Jia Hui

Yi Yun turned bright red after hearing Zhenya's declaration, quickly hiding her face behind her hands.

"Hahaha, good. I like you, Zhenya," exclaimed Jia Hui. "Now that that is out of the way, Could you tell me what you experienced in the ancestral tomb?" He continued, leaning forward and letting his face rest on his hands.

"Is that all you want to say, or after that do you want to explain some other things?" Zhenya countered, also leaning forward. "I might be young, but I have been fending for myself for a couple of years. I will not tell you if you're not giving me more information."

Jia Hui looked surprised at Zhenya. "What do you mean, fending for yourself? Aren't you only ten years old? Why would your parents not take care of you?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the little boy.

"They died during the beast tide a couple of years ago," he murmured, a sad look appearing on his face. Sighing, he collapsed into the chair like a sack being dropped.

Yi Yun looked at him in horror; she had thought he was like a rich kid that had everything given to him on a silver plate. That's why she was confused when he reacted like that after coming out of the tomb, but now it all made sense. He was also from lower birth and had even been fending for himself for years, but luckily he awakened the bloodline, and his status rose overnight.

'I should stop judging other people on my assumptions. I wanted to butter up to him by acting confident to try and gain cultivation resources and then run away. But it seems the situation isn't that simple.' Sighing, she wondered. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

"You ok, Yun?" Zhenya whispered, seeing her slump her shoulders.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," she confirmed. "I just felt bad for what happened to your parents," she added, a sad expression appearing on her face.

"It's fine now. I'm used to it after all these years." Zhenya stated. Looking back at Jia Hui, his demeanor shifted from empathetic to guarded, his gaze steady.

"Do you just want the information, or is there a reason why I should tell you?" Zhenya said politely.

"Good, I like you. Don't worry; you don't have to tell me." Jia Hui advised, a smile appearing on his face. "It's a ruthless world out there. Don't just blabber about your opportunities or secrets to anyone. Always be cautious," he explained.

"Now only one thing is left: you two will be going to the Azure cloud sect for the entrance ceremony that will happen soon. But before that we will help you here so you can use most resources you want and the training grounds." Throwing a token at both of them.

Zhenya inspected the token; it was a rectangular token with black edges and white on the inside with the word Jia written on it in gold.

"Isn't this the token to prove you're from the main family?" he asked Jia Hui.

"That's correct; you are hereby adopted into the main family as my godson," he said, a smirk appearing on his face. It was like Jia Hui was enjoying this moment.

"Tha... Thank you!" Shouted Yi Yun, bowing her head repeatedly, almost slamming it into the table.

Zhenya and Jia Hui both giggled at the sight; they hadn't expected this cheeky girl to be so nervous receiving this token.

"You can leave little Yun, ask little Fu to guide you to your quarters. Zhenya will follow soon after," he told her.

Yi Yun stood up, bowed politely to Jia Hui, and blew a kiss to Zhenya, exiting the room.

Zhenya was taken aback, and his ears turned slightly red. "She's so bold," he mumbled to himself.

"I know, right?" Jia Hui said, with a teasing smile. "You should treasure her; you might become dao companions someday," he teased. 

Sighing, he got comfortable leaning back into the chair. 'That would be for the best,' he lamented.

"That was not for you to hear!" he argued, pouting.

"Alright, enough small talk. I'm sure you have a lot of questions after your trip in the ancestral tomb. I'll answer them to the best of my ability." Jia Hui stated.

***

An hour later, Zhenya walked through the corridors toward his quarters, his mind racing with everything Jia Hui had revealed. The answers about martial intent puzzled him because Jia Hui barely knew anything about it, like it was a lost art.

Then when he asked about the heavenly pavilion and the Eternal Radiance Forest, it was even worse; he said there were no such things here. After that he also asked about the immortal world, but apparently that is only a myth. Even though the ancestor left notes about it, they don't believe it. 

So he made up his mind to look for information about all those things during his journey and when he arrives at the Azure Cloud Sect.

Absently touching the token in his sleeve, he still couldn't believe he was now part of the main family. Everything was changing so fast—the bloodline, Yi Yun, and now this adoption. His parents would have been...

He shook his head, forcing the thought away. Right now he needed to focus on preparing for the Azure Cloud Sect's entrance ceremony. But first, he should check on Yi Yun and make sure she'd settled in.

Entering his residence, he was taken aback by how luxurious it was; it had multiple stories and even had servants that did everything from cleaning to laundry and cooking. Well, cooking wasn't necessary, as that was Yi Yun's task. It could help them build a bond, mentioned Jia Hui, so Zhenya decided it would be a good idea to let Yi Yun do the cooking.