From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 129 Matching
"Liu Zi has indeed changed."

Xu Xiaoniu was amazed by the extent of Xu Xiaohou's change in methods and style.

Without any hesitation, they killed him instantly, without even revealing their identities.

If it were the Xu Xiaohou of the past, he would not only show off, but also carefully search the corpse and collect its treasures and resources.

Xu Xiaoniu led the crowd forward.

He noticed that other people looked at him differently, with a hint of awe.

A Demon Subduing Division Chief at the fourth level of Qi Refining is indeed easily underestimated if he doesn't have some backup plans.

"search."

He gave a wink to one of the demon-slaying guards next to him, and that man stepped forward and carefully examined Yuan Zhongqiu.

A moment later, they found two spirit stones, three spirit crystals, several hundred taels of silver notes, and a dozen taels of loose silver on his person.

Yuan Zhongqiu was a low-level rogue cultivator, and all he had were these resources.

Xu Xiaoniu accepted the spirit stones and spirit crystals, which amounted to 23 spirit crystals.

After some thought, he decided to give two spirit crystals to each of the two demon-slaying guards and five spirit crystals to the martial arts master invited by Yang Lingyun.

The remaining spoils went to him, the fourth-level Qi Refining Demon Subduing Division Chief, and Xu Xiaohou, who had made the greatest contribution.

"Let's go, take the body back."

The others thought Xu Xiaoniu's way of distributing the spoils was reasonable.

These people, without official status, serve Xu Xiaoniu simply for the spoils of war gained through merit.

Since the role played by innate martial artists like Yang Lingyun was small, Xu Xiaoniu would not give them spirit stones or spirit crystals. However, he would later give Yang Lingyun ten bottles of Qi and Blood Pills plus some silver.

Qi and Blood Pills are very useful for innate martial artists; they are a form of hard currency.

Besides the spoils on Yuan Zhongqiu's body, Xu Xiaoniu could also receive a reward of several spirit stones for bringing them back to the county government as a contribution. Therefore, he was definitely the one who reaped the most rewards.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tonggu County, the county seat.

In the grand mansion, Xu Xiaoyun brought generous gifts to pay his respects.

The head of this family is named Ma Erjue, who runs a very famous security escort agency in the county town, and his family is quite powerful.

He himself possesses the strength of a martial arts grandmaster and has two sons at the innate realm. His elder brother runs a martial arts school and is at the third level of the innate realm.

Such a family is among the most prominent in Tonggu County.

However, compared to the Xu family, which possesses a "celestial official," they are still far inferior.

When Ma Erjue saw Xu Xiaoyun, he forced a smile and said, "Mr. Xu, it's an honor to have you here. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please come in..."

The two sides didn't actually have much interaction, so Ma Erjue didn't know why Xu Xiaoyun had come.

He was much older than Xu Xiaoyun and a martial arts master, but he was very polite to Xu Xiaoyun, simply because the Xu family had Xu Xiaoniu.

Xu Xiaoyun, also with a smile on his face, respectfully followed Ma Erjue into the reception hall.

He came to propose marriage.

He had inquired carefully over the past two days and found that there weren't many women of marriageable age from well-to-do families in Tonggu County, and that were around the same age as his eldest son, Zhongchao.

He went to propose to her several times, but to no avail; he was politely rejected each time.

It's likely that those beautiful, well-educated, gentle, and virtuous young ladies from prominent families wouldn't be interested in Xu Zhongchao.

Marriage is a major life event, and people will definitely inquire about the groom's reputation before marrying off their daughter.

Xu Zhongchao's reputation... goes without saying.

So Xu Xiaoyun found out about Ma Erjue's youngest daughter: Ma Shujie.

Ma Shujie is twenty-two years old, two years older than Xu Zhongchao. The reason she is not yet married is because she was born with a birthmark on her face, which affects her appearance.

Wealthy families are inevitably picky when it comes to choosing a wife. Given Ma Shujie's circumstances, it would be difficult to find a wealthy young master of equal social standing willing to marry her.

Ma Erjue had considered finding his daughter a man from a less affluent family, but after several attempts, nothing came of it. He gave up, letting his daughter have her own wishes; it was fine if she didn't want to marry, since his family could afford to support her anyway.

Living room.

Xu Xiaoyun and Ma Erjue sat on equal footing.

On the tea table next to Xu Xiaoyun, the aroma of tea wafted through the air.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, just as Ma Erjue was filled with doubt, Xu Xiaoyun finally explained his purpose.

“Mr. Ma, I’ve heard that you have a daughter who is well-educated, elegant, and has an extraordinary temperament, but she is still unmarried. I’ve come here with great shame to see if I can bring your daughter and my son together.”

"Oh? Which one are you referring to, Mr. Xu?"

Ma Erjue knew that Xu Xiaoyun's two sons were about the same age and both of them were of marriageable age.

“He is my eldest son, Zhongchao.”

"Good news, good news. I've been troubled by my youngest daughter's situation for many years, but I have something to tell you in advance, so that we don't find out later and hurt our relationship."

My youngest daughter was born with a large bluish birthmark on her face. I sought medical help everywhere, but to no avail.

Alas, my poor little girl is good in every way. She is well-behaved, gentle, sensible, and intelligent. She learns music, chess, calligraphy, and painting very quickly.

Because of this birthmark, no young man she liked was willing to marry her...

Ma Erjue assumed Xu Xiaoyun was unaware of this matter and took the initiative to explain, so as not to find out later and hurt feelings.

Xu Xiaoyun looked slightly embarrassed: "Ahem, I also have something to tell you beforehand. In my younger years, I was busy with business and neglected to discipline my eldest son. My wife also spoiled him. By the time we realized it, it was too late..."

Many people knew about Xu Zhongchao's affair, and it couldn't be kept secret any longer.

Furthermore, it's best to clarify things beforehand to avoid losing face later and being accused of marriage fraud.

"This……"

Ma Erjue frowned slightly.

The sons and daughters of these wealthy families are generally strictly disciplined, but inevitably some have bad tempers and develop habits such as frequenting brothels and gambling dens.

Having someone like this in the family often causes headaches for the elders.

Ma Erjue knew that Xu Zhongchao's unruly character was not uncommon among wealthy young men; some were extremely well-hidden, while others, like Xu Zhongchao, were known to everyone.

"Let me discuss this with my wife and my youngest daughter."

That was all Ma Erjue could say.

Xu Xiaoyun was humiliated, but he still wanted to try, so he said, "Boss Ma, since I discovered his problem, I have strictly disciplined him, cut off his expenses, and now I keep him at home and don't allow him to go out."

He himself vowed to repent. The child is still young; he has a chance to turn over a new leaf.

I've heard that our daughter is of very good character, and I hope she can help temper my son's temperament and put him on the right track.

"I guarantee you, if he doesn't correct this habit, I'll break his legs!"

Xu Xiaoyun spoke with righteous indignation and sincerity.

Ma Erjue took it to heart: "Don't worry, Mr. Xu, I will definitely consider it seriously and explain it to my wife and daughter."

This is no small matter and requires careful consideration.

"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer."

Xu Xiaoyun took his leave.

If he can't reach an agreement with the youngest daughter of the Ma family, he will have to take another step back and choose a daughter-in-law from a family with even worse financial circumstances.

It wasn't that he was picky, but rather that a girl from a humble family probably couldn't keep Xu Zhongchao in check.

(End of this chapter)