Chapter 8
"Wallace?" Derrin Olsen stared at his adopted daughter, who was lost in thought, "Did you hear what I said?"
"Yes." Derrin Sarah quickly responded, "I was just...thinking about something."
"What?" Derrin Olsen asked, his voice seemingly indifferent, yet sharply observing every slight change in her expression.
"I was wondering...why did he kill so many of our clan members?"
"Our duty is to slay demons and eradicate evil. Making enemies with demons is common, and he has half-demon blood, so it's not strange for him to hate us."
"If he hates us, why did he later only injure our people and not kill anymore?"
Derrin Olsen's face darkened, "You mean, it's not enough for him to shatter my spiritual core and force me to step down from the matriarch position early, he has to kill me to truly be our enemy?"
"No, I didn't think that!" Derrin Sarah hurriedly shook her head, "The clan history only records his battles with us, resulting in our complete defeat, leaving only Matriarch Xiang Wan alive. The details are missing, and I was just curious..."
About the cause of the event, his motives... If he hated the Derrin family, he could have annihilated them back then, why did he show mercy?
Such a significant event, yet the clan history only recorded the number of casualties without mentioning how it happened. It's almost like — the cause was deliberately erased, not wanting future generations to know.
There must be a cause for every effect, why only talk about the effect and not the cause? Could it be that this cause contains some unspeakable secrets, or even matters that would tarnish the Derrin family's reputation, hence it's avoided?
She couldn't help but speculate — perhaps, it wasn't he who initiated the provocation, but something the Derrin family members did to him, driving him into a rage and causing him to do such a terrible thing?
This thought circled in her mind, and under Derrin Olsen's increasingly stern gaze, she dared not voice it out, whispering, "Is it wrong for me to think these thoughts?"
"Is your personal likes and dislikes more important, or are the clan members who died unjustly more important?" Seeing Derrin Sarah making urgent eye signals, Derrin Olsen glared at her impatiently, then softened his tone —
"When you lost your parents at a young age, I adopted you, honestly out of selfishness. You have exceptional talent, unmatched among your peers. I wanted to cultivate you, to eventually take over the matriarch position. Our Derrin family members are a communal life, the matriarch is the mother of all, and it's her duty to seek justice for any clan member's suffering." She gazed deeply at Derrin Sarah, "I have high expectations of you, do you understand?"
"I understand." Derrin Sarah said softly.
She didn't underestimate her abilities, and she knew her adoptive mother's painstaking efforts in raising her, but every time this topic was brought up, she felt burdened and apprehensive — could she really shoulder such a significant responsibility?
"You're very smart, and you usually don't worry me. Perhaps it's because your opponent this time is tough, making you hesitant. You don't need to think too much." Derrin Olsen's eyes twinkled, meaningfully saying, "Our centuries-old feud with him should also come to an end, and it falls on you to settle it."
She took Derrin Sarah by the arm, stood up, and walked to the ancestral tablet, lighting a stick of incense for her, "Every generation's matriarch has confronted him, and Matriarch Xiang Wan was the only one who could ever contend with him. Pray devoutly to her, asking for her blessing on your action tonight."
The Derrin family ancestral hall originally had only one tablet, worshiping the successive matriarchs. Later, another was added for Derrin Beck, showing her status within the clan.
After Derrin Sarah finished offering the incense, Derrin Sarah finally got a chance to speak, "Wallace, I made some soup, remember to drink it. Your college clubmate sent over a contact list, I've placed it on your desk. The handbag that Xin Yi girl damaged, I've also fixed it."
She glanced at Derrin Olsen, who was praying to the tablet, and handed Derrin Sarah a small porcelain bottle, whispering, "This is something I asked someone to buy from Alexander. With the exorcism work you do, it's inevitable that some toxins accumulate in your body. This medicine can help detoxify. Don't let others know about this, after all, we have connections with Jiu Yu, and Jiu Yu doesn't get along with Alexander. If this gets out, it would be hard to explain to your mother about Jiu Yu."
Derrin Sarah's solemn expression finally eased a bit, showing a gentle smile, "I know." Officially, Derrin Olsen was her mother, but it was actually Derrin Sarah who took care of her daily life.
Perhaps because Derrin Sarah had a daughter, Derrin Ivy, compared to the single Derrin Olsen, she understood a child's psychology better? In front of her adoptive mother, she was always tense, like facing a demanding teacher; only by Derrin Sarah's side could she feel the warmth of family affection.
"You're such a hard worker, always throwing yourself into demon slaying without regard for your safety. I know you feel a strong sense of responsibility, but don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Derrin Sarah held her hand, earnestly advising, "You go back and rest first, remember to drink the soup I made."
After Derrin Sarah left the ancestral hall, Derrin Sarah turned to her sister, dissatisfied, "You're too harsh on her."
"A gem cannot be polished without friction. The person who will be the matriarch in the future, if she can't even deal with me, how can she handle major matters?"
"The future? Who knows if there will be a future—" Although only the sisters were in the ancestral hall, Derrin Sarah still stopped herself. This huge secret, besides the previous matriarch, only they knew. They had sworn a solemn oath to keep the secret, and even without others around, she dared not mention it.
"If she kills him, there will be a future." Derrin Olsen's expression didn't change.
Derrin Sarah looked pained, "We don't tell her anything, is that right? She came back for him, and it's also because she cares about our Derrin family that she reincarnated here. She chose to block her previous life's memories, not for you to send her to kill him—"
"Our hatred for him won't change. If she chooses to be born into the Derrin family, she should know that this might be the consequence."
"At least, the parts not recorded in the clan history, can we tell her? Let her figure it out for herself—"
"Back then, Wang Yubo insisted on not recording the cause of the events, he must have had his reasons. With his feelings for Matriarch Xiang Wan, he was always considering her, right?"
Wang Yubo, styled Yuanzhen, was an excellent sorcerer who was deeply in love with Derrin Beck hundreds of years ago. Even after Derrin Beck made it clear she would never marry, he continued to wait for her faithfully. After her death, he fell ill and passed away, his spirit willingly serving successive matriarchs without seeking reincarnation.