Dinnertime arrived.
The White-Haired Dumpling never missed it.
The fair little girl wore a long white dress as her nightgown, her delicate pink feet tucked into slippers. Traces of moisture still clung to her smooth, tender skin, and she looked so adorable that anyone would want to gather her into their arms and pamper her.
"It smells so good!" Na'er dashed to Xu Qingjia's side, bringing a faint milky fragrance with her.
It certainly does, Xu Qingjia murmured inwardly.
The White-Haired Dumpling gazed at the dazzling spread on the table, and her world-shaking appetite immediately kicked into gear. Her waist-length hair, still slightly damp, hung loosely down her back.
Xu Qingjia gathered Na'er's loose silver hair, his fingers deftly weaving through the strands. Before long, he had fashioned the soft locks into two playful braided buns. "Why didn't you tie your hair up?"
"I was waiting for you to do it." Na'er tilted her head up at him, her eyes filled with utterly matter-of-fact dependence.
"Heh." Xu Qingjia chuckled, affection flowing naturally into his eyes.
Just then, Xu Ye and Shen Xi arrived.
The couple had something to discuss.
Once they had nearly finished eating, Xu Qingjia brought up Ye Xinglan's situation at the table.
"That's easy enough." Xu Ye readily agreed.
"You just need to get engaged to Xinglan, Qingjia."
Xu Qingjia: (´・w・`)?
Ye Xinglan: (๑>◡<๑)
Na'er: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
"What's going on?" Xu Qingjia was puzzled. What did those two things have to do with each other?
"Th-that... wouldn't be right, would it?" Ye Xinglan stammered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. She had received systematic instruction in human biology and understood what marriage meant, but if she were to become engaged to Xu Qingjia...
"Mm." A little whimper mingling embarrassment and delight escaped her throat, and her cheeks turned so red they almost seemed ready to bleed.
"No!" The White-Haired Dumpling bristled like a kitten.
What was going on?!
Someone was suddenly raiding her home base!
Was there no law? No justice under heaven?!
Na'er abandoned her meal and hurried over to Shen Xi, wrapping both hands around her arm. Her bright, watery eyes were filled with urgency. "Auntie Shen, Auntie Shen, talk Uncle Xu out of it! The books all say arranged marriages are a malignant tumor of feudalism."
The White-Haired Dumpling's little brain raced, her world-shaking wisdom springing into action. From the evils of feudal systems to the precious freedom to choose one's own partner, then on to the importance of marital happiness, she delivered a perfectly organized argument that brought fond, knowing smiles to Xu Ye's and Shen Xi's faces.
They both understood Na'er's feelings now.
Shen Xi gently stroked her head and asked softly, "Then who does Na'er want Qingjia to marry someday?"
At that, Na'er instinctively straightened her still-childish frame, certainty gleaming in her eyes.
Did that even need asking? Xu Qingjia had to be hers! But the words that came out were, "Th-that sort of thing should depend on his own choice."
Shen Xi turned toward her darling son. "Then what do you think, Qingjia?"
The White-Haired Dumpling looked at Xu Qingjia and threateningly bared her little canine teeth, trying to look fierce despite her sweetness. Her expression plainly said that if he dared agree, she would never let him hear the end of it today.
Xu Qingjia blinked. Just as he was about to speak, a little hand crept over and took his. It felt slightly cool. He glanced sideways and found Ye Xinglan, her cheeks flushed crimson. Those usually spirited eyes were now full of shyness and anticipation.
"..."
Why did this feel like a romantic battlefield?
Xu Qingjia inwardly protested his innocence.
"Well..." Xu Qingjia collected himself and calmly took a sip of juice. "I think it's too early to discuss something like this."
A pleased smile curled the White-Haired Dumpling's lips.
Wasn't that just an indirect rejection?
At least you know what's good for you. Hmph~
Just then, the cool little hand in Xu Qingjia's grasp suddenly began to pull away.
Xu Qingjia held it fast.
Mom and Dad were stirring up trouble.
Who shoved their own son onto a romantic battlefield?!
"Now is now, and the future is the future." Xu Qingjia gently brushed his fingers over Ye Xinglan's cool little hand, speaking sincerely. "We can't tie Xinglan's entire life to mine over a single incident. That would be terribly unfair to her."
"Mm." The bashful Ye Xinglan lifted her little head.
Was Xu Qingjia looking out for me?
"I think Xinglan seems quite willing." Shen Xi, never afraid of adding fuel to an entertaining fire, turned to Ye Xinglan. "Xinglan, what do you think?"
"I..." Ye Xinglan's little face grew even redder. Usually so spirited and poised, she could barely string her words together now. "I-I don't have any objections."
Xu Ye and Shen Xi exchanged a glance. They had already more or less guessed what the Ye Family was thinking. A mere family like theirs really only needed a warning.
But Ye Xinglan was an innocent little girl. If they wanted to include her in their plans for Qingjia's and Na'er's future, they had to give her a suitable place.
"Since Xinglan has no objections either," Xu Ye said, "then it's settled."
Na'er puffed out her cheeks in anger like a little inflated ball, inwardly fuming. I object! I absolutely object!
Xu Ye and Shen Xi stood and called Xu Qingjia into the study, saying they had something to tell him.
In the study.
"Mom, Dad." Xu Qingjia was full of questions. "Did we really need to take this that far?"
How had it suddenly turned into an engagement?
What did any of this even mean?
Was today destined to be his romantic tribulation?
Shen Xi nodded gently, then slowly shook her head. "If it were only about the Ye Family, certainly not."
"Qingjia, why do you think the Ye Family plans to send Xinglan to enroll in the Shrek Inner Court?"
"To show goodwill toward Shrek," Xu Qingjia replied.
Members of the Sun Moon Lineage were not necessarily forbidden from attending Shrek Academy.
But there was a proper process for it.
They had to use the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's exchange student slots.
Although Shrek now disdained sending its own students there, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy did indeed have guaranteed admission slots for Shrek. Students sent through that route carried the academy's label, and their values were generally mature enough that Shrek Academy could not easily brainwash them.
But sending Ye Xinglan, whose values had yet to mature, into Shrek Academy's Inner Court...
The Ye Family intended to betray the Sun Moon Lineage and throw in their lot with Shrek Academy!
Shen Xi nodded gently.
"It's not just the Ye Family," Xu Ye said, his gaze turning slightly cold. "Our Xu Family has produced a few scoundrels like that too."
Xu Qingjia fell silent.
He had probably already guessed who they were.
Xu Ye spoke with a chill in his voice. "Their legs belong to them. They can go wherever they like. But since they've made that choice, they'll have to pay the price for it."
The Xu Family was large. Getting everyone to stand united was difficult.
No major power could guarantee that its own ranks contained no spies or people with divided loyalties.
"The Ye Family certainly needs a warning," Xu Ye said. "They've forgotten our ancestors' final wishes."
They might not be able to deal with Yun Ming, but surely they could deal with these ingrates who fed at their table while serving someone else?!
Shen Xi sighed softly. "The Ye Family is the Ye Family. Xinglan is Xinglan."
"If Xinglan is going to follow you from now on, we need to give her a legitimate place. Besides, we mentioned a marriage between you and Xinglan to the Ye Family's old patriarch before. It may have been a casual remark, but the possibility was already there."
"Uh."
Leaving the past aside for now, though...
"Follow me?" Xu Qingjia felt it might be a little early to talk about that.
Xu Ye wore the gratified expression of a parent watching his child grow up. "Qingjia, you're growing up. It's time for you to leave our side and study out in the world."
"..."
Xu Qingjia said somewhat speechlessly, "My Martial Soul is the only one of its kind on the continent. Who could teach me?"
His father was a Limit Douluo, his mother was only one step away from that level, and his maternal grandfather was a Quasi-God who ranked among the strongest in the entire Federation. Did he really need to study elsewhere?
Wasn't that ridiculous?
Xu Qingjia silently stared into his father's eyes. "Then may I ask which renowned teacher you've found for me, Father?"
Xu Ye's expression did not change. As though he had not noticed his son's stare, he said, "The illustrious Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, naturally. Only a Limit Douluo is qualified to teach my son."
"You're making a move on the Spirit Pagoda?" Xu Qingjia exposed the purpose in a single sentence.
The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's Martial Soul bore absolutely no resemblance to his own.
Surely they were not sending him all the way to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters just because they had nothing better to do.
"That's my son." Xu Ye looked proud.
"Your father has already reached an agreement with the Leng Family's old patriarch and paved the way for you. All you need to do is become Leng Yaozhu's disciple. The Leng Family and your second uncle will help you become vice chairman of the Spirit Pagoda, and even the chairman's position will no longer be beyond your reach."
At its core, this was an exchange of political resources.
They would give the Leng Family what it wanted, and the Leng Family would give them what they wanted.
In fact, their Xu Family would owe the Leng Family a considerable favor for this.
Presumably, the Leng Family wanted to pave the way for its future. Its main branch had dwindled, after all. If the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo passed away, the family might never recover.
And the Leng Family truly did need outside help to counter the Qian Gu Family's ever-growing influence within the Spirit Pagoda.
"That's all?" Xu Qingjia's expression remained unchanged.
"Dad, there's something else you haven't told me, isn't there?"
"What?" Xu Ye looked perfectly composed.
"My marriage agreement with that Heavenly Phoenix Douluo," Xu Qingjia said. "What exactly is going on?"
"What marriage agreement?" Xu Ye feigned ignorance. "I'm talking about you becoming her disciple."
"Grandpa already told me," Xu Qingjia said.
This was not some sleazy conjecture on his part.
"By the parents' command and the matchmaker's word." He knew perfectly well what that phrase meant. Could it possibly describe taking a teacher?
"Hmph!" Shen Xi glared at her husband in displeasure, then told Xu Qingjia, "Don't worry about it, Qingjia. This was just your father's rotten idea."
Xu Ye had indeed discussed a marriage between Xu Qingjia and Leng Yaozhu with the Leng Family's old patriarch. But the arrangement had fallen through not only because Leng Yaozhu refused, but also because Shen Xi objected.
Shen Xi gave Xu Ye's waist a merciless twist. "Yaozhu is my friend! Look how old she is. My son isn't even a fraction of her age."
Shen Xi could not accept becoming her close friend's mother-in-law. Wasn't that an old cow grazing on tender grass? And the tender grass being "eaten" was the child she had raised herself.
"Leng Yaozhu is a fine woman too," Xu Ye muttered.
Fair skin, beautiful features, long legs-she fully deserved her reputation as the Spirit Pagoda's greatest beauty.
More importantly, she was one of the richest women in the Federation. The Leng Family's old patriarch did not have much time left, and all the family's wealth would be in Leng Yaozhu's hands alone. She was a beautiful CEO through and through.
He truly had nothing but his son's best interests at heart.
Within the Spirit Pagoda, the Leng Family stood second only to the Qian Gu Family. Her dowry would amount to nearly half the Spirit Pagoda. Add in the fact that she herself was a Limit Douluo, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, and one of the Federation's strongest, and his son could skip decades of struggle.
"Besides," Xu Ye said, soothing his wife, "whether this works out isn't up to us. It depends on what our son thinks."
Both parents turned their eyes to Xu Qingjia.
Xu Qingjia blinked. "Maybe I won't go to the Spirit Pagoda at all?"
"Oh?" Xu Ye was puzzled. "With the authority of the Spirit Pagoda's vice chairman, you could easily have the Soul Spirit research department custom-design a Soul Spirit for your special circumstances."
Ordinary Soul Spirit customization merely cost a little extra money.
But Xu Qingjia's unusual situation required developing something entirely from scratch.
"That's not it." Xu Qingjia shook his head gently. "Looks like Grandpa hasn't told you two about that yet."
"Oh?" Xu Ye looked puzzled.
"Dad, just ask Grandpa and you'll know," Xu Qingjia said.
He had quietly pulled off something huge!
After saying good night, Xu Qingjia returned to his bedroom, quickly passing through the living room, where the atmosphere seemed rather ominous.
As for his engagement to Ye Xinglan...
If he tried to break it off now, would Xinglan tell him, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west-never look down on a poor young girl"?
He would leave things as they were for now.
After all, he really did feel that way about Xinglan.
But once Xinglan went home, he would have to find a way to soothe Na'er's hurt feelings.
In the study, Shen Xi gave her husband's waist another twist.
"I really don't know what you were thinking." Shen Xi rolled her eyes at her husband. "You know perfectly well what Yaozhu is like. She would never agree to a marriage alliance like that."
"Heh, heh." Xu Ye shook his head with an air of mystery. "I
knew it wouldn't work."
"Then why did you do it?"
"To plant a seed that might sprout." A sly gleam flashed through Xu Ye's eyes. "Now both the future teacher and disciple know they nearly had a marriage agreement, and their families are secretly trying to bring them together. Can they still interact like an ordinary teacher and disciple? What does an age gap matter? Maybe it really will work out. Even if it doesn't, there's nothing to lose by trying."
Meanwhile.
Only Na'er and Ye Xinglan remained in the living room.
"Na'er." Ye Xinglan called softly, concerned. She felt that something was wrong with Na'er's mood.
"Don't call me!" The White-Haired Dumpling was in a very bad mood.
"Ye Xinglan, from now on, we're enemies."
The little boat of their friendship had capsized!
"Why?" Ye Xinglan was baffled.
"Na'er, you're Xu Qingjia's little sister. If I become his wife someday, won't we still be able to cultivate and study together every day, just like now?"
Wouldn't that be nice?
"You're the little sister!" Na'er pouted. Even her beloved food seemed tasteless now, so she decided to turn grief and indignation into appetite. Picking up her chopsticks, she stuffed mouthful after mouthful into her mouth, her bulging cheeks making her look like a little squirrel.
Ye Xinglan blinked, unable to understand why Na'er suddenly disliked her. Could Na'er like Xu Qingjia? But weren't they brother and sister?
Just then, the study door swung open, and Shen Xi gently beckoned to Na'er. "Na'er, come here for a moment."
Na'er immediately put down her chopsticks and hurried over. Shen Xi led her into another room and asked gently, "You don't look very happy, Na'er. Is it because of Qingjia and Xinglan's engagement?"
"Of course not!" Na'er stubbornly denied it, though her eyes shifted evasively.
Shen Xi smiled gently and said, "I think what you said earlier was absolutely right, Na'er. These days, we encourage people to choose their own partners. Arranging marriages for children is just a relic of feudalism."
White-Haired Dumpling's eyes lit up at once.
"But Xinglan's family situation really is rather unusual," Shen Xi said. "Being his fiancée gives her a measure of protection. I'm planning to send you all away to study later, so Xinglan needs a suitable status."
"But who Qingjia marries in the future will still depend on who he likes."
"I'm rooting for you."
White-Haired Dumpling proudly puffed out her chest.
Exactly. What did an engagement matter? She was just a mere cuckold-to-be.
She would sneak in and steal her home base tonight.
"Xinglan, you'll have to help me take good care of Qingjia. I'm rooting for you."
"Mm!"
Qingjia, this is as far as your mother can help you.