Su Qinglan and An Mo knelt side by side on soft cushions laid directly upon the stone path, facing the towering, ancient wooden gates of a secluded courtyard.
The heavy gates remained firmly closed, overgrown with moss and aged vines, yet the aura radiating from within was vast, ocean-like, and profoundly mysterious.
An Mo did all the talking, his deep voice carrying a rare, youthful warmth.
Beside him, Su Qinglan remained completely silent, offering her quiet, steadfast support. She did not know the true identity or full history of the person residing behind those closed doors...she only knew that he was An Mo’s grandfather.
Though she found it strange that the old elder chose not to open the gates to meet them directly, she deeply respected An Mo’s decision. She simply copied his posture, bending her body low and bowing with the utmost reverence to the elder of the man she loved.
Looking at the soft, earnest expression on An Mo’s face as he spoke toward the silent gates, Su Qinglan knew in her heart that the man behind those doors meant everything to him.
"Grandfather, I have finally brought my female to see you," An Mo spoke toward the wooden doors, his tone instantly shifting into that of a spoiled, affectionate child.
Even though no voice answered him from inside, he continued chatting with boundless energy.
"You have to bless her, Grandfather. She is such a breathtaking, miraculous female! She traveled all the way from a completely different domain just to be with me. You must give her your divine blessing!"
He paused, resting his hands on his knees, and added with an unashamed grin, "And don’t be stingy! Give us a good, heavy gift to mark our union!"
Su Qinglan’s mouth twitched, and her foot almost slipped on the cushion in sheer shock at his shamelessness. She leaned over slightly and whispered under her breath, "An Mo... stop it. We don’t need a gift..."
An Mo immediately hushed her with a light chuckle, leaning into her ear. "Don’t worry, Lanlan. Anything given by that old man is a divine treasure beyond our realm’s imagination. We’d be fools not to ask!"
Su Qinglan shook her head helplessly, a soft smile tugging at her lips. Following An Mo’s lead, both of them pressed their palms to the cool ground and bowed deeply three times toward the ancient gate.
As they rose from their third bow, a single, stray green leaf detached itself from a nearby tree. It drifted through the air in a slow, swirling arc, dancing delicately between them before gently coming to rest directly in front of An Mo’s knees.
An Mo looked down at the leaf, a triumphant yet playful smile blooming across his handsome face. "Tsk, so stingy! You actually just gave us a leaf?"
Even as he grumbled, An Mo picked up the leaf with great care and safely pocketed it inside his robes, clearly thrilled by the gesture. Yet, his greedy golden eyes still stared at the gate, hoping for more.
Su Qinglan looked at the closed doors in quiet confusion, wondering how anything else could possibly appear when the heavy wooden gates hadn’t even budged an inch.
Suddenly...
A thin, blinding thread of pure golden light slipped through the crack beneath the grand wooden doors. Before Su Qinglan could even blink, the golden light shot straight toward her, dissolving instantaneously between her brows!
Su Qinglan froze. Her body went rigid, her breath catching tightly in her throat.
For a fraction of a second, her vision blurred as a mysterious sensation swept through her soul. Her mouth hung open in absolute astonishment as her mind processed the fleeting vision that had flashed in her consciousness.
An Mo, sitting right beside her, was equally stunned by the sudden flash of divine light. He immediately turned to her, his golden eyes filled with worry and intense curiosity.
"Lanlan! What happened?" he guessed instantly, his breath hitching. "Did Grandfather make you see something? What was it?"

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