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**
"Gu Clan, Hun Clan… one, two, three, four." Beside him, Xiao Xiao counted carefully on her fingers before looking up in surprise, "Master-Grandpa, that's only seven."
Hearing that, Wei Ye and Wei Shuo both counted again as well. A moment later, they too looked up in astonishment, "Master-Grandpa, where's the last one?"
Yao Lao and Wei Yang's gazes quietly shifted toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment, then reached out to gently rub his daughter Xiao Xiao's head. His tone carried a trace of complication. "That last one… is our Xiao Clan."
"Huh!?"
The three little ones instantly widened their mouths in disbelief.
The Xiao Clan? That small, secluded, second-rate family buried in a corner of the Jia Ma Empire… was actually one of the Eight Ancient Clans?
"You didn't mishear." Xiao Yan slowly let out a long breath, as if trying to exhale all the tangled emotions in his heart.
He spoke softly, "Strictly speaking, our Xiao Clan is already a crippled Ancient Clan. We once were part of the Eight Ancient Clans… but we've long since declined and are no longer one of them."
The Xiao Clan had once been glorious, once commanded overwhelming prestige. But now, that clan which once stood resplendent among the Dou Di bloodlines had been eliminated—fallen into utter ruin.
It took a long while before the three kids finally returned from their shock.
"Why do they call them the Ancient Clans? Is it because they were passed down from the really, really ancient times?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously.
"Not just that," Yao Lao explained. "These eight clans all once produced a Dou Di. Because of that, they were qualified to be called the Eight Ancient Clans—also known as the Dou Di Clans."
"You Xiao Clan also once produced a Dou Di. Because of that, your descendants inherited a trace of Dou Di Bloodline. But by the time your ancestor Xiao Xuan's generation arrived, that bloodline was completely exhausted."
Yao Lao continued patiently, "The Dou Di Bloodline is powerful, but it isn't eternal. It can run dry. The only way to keep it alive is for the clan to produce another Dou Di, revitalizing the bloodline and giving it new life."
"Unfortunately, after that last Xiao Clan Dou Di, no more Dou Di-level experts ever appeared. The strongest afterward was your ancestor Xiao Xuan. But ironically, the Xiao Clan's final decline… was also because of him."
"He risked everything back then, burning all bridges. Not only did he fail to save the declining clan, he personally pushed it into the abyss."
"To this day, the Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline is practically abandoned. Only your father, Xiao Yan, still carries a tiny remaining thread." Yao Lao's voice held deep sighs and sorrow.
Whether Xiao Xuan had been right or wrong was hard to judge from an outsider's standpoint without knowing the details.
In the end, he failed. So naturally, the world called him mad… selfish.
For the sake of becoming a Dou Di, he gambled his entire clan. But if one were standing in Xiao Xuan's position back then… perhaps he wasn't entirely wrong.
Perhaps. Truth and falsehood, right and wrong—who could truly say? In this world, victories write the legends. If you succeed, you're a hero, a savior, the light, the myth, the one and only brilliance. If you fail… you're a sinner.
Wei Ye suddenly asked with curiosity, "Master-Grandpa, your surname is Yao. Could it be… you're also related to that Yao Clan?"
At those words, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan both turned toward Yao Lao.
As for Yao Lao's true identity and origin, neither of these two disciples had ever heard him speak of it voluntarily.
Though deep down, both already had their guesses.
"Hehe, clever little brat. So, what have you figured out?" Yao Lao froze for just a moment, then let out a smile.
"Master-Grandpa, are you actually from the Yao Clan?" Wei Ye's eyes widened.
Wei Shuo and Xiao Xiao did the same, staring straight at Yao Lao. Yao Lao held his teacup, a faint smile hanging on his aged face. But beneath that smile was a subtle trace of sorrow and bitterness.
After a long silence, he finally said, "I am indeed a member of the Yao Clan… but I am one of those who were abandoned and exiled by the clan."
"Ah?!"
"Abandoned?"
"Exiled?"
Everyone was stunned.
Xiao Yan stared blankly at Yao Lao for a long moment before finally speaking softly, "With your talent in alchemy, Master, there are probably only a handful of people in the entire continent who can match you. How could you possibly be someone abandoned by the Yao Clan?"
"It still all comes back to the Dou Di Bloodline."
Yao Lao gave a faint smile, the emotions on his face slowly settling. "In these Ancient Clans, the pressure is far greater than anywhere else. Within them, everything is ranked purely by the concentration of one's bloodline."
"And I… I wasn't much different from you back then. The Dou Di Bloodline that flowed in my veins was so thin it was practically negligible. Back in those days within the Yao Clan, I failed a mission I was assigned. Because of that, the clan expelled me."
"After being cast out, I refused to accept it. I poured everything I had into alchemy and wandered the Central Plains alone. I drifted for nearly a century, and I did manage to achieve something."
"At first, I still foolishly believed that once the clan saw my achievements and my hard work, they would acknowledge me and call me back. But as time passed, that hope faded. They never saw my effort. They never acknowledged my accomplishments."
"Perhaps in their eyes, someone with thin blood, no matter how talented, simply didn't deserve to be a member of their clan."
Yao Lao's voice grew quiet. "That clan may have been the place that birthed and raised me, but I feel nothing for them now. I gave up long ago."
"My parents both died when I was very young. Later on, I gradually let go of everything about that clan. I never mentioned it again. I even tried to forget it existed."
"As for people who know I was once part of the Yao Clan… there are probably only a few within the Yao Clan itself. Even the Hun Clan likely never knew."
The group fell silent.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance. It was clear Yao Lao held deep resentment toward the Yao Clan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone all these years without mentioning them even once.
"With Master's strength now, if you wanted to return to the Yao Clan, wouldn't there be no one capable of stopping you?" Xiao Yan asked.
After all, he was a Dou Sheng… and a Tier 9 Alchemy Grandmaster. Could the Yao Clan really be that arrogant?
"What meaning would there even be in going back to a place like that? All these years, I have only known one thing. I am Yao Chen, but that 'Yao'… is not the Yao of the Yao Clan."
"If they considered me a discarded failure, then I'll make sure this continent sees that someone without Dou Di Bloodline can still stand at the very peak."
As he spoke, Yao Lao's expression brightened slightly. He turned to look at Wei Yang and Xiao Yan, then at his three little grand-disciples.
Stroking his beard with a touch of pride, he said, "And when the time comes, I'll make sure they see something else too. Even the disciples I've taken in, and even my grand-disciples, will far surpass those so-called chosen ones the clan treasures so dearly for their precious Dou Di Bloodline."
"Mm." Everyone nodded lightly.
The three little ones clenched their tiny fists tight, their small faces flushing red with emotion. In their hearts, their dislike for this so-called Yao Clan deepened just a bit more.
**
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