Qin clan’s influence was mainly distributed across Yuzhou. Within one province were dozens of districts, the territory vast, all named beginning with the character “Yu.” Luo Yuan had grown up in Yulin District since childhood, and she hadn’t even been to many of the districts within Yuzhou itself, such as this Yuhan District.

Yuhan District was even closer to the old residence than Yubei District. From the other side of the mountains and forests behind the Qin clan’s old estate, it already fell within the bounds of Yuhan District. Yuhan was not the most prosperous district in Yuzhou, but it was extremely special — both because of its history and because many massive ancient structures preserved here were the most intact.

When her younger sister Yu Jing was still alive, she once told her that she wanted to travel to Yuhan District someday to sightsee. Luo Yuan had promised her that once she got into university, she would take leave to accompany her on the trip. In the end, they waited until her sister passed away, yet they still never came.

Almost a year was about to pass. She hadn’t expected that in the end, it would be her alone who came here.

The car passed through Yuhan’s modern, bustling streets. After entering the ancient architecture area, the high-rises and neon lights that never slept disappeared entirely, and the outside gradually grew quiet. For a period of time, the Qin clan’s main residence was built here in Yuhan — the very place she was getting out of the car now. But now, it had been rebuilt into an even more low-profile and restrained manor. A long stretch of white walls and black tiles, bamboo groves, ancient pines, and flowing springs were all included within the courtyard.

“This used to be one of the Qin clan’s sealed ancestral residences. But every year, someone would carefully maintain it. Now it belongs under your name.” One of the clan’s women held a black umbrella over her, introducing as she walked.

There were two clan women: one remained at the ancient residence, and the other accompanied her outside. Aside from them, there were several other people quietly following.

Luo Yuan sat in the car, surrounded by these people as she arrived at this grand, obviously historical and expensive estate, and she felt as if she had suddenly stepped into some wealthy-family drama.

Then, upon seeing the countless Qin clan members waiting there for her, that feeling grew even stronger. Logically speaking, she shouldn’t be this nervous — after all, she wasn’t here to be the young madam of a wealthy family, but the great-grandmatriarch of one. Yet she was only in her twenties, and seeing those people in their fifties who could be her father, and even grandfather-generation elders nearly a hundred years old kneeling and bowing to her, Luo Yuan still couldn’t quite accept it. She had always respected the elderly and loved the young; now it felt like the chair beneath her was full of thorns.

She looked at the only clan woman she knew. “They don’t need to kneel to me, right? They’re all so old already.”

The clan woman was the gentle-tempered one. She said calmly, “Our Qin clan has always been strict about rules. Since you are the clan deity’s wife, his agent in the mortal world, we must respect you. It is not only for you, it is also the clan deity’s dignity.”

Among all the people present, only she minded this. Everyone else took it as a matter of course.

Forget it, they were all stubborn old men and women. Arguing about this was meaningless. Anyway, they would only meet this once. There was no hostility — in fact, Luo Yuan keenly felt that quite a few of them seemed somewhat afraid of her.

Why? Because of the clan deity? Luo Yuan didn’t realize it at first, but when everyone stood up in unison to see her off from the reception hall, and when the clan woman opened the black umbrella for her, she finally understood. Right — she was no longer the same as them. She counted as a “ghost” now. No wonder they feared her. If it had been her before, seeing a living, breathing ghost, she probably would’ve been scared too.

This residence was also an ancient estate, but clearly not as old as the mountain-forest old residence. This one was much more suitable for modern living. Various household appliances and convenient living systems were hidden beneath the ancient exterior. At night, the interior was brightly lit, unlike the old residence where many places still used lanterns.

The bed and various items also suited modern tastes and habits. After sunset, Luo Yuan wandered around inside the manor. She wasn’t much different from a human now — she could still eat, though eating gave her no real sensation. Truly strange. She even secretly hopped around in the room and discovered she really could jump very high, landing directly on the beam, then quickly jumping down, afraid of scaring someone.

But although this place was comfortable, she still preferred going back to the old residence. She kind of missed the clan deity. It had only been one day since they’d seen each other, yet she hadn’t known she was such a clingy type.

Maybe she was simply too lonely — having lost all her family, even lost her human identity. Those showing her respect were all strangers. She felt an indescribable solitude. Perhaps compared to the clan deity, she was the one most afraid of loneliness.

So tomorrow morning, she would go back to the old residence. If the clan women were unwilling, let them be. They couldn’t actually control her. The only one who could control her was the clan deity.

Thinking of this, Luo Yuan’s mood brightened, and she finally had the mind to look at this house that nominally belonged to her. The place was full of flourishing greenery, the garden especially well tended. Luo Yuan particularly liked a trellis of roses — seeing that cascade of flowers, she suddenly thought of the clan deity.

“This flower… can I move it back to the old residence? Plant it in the clan deity’s shrine courtyard?” she asked the clan woman in her usual negotiating tone.

The clan woman was surprised. The old lady had never heard such a request before, and probably felt her behavior too casual and frivolous. She frowned in disapproval. “The shrine is where the clan deity resides. Without his instruction, we do not dare act on our own. If we anger the clan deity, that would be troublesome.”

But Luo Yuan had an inexplicable certainty — the clan deity would not be angry. He would be happy. He liked things that were passionate and brilliant like this.

So she instinctively changed her tone and said, “Have someone come help dig up this plant. Tomorrow, I’m going to transplant it beside the clan deity’s shrine.”

The clan woman: “…Yes.”

Early the next morning, Luo Yuan wasn’t able to return to the old residence as she had hoped, because a special guest had arrived.

The guest wore a shirt and long pants, her long ponytail tied neatly, looking youthful and bright. She walked toward her under the sunlight, and after entering the house, took off her sunglasses and greeted her casually.

“Hello, you must be the Qin clan’s clan deity’s wife? I saw your clan’s woman holding a black umbrella for you just now — you must have only recently transformed, right? My family’s clan deity told me the Qin clan’s clan deity took a wife, and I didn’t believe it at first. Turns out it’s true.”

“I’m the wife of the Liang clan’s clan deity. My name is Qi Ji. Our Liang clan’s territory is in neighboring Jinzhou. Have you been to Jinzhou? The area isn’t as large as Yuzhou, but the scenery is pretty nice. It’s developed rapidly in recent years and has become one of the most livable modern cities. If you get the chance, you can visit us next time. Mm, once you’ve stabilized and no longer need that black umbrella for protection, I’ll invite you over. Oh, right, our Liang clan has a good relationship with your Qin clan. In the past, we often married between clans. Nowadays people don’t really do that anymore, but we still have many cooperative ties. So when I heard the news, I hurried over to take a look and congratulate you. I hope you won’t blame me for showing up so casually — after all, our family is full of casual people.”

She finished this long string of words in one breath, leaving Luo Yuan stunned, especially at the last line, which made her laugh. Although she knew that other clan deity existed, she hadn’t expected to meet another clan deity’s wife so soon. And she wasn’t quite what she had imagined. Also, she mentioned the Liang clan — Luo Yuan immediately thought of the clan deity’s memories, how his earliest elder sister had married into the Liang clan. Was it this same Liang clan? Their intermarriage truly could be traced back very far.

“Hello, my name is Luo Yuan. Thank you for making the trip just to congratulate me. Please sit.” Luo Yuan welcomed her with a smile.

Qi Ji was not polite at all. She plopped right down beside her, took a sip of the tea that the clan woman brought, and sighed, “Tea really has no flavor. Cola tastes better.”

After speaking, she lifted her head with a smile at the clan woman. “Clan-woman girl, I’m going to chat with your madam. You all go play by yourselves.”

Being called a “girl” by a little girl, the clan woman showed no reaction at all, simply saluted expressionlessly and withdrew.

In the spacious, lavishly decorated room with three transparent sides, only the two of them were left. Luo Yuan still felt strange about that moment when Qi Ji called the clan woman “girl.” Even though she had guessed earlier that the woman’s age probably wasn’t actually young, it still felt too odd.

“I came to your old residence with my family’s clan deity a few decades ago. At that time, that clan-woman really was still a little girl. As for me, I used to be a princess of a small country, but that country was destroyed a thousand years ago, so I won’t go into it. You just need to know that I’ve already lived for more than a thousand years… uh, or that I’ve already been dead for more than a thousand years.” Qi Ji casually revealed her age, yet asked like a curious, talkative young girl, “You’re only in your twenties, right?”

Luo Yuan was still mentally stuck on that “more than a thousand years,” amazed, and nodded. “Yes.”

Qi Ji let out a flirtatiously playful whistle. “Your Qin clan’s clan deity is really something — an old cow eating young grass, marrying such a young little wife like you. He must spoil you terribly, right? Does he indulge you in everything?”

Luo Yuan had no idea how to respond to that, but she didn’t need to. Qi Ji seemed like someone who amused herself; she quickly continued on her own, “I get it, I get it. After all, I used to be like that too. Unfortunately, after being together too long, any old-man-young-wife charm disappears.”

Luo Yuan patiently listened to the stranger chattering away. She was used to playing the role of the older sister — whenever she saw someone who looked young, she instinctively acted like an older sister. Relaxing a bit now, she asked, “The Liang clan’s clan deity is also in the Liang clan’s old residence, right? Is it okay for you to travel so far alone?”

Qi Ji paused, clicking her tongue. “You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Not all clan deity live in their old residences acting like some living statue. Actually, as far as I know, the only one who still follows those ancient traditions is your Qin clan’s clan deity.”

Luo Yuan was genuinely stunned. “What?”

Qi Ji continued, “Take my family’s one — he’s long gone to work. He’s been busy working overtime recently. Otherwise he would’ve come with me. Our Liang clan doesn’t go burn incense for him for no reason. If we want to see him, we see him at the annual meeting when we report performance to him. We normally live in the city center, in the top floors of skyscrapers, or in forest villas. We use cell phones and computers. It’s really no different from how most rich people live nowadays.”

After listening to this, Luo Yuan felt as though her entire understanding of the world from these past days was collapsing. She had only just adapted to the fact that this modern society still had such supernatural beings, and had accepted that the clan deity’s life was completely separate from modern life — only to now discover… that it wasn’t like that at all?

“How can this be? Why are your clan deity so free, but my clan deity… he’s still trapped in the old residence… Is it because the Qin clan’s people demand it?” Luo Yuan thought of his painful divine-birth month, thought of that tightly guarded old residence, and her brows furrowed.

“Pfft, girl, you’ve got it backwards.” Qi Ji seemed to find it amusing, laughing aloud. “It’s not the Qin clan trapping your clan deity. On the contrary — it’s your Qin clan’s clan deity who has tightly trapped all the Qin clan’s people.”

When she said this, her smile turned strange, and she finally carried a bit of the depth someone who had lived over a thousand years should have.

“A few hundred years ago, some upheavals happened in this world. Certain things changed. The yaoguai and evil plagues that once threatened people gradually disappeared, and many clans declined. You know this, right? Once a clan declines and perishes, that clan’s clan deity completely dies. Clan annihilation — that is the only way to kill a clan deity. Many clan deity began losing most of their power starting from those centuries of weakness. They could no longer protect their clans, so now there are only a dozen or so clan deity left in total, scattered across various provinces, living lives similar to our Liang clan’s clan deity.”

“Only your Qin clan’s clan deity is different from all the others. Even now, he still retains the majority of his power… Do you know how he managed to preserve it?”

Qi Ji stared at Luo Yuan, her smile growing stranger, and said softly, “No one knows how he did it. But what we do know is that during that period of weakness hundreds of years ago, he took the initiative to devour an entire branch of the Qin clan — several hundred people. Ever since then, he has been able to rely on devouring humans to restore his strength. Your Qin clan’s clan deity is recognized by all clan deity as the most ferocious and terrifying one.”

Ferocious… terrifying? Her clan deity? No matter what, Luo Yuan couldn’t place such words on him.

“Such a terrifying clan deity — if he doesn’t want it, how could the clan possibly trap him? On the contrary, he is the one most unwilling to change, most unwilling for the clan to scatter. So the entire Qin clan remains under his firm control, still preserving ancient customs in this modern era — hierarchy, status, clan elders, lineage heads… all those old traditions.”

“Little girl, don’t be too naive. That clan deity of yours — he’s vicious.” Qi Ji spoke while shaking her head.

Listening to these words, Luo Yuan suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken.

She wasn’t afraid — she suddenly felt… incredibly moved.