This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 182 Behind every successful man, there is a son who is a mastermind
Xiang Yuan ignored Cheng Yuling's dissatisfaction, fearing that his father-in-law would make random assumptions, and explained several times in a row.

As he spoke, he regretted helping to make the bed last night. If he had known it was Xiao Lingyue's mother, he would have let her sleep on the floor.

No treatment for her injury!

The effect was average, and Xiao Yan didn't hear a word he said.

It wasn't that he was angry and ashamed of being cuckolded, but from the moment he entered the room, his eyes were not on Xiang Yuan, and his heart was completely on Cheng Yuling.

Xiao Yan ignored Xiang Yuan and said with great concern: "Yu Ling, I know you dare to love and hate, and you are loyal and faithful. You are definitely not a woman who will change your mind and fall in love with someone else. Don't say that nothing happened last night. Even if something happened, it was because of love turning into hate, and you deliberately retaliated against me. I deserve it, so how can I blame you?"

"Why do you always say such things?"

Cheng Yuling was extremely angry. Seeing Xiao Yan covered in dew, his pants and shoes were all covered in mud, his eyes were red, and he had been running around looking for her all night. Her tone couldn't help but slow down a little.

Xiao Yan took two steps forward, took Cheng Yuling's hand, and said self-reproachfully, "Come back with me. You don't know that when I learned that you were injured yesterday, I was almost scared to death."

Cheng Yuling's eyes turned red, but she didn't pull her hand away and just responded softly.

That's it?

Gone?

No, he slept with a widow outside and that's the end of it. A big pussy is also good!

Xiang Yuan: (_)
A bunch of complaints came to his mind, and he didn't know where to start. Should he complain about the old dog food first, or complain about the collapsing image of his father-in-law and mother-in-law?

Looking at the bright side, Xiao Lingyue will follow her mother, and this will be her future.

Wonderful!

Xiao Yan held his wife in his arms and bombarded her with sweet words, making Cheng Yuling burst into laughter. The two of them had their own dog food aura and were independent in their own world, completely ignoring the fact that Xiang Yuan was eavesdropping nearby.

Xiang Yuan didn't mean anything else, he just felt that a daughter takes after her mother, and since Cheng Yuling liked hearing it, Xiao Lingyue should like it too.

I got the latest second-hand love words, so I went back and said them twice more.

"Yu Ling, who is this young man?" Xiao Yan finally remembered that there was another person in the ruined temple.

Young hero, where is the young hero?
Cheng Yuling was stunned at first, then suddenly pushed Xiao Yan away, straightened her clothes, and looked a little flustered.

Xiao Yan was shocked. He knew Cheng Yuling's character. She just said such nonsense to avenge him. Cheng Yuling was so flustered that she obviously cared about Xiang Yuan very much. Could it be...

Impossible, my wife is pure and innocent, I am not cuckolded!
"It's all your fault for talking nonsense and saying things I couldn't understand. You made me lose my composure in front of the younger generation."

Cheng Yuling glared at Xiao Yan in reproach, then took Xiang Yuan's hand and said with a smile, "His name is Xiang Yuan. He is Xiao He's sworn brother, and also Ling Yue's...family. He even calls you father!"

Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t, he’s Schrödinger’s father, right?

Apart from Xiang Yuan's complaints, Xiao Yan heaved a sigh of relief. After all the ups and downs, he was more pleasing to Xiang Yuan. He immediately praised him, "Ling Yue has good vision. I think this boy is promising at a young age. He will definitely be a pillar of the country in the future..."

Hey, why is it so small?
Xiao Yan was halfway through praising when he realized something was wrong and looked at his wife in surprise.

What is he to Ling Yue? Can you say it again?

The couple exchanged glances and opened the team voice chat. After some communication, Xiao Yan found out that his daughter and Xiang Yuan had secretly decided to get married and even signed the marriage certificate.

Suddenly I feel very distressed!

It makes sense to say this. Seeing Xiang Yuan's honest face, Xiao Yan felt that this guy was not a good person.

Wouldn’t his daughter be deceived?
Then there was another voice transmission with an ambiguous attitude, which made Cheng Yuling unhappy.

"Mr. Xiao, stop looking down on others. Lingyue likes him, and I think he is happy too. If you dare to say anything more, I will go back to Wushuang Palace, and you will never see me again."

"Madam, please calm down. I am also doing this for Lingyue..."

"Don't pretend to be a loving father in front of me. You have so many children, how can you have time to care about my two babies. Don't think I don't know that Lingyue is at the age of marriage, and you are thinking of using her to win over outsiders. I tell you, you'd better give up this idea."

"No, ma'am, it's this young boy who looks like a good man. Just think about it, I was..."

"You still said that!"

"No, I don't dare anymore."

After this exchange, Xiao Yan became like a dog, wagging his tail and not daring to speak loudly anymore.

He frowned and looked at Xiang Yuan. He thought Xiang Yuan was honest and well-behaved, but the more he looked at him, the less he thought of a good person. An idea suddenly occurred to him and he thought of Xiang Yuan's other identity.

Xiao He’s sworn brother!
Unlike Cheng Yuling and Xiao Lingyue, Xiao Yan knew his son Xiao He very well. He was patient and low-key, unrestrained, and had seen through fame and fortune at a young age. He was one of the few talented children among his biological children.

Xiao Yan knew Xiao He very well. Birds of a feather flock together, which made him even more convinced that Xiang Yuan was not an honest man.

It’s over, my daughter was really cheated!
But what did Xiao He mean? He knew that this kid was dishonest, but he still pushed his sister into the fire pit...

It can't be that this kid is so popular that just becoming sworn brothers is not enough, and he must be tied up with a sister and completely become one of his own before they can feel at ease, right?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "So you are Xiang Yuan. Xiao He and I have exchanged letters and mentioned you as our sworn brother, but he didn't say it explicitly in the letter..."

"Xiao, what do you want to do?"

Cheng Yuling glared at Xiao Yan and told him to stop talking nonsense. Xiang Yuan was an honest and obedient child, like a blank piece of paper and a white lotus, so pure that water could be squeezed out of him. He should not be chilled by Xiao Yan's nonsense.

Xiao Yan was extremely helpless. While sending a message to comfort Cheng Yuling, he said to Xiang Yuan, "Since you have sworn brotherhood with Xiao He and have developed feelings for Ling Yue, it's fine for you to call me father. But I have to be frank. I am the King of Zhao and I command the eight states of Guanshan Road. There are many people who want to take my life. You are too close to the King of Zhao's Mansion. There will be trouble in the future."

You know that you are the Grand Administrator of Guanshan Road, and you also know that there are many people who want to kill you, so why did you secretly go to Puzhou to meet your old lover?
Xiang Yuan complained in his heart and said bluntly: "Your Highness has misunderstood. It was his idea that I became sworn brothers with Brother Xiao. It was not to cling to the power of Prince Zhao's Mansion."

Did Xiao He take the initiative?
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, unable to resist the threat from Cheng Yuling in his ear, and nodded, "I am overthinking. I just tested you and found that you have seen too many people clinging to power. You are a hero at a young age, unlike them. You will become a great man in the future."

Then he invited Xiang Yuan to go to Zhendian Prefecture with him.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I left Dezhou because Brother Xiao missed his mother so much. He thought he had accomplished nothing and had no face to see his mother, so he entrusted me to deliver a letter home. Now that the mission is completed, I will go to Pingzhou to continue my travels and will not disturb Your Highness." Xiang Yuan said in a calm tone.

As Xiang Yuan's attitude became more and more indifferent, Cheng Yuling's words became more and more fierce. She glared at Xiao Yan and told him to handle it.

If she doesn't coax him today, she will move to Wushuang Palace and never return to Prince Zhao's Mansion.

A drop of cold sweat ran down Xiao Yan's forehead. He looked at Xiang Yuan with twitching eyes. Seeing that his face was calm, but there was a hint of mockery in the depths of his eyes, he secretly said that he had fallen into a trap.

Oh no, this jerk is plotting against me! Xiao Yan was straightforward. To cheer Cheng Yuling up, he clasped his hands together and bowed: "I am sorry that you misunderstood me. I miss my daughter so much. When I heard that she had secretly decided to spend her life together, I was worried that she had been wronged. I hope you will understand and pity the difficulties of being a father."

It is quite difficult to have ninety-nine children in your life.

Xiang Yuan didn't believe Xiao Yan's lies, but just like Xiao He, he acted one way in front of Xiao Yan and another in front of Cheng Yuling. He couldn't lose the big picture for the small and ruin his honest character.

He bowed and returned the greeting: "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. It is not that Xiang Yuan compares himself to a noble person, but I developed this character because of my lonely childhood and wandering for half my life. If someone scolds me, I will not be angry. If someone hits me, I will not be angry. I will just apologize and treat them as passers-by."

This child must have suffered a lot.

A son-in-law is half a son, not to mention Xiang Yuan is Xiao He's sworn brother, which adds another half a son. Cheng Yuling couldn't stand hearing these words, and said to Xiang Yuan in a friendly manner: "Why call me Prince? We are a family, so why say such polite words? Just call me father."

Xiang Yuan nodded obediently and said loudly: "Dad!"

"..."

Xiao Yan didn't say anything, his eyelids kept twitching. If possible, he wished he was a mute.

"The child is talking to you!" Cheng Yuling roared in a low voice.

"Ah."

Xiao Yan nodded heavily, and under Cheng Yuling's gaze, the father and son were in harmony and had a pleasant conversation.

Behind the scenes, it was not like this. Xiao Yan sent a message to Xiang Yuan: "I am talking to you in a nice way because my wife is here. Don't be complacent..."

"Mother, my father has sent me a message."

Xiang Yuan opened his mouth slowly, and Xiao Yan was so frightened that he became silent and didn't dare to breathe.

"What did he say?"

"Father said that it's not easy for me to be alone and wandering outside, and he is willing to give me an opportunity. I can't refuse, so I ask mother to do me justice." Xiang Yuan said with difficulty.

"As it should be, just take it if he gives it to you."

"Yes, it should be so."

Xiao Yan patted Xiang Yuan's shoulder cheerfully and quickly sent a message to ask for forgiveness. He was wrong just now and this was a great opportunity, so he should not say anything more.

"I'll listen to mother, but I feel guilty about it...Is it appropriate to not accept a reward without merit?"

"Silly child, what's inappropriate about this?"

Seeing Xiang Yuan walking in front holding Cheng Yuling's arm, Xiao Yan felt as sick as if he had eaten a fly. He sent a message to those around him, saying that he wanted to see the information about Xiang Yuan in front of them within an hour.

……

An hour later, the carriage slowly drove towards the royal villa outside Yuliu County.

There were two carriages, in the front sat Xiao Yan with a sullen face, and in the back sat Cheng Yuling and Xiang Yuan, the loving mother and son. Cheng Yuling had not seen Xiao He for a long time, and was happy to have a good son-in-law, so she was extremely close to Xiang Yuan.

The closer Cheng Yuling was to him, the more angry Xiao Yan was. The curtain of the carriage was pushed open, and two secret letters were handed to him. He took them and read them one by one.

The first one is the assassination report of the Xingxiu Palace killer. The murderer has been found out.

The head of the Wang family was unwilling to accept that his eldest son had died and still had to wear a cuckold, so he became more and more evil and hired a group of top assassins from the Xingxiu Palace.

Seeing this letter, Xiao Yan frowned and thought to himself: "In this case, Jinlian can't stay in the Wang family. She is a widow, and it is not easy for me to take her back to the palace..."

After thinking for a while, Xiao Yan decided to keep his beauty in a luxurious house and keep the female manager in Zhendian Prefecture. If she felt bored, he could change his appearance and manage the external business of Zhendian Prefecture.

As for the audacious Wang Yuliu, Xiao Yan did not take her seriously.

Imperial merchants are most likely to make mistakes when doing business!

Some things are not weighed, and even weighed, they are not enough. Wang made a mistake by mistake, and the whole family was executed. It was her own fault. King Zhao was clear about rewards and punishments, and was a very fair person. He would execute those who deserved to be executed, and would not let his own people off easily.

Having said that, we still need to consider how to convict and where the mistakes were made.

When I get back, I’ll discuss it with my eldest son Xiao Qian and ask him to come up with a charter!
People only know that King Zhao was a man of great talent and strategy, but they don’t know that behind every successful man, there is a son who is a master strategist!

The second letter contained all the information about Xiang Yuan.

He is an orphan, born as a constable, with a clean background. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have been a peasant with a low starting point and would have struggled at the bottom of society all his life.

An unexpected event happened. He entered Fengxian Yamen at the age of fifteen. As soon as he started working, he was spotted by Xiao He and became his playmate and bodyguard. Later, Fengxian called him Baoyi and Dezhou was the timely rain...

It’s Hu Baoyi and Ji Shi Yu, and I can tell from the sound of it that he’s not a good person, there’s no doubt about it!
"This kid is about to become a congenital?!"

What does it mean to be a sixteen-year-old?
Xiao Yan's breathing stagnated. There were countless talented people in the Qianyuan Realm, and geniuses were everywhere. Although sixteen-year-old innate people were rare, if the first-rate forces were willing to devote all their resources to cultivate them, they would be able to create one or two.

Xiang Yuan is just a peasant, so even with Xiao He's support behind the scenes, how much resources can he provide?
"According to intelligence, he is a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect and is a registered disciple of 'No Regrets Sword' Ji Wuzhou..."

“That’s not right. When he met Ji Wuzhou, he was already in the Foundation Establishment Stage…”

"Wait a minute, you established your foundation three and a half months ago?"

Xiao Yan's eyes widened and his breathing suddenly became heavy. He believed Xiang Yuan's words that it was Xiao He who begged for sworn brotherhood, and it was not Xiang Yuan who intended to curry favor with Prince Zhao's palace.

Looking at the last line of words, he has completed his foundation building and is traveling. He ignores the difference in realm and kills the innate assassin of Xingxiu Palace head-on... without any injury.

This boy is a monster!

Xiao Yan repeatedly read Xiang Yuan's intelligence and was attracted by his talent. He admitted that Xiang Yuan, who seemed loyal and honest, was a hot commodity and wanted to adopt him as his adopted son.

But what about my daughter?
Accepting this adopted son was tantamount to accepting the marriage from the lady's perspective. She was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do.

After a moment, he sighed quietly: "Xiao He, my son, you treat Lingyue very well. Since you have made your decision, your father will trust you once. I hope you are right and he will not let Lingyue down in the future."

Received!

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(End of this chapter)