Xie Jiuniang clutched the Storage Ring.
She loosened her grip, then tightened it again; she loosened once more, only to tighten her hold again.
Those reddened, large eyes looked pitiful, just like a little bunny.
"Daughter, this is compensation given by your grandfather out of guilt. Don't overthink it and just boldly accept it," Xie Shen said with a heartache for his daughter, gently patting her little head with his big hand.
Xie Jiuniang handed the Storage Ring back to Xie Shen, saying, "Father, you should bind it and see what's inside."
"No need, this is what our daughter deserves. I wouldn't take advantage of you," Xie Shen adamantly refused, believing the Storage Ring should rightfully go to his daughter.
Xie Jiuniang then handed it to Mo Lan, sincerely saying, "Then, Mother, you keep it. It's too conspicuous for a little Qi Cultivator like me to have a Storage Ring."
Mo Lan and Xie Shen exchanged a glance.
Their daughter made sense; lacking the ability to match the ring could indeed invite trouble.
Mo Lan took it and said, "I'll keep it for you for now, and give it back to you in the future."
"Mhm, we can talk about it later," Xie Jiuniang wasn't too concerned. The family might be poor now and lacking in possessions, but they would have everything in time.
After all, wasn't she a beloved daughter of the Heavenly Dao?
And one with cheat-like advantages at that.
"Father, Mother, here's a Foundation Establishment Pill. Who among you will use it first?" Xie Jiuniang then took out a Small Jade Bottle.
Xie Shen was the first to speak, "Give it to your mother! I will ask my father for my Foundation Establishment Pill. After all, he is my old man."
It wasn't too much for a son to ask his father for some things, was it?
Xie Jiuniang looked at her father's simple appearance and thought… there was a bit of deceit in that.
Upon binding the Storage Ring, Mo Lan clearly saw its contents and said with amusement, "There's no need to decline, there's another Foundation Establishment Pill inside the ring."
She then took out a delicate blue-and-white potion bottle and poured out two Foundation Establishment Pills.
That settled it!
Now everyone had a share.
Mo Lan also produced a potion bottle containing three high-quality Marrow Cleansing Pills, exactly one for each of them.
Besides that, there were five hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
The couple had never seen so many Spirit Stones in their lives despite their years of hard work.
"Damn rich folks, so my grandfather isn't poor at all," Xie Jiuniang commented disdainfully.
It was only their branch that was impoverished!
Damn!
Her understanding from her previous life wasn't necessarily correct; this was a wake-up call for her.
Following this, Xie Jiuniang realized another fact she had overlooked.
Her mother had a four Spirit Root of metal, wood, water, and earth, while her father possessed the five Spirit Roots. People with poor aptitude could only strengthen themselves through resources.
For someone with five Spirit Roots like her father, it wasn't easy for an ordinary person to even reach the midpoint of Qi Cultivation in a lifetime, yet her father reached Qi Cultivation Peak in his early thirties, which was a bit extraordinary.
She hadn't thought much of it in her previous life, but today, seeing how easily her father managed to "shear wool" from his own father, she understood that her grandfather must have been providing subsidies in private, benefitting both her parents.
Did their stingy eldest uncle know about this?
The reason her father did not have a fallout with him was not because of fear or cowardice, but because of the substantial secret support from the Clan Leader!
Xie Jiuniang had a peculiar expression on her face.
Xie Shen and his wife had returned two days earlier and, knowing their daughter was in closed-door cultivation, they did not disturb her. Angered by the wrongs done to his daughter, Xie Shen went to find the Clan Leader. Mo Lan, heartbroken, had been waiting outside for her daughter to finish her cultivation.
The family of three gathered together and each talked about what had happened over the past three years.
As evening approached.
Someone from the main family sent word, announcing a family banquet would be held that night, and they were to attend on time.
Xie Jiuniang's expression turned cold as she said, "I don't want to go. You both should just go."
Thinking that she was reminded of her lost opportunity, Mo Lan said with sympathy, "I won't go either. I don't want to see Chen Guan show off."
"Then I won't go either," Xie Shen quickly took a stand.
Seeing the worried look in her parents' eyes, Xie Jiuniang couldn't help but smile, feeling warmth in her heart.
This was her family, the ones who would stand with her through thick and thin.
Xie Jiuniang did not mention that her reason for not attending the banquet had nothing to do with her grievance against the main family.
The Cleansing Spiritual Grass was harvested by her from Yunmu Mountain, and Lin Wangchen was someone who knew the truth.
At the Xianlai Residence, Lin Wangchen had doubted that Xie Ying was the Child of Destiny. So, his initial suspect might have been her. The result of the divination by the Tianji Building had temporarily shifted his attention, but she was not that optimistic.
After all, Xie Ying was just as glorious in her previous life, and in the end, didn't those people find her out?
Xie Jiuniang kept this to herself and did not tell her parents.
With many and powerful enemies and numerous tactics at their disposal, the more people knew about her, the greater the risk she bore.
Right now, the most important thing was to diminish the attention others paid to her and remain inconspicuous.
As someone whose fortune had been stripped away, skipping the main family's banquet was justifiable, wasn't it?
As a result, the members of the third family were conspicuously absent from tonight's family banquet, which greatly angered their eldest uncle.
"Father, has my third brother come to resent me?" The eldest uncle complained.
The Clan Leader picked up his cup and took a sip, "Isn't it normal for him to resent you?"
"That's just…" The eldest uncle choked on his words.
Awkward, he found that convertation had nowhere to go!
His second brother laughed, his tone laced with sarcasm, "I say, big brother, everything has a limit. You keep holding these banquets over and over again. You may not be tired of it, but I'm sick of the eating."
Every banquet the main family held was like a stab to the heart for the third family. Wasn't it expected for them not to show up?
The atmosphere was odd at the table of the elders.
Similarly, at the younger generation's side, it was as quiet as a clutch of chickens, with Xie Haozhi, Xie Yue, and others present.
Some, taking advantage of Xie Ying's absence, whisperingly asked Xie Siniang, "Big Sister Si, why hasn't Xiaojiu arrived yet? I heard she left seclusion today."
"Come? With these banquets every other day, when have you seen Xiaojiu attend?" Xie Siniang rolled her eyes at the inquirer.
The person wanted to say more but was silenced by a fierce glare from Xie Siniang.
Xiaojiu was right not to come. Was she supposed to add frustration to herself by attending?
The main family's glory was built on the sacrifice of Xiaojiu.