Chapter 713 - 678: Little Suisui says you must recognize the main

When Ji Shang opened his eyes once more, he was met with two big, round eyes blinking at him.

"Grandpa, did you bring the Dragon Bone?"

Asking about the Dragon Bone the moment they met—that was his good granddaughter, Xiaosuisui.

Oh my! This...

Ji Shang stretched out his hand to touch his face; it wasn’t sore, nor did he feel any swelling.

"Grandpa, why are you touching your face? Is there something wrong with it?"

Ji Shang shook his head quickly.

"No, no. The Dragon Bone you requested, I’ve brought it for you. Look, it’s here."

As he spoke, Ji Shang took out a crystal-clear, translucent bone.

Xiaosuisui fixed her gaze on it, her eyes narrowing slightly. With just a glance, she detected the faint dragon’s cry emanating from the bone.

"It really is a Dragon Bone. With this, we can break the Dragon-Locking Array and then leave the seafloor."

Xiaosuisui was overjoyed. Clutching the Dragon Bone, she was about to send Ji Shang away.

"Wait a minute..."

Seeing that she was about to shoo him away, Ji Shang quickly stopped her, asking, "What about the thing you promised me?"

Xiaosuisui blinked. "What did I promise you?"

"Didn’t you say that if I found the Dragon Bone for you, you’d let me see your maternal grandmother?"

Xiaosuisui thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I think I said I’d let you see my uncles. I don’t recall saying anything about seeing Maternal Grandmother!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Shang grew frantic. "You kid, I’ve given you the Dragon Bone, why can’t you let me see your grandmother? Is it because your grandmother—"

He didn’t finish his sentence, but his mind automatically filled in the blanks. Those thoughts left him on the verge of tears, though none would fall.

But this kind of self-inflicted despair was too complicated for young Xiaosuisui to understand.

"What happened to my grandmother?" she asked, puzzled.

"Your... your grandmother... did she... Have you ever heard your grandmother mention me?"

This was a test. Ji Shang wanted to subtly glean from Xiaosuisui whether his wife had fallen in love with someone else in the ten-odd years since his departure.

Yet, what Xiaosuisui said next left him spitting blood.

"My grandmother has never mentioned you."

"Never...never?"

Ji Shang’s heart seemed to CRACK. He could almost hear the sound of it shattering.

"Then... then in the Ji Family, did... did you ever hear other people mention me?"

This time, Xiaosuisui nodded.

"I did. I heard the Steward burn incense for you. The Ancestral Hall of the Ji Family even has your memorial tablet!"

Ji Shang’s mouth twitched violently. His breath hitched, and he nearly fainted.

"So... everyone in the Ji Family thinks I’m dead?"

Xiaosuisui nodded enthusiastically. "That seems to be the case."

Ji Shang quickly pinched his philtrum!

"Don’t bother, your Divine Soul won’t faint here."

Ji Shang’s face burned with embarrassment at having his deception seen through by a child.

"COUGH, COUGH! Well... can you be honest with your grandpa? Your... your grandmother..."

"What about my grandmother?" Xiaosuisui’s big, doll-like eyes blinked, her face full of confusion.

"Oh dear! Why can’t I make myself understood with a toddler like you? I’m asking if your grandmother has found a new grandpa for you?"

Xiaosuisui shook her head. "No!"

"Really?"

Ji Shang’s face instantly lit up with joy.

"Are you alright now? If you’re fine, then leave! I have to set up the array to escape the seafloor."

Upon hearing Xiaosuisui’s words, Ji Shang hurriedly replied, "Didn’t you promise me that you’d let me meet your uncles? Why don’t you keep your word, child?"

Xiaosuisui thought for a moment, then replied, "Oh, I’m in a hurry to set up the array and escape, aren’t I? You have to give me time! Once Seventh Uncle and I escape and return to the Ji Family, we’ll gather everyone. We’ll all go see you together!"

"Gather everyone in the family, and then all come to see me together?"

Ji Shang thought of his eight children, his sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and his wife. A wave of excitement surged through him.

At this point, though, Ji Shang didn’t yet know that his daughter was no longer in this world. Xiaosuisui had never told him, so he still imagined the entire family, daughter included, gathered together.

"So, when will you return to the Ji Mansion? How long will I have to wait to come in again?"

Xiaosuisui touched her head, considering seriously for a moment before replying, "It took Seventh Uncle and me a little less than a month to get to Yunzhou Island."