Lu Yuan sat on an elevated platform, the soft cushion deformed from his weight. In his hand was a long rosewood pipe, the burning medicinal herbs spiraled into smoke.
"Speak, what is it?" Lu Yuan asked with a hint of impatience.
Before him stood his four sons, the youngest among them already past his twenties.
He recalled a fifth son, the youngest, who died not too long after he returned from an adventure outside.
According to memories, that son brought an infant with him and a letter. That letter helped the Lu family forge ties with the Wang family of Eastern Liang, laying the foundation for the Lu family in Liang Province over the last fourteen years.
Something about the fifth son becoming sworn brothers with the eldest son of the Wang family and betrothing their children.
As Lu Yuan's thoughts reached this point, the second son stepped forward. "It's about Fifth Brother's son, Lu Yin…"
There was a hint of discontent in his tone as he spoke the name, for no other reason than the obvious disregard of family rules.
The child's name didn't conform to the generational pattern as determined by the genealogy. Their fifth brother said the character Yin was in honor of the mother, but many of the clan elders didn't like it.
Not just the elders, but the children from Lu Yin's generation also ostracized him because of it.
If it weren't for the engagement with the Liang Province Wang family, the orphaned child would have had it worse.
"What about Lu Yin?" Lu Yuan asked, though his mind was elsewhere.
He needed to find spiritual stones to test out his Golden Finger, the Taiji Space.
He thought about his status screen after asking the question, a few lines appearing in his vision.
Martial Arts: Taiji Eight Trigrams
Soul: 30.
Vitality: 18.
Physique: 20.
Strength: 24.
Speed: 15.
Attribute Points: 100.
…
The parameters are above average for a normal human, but they're too weak for a martial arts master.
Luckily, he started with 100 points to allocate as he wished. According to the stats, vitality and soul equate to his remaining lifespan at a 1:1 ratio, if either of them declines to zero then he'd die.
As for the remaining stats, they equate to the average healthy human at a 1:1 ratio, meaning his current strength equals that of twenty-four ordinary people.
For a former Grandmaster of martial arts, these stats are pathetic.
"The Wang family's eldest son went missing, and his daughter seems to have caught the eye of an Immortal. They sent a letter notifying us that they're coming to null the engagement…" explained the second son.
"What does Lu Yin think about this matter?" Lu Yuan asked further.
The second son frowned together with his siblings. "What does his opinion matter in all of this?"
The second son was confused. "That child had displayed some talent for cultivation in the past, but for three consecutive years, he couldn't harness any True Qi…"
The second son went on about how they tested Lu Yin to be born with a spiritual root and had hoped he would become a cultivator.
The family invested heavily in him, but three years ago, all the True Qi in his body disappeared just as he was about to complete Qi Gathering, dissipating into nothing.
Since then, any True Qi he absorbed would mysteriously dissipate, and some even speculated that his spiritual root was defective.
Hearing the story, Lu Yuan had a weird expression as he murmured, "The second coming of Xiao Yan? Seriously?"
"What's that, father?" The second son paused for a moment and asked.
"Nothing," Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "You all can leave first, summon that kid Lu Yin for me to see."
Lu Yuan could roughly confirm that this grandson of his had awakened some protagonist template, it was just a question of which template.
Reincarnation Lord? Grandpa in the ring? Mysterious treasure? Son of Destiny?
He was curious.
"About the resources…" the second son was unwilling to just leave without a conclusive command from his father.
Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the faces of his four sons.
The second seemed the most eager for these resources.
Thinking about it, this second son had three daughters, two of whom married into some influential families in the city.
The youngest had just turned sixteen and was already betrothed to some young master from some commerce alliance.
Damn, this guy is too scheming and ambitious for political power.
That's not bad, but his hands are reaching for his own family now, which isn't good at all.
"I will be leaving seclusion to take charge of the family's internal affairs soon, you don't need to worry," Lu Yuan said.
Not only the second son, but all four sons were stunned, collectively looking up at their father.
Wasn't their father losing vitality and growing old? Everyone, including them, estimated he had about ten years left to live.
It's the time to delegate responsibilities and start arranging the inheritance, not take control of the family.
However, they didn't dare speak up lest they touch some forbidden lines.
They could only bow their heads and retreat from the ancestral hall.
Once everyone left, Lu Yuan opened his status window and distributed twenty points to each of his five attributes.
Martial Arts: Taiji Eight Trigrams
Soul:50.
Vitality: 38.
Physique: 40.
Strength: 44.
Speed: 35.
…
Lu Yuan felt a mysterious energy from the void surge into his body, revitalizing and nourishing him.
His thin body straightened, muscles firmed up, and the consistent headache began to fade away, and his irritation went away with it.
The sensation? Wonderful. He could also feel a hidden injury healing.
As Lu Yuan examined the changes in his body, he heard a young voice call from outside. "Grandfather!"
"Come in!" Lu Yuan spoke in a loud enough voice to be heard.
After gaining permission, Lu Yin walked in.
A handsome youth, sixteen years old, with clear bright eyes and a white robe.
Following Lu Yuan's gesture, he sat down on a cushion right next to the old man.
Lu Yuan didn't notice any ring or ornaments on the young boy, and his temperament didn't strike him as a mature soul after memory awakening or reincarnation.
This leaves one of two possibilities, the child was a Son of Destiny or he had some mysterious treasure fused with his body, siphoning away the energy.