Chapter 647 - 297: Why Not Let Him Be the Family Head?

Time rewound to a few moments before—to the exact instant Xiao Qing’s aura from the Heart of the Poison Wood erupted, signaling its advancement.

Darkness.

The deepest recesses of the Rong Family estate.

Here, in an underground area of the vast Rong Family manor—a complex that occupied the suburbs of Beihai City and resembled a small town.

A swirling spatial vortex emanated a lush green glow.

The Five Saints Secret Realms—the Rong Family’s trump card and greatest foundation. It was one of the most significant sources of reliance that had been passed down through generations of the Rong Family. Of course, in the past, many powerful Families possessed similar foundations. But without a doubt, among the existing Families in Dragon Nation, the Rong Family’s Five Saints Secret Realms could be considered quite extraordinary.

At this moment, within the dark place where the secret realm lay, a pair of orange-green eyes slowly opened. Within their inverted-triangular pupils, confusion swirled. Then, the owner of those eyes slowly emerged from the darkness, swaying with an extremely peculiar motion.

It was a snake!

Yet, something was different. Two horns adorned its head. They weren’t the antlers of the Divine Dragon Clan, but rather resembled the spiraling, spiked Dragon Horns of the Giant Dragon Clan. However, both horns were currently broken. One was long, the other short, presenting an indescribably tragic sight. Yet, the serpent’s aura seemed unharmed. Beneath its azure scales, a streak of snow-white extended from its belly to the tip of its tail. Its body was only about ten meters long, and its girth was no more than that of a water bucket.

This size was already quite impressive. However, in a world teeming with all sorts of Pet Beasts, for a Pet Beast Race like serpents—known for their immense size potential—individuals exceeding a hundred meters, or even larger, were not uncommon. To many, such a size was unremarkable. If anyone claimed that a serpent of this size had reached the Spirit Saint Level, they would surely not be believed. Yet, this was the truth.

The Green Snake slowly slithered out from the depths of the darkness. It was a strange, cellar-like ancestral hall, yet it was the absolute heart of the Rong Family estate. The Green Snake climbed from the darkness onto the ascending steps. Bathed in the spring sunlight, its orange-green, inverted-triangular eyes gazed into the distance.

At that very moment, the Green Snake sensed an aura that had suddenly appeared nearby, right within the Rong Family estate, beckoning to it.

As the core of the Rong Family, its every stir was clearly perceived by Rong Bao, the Rong Family Head. So, as the Green Snake’s body slowly emerged from the cellar, leaving a dark, scorched-looking line on the ground, a figure arrived before the cellar steps.

It was none other than Su Ping’s maternal grandfather, Rong Bao, who inquired, "Snake Ancestor, why have you left the Ancestral Temple?"

The Green Snake glanced at the current Family Head, who was also a grandson from a branch lineage of its former master. This old snake, whose seniority placed it in Rong Bao’s grandfather’s generation, tilted its head towards a specific direction. "Has anything happened in the Rong Family lately?"

Rong Bao was not at all surprised that the Snake Ancestor could speak human language. Most Spirit Saint Level Pet Beasts possessed intelligence comparable to humans and could master human language within a certain period if they chose to learn. As a guardian of the Family, a powerful Pet Beast that had used special methods to survive long after its Beast Tamer’s death, the Snake Ancestor had been the Rong Family’s true guardian deity and Totem for over a century.

Rong Bao naturally did not hide anything in response to the Snake Ancestor’s question. "Reporting to the Snake Ancestor, there have been no significant events. It’s merely that my deceased daughter’s son—my only grandson—has returned to the Rong Family."

"Your daughter? You mean Xiao Chun! Has that girl’s son grown so big already?" A flicker of reminiscence crossed the old snake’s ancient eyes. The old snake clearly remembered Rong Chun from the previous generation. Mentioning her, it even sighed with emotion, "It’s a pity. Xiao Chun’s death was truly regrettable. Such a shame that girl was born in this generation and didn’t acquire an Egg of the Five Saints."

However, the old snake quickly refocused. "Speaking of which, your grandson, returning to the Rong Family at this time..."

Rong Bao pursed his lips, a smile appearing on his equally aging face. "Indeed. I intend to give Su Ping one of this generation’s Eggs of the Five Saints!"

The old snake turned its head suspiciously towards Rong Bao. "Xiao Bao, I remember you not being so foolish?"

Rong Bao wasn’t bothered by the Snake Ancestor’s informal address. He smiled faintly. "You are aware of the Rong Family’s current situation. Over the past decade or so, Dragon Nation’s crackdown on the great Families has been unprecedented. It has become much harder for our descendants to distinguish themselves in various fields, let alone secure positions in Dragon Nation’s higher echelons.

"Meanwhile, Su Ping has great potential, as does Su Anyong. Ghost Saint Leng Ao holds both of them in high regard. The Ghost Saint, along with the Wolf Sage from the northwest, are Dragon Nation’s most prominent hawks.

"This could significantly smooth the path for Su Ping in the future, and Su Anyong currently, in these aspects. They might even have the chance to inherit some of this political legacy.

"I remained silent about Chun’er and Su Anyong’s affairs back then because I saw promise in that young man, Su Anyong. His background was unblemished, yet there was much potential to explore. Of course, the primary reason was that Chun’er herself liked him.

"My eldest daughter’s greatest regret was not obtaining an Egg of the Five Saints. As her father, my authority is limited, but I wish to indulge this one small whim for my deceased daughter."