13 The Truth (2/2)

”Since you're unwilling to do so, I shall not impose my wishes on you either. Mediums possessing the actual ability to read fortunes are hard to come by these days. How lucky of the Jin's to have such foresight. It's a pity you're already married. Otherwise, I would've wished greatly for you to become the daughter-in-law of my family,” said Gu Shaochuan as he heaved a sigh of disappointment.

Shock was written all over the faces of the other members of the Gu Family in the car. On the other hand, An Xiaoning remained calm and composed. She answered, ”Thank you for thinking so highly of me, old Mr. Gu. However, I am far inferior in skill compared to Master, for I only have superficial knowledge. I'm afraid I'm not skilled enough to alter the fate of the Gu Family, even if I wasn't already the daughter-in-law of the Jin Family.”

Impressed by her frankness, Gu Shaochun nodded in approval. ”What a candid young lady. My son did not give birth to a daughter. If you'd agree, I would be more than willing to take you as my God-granddaughter.”

It had never occured to An Xiaoning that the old Mr. Gu would want to be related to her in one way or another.

”What would I stand to gain from being your God-granddaughter? Why would I call you 'Grandfather' and address the rest of your family as my elders for no apparent reason at all?” An Xiaoning asked rhetorically.

”An Xiaoning, many others are dying for a chance to call me their godmother. Yet here you are, despising the opportunity offered to you,” Mrs. Gu chastised. She gave her the side-eye.

Beckoning his daughter-in-law to stay silent, Gu Shaochun looked at An Xiaoning and answered calmly, ”Once you become my God-granddaughter, your name will be included in the historic record of the Gu Family. You will become one of us. You're free to raise any wishes you may have. I will fulfill them as long as they are within my means. Relatively speaking, there's only one thing I ask.”

The rest of the Gu Family were robbed of their senses; their jaws dropped in shock.

Is he already senile… they thought to themselves in disbelief of what they had just heard.

How could he offer that stranger, An Xiaoning, such a great advantage? Absolutely ridiculous.

Truth be told, An Xiaoning was tempted by what he had offered her. How could she not be?

Putting aside the strained ties between the Gu Family and the Jin Family, the mere thought of having any wish of hers granted by Gu Shaochun was enough to move her. Besides, this was an issue which would have existed regardless of her marriage with Jin Qingyan.

If she ever has a falling out with Jin Qingyan, she would at least still have the backing and support of the Gu Family.

There was nothing wrong with leaving a way out for herself. After all, prevention is indeed better than cure.

”You said you only have one thing to ask. What is it?” she asked.

”My only request… is for you to lend a helping hand whenever you can, should any member of the Gu Family be faced with an inevitable disaster,” said the elderly patriarch, sweeping an arm across his family members, who were holding their breaths in anxiety.

Quick to interrupt, Mrs. Gu objected, ”Father, how are you so sure that we are bound to face an inevitable disaster? Even so, what happens if she's unable to help us?”

Looking at his daughter-in-law, he questioned sternly, ”Do you think I'm spouting nonsense?”

”Of course not…” answered Mrs. Gu, turning meek as a lamb.

An Xiaoning, too, had wanted to know the answer to Mrs. Gu's question. ”Old Mr. Gu, how are you aware of what's going to happen to the Gu Family in the future?” she asked.

”Your Grandmaster had let me in about it, once. She didn't reveal much about when and what would eventually happen, other than the fact that it would be extremely disastrous. I'm getting on in years. I've previously tried countless times to look for similar Masters, to learn a skill or two, but to no avail. The people who truly possess genuine abilities in this world are few and far in between. I've ordered Dongcheng to look for your Master on the mountains today, partly because of this matter. Little did I expect to meet you. Please, agree to my request, will you?” asked a hopeful Gu Shaochun.