Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Visiting the Family
Deep in the North Alley of Liutiao Ward, a stone courtyard with blue roof tiles stood quietly.
The moment the three of them stepped down from the carriage, the Spirit-Powered Carriage automatically confirmed that the trip had ended, then silently drove back to its gathering point for cleaning.
Lin Bai carefully examined the courtyard. It was very different from the kind of residence he had imagined for an Extraordinary cultivator. There was none of the imposing grandeur of a great mansion. It looked more like the home of a wealthy country household, plain and unadorned.
Wang Qian then gestured for them to follow her inside. The gate of this small courtyard had three low stone steps. Since this was Lin Bai’s first visit, Wang Qian and Lin Su did not, as they usually did, go through the side gate.
Instead, they knocked on the vermilion front gate. Before long, a maid of about sixteen or seventeen came hurrying over to open it.
She first froze when she saw Wang Qian. But the moment her eyes fell on Lin Bai behind her, she immediately understood. If guests were coming to the house, how could one possibly lead them through the side gate?
After bowing to the three of them, the maid said to Wang Qian and Lin Su,
“Miss Qianqian, Miss Susu, Madam is still practicing martial arts in the rear side courtyard. I’ll go announce your arrival right away.”
Wang Qian waved a hand.
“No need. We’ll go ourselves.”
Then she pointed to Lin Bai and introduced him.
“Chunxue, this is Lin Bai, Mother’s youngest grandson. Go tell Aunt Wu to prepare some extra dishes for dinner and make it a little more lavish.”
Hearing that, the maid called Chunxue bowed once more to Lin Bai.
“Young Master Lin Bai.”
Only then did she turn and head toward the kitchen.
On the way to the back courtyard, Lin Bai noticed several fruit trees common to Yunzhou growing in the yard. Their branches and leaves were lush, clearly tended with care.
The courtyard was not large, so the three of them quickly reached the side courtyard used for martial practice.
Before seeing the person, they heard the sound first.
Sharp whooshing cries of a weapon cutting through the air rang out one after another without pause.
There, in the middle of the courtyard, was a woman dressed in white training clothes, practicing spear forms. A heavy-looking stone weight hung from the spear as well.
The woman looked to be only around forty years old. Because she was practicing with the spear, she had simply pinned up her hair.
This was Lin Bai’s grandmother, Tan Shu.
Though Grandma looked young, she was actually already in her seventies. She simply did not show her age because of cultivation.
For some unknown reason, the human race in this world aged extraordinarily well. As long as they suffered no major illness or catastrophe, reaching a hundred years old was effortless. For those who knew how to care for themselves, even a hundred and twenty was nothing unusual.
And when ordinary people grew old, their physical condition remained astonishingly good, with the aging process coming slowly. Even before death, they could still be as robust as people in their prime.
As for cultivators, there was even less need to say anything.
In the Transcendent-Mortal, one’s lifespan reached one hundred and eighty years upon first entering it. At its peak, another full sexagenary cycle could be added, bringing it to roughly two hundred and forty years.
The Extraordinary Realm and the Ascendant Realm could broadly be considered one category of life level, though they were also affected by the different paths one cultivated. Lifespans varied considerably, usually somewhere between three hundred and sixty and five hundred years.
According to Aunt Wang Qian, Grandma’s path belonged to the martial line. For martial artists in the Extraordinary Realm, lifespan generally reached a little over four hundred years.
So now that Grandma was only in her seventies, if one stretched that out against the timeline of an ordinary person, she had not even lived through a quarter of her life yet.
High-level cultivators could preserve their appearance as they wished. However their mind conceived of themselves, their outward appearance would reflect it. Even when nearing the end of their lifespan, as long as their hearts remained young, their outer appearance could still resemble that of youth.
Grandma Tan Shu had already noticed that the three of them had arrived, but her spear technique was still just short of completion.
So Lin Bai could only stand there and watch Grandma demonstrate her spear art. He had to admit that, as a veteran martial artist, Grandma’s spearwork was extremely fierce and sharp.
When the final move was complete, she flicked her wrist, and the spear, still carrying the stone weight, flew steadily back onto the weapon rack without missing by even the slightest bit.
Only then did she turn and look over. Her gaze passed across Wang Qian and Lin Su before finally settling on Lin Bai’s face, where it paused slightly.
At that moment, Wang Qian also went up to her with a grin and said in a deliberately mysterious tone,
“Hehe, Mother, guess who this is.”
Grandma ignored Wang Qian and kept staring straight at Lin Bai.
“So alike. So very alike.”
“Xiao Bai? You’re Lin Bai, aren’t you? The last time I saw you, seven years ago, you were just a little squirt. And now, in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown into a big boy.”
“Come here and let Grandma have a proper look at you. Your mother wrote me a letter not long ago, asking me to look after you.”
Lin Bai and Lin Su obediently greeted Grandma.
“Hello, Grandma.”
“Hello, Grandma.”
“Good, good. Very good.”
A smile spread across Tan Shu’s face as she pulled the two siblings over to sit with her on the stone bench to one side.
Wang Qian followed as well, though her lips were so pouty one could have hung a water bottle from them.
Lin Bai obediently sat down beside Grandma, while inwardly feeling helpless about his name.
Normally, when his sister and mother called him Xiao Bai, it sounded like the name of some household pet. Now it seemed that Aunt and Grandma would probably be joining in too.
At home, Wang Qian really did seem even livelier, almost carrying a trace of girlish sweetness.
At that moment, Grandma was carefully studying Lin Bai’s face, and Lin Bai also noticed the resemblance between himself and her.
His build came from his father, Lin Ye, while his face resembled his mother, Wang Xiu. But as for those phoenix brows and dragon eyes on his face, he had never known whom he took after.
Now that he had seen Grandma, Lin Bai finally understood.
So this was a case of inheritance skipping a generation.
Compared to most women, Grandma Tan Shu’s features carried a sharper edge. Put simply, hers was an aggressive sort of beauty. Beautiful she certainly was, but one glance was enough to tell that this woman was no fragile sort.
So the moment Grandma saw Lin Bai, she thought of herself in her teens. Unfortunately, time had changed everything. In a blink, more than sixty years had already gone by.
After sitting down, Lin Bai talked about how his parents were doing and about his own situation since arriving in Yunmeng City.
Lin Su and Wang Qian also chatted about amusing little matters from the Benevolent Heart Hall. Listening to the younger generations’ idle conversation, a smile unconsciously rose on Tan Shu’s face, and even the sharpness in her brows softened considerably.
After all, Tan Shu had already reached the Extraordinary Realm. From here on, she would probably remain at this level. Even if she somehow endured long enough to reach the Ascendant Realm, her lifespan would not increase by all that much.
As for the Rebirth Realm, Tan Shu no longer hoped for it. With her aptitude, it would be impossible without some heaven-shaking stroke of fortune. So now, as an aged “elder,” what she cared about most was her descendants.
At that thought, she could not help feeling somewhat fortunate. She had one son and two daughters. Her eldest son was a martial fanatic and likely would never marry. And as for her youngest daughter, Wang Qian, from what she knew of her, that would be difficult too.
If not for the fact that her eldest daughter, Wang Xiu, had found her own beloved husband early, gotten married, and had children, she might never have seen a grandchild at all.
As the youngest person in the family, Lin Bai was naturally doted on.
For example, right now Lin Bai was tugging at Grandma’s sleeve and earnestly trying to persuade her.
“Grandma, you really don’t need to buy any Extraordinary-Realm spirit beast meat.”
Meanwhile, Wang Qian was standing to one side happily stirring up trouble, since she wanted to eat it.
“Mother, it’s your grandson’s first time eating at home. What family wouldn’t prepare something good?”
The moment Grandma heard that, she became restless at once.
Lin Bai could only reason it out with her.
“Grandma, it’s already afternoon. By now, all the meat from those Extraordinary beasts would’ve been picked over.”
“Next time. Next time I’ll come early, and then you can buy it.”
Hearing Lin Bai put it that way, Grandma found his reasoning quite sound. She immediately summoned a maid and merely instructed her to make dinner more sumptuous.
Seeing that Grandma had given up the idea of buying Extraordinary beast meat, Wang Qian’s eyes turned again, clearly ready to start causing mischief.
But Lin Bai had already sensed the danger ahead of time, so he could only give her a pleading look.
Wang Qian returned him a glance, signaling that she would reluctantly agree to spare him.
And Lin Bai gave her a gesture of grateful thanks for letting him off.
In truth, it was not that Wang Qian truly wanted to bully Lin Bai. She simply felt that a family only grew closer through this kind of teasing and laughter.
And so, amid their reminiscing, the three suns finally sank below the horizon.
It was time for dinner.