"Donât want to leave?" Lu Zheng looked at Hu Zhou.
"Yes." Hu Zhou nodded, "I think the county is great. In the morning, I do some work, in the afternoon, I listen to Sister Liu and you tell stories, and at night, I practice my blade at the City God Temple. The days are fulfilling and fun. Why go to the Southern Border for nothing? The Hundred Thousand Mountains arenât even part of the Great Jing Dynasty!"
Lu Zheng blinked; what Hu Zhou said made a lot of sense!
"What you said is indeed reasonable!" Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Since thatâs the case..."
The air suddenly fell silent for a moment.
"As your master, I have no choice but to seriously talk to you." Lu Zheng said with a serious face, "It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, you havenât been to the Southern Border, youâre just hearing stories! Whatâs the use of that?"
"This..." Hu Zhou looked confused.
Lu Zheng continued, "Moreover, your parents havenât seen you for years, how can you bear to keep them separated for you again?
Now that you are grown up, literate and aware, I donât need to constantly remind you of everything. Later, come with me to the study to get some books, and read them thoroughly when you go to the Southern Border, donât slack off.
Besides, your cultivation is successful now, itâs not like youâre leaving and never coming back. If you miss us, you can come back for a period every year, why act like this is such a daughter-like sentiment?"
"This..." Hu Zhou looked confused again.
"And you have never seen your father since childhood, now that youâve met him, whereâs the reason for staying apart again, especially since Brother Huâs cultivation is at Divine Communication, arenât you fond of cultivation? Iâve taught you almost everything I can, I believe Brother Hu must have many things to teach you, then youâll possess strengths from both families, wouldnât that be better?"
"This..." Hu Zhou looked confused for the third time.
"Letâs just decide it like that!" Lu Zheng nodded, making the decision in one sentence.
Hu Yijun showed a satisfied smile and gently said, "If you miss here, Iâll have someone bring you back with the wind. Even though weâre thousands of miles apart, itâs just a trivial thing.
After some time, when your own cultivation improves, you can activate a Dharma artifact, I will give you a flag, then traveling back and forth between Yizhou and Dingfeng Mountain would only take half a day, easy as pie."
"Really?" Hu Zhouâs eyes lit up, somewhat swayed, asking excitedly.
Hu Yijun nodded and said, "Of course itâs true. You are my son, your talent and potential are the very best, with your father watching over you, the path of cultivation is naturally smooth."
Lu Zheng: Orz
The corners of his eyes were a bit moist, perhaps shedding tears touched by this father-son relationship.
The stagnant air resumed its flow, Lu Zheng gently sighed in relief.
Hu Zhou thought for a while, finally nodding, "Youâre right, Iâll listen to you!"
"Young one to be educated." Lu Zhengâs expression remained normal, merely counting the Light of Fortune continuously surging into his Mind Jade Seal.
One, two, three, four...
Counting up to two hundred and sixty-two strands, the Jade Seal gently shook, then...
"Buzz!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooshâ"
An additional seventy-eight strands of Light of Fortune entered his account.
"What happened?"
Lu Zhengâs eyes flashed, turning to look at Wang Yuzhi, whose face was filled with laughter.
Well, life is always full of unexpected surprises; Lu Zheng reckoned maybe you all gained, but I absolutely didnât lose!
"Young master, lunch is prepared, please notify us when you want to eat."
Lu Zheng looked at the time, then smiled at everyone, "Itâs noon already, how about we eat and chat?"
Hu Yijun nodded, "Guests follow the hostâs lead, weâll go along with Younger Brother Luâs arrangements."
"Please!"
...
"Eh, what kind of liquor is this?"
Hu Yijun held up his wine cup, the wine inside flowed slowly like water, exuding a fragrant scent of grains.
"Although it lacks Spiritual Qi, the wine aroma is thick and pure, truly a rare fine brew."
"This is Lu Langâs exclusive fine brew, not available anywhere else in the Great Jing Dynasty. Limited production, only enjoyed by the family behind closed doors." Elder Liu clinked glasses with Hu Yijun, "Itâs called Wuliangye."
Knowing Hu Yijun was the Southern Border Great Demon, Elder Liu was somewhat scared at first, but having heard his old story with Wang Yuzhi, and considering that he is Hu Zhouâs father, he did not show any disrespect.
Now sitting at the table together, having a drink, Hu Yijun didnât seem so frightening, Elder Liu gradually relaxed.
"Donât think your status in the Southern Border means anything, you really might not enjoy the pleasures this old man has here in the county." Elder Liu laughed, "Lu Lang is truly a unique person, good wine and food are plenty, not to mention mahjong, fruits, and such."
Hu Yijun nodded, "Iâve heard ZhouâEr talk about it, Younger Brother Lu has extraordinary skills, which can be seen from this pure and aromatic grain liquor."
Lu Zheng waved his hand and laughed, "Just some little enjoyments, not worthy of serious attention."
Then he said to Hu Yijun, "If Brother Hu is interested, Iâll send a few jars back with you."
Hu Yijun didnât hold back, "Good, not too much, just ten jars, please."
Elder Liu: (||àč_àč)
"No problem." Lu Zheng casually agreed, thinking youâre really unreserved, luckily I prepared in advance, already having some stored away in the new homeâs cellar.
Elder Liu: â_â?
Was I too reserved earlier? Did Lu Lang have this much after all?
"Great!"
Hu Yijun clinked glasses with Lu Zheng, laughing heartily, indicating a slight Tiger Kingâs spirit.
Turning to Elder Liu and Liu Qingyan, Hu Yijun said, "Your bodies carry traces of Ancient Bloodline, though not pure, stimulated somewhat due to accumulated Merit. Mr. Liu might not show it, but Miss Liu must have developed an anomaly in her tail."
"What?" Elder Liu looked confused.
Liu Qingyanâs eyes flashed upon hearing this, she put down her chopsticks and respectfully said, "It is as Mr. Hu said, correct."
Hu Zhou and his mother blinked, looking at Liu Qingyan and Elder Liu.
Liu Qingyan smiled apologetically, "Sister, please forgive me, Qingyan has always concealed her identity and did not inform you."
As she finished speaking, a light Demon Qi burst through the Merit Qi, revealing two fluffy white shadows behind her.
"Qingyan is a fox."
Hu Zhou and his mother were astonished, Hu Zhou exclaimed, "I thought Sister Liu was also an Abnormal Person."
Liu Qingyan apologized, "After all, living in the secular world..."
Wang Yuzhi took Liu Qingyanâs hand, "Thereâs nothing to apologize for, knowing youâre a fox actually makes me happier."
Since her husband was a tiger, Wang Yuzhi naturally wished her friends werenât normal humans.
Hu Yijun said, "But merely stimulating with Merit requires a vast amount of Merit, who knows when itâll be finished. I have two Techniques, one purifies bloodline, the other extracts Moonlight Essence for cultivation, perfect as a first meeting gift."
As he finished speaking, Hu Yijun gently pointed, two strands of Spiritual Light entered the foreheads of Elder Liu and Liu Qingyan.