Chapter 11: The Fire of Hope

“…Maintain her status, but refrain from using Dan pills?”

“Yes, you’ve heard it right,”

It was really unexpected.

Her mind kept running in full circle, trying to understand what the Patriarch meant. What did he mean? Would it not be simpler to just take back Shuren’s status as a Core Disciple? Why must she refrain?

“…Patriarch?”

“I know you must be confused, but for now, just refrain from using Dan pills. For Shu-er and you as well. Let’s just say both of you need stability for now, and Dan pills might disturb cultivation stability,”

“Ah? This, is this true?”

“It’s just a hypothesis for now. I suspect there might be something wrong with the pill production, but you should know the real reason in a month or two,”

“…In other words, refrain from using Dan pills at least till then?”

“Yes, at least till then. You may keep them, just refrain from using any,”

“I see, that’s not a problem then.”

She sighed in relief. At first, she thought the Patriarch forbade her disciple from taking Dan pills. Then, when he included her as well, she knew that was not the case. Well, since it was just for a month or two, she and Shuren could wait.

An Hong gestured An Shan forward, introducing him to her.

“Allow me to introduce, this is my direct disciple, An Shan,”

“Ah, the Patriarch’s direct disciple!”

“An Shan greets Grand Elder Su,”

An Shan cupped his hands, eyes then locked with hers.

With his young look and confidence, he definitely passed as a core disciple. Su Min took a good look of him, dressed in full white robe. Good looking, with young yet mature appearance. His eyes fixed, unwavering and deep, as if he had seen much of the world. Such deep eyes, even she felt drawn by them for a moment.

Snapping out from her momentary trance, she answered him.

“…A pleasure to meet you, An Shan. But Patriarch, I never heard you taking in a new disciple after your last,”

“Haha, as my direct disciple, he naturally would gain attention if I made the announcement. So I avoided making him a focus, since all those attention might hinder his growth,”

“Su Min understands, Patriarch is wise,”

“Actually, the reason I introduced him to you, was because he had some questions for you, if you don’t mind,”

“Questions? As long as I can answer, I don’t mind,”

An Hong nodded to him, gesturing him to proceed. Again cupping his hands, An Shan smiled. His expression was amiable, clearly pleased to meet her.

“Grand Elder Su, I’m actually doing research on something related to our food, and since you’re in charge of the granaries and herbs, I thought you’re the most suitable for me to consult,”

“Ah, I see. It is indeed my field, so it shouldn’t be a problem. But really, just call me Lady Su. Calling me Grand Elder is a bit…”

“I understand. Then Lady Su, are you aware of something called Mao Gu?”

“Mao Gu? Of course, it’s a flavor enhancer used in many dishes,”

Both of them exchanged questions and answers.

It was done in an amiable, relaxed way. Core disciples would often consult Grand Elders, so she was used to conversing with other core disciples asking her for pointers. Some came asking her for tips on dieting and healthy foods, something she had passion for. While she was a junior among Grand Elders, as someone who reached Peak Heavenly-Star stage before a hundred, she had the right track record. Aside from managing the granaries and herbs, she also gave lecture to the disciples on healthy living from time to time.

This time, the conversation was deeper than any academic conversation she had with other Core Disciples. Speaking to him, she clearly sensed his interest in it, and noticed how fast he was able to connect the facts together. She felt as if she was speaking not to a disciple, but to a peer.

An Shan even asked her of the substance’s origin, its history, any side-effect, the spread of it and the companies involved in producing it. While she managed to answer most of them, some questions even intrigued her, reminding her of her past.

“Lady Su, I’ve a personal question. Do you use it, personally? Do you feel anything afterward?”

“Me? Well, I used to, but I’ve slight headache everytime, and could not focus much afterward. So since ninety years ago I’ve avoided it. Ah, I avoided it like a plague. And since I did, my disciple Shu-er also followed,”

“I see. Why the headache, you think?”

“Hm, I actually did some research back then. I should still have it in my study,”

The session continued. It did not take long, as the questions were quite right to the point. Su Min understood his bluntness, as he did not wish to take too much of her time. Finishing their conversation;

“I’ve taken your time, Lady Su. I’d like to see that research of yours sometime later, if you don’t mind,”

“Not at all. I’m usually at my residence training Shu-er on Saturday and Tuesday, so you’re welcome to come anytime in the morning,”

“Then I’ll surely pay you a visit sometime later. An Shan thanked Lady Su for your time!”

“Un, glad to be of help,”

After making sure that was all, Su Min excused herself. She turned, her tight buns wiggled as she slowly walked out. With the two scrolls on her hands, her steps light, as if she was about to fly.

And outside, she actually did, flying out towards the lower ground.

Only when Su Min exited the outer office, the Patriarch changed his demeanor. He was no longer brimming with confidence, but repentant instead.

“Ancestor, please pardon this young one, calling out your name just like that!”

“What’s there to pardon? You’re just doing your role,”

“B-but, are you sure this is fine? I mean, acting as a core disciple, it’s far too removed from your status,”

“Of course I’m sure. Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. There are simply too many things remain unanswered now. You can’t just trust everyone, it’s better not to let more people know about me. Even right now, I still feel it’s too many,”

He eyed the surroundings, feeling the silent shudders all around.

Before coming here, he and An Hong met the Patriarch’s Protectors, a group of forty Heavenly-Stars stage senior elders responsible for the Patriarch’s security. After making sure none of their soul was corrupted, An Shan divulged his identity to them.

He had to do so, since they pretty much guarded the Patriarch all the time.

Aside from that one time the Patriarch came to the ancestral hall with the four Grand Elders, they always stayed with him. Even at night when the Patriarch retired to his residence, some of them kept watch outside, lurking and protecting him from the shadows. Since they did not occupy any position of interest, all An Shan needed to do was to check their soul for possible corruption. If it turned out some of them were too corrupted, he would just seal them for the time being.

Fortunately, all forty of them were acceptable. Nowhere innocent, but acceptable. The one training them, his great granddaughter, had keen eyes for loyalty. From his vast experience, he could clearly tell.

“I’m just kidding, don’t be so uptight guys,”

Having said so, he sensed some relief from these twenty on duty.

These men had the best observational skills among the elders, so An Shan decided against keeping his identity from them. It would be too much of a job to do, and he could not be bothered by it. And what if he suddenly fell asleep somewhere? It would be better to have at least one of them aid him should something like that happen. Afterall, he was still human. It would be utterly arrogant to say he did not need other’s help.

He turned to An Hong.

“So Hong-er, how’s the artifact?”

“It’s, it’s really amazing, Ancestor. It felt, no, I’m really brimming with energy! Haha,”

An Hong touched the purple earring on his right ear.

It was the very same earring An Shan had on his. It was one of the Soul Artifacts he had given to his sworn siblings. There were thirteen of them made by him personally. Before he went to sleep, excluding his own, he had five of them with him.

“Hm, since I’m this close to you, that’s only natural. Sooner or later, you won’t need this earring anymore,”

“W-what? Y-you, you’re taking it back, Ancestor?”

An Hong had teary eyes, as if a child whose favorite toy was about to be confiscated by his parent. Seeing him acting so, An Shan’s eyes twitched. There was something about this guy and his daughter which made him irritated, but still, he held it in.

“…Being a Patriarch is not easy, you ought to be able to defend your position, even against Grand Elders way more senior than you, inside or outside the sect. What I meant was, with this, after some years you’ll naturally be confident on your own,”

“After some years… On my own?”

“That’s right. This earring had such effect, it’s not just for communication. Its Soul-Link effect might not be seen as top-tier, but it’s steady. It affects one’s soul in the long run. With your link to my soul, you’ll be able to forge your personality. In addition, as long as you practice the same purification manual I gave to Su Min, it’s possible for you to break through into Titan-Star within ten years,”

“W-what!”

An Hong was honestly surprised.

Yesterday, when An Shan was about to return to his sleep, he saw the sect’s foreign policy. And with just a light read, he flew into rage, pulling An Hong’s ear to him. While he was begging for mercy, he felt a click and stinging sensation on his ear. Fearing the Ancestor actually cutting his ear, he checked it with dread.

Yet what he found was this small artifact, firmly attached to his ears.

At the time, he did not expect this small Soul Artifact to hold such power. He had heard of the these earrings from stories, the very sign of An Shan’s relation with his sworn siblings. However, their power and function were not quite clear.

It remained a mystery even until now.

“So it’s actually such an amazing artifact,”

“Well, it also lightened my burden a little bit.”

“Eh? Ancestor, what do you mean?”

“Nothing,”

“…?”

When one established a Soul-Link, various things could take effect. One such thing, was that it shared An Shan’s burden with this guy, lifting his sleepiness a bit. He felt it was just a mere 5%, but any amount at this moment, helped.

Right then, he recalled something.

“Ah yes, Hong-er… When Su Min turned around just now, did you just ogle her buns?”

“What! An, Ancestor, no! I didn’t, definitely not!”

“Aiya, your ancestor wouldn’t blame you. They’re top-tier afterall… So, A+ or just A?”

“Bouncy, lively, definitely A+ !”

“So you did ogle them…”

“Hiii— Mercy, Ancestor!”

After teaching An Hong a good lesson, An Shan called for the rest of the protectors.

Assembling them under the residence of the Patriarch, in the underground hall, all forty in black kneeled in front of him. Their leader and vice-leader kneeled at the very front.

Each of them had donned black clothing with armors on their arm, shoulder and legs. Hidden beneath their clothing was additional armor. Weapons by their side, from swords to throwing weapons, as if ready to go to war at a moment’s notice. True to their role of being the Patriarch’s shadows, they looked like assassins who operated in the dark.

They looked the same, most people would find it hard to distinguish their features. Of course, these protectors were not rigid, they were also experts in the art of disguise. They could change their appearance or blend themselves in a crowd should the situation called for it.

In order to strengthen the sect, An Shan needed to find out what was wrong with it. Thus, having these people at his beck and call should speed up the whole process. After all, even he could not be everywhere, observing everything.

Yesterday, when they were first informed of his identity, all of them were confused. Afterall, how could it be possible? Even their oldest ancestor was barely 700 years old. For the founding ancestor to still be around? Their doubt was quite natural.

However, after a full-course beating, they acknowledged his identity. ‘Cause to their knowledge, not even a Soul-Titan could defeat all forty of them with such ease! However, if it was their founding ancestor, they were more than willing to accept. And after he touched their soul with his soul, they knew about it for sure.

That the seemingly young man, still brimming with youth, was their legendary Ancestor…

At the time, he was sitting on a throne-like chair, with An Hong standing by his side. Under his order, they let down their black cover, revealing their face. Most of them were men, some women. His sharp eyes on them, cold sweat ran through the back of their neck. Under his order, they had to keep eye contact with him…

After what seemed like eternity, he finally spoke.

“Alright people. I haven’t been around for a long time. Hmph, a pity how laughable our sect has become,”

He started to speak, and it was in a clear, mocking tone. It was a rather personal speech, with him looking at each one of them, as if burning their image into his mind.

“I’ve read our foreign affairs. One’s foreign policy is the mirror to one’s internal policy. With just that, I know how weak we currently are. Reading the reports, it turned out to be far worse. Hm, it’s a real pity for all of you, Blood Warriors, to have to protect such a weak and spineless Patriarch…”

An Shan called these protectors Blood Warriors, their original name. Being the direct subordinates of an Ancestor, they were the fiercest and keenest fighting force in the sect. Hearing the Ancestor said so about him, An Hong trembled.

‘Ancestor, why must you slap my face in front of them? What grudge you have on your little descendant, huhu...’

He almost broke in tears, thinking where he could possibly burrow his head, hiding his face. Should he grow another layer of skin? He could not refute An Shan’s statement, for he knew it was true. He would not dare to refute even if he was a hundred times braver! While the Ancestor was a bit of an eccentric, his gaze was the real deal. He was even scarier than his grandmother!

An Shan waved his hand, as if dismissing his earlier statement.

“Then again, one should not blame everything on him. If the sect is weak, we’ll just have to make it strong. If the Patriarch is weak, then we’ll just have to make him strong. If all of you are still weak, then this Ancestor will make all of you strong. Whether you like it, or not… No options, no discussion. Blood warriors, this is your destiny,”

His deep voice was brimming with confidence, and strength.

A tingling sensation spread out on all of them. These protectors could feel it, a charisma, way above the current Patriarch, way above any Grand Elders, way above even other Ancestors! Hearing him said so, a certain fire within them had been rekindled. All this time, since the end of the war, they had been protecting this Patriarch under Ancestor Aomi’s order. While they were not satisfied with their Patriarch’s performance, they neither could advise him nor could they abandon him. True to their duty, they had kept him safe for fifty years!

All this time, they could only grit their teeth and clenched their fists, bearing the pain silently as they saw their sect weakened day by day. After fifty years, they had grown accustomed to it. Their heart had become cold, frozen even.

But currently, each was slowly being melted, beating again. They had the feeling that things would be different from now on. Somehow, this feeling was growing.

With the Founding Ancestor being here, the fire of hope had been lit within them.

Chapter 11: ‘The Fire of Hope’ Ends