Jin Cengran finished speaking, and neither Father Jin nor Jin Cenglv said anything more; they just ate their meal in quiet.
Little Uncle Jin, with a scruffy beard, pinched his chopsticks and shoved a mouthful of vegetables in, then looked at Jin Cengran and mumbled a question, "Weren’t you busy? How come you’re back?"
"Came back to discuss some matters with Father," Jin Cengran responded while looking at Father Jin, "It’s about the mental method. Has Grandfather told you about it?"
Father Jin had food in his mouth, so he didn’t speak, only nodding his head slightly.
"Then let’s wait until after you’ve finished eating to talk about it," Jin Cengran said, not wanting to disturb Father Jin any further during his meal.
"Issues with the mental method? What mental method? What’s the problem?" Little Uncle Jin didn’t care about talking with his mouth full and continued muttering to Jin Cengran.
"The matter with the mental method isn’t urgent, but Little Uncle," Jin Cengran didn’t respond to his queries and instead asked him, "Weren’t you out looking for an heir? You’re back so soon, did you find one?"
Hearing this, Little Uncle Jin’s face immediately fell, "Stop it, just thinking about it clogs up my heart."
Jin Cengran arched his eyebrows lightly but did not inquire further.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, but rather he knew that even if he didn’t ask, Little Uncle would volunteer the information himself.
Sure enough, not half a minute passed before Little Uncle Jin spoke up, "I took my treasured brush with me to so many cities, set up so many stalls, saw so many people, yet not a single one of them recognized its value."
"Finally, a young girl who took a liking to the brush showed up, and guess what? She actually, actually..." he trailed off, shook his head with a look of frustrated disappointment, picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks, and chewed vigorously before continuing to mutter, "She actually wanted to use my treasured brush to paint talismans."
The moment Little Uncle Jin finished speaking, Jin Cenglv, who had been eating quietly, paused and glanced up at him quickly.
"What are you looking at? It’s exactly that kind of talisman you’re thinking of, the kind you love to draw, the ones fortunetellers use for their rituals," Little Uncle Jin glared at Jin Cenglv, his eyes filled with the same look of disappointed frustration.
Jin Cenglv pretended not to see and continued to eat quietly.
"That look, each and every one of you, wants to use my brush for painting talismans," Little Uncle Jin grumbled while loading his mouth with more food, biting down hard.
Of all the current generation in the Jin Family, he had the highest hopes for Jin Cenglv and his sister’s nineteen-year-old son.
He had planned to choose one of them to inherit his mantle and pass on his treasured brush to one of them.
But one wanted to use his brush for painting talismans, and the other, in the midst of learning, ran away from home and was nowhere to be found.
Jin Cengran listened to Little Uncle Jin’s endless muttering and chuckled, "To have two fortunetellers set their sights on your brush, have you never thought, Little Uncle, that the brush might be particularly suitable for painting talismans?"
Little Uncle Jin: "..."
He gave Jin Cengran a deep look, "If you’ve got nothing good to say, then don’t say anything at all."
Hearing that, Jin Cengran’s smile still lingered on his lips, but indeed, he did not speak any further.
After the meal, Jin Cengran, Little Uncle Jin, and Father Jin went to the study together.
Jin Cengran shared with them what Gu Zhiqi had told him about the Jin Family’s leg ailment, their involvement in Dual Path Cultivation, and the possibility of an issue with their mental method.
He also sought the opinions of Father Jin and Little Uncle Jin, "Grandfather has already agreed; he wanted me to see what you two think."
After hearing this, Father Jin fell into a long silence.
But Little Uncle Jin, unconcerned, waved his hand and said, "If Dad has agreed, then what objections could we possibly have?"