Master Gu, being of advanced age, was thrown into confusion and bewilderment by such a shocking matter, "Our... family's people..."
"Yes, she's from Tianying Village, she's one of the Yan family," Maternal Granduncle wiped away a tear that had unwittingly escaped, "Think about it: only members of the Yan family can become Gu Speakers, how could there be any elsewhere?"
"Oh, she is... the one Xiang Kui mentioned... Yan Hua's granddaughter? The girl named... Su Wan?" Master Gu came to realize, his turbid gaze gradually warming up, staring intently at me.
Maternal Granduncle grabbed my arm, "Wanwan, kneel quickly and pay respects to Master Gu. He is one hundred and three years old, the eldest elder in our Tianying Village."
So there I was, following suit and kneeling down, all bewildered.
Wasn't this too sudden? A second ago they regarded me as an enemy shouting to strike me down.
And now, pulling me in so closely to kneel, by the look of it... was it the rhythm of acknowledging ancestors and returning to the family?
Acknowledging ancestors and... returning to the family...
That term, for me, was so out of reach.
No, to be precise, it was tantalizingly out of reach.
Even with the Lin Family, I had not been formally inducted into the family, nor had my name been entered into the ancestral hall.
"Repeat after Maternal Granduncle," Maternal Granduncle's heavy voice broke through my muddled thoughts, "As the thirty-sixth generation descendant, Su Wan, pays respects to Master Gu, wishing Master Gu boundless blessings and longevity."
"As the thirty-sixth generation descendant, Su Wan, pays respects to Master Gu, wishing Master Gu boundless blessings and longevity," I said, following Maternal Granduncle's words with my head bowed, tears flooding down uncontrollably.
I, a person completely disdained by my maternal grandmother Yan Hua, was in front of Maternal Granduncle, whom I was meeting for the first time, directly acknowledged as a descendant of the Yan family.
They truly saw me as family, truly cared about me.
Even if it might be related to my identity as a Gu Speaker, this sense of recognition was enough to churn my emotions over and over.
Zhang Zidao was already fuming and stamping his feet, "I forbid it! Ah Shui! You rascal, my good disciple is already part of the Lin family, and still has to inherit the Life and Death Embroidery from the Su family, and to become my direct disciple; she's really quite busy, with no time to spare to inherit anything from the Yan family!"
"Master..." I slowly lifted my head, with tears streaking all over my face.
So many tears pooled at my chin, dropping one by one to the ground, wetting a large area on the tile floor.
Seeing my face marred by tears, Zhang Zidao was completely stunned.
His expression became very complex. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on noᴠelfire.net
My Maternal Granduncle said, "Old Senior, one can never have too many skills, and we Tianying villagers are not trying to steal her from you, we just want to acknowledge our own bloodline."
"Forget it... blood is thicker than water... Old Taoist Priest... can't go against the natural order of ethics and morality." Eventually, Zhang Zidao gave up and plunked down onto a chair.
He looked somewhat disconsolate, like an old playful child who had his favorite toy taken away.
Master Gu recovered his spirit, bent down, and personally helped me to my feet, "I'm sorry, Wanwan, Master Gu misunderstood you. You are a good child, Master Gu shouldn't have been so impulsive, blaming you without getting things clear."
The group surrounding Master Gu all exchanged glances, their gazes turning awkward, almost as if they could dig out countless basements with their toes.
I knew that they had attacked me only out of respect for Master Gu, so I didn't take it to heart, "It's alright, it's most important for you to not be angry and to live a long and happy life."