Beastmaster of the Ages

The crowd kept growing larger. The old patriarch had personally summoned everyone and basically all House Suishen members within Myriadpath Valley, except those in seclusion or imprisonment, had arrived.

The old patriarch was the spiritual pillar of House Suishen. He was highly esteemed and deeply respected; even the other eminents showed him exceptional respect. Thus, they came with even more punctuality compared to when Eminent Ranxing summoned them.

Once they arrived, the eminents were somewhat puzzled and began whispering among themselves.

”Could it be that there’s been progress on the Yumo issue?”

”Possibly! Is it man-made or some special secret realm in the astralscape?”

”I heard there’s still no news from the Yumos?”

”We’ll know once the old patriarch arrives. It definitely isn’t a minor issue.”

”By the way, why hasn’t Eminent Ranxing arrived yet?”

”Maybe he’ll come with the old patriarch later!”

”Eminent Jiguang is here, though.”

”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Eminent Ranxing’s daughter.”

”She hasn’t come out of the Jiguang Sea. She doesn’t even visit the Suishen Ancestral Hall anymore. So much potential, ruined.”

”It was an ill-fated relationship! Sigh! This mess is truly embarrassing—none of the three came out unscathed.”

The three people they were discussing were, of course, Li Tianming, Suishen Yao, and Suishen Yue.

Indeed, it was a lose-lose situation.

”Fortunately, Suishen Yue wasn’t completely crushed. He’s still diligently cultivating with the goal of becoming a ninth-level foundationeer. Once he’s successful, he could earn the title of eminent.”

”He’ll be two thousand years old in another hundred years. There isn’t much time left to earn the eminent title during his youth.”

”If that incident hadn’t happened, he might already be one.”

”He’s over there! Eminent Jinying is also there, let’s go over and chat with her. Us elders haven’t had a chance to show concern for him.”

No matter how talented Tianming was, most eminents naturally wouldn’t side with an outsider when he had serious conflicts with House Suishen members.

”Honestly, Eminent Ranxing’s punishment of Li Tianming was too harsh, leaving no room for compromise. I’m still a bit worried that if the boy finds a way to rise, he might retaliate against our house.”

”By then, it’ll be up to Eminent Ranxing, Yaoyao, and Suishen Zhao.”

”Hopefully, he’ll remember the kindness Eminent Jiguang and the others showed him.”

Thousands of people had already gathered in the Suishen Ancestral Hall plaza. Except for some boys and girls under five hundred years old, they were all foundationeers. Those boys and girls, once mature, would also become foundationeers, making House Suishen a house fully made of foundationeers.

Suishen Yue stood among a group of eminents, looking like he was in good spirits. Seeing that he hadn’t been crushed by rumors, the elders praised him. As a victim, he had garnered a lot of sympathy.

”The old patriarch has arrived!” someone shouted, and everyone immediately stopped talking, looking toward the steps of the Suishen Ancestral Hall. The plaza instantly fell silent.

”Hey, Eminent Ranxing didn’t come with him?”

Many noticed that the old patriarch had come alone.

The old man had white hair and a youthful face. He was vigorous, tall, and handsome, and it was obvious that he was a dashing hero in his younger days. Even though he had indeed aged, he remained charismatic and authoritative, exuding a powerful aura. He wore a red and blue robe and descended the steps of the Suishen Ancestral Hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

”Greetings to the old patriarch!” thousands of House Suishen members respectfully shouted in unison.

Officially, Eminent Ranxing now managed House Suishen and its Myriadpath Valley affairs, but in the hearts of House Suishen, the true king was still the old patriarch.

The old patriarch scanned the crowd briefly and straightforwardly said, ”I summoned everyone today to announce one thing.”

Thousands of House Suishen members perked up their ears, curious about the important announcement.

Without pausing, the old patriarch declared on the spot, ”I’ve decided to revoke Li Tianming’s top fugitive status to fulfill the young people’s wishes. If he dares to return to Myriadpath Valley, he can choose a date to marry Suishen Yao and join our House Suishen.”

The brief sentence dropped in the plaza like a bombshell. Everyone’s minds went blank for a while, unable to process what it meant, leaving them staring at each other and thinking they had misheard.

”Choose a date for the wedding?”

Thousands of House Suishen members, including the eminents, were buzzing with thoughts.

”Is that appropriate?”

”I don’t know! But it’s the old patriarch speaking, so it was clearly thought out. The top fugitive status was declared by Eminent Ranxing, and he isn’t present. Does that mean there was some dispute over the matter, but they ultimately decided to follow the old patriarch’s decision?”

”The old patriarch is experienced and farsighted, meticulous in his decisions, and more steady than Eminent Ranxing. I believe he has his reasons for doing this.”

”The only possible reason is that Li Tianming’s talent has truly impressed him, or he wouldn’t have come out to change Eminent Ranxing’s decision.”

”Does anyone have any objections?”

”What objections could I have? For such matters, we should listen to the old patriarch. If Eminent Ranxing has no objections, neither do I. It isn’t my reputation being hurt, is it?”

”The only ones with objections and who lost face are the old patriarch’s eldest son’s family.”

”Their family’s truly unfortunate! The old patriarch is still Suishen Yue’s grandfather!”

For a moment, thousands of House Suishen members all turned and looked at Suishen Yue and his mother.

Suishen Yue had been filled with hope and beaming, as he had expected his grandfather to announce his and Yaoyao’s new marriage today. However, when the old patriarch finished that brief declaration, he was stunned on the spot, his smile going stiff. Thousands of eyes simultaneously fell on him while he continued awkwardly smiling. In reality, his insides were churning and he was almost to the point of spitting blood.

His mother fared no better, her face pale, looking at the old patriarch with disbelief. Years of bitterness and resentment welled up, making her eyes red.

Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, the old patriarch also looked at them and said, ”Suishen Yue, you and Yaoyao aren’t fated to be together. Now that things have come to this, there’s no need to force it. You aren’t young anymore, so just consider Yaoyao unworthy of you and find someone else to spend your life with. This incident has damaged your face and Eminent Ranxing felt sorry for you, so he severely punished Li Tianming. But I found it inappropriate, so I revoked Li Tianming’s punishment.

”It’s unfair to you, but matters of the heart are special cases that can’t be so harshly judged. You’ve performed well these years so I plan to reward you with the Kunlun Watcher to help you let go of the matter, return to the right path of cultivation, and take on the responsibility of being the elder brother of the young generation of House Suishen. I look forward to your future.”