Chapter 29: The Origins of the Ji Family

“In the future, if Miss Tianxin has any questions, you will answer them for her. Understood?” Ji Yuntian ordered sternly.

The guard immediately bowed his head and responded in a clear voice, “Yes, sir!”

After giving a few more instructions, Ji Yuntian finally departed.

Ji Tianxin said nothing more and turned to the guard, “Take me to the ancestral hall.”

The guard nodded respectfully. “Yes, miss.”

Suqing, seeing this, also followed, puzzled, trailing behind Ji Tianxin.

It did not take long before the guard led Ji Tianxin to the ancestral hall of the General’s Manor.

Within the hall, the ancestors of the Ji family were enshrined. Yet, only a few generations were honored in this place.

Ji Tianxin’s gaze settled on the first spirit tablet bearing the name Ji Sanlei. In her clear eyes, something stirred, as if she recalled something from the distant past.

She remembered—it was just before her tribulation in another realm.

Her memory was not always reliable. Yet, upon hearing that name, it felt familiar, and she remembered. Perhaps it was because the event was not so far removed in time.

“What is your name?”

“I... do not know. Slaves do not have names.”

“Hmm… is that so? Then, why not take my surname? And since the day I saved you happened to be the day of my tribulation, when the sky rumbled with three peals of thunder, how about the name Ji Sanlei?”

“Yes! My name is Ji Sanlei! Thank you for granting me a name, honored one! From this day forth, I am your servant!”

“I do not need a servant. You shall be my cook. Until my next tribulation, you will cook for me. I will give you elixirs to aid your cultivation and extend your lifespan. Thus, it is an equal exchange.”

Ji Tianxin frowned slightly. It was during that tribulation that she was suddenly struck by a force that scattered her soul.

She could not have imagined that three hundred years had passed since then.

How had Ji Sanlei ended up in this world? She was puzzled.

Marriage and children were only natural. Though Ji Sanlei’s cultivation and life had been extended with her elixirs, he was mortal in the end. When his time came, he would die a natural death.

She had saved Ji Sanlei back then, and now had been reborn in the body of his descendant.

It seemed almost like a cycle of cause and effect.

Suddenly, Ji Tianxin noticed something—there was a faint glow emanating from Ji Sanlei’s spirit tablet.

This light was invisible to Suqing and the others.

Such things were soul marks, left for those who are familiar. Only the designated ones could see them; it was something she had taught Ji Sanlei long ago.

She often traveled far and wide, or secluded herself to cultivate. When she left, she would mark it so he would know.

“Master?” Sensing Ji Tianxin’s distraction, Suqing called softly.

Ji Tianxin closed her eyes, releasing her spiritual sense.

After a while, she opened her eyes, a deep furrow between her brows.

“Master, is something wrong?” Suqing asked gently.

Ji Tianxin shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Since Ji Tianxin was silent, Suqing did not press further. After all, though her mistress was young, she understood far more than Suqing ever could.

The two of them did not linger long in the ancestral hall before leaving. By the time they returned to their courtyard, night had already fallen.

The events that transpired in the General’s Manor that day became secrets among those in the know.

Though the deaths of Madam Chen and Granny Zhang were kept hidden, the tale of a seven-year-old girl journeying thousands of miles to find her family spread throughout the city.

And so, the story concluded with the girl finding her kin, and the General’s Manor welcoming a new young lady—Ji Tianxin.