"What? She wants to leave the family? Impossible!" The clan elders' first reaction upon hearing the news was outright rejection.
What a joke. After all the trouble they'd gone through to send Elder Xi to bring Huang'er back from the human domain — a perfectly healthy Huang'er at that — the entire family had counted themselves incredibly fortunate. Now they had Huang'er essentially under soft house arrest within the family, simply waiting for the day they could fulfill their promise: hand her over to the Xiahou family and put this entire debt to rest. They couldn't afford to suffer any more losses.
There was no denying it — this plan had already become a consensus throughout the entire family.
Everyone knew full well that nothing could be allowed to happen to Huang'er. If it did, they'd have no way to answer to the Xiahou family when the time came.
If the Xiahou family were given any excuse to stir up trouble, they wouldn't hesitate to intensify the pressure and crush the Yan family entirely.
And so, the nerves of every single member of the Yan family were stretched taut. They lived in constant fear that Huang'er might pull some new stunt.
"This girl — I think we coddled her too much when we brought her back this time."
"Why not just seal her and strip her of all autonomy? Let's see her make demands then."
"Exactly. That would work."
Some of the harder-line elders advocated for taking a forceful approach with Huang'er — directly confining her and stripping her of any freedom of movement.
However, the more level-headed elders shook their heads in opposition. "That won't do. If we imprison her, prolonged confinement will inevitably damage her condition. When we hand over a listless, broken-down cultivation furnace to the Xiahou family, how will we explain ourselves?"
"Exactly. This girl has a fierce temperament. What if, the moment her confinement is lifted, she detonates herself? Then we'd truly have nothing to offer the Xiahou family. In my view, we need to keep her placated above all else. Heavy-handed measures would only make things worse."
The elders each had their own opinions, but the majority agreed on one point: force was not the answer. Force courted disaster, and if something went wrong, the Yan family simply couldn't bear the consequences.
"If you ask me, she wants to visit the Blue Mist Island Domain, so let her go to blow off some steam. We'll dispatch a few more of the family's strong cultivators — some openly assigned as guards, others covertly assigned to tail her. No matter what, we keep a tight watch on her and don't let her slip out of our grasp."
"Mm. If the family sends enough strong cultivators to watch her, with her current abilities, she won't be able to make any real waves. As for escape — completely impossible."
"So what's the consensus? Let her go?"
"We have no choice but to let her go. If she throws a tantrum and threatens to kill herself, we'd be in an even worse position. After all, her days are numbered. If she decides there's no hope — that she's bound to become a cultivation furnace sooner or later — and simply takes her own life? Better to keep her satisfied and prevent her from spiraling to extremes."
"Agreed. Settled, then. We'll just send extra strong cultivators to keep watch."
The Yan family, from top to bottom, finally reached a consensus. Four clan elders and eight mid-generation family strong cultivators would be dispatched, along with several of the family's younger disciples, to visit the Blue Mist Island Domain and broaden their horizons.
Two of the clan elders would follow covertly, keeping a particular eye on Huang'er — ensuring she caused no trouble, and above all, that she didn't escape.
As for Elder Shun, though he had survived, he had long since lost his status as a clan elder. He had no right to attend this secret meeting.
But before long, the family's decision leaked out.
"Huang'er, wonderful news — the family seems to have agreed! They're planning to take a group of young geniuses out to broaden their horizons, and your name is on the list!"
Elder Shun's face lit up with delight as he hurried to relay the news to Huang'er.
Huang'er herself had been caught in a spiral of anxiety. She had already made up her mind: if the family refused, she would threaten death. She felt it was a laughable thing to do, but this time she was determined to be willful, no matter what.
She hadn't expected the family to agree so readily!
This was a pleasant surprise. She immediately asked, "Elder Shun, will you be able to come along as well?"
Elder Shun smiled bitterly. "I'm a disgraced member of the family now. How could they possibly let me leave? They're afraid I might spirit you away. Your name is on the list, but mine is not."
"Don't worry, Huang'er. It's better for me to stay behind. If I went with you, it would only hinder you. They'd be suspicious of everything and watch you even more closely."
Huang'er was perceptive. She understood that Elder Shun spoke the truth.
"Elder Shun, all these years you've given so much for me. I hope that in this life, I'll have the chance to repay you."
"Silly girl. I watched you grow up. I'm an old man at death's door — even if I died right now, I've lived a full life. You're different. You're still young. Remember: until the very last moment, never give up hope. Remember my words."
Elder Shun gazed at Huang'er with deep tenderness.
"Mm. I know, Elder Shun. I will never give up. I believe with all my heart that Brother Chen will come to the Myriad Abyss Island. Perhaps… he's already here!"
Elder Shun smiled but said nothing more. He couldn't bring himself to dampen her spirits. He could only pray in his heart that her dream might come true.
"Oh, and Huang'er — the family agreeing to let you go this time must have involved a fierce debate. I suspect they'll be watching you very closely. Don't do anything too obvious. If they catch on to anything, it could spoil everything. And especially when it comes to Jiang Huang — whether he's Jiang Chen or not, don't go out of your way to ask about him. Listen more, speak less. Do you understand?"
Old ginger was the spiciest, as the saying went. Though Elder Shun was no longer an elder, he still understood the minds of the clan's elders better than anyone.