Chapter 557: Predicament

Chapter 557: Chapter 555: Predicament

Long Xingyun’s body trembled. He fought back tears, turned to face them, and said, “Actually, there is a way for you to obtain the Resurrection Grass…”

His heart was soft. For so many years, he had been keeping track of news about his daughter; how could he possibly not care at all? But he could only look out for his daughter. As for the entire Lin Family, that was beyond his control and difficult to manage.

It wasn’t that he was heartless. Rather, Medicine King Valley was Medicine King Valley, not the Lin Family’s Medicine King Valley. He was the Valley Master, but that didn’t mean he could decide everything. All decisions had to be based on the interests of Medicine King Valley. If he truly provoked the wrath of the masses, his position as Valley Master would become meaningless.

Long Yuwei’s departure was an unforgivable crime that violated their ancestral precepts. However, it didn’t significantly harm the interests of Medicine King Valley, at most affecting its reputation slightly, so it could still be suppressed. But helping the Lin Family for Long Yuwei’s sake… that was truly something he could not do.

“What way?” Long Yuwei asked, pleasantly surprised. As long as there was hope, anything was possible.

“The Alchemy competition, held once every five years, is about to begin. If he can win first place, it’s possible to get it!” Long Xingyun said, pointing at Lin Xuan.

“First place in the Alchemy competition?” Long Yuwei was taken aback. She immediately turned her head to look at Lin Xuan, then back at Long Xingyun, saying, “Xuan’er doesn’t really know Alchemy. He only just returned recently. He has no experience in Alchemy…”

“I do. I have a little bit of experience…”

Lin Xuan interjected. He had many souls within his Soul Pearl. Among them, the Demon Evil Monarch knew how to refine Elixir Pills, and both the Martial God and the Youlan Emperor were also quite skilled. While he couldn’t claim their Alchemy Level was top-tier, it was definitely first-rate!

They had all become gods, whereas the Long Xingyun before him had not. It was obvious who was on a higher level.

He had the knowledge of Alchemy; the only question was whether he had the ability to actually perform it. However, dealing with this so-called Alchemy competition shouldn’t be a problem.

“A little bit of experience?” Long Yuwei froze. She had never heard that Lin Xuan knew Alchemy.

“Just a little bit of experience?” Long Xingyun was uncertain about this vague answer. “If you only have a little experience, there’s no need to participate in this Alchemy competition. It would be pointless.”

“Winning this competition shouldn’t be much of a problem. I wonder what Grandfather thinks of that answer?” Lin Xuan grinned, his voice brimming with confidence.

Competing against someone at the Elder Level, he would surely lose, but he believed he absolutely wouldn’t lose to any of his peers!

A glint flashed in Long Xingyun’s eyes. There was no one around; if he hadn’t ordered everyone to leave, Lin Xuan really would have been cursed to death. His arrogance during the martial contest was one thing, but to claim in front of Medicine King Valley disciples that his Alchemy was better than theirs? They would absolutely refuse to accept that.

Alchemy was their greatest skill. If they lost in this area, they would truly have no face to show anyone. To lose to an outsider in the very Alchemy Technique they had practiced since childhood—what a disgrace that would be.

“That confident?” Long Xingyun didn’t mock Lin Xuan for his confidence. On the contrary, there was a hint of excitement in his tone.

“I am!” Lin Xuan could only give this one-word answer. Anything more would be empty talk, so it was best to prove it with his abilities.

“Let’s talk inside!” With a light wave of his hand, a surging wave of Elemental Power enveloped the two of them. He then flew forward with them, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived in an elegant courtyard. There was a fishpond here, and no overpowering medicinal scent—only the faint fragrance of plum blossoms.

“Father…” When Long Yuwei saw the layout and the plum blossoms, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. This was the place she used to live. After so many years, it remained unchanged.

The fragrance of plum blossoms still lingered here. She had once told her father that she didn’t like the smell of medicine, so Long Xingyun had specially planted plum trees here for her.

“And Mother…?” Long Yuwei asked, her voice choked.

“Sigh…” Long Xingyun sighed and said, “She’s in seclusion, saying she’s atoning for your sins… No one blames her, but she chose to atone anyway.”

“I have been an unfilial daughter!” Long Yuwei covered her face and wept. Lin Xuan stood beside her, only able to remain silent. There was nothing he could say.

‘A parent’s love truly knows no bounds,’ Lin Xuan thought. Long Xingyun had always been thinking of his daughter, always keeping an eye on her. That had never changed.

“Sigh, you haven’t been unfilial. We were just powerless against the ancestral precepts. The older generation just stubbornly clings to those rules… Actually, I do not agree with those precepts, really!” Long Xingyun turned, his gaze burning as he looked at them. “Remaining closed off like this will only lead Medicine King Valley to ruin, not prosperity!”

“When Medicine King Valley first chose to close itself off, it was because we were weak and isolated, so it was a measure of self-preservation. Now, we are powerful enough, but we’ve fallen into a different kind of stalemate: arrogance and looking down on everyone!” Long Xingyun sighed as he looked at Long Yuwei. “All I could do was sever our father-daughter relationship to let you live a good life outside… Who could have known something like this would happen to the Lin Family? But I couldn’t interfere. I could only secretly send people to protect you.”

‘The depth of a parent’s love is truly something else.’ Lin Xuan was surprised that Long Xingyun’s views were so open-minded; he had long since determined that Medicine King Valley was too closed off. Unfortunately, his own power was insufficient to change the minds of those old fossils.

“Father…”

Long Yuwei threw herself into her father’s arms and began to cry loudly. Even though she was a Void Spirit Stage expert, in front of Long Xingyun, she was ultimately still just a child.

“Silly child, why put yourself through this…” Long Xingyun’s own tears couldn’t help but fall. With no one else around, he could finally let his true feelings show.

“Grandfather…” Lin Xuan came before them, his heart filled with emotion. It seemed his grandfather was not a heartless person after all.

“Good boy…” After letting go of Long Yuwei, Long Xingyun reached out and ruffled Lin Xuan’s hair, smiling with narrowed eyes. “You’re a really good kid. Your strength is impressive! You’ve completely inherited the Lin Family’s Bloodline Power. It’s very strong. You might even be able to reach for the Great Perfection Realm. When the time comes, I’ll be able to say you’re my, Long Xingyun’s, grandson. That would really give me face!”

He burst into laughter as he said this, but the tears continued to fall uncontrollably. After so many years, he could finally, officially, see his daughter and his grandson!

After a brief, emotional reunion, they finally understood Long Xingyun’s difficult position. He was in charge of the Resurrection Grass, but it was certain he couldn’t just give it away to anyone.

“In a moment, I will go out and announce to everyone that you have come to compete in the Alchemy Technique. The winner will receive the Resurrection Grass. If you lose, you and Yuwei must both remain in Medicine King Valley for the rest of your lives, dedicating yourselves to the valley. Do you dare to accept this match?” Long Xingyun asked.

It was a terrifying wager. If he lost, he would belong to Medicine King Valley for the rest of his life. Medicine King Valley wasn’t entirely exclusionary, but once you joined, you could absolutely never leave. That was the price! Otherwise, they wouldn’t allow marriages to outsiders, but the spouse would have to marry into the valley.

“Accepted!” Lin Xuan, as sparing with his words as ever, spoke only a single word.

He never made promises lightly. When he spoke, it wasn’t about the number of words, but about their weight.