Chapter 538: The Fang Family
"What the hell are you even asking?! Stop joking around! We don't have that kind of relationship! Besides, we're barely acquainted with each other!" Fang Xiaoyan shouted at her parents and grandparents, her face flushed with embarrassment in front of Yuan.
"What?! This is unbelievable! How do you explain the state you're in?" The old lady was baffled by Fang Xiaoyan's response and looked at her in disbelief.
"Yes, don't lie to us now. We all know you had an 'intense session' with this young man before coming back. Don't try to hide it from us," the mature woman said with a grin, glancing at her daughter's disheveled clothes.
From the state of her clothes, they assumed Yuan had forced her, but since there were no injuries, they believed Fang Xiaoyan had enjoyed it and allowed Yuan to do whatever he wanted.
"Granddaughter, no matter what you say, we won't believe you. Your appearance says everything—you had an intense session with this young man," the old man said in a serious tone, stealing a glance at Yuan.
"I can't believe I'm finally getting a son-in-law! We've been asking for one for almost a year now since we're getting old, and we can't have another child ourselves," the middle-aged man said with an excited grin, pulling the mature lady closer.
Then the old man looked at his granddaughter and asked, "So, when can we expect a child from you two?"
"What the heck are you all talking about?! You are seriously misunderstanding us!" Fang Xiaoyan shouted at her family, her expression turning very serious.
She continued, "I brought him here because he is somehow connected with our Lord! So, stop making jokes about that! Seriously, I've told you countless times that I'm too young to have a child."
Yuan could only stare at Fang Xiaoyan's family with a dumbfounded expression upon hearing their strange questions.
'This family is extremely weird… but they seem to be very close to each other, whereas most families outside this secret realm would try to kill their own members,' Yuan thought, a small smile forming on his lips. The dynamics of the Fang family were indeed unique compared to most families outside the secret realm.
"Connected with our Lord?"
Her family's expressions suddenly became serious upon hearing her words, and they stopped questioning her.
"How did you find out that this young man is connected with our Lord? Did something happen between the two of you?" the old man asked with a frown, looking very serious.
Fang Xiaoyan nodded before looking at Yuan and speaking, "Well, I first found this young man inside our Lord's training ground when I went to check the Stone Tablet left by the Lord."
She then began explaining everything about her encounter with Yuan to her parents and grandparents.
"But that doesn't explain how this young man is connected with our Lord, Xiaoyan," the old lady said. "After all, it could just be a coincidence."
"Indeed, that could be a coincidence. And it doesn't explain how this young man is the person mentioned in our family prophecy—the Destined One," Fang Xiaoyan's father added, looking at Yuan with a skeptical expression.
Fang Xiaoyan rolled her eyes and said, "Before making any assumptions, why don't you let me finish?"
"Well, sorry about that. You can continue, dear," the old lady said with a smile.
"The Lord's Stone Tablet reacted to Yuan, and all the Sword Aura from the tablet fused with his own Sword Aura," Fang Xiaoyan said calmly, as if it were a completely normal thing to say.
"The Lord's Stone Tablet reacted to this young man?! Impossible!" Fang Xiaoyan's father exclaimed, left speechless by her words.
Fang Xiaoyan's mother and grandparents immediately frowned at Yuan, as if they were witnessing a miracle. They almost forgot to breathe for a moment, as Fang Xiaoyan's words were truly shocking.
But judging by the serious look on Fang Xiaoyan's face, she didn't seem to be lying. Moreover, she had never lied to them before; she had always been very honest, except for her mischievous behavior as a child.
"A-Are you serious about what you've said, dear?" the old lady asked with a frown. Even though Fang Xiaoyan had never lied to them, she still found it hard to believe.
"Grandma! Have I ever lied to you? I'm being very serious right now!" Fang Xiaoyan replied, her voice slightly angry.
"So, he isn't your secret boyfriend we don't know about?"
"No! He isn't!" Fang Xiaoyan shouted.
"Young man, what's your name? And how did you end up in that secluded space?" the old man asked, a frown on his face, clearly curious about Yuan's identity.
"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Yuan, and it is a pleasure to meet you," Yuan said with a humble smile, feeling a bit awkward to introduce himself so late. However, he figured better late than never.
"Yuan, huh? What a great name… Whoever gave you that name must cherish you a lot, like you're the world to them," the old man smiled before introducing himself. "By the way, I'm Fang Ming, head of the family. You can call me Grandpa Fang."
"And I'm Fang Rui, this old bastard's wife. So, when are you planning to make my granddaughter your wife?" the old lady, Fang Rui, introduced herself with a playful smile, repeating the strange question from before.
"I'm Fang Hao, Xiaoyan's father," the middle-aged man introduced himself and then proceeded to introduce his wife. "And this is my wife, Fang Ling."
Once the introductions were over, Grandpa Fang asked, "Did you truly absorb the Lord's Sword Aura from the stone tablet? After all, it's impossible to absorb someone else's Sword Aura. It could lead to severe internal injuries that are extremely hard to heal."
"Yes, I did absorb all of the Sword Aura from the stone tablet, and I'm truly sorry about that, since it's so valuable to you," Yuan nodded and quickly apologized.
"Are you feeling any discomfort or pain after absorbing the Sword Aura?" Grandma Fang asked, concerned about Yuan's condition; she didn't want to lose such a potential candidate for her granddaughter's husband.
Yuan shook his head. "No, I'm perfectly fine."
"C-Could it be that you're the Lord's descendant?! That would explain it; only the Lord's descendants could be immune to his Sword Aura… Or you might be the 'Destined One' we've been waiting for so long," Grandpa Fang spoke in a trembling voice.
"I brought him here so we could find out if that's the case… but you've all been misunderstanding the whole situation!" Fang Xiaoyan said, her voice full of frustration.
"Well, from the state of your dress, we could only think of 'that'," Fang Ling said, rolling her eyes and looking elsewhere to hide her mistake.
"Indeed," Grandma Fang nodded with a wide grin.
"You two… Ugh! I should never argue with you!" Fang Xiaoyan stomped her foot in frustration and sat beside Yuan, forgetting her parents and grandparents had just been trying to set her up with him.
Yuan could only remain quiet, sighing at their family dynamics, feeling like an audience member watching a play.
After a moment of silence, Grandpa Fang looked at Yuan and said, "Before we come to any conclusions, why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself, Yuan?"
Yuan nodded and said, "I came here with my wives, but we got separated after entering the secret realm. Before I knew it, I found myself in the forest, surrounded by trees. After cultivating for several hours, I heard a voice and saw a phantom of a masked figure who led me to the training ground."
Everyone pondered for a moment before Grandma Fang spoke, "So, young man, what's your purpose for coming here? And by the way, if you don't mind me asking, did you just say that you came with your 'wives'?"
"To be completely honest with you all, I don't know why I am here myself… But I do have a feeling that I am meant to be here for some reason." Yuan replied after thinking for a moment, still clueless himself.
Then he looked at Grandma Fang and replied with a smile, "You heard right, Grandma Fang. I did come here with my wives."
"What?! You're actually married?! How many wives do you have since you're not talking about just one person?" Grandma Fang was left speechless by Yuan's words, looking at him with disbelief.
Yuan nodded and replied, "Well, I have a total of twelve wives."
"12 wives?! How old are you, actually?!" Fang Ling exclaimed, utterly shocked upon hearing this. She hadn't expected Yuan to be married, let alone to have more than ten wives.
"I'm 19 years old, and I'll be 20 in a few months," Yuan replied calmly.
"19 years old?! Unbelievable! How could you have so many wives at such a young age? Look at my granddaughter; she's 25 and still a single maiden!" Grandma Fang shouted, clearly shocked.
"Well, I'm still speechless myself!" Grandpa Fang added, still looking stunned.
Fang Xiaoyan, meanwhile, stared at Yuan with a strange expression on her face, clearly conflicted and unsure of how to react to this revelation.
'Why is my heart beating faster? And why do I feel this uneasiness all of a sudden?' she wondered, confused by her own feelings.