“A stupid girl like you, even if you make a contract with a young dragon whose bloodline is impure, it's like your ancestral grave is smoking with incense!”
Elder Yan commented, with an expression of “I am noble, you're not worthy.”
Tian Ning sighed regretfully: “Maybe we are destined to meet?”
“Little girl, you're not tall, but your ambitions are high. Those who can make a contract with a dragon are few and far between. Let the Dragon-Summoning Stone recognize you first.”
From some point onwards, the atmosphere in the Ancestral Hall was no longer tense.
Even Elder Yan's attitude softened considerably…
This surprised the Grand Elder, who hadn't spoken. The Dragon Clan's oppressive aura was innate. Not to mention mortals, even cultivators would feel uncomfortable standing next to a member of the Dragon Clan.
And Elder Yan's change in attitude…
Should I say that Sixth Miss is indeed of the Wenren Family's bloodline?
She is innately close to the Dragon Clan.
After that incident, they forgot about the previous unpleasantness. The two Elders took Tian Ning to the center of the Ancestral Hall, to the place where the Wenren Family's ancestor's memorial tablets were placed.
“Follow me and perform the ceremony,” the Grand Elder said.
Tian Ning obediently followed the Grand Elder in paying homage to the ancestors of the Wenren Family. Afterward, the Grand Elder took out a small knife: “Extend your hand.”
“Wait a second.”
Seeing the sharp blade, Tian Ning quickly pulled out a Healing Pill from her pocket, ready to swallow it as soon as the Grand Elder drew blood, showing that she couldn't stand even a little pain.
Pathetic…
Surprised that Madam would actually give this girl a Heaven-grade Healing Pill.
The Grand Elder thought, she is, after all, his own daughter, a piece of his own flesh and blood. Madam is indeed kind to her.
Tian Ning didn't know what the Grand Elder was thinking. This pill was something the Old Man forced her to learn how to make. Because her blood was special and couldn't be easily detected by others, the Old Man made her refine several Dimensional Pouches full of Healing Pills—enough to last a lifetime.
He was afraid that she would be discovered by bad people outside and lose her life.
As she watched the knife pierce her skin and blood flow out, it didn't fall due to gravity but instead rose into the air, slowly flowing into a pitch-black stone in front of her.
Tian Ning noticed Elder Yan's rapid breathing, as if a wild beast was greedily inhaling the sweet scent of blood. She immediately put the Healing Pill in her mouth.
The effect was immediate, the wound healed instantly.
She was thankful that the cultivator sent by the Dragon Clan wasn't very powerful. Otherwise, from the moment the Grand Elder took out the knife, Tian Ning would have run away.
Before Elder Yan could wonder about his inexplicable craving for the blood, he saw the Dragon-Summoning Stone projecting an image.
This girl actually had the ability to make a contract with a dragon!
He wondered which unlucky fool would end up with this girl from the Mortal Realm, who had already missed the best age for cultivation.
Soon, the unlucky fool he was thinking about revealed his appearance. He had a handsome face, bright eyes, deep blue eyes as cold as ice, and an extremely beautiful face that didn't seem real, like an immortal fairy who had fallen to the mortal world, making it impossible to feel any disrespectful thoughts.
“Th-th-this…”
Elder Yan could barely speak.
The Grand Elder was amazed by the person who appeared from the Dragon-Summoning Stone. However, after thinking for a moment, he realized that this person wasn't a member of the Dragon Clan in recent years. Seeing Elder Yan's attitude, he understood.
“Could this be a Senior of the Dragon Clan who has cultivated for a thousand years?”
Then Sixth Miss truly had incredible luck.
As long as she made a contract with a dragon, the Head of the Family's attitude towards Sixth Miss would inevitably change.
“Shut up!” Elder Yan immediately pointed at the Grand Elder's nose and yelled, “A mere human, you dare to dream of making a contract with our Clan's Dragon Ancestor! Shameless! You’re dreaming!”
Grand Elder: ???
Tian Ning：……
The Dragon Ancestor's position in the Dragon Clan was unattainable. Elder Yan and Tian Ning making a contract felt inappropriate for the little girl, let alone the Dragon Ancestor, the beloved of all the dragons.
If the Dragon-Summoning Stone transmitted the news to the Dragon Palace, the entire Dragon Clan would explode!
Which bastard dared to make a contract with their Dragon Ancestor?
Do they want to die?
The Grand Elder really wanted to say, why not try letting the human and the dragon get along for three months like before?
After all, it wasn't unheard of for a dragon to be unwilling, after all, the Dragon Clan was born proud, and it was normal for them to look down on human cultivators. But the Dragon-Summoning Stone rarely made mistakes, and most humans and dragons would be willing to make a contract after three months.
The success rate was as high as ninety percent, a rule established by their ancestors.
But looking at Elder Yan's furious face, the Grand Elder choked…
He had a feeling that if he dared to speak, the angry Fire Dragon in front of him would want to strangle him to death.
But a dragon was such a temptation!
“Elder…”
The Grand Elder had only uttered one word when Elder Yan, knowing he was up to no good, interrupted him.
“The Wenren Family is forbidden from spreading this matter! I will immediately return to the Dragon Palace to consult the Dragon King! Of course…” Elder Yan said, his gaze shifting to Tian Ning, filled with incomprehension, disdain, disgust… a mix of various emotions.
Thinking of the scene just now, Elder Yan felt that his Clan's Dragon Ancestor was a flower stuck in a pile of cow dung!
Before leaving, he warned sharply: “Some people shouldn't foolishly seek their own death. Our Clan's Dragon Ancestor is not someone that a mere human can match!”
Obviously, a contract between Tian Ning and the man who appeared on the Dragon-Summoning Stone was impossible!
As Elder Yan's aura disappeared, the Grand Elder looked at Tian Ning with a complex expression. He never expected things to develop to this point.
“Sixth Miss, go back first. I will inform the Head of the Family. But you must never tell anyone about what happened today. Not even anyone in the Wenren Family.”
Tian Ning hummed in response.
She didn't have any feelings for the Dragon Ancestor, but she quite liked Elder Yan.
It was a pity that the little Fire Dragon didn't like her.
Tian Ning returned to her courtyard and started reading storybooks, immersed in the melodramatic stories, completely unaware of the upheaval outside.
When she got sleepy, she would cuddle her fluffy White Cat and sleep until the next morning when a maid knocked on the door to deliver something.
“Sixth Miss, this is something Fourth Young Master asked me to bring you. He said that Madam and Fifth Miss will return in an hour, and asked you to prepare yourself to greet them.” The maid said, and outside, a group of people carried several large boxes into the courtyard.
Tian Ning, sleepy-eyed, didn't respond to the maid.
She had stayed up late reading storybooks last night, and was very sleepy. She turned over and continued to sleep.
When she woke up naturally, it was almost noon. Tian Ning woke up hungry.
She gave Xiaobai and Jiujiu fish and Spirit Rice, and took out the scallion pancakes that the Old Man had made for her from her Dimensional Pouch to fill her stomach. After eating, she started tidying her room and opened the large box she had brought from home.
If Manager Xu were here, he would be shocked.
The box contained all sorts of miscellaneous things, but they were all miniature versions—pots, pans, beds, tables, chairs, storybooks, decorative ornaments… even the stone mill in front of Tian Ning's house was inside!
Worried that she wouldn't sleep well in a new environment, the Old Man almost moved the entire house for Tian Ning!
Tian Ning took out some ornaments. Those miniature things gradually became larger as soon as they left the box, returning to their original size.
This box was a Divine Tool. Any object placed inside could be shrunk, and it could hold an infinite number of things, but there was a drawback… the objects became smaller, but their weight did not decrease. The box contained the weight of an entire room, so Manager Xu couldn't lift it.
Tian Ning transformed her room into a replica of her room in the Mortal Realm.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, she happily picked up a new storybook and continued to immerse herself in the interesting story.
As for the several large boxes in the courtyard, she didn't even look at them.
Time passed quickly. Near noon, another maid came to urge her: “Sixth Miss, why are you still in your room? Madam, Fifth Miss, Fourth Young Master, and the Young Dragon Prince are waiting for you to have dinner.”
Tian Ning was just reading the climax of a heartbreaking love story, so she reluctantly closed the storybook, planning to finish eating quickly and come back to read.
“I know, let's go.”
The maid didn't move, her gaze falling on her patched green and pink long dress: “It's not proper for you to meet Madam like this.”
As she spoke, she instructed other maids to open the large boxes in the courtyard. They contained many clothes and jewelry, the opulence of which was beyond the dreams of ordinary people. “Fourth Young Master said that you suffered a lot in the past ten years. Now that you have returned to the family register, you cannot lose the Wenren Family's face. The Wenren Family will not be stingy with these worldly things. Choose whatever you need.”
Tian Ning didn't intend to pay attention to this gossipy maid, but when the large boxes were opened, there was a distinct smell of someone else having used those items.
Now, Tian Ning had to delay her reading.
“You mean all these things are for me?”
“Yes. Please go back to your room and tidy yourself up.”
Tian Ning did go back to her room, but she didn't take anything.
This made the maid unhappy. These were riches that others would covet, so what was Sixth Miss planning? Not greeting Madam and Fifth Miss in the morning was already improper, and Madam hadn’t blamed her, but now she was being slow…
When Tian Ning came out of the room again, there was a sparrow on her head.
“Sixth Miss, what are you thinking? It's almost time for dinner, how can you let Madam and Fifth Miss wait for you?”
Tian Ning didn't even look at the maid: “Jiujiu, burn all these annoying things.”
She pointed at them one by one. Before the maids could react, the sparrow, which was only slightly larger than a fruit, flapped its wings and flew above the boxes, spitting out small flames.
The flames seemed like they would extinguish with a gust of wind, but the moment they touched the boxes, it was like a dam breaking, and a raging fire instantly burned in the courtyard!
“Ahhhhh—There's a fire!”
“Quick, quick, put out the fire!”
The maids were in chaos. Tian Ning pulled a dazed little maid who was almost burned by the sparks and asked, “Where are we eating? Take me there.”
“Si-Sixth Miss… the fire…”
The little maid was panicked. She didn't understand how Sixth Miss could calmly ask about dinner at this time.
“Aren't they busy here?”
Tian Ning took out some Spirit Rice as a reward. She patted Jiujiu's head and instructed, “Remember to put out the fire after you've burned everything.”
The sparrow raised its head and chirped in response.
The little maid inexplicably felt a sense of pride from a sparrow, an expression of asking for praise?
In the firelight, many servants rushed to the courtyard to put out the fire with buckets of water, but two figures walked against the light. No matter how much water was poured, the fire showed no signs of weakening.
When the little maid led them to the dining hall, her voice trembled: “Ma-Madam… Sixth Miss has arrived…”"