Chapter 540: Yuan's Scent
"That's impossible! You must be joking! There's no way your blood is ordinary or that you do not have a special bloodline. If that were the case, we wouldn't be so attracted to your blood in the first place!" Grandpa Fang immediately stood up from his seat, convinced that Yuan had a very special and powerful bloodline.
"But… I'm certain I don't possess any bloodline," Yuan mumbled, pondering whether he truly had a powerful bloodline or not.
—
Name: Yuan
Age: 19
Cultivation: Ninth Level Spirit Master
Qi Experience: [1676638/100000000]
Legacy: None
Bloodline: None
Physique: Heaven Devouring Physique
—
However, when he checked his status again, he still saw the same thing: no bloodline. He felt disappointed, despite Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang's claims that he had an extraordinary bloodline.
"Hmmm…"
Grandma Fang and Grandpa Fang thought for a moment before saying, "You definitely have a powerful bloodline; we're 100% sure of it. Perhaps it just hasn't awakened yet and is dormant within you. You simply need to awaken it to feel its presence."
"Dormant within me, huh? Do you know how I might awaken my bloodline?" Yuan asked, his interest piqued.
He also had a mission from the System that required him to awaken his bloodline, but he had no idea how to do it. Since the Fang family was a cultivation family with extensive knowledge of such matters, he was hopeful they might know a way to awaken the dormant bloodline within him.
Upon hearing his question, the old couple chuckled. "It might be fate that you came to us, young man. To awaken your bloodline, all you need to do is drink a few drops of blood from my granddaughter."
Yuan was completely speechless upon hearing this and stared at the old couple with a dumbfounded expression.
"Drink Miss Fang's blood? You've got to be joking, right?" Yuan asked, still in disbelief.
He was a human being, and humans don't drink other humans' blood. It's taboo and, to him, very disgusting.
"Well, it seems there's been a misunderstanding. I should've clarified this sooner," Grandpa Fang said, noticing Yuan's shocked expression. "The truth is, we're not actually humans. We're Divine Beasts, so you won't be consuming human blood if you're worried about that."
"Divine Beasts? Unbelievable…!" Yuan was taken aback by this sudden revelation.
He had suspected they were not as simple as they appeared, but he never imagined he was a guest in a family of Divine Beasts. It was almost beyond belief.
Grandpa Fang chuckled. "To be precise, we are Eternal Vermilion Phoenixes—essentially, we're almost immortal. However, since we're inside this secret realm, much of our potential has been sealed due to the lack of sufficient Qi for cultivation."
He continued, "Anyway, you just need to swallow a few drops of my granddaughter's blood. Our blood has many effects on humans, such as healing internal injuries or increasing one's talent to a certain degree."
"Our blood can even heal someone with a missing heart, provided it's done immediately, though it can't bring a dead person back to life. Most importantly, our blood can awaken the dormant bloodline of humans," Grandpa Fang explained proudly.
"T-This is… incredible!" Yuan mumbled, seemingly dazed by the revelation.
"Everyone, lunch is ready! Hurry up, or the food will get cold!" Fang Xiaoyan's mother suddenly called from the kitchen, inviting them to the dining area.
Grandma Fang looked at Yuan and her granddaughter with a smile. "Young man, you can awaken your bloodline later. For now, let's have lunch before my daughter-in-law gets angry at us for being late."
"Indeed. And I don't want to get kicked out of the dining area…" Grandpa Fang nodded and immediately got up, leading Yuan to the dining area.
Moments later, they arrived at the dining area, where the table was adorned with numerous dishes, each looking incredibly delicious.
"Yuan, this is your seat," the mature lady said, pointing to a seat next to her daughter's, clearly trying to pair them up.
'Ugh, why are they so insistent on me getting married?!' Fang Xiaoyan grumbled inwardly before sitting beside Yuan and shooting an intense glare at her mother.
At the same time, the old couple gave a thumbs-up to their daughter-in-law for seating Fang Xiaoyan next to Yuan. The fact that she was sitting beside him brought a happy smile to all three of their faces.
However, Yuan didn't dwell on their words and began stuffing his face with the delicious food. He hadn't eaten for many days and couldn't resist indulging.
"By the way, where is Uncle Fang? Isn't he going to have lunch with us?" Yuan asked after a brief pause.
"He went to town a while ago to sell the herbs and medicine we've cultivated, and also to bring back the necessary supplies for the family," the mature lady replied with a smile. She then continued with a mischievous grin, "Don't worry, that old thing already had his lunch before leaving. You just focus on eating and tell me if you need anything.
Don't be shy; after all, we'll become family sooner or later."
Yuan could only stare at her, dumbfounded. He couldn't find the words to respond to the last part of her sentence.
"Just ignore her, Yuan. As long as you're here, they'll keep pestering you at every possible moment," Fang Xiaoyan shrugged and quietly continued eating.
After lunch, Fang Xiaoyan's mother informed Yuan that he could take a relaxing bath in their family hot spring. The water was warm and known for revitalizing health and removing fatigue from the body.
Yuan immediately became interested. It had been a while since he'd had a nice, relaxing soak, and this hot spring seemed special with its magical properties.
"You're free to take a bath whenever you want, Yuan. You could even take Xiaoyan to accompany you… fufu~" the mature lady giggled, exchanging a quick glance with the old couple.
"Fang Ling is right. You should take our granddaughter with you; she could help wash your back… fufu~" Grandma Fang added with a wide grin.
Nodding, Grandpa Fang chimed in, "And it would be a great opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other better. The future could be very bright for both of you."
Yuan was left speechless at their strange suggestions, his mouth hanging open in shock and disbelief.
"Remember what I told you—just ignore them, Yuan…" Fang Xiaoyan sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at her mother and grandparents' antics.
A few minutes later, Fang Xiaoyan stood up and said, "Come with me. I'll show you where the hot spring is. It will take us a few moments to get there."
"If you don't mind," Yuan replied, nodding as he followed her out of the dining area with a calm expression.
As they headed to the hot spring a few minutes later, Yuan asked, "Miss Fang, has your family always been like this, or is it just because of me?"
"Well, most of the time, they have always been like this. However, they care a lot about me… and I love them too. But they can be pretty annoying sometimes," Fang Xiaoyan replied.
Then she continued, "Compared to the men from Xian City, you're extremely talented and also quite handsome, and my family wants strong offspring to carry on the bloodline."
"In our family, my father, grandfather, and I are the only Divine Beasts. My grandmother is a Flame Crane, a Spiritual Beast that became conscious and took human form after reaching a certain level of cultivation. As for my mother, she's a Dark Flame Raven, another Spiritual Beast with a common bloodline."
"Why didn't your parents try for a second child? Wouldn't that have solved the issue?" Yuan asked, curious.
Fang Xiaoyan merely laughed and said, "For Divine Beasts like us, our birth rate is extremely low. An ordinary Spiritual Beast can only give birth to one child with a Divine Beast in their entire life."
"I see… No wonder your parents haven't tried for a second child. But couldn't your father have found a second partner and tried with her?" Yuan asked, puzzled.
"My mother is an extremely jealous woman. She would never allow my father to be with another woman. She'd beat him up for days and make him do all the housework for months!" Fang Xiaoyan replied.
Then she looked at Yuan curiously and asked, "Don't you have too many women? Do they ever fight with each other?"
"Well, they do get jealous of one another sometimes. But, they've never fought even once and are very harmonious, treating each other like sisters," Yuan replied with a smile. He wondered in his heart where they might be right now and what they were doing.
"I see… I'd like to meet them since you're praising them so much," Fang Xiaoyan said with a smile, and they continued moving forward.
A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the hot spring.
"Yuan, you can take your time enjoying the hot spring. I'll wait for you outside," Fang Xiaoyan said, giving him his privacy, and left him alone.
—
"Mom Anna! Mom Grace! I can smell it! It's hubby's scent!"
Xi Meili's loud exclamation resounded from the distance, immediately drawing Anna, Grace, and the others' attention toward her. They quickly approached her, their faces lighting up with excitement.
Anna asked eagerly, "Which direction is his scent leading?"
"That way," Xi Meili pointed toward the dense forest covered in fog. Her expression suddenly turned furious. "Also, I sense another scent with him—it's the smell of another Divine Beast… a Chicken!"
"A-Another Divine Beast?! And it's a… Chicken?!" Anna and the others could hardly believe it. They stared at Xi Meili with puzzled expressions. Since when did a chicken become a Divine Beast?
After pondering for a moment, Anna said, "Anyway, can you follow the scent to where it's leading? That way, we can find him in no time."
"I'll try," Xi Meili replied, her eyes narrowing in determination.