This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Standing beside her, taking care of the woman, was an extremely young man, who appeared to be no more than twenty.

At that moment, seeing their own door suddenly pushed open and a strange old man walk in, both were equally surprised and wary as they looked at Steward Cai.

"Who are you? Why have you barged into my home!" The youth demanded.

Steward Cai’s face stiffened.

Because the woman lying on the bed, pale and etched with worry, was not his Dao Companion Si Jun.

Steward Cai turned his head to look at Lu Qingshan, who had just sent off the yellow-clad Loose Cultivator and had followed him in.

His eyes were filled with questions.

Lu Qingshan didn’t fully understand the detailed situation either.

But after glancing at the appearances of the woman and the young man on the bed, Lu Qingshan roughly guessed the specifics.

Thus, faced with the questioning look in Steward Cai’s eyes, Lu Qingshan wasn’t in a hurry to explain.

Lu Qingshan politely asked the woman on the bed, pointing to Steward Cai, "I apologize for the intrusion; this man is a member of Si Jun’s family. I wonder if the two of you might recognize Si Jun..."

Upon hearing these words, the woman on the bed struggled to sit up.

Cai Xingchao hurriedly supported his mother, "Mother, be careful!"

"My name is Shi Youling. I don’t know what relation this senior has with my mother-in-law?"

"Mother-in-law?" Steward Cai was startled.

Lu Qingshan understood and pointed to the bewildered Cai Xingchao, telling Steward Cai, "This is your grandson."

...

Foundation Establishment Cultivators have a lifespan of two hundred years, and Steward Cai, who had established his Foundation, was already nearing his end. His Dao Companion had not established her Foundation, so how could she possibly still be alive at this time?

Many years ago, Si Jun had already passed away, her lifespan exhausted.

And the child Si Jun had carried while living in seclusion in Ziyang Town was the father of Cai Xingchao.

So much time had passed since those days, and Steward Cai’s son had long since grown up, established a household, married, and had children.

This Shi Youling was Steward Cai’s son’s Dao Companion, hence his daughter-in-law.

It’s easy to lose clarity when one is involved.

Steward Cai, anxious at heart, temporarily failed to realize this.

But he was a shrewd man, and after Lu Qingshan’s explanation, it didn’t take long for him to figure out the connection of events.

"This is the Dao Companion of your mother-in-law," Lu Qingshan explained, looking at Shi Youling.

Shi Youling was startled, though she had already vaguely guessed as much, her heart still began to surge with emotion now that it was confirmed.

Her mother-in-law had come to Ziyang Town pregnant, and later painstakingly raised her own husband.

Shi Youling had always harbored a measure of respect for her mother-in-law.

But as her husband had told her, whenever he asked about his father, his mother would say that his father had long since died at the jaws of Demon Beasts.

Now, the "father-in-law" who was supposed to have died at the jaws of Demon Beasts as per her mother-in-law’s words had suddenly reappeared, and Shi Youling couldn’t help but be shocked.

But she believed what Lu Qingshan said.

To restrain the Jiaozhu Snake Poison within her, their family was now poor and destitute; what benefit would there be for someone to impersonate her father-in-law?

"Do you have any keepsakes that could prove your identity?" Lu Qingshan asked.

To recognize one’s relative, even if one is already seventy to eighty percent convinced, how could one skip the most important step of recognition – exchanging keepsakes?

Apprentice You Ling reacted swiftly, immediately grabbing Cai Xingchao’s hand and pulling up his sleeve.

On Cai Xingchao’s wrist was a translucent, moist, and exquisitely deep jade bracelet. "This is the magic artifact bracelet left by Grandma..."

Steward Cai’s eyes turned red. "Yun’er..."

Steward Cai slowly extended his left hand and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a dried wrist that also bore a bracelet identical to the one on Cai Xingchao’s wrist. Stay updated with мѵʟ

It was their token of love from the past.

All became clear.

Apprentice You Ling hastily struggled to give Steward Cai a kowtow. "Father-in-law..."

Seeing Cai Xingchao standing gape-mouthed like a wooden chicken, Apprentice You Ling tugged at his sleeve and said, "This is your grandfather... aren’t you going to greet your grandfather?"

Cai Xingchao looked stunned, and under You Ling’s urging, he moved like a marionette, managing to squeeze out the word "Grandfather" with difficulty.

Steward Cai looked at Cai Xingchao, seeing a face that resembled his younger self; he raised his arm, reached out with trembling hands, and it took several attempts before he finally touched Cai Xingchao’s hand.

"Good child, good child... it’s my fault, I have wronged you..." The elderly Steward Cai, with his rough palms, held onto Cai Xingchao’s hand tightly, tears finally streaming from his eyes.

He, Cai Heng, served in Zhenjiang City’s Pacification Commissioner’s office, overseeing and suppressing cultivators who violated the edicts of Great Xia with an iron fist.

But because of his duties, he had caused the annihilation of his Dao companion’s family.

It was a painful memory that he could never erase from his heart.

Looking at Cai Xingchao before him, his eyes filled with love and guilt; he opened his mouth as if to say something, but his chest heaved, and he found himself unable to speak.

"Grandfather, can you save my mother?" Cai Xingchao suddenly thought of something, his eyes brimming with pleading and hope as he looked at Steward Cai.

"The mere poison of a little Red Pearl Snake, what’s so difficult to cure!" At that moment, Steward Cai’s tone carried a hint of his old confidence, "You come with me back to Zhenjiang City. I’ll make sure your mother is cured of her poison."

The Red Pearl Snake was a First Grade demon beast, its venom extremely potent.

A Qi Refining Cultivator who got poisoned by a Red Pearl Snake could only rely on Spirit Pills to barely suppress the venom; completely cleansing the toxin was very difficult!

But for Steward Cai, with his present cultivation and status, although it wasn’t effortless, curing this poison certainly wasn’t a difficult task for him.

...

Treating You Ling’s poisoning and injuries was the urgent task at hand, and Steward Cai moved swiftly.

"What is this?!" With a look of alarm, Cai Xingchao supported his mother and stared at the immense beast in front of him with a fierce aura.

"This is Grandfather’s demon pet, the Black Feather Eagle. Help your mother onto it, and we’ll rush back to Zhenjiang City to treat your mother’s poisoning and injuries right away."

The Black Feather Eagle was massive in size, yet carrying four people did not hinder its flight speed in the slightest.

Without any delay, the group quickly rushed back to Zhenjiang City.

...

Inside the study.

"How did you come to know about me, and also find Xiao Chao and his mother, when even I couldn’t find a trace of them? How did you manage to locate them?"

"I naturally have my ways." Lu Qingshan remained composed, not wishing to elaborate on this point.

—How to explain having a cheat?

Steward Cai was silent for a long while before speaking again, "If you are unwilling to talk, naturally I won’t force you, but regardless, Xiao Chao’s mother’s life was saved by you."

The venom of the Red Pearl Snake in You Ling was extremely severe, and after a short delay, once the venom reached the heart, even a Golden Core Cultivator would be helpless to save her.

Perhaps the sword cultivator player from his past life had completed the task too late, so by the time he found Cai Xingchao, You Ling had already died from the snake venom reaching her heart. He could only bring back Cai Xingchao.

Now, with Lu Qingshan intervening, the time-consuming running around tasks were bypassed, saving crucial time and finding them before the venom progressed to You Ling’s heart.

Thus, You Ling’s life was saved.