Chapter 82: Ancient Jiang Family

Chapter 82: The Desolate Ancient Jiang Family

"Why are such powerful people here in this small town looking for someone named Jiang?" Ye Fan's heart was troubled, fearing it might involve Old Man Jiang and Little Tingting.

Qingfeng Town had never seen so many exotic beasts. A dozen mounts, their scales shimmering and divine radiance swirling around them, struck terror into the hearts of the people on the street, who quickly scattered and took cover.

A middle-aged knight, about thirty years old, sat atop an exotic beast covered in jade-green scales. Trying to appear amiable, he said, "Don't be afraid. We mean no harm. We are simply inquiring if there is anyone named Jiang in this town."

Although he tried to project a peaceful demeanor, these were clearly battle-hardened knights, tempered by blade and blood. They naturally exuded an aura of violence and combat, which caused ordinary people to tremble with fear upon sensing it.

An old farmer, his lips trembling, pointed towards West Street and stammered, "That street... the biggest house... that's it."

"Thank you," they said, guiding their savage beasts slowly towards West Street in the town.

Not far away, Ye Fan felt a wave of relief. It seemed there were other families named Jiang in the town. He quickly rushed towards East Street and soon returned to the small restaurant.

"Old Man Jiang..."

"Child, what happened?" the old man emerged from the kitchen.

Little Tingting, having washed a plate of bright red wild fruits, obediently carried them over. Her large, sparkling eyes blinked with curiosity as she asked, "What's wrong, Big Brother?"

"Well..."

Ye Fan recounted everything he had just seen and heard to Old Man Jiang, then asked, "Old man, have you had any dealings with these people before?"

Old Man Jiang shook his head. "I've lived for over seventy years and have almost never left this town. It's impossible for me to know people like that."

"So many exotic beasts? I want to see what they look like..." Little Tingting's bright eyes sparkled with excitement as she ran out of the restaurant, curiously gazing down the street.

Seeing that Little Tingting was not nearby, Ye Fan whispered, "Could it be related to Tingting's parents?"

"Unlikely," the old man said, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "They've always cultivated in the Misty Cloud Cavern, never traveled far. All their friends are fellow disciples."

"So many exotic beasts, and their feet aren't even touching the ground!" Little Tingting stood at the restaurant door, her flushed little face a mix of excitement and surprise. She called out, "Grandpa, come out quickly and look! They're coming towards us!"

Ye Fan and the old man hurried out. They saw a dozen riders rapidly approaching, with no dust stirred up. All the exotic beasts were hovering three inches above the ground, moving through the air.

"They look fierce," Little Tingting said, growing a little scared. Aside from the three in the very center, all the knights naturally exuded a powerful killing intent, a pervasive, inborn fighting spirit.

Ye Fan quickly took Little Tingting's hand, then supported Old Man Jiang. Ordinary people indeed found it hard to bear such pressure; facing it for too long would cause them to tremble with fear.

The dozen or so savage beasts stopped in front of the small restaurant, shaking their heads and wagging their tails. Their scales glittered, emitting various lights, making them appear majestic. However, even their divine radiance could not conceal the aura of bloodshed about them, clearly indicating they had all experienced bloody battles and were not pampered pets raised in a greenhouse.

"Excuse me, is this the Jiang family residence?" the young man in the center, who appeared very refined and handsome, asked. Dressed in white as pure as snow, his eyes like clear water, occasionally flickering with divine light, he possessed an otherworldly aura as he sat atop a golden divine beast (Shenhou), a stark contrast to the knights brimming with killing intent.

Old Man Jiang's wrinkled face was filled with confusion. "Yes, it is. How may I help you all?"

The old man, over seventy years old, had a face etched with the ravages of time, already covered in wrinkles, and his aged eyes were somewhat clouded.

Seeing him so old and frail, a teenager of sixteen or seventeen sitting on a five-colored exotic beast immediately frowned and said, "This is just an ordinary old villager whose life is almost over. He can't be the person we're looking for."

The young man on the golden divine beast glanced at him. The teenager on the five-colored exotic beast seemed to have some reservations and stopped talking.

"Old man, have you always lived in Qingfeng Town?"

"Yes, I've almost never traveled far," the old man replied truthfully.

"Was your ancestry here, or did they move to this town later?" the young man on the golden divine beast continued to ask.

"My father's generation moved here, and I was born in this place. Is there... something you need?" Old Man Jiang asked, full of bewilderment.

Hearing these words, the young man on the golden divine beast immediately dismounted. His white robes fluttered in the wind, and even his boots were spotless. He looked extraordinarily handsome, truly a rare beauty, and describing him as possessing a refined and noble demeanor would be no exaggeration.

"Old man, I'd like to ask you some questions, and I hope you can answer them."

"I wouldn't presume. If I know, I will certainly answer," Old Man Jiang replied. He was just an ordinary old man, feeling awe towards these cultivators who arrived on exotic beasts.

Little Tingting, feeling a bit nervous, tightly grasped Ye Fan's hand, clinging closely between him and the old man. She looked at the savage beasts and knights with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"First, please forgive my intrusion, but I wish to ask, is your father still alive?" the white-robed man asked with a hint of tension.

Old Man Jiang was first puzzled, then replied, "He passed away over fifty years ago."

"What..." The white-robed man froze, a look of shock appearing on his jade-like face, then he sighed.

"I told you already, he's just an ordinary old man..." The teenager on the five-colored exotic beast looked impatient, seemingly eager to leave as soon as possible.

"Shut up!" The white-robed man glared back at him, then turned around and continued, "Old man, please forgive my impudence, but was your father's name Jiang Zhe?"

"You... how did you know?" Old Man Jiang's eyes widened in surprise.

The young woman sitting on the silver-glowing divine deer showed a look of surprise. "It seems we've truly found him." She was slender, with skin as white as jade and a beautiful face. Her eyebrows conveyed a hint of arrogance, giving her an unapproachable air.

The teenager on the five-colored exotic beast frowned. "How could such an ordinary old villager have our Jiang family blood? If he were truly a descendant of Grand Elder Jiang Zhe, how could he not know cultivation methods? It must be a case of identical names..."

"Old man, could you tell me more in detail?" The white-robed young man's demeanor remained gentle. He stepped forward to support Old Man Jiang and asked, "May we go inside to talk?"

All the knights remained outside. The white-robed man helped Old Man Jiang walk back into the small restaurant, and the arrogant teenager and the very beautiful and striking young woman also followed them in.

Ye Fan saw that the visitors held no ill will, so he led Little Tingting to sit by the side without saying anything.

"Did Grand Elder Jiang Zhe have several red moles on his left arm?"

"There were five. How do you even know that?" Old Man Jiang looked astonished.

"Grand Elder Jiang Zhe truly lived in seclusion in the Yan region, but unexpectedly passed away over fifty years ago..." The white-robed man sighed softly. "Old man, perhaps I should call you Grand-Uncle."

"Oh, no, no!" Old Man Jiang quickly pulled the white-robed man up, seeing him bowing.

"You two, aren't you going to pay your respects!" The white-robed man turned and addressed the two behind him.

"Greetings, Grand-Uncle." The beautiful girl, sixteen or seventeen years old, gracefully bowed, simultaneously glancing at Ye Fan and Little Tingting.

The teenager, however, was somewhat reluctant, muttering, "Greetings, Grand-Uncle," and gave a hasty, perfunctory bow.

"This is..." Old Man Jiang looked utterly bewildered, not understanding why they were acting this way.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, do you know my Grandpa?" Little Tingting was also puzzled, her long eyelashes blinking constantly, her bright, intelligent eyes full of confusion.

Seeing her so innocent and adorable, the white-robed man affectionately patted her head. "We come from the same family."

"What kind of family?" Little Tingting asked, blinking her big eyes curiously.

"An ancient aristocratic family, the Jiang family, which has been passed down since the Desolate Ancient Era. In time, you will gradually understand how extraordinary our family is in the Eastern Wasteland."

Ye Fan's heart trembled. Desolate Ancient Aristocratic Families were absolute transcendent entities, on par with Sacred Lands, their status in the Eastern Wasteland unassailable.

As far as Ye Fan knew, the surname Jiang, like Ji, was among the oldest surnames in China. Historical records stated that the Jiang family were descendants of Emperor Yan, deriving their surname from his birthplace: "Shennong lived by the Jiang River, thus taking it as his clan name."

Ye Fan was surprised; he never imagined that across this starry sky, the Jiang surname would still hold such a transcendent status, which truly exceeded his expectations.

"Grand Elder Jiang Zhe was a man of astonishing talent and brilliance. He was already renowned in his region by the age of twenty. Later, he even shook the entire Eastern Wasteland, causing clouds to gather in all directions with a mere stomp of his foot, dominating the world. To think..." The white-robed man seemed deeply emotional. He had already seen that the old man's life was not prosperous and found it hard to believe that the bloodline of such a formidable figure would decline to such a state.

The young woman beside him was also utterly perplexed and asked, "Did Grand Elder Jiang Zhe not pass on any cultivation methods to you back then?"

"Cultivation? What are you talking about..." Old Man Jiang was confused by their words and murmured, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Many things happened back then, too many to explain clearly right now. Old man, are you willing to come with us?" After speaking to the old man, the white-robed man looked at Ye Fan and Little Tingting.

"I'm not named Jiang. Tingting is Old Man Jiang's only granddaughter," Ye Fan hastily explained.

"Our patriarch's lineage owes Grand Elder Jiang Zhe a great debt. However, the long-buried past has finally come to light, and I wish to bring you and Tingting back to the Jiang family."

The old man stared blankly, understanding the gist of it even if not every detail, but he found it hard to accept.

The young woman beside them, seeing how adorable Little Tingting was, smiled at her and said, "Tingting, do you have any wishes? Big Sister can make them come true right away."

"I don't have any special wishes. I just want to stay with Grandpa and Big Brother."

"Do you have any other wishes?"

Little Tingting tilted her head, thought seriously for a moment, and in a childish voice said, "To be able to eat my fill every day, and for no one to bully me or Grandpa."

Hearing these words, the young woman instantly froze.

A ripple appeared on the white-robed man's face. He asked in a deep voice, "Are you usually bullied?"

"Yes, before Big Brother came, bad people would come to bully us every day." Little Tingting's innocent words made everyone present's expression change.

"Old man, I forgot to ask, where are Tingting's parents?"

Old Man Jiang's face immediately showed sadness. "I had a son late in life, but in the end, I, with white hair, buried my black-haired child..."

"How could this be?!" The young woman's eyes suddenly widened.

"I don't know if they were murdered or if they truly died in an accident..."

Nearby, Little Tingting's big eyes immediately turned red upon hearing these words.

"Tell me in detail!" At that moment, two flashes of divine light briefly appeared in the white-robed man's eyes before vanishing.

The old man briefly recounted a few details. The white-robed man immediately stood up and said, "Misty Cloud Cavern? Never heard of it. We'll pay them a visit shortly. If anyone dares to obstruct us, I won't mind making that sect disappear!"

The beautiful young woman beside him also sneered. "They dared to bully someone from our Jiang family! Before we go to the Misty Cloud Cavern, let's pay a visit to the Li family first!"

Upon hearing this, the knights standing guard outside immediately erupted with astonishing killing intent and fighting spirit. At that moment, the entire Qingfeng Town was enveloped in a terrifying aura.