All the important members of the family gathered in one place, each staring at the Astrologer with a predatory gaze, wishing they could interrogate him.

The Astrologer suddenly found it ironic and began to laugh coldly.

"How can you still laugh? Do you have any sense of responsibility as the Patriarch?" The Second Elder, known for his temper, roared directly.

"Did I choose to be the Patriarch myself? You snatched me back when I was five, do you think I crave being the Patriarch? Now that you want to interrogate me, thinking I’ve made a grave mistake, then choose someone more capable for the position of Patriarch, I can’t bear it." The Astrologer said through gritted teeth.

The Great Elder furrowed his brows tightly, "After so many years, you still remember things from when you were five. You are indeed smart and extraordinarily gifted; not being the Patriarch of the Astrologer Family is truly a pity. You are young now, and sometimes act impulsively, but when you reach our age, you will know that many things need to be weighed for their pros and cons."

The Astrologer snorted coldly, "Even if I live to a hundred, I won’t be as calculating as you, nor will I change my current thoughts."

"Do you really intend to protect him now? If you know you are mutually destructive, that it’s either him or you, would you still protect him?" The Great Elder asked.

"He doesn’t need my protection. Since you’ve received the news, you naturally know who he’s with. Do you think he’s still the child you could manipulate at will? The Astrologer laughed aloud. "You adhere to a baseless prophecy for hundreds of years and have even killed many twin children. Don’t you feel ashamed?"

"We are also thinking of the family. The Astrologer Family cannot collapse." The Great Elder said earnestly.

"Great Elder, I once respected you from the bottom of my heart, thinking you were different from them. But it turns out you just didn’t step forward back then, I was truly naive." The Astrologer said, removing the token of the Patriarch from his waist and slapping it onto the table.

"You want me to explain, fine, I’ll explain everything. I found my long-lost twin brother; he wasn’t killed by you, but was rescued and taken to Zhongyuan. Now he’s returned to Fusang, which is also the will of heaven. And he is my only relative, don’t expect me to follow the Astrologer Family’s prophecy to kill him. From this moment on, I sever my ties with the Astrologer Family!"

"Insolence! The Astrologer Family is not something you can leave just because you want to. Someone, confine him first and await the Patriarch’s punishment!" The Fourth Elder said sternly.

In the Astrologer Family, the top three elders of each generation were responsible for guarding the seal and didn’t partake in family affairs. Thus, the Fourth Elder held the most sway in the family now, with a group of confidants under him.

"Do you think my title as the number one Yin Yang Master in Fusang is for nothing?" The Astrologer raised a hand, and his people burst in, causing the elders in the room to turn pale. They had forgotten that over the years as Patriarch, the Astrologer had built his own faction.

"Sir, everything is arranged outside. You can leave at any time." Zhitian stepped forward, disregarding whether his master was the Patriarch of the Astrologer Family or someone else; he only saluted their master.

"Treason, treason! Astrologer, I’m telling you, without the Astrologer Family, you are nothing, not even worthy of your name!" The Fourth Elder shouted.

The Astrologer sneered, "Do you think I ever wanted to bear this name? From today, I can finally use my own name again!"

His original name was Xingye, so the first time he met Ning Yu and heard him say his name was Xinghai, the Astrologer’s heart skipped a beat, thinking their names were quite similar.

His name was given by his adoptive parents, who said they adopted him on a star-filled night. He was so small but didn’t cry or fuss, and his dark, shiny eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky.

However, the parents who loved him and named him were killed by his biological father.

Filled with resentment deep in his heart, the Astrologer left the Astrologer Family. No, he was no longer called the Astrologer, now he was Xingye.

The news that he had left the Astrologer Family quickly spread, causing a stir in Kyoto, even prompting the Emperor to summon him for questioning.

He didn’t hide anything and explained the cause and effect. The benevolent Emperor immediately sided with him.

"How can one believe in a groundless prophecy and harm one’s own bloodline? It’s too ignorant." The Emperor said furiously, "Don’t worry, even if you are not the Patriarch of the Astrologer Family, your position is still yours. I still trust you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compassion." He said with a bow.

"Are you planning to go to sea with them?" The Emperor mentioned going to sea, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural, as if reminding him that he was now an expectant father...

"Yes, I can help in any way I can to find the Dragon-seeking Grass for Your Majesty as soon as possible." The Astrologer said.

The Emperor nodded, "That’s good, you can temporarily avoid the limelight and not clash head-on with the Astrologer Family."

Once out of the Imperial Palace, Xingye boarded the ship where Bai Ruozhu and the others were docked, saying he was homeless and would stay there for now.

"Brother, you didn’t need to do this. I was going to leave sooner or later, and they can’t do anything to me. Why did you have to break with them?" Ning Yu said with some heartache.

Xingye laughed, "I haven’t wanted to be the Patriarch of the Astrologer Family for a long time. I was just waiting for the chance to get rid of that identity. I’m overjoyed now, and I was sick of it anyway. From now on, I’ll just hang with you guys. I also want to travel around, and I haven’t been to Zhongyuan yet."

Seeing that his happiness was genuine, Ning Yu said nothing more, recalling that Bai Ruozhu had mentioned the Astrologer Family lacked warmth and Xingye was lonely being there by himself.

Perhaps this was a better choice for him now.

With everything ready, Bai Ruozhu and the others set sail, embarking on their seafaring journey once again.

Bai Ruozhu took out seasickness medicine and distributed it to everyone, then glared at Qiu Zhiyi and said, "Everyone must take it, don’t be like Qiu Zhiyi, hiding the medicine to save money."

Qiu Zhiyi blushed, sneaking a glance at Shanhu and whispered, "I had to send silver to the Sect earlier; things weren’t going well for them."

Shanhu looked at him helplessly, "Your Dragon Tiger Gate is poorly managed."

Qiu Zhiyi laughed awkwardly and took the seasickness medicine in front of everyone.

With Bai Ruozhu’s unique seasickness medicine, everyone felt fine, even the pregnant Shanhu felt good, and the ship soon sailed away from the pier, heading south and then east.

They planned to sail from the south to the eastern sea of Fusang, then go further east.

In a room deep in the markets of Kyoto, a woman was combing her long black hair, smiling enigmatically at the mirror.

"See, I told you they wouldn’t see through me. You are the one becoming more cowardly."

She wasn’t speaking to anyone, just as if she were talking to the mirror, but soon, a man’s voice came from the room, though it was unclear from which corner it emerged.

"If they hadn’t stopped you, would you have continued with the charade?"