Chapter 114: 114 The woman_1
Zero Egg: "Impressive. So, doesn’t that mean your identity will be known to all? Won’t the Xie family’s prime young master flip out then?"
The badge of nobility was a symbol of one’s status.
Previously, the Jimo Family had no heir, so their badge was temporarily reclaimed by the Empire. Now that they had an heir, as long as the verification was passed, the badge would be returned to the Jimo Family.
Notifying the Empire meant the matter was settled; this was not something Xie Lingyan could simply refuse to acknowledge.
But, it had to be said, he had also been mingling in nobility circles since he was young.
His complexion shifted through several shades in mere seconds before he settled on a sentimental hue. His eyes reddened, his voice choked, and as if he were about to offer incense in mourning for Wen Jiang herself, he lamented, "My niece, where have you been all these years?! Do you know how long we have searched for you, how much you’ve suffered?! My poor niece!"
Wen Jiang said flatly, "Impressive."
Zero Egg exclaimed, "Impressive!"
He spread his arms, apparently aiming to give Wen Jiang a big hug, but Wen Jiang said with a smile, "Just stand there and cry. Don’t come near me."
Xie Lingyan was struck speechless.
It was Wen Jiang’s words that gave him a bad premonition about the future status of the Xie Family within the Jimo Family.
Xie Lingyan, however, had thick skin. He took out an expensive silk handkerchief and, dabbing at his eyes, lamented, "It’s a pity my brother-in-law passed away not long ago. Had you returned earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t have... wouldn’t have..."
He cried harder than Wen Jiang, the one actually involved.
Wen Jiang suddenly turned to Hua Zhuo and asked, "On the day of my father’s funeral, was he this sad too?"
Hua Zhuo’s lips twitched; she struggled to muster genuine sorrow and said with a mix of amusement and helplessness, "Pretty much. He was the one who cried the most tragically."
Even if it was just for show, Xie Lingyan was quite a talent; at least he got the outward appearance right.
Xie Lingyan fell silent.
Great, this niece of mine is already giving me an extremely unpleasant feeling right after returning.
Xie Lingyan wiped his nearly tearless eyes with the handkerchief and sighed, "Where have you been all these years? How did you disappear back then?"
This was a question the Jimo Family also wanted to ask.
So many people had been watching, yet the child still managed to go missing.
The servants from back then had their backgrounds investigated for eighteen generations, yet no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing was found.
But Jimo Xiao just couldn’t believe that a child could vanish without reason.
His wife’s subsequent depression also stemmed from this. If the Jimo Family couldn’t even find their own child, what hope was there?
Wen Jiang then said, "That’s not important. I’ve only just returned. I want to offer incense to my father."
Xie Lingyan was taken aback, then responded, "Yes, that is appropriate."
Hua Zhuo sighed, "Come with me."
In Yunxia, after ancestors of the nobility passed away, they left behind spirit tablets and had their own ancestral halls.
This ancestral hall was built behind the estate, in the depths of the woods beyond the waterside, constantly monitored by surveillance and always brightly lit.
Upon entering the ancestral hall, Jimo Xiao’s spirit tablet had only recently been hung. The entire hall was filled with an air of solemnity and gravity.
Unlike other nobility, the Jimo Family was a true house of the red lineage, forever loyal to the Empire and one of the most valued families in Yunxia.
The greatest loss from the Jimo Family lacking an heir was not to the family itself, but to the Yunxia Empire.
In such an atmosphere, even the usually scatterbrained Xie Lingyan wore a solemn expression.
Wen Jiang lit three sticks of incense and merely gave a slight bow. Given that her own age could span the entire history of the Jimo Family, truly bowing to them would be an affront. If those individuals were still alive, such a bow would shorten their lives. Even after death, their reincarnation would be impacted, so she could only offer a slight gesture of respect.
Though Xie Lingyan had some minor objections, he dared not speak out since Hua Zhuo had remained silent.
After offering incense and coming out, Xie Lingyan was caught off guard because Hua Zhuo and Wen Jiang had matters to discuss. The issues he had intended to bring up remained unspoken, and he could only return to the Xie Family, his heart filled with astonishment.
Hua Zhuo gave Wen Jiang a brief tour of the Jimo Family estate and then brought up the matter of those cards.
"Those A-Rank Cards you made—who exactly is helping you?"
Her words were quite clear.
Wen Jiang was the Jimo Family’s heir, an irrefutable fact, regardless of her ability to take over the entire Jimo Family. Hua Zhuo didn’t want Wen Jiang to have deep ties with that woman.
"Helping me?" Wen Jiang seemed to hear a ridiculous question and let out a light scoff. "Those cards of mine, who do you think could make them?"
Hua Zhuo paused.
Wen Jiang glanced at her. "Do you think I’m associated with someone, just like I asked you if there was anyone in a situation similar to mine?"
Hua Zhuo furrowed her brows.
Could it be, as Wen Jiang implied, that she didn’t know who the other party was?
Her thoughts were in turmoil. The mere thought of that woman made her restless, a fact evident from the taut veins on the back of her hand as she gripped the wheelchair handles tightly.
"Because you’re too strange," Hua Zhuo sighed, compelled to voice her real suspicions. "For the past nineteen years, you weren’t a Spirit Card Master. So how did you suddenly become one? Seven A-Rank Cards in two months! Even if I believe you, the Empire won’t. No Spirit Card Master could achieve such a feat."
"Oh, so that’s why," Wen Jiang said with a light chuckle. "It’s because you can’t do it that you question me, who can."
Even though she had some advantages, those were accidental. The skills she possessed came at the cost of sacrificing countless things, like her inherent coldness and indifference. She had already ’died’ once during her failed Tribulation; not truly dying this time might be her final chance. Coming to this world, she was bound to do something significant to make up for the opportunity to live despite failing her Tribulation. She had achieved everything on her own merit. Wen Jiang wasn’t bothered by this point. "The issues you’re worried about are things the Empire has already considered, so there won’t be any problems. But your concern isn’t really about that, is it? You suspect I’m connected to someone—someone you dislike, or even detest?"
Hua Zhuo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The Empire had already contacted Wen Jiang? And they actually cleared her for review? To think that not even that woman had passed back then!
Wen Jiang’s intelligence and sharpness far exceeded her expectations, though it wasn’t an incredibly difficult deduction. Hua Zhuo’s attitude had been quite transparent. That Wen Jiang could accurately surmise this actually gave Hua Zhuo a sense of comfort. This way, she truly lived up to her parents’ genes.
Hua Zhuo finally spoke: "Twenty years ago, there was a woman just like you, who suddenly went from an ordinary person to a genius Card Maker. She joined the Guiqing Association. She started at R-Rank, quickly advanced to B-Level, and reached A-Level in only a year and a half. During that period, she produced hundreds of low-level cards."
Because their quality was low, and this information only came out much later, people initially didn’t think there was an issue.
Wen Jiang and Zero Egg knew immediately that their previous speculation had been correct.
The Heaven’s Mandate System had come to this world twenty years ago and found its host.
Both let out a soulful sigh.
Wen Jiang thought, "It took a year and a half to get her to A-Level? This System is truly pathetic."
Zero Egg echoed, "A year and a half just to reach A-Level? That host is truly pathetic."