The Xiao Clan's front gate.
The Third Elder welcomed the guests inside and took stock of their gifts.
Most of the tables and chairs in the hall had already been occupied.
Servants wove through the crowd, continually replenishing the tea and fruit on the tables.
The Great Elder and Second Elder greeted the arriving guests.
They came not only from Wutan City. Families from nearby cities had also brought gifts.
Given Wutan City's location, even a Fourth-Order Magical Beast would have been enough to draw their attention, let alone a Tier 6 Magical Beast.
What was more, some of the guests were well-informed. They knew the Imperial Family had heard that Ya Fei was about to give birth, and had sent people to prepare gifts as well.
Xiao Zhan appeared in the corridor and walked toward the crowd.
"Clan Chief Xiao."
"Clan Chief Nalan."
Seeing Nalan Su, Xiao Zhan smiled and went over to greet him.
The two families were in-laws. Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran had not married yet, but it was only a matter of time.
After a brief conversation, more people gradually came over to greet them.
Quite a few had come from the Imperial Capital. Xiao Zhan did not even recognize some of them, but fortunately Nalan Su was there to introduce them one by one.
"Clan Chief Xiao, this is an elder of the Mittel Family, Miteer Tenghua."
Nalan Su gestured toward a middle-aged man in luxurious robes as he introduced him.
The Mittel Family? Wasn't that Ya Fei's maiden family?
It was reputed to be the richest family in the Jia Ma Empire, its wealth even surpassing that of the Imperial Family in the Imperial Capital.
Xiao Zhan didn't dare be careless. He greeted the man politely.
"Clan Chief Xiao, once Miss Ya Fei has given birth safely, you mustn't stop her from taking the child to visit her family. The clan chief misses her terribly. He's always thought very highly of Miss Ya Fei."
Miteer Tenghua spoke with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing. He showed not the slightest disdain for the Xiao Clan, despite its being merely one family in Wutan City.
Nalan Su, standing nearby, stared in surprise.
After all, the Nalan Family was one of the three great families in the Imperial Capital.
In truth, ever since the old master had been injured, the family's standing and influence had begun to wane.
Usually, even when he ran into Miteer Tenghua in the Imperial Capital, the man would merely give him an indifferent nod.
As for a smile...
"Don't worry, Elder Tenghua. When there's a chance, I'll have Yu take Ya Fei back for a visit. That girl is impatient. The moment he took a fancy to Ya Fei, he went straight ahead and married her. Sigh, I couldn't stop him." Xiao Zhan smiled.
Miteer Tenghua smiled. "I know about that. The clan chief's words back then were just said in anger. Please don't take them to heart, Clan Chief Xiao. It's Miss Ya Fei's good fortune to marry the young clan chief."
The two of them spoke so casually now, but if Xiao Yu had been incapable, things might have turned out very differently.
But as long as Xiao Yu had ability and potential—
So what if the Mittel Family was one of the three great families in the Imperial Capital?
They still had to send an elder to the Xiao Clan to bow their heads.
Xiao Zhan understood. He had lived for more than half a lifetime, after all; he knew full well how things worked.
As the group chatted, a servant hurried over and told Xiao Zhan that Madam Ya Fei had given birth.
Xiao Zhan excused himself to those around him and hurried toward the rear courtyard.
The rear courtyard was where the women lived. Naturally, the guests couldn't go there.
At dinner, Xiao Yu came out to show his face, with a smaller Amethyst Winged Lion King at his side.
He had no other purpose. He was just showing off.
Quite a few of the families had brought their daughters along.
Word had already spread that Xiao Yu liked taking wives.
Some had thought it might be a rumor, but after Xiao Yu married two women in a row, they decided not to overthink it and brought their daughters along first.
What if? If Xiao Yu took a fancy to one of them, they would have a chance to cling to his coattails.
Sure enough, the young women were drawn to the Little Amethyst Winged Lion and gathered around it.
The little lion had been living at the Xiao Clan with the Lion King for some time.
At first, it had been puzzled about why they had moved from that huge mountain cave to this place.
But when the Lion King gave the order, it could only obey.
Fortunately, it was comfortable living at the Xiao Clan. Not only did it get delicious food, but when it itched, maids would bathe it and scratch it for it.
Now that it was surrounded by a group of young women, the Little Lion King didn't look fierce at all.
Xiao Yu wandered around, making brief conversation with the guests.
Two of the young women met the system's criteria. Xiao Yu spoke with their parents, noted down their locations, and said he would come to propose marriage in the near future.
The girls' parents were so excited they nearly cheered right there, but they held back, since it was Xiao Yu's wife's childbirth celebration, and it wasn't an appropriate time.
On the way home, they told their daughters. The girls didn't object.
After all, when it came to Xiao Yu's looks, there was nothing to criticize.
As for his having many wives... He had the ability to support them, so it was perfectly normal for him to marry several.
Xiao Yu didn't stay in the front hall long. When he returned to the rear courtyard, Ya Fei was eating in small bites while Xiao Yi Xian looked after her.
"Why don't you look very happy?" Xiao Yu took the bowl and spoon from Xiao Yi Xian and fed Ya Fei as he asked.
Ya Fei sighed. "I wanted to give you a son."
"It's no big deal. Once you're better, we'll keep trying." Xiao Yu smiled faintly. He didn't want Ya Fei to feel down about it, so he changed the subject. "Guess who came from the Mittel Family today."
"Who?"
Ya Fei looked curious. The Jia Ma Imperial Family had been keeping an eye on the Xiao Clan recently, and she knew perfectly well that the Mittel Family—a family that did business and valued connections above all—couldn't afford to ignore it.
Xiao Yu said, "A man named Miteer Tenghua. He said the Mittel clan chief wanted you to take the child back to visit him."
A flicker of surprise crossed Ya Fei's eyes at the name. It seemed Tenghua held a fairly high position in the Mittel Family.
But when she heard the rest, she couldn't help letting out a cold snort. "Now they admit I'm part of the Mittel Family? Who was it that said they'd kick me out of the family back then?!"
"Take it easy. I'll go with you when the time comes. If some old geezer dares to act blind, I'll have Big Purple burn him!"
Xiao Yu didn't know whether postpartum depression existed in this other world. Either way, he didn't want his wife going through a violent emotional upheaval right after giving birth.
As for Big Purple, that was the name Xiao Yu had given the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
And its child was naturally called Little King.
He took good care of her until Ya Fei fell into a deep sleep, then left the room.
When it came to his wives, he had always believed in treating them all equally and sharing his favors evenly.
Xiao Yu didn't rush to check his reward. Instead, he went into Xiao Yi Xian's room.
After a round of cultivation that left them drenched in sweat, he finally went to sit in the pavilion.
[Congratulations, you have gained a child!] [Reward: one year of cultivation! Delivered. Please retrieve it from your inventory.] [Congratulations, you have received an inheritance as a Formation Master and one Heavenly Stars Qi Gathering Array Formation Disk as a random reward! Delivered. Please retrieve them from your inventory.]
"Formation Master?"
Seeing the reward, Xiao Yu froze. This time, the notification was a little shorter than the last one.
"First a Beast Tamer, and now a Formation Master? Is this supposed to be like a tech tree, where I max out every side branch?"
Rubbing his chin, Xiao Yu speculated silently, then chose to accept the reward.
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