Free Web NovelChapter 76: Chapter 72: Worthy of ’Min
After putting on the new clothes, Liao Minmin scampered outside.
It was only then that she belatedly realized the clothes were men’s attire. ’They must be the Great Ancestor’s own clothes,’ she thought.
’But why did he give them to me? And how do they fit so perfectly?’
’And while the style isn’t particularly beautiful, wearing them feels as light as air.’
’This must be an incredible treasure, right?’
If Du Youqian were to tell her that this outfit was a benefit distributed by his Sect, a high-grade Dharma Robe that even ordinary Loose Cultivators would have a hard time acquiring, she would learn it could keep her warm in winter and cool in summer. It was impervious to blades, water, and fire. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Even if a master at the Postnatal Peak of Martial Arts were to strike her with their palm, they would die from the backlash.
Even the Emperor of the Mortal World couldn’t trade for it, not even with several cities.
She would probably be so shocked her jaw would hit the floor.
Liao Minmin searched for a long time before finding the Great Ancestor under a peach tree outside the Daoist Temple.
The Great Ancestor was facing a gravestone beside the peach tree, seemingly engrossed in communicating with the spirit of the deceased.
Liao Minmin didn’t dare to disturb him. She could only wonder, ’Who exactly is buried in this grave?’
’It must be the Great Ancestor’s wife, the Great Ancestress.’
’Which would make her Ancestor Lie’s mother.’
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
She remembered that when she was little, Ancestor Lie had told them stories about the Great Ancestress. He had mentioned the few juniors she doted on the most... who were from her own Celestial Ancestor’s generation.
’I’ll start from there!’
With this in mind, she didn’t say a word. She simply walked quietly to the grave, knelt down properly, and kowtowed several times to the Great Ancestress.
Only then did she speak. "Great Ancestress, it is your descendant, Liao Minmin, come to pay my respects! Everyone in the family misses you dearly. Ancestor Lie, the Celestial Ancestor, and Ancestor Gao often spoke of you. They said you were the kindest, most beautiful lady, and that you never seemed to grow old."
"Ancestor Lie, the Celestial Ancestor, and Ancestor Gao all wanted to visit you, but alas, they can no longer come. Ancestor Lie has passed on, and the Celestial Ancestor and Ancestor Gao were murdered. Our entire family was murdered... Of the Liao Family, only Minmin is left."
"Great Ancestress, once I’ve avenged our family, I will come back here to accompany you for the rest of my life. I will build a hut and live here, sweep your grave, pull the weeds, and talk with you every day, alright?"
Standing nearby, Du Youqian was already smiling.
’This child... it seems she’s destined for great things.’
’No wonder she’s named Minmin. She is certainly clever enough for it!’
’What’s more, she’s remarkably full of vigor.’
’Dressed in this Dharma Robe, she looks even more heroic and dashing, already showing the makings of a great heroine.’
’Although her features aren’t flawless, her cheerful yet resolute personality is so distinct that it gives her a powerful charm.’
’In the future, she could probably become one of the so-called "Four Great Beauties" of the Jianghu.’
Having already decided to lean in her favor, Du Youqian began to investigate the truth behind the Liao Family’s annihilation.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to maintain his cold demeanor to continue observing and testing Liao Minmin’s character.
Investigating the truth was not difficult.
Du Youqian wasn’t one to stand on ceremony or maintain a lofty image.
Unlike many Cultivators who considered themselves immortals and viewed Mortals as vermin, he had no qualms about using the methods of the Immortal Family on them. He didn’t subscribe to the notion that ’they are unworthy.’
Du Youqian didn’t feel he was on a higher plane than Mortals. He hadn’t forgotten that he, too, had started as a Mortal, taking one step at a time down the path of cultivating immense personal power.
So, he employed his methods—stealthy infiltration, using Enchanting Soul to extract confessions, and supplementing with Divination—and uncovered the truth with hardly any effort at all.
In the past few decades, while the Liao Family had made some missteps and seized property by trickery or force, they hadn’t descended to the level of bullying the innocent or being so utterly detestable that they were despised by all.
On the whole, the Liao Family had offered some help and support to the common folk and the poor around them.
To outsiders unaware of their inner workings, they might even have been called a "family of good deeds."
For such a family to be annihilated...
And the forces that had destroyed the Liao Family were, for the most part, already infamous for their evil deeds.
Such an outcome could hardly be called fair.
Although the word "fair" doesn’t truly exist in this world—it lives only in people’s fantasies.
But since Du Youqian had witnessed it and had the power to intervene, he naturally wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
During this time, Liao Minmin had painstakingly used her small hands to cut down some branches and build a simple hut in front of Long Ruzhen’s grave, and she had moved into it.
Of course, if Du Youqian hadn’t secretly cast some Magic on that "condemned building," the pile of branches would have likely collapsed on top of her long ago.
Every day, she diligently pulled weeds and spoke to Long Ruzhen, recounting everything she had seen and heard since she was a child, as if reading from a diary.
At this rate, it would probably take her more than a decade to finish her stories.
’Where does a little girl like her find so much to talk about?’
’Doesn’t her mouth get dry?’
An image appeared in Du Youqian’s mind: a seventy or eighty-year-old Liao Minmin, tremblingly holding a large enamel mug, chattering on and on before Long Ruzhen’s grave. Blah, blah, blah.
She would take a sip of water and be re-energized enough to go on for another hour.
Behind the gravestone, Long Ruzhen’s soul would have a look of utter annoyance, searching for something to cover her ears...
Thinking of this scene, Du Youqian couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl up.
’Alright then, I’ll help her. But she has to keep her promise. After she re-establishes the Liao Family, she must come to this Soul-shaking Mountain and watch over Long Ruzhen’s grave.’
’Of course, I won’t treat her unfairly.’
’A Cultivation Technique, a few bottles of Elixirs, and several hundred Spirit Stones—I can afford to provide that much.’
’I’ll also teach her the Spirit Plant Art and have her take care of that peach tree’s daily maintenance.’
’Heh, I could even fence off a plot of land within this Array, pay a small price to enrich it into a Spiritual Land, plant some Spirit Medicine, and have the child tend to it.’
’In my next life, if the treasures I’ve buried are stolen, I can at least use these Spirit Medicines to get back on my feet and get through the difficult initial stage.’
"You, come here," Du Youqian said, beckoning with a deadpan expression.
"Great Ancestor! I’m coming!" Liao Minmin, ever alert and obedient, ran over quickly and bowed.
Du Youqian reached out and patted her small head. ’Feels nice,’ he thought.
A look of joy spread across Liao Minmin’s face. She leaned in like a small pet, letting her Great Ancestor show his affection.
"Great Ancestor!" After a moment, Liao Minmin gleefully touched her own delicate cheek. "This place of yours is so spiritually nourishing! Look at me! Just a few days ago, I was covered in injuries, and now they’re all healed without a single scar!"
’It seems that no matter how strong-willed a girl is, she can’t help but care about her appearance.’
Du Youqian couldn’t help but chuckle.
’Spiritually nourishing, she says.’
’If I hadn’t used my Magical Power to clear your meridians every night, and if I hadn’t crushed a Spirit Pill into your water, do you really think you would have recovered so quickly?’
’After months of arduous travel and constantly missing meals, your body was already in a state of utter depletion.’
’If it weren’t for me, you’d probably be bedridden with a severe illness by now.’
But since Du Youqian had done all this in secret, he naturally wouldn’t say anything just to win the girl’s gratitude or admiration.
He simply gave a faint smile and said, "Pack your things. We’re leaving."
Liao Minmin was so overjoyed she nearly jumped. "We? Okay! Okay, Great Ancestor! I have nothing to pack. I can leave right now!"
