Volume 9, Chapter 635 – Recognizing One’s Ancestry

Qi Huang never expected her true body to suddenly “sit upright in deathly illness”, startling her so much that she shivered all over. The others were equally shocked.

‘Strange… what’s the problem here? Why is she so agitated?’

Puzzled, Qi Huang replayed the place name once again in her mind.

All of a sudden, she too shot to her feet, demanding word by word at Mu Ruoyi: “Are you certain it was the Jiang family of Jinlin Village, Huangtian County?”

“Yes… yes, that’s right. Why?”

Mu Ruoyi stammered, repeating herself.

“Is there something wrong with that place?”

Jiang Feng anxiously asked from the side.

“How could such a coincidence possibly exist in this world?”

Qi Huang’s face showed a smile that was half tears, half laughter, her emotions truly a mixture of many flavors.

“When exactly did he take the child there? Do you know the specific date?”

Cheng Hongling, suppressing the discomfort in her body, pressed on.

“He said it was the second day of the New Year that year.”

Mu Ruoyi answered honestly.

“…”

Cheng Hongling fell into complete silence, her delicate face clouded with complicated emotions.

“What on earth is going on with you all?”

Jiang Feng nearly lost his mind, since this matter concerned his descendants.

“Should we tell him the truth?”

Qi Huang transmitted mentally to her true body.

“Go ahead. There’s nothing worth hiding.”

Cheng Hongling replied tiredly.

“Uh… is it really my place to say it? After all, I’m not a descendant of the Jiang family.”

Qi Huang hesitated. As an outsider, it felt inappropriate to interfere in someone else’s family affairs.

“Forget it, I’ll say it myself.”

Cheng Hongling took a deep breath, then forced herself to speak with renewed strength: “The Jiang family of Jinlin Village is in fact my mother’s family.”

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“What?”

Everyone exclaimed in unison at her words.

“Then… doesn’t that mean your mother is none other than the little princess Jiang Fu of the Jiang clan?”

Mu Ruoyi asked in shock.

“If what you saw is indeed true, then it must be so. Jinlin Village has only one Jiang family, and it was precisely on that same second day of the New Year that my mother was picked up by my maternal grandparents.”

A pale smile of helplessness touched Cheng Hongling’s lips.

“Hahaha! Wonderful! The Jiang clan truly still has bloodlines surviving in the world, and they are none other than my own direct descendants!”

Jiang Feng threw his arms wide and rushed forward like a madman.

Qi Huang frowned slightly and stopped him three feet away with her Divine Sense.

“Hahaha, so these are my descendants! So outstanding! I, Jiang Feng, am worthy indeed of being Crown Prince of the Great Qi Kingdom!”

Jiang Feng, rather than being angry, was overjoyed. His fiery eyes locked on Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang, as if looking at treasures of his heart. If not for propriety between men and women, he would have already embraced them tightly.

“Waaaah! Greetings, Your Highness the Princess! Our Great Qi Kingdom is saved!”

General Li dropped to his knees before Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang, weeping and sobbing like a child.

Cheng Hongling shook her head helplessly. As a cultivator, she had intended to remain aloof and free, yet she had been entangled in karmic ties. What she found hardest to accept was that this lecherous zombie crown prince was her own ancestor. It felt as if her lifelong chastity had been sullied.

Qi Huang’s thoughts were nearly the same. Most of all, this fellow had once set his eyes on her, how could that not appear indecent to others? It was utterly mortifying.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy? I am your ancestor! The dignified Crown Prince of Great Qi! You two have now recognized your ancestry and returned to your clan!”

Jiang Feng reminded them excitedly.

“Then, Ancestor, do you still intend to make me your crown princess consort?”

Qi Huang mocked.

“Of course not! That was all a misunderstanding! You are my direct descendant, equivalent to my granddaughter! How could I, Jiang Feng, Crown Prince of Great Qi, be so shameless?”

Jiang Feng swore vehemently, though remembering his earlier outrageous actions, his eyes did flicker evasively.

Qi Huang let out a sigh of relief at his words. Recognizing ancestry was not without its benefits. At the very least, it allowed her to cleanly separate herself from this lustful prince.

“Haha, I never expected this! Not only do I have descendants alive, but they are outstanding indeed. Worthy of the Jiang clan’s lineage!”

Jiang Feng circled them, scrutinizing Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

“Yes, with Her Highness’s strength, restoring the kingdom and taking revenge would be effortless. The Lin clan rebelled against their lords and exterminated the royal family, we must repay them double.”

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General Li spoke through clenched teeth.

“Indeed. Since this Crown Prince has descendants still alive, I will not let the world fall into a living hell. But the Lin clan must repay their blood debt in blood.”

Jiang Feng declared, then turned to Cheng Hongling: “My dear granddaughter, as a descendant of the Jiang clan, you should shoulder the duty of restoration and vengeance. You must not let down the loyal ministers of the old dynasty, nor forgive those traitors, especially the Lin clan.”

Cheng Hongling fell into deep thought, her brows furrowing ever tighter.

Qi Huang, of course, understood her. A cultivator striving for immortality must not be bound by worldly grudges.

“I have no interest in restoring the kingdom!”

Cheng Hongling declared at once.

Jiang Feng and Li Jin exchanged a look, both faces grave.

“Can you tell me why?”

Jiang Feng asked patiently.

“First, as a cultivator, I have no interest in imperial power. I will not let such trifles hinder my path. Second, the Western Radiance Dynasty has only just found stability. If I were to restore the kingdom, it would plunge the land into another blood-soaked storm. What would happen to the common people then?”

Cheng Hongling voiced her reasoning.

Jiang Feng thought for a moment, then said: “Restoration can be set aside for now. But our Jiang clan’s blood feud must be avenged.”

“Revenge?”

Cheng Hongling glanced at her doppelgänger. “Perhaps you don’t know, Lin Tu and those princes were all slain by Qi Huang.”

“What?”

Jiang Feng turned to Qi Huang, half-doubting.

“It was indeed I who killed them.”

Qi Huang briefly recounted the matter.

“Hahaha! The Lin clan slaughtered my Jiang clan, yet their descendants fell to the hands of my own descendants. Retribution truly comes without fail!”

Jiang Feng roared with laughter, relieved.

Qi Huang then transmitted quietly to her true body: “Are you certain you won’t avenge them yourself? Strictly speaking, I’m still not a Jiang by blood.”

“It doesn’t matter. At least the Jiang bloodline flows within you.”

Cheng Hongling was considerate. She knew Qi Huang had worked hard to support Lin Ran’s rise, and Lin Ran was indeed a wise ruler. For the sake of the common people, more storms of bloodshed must not be unleashed.

“But that is not enough. Back then only one member of our Jiang clan survived. At the very least, the Lin clan must be cut down until only one remains.”

Jiang Feng clenched his teeth.

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“Fine. Life for a life, that is just. But the empress must be spared.”

Qi Huang added.

“Why?”

Jiang Feng was puzzled.

“Let me ask you, how fares the empress of today?”

Qi Huang countered.

“Not bad. She reduced taxes, abolished compulsory conscription. Among the people, her reputation is quite good.”

Jiang Feng thought briefly before replying.

“Then there you have it. The Western Radiance Dynasty finally has a wise ruler. If you kill her, wouldn’t you push the common people into misery once again? After all, they too are descendants of the Great Qi.”

Qi Huang reminded sternly.

“Very well, I’ll spare her.”

After a pause, Jiang Feng agreed.

“Lin Ran, Lin Ran… it seems you are fated to be left all alone.”

Qi Huang sighed with relief. Thankfully she had killed Lin Tu and the princes ahead of time, or else calming Jiang Feng’s rage would have been far harder.

Once everything was clear, General Li summoned the household out.

“Oh heavens! Am I seeing things? That tree was nearly dead, but in the blink of an eye it’s blooming and bearing fruit?”

“Father, wonderful! Our family is saved! Saved!”

The Liu father and son embraced in tears, bowing gratefully again and again to Qi Huang and the others.

Qi Huang’s group had no further interest in lingering, and they immediately set out back home.

“May I meet your parents?”

On the way, Jiang Feng suddenly asked.

“You may.”

Cheng Hongling agreed readily, knowing as the younger generation it was not her place to refuse.

Back at the Honghua Sect, Cheng Hongling summoned her parents.

Cheng Yuan and Jiang Linian came out looking baffled, completely unaware of what had transpired.

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Mu Ruoyi then described everything she had witnessed. The couple’s expressions turned more and more astonished.

“So I am Jiang Fu? The little princess of the old dynasty?”

Jiang Linian pointed to herself in disbelief.

“If Grandfather and Grandmother picked up only you, then Jiang Fu can be no one else.”

Cheng Hongling confirmed.

“An abandoned child, and yet I am a princess of the former dynasty?”

Jiang Linian shook her head bitterly.

“Not abandoned, protected! In those circumstances, without such measures you would never have survived. So please, harbor no resentment.”

Jiang Feng explained earnestly.

“I understand. I’m just finding it hard to believe.”

Jiang Linian gave a helpless smile.

“I am Yingyue’s father. Since you are her descendant, you are naturally my granddaughter. It is only right that you recognize your ancestry.”

Jiang Feng reminded her, then quickly added: “Of course, if you are unwilling, I won’t force it. After all, I am but a zombie now. What more can I demand?”

After some hesitation, Jiang Linian still knelt and kowtowed three times to Jiang Feng. Cheng Yuan followed suit.

Cheng Yuan’s heart was equally complicated. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would marry a princess of the old dynasty. No wonder their daughter was so exceptional.

“And you two little girls? Are you not going to kowtow to your ancestor?”

Jiang Feng pressed further, looking at Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.

Cheng Hongling remained motionless. Remembering his previous shameless conduct, she simply could not kneel.

As for Qi Huang, even less so. She was not truly of Jiang blood, why should she kowtow to this arrogant man?

Jiang Feng only smiled wryly, though his face revealed a trace of doting affection.

He then called Cheng Yuan aside for a private talk, but without concealing his words. Everyone heard clearly, it was mostly admonitions to treat Jiang Linian well.

“He slipped into the role rather quickly.”

Qi Huang couldn’t help but tease.

Thus the matter was brought to a satisfactory close. Qi Huang and her companions had originally set out to help Jiang Feng trace his descendants, but in a twist of fate they had uncovered the truth of her mother’s lineage instead. Truly, reality sometimes outstrips fiction.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed. With the wedding date set by the Lü family drawing near, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling had to hurry back to the Huarong Sect. Whether or not they could see “Immortal Stele against Immortal Stele” would depend on whether she could pass the Sect Master and Grand Elder’s test.