Chapter 602: What's She to You?

It's dangerous here!

Alarm bells started ringing in Ye Guan's head as soon as he entered the stone house. He felt a shiver down his spine, and his gaze drifted over to a stone bed where an old lady with snow-white hair was lying down.

The old lady's pallid face made it clear that she was weak.

Their eyes met briefly, and there was a heavy tension hanging in the air.

Ye Guan instantly realized that the old lady's cultivation base was pretty high.

Lin Daimei rushed to the old lady's side and grabbed the latter's hand. Giving it a strong squeeze, Lin Daimei said, "Grandma, this is Ye Guan, an outsider. Surely he can help with your injuries."

The old lady cast a gentle smile toward Ye Guan.

"Is that true?" asked the old lady.

“Yes...”

With a nod from Lin Daimei, Ye Guan walked up to the old lady. "May I have a word with your grandmother alone?”

Perplexed, Lin Daimei blinked in confusion.

“It is regarding her condition,” Ye Guan clarified.

The old lady gave Lin Daimei a reassuring nod.

After some hesitation, Lin Daimei complied and left Ye Guan alone with the old lady.

When there were only the two of them left in the room, their eyes met in mid-air, and tension settled in the room.

The old lady broke the silence, asking, "What brings you here?"

Ye Guan calmly replied, "Just to see what's going on."

The old lady stared deeply at Ye Guan. "That's it?"

Ye Guan nodded.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The old lady stayed silent, carefully scrutinizing him.

“Did you suffer heavy injuries?” Ye Guan inquired, examining the old lady.

Shaking her head, the old lady answered, “It is not an injury. This is a punishment.”

“Punishment?” Ye Guan frowned.

The old lady explained, "You're not familiar with our customs, are you?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "Not really."

“Since you're from the outside, you should know about Ah Nan, right?”

“Nope,” Ye Guan answered.

The old lady stared at Ye Guan for a while before explaining, “In Haoran, those born here are bound by certain rules. One of them is that they could never leave and never cultivate. Those who defy it are cursed, doomed to perish before a century's end."

Ye Guan furrowed his brow and asked, "Is it the work of the First God?"

The old lady shook her head. "No."

Perplexed, Ye Guan inquired further, "Then who's responsible for it?"

The old lady cast a penetrating gaze at Ye Guan and revealed. "The First God left the seal to protect this town. But the curse... it was laid by one of the gods beneath the First God.

"There are many gods below the First God, and among them is Ah Nan."

Ah Nan?

Ye Guan's brow furrowed in concern.

The old lady chuckled softly. "Seems like you're not too familiar with the gods, are you?"

"I know a little, but I'm far from an expert."

The old lady's gaze settled on Ye Guan. "Ah Nan is within the top three in the power ranking among the First God’s believers. Interestingly, he came from this place."

Ye Guan was puzzled. "But why would he curse his own hometown?"

Shaking her head, the old lady replied, "I wish I knew. This town, once blessed by the First God, became a haven for those born here. Every single person from here is born talented in cultivation. However, those who cultivate here will not live past a hundred years, all thanks to Ah Nan's curse."

Ye Guan glanced at the old lady and muttered, "And you..."

"In three days, I'll become a hundred years old," the old lady said weakly.

Ye Guan fell silent.

The old lady turned to him. "You're thinking of taking Daimei away, aren't you?"

"That did cross my mind."

"You're going to put her in harm's way by making her cultivate," the old lady said.

"But if she comes with me... Ye Guan retorted, "She might be able to break free from her curse."

The old lady locked eyes with Ye Guan and said, "Prove it to me, then."

After a moment of thought, Ye Guan opened his palm. A strand of Ancestral Origin floated out of him and entered the old lady's body. The next moment, however, the old lady's eyes widened. She trembled, and blood trickled down her lips.

Ye Guan's brow creased in worry at the sight. The strand of Ancestral Origin inside of her had vanished as if it were a rock that had been thrown into the ocean. To make matters worse, her skin was darkening.

Ye Guan's face darkened as well.

What's happening?

After a while, the old lady drew a shaky breath. "It's no use. Even Ancestral Origin can't resist the curse."

The curse...

Ye Guan fell silent.

The old lady stared weakly at Ye Guan and said, "I know about Daimei's incredible talent, and I know why you want to take her away. However, taking her away with you is only going to harm her. If you truly care for her, leave her be.

"Give her a peaceful life in this town."

Ye Guan was silent for a while. Just as he was about to use the Divine Imprint, Mu Yuan inside him suddenly said,

"Absolutely not."

Ye Guan asked,

"Why?"

Mu Yuan sounded serious as he said, "Using the Divine Imprint to break the curse will definitely alert Ah Nan, and he's going to hunt you down the moment he knows that you possess the Divine Imprint. You're not his opponent yet.

"Moreover, there is no guarantee that the Divine Imprint can even break the curse."

Perplexed, Ye Guan inquired, "Why not?"

Mu Yuan explained, "Ah Nan was one of the Divine Arts' first inheritors. Ah Nan is a master of curses, second only to the First God himself. Even the Divine Imprint may not be strong enough to break his curse."

Ye Guan fell silent, feeling a pang of guilt.

If he hadn't used a strand of Ancestral Origin to attempt to heal her just now, the old lady would have had a few more days, but now...

The old lady seemed to have sensed Ye Guan's internal turmoil and smiled sadly, saying, "Young man, do not blame yourself. Your willingness to save a stranger with a strand of Ancestral Origin is a truly noble act."

Ye Guan sighed softly.

Save?

Ye Guan wanted to save her, but he knew that he couldn't do it.

Mu Yuan was right. He was just going to alert Ah Nan if he were to activate the Divine Imprint. No, it wouldn't be just Ah Nan. Ye Guan might alert more gods as well, which would put both him and the town in danger.

He could help others, but he couldn't put himself in danger by helping them.

The old lady suddenly called out, "Daimei."

Lin Daimei rushed into the room with tears streaming down her face. She had overheard their conversation. The old lady took Lin Daimei's hand gently and said, "You're a smart girl. I know you're curious about this town and about my past... You're right; I

did

leave this town once to train on the mountain, but—"

The old lady was interrupted by a fit of coughing.

Lin Daimei helped her sit up and patted her back gently, saying, "Grandma..."

The old lady squeezed Daimei's hand tightly. "I know you've been dreaming of the outside world. I know you've been dreaming of becoming someone important, dreaming of flying and traveling but going to the outside world is a one-way journey.

"Promise me that you won't leave this town no matter what, all right? Promise me that you'll live a simple life, marry, and have children here... Will you do that?"

Lin Daimei knelt before Ye Guan, and her hands trembling as she pleaded, "I... I know what I'm doing is wrong, it's beyond my abilities... but... I have no other choice! I can only beg you. Please... I..."

Tears flowed down her cheeks; she knew that it was wrong and that she wasn't supposed to do it. However, she had no choice! She did not want her grandmother to die just like that.

Ye Guan stared deeply at Lin Daimei before saying, "If I save your grandmother, I might end up dead."

Lin Daimei was stunned, and then she muttered, "I understand. I'm sorry..."

With that, Lin Daimei stood up and turned around. She walked back to the old lady with tears streaming down her face.

The old lady held Daimei's hand tightly, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. "I was prepared for this day to come ever since I decided to cultivate. It's just that... I'm just a little worried about you..."

Daimei shook her head and muttered, "Don't worry, Grandma, I won't leave, I promise."

The old lady smiled and then looked at Ye Guan standing nearby. "Promise me."

Ye Guan said nothing. He simply turned around and left the room.

Outside the stone house, Ye Guan stared quietly at the starry sky.

Eventually, he sighed softly and walked away into the night. He was supposed to have no regrets over his decision, but he couldn't help but feel regretful. If it had been an easy task, he wouldn't have hesitated.

However, intervening would undoubtedly bring him a ton of trouble, and he was too weak to handle that trouble by himself. He might even end up implicating his sister, Qianqian, Mu Yuan, and a few others.

What was he supposed to do if that were to happen? What could he even do?

Ye Guan left a storage ring outside the house. It contained no cultivation items, only some food. The storage ring didn't require spiritual energy to open as well.

Soon, Ye Guan disappeared into the night.

Unbeknownst to Ye Guan, a man in a white robe and a lady in a plain skirt was staring at him as he disappeared into the night.

The man in a white robe said softly, "Qing'er, I think he's feeling helpless."

"Of course, that is beyond his capabilities, after all," said the lady in a plain skirt. Then, she stared at the man next to her and asked, "If you were in his shoes, would you save her?"

The man in a white robe shook his head and replied, "I would not because it's beyond my capabilities."

The lady in the plain skirt gazed at Ye Guan in the distance and said, "He's likely to have inner demons."

The man in a white robe frowned and asked, "Why do you say that?"

“If he were truly powerless, he wouldn't feel guilty. He might have to wrestle with his inner demons. Deep down, he knows that he could call on his family to handle any issues if he were to intervene, but he's reluctant to do so."

The man in a white robe held the lady in a plain skirt's hand and asked, "What do you think, Qing'er? Should he step in or not?"

Qing'er glanced at where Ye Guan had disappeared before responding, "One cannot establish a new order while turning a blind eye to injustice. If he can't save even one person, how can he save the entire vast expanse? He—"

Qing'er stopped mid-sentence upon noticing something.

The young man who had just departed had returned to the courtyard. He rushed to the stone house and kicked the door open. Staring at the old lady on the bed, he declared, "I'll handle this!"

The old lady hesitated briefly before murmuring, "But Ah Nan..."

Ye Guan waved his hand dismissively. "He's not important!"