Chapter 1120 — Valentine's Day Special: Xiao Ning's Story, Part 5
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Not every member of the Yu family had to cultivate. A clan as vast as the Yu family also needed someone at the helm, and Xiao Ning's grandfather had let slip more than once that he wanted her to take over the family business in the years to come. So Xiao Ning assumed that this present tempering was nothing more than preparation for managing the Yu family all the better in the days ahead!
Of course, one who was not a cultivator could not become head of the Yu family either; such a person would merely be responsible for managing the family's worldly affairs - in truth little different from a chief steward, a rank standing below that of the head of the family!
What Xiao Ning did not know was that her family's expectations of her were simply beyond measure. She was the hope of this generation of the Yu family; if she could successfully receive the Yu patriarch's inheritance, then the Yu family would rise, and become an existence surpassing even the hidden great families, even the ancient sects!
But this was no more than a legend, and the Yu family could not be certain the inheritance would succeed. Still, the Yu patriarch would surely not have deceived his own people; in any case, to have hope was always a good thing!
Though the Yu family was not an ancient sect, in his youth the Yu patriarch had discovered an ancient ruin, and within it had - by pure chance - inherited the martial arts of that ancient sect. Certain flaws, however, caused him to suffer qi deviation, and his strength was gravely diminished. Even so, the Yu family became the leader of the hidden great families!
Later, though, through his research into and deciphering of the ancient ruin, the Yu patriarch discovered the reason for his qi deviation: he had inherited the martial arts of two people. These were the skills of the ruin's two guardians, skills meant to complement each other - yet one was water and the other was fire. They could not both be inherited by and cultivated within a single person, or qi deviation was certain to follow. Most crucially of all, both of those guardians were female, while the Yu patriarch was male!
By the time the Yu patriarch discovered this, it was already too late. What he had counted on was this: after his death, by means of the secret method mentioned in the ancient ruin, he would transmit this martial skill into a great-granddaughter not yet born into the world!
Xiao Ning was having the time of her life in the snow. After building a snowman, she wrote the two large digits "01" upon its body, then painted the snowman's face into that of a playing card. Having done all this, she finally could not hold herself back and burst out laughing!
Xiao Ning's silvery laughter pulled Wei Zhao back to reality. He frowned; the sound of it left him somewhat unsettled. At his age, his resistance to girls was wretchedly poor. Wei Zhao did not want to think about Xiao Ning, yet her face rose unbidden in his mind...
He opened his eyes and frowned, affecting annoyance as he spoke: "What are you laughing at?"
"Haha - come and see!" A little smug, Xiao Ning pointed at her masterpiece and winked at Wei Zhao.
Wei Zhao rose and walked out of the cave. Catching sight of the snowman Xiao Ning had built, he could not help but smile. He had never expected her to produce such a snowman - and it was actually rather true to life!
"Not bad," Wei Zhao said coolly.
"Of course it's not bad! I'm Genius Ning, and this is a masterpiece by Genius Ning!" Having won Wei Zhao's approval, Xiao Ning was very happy.
Yet having said those words, Wei Zhao turned and went back into the cave. In the depths of his heart, Wei Zhao felt toward Xiao Ning a certain wariness and resistance. He warned himself that he must not get too close to her; otherwise, should anything ever happen, the old man would certainly never let him off!