Chapter 39: Regardless, She Is My Granddaughter

The old man, who had just managed to catch his breath lying on the ground, was nearly driven to another faint by Ou Xinlai’s words. This little girl was clearly playing around, with not the slightest intention of truly saving him. He had thought his luck was in today, having encountered someone so capable—only to find that she was simply mischievous!

Struggling to calm his anger, the old man hurriedly uncorked the medicinal oil Ou Xinlai had handed him. At the first careful sniff, the fluttering in his heart eased at once. She really did have some skill.

He climbed unsteadily to his feet and watched Ou Xinlai swagger away, a wry, imperious smile on his face. To reveal her abilities yet refuse to heal—since when did the world offer such bargains? Still, the girl was intriguing. Despite the large birthmark on her face, what everyone remembered was her fiery temperament; no one seemed to care about the mark at all.

Were such a thing to happen to an ordinary girl, men would have shunned her at once. Who would bother trusting the words of an unattractive woman? The girl had a conspicuous birthmark and was some fourteen or fifteen years old. He seemed to recall such a child in his memory.

But that child belonged to a distinguished family; surely her people would not let her wander the streets alone. More importantly, the child in his memory was timid and poor at conversation.

He’d only met her once, and she’d hidden behind the adults the entire time—all he remembered was the red birthmark.

The old man shook his head. How could the spirited girl before him possibly be that useless child? Still, it would do no harm to send someone to inquire.

If she had no background, he might even take her in himself.

Ou Xinlai sneezed and sniffled, never suspecting that her moment of mischief had already drawn someone’s attention. Still, she was genuinely intrigued by the old man’s peculiar ailment.

In Longcheng, Ou Xinlai was a stranger to everything. She was a homebody through and through, and had only arrived a few days prior. Upon reflection, she thought it best to hole up by Yin-Yang Lake.

Anything was better than returning to the Ou family estate and being kicked into the Five Elements Array by that no-good father of hers.

While Ou Xinlai went off to train in the Five Elements Array, her family nearly descended into chaos over her actions.

The old man Ou Xinlai had encountered was no ordinary person. He was a member of the Xuan family and a relative of Xuan Ye, but his status was far higher.

Xuan Wu was of Xuan Ye’s grandfather’s generation. Born with a weak heart, immune to medicine, he had survived only because he was a master of the mystical arts and possessed a robust constitution. Now, in his old age, the strange malady Ou Xinlai had provoked had finally emerged.

Back in the day, Xuan Wu could easily have become Emperor of Xuanwu Kingdom. But he was an eccentric, uninterested in ruling, and instead spent his youth traveling the length and breadth of the land. Not only Xuanwu Kingdom, but all three neighboring realms bore traces of his wanderings.

Had he accepted the throne, he would now be the Retired Emperor. Yet even without it, his status was no less than that lofty title.

Strangely enough, Xuan Wu had also forged connections with important figures across the other three kingdoms during his travels. At the mere mention of his name, he was shown due respect wherever he went.

Yet, having renounced the throne, he had no interest in Xuanwu Kingdom’s affairs. Thus, the current emperor rarely invoked his name, and the other kingdoms did not treat Xuanwu any differently because of him.

It was as if Xuan Wu and Xuanwu Kingdom were entirely separate entities.

After decades of wandering, Xuan Wu finally returned to Xuanwu, perhaps yearning to die in his homeland. Unexpectedly, he crossed paths with the oddity that was Ou Xinlai.

The moment Ou Xinlai declared, “I can cure you,” Xuan Wu’s will to live was rekindled—he had to find her.

But when he discovered Ou Xinlai’s identity, he was utterly dumbfounded. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could that girl be from the Ou family? You idiots! You didn’t even bother to investigate properly! The Ou family’s girl bursts into tears if you so much as raise your voice to her. The girl I met could scare others to tears just by speaking!”

Furious, Xuan Wu felt like striking someone. In the past, he’d never even looked at the Ou family’s daughter. Despite his age and many women in his youth, he’d left no descendants.

Now, just as he finally found a child to his liking, she turned out to be the clan leader’s only daughter!

This fact nearly broke him.

The Xuan family had long used his childlessness as a pretext to propose an heir by adoption. Whoever inherited from Xuan Wu would benefit beyond measure. Presently, the family had set their sights on Xuan Ye, hoping to make him Xuan Wu’s grandson and have him nurtured into a true talent.

But Xuan Wu was unwilling. He lamented having no heir, but not just anyone would do for his successor.

Just as he was fretting, fate delivered one to his doorstep.

If the girl had no background, he’d have simply abducted her, made her his granddaughter, and given her his surname. A granddaughter treating her grandfather’s illness—no need to pay, and as a family member, she’d have no excuse to refuse.

But learning Ou Xinlai’s true identity dashed his hopes to pieces. After more than a century of life, for the first time, he had the urge to weep. No matter—he had at last found a granddaughter to his liking, and he would not let go.

If he missed this chance, where would he find another girl so perfectly suited to his taste?