Diary

Entering the chamber, Zhenya and Yi Yun looked around curiously. It was a spacious room with a single bed standing in it and a table. Very simplistic, on a carpet sat an older-looking man with short white hair, a wrinkled face, and blue eyes. He was wearing a simple black hanfu and deep in meditation.

Jia Fu bowed deeply before the elderly man, his upper body bending at a perfect ninety-degree angle, his head lowered in a gesture of utmost respect. He cast a quick, meaningful glance at the two children, prompting them to follow suit. Without hesitation, they knelt on one knee and bent forward, their waists folding sharply as their heads hovered low, almost touching the ground, mirroring his reverence.

And they stayed like that, waiting for the elderly man to open his eyes and acknowledge them. But he just kept on meditating as if he hadn't realized Jia Fu and the others had arrived. After a while, Yi Yun was sweating profusely, almost losing her balance and tumbling over, her body exhausted. 

Her hanfu was covered in sweat, her hair sticking to her face; she was barely holding on. Zhenya, seeing this, wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. Should he alert the Jia Hui of their presence? But he didn't know what kind of consequences that would have. Gritting his teeth, he lightly faked a cough twice, trying to alert Jia Hui that there were guests.

Opening an eye, Jia Hui saw them bowing in front of them and cleared his throat loudly, standing up slowly. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had arrived," he said, taking a seat at the table.

Only when he was seated did the patriarch finally stand up. "Please think nothing of it; I have brought the two children here," the patriarch remarked, pointing toward the kids behind him.

Zhenya, who was helping Yi Yun stand up, looked at Jia Hui. "Hello, I am Jia Zhenya, the one that entered the ancestral tomb." He politely said, still holding Yi Yun so that she wouldn't fall over.

Yi Yun then tried bowing, but her body was too exhausted, and she only moved her head slightly. "I am Yi Yun, the personal servant of Lord Zhenya," she said, still catching her breath.

"Good, take a seat, and Fu, you guard the entrance. No one is allowed to enter, not even if there is an emergency." Jia Hui ordered, pointing at the door.

"Understood." Jia Fu said, bowing slightly as he promptly exited the room.

"Now that we're alone, take a seat, you two. I have a lot to tell you," he added, as he pointed at the chairs opposite to him.

"Thank you," answered Zhenya politely as he helped Yun take a seat first and then sit next to her.

Waiting for the two to be seated, the patriarch observed Zhenya closely, taking note of any special things about him. 'He definitely awakened the bloodline; he has the mark on his forehead, but it feels like his physique also isn't normal,' he pondered. Seeing they were both seated, Jia Hui decided to let that be for later and focus on the more important matters first.

"Zhenya, since you awakened the bloodline, I assume the patriarch told you that you will be the next patriarch, right?" Inquired Jia Hui.

Zhenya nodded, "Yes, but that is all he said. After I came out of the tomb, I chose my servant and then immediately came here." he mentioned as he recalled what had happened after exiting the tomb.

"That is normal; only I know the actual procedures the ancestor left in place for when someone awakened. I just told little Fu what he had to do when that heavenly phenomenon appeared," said Jia Hui.

Zhenya raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Phenomenon? What phenomenon?" he asked, confused by what Jia Hui had mentioned.

"The huge crescent that appeared in the sky a couple of nights ago, of course, did you not see it?" he asked, looking Zhenya straight in the eyes.

"Well, no. I was in the tomb for a couple of days, and before that I was unconscious for a night; this was because my body was burning up, and after waking up, this crescent appeared on my forehead," he said, recounting what had happened the last couple of days.

"That must have been your test, and then you fell unconscious while awakening, huh," suggested the patriarch. "Anyway, that is for another time. "Zhenya, now that you have awakened, I will hand you the patriarch's diary; just drop a little blood on it to bind it to you. It's an artifact that will let you read more as your cultivation improves," he added as he handed Zhenya a book with a pitch-black cover.

"Thank you," Zhenya replied, bowing. Accepting the book politely.

"Ok, that is done. Now a little explanation of why you had to choose a personal servant." Jia Hui began. "That is because the ancestor should have recommended you some Dao's to study to better utilize the bloodline, right?" he inquired.

Zhenya nodded, his eyes locked onto Jia Hui's eyes. He did not want to miss a single detail; this was important information.

"Good, they should be the dao of emptiness and stillness. Hence the servant, when mastering those dao's, you basically can cut off your emotions so you could become an emotionless killing machine. That's why the ancestor set a requirement: you need to take your servant with you everywhere and never turn your back on her," he ordered.

"Or I will kill you right now. So what is it going to be?" Jia Hui stated, looking deep into Zhenya's eyes. As the words left his mouth, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Zhenya. He found himself sweating profusely as the ancestor released his killing intent—it was overwhelmingly dense, unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Zhenya was sweating profusely. Turning his head, he sneakily looked at Yi Yun, but she seemed totally fine, completely unbothered as if the ancestor had only aimed it at Zhenya. 'How is it possible that Yun didn't feel a thing? Can only cultivators feel it?' Zhenya wondered to himself.

Zhenya then nodded slowly, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I agree; I will take Yi Yun with me everywhere. And will protect her as well." Zhenya declared.