Meeting the Elders

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, looking completely unconcerned.

"This is no big deal for me."

"Tell Mom to set the date, and we'll set it up on the lawn. I guarantee that no one there will get cold, not even a bit chilly."

Meng Ke looked at him and immediately felt relieved. How could she forget that her man possessed great Divine Ability? A mere change of seasons could not possibly stump him.

"Okay, I understand. I'll do as you say."

Shen Jingchuan looked at her and smiled again.

"Oh, right, I have something else I want to give you."

"Consider it a wedding gift for you, or perhaps consider it a bride price?"

Meng Ke rolled his eyes at him and reached out his hand.

"If you give it to me, I'll take it. Why are you saying all this?"

I'll accept anything you give me.

Shen Jingchuan smiled.

"That's right, that's how it should be for the two of us."

With a thought, he took out the Second-Tier Spirit Gathering Formation he often used from his Storage Ring, and also took out a pile of Spirit Stones. He didn't count them carefully, but there were about one or two thousand of them, and handed them over together.

Meng Ke took it with both hands, looking at the array plate with curiosity in his eyes.

Shen Jingchuan stood by and patiently taught her.

"The Spiritual Qi here is so thin. When you cultivate, do you always feel that there isn't enough Spiritual Qi?"

"This is Spirit Gathering Formation. Before you begin your cultivation, activate it to gather the surrounding Spiritual Qi."

"It's easy to use; just add Spirit Stones, and it will slowly draw out the Spirit Stone Spiritual Qi from them."

Meng Ke understood immediately; this was truly a gift that suited her perfectly. She had plenty of pills, but she lacked Spiritual Qi, and relying solely on pills would still result in slow progress.

Ultimately, there isn't a single cultivator in this world who doesn't feel that their cultivation is progressing slowly.

Shen Jingchuan then took out ten more jade bottles and placed them in her palm.

"Here are one hundred High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills. Take them and use them for cultivation."

Meng Ke held the bottle, somewhat hesitant.

"I still have some left; it's the one you gave me last time, and I haven't finished using it yet."

Shen Jingchuan patted her hand.

"These are all top-grade pills with low toxicity, so you can use them without worry. Don't be stingy."

"I hope you break through soon and reach the Qi Refining Fourth Layer."

Meng Ke gripped the object in his hand tightly, nodded emphatically, and his eyes revealed a seriousness.

"Yes, I'll definitely work harder and catch up with you sooner or later."

Shen Jingchuan reached out, gently took her small hand, and looked at her with a smile.

"Okay, I'll wait for that day." Shen Jingchuan pulled Meng Ke to his side, his expression becoming more serious.

There's something I haven't had time to think about.

"We've been together for so long, and I still haven't introduced you to my family's elders."

Meng Ke looked up at him, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes.

Shen Jingchuan paused, then softened his voice.

"You know, my parents passed away early, but I still have an uncle and an aunt, who are my closest relatives."

"I'd like to find some time to let you meet with them."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ke's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded repeatedly, unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips.

"You just remembered?"

Seeing her so happy, Shen Jingchuan felt a tickle in his heart, so he reached out and tickled her, then pulled her into his arms and rubbed her all over.

Meng Ke laughed as he was tickled, begging for mercy and struggling with his hands and feet.

"Haha, stop fooling around, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"

Shen Jingchuan continued to make a fuss for a while, then suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly stopped. He thought to himself, "I can't make a fuss anymore. If I do, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

He took a deep breath and released the person.

Meng Ke sat up straight, straightening his crumpled clothes, and gave him a disgruntled look.

"All you do is bully me."

Shen Jingchuan gave an awkward smile, didn't reply, composed himself, picked up his phone, found his uncle's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Hey, Xiaochuan?"

My uncle's voice came through.

"You heartless little brat! It's been so long, and you haven't even called your uncle, let alone come to visit. Do you even care about me as your uncle anymore?"

Shen Jingchuan held the phone to his ear, forcing a smile.

"Uncle, it's just that I'm usually so busy, and once I get busy, there's no end in sight."

"I won't explain myself to you; any explanation would just be an excuse. I'll apologize first and treat you to dinner tonight as an apology. What do you think?"

My uncle snorted on the other end.

"Why waste money on a meal? Just come over tonight and have your aunt cook for you. We're family, why bother?"

Shen Jingchuan didn't go along with him, and his tone became more serious.

"Uncle, here's what happened."

"I'm getting married and would like to ask you to give me your opinion on potential partners."

Upon hearing this, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by my aunt's surprised voice, presumably because the phone was on speakerphone and my aunt was right next to me.

"Huh? Xiaochuan, is this true?"

"Where is the girl from? How old is she? You silly child, why didn't you say something so important sooner!"

Shen Jingchuan replied with a smile.

"Aunt, it's true. I'll tell you the details when we meet again."

"Let's meet at 6 pm, near Gui Street in Dongzhimen. There's a Hua Family Courtyard, it's a courtyard house, the environment is nice."

"I'll send you the address now."

My aunt readily agreed, beaming from ear to ear.

"Okay, okay, we'll be there."

After hanging up with his uncle, Shen Jingchuan found his aunt's number and dialed it.

When his aunt heard him say he was getting married and inviting her to dinner, her voice was full of joy. She agreed without hesitation, saying she would definitely come that evening. She even urged him to send her a picture of the girl so she could take a look first.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Jingchuan dialed the number for the Hua Family Courtyard again and booked a private room for 6 p. m.

Just after 5:30, he arrived early with Meng Ke.

This place is a traditional courtyard house with blue bricks and gray tiles. The courtyard is decorated in an antique style, and you can feel the old Beijing flavor as soon as you enter.

The two greeted them while chatting at the entrance of the private room. Before long, the uncle and aunt arrived first, followed by the aunt and uncle, then two cousins and a cousin, and so on.

"Uncle, Aunt, Auntie, Uncle."

"Cousin, cousin, you're here!"

Everyone responded, but all their eyes were fixed on Meng Ke, scrutinizing him from head to toe, their smiles never fading.

Once inside the private room, the guests and hosts sat down, and Shen Jingchuan briefly introduced the two sides.

"This is Meng Ke, and I am... my boyfriend. We've already set our wedding date for next Spring Festival."

He then introduced them to Meng Ke one by one.

"This is my uncle and aunt, this is my aunt and uncle, these two are my cousins, and this is my cousin."

Meng Ke stood up properly and bowed to each person.

"Hello, Uncle; Hello, Aunt; Hello, Aunt; Hello, Uncle."

Hello, cousin! Hello, cousin!

After going through all the formalities, the girl was so beautiful and well-mannered; the elders liked her immediately.

Aside from exchanging a few pleasantries with Shen Jingchuan at the beginning, he was basically ignored afterward, with the conversation revolving entirely around Meng Ke.