Chapter 3384 — Longing for Home
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
"Xiaorui, I never imagined that at such a young age you would already be an expert at the peak of the late Heaven Rank, at the realm of Greater Perfection. When the two of us return to the Song family this time, the Song family's standing will surely be able to set foot upon the ancient tier! The Song family becoming an ancient clan—the very thought sets my blood racing!" A look of deep yearning and remembrance suddenly surfaced on Song Xianghua's face. In his youth he had left home in single-minded pursuit of cultivation; thinking back on the resolve in his own eyes when he departed, on his elder brother's reluctance to part and his deep worry, Song Xianghua felt a sudden ache in his heart.
At that time, Song Xianghua had not known how important a Mystic Rank expert was to a secular clan—or rather, he had simply been unwilling to think of such things. What he had pursued single-mindedly then was strength and ever higher tiers of rank!
But as the years grew on him, as he joined the Overseas Cultivators' Association, as he saw and felt too many things, too much of the warmth and coldness of human feeling, Song Xianghua finally understood how bitter his brother's heart must have been then!
How hard it was for a clan without a formidable expert to stand firm! Only, he had no way to tell his elder brother of his present circumstances.
Once one enters the gates of a great house, the sea runs deep—and in truth it was the same with the Overseas Cultivators' Association. In his youth he had used the association's resources, his strength and rank climbing steadily, and in truth that was equivalent to selling himself to the association. He had lost his freedom; even though he was of the Song family, he could not go back.
It was like Tang Yuqi, who had fled without leave—the consequences were unthinkable! Only because Tang Yuqi was lucky enough to have an expert shield him did he escape; but if Song Xianghua had returned to the Song family before, what awaited him would have been a fight to the death.
So he had not let Xiaorui tell the Song family of his situation. In fact, even Xiaorui's own affairs were not well known to the Song family, for the assassin guild had its own rules: her identity must be kept strictly secret from her family!
Even if one wished to wash one's hands of it all, without a powerful figure to speak on one's behalf it was impossible; the assassin organization behind Xiaorui would never willingly let her go.
But now it was different. He had already set foot at the peak of the late Heaven Rank, at the realm of Greater Perfection, and so had Xiaorui. Now, with the two of them joined together, leaving this place and returning to the Song family in the Central Plains of Huaxia, those people—even if they were displeased—would have to reckon with the strength of the two of them!
So long as the two of them did not truly break away from the organization, neither He Dantou nor the people behind Xiaorui would dare act rashly! They could stay in the Central Plains of Huaxia for a good while, and even return for a spell each year hereafter—thus keeping the organization behind them satisfied while also raising the Song family's overall strength.
"All these years, I have failed the Song family. The Song family has perhaps had a very hard time of it? The other clans are all suppressing us, are they not?" Song Xianghua, thinking of all that had passed, was overcome with tears.
"Second Grandfather, actually... what you do not know is that my elder sister has become formidable too. She is already an expert at the peak of the late Earth Rank," Xiaorui hastened to console him.