At first glance, he looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but his eyes revealed a depth that suggested he had seen much of the world—far beyond what a young man of that age could experience.
His appearance bore a slight resemblance to Ye Lingling, dressed in white with a composed demeanor. His sky-blue hair cascaded over his shoulders, yet it didn't seem untidy. He exuded a sense of natural grace, embodying elegance, nobility, and charm.
He gave off an approachable vibe, free from arrogance. Moreover, although his spirit power was undeniably strong, it didn't give Lan Si a sense of danger, indicating that this refined middle-aged man was an auxiliary spirit master.
"Ye Lingling, and this... uncle, what brings you here?" Lan Si asked, lowering his guard upon confirming the man's status as an auxiliary spirit master.
The middle-aged man did not respond immediately. Instead, he nodded repeatedly and murmured to himself, "So similar, you really look like your mother."
"My mother?" Lan Si was taken aback. A wave of desolation washed over him. His parents had passed away when he was less than two years old, before he had awakened his memories from his previous life.
At that time, his memory was ordinary, and he could barely recall anything about his parents. However, he was certain they loved him dearly.
Although he could no longer remember his parents' faces, the few warm memories he had of them were still etched deeply in his mind.
The irony was, he didn't even know his mother's name.
It wasn't that Otto, who had adopted him, hadn't told him. Even Otto didn't know his mother's name. His parents seemed reluctant to mention her name to others.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" At this moment, the refined middle-aged man spoke again, his eyes drifting toward the door.
"Please, come in." Lan Si gestured politely, taking the key to his room from his storage spirit tool and unlocking the door.
The three of them entered the house, and Lan Si prepared some tea. It was a special blend provided by Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a gift from the royal family to every member of the Emperor Battle Team. Named "Cloud Mist," it was worth a fortune.
It was harvested from a foggy canyon on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest and was originally exclusive to the royal family. Later, Emperor Xue Ye ordered it to be provided to the academy's top Emperor Battle Team members to win their favor.
Lan Si usually didn't have a habit of drinking tea, so he kept it for entertaining guests, although he rarely had any.
"Good tea. Truly worthy of being the royal family's Cloud Mist. Even if I want some, I have to rely on Lingling to send it to me," the refined middle-aged man remarked, taking a small sip.
"Could you two now explain why you're here? I heard you mention my mother earlier, Uncle. Do you know her?" Lan Si asked impatiently.
The middle-aged man nodded and turned his gaze to Ye Lingling, who was standing nearby. "Lingling, show your cousin."
Ye Lingling lifted her delicate, white chin slightly, raised her right sleeve, revealing a blue sapphire bracelet identical to the one Lan Si had.
"This is..." Lan Si was astonished.
"The spirit tool 'Heart of the Ocean.' It originally came as a pair. When Lingling was born, your mother gifted her one," the middle-aged man sighed and explained. "I am Ye Renxin, the patriarch of the Nine Heart Begonia Clan, and the only Nine Heart Begonia Spirit Master besides Lingling. I am also your uncle, and Lingling is your cousin."
"Your mother's name was Ye Xinlan. The Nine Heart Begonia Spirit is passed down in a single line; each generation can only have one successor. At most, there can only be two living Nine Heart Begonia Spirit Masters at the same time. One must die before the next can appear. I am a few years older than your mother, and I awakened the Nine Heart Begonia Spirit first."
"So when your mother awakened her spirit, she couldn't inherit the Nine Heart Begonia. Her spirit mutated from a Begonia flower into a Lotus. However, in your generation, it seems to have mutated again, gaining a fire attribute, leading you down the path of a battle spirit master."
After hearing Ye Renxin's words, Lan Si was at a loss for words. He never imagined that such a dramatic, cliché situation could happen to him.
Ye Renxin sighed again and continued, "It's my fault. If I hadn't opposed your mother being with your father, she wouldn't have run away from home, and they wouldn't have died."
"Can you tell me why you opposed it? Was it because my father had poor talent or was a commoner?" Lan Si asked, his tone full of sarcasm and disdain.
Ye Renxin shook his head, a bitter smile crossing his handsome face. "Although the Nine Heart Begonia Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect both require their direct descendants to marry talented battle spirit masters, I had only one sister. Even if your father had mediocre talent, I wouldn't have broken them up. The real reason I opposed their relationship was due to a hidden truth."
"Go ahead and speak," Lan Si said, wanting to hear how he would justify his actions.
"Do you know who your grandfather is?" Ye Renxin asked solemnly.
"Why bring up my grandfather now?" Lan Si was even more confused.
"Well, you were bound to find out eventually, so there's no harm in telling you now." Ye Renxin's expression turned grim, and he spoke seriously, "The Clear Sky School. Perhaps you haven't heard of this title. Your grandfather was a disciple of the once number one clan under the heavens, the Clear Sky School. Your grandmother was a famous songstress in Heaven Dou City. They had a brief romantic encounter, resulting in your grandmother becoming pregnant with your father."
"The Clear Sky School places great importance on bloodline purity. Because of your grandmother's status as a songstress, your grandfather could neither marry her nor keep her by his side. He abandoned her and sent her to a remote mountain village, the village where your father was born—Empire Soul Village. It was originally called Iron Hammer Village but was renamed Empire Soul Village because your grandfather was a Soul Emperor at that time."
"When your father was six years old, his spirit failed to awaken into the Clear Sky Hammer, resulting in spirit variation. So, your grandfather left some money for them, abandoned them completely, and even took away your father's Tang surname."
"Despite having low innate spirit power due to the spirit mutation, your father still managed to become a spirit master. He later met your mother by chance. Your grandmother approved of their relationship because she found your father honest and sincere. However, everything changed twelve years ago."
"Tang Hao of the Clear Sky School killed the former Pope of the Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji. The Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky School went to war, hunting down all Clear Sky School disciples. Any power hiding Clear Sky School disciples became enemies of the Spirit Hall. Your father revealed his background to your mother and me, stating he didn't want to implicate the Nine Heart Begonia Clan. He only hoped I would take care of your mother and you, who had just been born."
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