"Uggh!..." Zhu Furong opened his eyes and instantly grabbed his head which was going through a sharp pain. It feels like a needle is pricking the insides of his brain. It took a while for the pain to calm down.

"Here we go again. This method of waking up after getting unconscious every time seems to have become a trademark of mine. Sigh!" Zhu Furong wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat up in bed. 

He started touching his body here and there. "How am I still alive? That Heavenly Tribulation..." Zhu Furong shuddered thinking about it.

"Finally you woke up. Can you please close the connection between your dantians and meridians first, I am too tired to keep absorbing Spiritual Qi non-stop." Zhu Xingzuo suddenly requested.

"What happened? Why do I have to close the connection?" Zhu Furong asked with confusion.

"Are you numb? Can't you feel you are constantly sucking in Spiritual Qi from the air. It's not the right time for you to Cultivate Qi, so I had no choice but to keep absorbing all the Spiritual Qi without any rest." Zhu Xingzuo complained.

"Er... How can this be, this has never happened before. How can I absorb Spiritual Qi involuntarily." Zhu Furong scratched his head with confusion. He noticed a thin layer of blue mist covering his skin, the layer is so thin that you have to inspect it from zero distance. The mist is constantly seeping into his skin forming nano size whirlpools.

Yawning, Zhu Xingzuo answered. "It's because of the changes in your physique. Your new body type can absorb Spiritual Qi without any need of meditation. Be it walking, running or sleeping, you can absorb Spiritual Qi anytime. Though the flow won't be stable."

"What? What are you talking about, what changes?" Zhu Furong asked with shock and started closing the connections between his dantians and the meridians.

Zhu Xingzuo ignored his question and said what he wanted to.

"By the way, you are lucky you are in the Lower Realm, the laws of nature here are weaker compared to Upper Realm, so the Heavens can't make full use of it. If it was the Upper Realm, you would have turned to dust before half of the Heavenly Tribulation has passed." Zhu Xingzuo spoke lazily.

"That makes sense." Zhu Furong nodded.

He now noticed he is inside his room and in his bed. He is wearing his while hanfu which he had undressed before Cultivating the Body Cleansing stage.

"Who brought me in here?" He asked.

"It was grandpa who brought you in. By the way, just so you know, he saw everything. Everything from the starting to the end. And also your little bird." Zhu Xingzuo joked while yawning.

Since Zhu Furong and Zhu Xingzuo are like blood-brothers, Zhu Xingzuo also takes Zhu Furong's family as his family and Zhu Furong's relatives as his relatives. Though he doesn't accept everyone. Unlike Zhu Furong, Zhu Xingzuo would never agree to call Zhu Wei, Elder Brother.

"Stupid egg!" Zhu Furong cursed Zhu Xingzuo for the bad joke. 

"Well he would have found out someday anyway, it's not a bad thing he found out earlier than expected. But I never thought I would invoke the Heavenly Tribulation just from Body Cleansing." Zhu Furong frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this would happen?" He asked.

"How would I know you will attain a hundred percent pure body just from going through the Body Cleansing stage. Even the gods wouldn't have known let alone me." Zhu Xingzuo complained, but the words he said froze Zhu Furong.

After a while Zhu Furong jumped out of the bed. "What? H-Hundred p-p-percent pure body... You said a hundred percent pure body? The changes you were talking about is this? Oh my god!" Zhu Furong stuttered with shock.

He raised his hands in front of his face to examine them. Then he rushed to the mirror to see his face. Shocked to the extreme, it took him some time to come back to his senses.

Suddenly he struck a pose in front of the mirror and said in a flowery tone. "Who is this beautiful lady killer?"

Then he made a fist and yelled. "Fuck! I am going back the route to become a beautiful girl again. If not for this manly jawline of mine, I would have definitely looked like a hundred percent girl."

"Look at this skin, why is it so smooth and fair without even a single mark on it? Look at this shiny, smooth, pitch black, long hair. Is it even real or artificial? I can keep touching it all day long."

"I am close to ten years old, I am still growing, my body will change as I grow up. My face will look more manly in the future right?" He said with a worried look.

He stripped off his upper clothing. "Now I look more like a man. Look at these muscles, look at these fine cuts, oh yeah." He started making bodybuilder poses in front of the mirror.

"Stop it, or I will puke to death!" A tired Zhu Xingzuo shouted inside Zhu Furong's head.

Zhu Furong stopped doing his shameless acts, then like a good boy he put back on his clothing and walked towards the door.

"By the way how long have I been unconscious?" He asked while opening the door.

"I am glad you asked, I can't take this anymore. I am sleepy as fuck!" Zhu Xingzuo cussed.

"Now listen carefully, I won't repeat myself." Zhu Xingzuo warned.

Zhu Furong stopped just after stepping a foot out of the room and made an attentive look. He focused on what Zhu Xingzuo was about to say.

Zhu Xingzuo started explaining in a lazy tone.

"You have been in a comatose state for 25 days. Your Physical Body was almost at the brink of destruction because of the Heavenly Tribulation. That Heavenly Tribulation was not something that should occur in the Lower Realm, it was at the level of Divine Transformation stage. To survive that with your Cultivation which was similar to Meridians Opening and Qi Condensation rank of the Human Race, you have my respect."

"Your combat prowess now after attaining a hundred percent pure body should be equal to a Foundation Establishment rank, but that's only after you have adjusted to your new body state. For now, no more promoting Cultivating stages. You should stay at the Body Cleansing stage till I wake up. We will decide later when is the right time to progress to the next stage."

"The thunder of Heavenly Tribulation contains pure Spiritual Qi along with natural laws, I have made quite a profit thanks to you. I need time to digest it and the best way is to take a nap. I have been waiting for you to wake up before I can go to sleep."

"About your hundred percent pure body, it's called 'Heavenly Innate Body'. This type of body is like nature itself."

"You already had a body composition which goes against the Heavens and now you added such a peculiar type to it, of course the Heavens can't take it. It's not the first time, from now on everytime you go through Heavenly Tribulation, the Heavens will come for your life."Watch out Big Brother, don't die. Now goodnight, I really gotta sleep, my body feels heavy."

"You mean the 'egg shell' feels heavy." Zhu Furong joked, but he didn't get any answers. Seems like Zhu Xingzuo has already gone to sleep.

Shutting the door of his room, Zhu Furong went looking for his grandfather. There are things they need to talk about.

After searching several places in the manor Zhu Furong found Zhu Bohai in his private courtyard. It is the last place Zhu Furong thought he would find Zhu Bohai at.

It's morning time, mostly during this time, Zhu Bohai is either out of the house or in his office.

Zhu Bohai is tending to flowers in his garden. Zhu Furong opened the gate and entered the courtyard.

"Grandpa" He called after walking closer to Zhu Bohai.

Zhu Bohai put down the watering can and slowly turned towards Zhu Furong. He looked at Zhu Furong from head to toe then nodded his head. "You look healthy." He said with a warm smile.

Zhu Furong doesn't know how he should go about asking Zhu Bohai about the incident from that day. Lost, he just stood there scratching his cheek with a finger.

Zhu Bohai understood Zhu Furong's reason for visiting. "Follow me." Zhu Bohai directed Zhu Furong to his room.

Inside the room there is a huge portrait of a woman hanging near the bed of Zhu Bohai.

The woman has grey hair but a beautiful face. Her eyes are filled with love and care.

The woman in the portrait is Zhu Bohai's deceased wife.

Zhu Furong knew this, so he went to the portrait, knelt down and offered his prayers.

Zhu Bohai and Zhu Furong sat opposite to each other on a chair with a tea table between them. Zhu Bohai boiled some tea and served a cup for each of them.

Both the men took several sips of tea.

Zhu Furong put his half filled cup down and sat with a thoughtful look.

Zhu Bohai noticed it. "No one is nearby, you can speak freely, I am listening."

Zhu Furong nodded.

After some time has passed...

"I-" As soon as Zhu Furong was ready to speak he was stopped by Zhu Bohai.

"Stop. No need to say anything." Zhu Bohai raised his hand and gestured.

Zhu Bohai took another sip of tea, then gazed at the tea leaves floating in his cup, he said. "There are things better unknown."

He then placed the cup down on the table. He hung his head down and asked in a serious tone. "Do you like this family? Be honest."

Zhu Furong stared at Zhu Bohai for a while, then solemnly said. "I see you three as my family."

Zhu Bohai knows which 'three' Zhu Furong is talking about. He nodded, then slowly raising his head he gazed at Zhu Furong.

"From what I saw that day..." He slightly smiled. "You are not meant for small things."

"I know you will leave this place someday."

"I won't stop you. But I want you to remember, the three family members of yours here will always stay as your family no matter what."

"Also... Please look after Zhu Ling if you can."

"She also aspires to become a powerful Cultivator just like you."

With sad eyes he murmured. "That girl has suffered a lot. She lost her parents at such a young age, poor girl." Zhu Bohai shook his head.

"As you know the life of Cultivators vary from one person to another. With my meager Cultivation of Foundation Establishment rank, I won't be able to accompany you guys for long. If I am not wrong I will at most live up to 120 years. I was never good at Cultivation." Zhu Bohai smiled dryly.

"Don't worry grandpa, Elder Sister is just like a mother to me." Zhu Furong consoled.

With misty eyes he said. "For someone like me who doesn't even remember the face of his birth mother, Elder Sister is my mother."

Wiping the corners of his eyes, he placed his hand on his chest. With a straight back and burning eyes he said. "To protect her, this body will become an impenetrable shield, even if I lose my breath, this body will keep standing."

Zhu Bohai nodded with satisfaction.

The two men exchanged gazes for a while then both poured themselves a fresh cup of tea and took a sip.

"By the way grandpa, does Elder Sister..." Zhu Furong hinted at what he wanted to ask.

Zhu Bohai understood. "Don't worry, she left on a trip the next morning of that incident with the second prince and princess and is yet to return. So she doesn't know."

"The only people who know about what happened that day are me and my sworn brother. And he won't tell anyone anything about it either." Zhu Bohai assured.

"I want to tell you everything but there are certain things which are hard to tell." Zhu Furong seemed stuck on what to do.

Zhu Bohai stood up and walked up to Zhu Furong, he patted his shoulder. "From the day you entered my house, you are my grandson. For me, only that matters. I have no interest in your past."

He then frowned. "You didn't just act to be my grandson did you?"

Zhu Furong flustered. "What are you saying grandpa, I genuinely think of you as my grandfather. I have no other intentions."

"Hahaha, I was just kidding. Don't mind me. I have lived long enough to know when someone acts with genuine affection and when someone acts with fake." Zhu Bohai laughed while patting Zhu Furong's shoulder hard enough to shake his whole body.

Zhu Bohai stopped, then smiled warmly. "I will repeat the same words I have said to your elder sister before." 

"The day you rise to the apex with the word 'Zhu' in your name, I will be at the proudest moment of my life. Dead, I will be the proudest ghost. Alive, I will be the proudest grandfather."

"Don't die before your name shakes the Heavens." He said with solemn eyes.

Zhu Furong felt touched. 

He kowtowed to Zhu Bohai. "This Zhu Furong will definitely make you proud."

Zhu Furong stood up, Zhu Bohai once again looked at Zhu Furong from head to toe and then gently patted his head.

...

Zhu Furong returned to his room feeling somewhat happy inside. He is happy that after what Zhu Bohai saw that day he doesn't see Zhu Furong as some freak but still loves him as his grandson.

Zhu Bohai's behaviour and expressions said it all. He genuinely cares for Zhu Furong.

If it was someone else, they would kick him out of the house or take his life when he was unconscious. If not those, then they would at least want to know about his secrets and see if they can benefit from it.

But Zhu Bohai did none of that, he doesn't even care to know more about Zhu Furong. All he cared for was Zhu Furong's intentions. The question about what Zhu Furong thinks about the Zhu Family was to check if Zhu Furong has any malicious intentions or not.

Zhu Furong doesn't blame Zhu Bohai for that. He would have done the same if he was in his place. That's why Zhu Furong didn't try making any lies and honestly told Zhu Bohai that he only sees Zhu Bohai, Zhu Ling and Zhu Da as his family. No one else.

"We are not bonded by blood but you're my real family." Zhu Furong murmured while sitting on his study chair.

He picked up his calligraphy pen and started writing poems, he is in a jolly mood.

It's quite a weird thing. The Ye Clan which was supposed to be his family was never a family to him. But the strangers who adopted him are more than a family to him.