Ninth In the World

“Can you tell me about the situation back then?” Di Jiu felt uneasy inside.

Ning Xiangnu choked with emotion for a while before she said, “Back then, my grandmother was very furious, but a few of my paternal uncles saw my grandmother and maternal uncle come over and were very happy…”

“They were very happy?” Di Jiu did not understand. Was there a misunderstanding?

Ning Xiangnu understood what Di Jiu meant and shook her head. “Not that kind of happy. It was because they felt the cultivation techniques my mother had written out were incomplete, so they wanted to interrogate my grandmother and uncle…”

Di Jiu’s face grew increasingly gloomy.

Ning Xiangnu then carried on. “I didn’t expect grandmother and uncle to also both be True Form perfected experts, but their combat power was very strong. In the end, the few Grand Elders of the Ning Family who were in seclusion started having a fierce battle. Many members of the Ning Family died and immediately activated the family’s major array, which resulted in grandmother and uncle being seriously injured…”

Di Jiu clenched his fists tightly and asked in a gloomy tone, “Your grandmother was injured? How was she?”

Ning Xiangnu shook her head. “I don’t know. Back then, one of my grandmother’s friends came and broke the Confinement Killing Array. She then saved my grandmother, uncle, and mother and never came back after they left.”

“If your grandmother doesn’t like you, why didn’t your mother take you away?” Di Jiu looked at Ning Xiangnu, feeling her hesitation.

Ning Xiangnu said with red eyes, “After my father died, my mother was very devastated. She, she…”

Di Jiu knew without asking that her mother had probably forgotten about her.

Di Jiu sighed silently and thought that the responsibility was his. Nong Xiuqi had been lodging under someone else’s roof ever since a young age. She’d had to take precautions against getting harmed in the Shan Family, which had caused her to be somewhat vigilant with the outside world. Di Qiushui had definitely lived in Wang Chuan Mountain Range ever since she’d been young and had not been given a chance to get into contact with the people of the outside world, which had caused her to lack concern.

Under these circumstances, Di Qiushui had met the dashing and handsome Ning Buqiao. Love at first sight was normal given the other party’s concern.

“Then why didn’t you return to the Ning Family?” Di Jiu was puzzled as he asked this.

Ning Xiangnu lowered her head. “My aptitude is very poor. My mother and grandmother were wanted by the Ning Family, and I don’t have a father anymore… I was only 7 years old when my mother left. My legs were broken by the Ning Family afterward, and I was thrown into a smelly ditch to fend for myself. They even called me an illegitimate child. It was Big Brother Ah Xi and Elder Sister Yumo who saved me. They took me and hid in Harsh Spring Mountain Range to survive…”

Di Jiu touched Ning Xiangnu’s hair and felt sorrowful inside. He only said after a while, “In that case, are you willing to change your surname to Di? I’m your grandfather. From now on, you’ll have nothing to do with the Ning Family, right?”

“I’m willing, grandfather. I will be called Di Xiangnu from now on…” Ning Xiangnu immediately fell to the ground, her eyes filling with tears. It was obvious that she had led a very difficult life all these years.

“How old are you now?” Di Jiu was filled with tender affection. He could see that this granddaughter of his was good-hearted, like a piece of white paper, despite leading a rough life ever since a young age.

She did not have any hatred in her heart even though she had been treated unfairly. She did not feel hatred for her grandmother for killing her father, and neither did she hate the Ning Family for breaking her legs and throwing her into a smelly ditch to die. She did not even hate her biological mother for taking no notice of her before leaving.

She had only tried with great efforts to survive. She was broad-minded and she longed for family love like the ocean.

“I’m already 17 years old…”

His heart wrenched upon hearing that. A 17-year-old who looked almost like a 30-year-old. How many hardships had she gone through?

After sensing that Di Jiu was not in a good mood, Di Xiangnu took the initiative and said, “Grandfather, Heaven has granted me a favor by letting me meet you. Elder Brother Ah Xi, Elder Sister Yumo, and I have been doing fine in Harsh Spring Mountain Range. Grandfather, you should also stay here. I will take care of you.”

Xiangnu’s grandfather had been seriously injured in Harsh Spring Mountain Range, so his cultivation level was evidently unable to be on par with her grandmother’s or her uncle’s. She should take on the responsibility to take care of her grandfather.

“Alright, I need to rest for a few days,” Di Jiu said before he closed his eyes. He felt that he had not necessarily come here by chance.

He had to restore his cultivation level as quickly as possible and use his Spiritual Force to scan the entire planet to find Xiuqi, as well as his son and daughter.

“Yes, grandfather.” Di Xiangnu carefully pulled the curtains shut and retreated. She was still very excited. No wonder she had felt that Di Jiu was connected to her. He was actually her grandfather.

When she was young, she’d asked her mother before why she had only mentioned her maternal grandmother and not her maternal grandfather. Her mother had told her that she had not seen her maternal grandfather before… Actually, that’s not right. It must have been her paternal grandfather.

Something was still not right. Her grandfather looked really young, and his cultivation level was definitely high. She only hoped he was not seriously injured and he would recover quickly.

…

Di Jiu’s intent was completely immersed into his broken Spiritual Sea, where there was a longan-sized gray pearl.

Di Jiu, who had often been seriously injured and unconscious before, did not even know when this pearl had formed. At the moment, his intent was immersed in this pearl and he could immediately sense the difference.

He had complete control over this pearl, which did not stagnate due to his intent. The pearl also seemed to be a spatial world.

This was…

Di Jiu grew excited all of a sudden. When his intent moved, he had already appeared in the space of this pearl.

The space of the pearl was a sheet of blurry gray, and Heaven and Earth were not very clear. However, Di Jiu could capture every single movement in this pearl and was clearly aware of all the life-force and formation in it.

Before he could get excited, he sensed the vast and borderless Dao Law Aura of the Universe.

There were broken nomological fragments left behind by the Ninth Dao Law and all the fragments left behind by the Sacred Yin Pearl. There were also broken Dao law fragments that had been created after his Spiritual Sea had disintegrated.

A brand new Dao path had been born by his intent, making Di Jiu feel excited. This was exactly what he’d wanted.

The Nomological Qi Circulation continued and fused with the Dao law aura accumulated in the pearl within Di Jiu’s broken Spiritual Sea. His body gradually formed a defense space that a Spiritual Force could not sweep into.

Di Jiu once again was immersed in this kind of Nomological Qi Circulation. His Spiritual Sea slowly formed and then evolved into a galaxy.

It was like when he had used the Starry Sky Art to turn his main meridians into the Starry Sky meridian in the past. Di Jiu was completely unaware, as he was totally immersed at the moment.

…

“Xiangnu, are you alright?” The sky was not dark yet when Ah Xi and Yan Yumo hurriedly went to Di Xiangnu’s residence. They were relieved to see her come out.

“I’m alright. Thank you both.” Di Xiangnu had red eyes but was still in good spirits.

“Where is the person you saved?” Yan Yumo asked.

Di Xiangnu said in a low voice, “He is seriously injured and recuperating in the room.”

“Be careful. We’ll leave first. We had a normal harvest today. Are you going with us tomorrow?” Yan Yumo nodded.

Di Xiangnu shook her head. “I’m not. I want to take care of him here. If I leave, there might be nobody to look after the senior.”

Di Xiangnu trusted Ah Xi and Yumo a lot, but Di Jiu’s identity was too sensitive. The Ning Family still wanted to find her grandmother and mother. If by any chance the Ning Family discovered that a member of the Di Family was here, it would be a disaster. Not only would she be harming her grandfather, but she would also be harming her saviors, Elder Brother Ah Xi and Elder Sister Yumo.

“Alright, then be careful. If anything happens, let us know immediately.” Ah Xi knew Xiangnu was kind-hearted and did not try to persuade her.

The three of them lived close to each other in the outer surroundings of Harsh Spring City, where many people like them lived. They would not have any safety problems as long as they paid a little attention.

…

Time was like a shuttle, as six months passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, Yan Yumo approached the front of Di Xiangnu’s house.

“Elder Sister Yumo, how come you didn’t go out today?” Xiangnu looked in confusion at Yan Yumo, who was standing at the entrance.

Yan Yumo was somewhat worried as she took a glance at Di Xiangnu. “Xiangnu, Ah Xi and I might go to a place deep in the Harsh Spring Mountain Range today. We might only be back a few days later…”

Yan Yumo handed something over to Di Xiangnu. “There is some money inside. You can use it.”

“I can’t have it.” Xiangnu hurriedly declined and said worriedly, “But it’s very dangerous to spend the night inside Harsh Spring Mountain Range.”

Yan Yumo nodded. “I know, but more and more people are coming to the Harsh Spring Mountain Range now. There is nothing good to be found in the surroundings. Besides, it would not be just the two of us spending the night in Harsh Spring Mountain Range. Take this money. You haven’t been out for a few months. If this goes on, you will face a problem.”

“Thank you. Be careful.” Xiangnu knew she could not decline. Plus, she was indeed facing some difficulties now.

Di Xiangnu took the money pouch and felt ashamed. In these six months, she had already received too much help from Ah Xi and Elder Sister Yumo.