Cheng Zicheng walked over in a few strides and said to Cheng Zitong, "Old Three, over here."
Cheng Zitong glanced at him. "Relax. I won't get lost."
What he failed to notice was that, as he walked out, his senior fellow disciple Qiao Linhu, seated to one side, seemed to breathe a quiet sigh of relief when Cheng Zitong did not look his way.
Cheng Zicheng led him and Xiao Ke to a table for the second-generation juniors. Two Cheng Family nephews around his age were there, along with various other relatives, some from closely related branches and others distant kin separated by many generations. Everyone at the table was laughing and chatting, lively and unrestrained.
Perhaps their lives were all much the same these days, or perhaps they sympathized with one another's plight. When he arrived, no one at the table cared about the strange looks others kept casting their way. They all greeted Cheng Zitong warmly, showing rather more human warmth than those inside the main hall.
After sitting down, Cheng Zitong tugged at Xiao Ke. "Sit down. That's just how the Cheng Family does things."
Xiao Ke sat down indignantly. "Brother Tong, I thought they'd make an exception this time."
Cheng Zitong gave a dry chuckle. "You and me both."
After sending Cheng Zitong outside to sit, Cheng Zhou instructed someone to bring out the Purple-Gold Jujubes, placing a plate on every table.
Fan Shoulu, the headmaster of Yangzhi Wu Yi, sat to one side. He glanced at the jujubes, then at his senior fellow disciple, and shook his head without saying anything.
At that moment, a middle-aged man at the table straightened, apparently receiving a message through his World Token. Joy spread across his face, and he called out toward the doorway.
"Oh, they're here?" Several