The most secure job in Dajin

Chapter 349, Testing

In the main hall of a guest courtyard in the Dingyuan Marquis's residence, Old Master Hua was deep in thought, his brows furrowed. Old Madam Hua was sighing and lamenting. The other members of the Hua family were either worried and frowning, or restless and hesitant to speak.

Uncle Hua was the first to lose his composure: "It's almost May, even if Ninth Sister suffered a serious injury, she should have recovered by now, right?"

Hua Minghe frowned: "Second brother, what do you mean by this?"

Uncle Hua looked at him and said bluntly, "Brother, there are some things I've wanted to say for a long time. Ever since Ninth Sister started cultivating, she's become incredibly arrogant and distant from her family, as if she's afraid that her family will be a burden to her."

“I know that we have all benefited from her influence to some extent, and I thank her for that.”

"But she's caused a lot of trouble for the family too."

"I won't mention the time when the Dan Yuan Secret Realm recruited apprentices. Just this time, she offended the Liang State Duke's Mansion, and she just hid on Dan Yuan Peak and didn't show herself, leaving us to take the blame for all the trouble she caused."

Upon hearing this, Hua Minghe and Yao Shi both changed color. Before they could say anything, Old Master Hua slammed his hand on the table with a bang, glaring at Second Uncle Hua: "You're getting worse as you get older! I'm asking you, what did you help carry?"

Uncle Hua opened his mouth: "We replaced Ninth Sister and became the punching bag for the Liang State Duke's Mansion. If it weren't for our quick thinking and avoiding the direct attack of the cultivators sent by the Liang State Duke's Mansion, Father, you might have had to bury your child."

"Bah, bah, bah~"

Grandma Hua quickly spoke up to stop her: "You have no sense of propriety when you speak."

Uncle Hua said, "What's there to be afraid of? With Ninth Sister's knack for causing trouble, I think our family will have to face that day sooner or later."

Seeing that he was getting more and more excited, Old Mrs. Hua shouted, "Shut up!"

Old Master Hua also looked at him coldly and said in a deep voice, "Second brother, if you're afraid of death, you'd better not become a cultivator."

Uncle Hua choked, not quite understanding why the old man was speaking up for Ninth Sister this time.

It wasn't that Old Master Hua was biased towards his ninth granddaughter; rather, he saw things more clearly. This time, when the Ninth Sister faced the Duke of Liang's mansion, she wasn't completely at a disadvantage, nor did she lose the support of the people.

First of all, the Earl's Mansion treated their family with respect, and even the Marquis of Wuyi's Mansion often sent people to visit them. Each time, Fifth Sister would bring them something.

Aside from not being able to leave the Earl's mansion, their lives were not as difficult as they had imagined.

Secondly, the Liang State Duke's Mansion didn't seem to want to go all out against the Hua family. Although the three sons and daughters-in-law were attacked, their injuries weren't too serious, and after a month or two of rest, they had all recovered.

He vaguely sensed that the Duke of Liang's mansion was wary of the Hua family.

Grandpa Hua sighed inwardly, thinking that his ninth granddaughter had grown to the point where she could intimidate the Duke's mansion!
"Grandparents, parents~"

Just then, Hua Dalang and Hua Liulang entered together.

Seeing his two grandsons, who were already capable of handling things on their own, Old Master Hua's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and he asked with concern, "You come to the Earl's Mansion every day, have the people from the Liang State Duke's Mansion made things difficult for you?"

Hua Dalang reassured the old man: "Grandfather, don't worry. Although the Liangguo Duke's Mansion is powerful, it is no match for the Demon Suppression Army and the Weapon Saint Palace."

He is now a centurion in the Demon Suppression Army. Although he is not a high-ranking general, anyone who wants to touch him will have to ask the Demon Suppression Army for permission.

As for Hua Liulang, he himself is a Nascent Soul cultivator and a direct disciple of the Weapon Saint Palace. The Liang State Duke's Mansion will have to consider many things before making a move against him.

Looking at her eldest and youngest sons, Madam Yao asked anxiously, "Is there any news about Ninth Sister?"

Hua Liulang shook his head: "I just went to Danyuan Peak to find Third Brother. Third Brother said that there has been no movement at Jiu Niang's bamboo house."

Upon hearing this, Yao became even more worried: "Ninth Sister must be seriously injured."

Hua Minghe held Yao's hand, his eyes also filled with worry.

Jiu Niang's daughter is too independent and likes to shoulder things alone. Sometimes, even if the family wants to help her, they don't know where to start.

Hua Liulang took out a storage bag, stood up and handed it to Old Master Hua: "Grandfather, I withdrew a sum of spirit stones from the Weapon Saint Palace, and my third brother also withdrew a batch of pills from Steward Yu Fu at Danyuan Peak. Please find an opportunity to give them to the Earl."

Old Master Hua silently put away the storage bag. The Earl's Mansion had taken the initiative to welcome their family into the mansion, so he couldn't just leave without saying anything.

Uncle Hua suddenly looked at Hua Liulang: "Liulang, do you also have that Xuanhuang Fruit that the Duke of Liang's mansion wants?"

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Hua Liulang: "...Hmm."

Uncle Hua's eyes lit up, and he quickly sat down next to Hua Liulang: "Liulang, our family can't be trapped in the Earl's Mansion forever. I think you can't bear to see your fourth brother and the others unable to go out and train, can you?"

"In Second Uncle's opinion, we'd better reconcile with the Duke of Liang's mansion. Or, you can pay for the Xuanhuang Fruit that the Duke of Liang's mansion wants on behalf of Ninth Sister?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Dalang frowned and instinctively wanted to help his younger brother out of the predicament, but he swallowed the words back.

He suddenly wondered what choice Liu Lang would make. Would he value his family more, or material possessions more?
Hua Liulang then thought of the Nascent Soul cultivator sent by the Duke of Liang's mansion to keep watch outside the Dingyuan Earl's mansion. With that cultivator there, the Duke of Liang's mansion would know as soon as the Hua family members left the Earl's mansion.

It's difficult for the people from the Liang State Duke's Mansion to make a move in the capital, but what about outside the capital? The Hua family can't stay in the capital forever.

Second Uncle is right, the matter of the Duke of Liang's mansion does indeed need to be resolved as soon as possible.

Seeing that Hua Liulang remained silent, Uncle Hua Er assumed he disagreed and grew anxious: "Liulang, can you really bear to abandon your fourth brother and the others?"

Hua Liulang looked at him, then at the other members of the Hua family: "If I were to give the Xuanhuang Fruit to the Duke of Liang's mansion, even just one, Jiu Niang would probably never acknowledge me as her sixth brother again."

Uncle Hua thought this was just Hua Liulang making excuses, and shouted, "How could that be? You helped Jiu Niang, and Jiu Niang is thanking you profusely."

Hua Liulang shook his head and chuckled, "Second Uncle, you don't understand Jiu Niang at all." He paused, then continued, "Second Uncle, regarding Jiu Niang and the Duke of Liang, do you really think Jiu Niang was wrong to retaliate?"

Uncle Hua fell silent for a long while before finally saying in a deep voice, "The Duke of Liang's mansion is powerful and influential, and we have no choice but to bow our heads."

"The Earl's mansion is still willing to take our family in now, but what about in the future? Will the Earl's mansion continue to take us in?"

"Even if the Earl's mansion is willing, our family members cannot leave the mansion. It's no different from being in prison."

“You, and your eldest and third brothers, have all found good places and powerful backers, so they are unaffected. But what about your fourth brother and the others? They will be trapped in the Marquis's mansion, like caged birds for the rest of their lives.”

This time, neither Grandpa Hua nor Grandma Hua scolded Uncle Hua.

Hua Minghe and Yao Shi didn't say much. No matter what, it was because of their Ninth Sister that the whole family couldn't go home.

Hua Liulang didn't know how to respond to Hua Ershu, so he looked to Hua Dalang for help.

Hua Dalang looked at his sixth brother and understood why Jiu Niang had become closer to him. His unwavering protection of Jiu Niang was something that his other siblings could hardly match.

"Don't worry, Second Uncle, our family won't be trapped in the Earl's Mansion forever."

The main courtyard of the Earl's residence.

When Hua Shizi learned that Hua Dalang and Hua Liulang had come to visit the Hua family again, he immediately ended his cultivation and came to Hua Boye's courtyard.

"Father, almost three months have passed, and Hua Changxi has still not shown up. Do you think she's hiding, or is she really recuperating from her injuries?"

Lord Hua was also surprised that Hua Changxi had not appeared for so long: "Hua Changxi is not the type to run away in the face of battle. After all, the Duke of Liang is a cultivator at the Spirit Platform Realm. He must have seriously injured her."

Young Master Hua frowned: "Cultivators go into seclusion for years or even decades. Are we going to support the Hua family indefinitely? And what about the Duke of Liang's mansion?"

Lord Hua interrupted him: "The Liang State Duke's Mansion is nothing to fear. Hua Dalang is the commander of the Demon Suppression Army, and Hua Liulang is the direct descendant of the Weapon Saint Palace. Both of them are highly valued."

"I believe that the Demon Suppression Army and the Weapon Saint Palace have heard about the Liang State Duke's Mansion's bullying of the Hua family. Why do you think they haven't stepped in to stop or mediate?"

Prince Hua was stunned.

Lord Hua sighed, "Someone is trying to test Hua Changxi's bottom line." He then chuckled, "Fortunately, the Duke of Liang wasn't completely stupid and didn't really harm the Hua family. Otherwise, the Duke of Liang's mansion and Hua Changxi would truly be locked in a life-or-death struggle."

Prince Hua asked in confusion, "Is it really necessary to value Hua Changxi so much?"

Lord Hua looked at his son and said, "Of course it is. The person who can bring the Xuanyuan Mansion back to life must possess great fortune for the human race. As long as Hua Changxi doesn't die along the way, he will definitely become a great power for the human race in the future."

"The Duke of Liang's mansion dares not offend such a person."

"Treat the Hua family well. Don't forget, besides Hua Changxi, the Hua family also has Hua Changxin."

(End of this chapter)