Eating Meat

Xu Yuanshuang had no fear of Xu Lingyue. Although her mother had always warned her not to provoke the eldest daughter of the second branch of the family, Xu Yuanshuang thought, even if she did, so what? Would her elder brother deliberately blame her for such a trivial matter?

As long as women maintain a certain bottom line, men won't bother with their scheming and intrigue.

Besides, she and her cousin weren't those jealous women fighting over a man; how far could their rivalry go?

Mother is just too cautious; she's afraid of causing conflict and upsetting my eldest brother.

Xu Lingyue said in a gentle tone:

"My elder brother is getting married, and the guests he invited are either high-ranking officials or local heroes. The handwriting on the invitations is too delicate; how can we present them? My elder brother is of a high status and doesn't care about such things, but shouldn't I, as his younger sister, be more considerate?"

Xu Yuanshuang had just picked up her pen when she froze, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ah, suddenly we're in check. Xu Qi'an immediately looked at his birth mother and found her smiling, seemingly unconcerned about her daughter's predicament.

She was trying to get me to defuse the awkward situation. Xu Qi'an wasn't about to argue over such a small matter. He chuckled, remarking that with more women in the house, the drama was definitely getting more interesting.

"Lingyue burned her hand yesterday and can't hold a pen properly. As for Aunt Mu, she seemed quite tired last night, so we won't trouble her."

He winked at Mu Nanzhi subtly.

Knowing what he was implying, Mu Nanzhi remained calm and maintained the gentle smile of an elder. Under the table, her embroidered shoes kicked Xu Qi'an hard.

The two exchanged subtle glances. In front of his family, Xu Qi'an always acted like a junior, addressing the Flower Goddess as "Auntie" at every turn.

Besides not wanting to see Mu Nanzhi die, he also had some ulterior motives. He wanted to place the Flower Goddess in the position of an elder, so that she would have no legitimate reason to cause trouble on the wedding day.

Given the Flower Goddess's proud and vain nature, it would be difficult for her to do something so shameful in front of everyone. She would most likely suppress her anger and settle the score with him in private.

As long as things appear harmonious and stable on the surface, Xu Qi'an isn't afraid of her causing trouble behind the scenes. He'll just thrust his spear at her, and the Flower Goddess's legs will go weak and her body will go limp.

They've lost all their fighting strength.

"Yuan Shuang, write it down for me first, and when Erlang comes back, he can copy it."

Xu Yuanshuang readily accepted the offer and smiled sweetly.

On the other side, the aunt, holding the little boy's hand, pushed him in front of Ji Baiqing, her face beaming with smiles:

"Sister-in-law, this is my youngest daughter Lingyin."

Ji Baiqing scrutinized the round-faced, adorable little boy and praised him:

"She looks so clever and bright, just like Lingyue. All of Xiaoru's daughters are wonderful, truly wonderful!"

Pfft. Xu Qi'an almost burst out laughing, thinking to himself that this was killing two birds with one stone, subtly insulting Lingyue and avenging Yuan Shuang, while also making his aunt happy.

Xu Lingyue remained expressionless; she rarely showed such an expression.

The aunt was overjoyed, patting the little boy's head with a beaming smile:

My daughter, Lingyin, has been smart since she was little.

"Quickly call her 'Auntie'."

My sister-in-law is the best at speaking; she was the first to praise Lingyin's intelligence.

"Auntie!" the little boy called out loudly.

Then he turned to look at his mother, and asked in confusion:

What is "auntie"?

She had never had an aunt before and didn't know the meaning of "aunt".

The aunt originally wanted to say that her aunt was her uncle's wife, but the thought of Xu Pingfeng filled her with disgust, so she changed her words:

"Your aunt is my eldest brother's mother."

Xu Lingyin was taken aback, her mouth agape:

"So I have two mothers."

The aunt almost wanted to cover her face, but forced herself to save face and said:

"Lingyin is still young; she always thought Dalang was her older brother."

In Xu Lingyin's eyes, she has always had two older brothers and one older sister, and it has always been like this since she was a child. Sometimes she wonders why her eldest brother calls her parents "aunt" and "second uncle".

But she doesn't think that much about it.

Everyone is offering their own opinion.

"He really is a dull child," Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai thought to themselves.

Ji Baiqing smiled, showing no sign of surprise, and said smoothly:

"It's time to give her her first education. Erlang is busy with official duties, and there's no tutor at home. Why don't we have Yuanshuang teach her to read and write?"

After she finished speaking, she noticed that everyone in the Xu Household was staring at her strangely, including her eldest son, Xu Qi'an.

What's wrong with that?

She frowned.

The aunt gave a dry laugh, her face showing embarrassment:

"Lingyin, huh? She's a bit slow-witted, let's forget about it."

My aunt is an honest person; she wouldn't cheat her own family.

Although she said that Lingyin was smart since she was a child, she knew in her heart that her Lingyin might be a little duller than other children her age.

As Xu Yuanshuang wrote the invitation, she said:

"Auntie, it's alright. Although I don't have Erlang's talent, I've been studying since I was a child, so teaching Lingyin is no problem for me."

Since things had been said so far, the aunt couldn't refuse and had no choice but to agree.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Lingyue didn't say a word; she certainly wouldn't act so "vicious" in front of her older brother.

Moreover, everyone who heard that Lingyin was difficult to enlighten felt that they could do it, whether it was the Grand Tutor, the teachers of the academy, or Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen.

Xu Lingyue felt that even if she didn't stir things up, her cousin would do the same thing as everyone else, and sure enough, she did.

Xu Yuanshuang nodded in satisfaction, then asked:

"I heard that Lingyin has been learning Gu magic from this girl in Southern Frontier?"

This girl's mouth has never been heard before.

My aunt said:

"It was all Dalang's decision. He said Lingyin didn't like studying and had no talent for martial arts, so he could only send her to learn Gu magic."

Ji Baiqing smiled and said:

"It doesn't matter if she lacks talent; hard work can make up for it. Perhaps Dalang doesn't have time to teach her martial arts, but Yuanhuai can teach her when he has time. Yuanhuai is, after all, a fifth-rank master. With such a talented older brother, we shouldn't let him go to waste."

She believed that the Dalang certainly had neither the time nor the interest to teach a child, and the same was true for the second brother, Xu Pingzhi.

At this point, the effect of the fifth-grade Transformation Realm Yuanhuai (元槐) becomes apparent.

Moreover, a fifth-grade martial artist is considered a master no matter where they are, and their willingness to teach a child martial arts demonstrates their goodwill towards Lingyin.

Lina bluntly stated:

He's not qualified to teach Lingyin.

This direct approach startled the birth mother, who looked somewhat embarrassed.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said:

"Yuan Huai is a fifth-rank official, and not far from the fourth rank, so how can he not be qualified?"

Lina puffed out her cheeks and hummed incessantly:

"I'm still a fourth-rank official, and my father is only a third-rank official. We can teach Lingyin, that's enough. What's the point of him, a mere fifth-rank official, getting involved?"

She didn't care if Xu Lingyin was taught to read, but Lina disagreed with teaching Xu Lingyin cultivation.

This shows they don't respect me as their master.

"Third rank?!"

Xu Yuanshuang was stunned, and tentatively asked, "Your father is a third-rank official, and he's also teaching the Lingyin Gu Technique?"

She re-examined Lina and realized that this girl from Southern Frontier who kept eating seemed to have a more complicated background.

Xu Qi'an continued:

"The leader of Longtu is also Lingyin's master."

Xu Yuanshuang glanced at her mother and younger brother and noticed that their expressions were both surprised and curious, just like her own.

This is different from what I heard. Isn't this youngest sister supposed to be dull-witted? How could a third-rank expert teach such a dull-witted disciple?

Ji Baiqing scrutinized the adorable little boy and asked:

"How's your Lingyin Gu technique coming along?"

Lina proudly raised her chin:

"Lingyin's strength is now comparable to an eighth-rank martial artist. By the end of the year at the latest, she'll be able to fight a seventh-rank one. Her talent is truly remarkable."

The aunt was taken aback, then looked at the little boy with delight:

You're almost as old as your dad!

Xu Qi'an laughed:

"Lingyin is a genius in the Power Gu Club, isn't she?"

Even the God of Gu has designs on her.

He's currently at the eighth rank, and will be at the seventh rank by the end of the year, and his elder brother didn't object. Xu Yuanshuang stared blankly at the child, who wasn't even as tall as the table, and suddenly felt as if she had wasted nineteen years of her life.

A seven-year-old of the eighth rank?!

Is there really a seven-year-old of the eighth rank in the world?

Is this the dull-witted child that Xu Residence is talking about?

Are all three children from the second wife so incredibly talented? Ji Baiqing was secretly shocked. She thought Xu Lingyue and Xu Xinnian were already exceptional individuals, but who would have thought that their older siblings wouldn't even be worthy of carrying the youngest child's shoes?

"I was still cultivating my Qi and Blood at seven years old, and hadn't even reached the rank yet." Xu Yuanhuai seemed to have been stimulated, his fists clenched tightly, wishing he could immediately return to the academy to cultivate.

The mother and her two children realized that this child might be the most talented person in the Xu Household besides the Dalang.

"Mom, I want to go out and play."

Xu Lingyin didn't like staying here listening to the adults talk.

"Go ahead!" Auntie warned, "Don't trample on the flowerbeds."

"What will happen if you step on it and break it?" Xu Lingyin asked tentatively.

"I'll roast you and eat you," Xu Qi'an threatened.

Xu Lingyin ran away in fear.

Lina ran out after them, taking the pastries from the table with her.

With the wedding date approaching, my aunt had a lot of things to do, which was her duty as the head of the household. Her only helper Xu Lingyue, was slacking off, so my aunt took this opportunity to keep her sister-in-law around to help.

Ji Baiqing would definitely be willing, after all, it's her eldest son who's getting married.

Xu Qi'an returned to his room with a stack of written invitations. He needed to check for any omissions and make sure to invite all the friends who should be invited.

Firstly, the imperial court only invited a few key members of Wei's faction, such as censors Zhang Xingying and Liu Hong.

If it's the Wang faction, former Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen will definitely invite them, but he will most likely send Wang Simu to the wedding banquet instead of attending himself.

The Nightwatchers government office) needed to hire many people for the night watchman duties, including nine gong-beaters and familiar colleagues such as Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and Li Yuchun.

Among them, Chun Ge has obsessive-compulsive disorder; Zhong Li cannot be within a radius of more than ten meters.

All of this needs to be arranged by him, the protagonist.

I will also invite colleagues I met when I was working on Kuaishou in Changle County. If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget them. This is a basic principle of being a decent person.

Several renowned scholars from the Cloud Deer Academy, including Dean Zhao Shou, must be invited. It's important to note that poetry must not be recited at the wedding banquet under any circumstances; otherwise, the scholars might start fighting regardless of the occasion, which would be troublesome.

The officials from the Bureau of Astronomy were also invited, and Yang Qianhuan prepared a small table for them, facing the wall with their backs to the guests.

"I have to keep Zhong Li with me at all times, otherwise it would be terrible if there was a bloody accident at the wedding. If we invite Senior Brother Sun, Protector Yuan will most likely come too. No, if it comes, the wedding can't go on."

"If Song Qing is coming, I need to tell him in advance not to bring any gifts. I'm afraid he'll bring a 'clone version of Luo Yuheng' with him."

"The members of the Heaven and Earth Society are all in the capital; they will not be absent."

Then there are his friends in the martial arts world. The only ones who truly catch his eye and with whom he has a real relationship are the people from the Martial Arts Alliance.

"I won't invite the people from the Southern Frontier. I just slept with Luan Yu. If she comes too, we're doomed. Besides, I'm worried that Long Tu will bring his entire tribe to the banquet."

"Sigh, what kind of people are these!"

Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Squeak~"

The door was pushed open, and Mu Nanzhi, her face cold, held a handful of candied dates in her hand, eating them while sneering:

"Oh, Xu Yinluo hasn't finished writing the invitations yet. Do you want Aunt Mu to help him write them?"

"Great! Great!" Xu Qi'an laughed.

"I still owe one, hmm, I also need to invite Princess Mu Nanzhi of Zhenbei to my residence for her wedding banquet."

Mu Nanzhi said "fiercely":

"I will expose your lecherous deeds in front of all the guests, saying that you defiled me, took advantage of me, and are shameless."

Xu Qi'an had an innocent expression on his face:

"Aunt Mu, how could you be so indecent?"

"Can't you act like an elder at all?"

Mu Nanzhi flew into a rage and lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws, trying to scratch his face.

But Xu Qi'an twisted his hands behind his back and pressed him onto the table.

As they were making a fuss, the desk started to shake violently.

In the courtyard, Xu Lingyin and Lina sat at the stone table sharing pastries.

"Master, I want to eat meat."

Xu Lingyin her mouth full of pastries, Xu Lingyin said in a coquettish tone, "Can you help me find it?"

Lina, her mouth also full of pastries, glanced at her:

"You're planning to eat all these pastries by yourself while I'm out looking for meat, aren't you?"

Xu Lingyin glanced at Lina warily, surprised that her master had found out her thoughts. Her master was truly amazing.

Lina muttered:

"I also want to eat meat, but it's not lunchtime yet. If only we were in Southern Frontier, your master would take you hunting."

The master and apprentice sighed simultaneously. Just then, a rustling sound came from the flowerbed, and a moment later, an adorable fox cub emerged.

Their eyes met.