Seeing Ling Yue and Lan Ji, the members of the Lan family immediately came over to greet them. Their eyes were fixed on Ling Yue, filled with tenderness and sympathy.
They all knew about what happened to Ling Yue. They originally thought that no matter how despicable Ling Tianzheng was, he wouldn't do anything to harm his own daughter. But unexpectedly, he treated Ling Yue so cruelly after she was burned in a fire. He didn't care about her at all and even issued a statement saying that Ling Yue was not his daughter.
When they heard about this incident, they were furious and wanted to confront Ling Tianzheng, crush his bones to ashes, and destroy the Ling family.
Initially, they opposed Jun's relationship with Ling Tianzheng, believing he was not a good husband. But Jun was stubborn and insisted on marrying Ling Tianzheng no matter how they tried to dissuade her.
Because of this, they had to break off Jun's childhood betrothal, offending the Cloud Heaven Sect in the process. Over the years, the Cloud Heaven Sect had been making things difficult for the Valley of Divine Doctors, causing them great suffering. However, as they were in the wrong, they could only endure it.
"Yue, you've suffered so much over these years," Old Madam Lan said, holding Ling Yue's hand as tears welled up in her eyes. She knew her daughter had given birth to a granddaughter, and she wanted to see her too. But when Jun left, they said they would cut off ties with her since she chose to marry Ling Tianzheng. So even though they missed Jun, they refrained from visiting her all these years.
If it weren't for Granny Xu's letter, they wouldn't have sent Lan Ji. But they didn't expect Jun to be so stubborn as to not even let Granny Xu inform them of her passing.
"Grandma! I'm fine," Ling Yue said, her nose tingling. Perhaps this was the bond of blood relations.
"From now on, you can stay in the Valley of Divine Doctors. No one will bully you here," Old Madam Lan said, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Ling Yue's features, so similar to her daughter's.
"Grandma, I'm just here to visit you this time. In a few days, I'll have to leave again. There are still many things I need to do out there," Ling Yue said, not wanting to upset the elderly woman but also unwilling to lie.
"Weren't you driven out of the Ling family?" Old Madam Lan asked in surprise. The letter said the Ling family didn't give them a single penny, and they couldn't even afford medical expenses.
Ling Yue reached out and wiped away Old Madam Lan's tears. "I can earn money myself. I started a small business and I'm doing well now."
"That's right, Grandma. Yue is amazing. Do you know how much money she earned in Burma gambling on gems?" Lan Ji said, walking over to Old Madam Lan and putting his arm around her with pride, as if he were the one who earned the money.
"How much?"
Everyone was very curious.
"She earned over a hundred billion just from a single raw gemstone," Lan Ji said proudly.
"What?" Everyone was stunned. Over a hundred billion? The Valley of Divine Doctors was not short of money, but earning over a hundred billion was no simple feat.
"Yue is amazing, isn't she? And that's not all. She also gave me a secret martial arts manual. In just a few days, my abilities improved significantly. Look." As Lan Ji spoke, he released Old Madam Lan's arm, threw a punch at a massive boulder in the distance, and shattered it into pieces with a thunderous boom.
The others stared at the shattered boulder in stunned silence for a long while before finally snapping out of it and turning their gazes of surprise and curiosity towards Ling Yue. Wasn't she supposed to be a poor, pitiful girl? How did she get a secret martial arts manual?
Feeling embarrassed by their intense stares, Ling Yue rubbed her nose. "I just happened to acquire it by chance."
Old Master Lan laughed heartily, his eyes full of gratification. "It seems our Yue is quite extraordinary."
He had been observing this granddaughter. Her demeanor was graceful, and she had an innate noble air about her. One could tell at a glance that she was no ordinary person. But he was curious - if his granddaughter was so outstanding, why would the Ling family be so blind as to abandon her?
"Let's talk as we walk," Old Madam Lan said with a smile crinkling her eyes.
Everyone started walking forward.
After passing through a peach tree grove, a secluded paradise appeared before them, just like the one described in the famous poem "The Peach Blossom Spring" by Tao Yuanming - suddenly opening up to a flat expanse of land with houses and good fields, pools, mulberry trees and bamboo groves.
The group arrived at the guest hall and took a seat. Throughout the journey, Old Madam Lan had been holding Ling Yue's hand, unwilling to let go.
"Yue, sit next to your grandma. Let me introduce everyone to you. This is your grandfather, your eldest uncle Lan Yuzheng, second uncle Lan Yuxi, third uncle Lan Yuze, your aunts, and your eldest cousin Lan Ling, second cousin Lan Feng, third cousin Lan Ji, and two younger cousins who are out on an errand."
Ling Yue smiled and greeted everyone politely.
The others took out gifts they had prepared for Ling Yue's visit.
"Yue, this is a small token from your eldest uncle and aunt. Don't think too little of it," her eldest aunt said, taking out an exquisite box and handing it to Ling Yue. Inside was a round, lustrous white pearl of great value.
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt!" Ling Yue accepted the box with the pearl.
"This is a gift from your second uncle and aunt. Open it and see if you like it," her second aunt said, handing Ling Yue another box.
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt!" Ling Yue opened the box to reveal a ginseng root over a thousand years old, emitting a faint mystical energy that Ling Yue could sense as soon as she held it in her hands.
"This is from your third uncle and aunt," her third aunt said, handing Ling Yue a jade bottle. "It contains beauty pills that will make you even more beautiful when a young lady takes them."
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt!" Ling Yue smiled and accepted the jade bottle.
"Yue, your grandparents also have a gift for you," Old Madam Lan said, presenting Ling Yue with a jade bangle of deep emerald green. It was a family heirloom that they had originally intended to give to Jun, but she left the Valley of Divine Doctors to marry Ling Tianzheng before they could.
"Thank you, Grandfather and Grandmother!" Ling Yue reached out to accept the bangle. "I also have gifts for everyone."
Ling Yue opened her luggage bag, which was filled with exquisite small wooden boxes. She took out two and handed them to Old Madam Lan and Old Master Lan. "For you, Grandfather and Grandmother."
"How thoughtful of you, Yue!" Old Madam Lan and Old Master Lan happily accepted the boxes.
Inside were an intricately carved white jade orchid hairpin and a jade dragon pendant, both incredibly lifelike.
"So beautiful! Grandma loves it," Old Madam Lan said joyfully, taking out the jade orchid hairpin to admire before pinning it in her hair bun.
Old Master Lan also put on the jade dragon pendant around his neck. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but after putting it on, he felt a gentle, soothing warmth flow through his body, making him feel very comfortable and at peace.
