Ch. 349 - Supreme Lunar-Yin Physique

Cold winds howled. Snow whirled wildly through the streets. The little tavern sat at a corner, shabby and quiet, with almost no customers.

After several years apart, Old Jiang looked even older. His hair was completely white, his face full of new wrinkles.

The tables and chairs were already spotless, yet he kept wiping them carefully. His cloudy eyes carried a trace of nostalgia, perhaps lost in memory. His expression seemed dazed.

His clothes were worn and patched. His hands were calloused. His movements were slow, his back bent, his hair sparse and thin.

Seeing this, Ye Fan felt a sting in his heart. Why was it like this? The Jiang Clan had taken the old man and his granddaughter to the Northern Region, how could life still be so bitter?

This lonely old man had lost his son in his later years and raised little Tingting alone. Ye Fan had thought that once they joined the Jiang Clan, their lives would change. He hadn’t expected to find them like this.

He stepped into the tavern, bringing with him a gust of freezing wind. The frail old man shuddered, slowly turning around.

Ye Fan quickly closed the door to block the wind and smiled. “Old sir, do you have anything to eat?”

Seeing a customer, Old Jiang’s wrinkled face brightened with genuine happiness. He wiped his hands and brought out a pot of tea.

“What would you like, young man?”

“Anything simple will do. Don’t trouble yourself,” Ye Fan said. He didn’t want the old man to strain himself, at such an age, still running a tavern in winter, it was hard to watch.

“Alright, please wait a bit.” Old Jiang turned and went to the kitchen.

Ye Fan quietly looked around the tavern. It was very small, only a few tables, but clean and tidy, almost identical to the one from years ago. The layout, the furnishings, everything was nearly the same.

There were no helpers, only the old man working alone. In this freezing winter, few people ever came.

Ye Fan scanned every corner and realized the old man lived alone. He saw no trace of little Tingting, no child’s clothes or toys.

Before long, Old Jiang brought out a few steaming dishes. They weren’t fine delicacies, but they stirred one’s appetite.

Ye Fan ate a full bowl of noodles, several flatbreads, and finished all the dishes.

“Young man, you’ve got a good appetite,” Old Jiang said with a kind smile. “I used to eat that much when I was young.”

“Everything was delicious,” Ye Fan replied with a smile.

The old man cleared the dishes and refilled his tea. Having company seemed to fill him with joy.

“Old sir, do you live here alone?” Ye Fan asked.

“Yes,” the old man said, wiping another table.

“These tables are already spotless,” Ye Fan said. “You’ve polished them so much they could be used as mirrors.”

“When you’re old, you don’t have much to do. You just… can’t help wiping them again,” Old Jiang said, setting down the cloth and taking a seat.

“Do you have any family?” Ye Fan asked gently, afraid of stirring sadness.

“Yes, a granddaughter.”

The old man smiled, but Ye Fan saw a trace of worry in his eyes, deep and hard to hide.

Something was wrong. What had happened to Tingting? Ye Fan felt uneasy.

“She doesn’t live with you?”

“No. She’s practicing cultivation. But she’s a very filial child, she comes to see me every half a month,” the old man said, smiling contentedly.

But Ye Fan’s unease only grew. The old man clearly carried some heavy burden in his heart.

Ye Fan thought for a moment, then left the tavern. He walked through the small town, using his divine sense to scan the surroundings.

He sensed no cultivators, no members of the Jiang Clan, only ordinary people. Soon, he returned to the tavern.

“Come, have another cup of tea,” Old Jiang said kindly, without asking why he had left and come back.

“Old sir, do you still remember me?” Ye Fan’s bones cracked as he restored his true appearance.

He needed answers, he couldn’t leave this old man and his granddaughter on his conscience.

“Hmm...? Child… it’s you…” Old Jiang’s cloudy eyes widened in shock.

Years had passed, and Ye Fan’s appearance had changed, he now looked sixteen, but the old man still recognized him immediately.

“You…” the old man stammered, his voice trembling with emotion.

“Please sit, old sir. Let’s talk slowly,” Ye Fan said, helping him to a chair near the fire.

“I heard from Tingting that you’ve caused quite a stir. Many people are after you,” Old Jiang said worriedly.

Ye Fan smiled. “I’m doing fine. Don’t worry, no one can catch me.”

“Tingting always says she must cultivate hard so she can rescue you one day. I’ve been worried for you both,” the old man said, his eyes soft.

Ye Fan was moved. When he last saw little Tingting, she was only four or five years old. He had thought she’d forget him after so many years. But she still remembered, even wanted to save him.

The Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique had caused endless upheaval in the Northern Region. His legend had spread to the Jiang Clan, and even little Tingting had heard of him.

Old Jiang held Ye Fan’s hand, rough and calloused. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Sir, what happened? Why aren’t you living with the Jiang Clan?”

“They’re all cultivators, living in palaces suspended in the sky. I’m just a mortal. I couldn’t get used to it,” the old man said.

“There must be more to it than that,” Ye Fan pressed.

The old man nodded. “I got tired of the gossip. I can live on my own.”

Anger flashed in Ye Fan’s eyes. “You’re so old, and they still let you live like this?”

He had long known that the Jiang Clan had wronged Old Jiang’s father, Jiang Zhe, a once-brilliant genius who had left home in bitterness and died far from kin. And now, to treat his descendant like this…

“No, it was my choice. I couldn’t live there. They’re all immortals to me. I’m just a mortal, living among clouds with no one to talk to.”

“What about Tingting? Did something happen to her?” Ye Fan still felt there was a hidden truth.

“My poor granddaughter… she may not live past twenty,” the old man said, tears streaming down his face.

Ye Fan’s heart jolted. “What do you mean?!”

“They say Tingting was born with the Supreme Lunar-Yin Physique, and those who have it rarely live long...”

Old Jiang wept.

When Tingting first arrived at the Jiang Clan, her cultivation progressed at an astonishing pace. Her talent stunned even the oldest elders.

But soon, a reclusive ancient of the clan examined her and discovered she had the fabled Supreme Lunar-Yin Physique, an unimaginably powerful and rare physique.

Yet those born with it rarely survived into adulthood. Most died before twenty. Only one or two in all of history had escaped that fate.

After this discovery, Old Jiang heard many cruel whispers. He was a mortal among cultivators, isolated and helpless, and he could no longer bear it. He insisted on leaving.

Through his account, Ye Fan sensed that the Jiang Clan was divided into two factions.

Old Jiang and Tingting belonged to the lineage of the God-King Jiang Taixu, a branch few in number but immensely strong. They cared deeply for the pair.

The other branch, however, treated them coldly. Most of the malicious gossip came from that side.

“Even so, they shouldn’t let you live in such poverty!” Ye Fan said angrily.

“One of the kind ones built me a mansion in a mortal city,” Old Jiang said. “But I couldn’t settle there. I’m old, nostalgic… I missed my little tavern in the southern town. So I came here. And Tingting… She’s optimistic. But I… I just...” The old man’s eyes grew cloudy again.

Tingting’s cultivation had soared, in less than five years, she reached the Other Shore stage, though she wasn’t yet nine years old.

The Jiang Clan’s elders were astounded. The Supreme Lunar-Yin Physique cultivated with terrifying speed, but always met a tragic end.

Ye Fan, too, was shocked. Advancing one major realm per year, it reminded him of Xia Jiuyou, who had reached the Four Pillars Realm at just thirteen. Tingting’s pace rivaled that.

Those who cared for her searched every ancient text, brewed countless elixirs, but nothing worked. In the end, they were helpless.

“Is there truly no way?” Ye Fan asked, his heart aching at the thought of her short life.

“I heard them say only the Earth Life Fruit can prevent a Supreme Lunar-Yin Physique from dying young,” the old man said, his brow dark with sorrow.

Ye Fan’s heart leapt. The Earth Life Fruit, the mature form of the Ginseng Fruit, rivaled the godly medicines of the Primordial Era, treasures beyond price.

But both had long vanished. Even the aged Sacred Lords and Imperial Lords, who scoured the Grand Desolation seeking life-extension methods, never found one.

If such a fruit could be found, it could restore life itself, its value was beyond imagining. But no one had seen one in endless ages.

“Don’t worry, old sir. I’ll find one. Tingting will be fine,” Ye Fan said firmly.

“You can find it?” the old man asked, wide-eyed, then shook his head. “No, don’t comfort me. I’ve accepted the truth.”

“I once cut open a stone and found a Ginseng Fruit. When it matures, it becomes the Earth Life Fruit. I believe I can cut one again,” Ye Fan said.

“Truly?” the old man gasped. “They said only if a Celestial Source Master were reborn would there be hope of finding one.”

Ye Fan smiled. “That’s exactly why I say this, I inherited the legacy of the Celestial Source Master. Don’t worry. Even if I can’t cut out an Earth Life Fruit, I’ll find a godly medicine to save her.”

“Really… truly?” The old man’s voice shook. He grabbed Ye Fan’s hands tightly, asking again and again.

“It’s true. So don’t worry, everything will be okay!” Ye Fan said solemnly.

“In a few days, Tingting will come back to visit me. You must see her,” the old man said.

“Of course. I would love to! It’s been almost five years, I wonder how that little girl has grown,” Ye Fan said, smiling.

Outside, the wind roared. Snow fell endlessly. For the next few days, Ye Fan stayed in town, listening for news, hoping God-King Jiang Taixu might still return alive from Purple Mountain.

But he worried. Even if the God-King lived, his lifespan must be near its end. Without him, few could deter the holy lands.

“If only there were a few Earth Life Fruits,” Ye Fan murmured. Then he shook his head, that was a dream.

“If I could just cut out one complete godly medicine, that would also save her.” He prayed silently that Jiang Taixu would survive and live long, for his presence alone could protect Tingting from harm.

“Alas, even the Imperial Lords of divine dynasties, ruling boundless lands, never found such a thing.”

Four days later, a little girl, carved from jade and snow, came hopping through the storm into the town.

“Grandpa!”

“Tingting!” Old Jiang rushed to her.

“Grandpa, you don’t have to worry about me,” the girl said, dressed in white purer than snow. She looked like a porcelain doll, delicate, lovely, her face beaming with joy.

Old Jiang stroked her head fondly. “How have you been these two weeks?”

“Very well! I’m so happy. The ancestor even allowed me to read the first half of the Eternal Universe Scripture!”

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