Star Luo City, the Cao Clan.
The group walked down the street, inevitably running into some old acquaintances along the way.
They greeted one another with smiles.
"Old Master Cao, did your trip to the Star Dou Great Forest go smoothly?"
"Young Master Cao, did you become a Soul Master?"
"How old is your first Soul Ring?"
"With Young Master Cao's cultivation aptitude, it must be around a thousand years old!"
They all chattered at once as the old blue ox slowly walked through the crowd.
It chewed tender Blue Silver Grass, its manner leisurely, as though none of this had anything to do with it.
The man in black took another handful from the basket and held it out.
The ox curled its tongue around it and began chewing again.
Crunch, crunch!
"Moo!"
At the old blue ox's call, everyone obligingly cleared a path.
"Thank you all for your concern. The Soul Ring hunt went very smoothly."
"Little Yu hasn't disgraced the Cao Clan, either. From now on, he's a Soul Master!"
"And his Soul Ring is naturally around a thousand years old."
The old master responded cheerfully.
As for the age of the Soul Ring, he had told a lie.
Although there were many old acquaintances here who were unlikely to harm Little Yu, once the truth got out, one person would tell ten, and ten would tell a hundred.
The resulting impact would be far too great.
That would also be detrimental to Little Yu's future growth.
Unless these "seniors" stayed by Little Yu's side every moment of the day, someone with ill intentions would surely make a move against him.
So it was still very necessary to exercise caution.
For that reason, the old master had specifically given Cao Yu a few reminders.
He told him not to reveal his Soul Ring carelessly, and Cao Yu naturally nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, the mental attribute the system had bestowed on his primary Martial Soul, the Gold Soul Coin, could also disguise his Soul Ring as one around a thousand years old to a certain extent.
This function that came with the mental attribute was, to a certain extent, extremely similar to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's skill.
They passed through the shopping street.
The crowds coming and going were busier than before.
"Boss Cao, how did it go? Did you succeed?"
Everyone turned their eyes toward Cao Yu, who naturally smiled and nodded.
"I succeeded."
"That's good. Oh, right! Boss Cao, will you be introducing any new delicacies soon?"
"I've been craving that river snail rice noodle soup you mentioned for ages."
The speaker was Auntie Li, a regular at the Cao Hotpot Restaurant. She felt out of sorts if she went a day without eating a few pots, and she praised it every time she finished eating.
However, this had also piled frost onto snow for her already plump figure.
Curiosity also filled everyone's eyes.
River snail rice noodle soup?
What sort of delicacy was that?
Over the past two or three years, most people in Star Luo City had already been won over by the delicacy known as hotpot.
The mention of river snail rice noodle soup had stirred the gluttonous worms in everyone's bellies again.
"Auntie Li, you won't have to wait long to try this river snail rice noodle soup."
"After a while, I'll make some stinky tofu for you to try, too."
Hearing Cao Yu agree, the people around him were also delighted.
They all began speaking.
"Boss Cao, remember to let us know!"
"Stinky tofu? What kind of delicacy is that? Does it smell really bad?"
"I wonder if river snail rice noodle soup would taste good paired with stinky tofu?"
Cao Yu's face twitched at their ideas.
Good grief!
They've already put together a dark cuisine combo.
River snail rice noodle soup with stinky tofu-wouldn't that be stink piled on stink?
Who could stand that?
Cao Yu was even considering whether he should introduce stinky tofu at all.
When the time came, the river snail rice noodle shop would have to be kept separate from the hotpot restaurant.
Otherwise, people who couldn't stand that smell would definitely find it unbearable.
Many storefronts on this street already belonged to Cao Yu.
Besides those, dozens of Cao Hotpot Restaurants were scattered throughout Star Luo City.
Cao Yu had also become a wealthy young master in every sense of the word, sitting on assets worth tens of millions.
His parents, Cao Xiang and Luo Lingyun, had not said much about it. Their child could earn money, and as his parents, they were naturally happy for him.
The old master was no exception.
And because of its marriage alliance with the Cao Clan, the Tang Sect had moved its headquarters from Heaven Dou City to Star Luo City.
The Star Luo City branch had become the headquarters!
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Star Luo Imperial Family, the Tang Sect, and the Cao Clan seemed to have secretly formed an alliance.
With the protection of the Cao Clan and these other powers, along with Cao Yu's father-in-law Tang Yichuan joining the Cao Hotpot Restaurant chain in a personal capacity, the Tang Sect had abundant cash flow. Rather than continuing to decline as it originally had, it was developing better and better.
No one dared set their sights on the Tang Sect anymore, either.
This could also count as Cao Yu's gift to Tang Ya.
After all, no matter whom he shortchanged, he couldn't shortchange his own future wife!
As soon as he returned to the Cao Clan, Xu Jiujiu, Tang Ya, and Ning Tian gathered around him.
"Little Yu, what's your first Soul Ring?"
"A Man Faced Demon Spider, a thousand years old."
"A thousand years! Little Yu, how did you do it?"
"You're amazing, Little Yu!"
Ning Tian threw her arms around Cao Yu, feeling very excited.
Ning Tian smelled lovely.
Then Tang Ya and Xu Jiujiu took turns hugging him too. Breathing in their different fragrances, Cao Yu was left unable to speak.
They spent a while being affectionate before reluctantly leaving the Cao Clan.
Afterward, Cao Yu's fathers-in-law all sent their congratulations along with valuable gifts.
This time, they all gathered at the Cao Clan and drank their fill with Cao Xiang for an entire evening.
"Come on, in-law! Bottoms up!"
"No more talking. Drink!"
"Don't neglect the food, either."
"Old Master Cao, you have a drink too."
His fathers-in-law raised their cups and began offering toasts, and the old master drank cheerfully.
By late night, everyone was tipsy and reeked strongly of alcohol.
The wine supplied exclusively to the imperial family was certainly something special.
It tasted delicious, mellow and sweet, but it got people drunk easily.
Seeing how late it was, they all prepared to leave the Cao Clan with servants supporting them.
Sect Master Ning said drunkenly, "Little Yu, remember! Treat your Sister Ning Tian well."
Tang Yichuan glanced over a few times. "Little Ya, too."
Xu Jiawei patted him on the shoulder. "And my younger sister Jiujiu."
Cao Yu naturally nodded and promised in response to his fathers-in-law's words.
"Brother Xu, Uncle Ning, Uncle Tang, don't worry. I'll definitely treat all my older sisters well."
"Ha! You little rascal. We're leaving. Get to bed early, too. Don't ruin that little body of yours by staying up late."
With a chuckle, they left the Cao Clan together.
The steward, Uncle Li, escorted them all the way outside and only closed the gates after watching them walk into the distance.
Cao Xiang and the old master also returned to their rooms to rest, supported by servants.
As for Cao Yu's mother, Luo Lingyun was already fast asleep.
She had never liked attending these drinking gatherings. Usually, she liked playing with the children, Xu Jiujiu, Tang Ya, and Ning Tian.
Xu Jiujiu and the others had complimented Luo Lingyun several times on becoming younger and prettier.
Her skin, in particular, had changed most noticeably.
Watching the wrinkles on her face diminish day by day, Luo Lingyun could not have been happier. She even thought that spending so much time with the children had made her younger in both body and mind.
Little did she know that it was the Seven-Colored Glazed Necklace her son Cao Yu had given her taking effect.
(End of chapter)