Zhu Ziyang was quite surprised—he hadn't expected that Qian Lingyi's family would actually live deep within the Northern Mountain Range.
After leading him into the mountains, Qian Lingyi brought Zhu Ziyang through familiar paths to a valley situated in the central region of the Northern Mountain Range. Nestled in the valley was a small village, home to fewer than twenty households—all members of the Qian Clan today.
The overall strength of the Qian Clan was modest. At least, as Lingyi explained, her grandmother's Soul King-level cultivation was already among the top five in the clan. The strongest was the clan leader—her second uncle—Qian Zhenyu, a Soul Sage.
Lingyi's family structure was simple. Her father had married into the family, so she and her mother bore the surname Qian. Interestingly, her grandfather was also a son-in-law who had married into the Qian Clan. Together with Lingyi's grandmother, Qian Zhiya, he had three children: the eldest son Qian Zhenhuan, second son Qian Zhenyu, and the youngest, daughter Qian Chenxing.
Qian Chenxing was Lingyi's mother, but she had died in a soul ring hunting accident when Lingyi was only three. Also lost in that accident were Lingyi's father, Ye Tianwei, her uncle Qian Zhenhuan, and her grandfather Wang Chunqiu.
Thus, among her closest living kin, only her grandmother Qian Zhiya and second uncle Qian Zhenyu's family remained. As for the other villagers—though all were extended relatives like cousins and uncles—they simply weren't as close. Having lost her parents at such a young age, it was natural that Qian Lingyi, raised by her grandmother, was most attached to her.
Her sudden return—and with a mysterious young man at her side—quickly stirred up gossip in the village. After all, Lingyi's father had come to the village the same way, following her mother. Life in the valley was simple and dull, so everyone welcomed the prospect of good news.
"Grandma, I'm home!" Lingyi, her face already flushed red from teasing by the village elders on the way in, threw herself into Qian Zhiya's arms as soon as she saw her.
"Lingyi, you're back!" Qian Zhiya's joy was evident as she hugged her granddaughter tightly and examined her closely. Her aged face lit up with deep relief and delight. "You've grown taller and prettier. As expected of a daughter of our Qian Clan!"
"Hehe! Grandma, what were you doing at home? And where are Jiajia and Peipei?" Lingyi clung to her, her face full of affection and longing.
"They're out training, of course. Probably won't be back until dusk." While replying, Qian Zhiya observed Lingyi carefully. Her expression turned slightly puzzled. "Lingyi, why... why can't I sense your cultivation anymore? Did you break through to Soul Emperor?"
"Hehe! Not just that!" Lingyi replied proudly. "I'm already a Soul Sage! I bet even Uncle can't beat me now!"
"What's this? I come home and hear my niece wants to beat me up?" A middle-aged man walked in from outside. Handsome and bearing some resemblance to Lingyi, he was clearly Qian Zhenyu, her second uncle. His eyes paused on Zhu Ziyang for a moment—sharp and scrutinizing—before he turned to Lingyi with a warm, doting smile.
"Uncle, you're back!" Lingyi cried out cheerfully.
"What did you say just now? Say it again?" Qian Zhiya hadn't noticed her son return. Her entire focus was still on Lingyi's words.
"Heehee! I said—I'm a Soul Sage now! My soul power is at Rank 74!" Lingyi's smile grew even more smug as she repeated herself.
"What?!" Qian Zhenyu was stunned. If he remembered correctly, his niece was only nineteen years old. How could she already be a Soul Sage?
Qian Zhiya was equally incredulous, staring blankly at Lingyi. In response, Lingyi smiled, then summoned her martial soul and soul rings. The six radiant wings of an angel shimmered with divine light, and behind her, two yellow, two purple, two black, and one red soul ring glowed brightly.
Whether it was the three pairs of angelic wings, the seven soul rings, or that red 100,000-year soul ring—they all shook Qian Zhiya and Qian Zhenyu to their core. Their mouths hung open, speechless.
Lingyi, pleased by their stunned expressions, retracted her martial soul and soul rings and asked, "Well? I wasn't lying, right?"
"Lingyi, your martial soul..." Qian Zhiya's voice trembled. "Could it be...?"
"Mhm!" Lingyi nodded. "That's right, it's the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul!"
"This... oh heavens... our ancestors bless us... the Angel God bless us...!" The old woman was so overwhelmed that she could only mutter prayers, unable to articulate her emotions—be it joy, astonishment, or pride.
"Lingyi, what on earth have you been through these past few years? Tell us everything!" Qian Zhenyu eagerly sat beside her, momentarily forgetting to ask who Zhu Ziyang was. Right now, all he wanted was to understand what miraculous encounter his niece had experienced.
Lingyi didn't hide anything. On the way home, she had already asked Zhu Ziyang for permission. With his consent, she shared a trimmed version of her story with Qian Zhiya and Qian Zhenyu.
When they learned that Lingyi had joined Shrek Academy—and that the boy she'd brought home was none other than Zhu Ziyang, Shrek's famed prodigy—Qian Zhenyu's emotions became very mixed.
On one hand, as the clan leader, he had some understanding of the continent's affairs and had heard Zhu Ziyang's name before. He had dismissed the rumors—such as the claim that Zhu Ziyang possessed six 100,000-year soul rings—as exaggerations. But now, seeing his niece's red seventh soul ring, he realized just how naive he'd been. He couldn't help but feel a sincere respect and awe for Zhu Ziyang.
On the other hand, the Qian Clan had always blamed Shrek Academy for their decline, believing it bore some of the fault for their family's downfall. Thus, he had long harbored resentment toward the academy—and now, by extension, toward Zhu Ziyang himself.
"You brat! How could you join Shrek Academy?!" Qian Zhiya, too, was shocked when she heard Lingyi had joined Shrek, her aged face darkening in disapproval.
"Grandma, what's wrong with me joining Shrek?" Lingyi argued back. "I think our clan has always been too extreme, too sensitive! The grudge between the Sea God and our Qian Clan has nothing to do with Shrek Academy. Why should we resent them?"
"Because the Sea God Tang San was trained by Shrek Academy!" Qian Zhenyu blurted out. Clearly, that was what he had always believed.
"Then by that logic, Tang San's martial soul was awakened at Spirit Hall—should we hate Spirit Hall too?" Lingyi shot back without hesitation.
"Uh..." Neither Qian Zhenyu nor Qian Zhiya had expected such a retort. They were momentarily speechless. Even Zhu Ziyang turned to glance at Lingyi, wondering how this would all end.
"Sigh... Forget it." Qian Zhiya let out a sigh and said, "What's done is done. Scolding you now is useless. You're grown, you can make your own decisions. Do as you see fit."
"Grandma!" Lingyi was alarmed by her tone, hugging her arm tightly and pouting. "You're not abandoning me, are you?"
"Of course not!" Qian Zhiya smiled, shaking her head. "I just don't want to worry about these things anymore. Let's talk about something else."
"Mom!" Qian Zhenyu tried to speak, but Qian Zhiya raised her hand to stop him.
"So, this young man must be Zhu Ziyang. What a fine youth!" Qian Zhiya looked toward him, her eyes lighting up in admiration. "Hmm? Young man, have we met before?"
"Grandma, don't you remember? When we went to find my third soul ring, we ran into Brother Ziyang at Tianhui Grand Canyon!" Lingyi reminded her, joy bubbling in her voice now that her grandmother was taking interest in her beloved.
"Ah, so that's why he looked familiar!" Qian Zhiya exclaimed, suddenly recalling the memory.
"Hello again, Grandma," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Zhu Ziyang, Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy's Tianyuan Pavilion."
(End of Chapter)
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