A sudden gust of wind swept past. Even with Fang Shuwen’s level of Cultivation, his vision blurred for an instant.
Fang Mingxuan, who had just been sitting in the main seat, was now standing before him.
He covered the glowing Seven-String Ancient Chapter with his sleeve, wiping away the drop of blood in the same motion.
His movements were as fluid as flowing water, yet when he looked at Fang Shuwen again, his gaze trembled uncontrollably.
For a moment, Fang Shuwen didn’t know how to describe it. Fang Mingxuan’s gaze was... so cautious, as if he were looking at a beautiful dream that would shatter at the slightest touch.
His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
He reached out and grasped Fang Shuwen’s wrist.
He wanted to squeeze tightly, yet he didn’t dare...
When he finally spoke, it wasn’t in words or sentences, just a few meaningless syllables.
And yet, they seemed to convey a million unspoken words.
And faster than any words were the tears that burst from his eyes.
Though not adept at handling such situations, Fang Shuwen remained calm and gently patted Fang Mingxuan’s arm.
"This item is called the Seven-String Ancient Chapter...
"I came upon it by chance.
"I discovered that your daughter’s blood would cause it to glow.
"Coincidentally... my blood also has this miraculous effect.
"I am an orphan and grew up on the streets.
"When I first visited, I heard that Master Fang... had once lost a son.
"That is why I took the liberty of visiting."
His voice was strained and his words halting, but he finally managed to finish speaking.
Fang Mingxuan shook his head repeatedly, finally finding his voice.
"You... all these years... you must have suffered so, so much.
"Yes. It’s my fault.
"I’m the one who lost you..."
Before, when Fang Mingxuan hadn’t considered the possibility, he hadn’t thought much of it.
But now, with the Seven-String Ancient Chapter glowing from a drop of blood, he looked at Fang Shuwen again and had a startling realization. That innate fondness he felt—wasn’t it simply the affinity of shared blood and bone?
"Are you really... my father?"
Fang Shuwen murmured.
Fang Mingxuan said no more. With a shift of his Inner Breath, he forced out a drop of his own blood, letting it fall onto the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.
Brilliance instantly surged, and within the seven faint etchings, the light flashed like lightning.
Just a moment later, however, Fang Mingxuan wiped the blood away.
The Seven-String Ancient Chapter fell dormant. Within the great hall, neither of the two men spoke again.
After a long moment, Fang Shuwen slowly exhaled.
"So it’s true... you possess peerless Martial Arts..."
"It’s just a secret technique of our clan, hardly peerless. If you’re interested, I’ll go get them for you."
Fang Mingxuan’s eyes never left Fang Shuwen, as if he wanted to drink in every detail, from head to toe, and commit it all to memory.
Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically.
"Son, does anyone else know about the blood making it glow?"
Fang Shuwen shook his head.
"The circumstances were unusual. No one else saw what happened."
"That’s good, that’s good..."
Fang Mingxuan let out a sigh of relief, then broke into laughter.
"Hahaha! As expected of my, Fang Mingxuan’s, son!
"Who would have thought that the Demon Evil God, whose very name shakes the Eastern Domain, is actually my son!"
"..."
Fang Shuwen’s mouth twitched. ’This old man,’ he thought, ’really knows how to hit a sore spot.’
’Is that really a title to be proud of...?’
"Oh, right!"
Fang Mingxuan added hastily.
"Quick, come with me to see your mother!"
"Wait."
Fang Shuwen quickly caught Fang Mingxuan’s hand.
Fang Mingxuan froze, bewildered, and let his hand go.
"Yes... of course.
"It’s my fault. I was too eager. I didn’t consider your feelings.
"You must be full of doubts, I imagine... However, the Seven-String Ancient Chapter glowing from blood is a trait unique to our clan. Of that, you can be certain.
"And in the past fifty years, only one child of our clan has been lost—mine.
"So, you are without a doubt my own flesh and blood, lost for so many years!"
Fang Shuwen shook his head.
"If I had any doubts, I wouldn’t have been so forthcoming today.
"I just want to know what exactly happened all those years ago.
"Who was it that caused us to be separated for so long?"
After a moment of thought, Fang Mingxuan’s voice grew heavy as he began to speak.
"It’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you slowly...
"Hundreds of years ago, our clan settled on West Sea Jade Heaven Island. We lived in seclusion for generations, troubling no one.
"The Seven-String Ancient Chapter was our clan’s Sacred Artifact.
"But we never imagined that disaster would strike so quietly.
"A group of unknown assailants poisoned our water supply, then used the wind to attack the island with toxic smoke.
"Although our clan’s secret Martial Arts were quite powerful,
"for one, our ancestors at the time rarely made enemies and thus lacked combat experience.
"For another, nearly everyone was poisoned. Though they could use their Inner Strength to suppress it, it was a losing battle as the poison grew stronger and their energy waned.
"In that battle, our clan suffered a great defeat. The clan leader sacrificed his own life to get all the young and able-bodied clan members onto a large ship... and thus began our life of wandering."
At first, between the poison and their injuries, they were hunted so relentlessly that they were utterly suppressed.
It wasn’t until they had dispelled the poison and recovered from their wounds that their pursuers vanished.
The survivors on the ship were then split into two factions. Some wanted to return to Jade Heaven Island, but others argued the attack had clearly been premeditated. To go back now would be akin to a lamb walking into a tiger’s den.
After much deliberation, the clan elders decided they couldn’t risk the last remnants of their people.
Ultimately, they sailed east, eventually arriving in the Western Desert.
From there, they journeyed across the desert, crossed mountains and ranges, and finally reached the Eastern Domain.
As he reached this point in his story, Fang Mingxuan sighed.
"When we arrived in the Eastern Domain, we were still being targeted by their schemes, which led to a major conflict with the Eastern Domain Martial World.