Before Long Tian could speak, Ruo'er held his hand, her eyes welling up with tears.
"How did you get hurt? Tell me, Grandpa, treat him. Feed him all the healing pills you have," she asked, her voice laced with concern. A warm smile graced Long Tian's lips as he gently rubbed the top of her head, appreciating her care and worry, while the old man's lips twitched as he grumbled under his breath.
She did not know of the method he used to tap into his qi; his grandpa did not tell her because he feared she might use the method to gain power because of the state the boy was in.
"It's fine, a month of rest and I'll be back in shape in no time," Long Tian assured her.
However, before he could say more, a forceful slap landed on his back, causing him to stumble forward and cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Don't act brave, kid. After you go home, get a doctor to check your o–" Before he could finish his sentence, a wave of killing intent washed over him, and he felt a punch in the stomach that didn't cause any pain.
"What the heck do you think you're doing, Grandfather? Do you want to suffer some injuries too?" Ruo'er spoke with a smile on her face, causing the old man to click his tongue.
Long Tian stood back up and stopped her from further assault as the old man helped him clear the blood in his veins that would have clogged soon.
"You haven't even married yet, and you're taking someone else's side. You're even throwing away our years of relationship. Ah! How hurt I feel~. This is all because of you, you brat!!"
He exclaimed in mock anger and resentment. Long Tian rolled his eyes at the old man's exaggerated expression. He was even wiping a small tear that he squeezed out.
Hearing his words, Ruo'er's face turned as red as an apple, and steam started coming out of her head.
'Marriage, marrying, wedding with Tian~, kids~~, mini Tian~~, waahhhh~~~' More and more steam came out of her head as she shook her head while blood started leaking from her nose, speaking gibberish-like "We can't do that now; we are still kids."
She started letting out some eerie laughter, causing them both to shiver. Tian forced a smile on his face as he did his best to ignore her. Thinking of changing the topic, Tian turned to the old man and asked with a serious tone.
"What will you do about the sect's request?"
Hearing the question, the old man responded without thinking.
"Well, we just agreed to join them, but I will also live with her. I told them, 'I am old and didn't have anyone to take care of me', and with her talent, they allowed it pretty easily. After all, how long can a mortal man like me live?"
Long Tian's lips twitched hearing his words; he knew the old man was strong. So when he called himself a mortal, he thought while sneering inwardly.
'This old man is the most shameless person I have ever seen. He might be even stronger than those elders in the foundation establishment realm, and he is calling himself mortal.'
Tian thought for a few seconds before he spoke out loud, "With you by her side, I won't have to worry about that Lin Feng. He will definitely come after her; he is very petty from what I could see."
Tian paused as he thought of something and added while glancing towards the girl who was in her dreamland with a silly expression on her face, "Tell me something, the orb did not display her full talent, did it?"
Tian's observations of the man's power and skills were based on the information Ruo'er had shared with him and the way the man conducted himself.
Tian could notice from the man's actions and movements; that he has been trained very meticulously, similar to that of a seasoned warrior. That is how he could tell that the old man was even stronger than Long Chen.
The precision with which he carried out his actions, along with his ability to approach unnoticed, indicated a certain level of mastery that caught Tian's attention.
The old man just ignored his assessment of his strength, as he never hid it too much but also never showed it, but his other question came as a surprise to him.
His question caused the old man to smirk, as he asked back with amusement,
"Oh! Why do you think that wasn't her full talent?"
Long Tian took a second to formulate his words and replied back,
"I have known her since she was a child; she is more talented than any yellow or even green talent I've heard about. She grasps knowledge and techniques in a very short amount of time."
Long Tian looked at him with an evaluating gaze and continued.
"Someone at your level cannot have an ordinary granddaughter anyway. As they say, dragons give birth to dragons and tigers give birth to tigers."
His words caused the old man's grin to widen.
In this world, lineages affect the talent of the newborns, talented and powerful people tend to have more talented students; that's why families focus on family background more while they marry their children.
The next words from the old man confirmed his suspicions.
"Indeed, she has yet to awaken her bloodline; after that, her talent will soar through the skies. What about you, brat? What will you do now? From what I know, you grasp things even faster than her."
Tian knew very well what the man was talking about when he was saying 'What will you do?' but decided not to comment on that
"I will find another method to look into more books. I can become a body cultivator. About my talent, I feel it is different and much more complicated with the dense energy that was revolving around the orb."
He noticed how the boy changed the topic but decided to remain silent about it. The old man nodded his head, as he knew what he felt was different from those with low or no talent. Only people with extreme knowledge and sensitivity to qi, or those who were very near the orb, could sense it.
"I need to go home soon. I don't think I can hold on much longer. When will you leave for the sect?"
Tian spoke, his voice getting a little strained. He was dripping in sweat, and his eyes were droopy.
Sighing at the sight of the admirable young man, he replied,
"Today, we will go back, pack our belongings, and leave for the sect tomorrow."
This talk brought Ruo'er out of her reverie as she approached them and hugged Tian's arm.
"I want to stay with Tian more Grandpa. Why don't we go there after a few days?"
There was sadness and longing in her eyes, which almost melted the old man's heart, but he spoke in a firm tone, declining her without leaving any room for argument.
"No! You have to get stronger if you want to stay with him; otherwise, you will only cause him harm. You can meet him after you reach that elder's level. You have to work hard for your future."
Hearing this, Ruo'er's eyes got moist as she hugged him tightly.
"I will go back; say your goodbye as you might not be able to see him tomorrow." With that, the old man went away.