Chapter 46: Trouble Everywhere (Part II)

"Hmph." Wu let out two cold snorts and turned her gaze toward Xiaoying. "Since when can the people of the Joyous Union Sect share a husband with other women?"

"That's none of your business." Xiaoying tucked the candied hawthorn into her storage ring and stared back at Wu.

"Xiaoying, don't be rude." Li Chengzhu feigned a scolding tone, though the triumphant look in his eyes suggested he was only fanning the flames.

"Little girl, be careful your grandmistress doesn't spank you." Feeling superior in seniority, Wu began to tease Xiaoying.

"Grandmistress has already given her consent." Xiaoying proudly stepped forward and hooked her arm through Li Chengzhu's.

This news shocked even the Golden Immortal Chongzhen into opening his eyes. That woman had always been so stubborn; to think she had become so reasonable—alas, the past!

Wu’s expression soured instantly. She looked coldly at Li Chengzhu. "Is what she said true?"

Boss Li suddenly felt a chill. Although it lacked killing intent, it still struck at his heart. What deep sorrow lay within those beautiful, large eyes?

"Yes," Li Chengzhu nodded.

Upon receiving confirmation, Wu seemed to deflate. Her previous momentum vanished, and after a long silence, she waved her hand. "Forget it, forget it." She then looked at Li Chengzhu. "Be better to other people's daughters in the future. Don't learn from your master." With that, she turned and walked away, ignoring everyone else.

"Grandmaster," Li Chengzhu turned his gaze toward the Golden Immortal Chongzhen.

"It has nothing to do with you." The Golden Immortal sighed slightly. "Don't take it to heart. Your grand-uncle-master only did this for your own good."

Li Chengzhu nodded slightly, watching the back of his beautiful grand-aunt-master as she walked away, her silhouette appearing indescribably lonely and helpless.

"Be careful yourselves. Do not stir up trouble in Tiandu," the Golden Immortal cautioned.

"This disciple understands."

"Good." The Grandmaster nodded, turned, and followed after the beautiful grand-aunt-master.

"That woman is a bit strange," Gu Linglong remarked, standing beside Li Chengzhu.

"Hmph." Xiaoying hummed dismissively, pulling the half-eaten candied hawthorn from her ring to continue snacking. She muttered, "Anyone who bullies my husband shall be destroyed."

The sudden intrusion of the grand-aunt-master had dampened Li Chengzhu’s previously relaxed mood. He walked with the others for a while longer before returning to the inn.

That night, just as Li Chengzhu was enjoying intimate moments with his two wives without restraint, a sound of air being torn apart suddenly rang out. Startled, Li Chengzhu quickly activated the protective barrier of his Azure Blood Ring while simultaneously casting his large white cloak to cover the naked bodies of his wives.

When he steadied his gaze, he realized another jade slip was hovering in front of Xiaoying. Recalling the familiar scene, Li Chengzhu felt a chill run down his spine, causing the barrier of his Azure Blood Ring to flicker.

With a wry smile, Xiaoying reached out to grasp the jade slip. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and immersed her consciousness within it.

After a moment, Xiaoying opened her eyes and looked at Li Chengzhu, her voice trembling slightly. "My father wants to see you."

"What?" Boss Li’s jaw dropped.

"My father wants to see you," Xiaoying repeated shyly.

How could her father know he was here? Wait—he remembered Xiaoying mentioning that her father was also a cultivator at the Mahayana stage. Could he have come to participate in this tournament as well, competing for the spot of the Immortal Emissary? Even if he had come, how did he know Xiaoying was with him?

Qiao Yanluo. It had to be her. They had only visited Qiao Yanluo these past few days, and she was Xiaoying’s grandmistress. Li Chengzhu instantly pieced the entire situation together.

Everything was getting tangled up, he thought, cursing bitterly.

"What should we do?" Xiaoying still felt a subconscious sense of rejection toward her father.

"What can we do? Is he going to eat me?" Li Chengzhu curled his lip. A son-in-law had to meet his father-in-law eventually. Besides, he had already gotten the man's daughter pregnant.

The child in Xiaoying’s womb was a double-edged sword. If her father had a bad temper, he might even try to kill him. If he were reasonable, he might accept this self-willed marriage for the sake of the child. Given the current situation, the latter seemed more likely; if his father-in-law were truly hot-tempered, he likely would have already stormed the place. Li Chengzhu had no doubt that Qiao Yanluo had long ago placed a tracking spell on Xiaoying.

"I don't want to see him," Xiaoying pouted.

"Silly girl." Gu Linglong picked up Li Chengzhu’s large white cloak, shielding their nakedness, and gently placed an arm around Xiaoying’s shoulder. "That is your father. Do you intend to never see him again?"

"But he tried to force me to marry the son of that Qitian Pavilion leader. Is that what a father does?" Xiaoying’s tone turned bitter.

"Alas." Gu Linglong had no comforting words for her. As a city lord herself, she knew that sometimes those in power had their own helpless constraints. Like Xiaoying’s father, who, for the survival and development of his sect, had been forced to use his own daughter as a bargaining chip.

"Hmph." Boss Li, still naked, stood tall with his "gold spear" raised high in front of his two wives. "We will go see him. But we'll do it when everyone is in a better mood."

"Is that appropriate?" Gu Linglong looked up and nearly kissed the giant object at Boss Li’s crotch; she lowered her head in a panic, her face flushing crimson.

"What’s not appropriate about it?" Li Chengzhu decided he would vent this frustration for Xiaoying. His father-in-law was important, but the woman he would be living with for the rest of his life was his wife.

"Yes, my husband is the best." Xiaoying didn't shy away at all; she stood up and hugged Li Chengzhu, the softness of her chest rubbing against him until his mouth went dry.

*Decision made, we’ll just stay in a bad mood forever,* Xiaoying thought to herself with a smirk.

But things rarely go as planned. When the second jade slip arrived from his father-in-law, Xiaoying’s feigned composure was torn to shreds.

"What do we do? Husband, Father says if we don't go see him, he’s coming here himself." Xiaoying gripped Li Chengzhu’s hand tightly.

Feeling her tremor, Li Chengzhu gently squeezed her hand. She wasn't just afraid because she had run away from home to refuse a marriage; she was afraid of his reaction to her current marriage and the child in her belly.

"Don't worry, I’m here," Li Chengzhu said, exposing a touch of his own nervousness but projecting the demeanor of a man in charge.

"Where does he want to meet?" Li Chengzhu pondered for a long while; hiding wasn't a solution, and this day had to come eventually.

Moreover, her father’s urgent tone must have something to do with his current mood.

The Mahayana tournament—according to Qiu Feng, the second round would see casualties. Her father was likely worried about any accidents.

"At Grand Marshal Ye’s residence," Xiaoying answered softly.

"Then let's go." Li Chengzhu spat into his palms, rubbed them together, smoothed his sideburns, and walked out of the door, holding his two wives by the hands.

"Zhuzi, should I go too?" Gu Linglong felt slightly uneasy.

"Yes, why wouldn't you?" Li Chengzhu smiled. "We are all one family, why wouldn't you go?"

The father-in-law and son-in-law finally met for the first time at Grand Marshal Ye’s estate. Neither had expected to meet under such circumstances.

Li Chengzhu maintained his smile, staring intently at his father-in-law. Xiao Changchuan was also sizing up his son-in-law, not blinking once.

*He can meet my gaze without changing his expression—he has courage. He brings his other wife to the meeting—he has manly spirit. He can withstand seventy percent of my spiritual pressure—he has some strength. It seems he isn't a spineless man who relies on women.*

"Father," Xiaoying whispered, hiding behind Li Chengzhu.

"Hmph." Xiao Changchuan let out a cold snort. "Do you still consider me your father?"

"Father," Xiaoying gritted her teeth, "You forced me."

"Alas." The expected explosion never came. Instead, Xiao Changchuan sighed, looking at his daughter, then at Li Chengzhu, and finally at Gu Linglong.

"Xiaoying, come here." Xiao Changchuan’s tone was indescribably forlorn.

Seeing her father’s desolate expression, Xiaoying’s heart ached. She walked forward slowly and took his hand. "Father, I was wrong."

"Silly girl." Xiao Changchuan stroked her hair kindly. "Father didn't want to do it either."

Watching this heartwarming scene, Li Chengzhu felt confused. It was completely different from what he had imagined; the speech he had prepared was useless. He blinked at Gu Linglong, unable to find words.

"You two, sit down and talk," Qiao Yanluo, who had been sitting above them, said to Li Chengzhu. Even Ye Zhiqiang, sitting to the side, had his eyes narrowed in a smile.

Watching Xiao Changchuan hold Xiaoying and ask about her situation, glancing over at him every now and then, Li Chengzhu felt a nervous flutter in his heart.

He didn't fear a direct confrontation, but he feared being tripped up from behind.

He turned to look at Ye Zhiqiang, who showed no trace of a Grand Marshal’s demeanor, only looking at him with a narrow, mischievous smile.

Finally, Qiao Yanluo spoke, her beautiful eyes glaring at him. "Did you think we called you here to eat you? Being this nervous."

"Heh heh." Li Chengzhu laughed awkwardly. "No, I was just a little tense."