prestigious place, except for a very spiritual eight trigram pattern etched on the ceiling.
Shi Yua said, “Father, elders, this is Shi Lang.”
Shi Lang spotted three men sitting in their wooden chairs and clasped his hands together as he bowed and said, “Greetings, seniors.”
The three men saw his stance and nodded. Shi Yua said, “The one on the left is the first elder of the family and my second uncle, Shi Shanwang. The one on the right is the second elder of the family and my third uncle, Shi Yuwan. The one in the middle is my father and acting patriarch of the family, Shi Yulong.”
Shi Lang bowed once more to show respect, and Shi Shanwang asked, “Tell me, why is a person who just ascended to the upper realms here?”
Shi Lang had vaguely mentioned the details to the girls, but these old men would not settle for anything less, so he replied, “I made enemies with a strong demon, and his cronies were lurking around the ascension hall, so I was sent here for safety reasons. I guess I am the first human to ascend in eons.”
The three men nodded, and Shi Yuwan asked, “You mean to say you fought a demon to ascend?”
Shi Lang nodded and began narrating their discoveries in the lower realms. However, during this whole time, Shi Yulong was gazing at him calmly, and some interest was flickering in his eyes.
After Shi Lang stopped his mouth, Shi Yulong asked, “Why do you have a spirit tattoo?”
Shi Lang sighed and said, “I hope this secret does not go out of this room, but I inherited it in the lower realm.”
He would not tell these people that he was probably older than all three. Shi Yulong nodded and said, “Well, you come from the lower realm, and your name is also Shi. I wonder if we share some connection.”
Shi Lang shrugged and said, “Not that I know about.”
Shi Shanwang said, “Blood ties may be ancient, but they always carry a faint trace of the ancestral roots. If you do not mind, you can test for the bloodline purity by a simple test.”
Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and said, “Pardon me, senior, but can you tell me the reason behind this test?”
Shi Shanwang shook his head, “You probably would not believe it, but the forefather of our family was also a person from the lower realm, and he always maintained an amiable connection with those from down there. When he passed away, he mentioned that if we were to come across anyone with the same surname, we should test their blood, and if it matches even in the slightest, then the person would be a member of our family.
It turns out that he left his kin behind but always hoped for them to come up, but when none managed, he established the household and left the ancestral command.”
Shi Lang opened his eyes in revelation and said, “To think that even the immortal realm could not make him forget his ties. A person worthy of respect.”
Shi Yulong said, “You should take the test now. It does not take much time.”
Shi Lang nodded while Shi Yua watched everything from the side in a daze. She was aware of the ancestral commandment but had completely forgotten it. Shi Lang asked, “If you do not mind me asking seniors, such a decree sounds like something that can be easily forgotten. How can you even remember and recall it now?”
Shi Yuwan chuckled and said, “Look up at the trigram pattern, look at the outer lines, and you will know what is happening.”
Shi Lang scratched his head and looked up. He found a string of words engraved on the stone. It clearly stated the ancestral commandments left behind by some of the best patriarchs. Shi Lang sighed and said, “Noen can predict what the elders were thinking.”
Shi Yuwan took a red crystal from his space ring and said, “Drip your blood on this crystal, and if it glows, we will know whether our doubt is correct.”
Shi Lang nodded and bit the tip of his thumb to let a drop of blood leak out of his skin. In his mind, he was thinking that all this was a bit too convenient but he did not know that there was a backdrop to this story.