FID – Chapter 980

Chapter 980 — The Family Genealogy

“Yes, yes! The one that recorded Miaojiang. Grandfather, do you remember which biography it was in?”

Before anyone in the room could answer, Liu Ya suddenly stood up from the floor and hurried into her grandfather’s room. After a series of clattering noises, she came out holding a book in her hands. Her small face was flushed red as she carefully presented it to Wei Zi and opened it.

On the page she opened, the word Miaojiang was clearly marked.

“This is it!” Liu Tiao exclaimed. “Ya’er, you remembered the book? Thank goodness for you. Otherwise we wouldn’t have found it at all!”

The book had been retrieved from Grandfather’s room; he had seen it himself.

Liu Ya lifted the book toward Wei Zi like a treasured offering, her gaze skittish as it darted around. “I’m sorry.”

The apology was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

She had scratched him, repaying kindness with panic. It was her fault.

Wei Zi heard her clearly. He accepted the book and gave the little rabbit in front of him a sidelong glance. “Thank you.”

Then he strode away with the book.

It was not a biography. On the cover were the words ‘Family Chronicle and Genealogy.’

A clan genealogy.

Wei Zi’s eyes darkened slightly. Perhaps the Liu family really could help the master.

When Liu Yusheng and the others received the book, they immediately read every word of the passages related to Miaojiang.

The record on the page wasn’t long—only half a page—but it contained one particularly important piece of information.

“Southern Xinjiang is not in the southwest?”

“So Qinglian went to the wrong region from the start. No wonder he couldn’t find even a trace.”

“But if it’s not in the southwest, then where is it? We need complete information before telling Qinglian. Otherwise, he’ll be like a headless fly, not even knowing which direction to go. What’s he supposed to search for?”

Liu Yusheng closed the book, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on the three characters on the cover: Family Chronicle and Genealogy.

Though no family surname was written on it, since it had come from Uncle Liu’s room, she guessed it must be his family’s genealogy.

A house-born servant with a genealogy?

Frowning slightly, Liu Yusheng asked the others, “Doesn’t this strike you as strange?”

“It is strange,” Feng Qingbai said, lowering his long lashes, thoughtful. “To resolve the doubt, we may need to ask Uncle Liu.”

A man couldn’t possibly be ignorant of his own family’s history.

And for a genealogy to contain information about Miaojiang… What connection did Uncle Liu’s ancestors have with that place? There might be a hidden secret buried within.

After a moment of thought, Liu Zhiqiu said, “Then let’s ask Uncle Liu. We’re not trying to pry into his family’s secrets, only about Miaojiang. As long as it can help Xue Qinglian, that’s enough. Anything else, we won’t pursue.”

Just as they made their decision, footsteps sounded at the entrance of the hall.

It was Liu Tiao, carrying Uncle Liu on his back, followed by Liu Gen, Liu Zhi, and the rest of the family.

“Uncle Liu, your leg isn’t healed yet. You shouldn’t be moving around. Why did you get out of bed?” Liu Zhiqiu frowned immediately at the sight.

Seeing Liu Zhiqiu’s expression, Uncle Liu’s stern face softened slightly, and he finally let out a silent sigh. “Since the masters are seeking information about Miaojiang, this old servant does know a little. Perhaps I can be of some help.”

When his granddaughter carried the genealogy outside, he had already known the masters would become suspicious.

After all, a household-born servant, someone born into servitude,should never possess something like a family genealogy. It was forbidden. With a different master, they might have been beaten to death on the spot.

Moreover, the genealogy even contained information about Miaojiang that the masters themselves had failed to find anywhere.

Seeing the helplessness hidden in the elder’s eyes, Liu Yusheng pursed her lips and spoke gently: “Uncle Liu, we aren’t trying to pry into your family matters, nor do we mind the existence of this genealogy. We only want to know what it says about Miaojiang, because our friend’s life may depend on it. That is why we are so anxious. If possible, please share only what is related to Miaojiang. We will not ask about anything else. Would that be acceptable?”

Uncle Liu patted his grandson’s shoulder, signaling him to put him down. Liu Yusheng immediately brought over a stool.

He gave her a grateful look and, once seated, began: “This genealogy has existed since the day I was born. It was passed down from our ancestors, recording the deeds of our lineage. As for Miaojiang, when I was young, my grandfather told me it was an extremely mysterious place. Almost no outsiders ever entered, and no one knew its exact location.”

“In truth, Miaojiang is not within the territory of Nanling. It is an independent land outside all nations.” He paused, then continued, “I have a map here. It used to be kept between the pages of the genealogy, but I feared losing it when handling the book, so I stored it elsewhere. The masters may take a look; it may be useful.”

After speaking, he took out an aged piece of sheepskin parchment from his chest and handed it to Liu Yusheng.

Receiving the parchment, Liu Yusheng exchanged a glance with Feng Qingbai, Liu Zhixia, Liu Zhiqiu, and the others before unfolding it.

On it was a very simple map. Liu Yusheng couldn’t understand much; she could roughly identify mountains and rivers, but had no idea which was which.

After studying it carefully, Feng Qingbai’s brows slowly drew together. “This is not a map of Nanling.”

As the King, even if he didn’t personally lead armies, he remembered every detail of his kingdom’s territory. None of the locations drawn on this map existed anywhere within Nanling.

Liu Zhixia added, “The terrain drawn here is extremely odd, like a basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains and waterways. It looks like a corner of some remote region, yet also like a secluded land cut off and independent from the world.”

Liu Zhiqiu stared at the twisting, winding lines until his eyes nearly crossed, but he still couldn’t make sense of it. He simply didn’t have the skill. “I’m useless. This is too complicated. A half-educated fellow like me can’t understand any of it. I leave the important work to you all.”

He slumped back into his chair, panting dramatically as if he’d climbed several mountains, utterly exhausted.

Moments later, Liu Yusheng also gave up.

Even if she could read the map, she wouldn’t know what region it represented. She had lived in Nanling for nearly twenty years and still didn’t fully grasp the layout of her own country, let alone a map from outside its borders.

Only Feng Qingbai and Liu Zhixia remained focused, still studying the map intently.

“Uncle Liu, regarding Miaojiang, did your grandfather ever tell you anything else? Anything that might serve as a clue?” Liu Zhiqiu asked.

Uncle Liu furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s been decades. I can’t remember clearly anymore.”

Back then he had been only a small child. After so many decades, how could he clearly recall such distant memories?

“Northwest…” A timid, trembling female voice spoke—just two syllables.

Everyone immediately lifted their heads and looked toward Liu Ya.

Suddenly being stared at by so many people, Liu Ya shrank back, her face turning pale as she hid behind Liu Zhi.

“Ya’er, you just said ‘northwest.’ Can you tell me why you said that?” Knowing the girl was extremely timid, Liu Yusheng softened her voice, coaxing her gently.