Seeing the leaders of the four major factions finally emerge, the crowd outside the tavern courtyard instantly grew excited.
They were dissatisfied with how long the leaders had been drinking, but dared not show it.
At this moment, Vincent Zuo secretly gritted his teeth, turned around, and suddenly knelt down towards the courtyard wall.
This abrupt kneeling caused the expressions on many cultivators’ faces to freeze instantly.
The leader of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion… What is he doing…
Realizing something, the cultivators quickly looked towards the tavern, their hearts surging with waves of shock!
“Lord Zuo… We shall take our leave now.”
Aaron Zhao and the other two faction leaders exchanged glances, greeted Vincent, and quickly left with their Heaven’s Chosen.
The place grew increasingly quiet, even the next batch of cultivators hesitated to enter the tavern, staring in a daze.
Shane Peng’s eyes flickered as he involuntarily looked towards the tavern, recalling the Cyan Cloth innkeeper, and murmured to himself, “The Black Fiend Region truly hides dragons and crouching tigers, even an innkeeper here is so extraordinary…”
“The Soul Cleanse Brew is limited to two hundred pots daily, one pot per person per day. Those who can’t get it today, please leave early and come back tomorrow!”
Christopher Tong’s voice, amplified by his immortal energy, echoed in everyone’s ears.
The crowd was stunned, especially those at the back of the line, who were dumbfounded.
When would it be their turn to get the Soul Cleanse Brew? Would they have to wait endlessly?
“Sigh, forget it, I’ll come back another day and try my luck.”
“I’d rather go seeking women, whether I get to drink the Soul Cleanse Brew or not is up to fate.”
“Hey, you can’t just let everyone wait in vain. How about this, register the names of those in line, so everyone gets a fair chance?”
“Yeah, that way at least everyone gets a turn, and it’s fairer.”
“Good idea! This suggestion is great!”
“……”
This suggestion rekindled hope in everyone’s hearts!
Christopher Tong, hearing this, looked at Leonard Lin and said, “Junior Brother, you handle the registration.”
“Got it, Senior Brother.” Leonard Lin responded, took out a register, and started recording names from the line.
Christopher Tong then led this batch of twenty cultivators into the tavern.
…
Vincent Zuo knelt on the ground, facing the courtyard wall with his eyes closed. He said softly, “You two, go back to the mansion.”
Bang.
Unexpectedly, Evelyn Zuo knelt behind him in silence.
The young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, who had been hesitating, quickly knelt down as well, pleading earnestly, “Foster Father, let me stay with you.”
But his actions were half a step slower than Evelyn’s.
Vincent Zuo sensed this and, after a moment of inner turmoil, said, “You are now the young master of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. Go back and assist the Grand Elder in managing the mansion. Also, make sure they don’t act rashly. I will be staying at the Longevity Tavern for the next three years.”
The young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes’ eyes flickered with genuine emotion as he said, “Foster Father, the Grand Elder and the others can handle things. Let me stay with you.”
Vincent Zuo replied calmly, “No need to say more, go back.”
Hearing this, the young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes felt secretly pleased but showed a bitter expression as he slowly got up and bowed, “Foster Father, I will return to the mansion now.”
Seeing Vincent Zuo nod, the young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes bowed and left, soon disappearing into the crowd.
At this moment, Vincent Zuo suddenly chuckled, “A foster son… is still a foster son.”
Evelyn Zuo lowered her head, remaining silent.
“Evelyn, you should go back too.” Vincent Zuo felt the many strange gazes on his back and said softly.
Evelyn Zuo raised her head, looking at his back, and asked firmly, “Lord Zuo, is it because I am a woman that I cannot bear the banner of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion?”
She had never understood why the position of young master was given to a foster son with no blood relation!
Vincent Zuo’s eyes trembled slightly as he said softly, “Do you know how your mother died?”
Evelyn Zuo was taken aback and said urgently, “Didn’t you say she was harmed by a traitor? Why are you saying this now!”
“Heh heh heh.”
Vincent Zuo hesitated for a moment, then his eyes turned cold as he said with a bitter laugh, “Indeed, she was harmed by a traitor. But what if that traitor was your grandparents?”
Grandparents…?
Evelyn Zuo was stunned. She had never known she had grandparents.
Seeing her reaction, Vincent Zuo closed his eyes, a warm smile appearing on his face as he spoke slowly,
“Long ago, your mother and I met by chance and fell in love for thirty thousand years. At that time, I was just a newly ascended Chaos Immortal Lord with no background, while your mother was the daughter of a high and mighty imperial clan…”
At this point, a hint of inferiority flashed across Vincent Zuo’s face.
Evelyn Zuo was already in a daze. This was the first time Vincent Zuo had told her these things. Their father-daughter relationship had always been poor, and she didn’t even know her mother’s name.
She never imagined that her mother, whom she had never met, was actually the daughter of an imperial clan!
“The subsequent events were quite cliché, as you can probably guess.”
Vincent Zuo turned his head slightly and said.
Evelyn Zuo nodded. She knew that given her father’s strength and background at the time, he was far from being a match for her mother, who was an imperial clan’s daughter. He must have faced numerous difficulties and obstacles.
But…
“You want to know how your mother died, right?” Vincent Zuo asked, then laughed bitterly, “Your grandparents and various clan elders were all against our relationship. I remember vividly the insults and ridicule that rained down on me, even threats to kill me for my audacity!”
At this point, Vincent Zuo’s smile faded, his eyes turning blood-red as he continued in a trembling voice,
“I wanted to leave that place of trouble to avoid implicating your mother, but she kept a close watch on me, refusing to let me go. She defended me fiercely, but her defense only enraged your grandparents further. In their fury, they locked onto me with their killing intent!”
“An Immortal Emperor’s methods are not something a mere Chaos Immortal Lord can withstand. Death was but a step away.”
“No one expected your mother to suddenly shield me, facing that deadly intent… Your grandparents were shocked and tried to retract their attack, but it was too late. To save me, your mother…”
Evelyn Zuo was silent for a moment, then asked, “How did you survive?”
“At her last moment, your mother revealed a shocking secret she had been hiding: she was pregnant with twins, and your brother is now with the imperial clan.”
“Your grandparents spared me because of this, but they still expelled me from the clan. Later, when you two were born, your brother, having a purer bloodline, was naturally kept, while you, with a more mixed bloodline and being a girl, were given to me.”
“I took you and left the imperial clan immediately, but they still secretly sent Immortal Kings to kill me! We fled to the chaotic Black Fiend Region, barely escaping death…”
“Even now, the imperial clan sends people to the Black Fiend Region to find me. They don’t know I’ve changed my identity, but there’s still a risk of being discovered…”
Vincent Zuo’s face twisted with rage as he said calmly, “I have been secretly developing in the Black Fiend Region, but I’m only a sixth-grade Immortal Venerable now. Avenging your mother seems a distant dream.”
Evelyn Zuo stood there, stunned.
…
Leave a Reply