Faithful Heart (Flesh of my Flesh...Blood of my Blood 2)

Chapter 67

Author's note: Sorry about the no update last week, I have been quite busy with work lately. Finally, I am back to relaxing and writing.

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Meng Hao had met His Lordship, Donghua Dijun before either of them had ever manifested a human face. Donghua had then been Lord of the East; a fearsome being with impenetrable skin and terrifying powers. He would eat the Earth Immortals that would try to challenge his territory in the Holy Blue Sea. They had clashed over a small set of Islands, and Meng Hao had bowed down to Donghua's superior powers, calling him Master and following him into battle.

Meng Hao had stayed with Donghua even after he had become Heavenly Lord, serving in his Ministry of War. He had also continued to remain once Zhen Feng had been made Heavenly Lord. Dijun had supposedly retired from politics, but he remained in control of vast intelligence operations, and Meng Hao had served in it for millenia. Meng Hao's last intelligence mission had landed him deep in the Demon Realm. While he had learned much about the Demon Realms secret military networks' inner workings. It had also almost gotten him killed when confronted by Bingliang, who was working with Xu Yang.

Bingliang was a giant brown recluse spider with the human face of a beautiful young woman. She was adept at passing through dimensions, and her venom was lethal. Meng Hao had fought her, and she had won, capturing him and injecting poison into his heart, sending him to sleep for thirty two thousand years. He would have remained under a coma inside her silk cocoon forever had Donghua Dijun not confronted Bingliang and rescued him from her clutches.

Now awake, Meng Hao had been reunited with his daughter, Ji Heng, who had grown from a young girl into a woman. Too many things had happened in the thirty two thousand years that had been asleep, and his once cheerful daughter was now a cold woman, with a sharp mind and even sharper sword. They had settled together in Fanyin Valley to guard Donghua Dijun's Lady Wife, Bai Feng Jiu.

A knock at the door brought Meng Hao out of his meditation. The aura beyond the door was unmistakable, although thousands of years had passed. "Come in, daughter," He said, and the door opened the reveal Ji Heng in a light blue dress with a tray in one hand carrying two small cups and pot of tea.

"Lord Father, I have brought you the medicine," Ji Heng said as she stepped forward into the room. Bingliang's poison had left him with permanent heart damage, and he would need to take medicine for eternity.

Ji Heng knelt gracefully at her father's side and laying down the tray, she took the small cup in her hands and offered him the medicine. "Please, drink."

Meng Hao took the cup filled with the bitter concoction prescribed by Zhe Yan and breathing in, he tipped back his head and drank. Ji Heng took the cup from her father's hand and filled the other cup with peppermint tea. "To take away the taste, Father," She said as she offered him the second cup.

Meng Hao took the second cup from her hands and drank, observing his daughter. "Yan Chiwu came to speak to me."

Ji Heng nodded. "What did he say, Father?"

"Yan made his intentions to marry clear to me, but I think you have grown too much for me to do silly things such as give permission for you to marry." Meng Hao said as Ji Heng refilled his teacup.

"Lord Father is wise. Nevertheless, I would still seek your permission to marry." Ji Heng said with a small smile.

"Do you intend to marry, Yan?" Meng Hao asked and saw his daughter's shoulder's tense slightly.

"I did wrong when leaned on him during a time of grief." Ji Heng said, her cheeks blooming pink. "Marrying him to forget Min Su, who has passed, does not seem like a good foundation for a long lasting marriage. Yan deserves better."