An expensive-looking carriage could be seen traversing the unpaved roads of a rural area in the far north of Glory City.
Pulled by a white demon donkey, the large carriage attracted the attention of everyone who happened to stumble upon it. Amazed by its elegant build, they began to wonder which noble family had accidentally wandered into their meager territory.
"Ra~ul!" Silver, who was tasked with drawing the carriage, let out a cheerful bray.
This prompted the people inside the carriage to peek through the windows, causing them to gasp in amazement at the sight of the farmlands.
"Whoa! So much grass! Look, big sis, that's so much grass! Why are those people playing with grass? Oh, and mud—they're covered with mud! Look, look! They're dirty!"
Panicking, Xiao Ning'er hastily pulled Xiao Julin away from the window and pressed a hand over her mouth. Xiao Ning'er carefully explained what paddy fields were for and why the farmers were covered in mud while doing their work.
Afterward, Xiao Ning'er bowed apologetically to the people outside the carriage who had overheard Xiao Julin's remarks.
Rather than getting angry, the old uncles and aunties brushed the matter off. Soon, the group stepped out of the carriage and excitedly looked around, admiring the calming sight of the rural lands.
It wasn't every day that these children got to experience life outside the bustling streets of Glory City, so it was no surprise that they were all in high spirits. Added to the fact that this entire week was dedicated solely to relaxing, they all took this chance to let loose and have fun.
The territory they arrived at was owned by the Yue Clan, a farming family under the supervision of an aristocratic clan, the Tie Men Clan.
In exchange for protection and assistance in selling their harvests in the market, the Yue Clan relied on the Tie Men Clan's business network.
This meant that the Yue Clan had to pay ten percent of their yearly harvest to the Tie Men Clan if they wanted to sell their produce.
"Xiao Lin!? Is that you?... Oh... it is you, my baby is home!"
Out of nowhere, the group was startled by a woman in her thirties yelling at the top of her lungs as she ran toward them.
"Mom!"
At the same time, with eyes brimming with tears, Yue Ling ran toward her mother and jumped into her embrace.
The two melted into each other's touch, smiling fondly. Yue Ling's mother reached out to touch her daughter's face, admiring how much more beautiful her baby had become.
"Look at you, you've changed so much. You look so beautiful, and you've grown a little—we're the same height now! Oh wait, we need to inform your father that you're back. Hurry, hurry! He'll cry in joy when he sees you!"
Yue Ling was unable to stop her mother from dragging her away.
"Wait, Mom, my friends are with me!"
Her cries remained unheard as the two disappeared into the Yue Clan residence.
Watching the mother and daughter leave, Chen Linlin and the rest exchanged amused looks before bursting into laughter. No one had expected Yue Ling's mother to be such a boisterous woman.
"That was heartwarming," Mei Lin snorted. She cackled upon hearing Yue Ling's distant voice trying and failing to stop her mother from dragging her away.
"She's like an older version of Yue Ling, but more talkative," Jing Ya added, making Chen Linlin and Mei Lin laugh even harder.
"Well, I guess we should follow them. We still need to find a place to stay."
Waving his hand, Xue Hui made the huge carriage disappear into his Garden, surprising the uncles and aunties around them.
Agreeing with Xue Hui, Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, and the rest headed toward the Yue Clan residence, all excited to finally meet Yue Ling's family.
Yue Clan residence.
The Yue Clan consisted of fifteen families led by the clan head, Yue Feng, Yue Ling's grandfather, who possessed the strength of a five-star Gold Rank Fighter. It was a relatively small family, thus the need to attach themselves to a more powerful clan in order to survive.
The Yue Clan residence was quite modest but well-kept, consisting of only one mansion and a few houses huddled closely together, giving off the vibe of a very close-knit community.
"We apologize for not giving you a proper welcome, esteemed guests from the Divine Family. My Yue Clan is honored to be visited by the Divine Family princess, Chen Linlin, together with your friends. I hope you all enjoy your stay in our humble territory."
Standing before them was a sturdy-looking old man. Despite his gray hair and the cane he used, he exuded a formidable aura. The robe he wore failed to hide his bulging muscles, and the sight alone was enough to intimidate anyone who saw him.
Behind Yue Feng stood the members of the Yue Clan, including Yue Ling's parents. All of them bowed respectfully to welcome Chen Linlin and her group.
"Please be at ease. We didn't come here as guests of the Yue Clan, but as Yue Ling's friends, so there's no need for excessive formality."
With respectful manners, Chen Linlin greeted Yue Feng and Yue Ling's parents before taking out a basket of gifts and handing it to Yue Feng.
"T-this... how can I accept such a gift?"
The basket contained several bottles of elixirs sold by the Divine Medicine Pavilion. Some were extremely difficult to obtain due to high demand, while others were exorbitantly priced and could only be afforded by noble clans.
Before Chen Linlin could say anything to urge Yue Feng to accept the gifts, Yue Mai strode forward and, with the swiftness of a seasoned thief, snatched the basket from Chen Linlin's hands.
"How thoughtful of you! I'm so happy that my baby made such good, beautiful, and gentle friends. Let Auntie accept this gift on my father's behalf. Thank you, Chen Linlin."
A bead of sweat trickled down Chen Linlin's forehead. She smiled wryly, unable to make sense of what had just happened.
Overall, the introduction went well. Afterward, Yue Feng ordered his family to prepare a feast to welcome Yue Ling's friends.
The Yue Clan immediately entered a festive mood. One of the elders began assigning duties to everyone, prompting the clan members to spring into action.
Done with the introductions, Yue Feng invited Chen Linlin's group into his mansion so they could rest from the long journey.
"O-One-star Silver Rank Demon Spiritualist... I-I can't believe this. You've actually become so strong. My Yue Clan finally has a Demon Spiritualist! This isn't a dream, right?"
Slapping himself, Yue Feng's expression became even more delighted once the pain registered in his brain.
"Oh! Xiao Ling, you've brought huge honor to our family! Grandfather is so proud of you!"
He cried out happily. Due to his excitement, Yue Feng abandoned the use of his cane and rushed toward Yue Ling to wrap her in a tight embrace.
"G-Grandfather, put me down! Everyone is watching, it's embarrassing! Mom, Dad, help me!"
Being treated as if she were still a child made Yue Ling feel embarrassed.
Unfortunately for Yue Ling, her pleas for rescue were futile, as her parents were too emotional to pay attention to her.
"I told you this was gonna be entertaining," grinning, Mei Lin leaned closer and whispered to Jing Ya, who nodded in agreement.
Regaining his composure, Yue Feng began sharing some recent events involving the Yue Clan.
To begin with, not long ago, the Tie Men Clan began pressuring Yue Feng to marry off his granddaughter to their family's young master.
At first, Yue Feng was confused by the sudden demand and wanted to inquire about the reason behind it. However, he was not given any proper explanation and was instead told to simply obey.
Finding the sudden marriage proposal extremely suspicious, Yue Feng didn't even consider it and outright rejected the request.
As expected, this angered the Tie Men Clan, and they began suppressing the Yue Clan, causing the family to suffer numerous hardships.
Unable to conduct business, the Yue Clan was on the verge of collapse when, out of nowhere, the Divine Family swooped in and offered their assistance.
When Yue Feng said those words, Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, and the trio of girls all turned their gazes toward Xue Hui, who merely shrugged without admitting or denying anything.
Yue Feng sighed and continued.
"Because of the Divine Family's intervention, my Yue Clan is no longer a subsidiary of the Tie Men Clan. Instead, we are now under the protection of the Divine Family. Not only that, but the Divine Family also bought all the nearby lands, including those owned by the Tie Men Clan, and sold them to us with annual payments set at ten percent of our yearly harvest until the debt is fully paid."
"Not only that, but the Divine Family also offered the Yue Clan many lucrative business opportunities, including the cultivation of medicinal herbs. Right now, we are even hiring neighboring farming families to help with the workload. Overall, our Yue Clan is doing fantastic."
After finishing his story, Yue Feng looked toward Xue Hui. For some reason, he had a cramped expression on his face, confusing everyone.
"If I'm not mistaken... you must be Young Master Xue Hui, right?"
Xue Hui nodded, confirming Yue Feng's guess, completely unaware of the predicament he was in.
Yue Feng's mustache trembled as a complicated expression appeared on his face.
While he had already suspected that the boy before him was indeed the same person from the rumors, Yue Feng still felt the need to confirm it before doing anything.
"Then if that's the case, you need to fight me, boy!"
Hearing Yue Feng's words, everyone paused and looked at him in shock.
Especially Yue Ling. She had no idea where this challenge was coming from, but she was certain her grandfather was going to seriously hurt himself if Xue Hui accepted.
"G-Grandfather, what are you saying? Master is my friend, why are you picking a fight with him?"
Unlike Chen Linlin and Xiao Ning'er, who looked at the situation with concern, Jing Ya calmly reached for a bowl of popcorn and placed it on her lap as if preparing to watch an entertaining drama.
Beside her, Mei Lin also kept her eyes fixed on Xue Hui and Yue Feng with an expectant gaze while casually scooping handfuls of popcorn.
On Jing Ya's other side sat Xiao Julin, who, unlike everyone else, simply wanted to eat and had positioned herself within easy reach of the popcorn.
Xue Hui raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face. He wondered what had caused this sudden hostility toward him. He was certain he had never done anything to incur the Yue Clan's wrath.
"Can I at least know the reason why we need to fight?" he asked.
Maybe it was how nonchalantly Xue Hui spoke, or perhaps the fact that he remained completely clueless about the issue at hand, but whatever the reason, it was enough to make Yue Feng leap out of his seat and angrily point a finger at him.
"You damn brat! You still have the audacity to ask that question in front of my granddaughter!"
This time, everyone was truly taken aback by Yue Feng's sudden outburst.
That included Xue Hui, who now looked utterly bewildered.
"You... You dare take my precious granddaughter as your woman, yet you refuse to do things the proper way! How could I, Yue Feng, allow my Xiao Lin to be bullied by you? Do you think my Yue Clan is that easy to push around? Then let's fight! If I win, you'll do as I say!"
Distressed, Yue Ling hurriedly stood between her grandfather and Xue Hui, trying to prevent Yue Feng from attacking him in his rage.
"W-what is this all about? What do you mean Master is bullying me? I don't understand! He never bullied me!"
Instead of calming down, Yue Feng became even more agitated the more he heard his precious granddaughter call Xue Hui "Master."
In Yue Feng's mind, that "Master" thing carried all sorts of inappropriate implications. Just imagining his precious granddaughter engaging in those kinds of activities with Xue Hui was enough to make his blood boil.
"That's enough, Xiao Ling. You don't have to worry. Grandfather will make sure you won't suffer any disadvantages in this matter."
This only confused everyone further. Yue Feng kept speaking as though Xue Hui had done something terrible to Yue Ling, yet no one understood what exactly he meant.
"Xue Hui, boy! Fight me! If I win, instead of making Xiao Lin your concubine, you'll have to take her as your wife!"
This time, the first person to react was Chen Linlin, who nearly choked upon hearing Yue Feng's declaration.
She had completely forgotten that she was the one who spread the rumor about Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling becoming Xue Hui's concubines.
"Oh no..." Chen Linlin muttered under her breath, realizing she was the root cause of this misunderstanding.
End of Chapter 63
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