Chapter 1367: I Only Want You (65)
Just as she was sulking in hopelessness, the elderly man began walking toward An Xiaoning. She straightened her back and yelled again, “Uncle, can you hear me?”
At this moment, the elderly man raised his head slowly and said, “Lass, I can hear you.”
Upon the sight of his face, An Xiaoning’s eyes widened in shock and she exclaimed, “Uncle, it’s you!”
The elderly man was the same one whom An Xiaoning and Fan Shixin had visited in the woods to seek help from when Jin Qingyan went missing after the tsunami.
He smiled at her and walked straight into the house…
An Xiaoning could not get out no matter how hard she tried, and yet he could enter so effortlessly.
“Yes, it’s me. We haven’t met in a while. How are you doing?” the elderly man asked after removing his cloak.
“Terrible. Uncle, I’ve been trapped here for days and I can’t leave at all. I have no idea what’s going on in the world outside right now, and I’m very worried but there’s nothing I can do.”
He said, “I’m relieved to see that you are fine. The world outside is peaceful and well. You’re worrying for nothing, so just put your mind at ease.”
An Xiaoning asked in surprise, “Peaceful and well? How could that be?”
She didn’t think that it would be peaceful at all.
He smiled and said, “It’s all been settled. How could I possibly allow that troublemaker to snatch my family’s precious heirloom and harm my family member? I came here to pick you up.”
An Xiaoning was greatly taken aback. I clearly heard him say ‘my family.’ Is he a member of the Jin family?
“Uncle, pardon my ignorance, but I don’t know who you are in the Jin family. Could you enlighten me?”
“Qingyan already knows who I am. You may ask him when we get back. Let’s go.”
An Xiaoning nodded and left together with him.
To her bewilderment, he brought her out of the house effortlessly without chanting any spells or performing any rituals.
Once they exited, she turned around to take a look, only to discover that the house had magically disappeared.
Although her mind was flooded with questions, she decided not to get too eager or impatient. It was a blessing to be able to make it out of that hellish place.
Shortly after, she caught sight of a helicopter on a bare land and of Jin Qingyan, who was dressed in a black suit and was waiting for them.
An Xiaoning teared up the instant she saw that he was safe and sound. She was clueless as to what had happened in the outside world throughout the two weeks that she had been inside the house.
However, she was certain that he must have gone through a battle.
Upon reaching the helicopter, she chided, “How could you let Uncle go and pick me up alone? Why didn’t you go?”
She was blaming him for letting the elderly man go on his own and for not picking her up himself.
Jin Qingyan said in a gentle voice, “He didn’t want to let me go. He said that this place is full of spells.”
“Enough, hurry and leave this place. It’s time for me to go too,” the elderly man urged.
An Xiaoning exclaimed, “Uncle, why don’t you go back with us?”
He waved and said, “Nah, I’m used to living a carefree life in solitude. I don’t like going to crowded places at all. It’s a wonderful thing to be free. I’m leaving now. We’ll meet again if fate allows it. If not, there’s no need to force it.”
He then turned around and walked along a narrow path. He was quick in his step and soon vanished in the drizzling rain.
An Xiaoning and Jin Qingyan got inside the helicopter. The moment the helicopter soared up into the sky, An Xiaoning shifted her gaze onto the direction that the elderly man had walked to, only to discover that he had gone missing.
“How strange. He told me that he’s a member of the Jin family. Just who is he?”
Jin Qingyan remained silent and cupped her face in his hands while staring at her closely.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I’m looking at you.”
“You’ve already looked at me so many times before. Aren’t you sick of me yet?”
“No, I’ll never get sick of you. I’m sorry.”
An Xiaoning held his hand and asked, “Why are you apologizing to me?”
“I failed to protect you.”
“I don’t blame you, it’s not your fault. I’m alright anyway. Fortunately, I have the ability to survive without food or water for a long time. Otherwise, I would have starved to death in that invisible house. There was nothing in there except a fireplace and some firewood.”
She then shifted her gaze onto the jade ring on his hand, only to discover that it was no longer crimson and had turned a bright emerald color.
“Hey, why has it become a different color again?”
“Because we’ve already tided through the crisis. That’s why it has returned to its original color instead of the reddish-green hue.”
“You haven’t answered my question yet! Who was that old man?” An Xiaoning asked.
“Him… it’s a long story,” said Jin Qingyan, who felt much more relaxed now that he had found her.
“Just explain it to me briefly, then.”
His lips curled into a charming smile, and he wrapped his arms around her before whispering into her ear, “He’s one of the Jin family ancestors.”
“Then?”
“Didn’t you ask for a brief explanation?”
An Xiaoning punched him playfully and said, “Not that brief!”
“What else am I supposed to say? I won’t tell you unless you give me some benefits.”
“You…” An Xiaoning turned around and pretended to ignore him. “It’s up to you, then.”
Jin Qingyan smiled and said, “Fine, fine, I’ll tell you.”
“That’s more like it.”
“He’s one of the Jin family forefathers. Do you remember what he told you about a Jin family ancestor falling in love with the dragon fairy?”
“Yes. Don’t tell me, he’s that ancestor?”
“Your brains are finally working.”
An Xiaoning glowered at him and retorted, “Hey, they’ve always been working, alright? Has he been alive all this while, then?”
“Do you think that you were speaking to a ghost, then?”
“What about his wife? That dragon maiden.”
“He said that it was impossible between him and her. She was caught and punished eventually, despite having gone into hiding for a long time. She had been executed. They lived together for decades. Before she passed on, she gave Ancestor an elixir and told him to keep it safe.”
An Xiaoning could not help but recall what the elderly man had said to her the first time she visited him in the mountains.
Back then, he said, “The Jin family used to be a large family with extended members. It’s actually rather shocking to see how few descendants there are left today. Since you’re the daughter-in-law of the Jin family, shouldn’t you be aware of the reason why the Jin family is extraordinary?”
She answered, “I don’t know.”
“The ancestor of the Jin family fell in love with the Dragon Maiden and gave rise to their descendants. The Jin family bloodline had always been extraordinary. The reason why there had been peace within the family for so long is merely because their family heirloom has yet to unleash its power. They’re not suspiciously different from ordinary people, apart from being much more intelligent.”