Bloodline Tree

“You wouldn’t happen to have some meat to spare, Fellow Daoist Zhangye?” Chen Chongzi asked with an awkward smile.

Shu Yang hadn’t even started grilling the meat yet; he had only just started the fire.

He rolled his eyes inwardly but still agreed, “Sure, come take a seat. Let’s eat together.”

“Eating together today? Great! Thank you,” Chongzi said, “I’m starving.”

“Didn’t you think to bring any food?” Shu Yang asked.

“Of course I did, but who knew I would have to wait for so long before the formation collapsed? You’re lucky, getting here late,” Chongzi said, taking a seat.

Shu Yang had arrived at the inheritance site two days prior, after traveling for almost a week.

Seeing that the formation was still up, Shu Yang simply made himself at home a few miles away. There were plenty of cultivators around, but most kept to themselves, and Shu Yang planned on doing the same.

Who knew that this Chen Chongzi would come running, asking for food as soon as he spotted Shu Yang grilling meat.

Something about his smiling, fat, and young face made it hard for Shu Yang to refuse, so he gave him some food before asking him to leave.

But Chongzi wasn’t one to stay away for long. The evening after, he came running as soon as Shu Yang lit up a fire, asking for food once again.

And now here he was, arriving for a third time.

“Well, I guess I’m still a bit early,” Shu Yang said.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be able to enter any day now,” Chongzi said.

“I hope so,” Shu Yang said.

“Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Chongzi asked after only a second of silence.

“Huang Empire, in the mortal world,” Shu Yang answered.

“Truly? I’ve never been to the mortal world. What’s it like?” Chongzi asked.

“Nothing special. People trying to get by, dreaming about changing their fate, just like people here. What about you?” Shu Yang asked.

“I’m from Chenqi Immortal City. Have you ever been there?” Chongzi asked.

“Just came from there,” Shu Yang answered with a nod, looking at the fat man a little more closely.

‘He is from Chenqi Immortal City? And surnamed Chen? He is only in the 3rd stage of Qi Refining, though.’

“You’re not from the Chen family, are you?” Shu Yang still couldn’t help but ask.

“I really am,” Chonzi said with a laugh, “It seems you’ve heard of us.”

“It’s hard not to,” Shu Yang said.

“Well, I’m not really part of the Chen family you know of, just one of its many branches. But I came here to change that. With the inheritance of a Foundation expert, I’m sure to be able to bring my family back into the main residence again.”

‘He really is from the Chen family.’

Shu Yang was suddenly a bit more interested in this young man and asked one question after another. Chongzi was talkative and answered everything with a smile.

‘What a little treasure trove of information.’

After an hour had passed, and the meat had been eaten, Shu Yang still didn’t chase Chongzi away like he had done the past few days. This was the first time he had met a cultivator willing to speak so openly and to answer all his questions patiently.

“I’ve heard that Foundation families all have a Bloodline Ability. Does your Chen family have one? If it’s a secret, you don’t need to tell me,” Shu Yang said.

“Anything I’m aware of can’t possibly be a secret,” Chongzi said with a small laugh. He then leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Our Bloodline Ability is called Dragon Taming.”

“Dragons?” Shu Yang asked.

“Sounds grand, right?” Chongzi asked.

“Very,” Shu Yang agreed, “What does it do?”

“Haha,” Chongzi laughed, “It doesn’t have anything to do with taming dragons, I’m afraid. Dragon here references spiritual veins. We are simply able to manipulate spiritual veins slightly without harming them. Well, that’s the idea at least, but it’s very hard in practice. Still, our Bloodline Ability has its uses. It has made us able to get along well with the Green River Sect, at least.”

“It doesn’t sound useless at all,” Shu Yang said, “Did you inherit it?”

“Everyone inherits the Bloodline Ability, more or less,” Chongzi said, “In my case, it’s a lot less.”

“I see. Well, maybe you can develop your own Bloodline Ability when you reach the Foundation stage,” Shu Yang said, comfortingly.

“Well said, Zhangye! That’s exactly my thought,” Chongzi said, slapping himself on the knees.

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Shu Yang hadn’t wanted to tell Chongzi his real name, so he ended up using the name of his old friend. It was still a bit strange being called that.

Shu Yang was about to ask another question when he felt a paw on his cheek.

‘Right, Xiaorong must be getting hungry.’

“Well, it was nice talking to you. I’m going to rest for a while. You’re welcome back tomorrow if you still lack food,” Shu Yang said.

“Really? Great! I’ll take you up on that offer,” Chongzi said, getting to his feet with a smile. He had been dismissed by Shu Yang after the two earlier visits, so he didn’t find it abrupt.

Once he was gone, Shu Yang took out some more meat and placed it over the fire. Xiaorong had grown to like her meat cooked, so Shu Yang grilled for her.

Watching the meat sizzle, Shu Yang lost himself in his thoughts.

‘It seems like this place is pretty calm. I haven’t seen or heard a single fight break out so far.’

‘I guess no one wants things to spiral out of control.’

‘That Chongzi is pretty brave, though. Walking around and asking for food with his meager strength.’

‘Maybe he’s just a bit sheltered? It might be the first time he’s come out.’

“Has anyone else arrived?” Shu Yang asked Xiaorong after a while.

“No,” Xiaorong answered.

“Good,” Shu Yang said. He had asked her to look for any Foundation cultivators nearby. So far, there were only three of them.

‘With only three Foundation cultivators, I should be safe. Even if they all target me together, I should at least be able to get away with Xiaorong’s help.’

‘Let’s just hope the formation opens up soon.’

Shu Yang could see the formation glowing slightly in the mountainside a few miles away. He really wanted to see it disappear.

But unfortunately, it did not.

‘Well, all I can do is wait.’

…

The days passed one by one, and more and more cultivators appeared.

A bit over two weeks after Shu Yang arrived, he asked Xiaorong to look around and do a headcount. She estimated that there were around seven or eight thousand people in a ten-mile radius from the inheritance cave.

Luckily, only one additional Foundation cultivator had appeared.

‘It should still be alright. But I’m starting to get a bit worried about my chances of getting anything from this.’

Shu Yang relied entirely on the notion that the inheritance would restrict anyone in the Foundation stage from entering, with body cultivation being the exception.

It was already a tall order. And now, there were thousands of people there, all with their own traits, talents, and expertise. For Shu Yang to stand out as the most suitable inheritor seemed a bit far-fetched.

‘Should I just give up and resort to robbery instead?’

Having Xiaorong rob the surrounding cultivators was risky, and chaos was bound to follow. But if he had to get his hands on money somehow.

‘I can’t wait forever.’

Shu Yang decided he would give it two more weeks. If the inheritance still showed no signs of opening once he had spent a month there, he would give up.

‘Chongzi said it should open soon, though. But he’s been saying that since the start. And does he really have a clue about these things?’

Shu Yang had spent most of his time alone, but Chongzi would still appear every evening to eat.

Shu Yang didn’t mind, really. He was harmless, and a good source of information.

Still, Shu Yang didn’t want him around other times. There was always a risk he would let something slip, and he would have to either trust Chongzi not to tell, or silence him.

He really didn’t want to do either, so he just kept an appropriate distance from the young man.

Whenever Chongzi wasn’t around for conversation, Shu Yang would cultivate and practice his spells. There was no spiritual qi where he was, but he still had some spiritual stones left on him that he could make do with.

He had moved further away from the inheritance cave since other, on the surface stronger, cultivators had arrived. It gave him peace of mind not to be too close to anyone else, and also gave him room to practice his spells.

“Xiaorong, have you seen this?” Shu Yang asked, pointing to the book in his hand. Reading was what most of his time was spent on during the days, since he couldn’t cultivate for too long.

“What?” Xiaorong appeared on his shoulder, hidden from view.

“It says here that there is a sect called the Beast Taming Sect far to the east, close to the Heaven-Reaching Forest. Your parents came from there, right?” Shu Yang asked. He was reading the book he had gotten when buying pills for Xiaorong.

“Yes,” Xiaorong nodded.

“Well, remember to stay away from there. At least for now. The Beast Taming Sect doesn’t seem likely to pass up the chance to tame you. One of the top families in control of the sect even has a Golden Bloodline with the ability to suppress beasts. You need to look out for these things in the future. Don’t always look down on everyone. There are strange powers in this world,” Shu Yang said seriously. He always felt that Xiaorong didn’t really put anyone in her eye. He felt that might be her undoing one day if she wasn’t careful.

“I also have a Golden Bloodline,” Xiaorong said, “Maybe stronger. They can’t suppress me.”

“Alright, don’t get so agitated,” Shu Yang said, “Just be careful. If not them, it’s someone else. You’re not the strongest being in the world, you can admit that much, can’t you?”

“For now,” Xiaorong said. If she had a human face, Shu Yang was sure she would be pouting.

“For now,” Shu Yang agreed with a smile, “So until then-”

Just then, a large boom sounded. A strong wind blew past him, and Shu Yang hurriedly turned his attention to the inheritance cave in the distance.

“Something’s happening!” Shu Yang said, shooting up a nearby tree to get a better look.

Hundreds of cultivators flew into the air, rushing toward the cave. But most stayed back, like Shu Yang.

‘Is it open?’

No one had entered yet, so he wasn’t sure.

‘I’ll see what the situation is before doing anything.’

But then, something changed.

A formation sprang up around Shu Yang, trapping him.

‘What’s going on?’

The formation was small, only a few feet wide in all directions. The walls of it shimmered blue. He could still see through it somewhat, though.

‘Why…does it seem like I’m inside a cave?’

He looked down at the ground, and there was no tree below him any longer.

‘Wait!’

Shu Yang grabbed his shoulder, feeling nothing.

“Xiaorong!?” Shu Yang called out.

There was no response.

‘She was just right there? What happened?’

Shu Yang started to panic. He was far from an expert in the ways of the cultivation world yet, but he knew one thing for certain.

This wasn’t the work of a Foundation cultivator.

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