📖 Chapter 3 – The Legacy of the Three Families
While waiting, the two chatted:
"Grandpa Shen, how are the sales going?"
Liang Shen smiled and replied:
"Thankfully, Ke'er, your grandma and I are finally reaping the rewards of a lifetime of work."
Li Ke smiled and asked:
"And how's your relationship going?"
Liang Shen puffed out his chest and said:
"Wonderful. As a great man, I continue to maintain my dominance."
Unfortunately for Shen, one of the three new listeners was extremely unhappy and gave him a smack on the back of his neck. It wasn't very strong, but enough to make him straighten his posture. The attacker said:
"So you're an oppressive husband, and I'm a wife who accepts that?"
While Shen broke into a cold sweat, the three others laughed at his antics.
"No, my love, I meant that the woman should be submissive to the man, and the man should be willing to die for the woman."
Mei Xue rolled her eyes, laughed, handed a package to her husband, and kissed his cheek, saying:
"My love, I'd be happy to give our gift to little Ke'er, but since you're willing to die for me, I'll let you do it."
Liang Shen chuckled foolishly. He had a naturally dominant wife, but she truly respected him.
Soon, there were three medium boxes in front of Li Ke.
The three elders stacked their gifts in Li Ke's arms.
Liang Wu spoke first:
"We've been saving these gifts for you for five years. You're finally following our path, little troublemaker. Now it feels like you're becoming an adult."
His eyes shimmered with emotion. Liang Shen laughed and added:
"Old Wu, don't get sentimental. Little Ke'er isn't a man yet. After all, he still hasn't... Ow!"
Before he could finish, he got a smack on the head, and everyone laughed. Once Li Ke calmed down, he said:
"I'll open them, grandpas."
But Liang Zan stopped him and said:
"No, no, Ke'er. You'll open them alone in your room so you don't ruin the surprise. Your grandparents labeled everything to explain what each thing is and who it's from."
Mei Xue said:
"Go on, Ke'er. Grow up and show your grandparents how much our boy can change this clan. But above all, always remember to be that lovable boy. We love you."
After that, Li Ke placed the gifts on the table and bowed.
He was Western — this was the first time anyone had seen Li Ke bow. And perhaps the last.
The elders smiled with tears in their eyes. Li Ke had been punished many times for refusing to bow or pay homage, but no one had ever made this boy bend a centimeter of his spine.
With tears in his eyes — which he held back — and a slightly choked voice, Li Ke said:
"Thank you for everything. I'll always remember this gesture, and I will definitely honor the care you've given me all these years."
And so came the farewell.
After Li Ke left, Liang Wu commented:
"So the tough boy cries..."
As far as everyone in the clan knew, Li Ke had never cried — not even at birth, which caused concern, thinking he might be mute or have a problem. But he made noise, so everyone waited.
Soon, they saw he was a healthy boy.
Li Ke hurried to the main house of his clan.
He ignored everyone and everything and rushed into his courtyard. Soon after, he entered his room, placed the gifts on the desk, and closed the door.
"Damn it... after all this time, I almost cried."
Li Ke, untalented, had his arm broken, was humiliated by his older brother — none of it made him cry.
But getting emotionally attached to something in this world was truly moving. Li Ke knew he loved those old folks, but not to the point of crying over their actions.
Really, sometimes you just can't hold back tears, no matter how much of a man you are.
But in the end, he didn't cry.
"I'm getting soft... haha... I love my grandparents."
He then picked the gifts back up. After thinking a bit, he figured opening them in his room and then transporting them one by one would be a headache.
"Alchemy, log in."
He was immediately transported to the hall, walked to the table, placed the gifts side by side, and began opening them from left to right.
The first one was from Liang Zan, and Li Ke's eyes lit up.
It contained four different seeds:
Six-Vein Heavenly Grass Seed (rare grade)
White Deer Root
Silent Flame Flower Seed (rare grade)
Mist Bell Herb (rare grade)
Each came with a note explaining how to plant it and its purpose.
At the bottom of the box was a beautiful scroll, which Li Ke opened and read. It said:
"Little Ke'er,
I don't know when you'll read this, maybe your grandpa has already passed.
It was hard gathering this little bit, but it was from the heart.
Regardless of everything, you were one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I hope that by sharing my legacy with you, I help in your journey.
From wherever I am, your humble Grandpa Zan loves you."
Reading that far, Li Ke was already crying. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He knew how hard it must have been for Zan to gather all that since he was the poorest of his grandparents.
He muttered:
"Old man... just because you're the oldest, you keep thinking you'll die... I love you too. I'm glad you're still here with me..."
He waited to calm down before opening the second gift.
The inside of the second box was half pink and half blue, with a happy face on the blue side and an angry face on the pink. There was no doubt it was from that playful couple.
Seeing their care in preparing the box, Li Ke smiled. Those two were lovely.
Why did they know emojis? Because when Li Ke was younger, he gave them a small gift — blue with a happy face for Liang Shen and pink with an angry face for Mei Xue.
Inside were five different seeds:
Crimson Dew, a spiritual-grade plant that only grows up to two years in normal soil. Its dew could compare to elixirs, and its value increased with age.
Pure Yin Rose, spiritual grade, a noble ingredient used for emotional balance pills.
Serene Moon Sprout, spiritual grade, aids in meditation and Qi absorption.
Three-Leaf Golden Lotus, unknown grade. Very few could cultivate it. A relic.
Lunar Amber Flower, spiritual grade. A delicate plant that produces Qi essence, often used in incense and cultivation environments.
There were also two scrolls: one tied with a blue ribbon, the other with a pink ribbon.
He opened the blue one first, guessing that the troublemaker Liang Shen probably wrote it before Mei Xue. Still, they likely wrote them together, so it didn't matter.
Inside, it read:
"Hey boy, I don't know how old you are when reading this. Know that your grandpa will always love you. I hope you have a great future. I'm terrible with words. Just know I love you a lot.
I'm opening this letter again. You just turned 14. Hey boy, your grandpa beat you. At your age, I was already married. Even if you have a harem, I win!
She read it and made me cook dinner for two months. This woman is a beast, but I love her dearly.
Ke'er, I'm terrible at this, sorry. I love you. You are my dear grandson. Love you."
Near the end of the scroll, there were drop marks like tears.
Li Ke felt the love and was moved again, but managed to hold back the tears.
Then he opened the pink scroll. It said:
"So Ke'er, you're finally following in your grandparents' footsteps. We love you so much.
Ke'er, your grandpa and I never told you this, but you are like a son to us. I can't have children. Even so, your grandpa stayed with me since our youth.
We are giving you all the inheritance and blessings we can. Your grandma will always love you. Be successful, get married, and be a great husband like your grandpa. Whether you have a harem or not, just be the wonderful man you are — even without our blood, it feels like you inherited our spirit. We love you."
This scroll also had drop marks. From the context, it was clearly written with tears.
Li Ke cried again. He knew they didn't have children, but not that Mei Xue was infertile. Suddenly, many things made sense.
It took him a while to calm down. Finally, he opened the last box, from Liang Wu.
The interior was plain, like the first one, but it contained a large old book and four seeds. There were two scrolls: one untied, the other tied with a white, black, blue, and pink ribbon.
The four seeds were:
Violet Dragon Seed, an extremely rare spiritual plant. A clan could be massacred over it, but as just a seed, it didn't attract bigger sects.
Starbreath Herb, spiritual grade. Said to change its environment if it reaches 100 years, producing celestial Qi. Rarely reaches that age, usually becoming incense at 10.
Six-Season Moss, a special plant. In a pot, it grows symbiotically with others, copies their traits, and doubles in size. The original remains pure, and in pure soil, it grows larger. Doubles every five years. Slow proliferation.
Deep Sea Flower, spiritual grade. Rich in water-element Qi.
On the book's cover was a faded title: Compendium of Essences.
First, Li Ke opened the scroll. It read:
"Hey Ke'er, your grandpa is happy you're following in our footsteps. I'm sure you'll make us proud.
These plants are your grandpa's ancestral legacy. I pass them to you. Love you.
You know your grandpa's the worst with words and the best with actions, right? I love you, boy. Now give your grandpa some great-grandchildren."
Li Ke smiled, but he was confused. Why hadn't his grandpa mentioned the book?
Then he opened the other scroll and everything became clear:
"We're all together here — your grandparents — to tell you a secret. The Liang Clan was once a great clan of herbalists. Maybe among the top 30 on the continent. We don't know exactly.
What we do know is our ancestors were hunted to this remote place. All that remains are these seeds and this book.
We don't think we'll find someone better than you. You were already our heir. This is the first time someone inherited the full legacy of our three distinct families.
In truth, the patriarch's family descended from an alchemist, according to our records, but they were all killed. The strongest in the clan, like the elders, are descendants of our families' guards. Even the patriarch's lineage was once slightly beneath ours.
But time is merciless. Without land, there's no strong cultivation. Without cultivation, there's no planting-focused clan.
But the current patriarch is a good man, and you are our hope. Today, we recognize you as the true heir of the Liang legacy — of our three houses.
The book is the herbalist inheritance of our families. Use it wisely. We wish you the best in this world, our little grandson."
Li Ke sighed and felt the weight of their expectations.
He stared into the vast space for a few minutes, completely silent.