18 That Year, Standing Like a Lackey

The Luo Family ancestral grounds, the core territory of the most illustrious clan in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Inside the conference hall, the dome soared high like a suspended galaxy, its vastness far exceeding the largest stadiums Tang Ping had ever seen in his life. At this moment, the hall was packed with people; tens of thousands stood in dense rows, like a silent sea of humanity, surging with the restless, hot-blooded anticipation of an impending expedition.

On the high platform, Luo Ping, son of the ancestor Luo Feng, was delivering a passionate speech to boost the morale of the Luo clan members about to set off for the distant reaches of the star sea. His voice was like thunder, piercing through the layers of the crowd and echoing in every corner of the hall.

However, Tang Ping couldn't hear it very clearly.

For one, he wasn't really paying attention; he had heard enough of these mobilization speeches to know they were all the same. Secondly, the hall was too large and the crowd too dense, and he was standing near the back. If not for the fact that Luo Ping was standing on a platform dozens of meters high, he probably wouldn't even be able to see what the man looked like.

Furthermore, very few of the people behind him were actually listening.

Whispers rose and fell like the tide, covering a variety of topics: from the welfare benefits on alien planets to the "buy a house in three years, a starship in five" immigration policy; from the allocation of cultivation resources for their children to the training programs for Planetary Rank powerhouses. Some were even enthusiastically discussing which alien red-light district offered the best services and which ones were total scams...

Not to mention, these topics were quite tempting for old lechers, though an honest man like him was certainly not interested.

Of course, many people frequently cast their gazes toward Tang Ping, looking him up and down with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and hatred, as if they wanted to poke holes in him with their stares.

"So that's Tang Ping? Tsk, isn't he just a bit younger and better-looking? How did he manage to catch the eye of Miss Luo Xiaoyu?"

"Who's to say... I heard he hasn't even reached the Planetary Rank. Aside from good grades, his cultivation talent is mediocre, and his combat ability is even worse. He's useless except for that face! If I had known Miss Xiaoyu liked handsome guys, I would have gone for plastic surgery long ago!"

"Sigh—ε=(´ο｀))) What is this world coming to? Do goblins not have the right to be favored by goddesses?"

"But then again, what grade of evaluation did he get? Even if he is a loser, just by basking in Miss Xiaoyu's light, he probably got at least ten million Silver Blue Coins, right? Ten million! That's enough for me to spend a lifetime with ten alien girlfriends, damn it!"

Tang Ping wore a simple white long robe, the same style as Luo Xiaoyu in the front row. His posture was upright and his temperament refined. He appeared to be listening intently, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he was already laughing internally.

These people... being handsome really does allow you to do whatever you want.

Besides, didn't they see my name? Tang Ping, meaning "to lie flat." My parents told me since I was a kid: if your stomach is weak, you should eat soft rice!

Hehehe~

He looked around, having to admit that among this group of heaven-favored children, he was indeed unremarkable.

Some wore dazzling battle armor that shimmered with golden light; others had golden halos floating behind them, with wings appearing and disappearing as if gods had descended to the world. And him? Aside from this face, he was truly "poor and blank."

That year he was eighteen, standing among the masses like an insignificant grunt.

After a long while, the ancestor Luo Ping let out a roar that shook the heavens:

"For the Luo Family! For Earth! For humanity!"

"For the Luo Family! For Earth! For humanity!"

Ten thousand people shouted in unison, the sound waves rolling like a tide, never-ending. Tang Ping followed along, his voice drowned in the torrent of ten thousand, like an insignificant drop of water.

After the meeting, Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu stood side by side at the corner of a corridor, looking far off at the most dazzling genius of this generation of the Luo family: Luo Yanchang.

He wore brilliant battle armor, his aura as deep as an abyss. At only twenty years old, he had already stepped into the Star Rank, his cultivation realm even surpassing that of the Luo family ancestor at the same age—truly terrifying.

Surrounded by crowds and treated like the moon among stars, he spoke and laughed with ease, treating others with the gentleness of a spring breeze, his every gesture displaying the demeanor of a family head.

Luo Xiaoyu remained as cold as snow, saying softly, "Tang Ping, gather at the designated location in seven days. Don't forget."

"Got it," Tang Ping replied.

After a moment of silence, her cheeks suddenly flushed, and her voice dropped a notch: "The meeting lasted so long... you must be tired, right? Do you want to go to my room... and rest for a while?"

Tang Ping turned his head to look at the exquisite profile of this "convenient wife," his heart skipping a beat.

Oh? Is this... a change of heart?

But he was a gentleman after all. He hesitated for exactly one second, then said with a straight face, "Sure!"

Luo Xiaoyu was stunned, and a rare look of dazed cuteness appeared on her usually cold, frost-covered face.

After a while, the two arrived in front of a two-courtyard siheyuan.

The Luo family grounds were truly too large; they even had to scan a code to call a public shuttle to get from the conference hall to their residence.

The courtyard was quiet, without a single guard or servant.

"I didn't apply for an allocation myself," Luo Xiaoyu explained calmly. "Although the family can provide them, the salary is borne by the individual, and I don't need it."

Pushing the door open and entering, Tang Ping looked around; the room was shockingly empty.

There were no decorations, no furniture, not even a decent chair. There was only a bed and a Cultivation Room; everything else was empty.

This... is this really where a girl lives? It was far too different from the pink and cute boudoir he had imagined...

Helpless, he had to sit on the bed side-by-side with Luo Xiaoyu, chatting aimlessly.

The two didn't have much of a connection to begin with. After asking about cultivation progress and the situation of the family-assigned station, the conversation came to a screeching halt.

The atmosphere became so awkward it could be wrung out like a wet cloth.

After a long time, Luo Xiaoyu finally spoke softly, her tone serious and shy:

"Tang Ping... I said before, I am a traditional girl. So... as long as I am not cultivating, as my husband... you can do whatever you want, and I will comply."

"Huh?"

Tang Ping's heart jolted. His fifty-year history of being single trembled in his soul at this moment, and he felt a sense of solemn respect.

But he wasn't a bashful person. He immediately reached out, gently took her slender, fair hand, and began to play with it tenderly.

"Wife, your hands are so fair, the lines are soft and graceful, and the palm prints are clear... I happen to know a bit about palmistry, come, let me take a look... Huh? A full forehead and a rounded chin, this is the sign of great wealth and prosperity! You are about to soar to success!"

Luo Xiaoyu rolled her eyes, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward slightly.

After a long while, Tang Ping reluctantly let go of her hand, feeling somewhat lost afterward. Having never tasted pork in either of his two lives, he had absolutely no idea what the next step should be. According to the flow of art films, should he go straight for the kill?

But the two of them had only spoken a few sentences in total so far; wouldn't that be a bit impolite and perhaps too abrupt for such a beauty?

Then...

"Wife, can I see your feet?"

Luo Xiaoyu: ???

Tang Ping panicked and hurriedly explained, trying to prove that he wasn't a pervert.

"Wife, they have stepped across spring meadows, been stained by summer rain, trodden on autumn leaves, and wrapped in winter boots to walk through the snow. They have traveled across the land, endured wind and sand, and waded through ditches, all until I met you.

What I like isn't the feet themselves, but the heart that has accompanied you through so much, yet still brought you to walk toward me. Just as what I like is you, who carries all your past experiences and still stands before me so sincerely."

Luo Xiaoyu: ...

A long silence followed.

In the room, Luo Xiaoyu sat dazed on the edge of the bed, her bare feet small and exquisite, white as jade. Her five cute toes were curled inward as if from nervousness, resembling rounded cardamom seeds and emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

The young girl's pretty face flushed red as she whispered a rebuke: "Bad guy..."

Taking a few deep breaths, she finally steadied her mind, stood up, retrieved a long spear shimmering with silver light, and stepped into the Cultivation Room.

The spear thrust out like a dragon, the sound of it piercing the air whistling incessantly.

Her eyes were firm, her heart focused and undistracted.

Indulging in male beauty? Heh... that would only slow down the speed of her spear.