Matchmaking?

After Zhao Ping'an answered several of the old woman's questions, the group rose and left the garden, heading toward the main courtyard.

Inside an ancient, unadorned hall, Zhao Ping'an sat below Mistress Zhao Xiuyun, on the right side.

At the seat of honor sat Zhao Ping'an's newly acknowledged maternal grandmother, along with an elderly man in his sixties who looked full of vigor.

He was Zhao Jinlong, the master of the Zhao Mansion, a remarkably affable old man.

(Zhao Ping'an's misconception. Zhao Jinlong had built his fortune from scratch, rising from a modestly wealthy household to his current estate by clawing his way out of heaps of corpses. He was merely old now and had begun cultivating his character and nourishing his nature. His true age had already surpassed seventy.)

Zhao Xiuyun clearly feared her father somewhat. She showed none of the warmth she had displayed toward her mother earlier and seemed extremely reserved.

Yet Zhao Jinlong wore an amiable expression, smiling pleasantly the entire time.

The family of three chatted among themselves, while Zhao Ping'an sat there like a fool.

Fortunately, the table was laden with pastries and tea for him to enjoy, and he refused nothing that came his way.

His digestive system was astonishing now. Eating an ox a day was no empty boast—and might not even be enough.

Of course, he normally only ate enough to line his stomach, relying chiefly on breathing in and out Heavenly Qi to provide his body with energy.

Unfortunately, Heavenly Qi only provided him with 2 [Deduction Points] each day, neither more nor less. He had discovered this over several years of experimentation, regardless of how far his cultivation advanced.

The [Deduction Points] provided by Heavenly Qi remained fixed at only two, as immovable as thunder, as though that were the limit.

"It's getting late, Xiuyun. You and Ping'an should stay and eat lunch at home."

With the blazing sun hanging overhead, Zhao Jinlong spoke.

"Alright, Father."

Zhao Xiuyun nodded obediently.

Besides attending the wedding ceremony of her niece and her eldest disciple, Ji Xiangming, she had come this time for another important matter.

That was to find a marriage match for her youngest disciple, Zhao Ping'an.

The reasons were simple. First, Zhao Ping'an's talent for martial arts was truly nothing impressive. Four full years had passed, and he had only barely reached the Warrior Realm. Advancing further through the Warrior Realm would likely be harder still. By the time he cultivated to the Martial Practitioner Realm, he might be nearly thirty—by then, the daylilies would be cold.

Second, Zhao Ping'an had no one to rely on. Among his Senior Brothers and Sisters, he was the only one with nowhere to go, unlike the others, who still had homes to return to and parents and siblings to support them.

If she, his Mistress, did not look after him, no one would.

As for age, in this world, ordinary people were more or less of marriageable age by eighteen.

The sooner one started a family and built up an estate, the better.

The person Zhao Xiuyun had chosen was Zhao Huixin, the seventh daughter of her second older brother, Zhao Muzhen. She was a concubine-born daughter, seventeen this year, sweet-looking and full of mischievous charm.

Unfortunately, being born to a concubine, being a girl, and ranking so far down the line meant she was not favored by Zhao Muzhen. She had no standing whatsoever in the Zhao Family. Other than being used as a tool for a marriage alliance, she had virtually no way forward.

And even if she were married off in an alliance, it could not possibly be to some grand and powerful family. At best, she would become the wife of a young Houtian Martial Artist, or the concubine of an ordinary wealthy household that did business with the Zhao Family. Her road ahead could be seen at a single glance.

But if she married Zhao Ping'an, not only did they know each other inside and out, but she would also have the support of Zhao Xiuyun and her husband, as well as several Senior Brothers and Sisters with decent talent. Becoming a steward in the Blazing Blade Sect and living a life free from worries over food and clothing would be no problem at all.

Zhao Xiuyun's second older brother was the business prodigy among them. He had disliked martial arts since childhood and devoted himself to studying every aspect of commerce. Now past forty, his cultivation was about the same as hers—he was only a Houtian Martial Artist.

Yet most of the Zhao Mansion's businesses were now managed by him, and they were flourishing by the day. Naturally, this was also inseparable from the help of her eldest brother, Zhao Muyu, and third brother, Zhao Muhan, both Innate Martial Masters.

The only bad thing was that her second older brother was a romantic through and through. He fell in love with every woman he met. Over the years, he had married one principal wife and two equal wives, while taking twelve concubines.

He had single-handedly spread the branches and leaves of the Zhao Mansion. Unfortunately, though he had fathered twenty-eight children, only three were sons; all the rest were daughters. His household had practically become a kingdom of women.

As for Zhao Xiuyun's eldest and third brothers, each had only one principal wife and a single child. Her eldest brother had a son, while her third brother had a daughter. Neither branch was thriving.

But this matter could not be discussed in front of Zhao Ping'an. It would be fine if the match worked out, but if it did not...

Lunch was exceedingly lavish, with all manner of rare Demonic Beast meat and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. There were a full thirty-two dishes, including several from the food box Zhao Ping'an had brought.

Although Zhao Ping'an had not looked inside it, his Great Grandmaster-level sense of smell had long since firmly memorized those scents.

Only the four of them ate. As for the other members of the Zhao Mansion, they gathered only on special occasions. Most of the time, everyone ate separately; gathering together only made them uncomfortable.

After eating and drinking their fill, Zhao Xiuyun sent Zhao Ping'an out of the Zhao Mansion and told him to return on his own first. She would stay overnight at the Zhao Mansion, and he could come find her if he needed anything.

Zhao Ping'an could not have wished for more. There were far too many rules in this great family, and he was unaccustomed to staying there. Since he had time now, he could visit Senior Disciple Brother's place.

The small courtyard Senior Disciple Brother Ji Xiangming had purchased was in the western district of South Ridge City, an area within the Blazing Blade Sect's sphere of influence.

Of course, it was not the entire western district. The Blazing Blade Sect did not have that kind of power—its territory only covered three streets.

By the time Zhao Ping'an found Senior Disciple Brother's small courtyard, it was already decorated with lanterns and colored banners, with several dozen people gathered there busily at work.

Aside from his other fellow disciples, most were people from the Blazing Blade Sect.

Zhao Ping'an stayed for barely half an hour before leaving. There was no other reason: his Senior Brothers and Sisters were running about frantically and had no time to pay him any attention, while he knew nothing at all about ancient weddings—let alone one in another world.

Rather than sit around uselessly here, he might as well go back and cultivate.

After bidding farewell to several Senior Brothers and Sisters, Zhao Ping'an returned to the Zhao Residence.

Fortunately, his memory was good enough that he did not get lost in the city.

Inside his room, Zhao Ping'an continuously swung the Hundred Refinement Blade in his hand. Even without using Qi, the blade gave off a piercing shriek as it sliced through the air.

This was his third day in South Ridge City. The day after tomorrow would be Senior Disciple Brother's wedding day.

Ever since returning to the Zhao Residence, he had not gone out again. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent most of every day cultivating.

For the past two days, Mistress Zhao Xiuyun had been staying at Zhao Mansion and had not returned. Master Zheng Hetong, meanwhile, seemed busy with something unknown; he only came back at night and left early in the morning, so Zhao Ping'an hardly saw him at all.

Knock! Knock! Knock! "...Ping'an, it's me!"

Zhao Ping'an's door was suddenly knocked on, and Mistress Zhao Xiuyun's voice sounded from outside. He immediately sheathed his long saber, set it on the table, and hurried over to open the door.

"Mistress, you're back. What did you need me for?"

He welcomed Mistress into the room, then picked up the teapot from the table and poured two cups of water as he spoke.

"It's nothing major. I've arranged a marriage meeting for you. I'm just letting you know to go meet her tomorrow."

"What? A blind date?"