On a night of bright aurora, villagers gathered for ceremony unlike any before. Drums resounded, pelts lined ground, bonfires blazed.
The elder, too weak now to lead, stepped forth. He placed staff before Tian and declared:
"Tonight, Coldwater ceases to be a nameless place. Tonight, the Leng Clan is recognized not just here—but by ourselves as a people. Leng Tian, who was once called useless, has built pillars none can deny. From today, he carries not only teaching, but leadership. Patriarch of Leng Clan."
Voices shook the stars. Disciples shouted, hunters cheered, children cried proudly.
Tian stepped forward, pale, trembling, his wife Yuexin steadying his arm. His three children lined proudly at his side.
He raised shaking hand. "My brothers and sisters… I am no genius. My strength small, my body weak. Alone, I am nothing. But together… we are eternal.
A clan is above one man. If I die tomorrow, the Leng Clan will still stand if you hold to our creed: preserve, endure, pass forward. Today, I am called Patriarch—but tomorrow, any of you may carry this mantle, for it belongs not to me, but to the roots we share."
Tears filled eyes across every face. Some knelt, others shouted words of loyalty.
That night, in the void unseen, the Eternal Tome burned brilliant light:
Foundation solidified: Leng Clan officially formed. Patriarch established. Bloodline root accepted by heavens.
Leng Tian, once useless boy mocked for fragile spirit, had become Patriarch Leng, father of Frost Clan.
Yuexin wept silently, overwhelmed with pride: her beloved, once thought frailest of all, had carved a family that would outlive ages.
The seed became sapling. The frost would never melt again.
🔥 End of Chapter 42