The footsteps outside suddenly disappeared.
Molly Yun sat there, dazed, thinking about the scene from her dream.
She didn't know why Zara Yun would suddenly appear in her dream.
But she remembered every word Zara Yun said.
She said Adrian's abilities and the Yun Family's astrology both originate from the same bloodline.
From the same bloodline.
Molly Yun closed her eyes.
Everything made sense now.
Adrian quickly came over, wearing only a robe, clearly in a rush.
He thought Molly Yun was sick, so he hurried over.
However, as soon as Adrian entered, he saw Molly Yun sitting in a pile of blankets, perfectly fine but lost in thought.
Adrian inexplicably felt relieved, then smiled and said, "At this time and place, in this situation, can I assume you've come around and are willing to have offspring with me?"
Molly Yun grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "I'm looking for you because I have something to ask you."
"Alright." Adrian caught the pillow, walked over to Molly Yun, calmly put it back in her hands, then stood aside and said, "Is there something so important it can't wait until tomorrow? You need to take care of your health if you want to have high-quality offspring."
"Adrian, you found me because you discovered that the Yun Family's astrology and the High Priest abilities of your Shadow Tribe are almost identical, right? No, they're nearly the same." Molly Yun stared at Adrian. "You could even say the High Priest is the Astrologer of the Yun Family, and the Astrologer is the High Priest of your tribe!"
Adrian's smile gradually faded, his gaze circling Molly Yun before he slowly said, "Molly Yun, do you know that women who are too clever often meet an early end? Extreme wisdom leads to harm."
"I know," Molly Yun replied calmly. "I've already died once. Didn't you say that it was because of you that I was reborn? I never thought you'd accomplish something my grandmother couldn't."
"How did you figure it out?" Adrian didn't deny Molly Yun's guess.
Which was as good as admitting it.
"First, the Amazon and Y Province are half a world apart. How did you find me among so many people? The answer is bloodline. Second, you kept insisting I have a child, and you emphasized that Cici couldn't give birth, only I could. Only an Astrologer would know that the next generation's Astrologer would come from my descendants. How did you know? The answer is, you are the Astrologer. Third, my grandmother lived to be over eighty—the longest-lived Astrologer in generations—because the new Astrologer hadn't appeared, so her mission wasn't over and she kept living. I remember you also said that because you hadn't found the next High Priest, even though your health was poor, you still had to hold on. See how similar that is. Fourth, both the High Priest and the Astrologer use up their own lifespan to make predictions. This way of defying fate and burning life is exactly the same."
Fifth, the Yun Family has endured for thousands of years, spanning several millennia of civilization. For a family to survive this long, there must be a reason. The Yun Family has three treasures: books, medicine, and tea. But there’s a fourth treasure, unknown to outsiders—the Astrologer. The Shadow Tribe has also lasted thousands of years, even though its productivity has always been low, yet it never died out. The reason is that the tribe's High Priest is actually an Astrologer, using their own lifespan to protect the tribe's steady development. Are you really saying all those tin mines and other mineral deposits you hold were just discovered by accident? How many accidents can there be in this world? Too many accidents mean it’s not a coincidence—it’s deliberate!
Sixth, the Astrologer of the Yun Family has an innate kinship with the Yun bloodline. In other words, when Yun Family members see the Astrologer, they instinctively feel close. The two have a complementary relationship, a bloodline passed down for thousands of years, a closeness rooted in the soul. That’s why, when Cici and I first met you, we only felt sorry for you, never disliked you. Our Yun Family blood destined us not to dislike the Astrologer. And you used that to gain our trust!
Seventh, when I was in the Shadow Tribe, I asked to see your face, but you panicked and ran. You didn’t just want to use Adrian’s identity to gain my trust. If you were only afraid of being recognized, you could’ve disguised yourself. But the truth is, once I saw your face, I’d connect my inexplicable affection for you, and if you appeared again with another identity and face, I’d get suspicious because that feeling kept happening. Adrian, am I right?
"Bravo, bravo!" Adrian couldn’t help but applaud Molly Yun, exclaiming, "Molly Yun, you’re so smart, so extraordinarily gifted—how could I ever bear to give you up? Yes, you got it all right."
Molly Yun stared steadily at Adrian.
"You forgot one thing. The Astrologer of the Yun Family and the person who gives birth to the next Astrologer are a destined pair. They can't help but fall for each other. So, Molly Yun, do you really not like me? I don’t believe it. This is a soul-level entanglement." Adrian looked intently at Molly Yun. "At first, I didn’t believe in this so-called fate either. I thought I’d be an exception. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized I couldn’t escape it. I really fell for you."
Molly Yun looked away.
At the moment Adrian suddenly confessed, she really did feel her heart skip a beat.
If it weren’t for her feelings for Eric Jiang, she might really have fallen for him.
Such terrifying power in the bloodline!
"I remember reading a Yun Family biography. It recorded a tragic story from a thousand years ago, about an Astrologer and a Yun Family daughter. They were fated lovers. That daughter was made a nobleman's wife, while the Astrologer became a princess's consort. The couple was forcibly separated—the Yun daughter died within the high city walls, and the Astrologer, clutching her memorial tablet, jumped to his death in grief. Because they never married and never had the next generation's Astrologer, the Yun Family nearly faced extinction. If not for an unloved daughter suddenly awakening her Astrologer powers, the Yun Family might've vanished from history during that turmoil," Adrian said slowly.
Molly Yun hadn’t expected Adrian to know about this Yun Family legend too.
It seems everything really was destined to be this way.
"I never thought, after all these years of tradition, our generation almost broke the chain. That Astrologer in your family must've predicted the Yun Family's fate, right?" Adrian asked.
Molly Yun nodded silently.
It was because Grandma foresaw the Yun Family's disaster that she decided to send Cici away.
Indeed, a few years ago, the Yun Family nearly disappeared for real.
Later, it was Cici who turned the tide and finally saved the Yun Family.
"Now that you know everything, do you still want to refuse me?" Adrian looked at Molly Yun. "Having a child with me isn’t just for the Shadow Tribe—it’s for the Yun Family too. I wouldn’t even mind if my child became both the Shadow Tribe’s High Priest and the Yun Family’s Astrologer. Molly Yun, think about it carefully! I don’t want to possess you for a lifetime—I just want my tribe’s legacy to continue for generations."
Such is the power of destiny.
After saying this, Adrian left the room.
Molly Yun didn't feel sleepy at all.
She got out of bed and stood by the window, staring blankly at the star-filled sky outside.
Learning the truth didn’t bring her any relief—instead, she felt even heavier.
If that’s the case, Adrian definitely wouldn’t let her go so easily.
But she really didn’t want to have a child with anyone but Eric Jiang!
Eric Jiang has given too much and sacrificed too much for her.
How could she possibly deserve such a wonderful husband?
How could she ever do something to betray him?
No, she couldn't.
Molly Yun gripped the railing tightly—she couldn’t let Adrian succeed, no matter what.
Adrian returned to his own room, no longer as composed as before. Instead, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.
His body was truly in bad shape.
He’d used his powers too much and finally suffered backlash.
But he couldn’t die, and wouldn’t die—he could only keep suffering until the new High Priest appeared.
Once the pain subsided, Adrian struggled to his feet, leaned on the table, walked to the bed, opened a box on the nightstand, took out a pill, and swallowed it. After a while, he finally calmed down.
"It really is torture," Adrian laughed at himself. "That whip from Zara Yun nearly killed me. But I won’t give up, Molly Yun."
Once the pain subsided, Adrian struggled to his feet, leaned on the table, walked to the bed, opened a box on the nightstand, took out a pill, and swallowed it. After a while, he finally calmed down.
He got up, picked up his phone, and saw a message from his people: "All checkpoints have increased their search and screening. Every camera in the city has been hacked. If you show up again, there’s an over 80% chance you’ll be exposed."
"Eighty percent," Adrian rubbed his phone, a smile spreading across his face. "Yin Sicheng, you really are capable. R City isn’t even your turf, yet you’ve managed to infiltrate so quickly. I underestimated you."
After saying this, Adrian glanced at the map, his lips curling. "Mo Zixin, King Shuo, you’re here too. Truly impressive!"
Adrian tossed his phone aside and went straight to sleep.
So what if Yin Sicheng’s team tightened their surveillance?
As long as he didn’t leave the house, he’d be fine.
No one would know where he was.
As High Priest, if he couldn’t even manage this, he wasn’t worthy of the title.
The next morning.
Just after Molly Yun finished breakfast, someone came respectfully and said, "Miss Yun, Mr. Adrian invites you to enjoy the scenery."