Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 130 Big Forehead
Before long, the banquet was set up, and a maid came to inform them.

Grandma Rui silently counted, and in that short time, Li Qingluo smiled seven times, chuckled six times, and laughed loudly three times.

She was secretly horrified: What a Young Master Jiang! She originally thought that the Starry Constellation Sect disciples had the strongest poison skills, but now it seems that their strength lies in their ability to produce honey on their tongues. Fortunately, she had not offended him, otherwise, since he could produce honey, he could also produce poison.

Li Qingluo rubbed her sore cheeks from laughing and said with difficulty, "Oh dear, it's been so long since I've felt this good. I wonder if I'll be able to eat anything later. Let's set up a feast. Why hasn't Yuyan arrived yet? Let's urge her."

The maids were all incredibly efficient, and in no time they had set up a banquet table.

Jiang Mingzhe exclaimed, "Sister Qingluo, what a skill!"

Li Qingluo asked curiously, "You praise me even when the maids are doing their work?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "As the saying goes, when a thousand people walk, one person leads the way. Soldiers follow their generals, and grass follows the wind. To see how capable a person is, just look at how his subordinates act, and you will know the clues. For example, our Xingxiu Sect is famous throughout the Western Regions and the whole country, and that is all thanks to my master."

As she spoke, she pointed at the young maids and said, "It's the same principle. I can tell from the fact that these young ladies are all so capable and efficient, and this estate is so clean and beautiful, that Sister Qingluo is skilled at managing the household and disciplining the children. She has truly excellent methods! Alas, it's a pity that the emperor of the Song Dynasty is not fortunate enough. If he were, he could ask to marry you as his empress. With your methods, you could manage the six palaces in harmony and become the mother of the nation. How could the country not prosper?"

The word "Empress" struck a nerve with Li Qingluo. The woman's eyes lit up, and she shook her head and laughed, "The emperor sitting in the court today is a child, only ten years old. It's his father who's unlucky. Otherwise, if I were to become the Empress Dowager and rule from behind the curtain, I don't believe I'd lose to any man!"

Jiang Mingzhe spread his hands and sighed: "Therefore, the ancients often said that Zhuge Liang fell to his death at Wuzhangyuan and Qingluo was hidden away at Mantuo Village. These are truly two great regrets in ancient and modern times, and both are tragedies for the country and the world."

Li Qingluo threw her head back and laughed, pressing one hand to her cheek and the other to her lower abdomen, saying, "You're not allowed to tease me anymore, or I'll get angry. You just keep talking nonsense and making fun of your sister. How can I, a mere woman, compare to Prime Minister Zhuge? It's fine for you and me to joke around, but if word gets out, people will curse me to death."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself that this older sister was quite thin-skinned. Back then, when I compared her father to Confucius, her father remained calm and took it for granted. After all, she was just a woman and far inferior to her wild father!

Despite his inner dissent, his face remained serious: "How can he be inferior? Although Prime Minister Zhuge is very wise, he doesn't know how to use people, which has exhausted him to death. In my opinion, if he had learned the art of managing subordinates from Sister Qingluo, how could the Northern Expedition not have succeeded?"

Li Qingluo finally fell for the trap. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and said, "What you said is quite right, little brother. He is not as good as me at using people. Actually, what's so difficult about using people? I have a secret that I never pass on. It works every time. Even those who are disobedient, clumsy, or stupid, humph, I'll use them all as fertilizer!"

The group of maids trembled in unison, and their hands and feet immediately became twice as nimble.

Just then, a clear and gentle voice came from outside the door: "I can hear Mom laughing from far away. What's making you so happy?"

Then the curtain was lifted, and two maids led a young girl inside.

Jiang Mingzhe turned his head and saw that the girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, and skin as white as jade. Her appearance was ninety percent similar to the jade statue in the Jianhu Stone Cave.

He thought to himself: This must be Wang Yuyan. She looks more like her grandmother than her mother. No wonder my little brother was so captivated at first sight. Sigh, if it weren't for my little brother's preconceived notions and his obsession with that jade statue, she might not be as beautiful as Mu Wanqing in terms of looks alone.

Judging from her age, she was about the same age as Mu Wanqing, and another thought suddenly popped into my head—

Among Lao Duan's women, Dao Baifeng is a very opinionated one. If her husband is unfaithful, she will sleep with a beggar. This is the demeanor of a leading lady. She can't stand being taken advantage of at all.

So after Dao Baifeng, the two girls that Lao Duan had affairs with in succession should be Li Qingluo and Qin Hongmian.

Although it's unclear which of the two women came first, both of them are known for their drastic methods and are quick to slap each other if they disagree.

In other words, Lao Duan dated three hot-tempered girls in a row.

Then came Gan Baobao and Ruan Xingzhu, who were gentle, sweet, and full of tea-like charm. Hmm, it seems that Lao Duan had had enough of the fiery girls and changed his taste.

It's unclear what time period Kang Min was in, but that girl was capable of both S and M, and in terms of flirtatiousness, she was probably number one, or even last.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mingzhe's body trembled, and he suddenly realized—

Old Duan's changing tastes are quite representative. When he was young, he liked so-called fiery and strong-willed girls. As he grew up, he realized that gentle and obedient girls were the real cuties. In the end, he found out that it was all an act. He no longer pursued any kind of soulmate connection. Being good in bed was what really mattered... These thoughts passed by in an instant. Jiang Mingzhe stood up with a smile and heard Li Qingluo say, "Yuyan, come and meet your uncle. He is your maternal grandfather's favorite disciple and can be considered your mother's younger brother."

He then laughed and said, "Little brother, this is my daughter, Wang Yuyan. I've spoiled her since she was little. She's a bit of a scatterbrain and only knows how to act foolishly. You're knowledgeable and talented in both literature and martial arts. You can teach her a thing or two when you have time."

Jiang Mingzhe's clear eyes swept over Wang Yuyan's face, then focused on Li Qingluo, and he smiled, "My dear niece has clear eyes and a broad forehead. She is obviously an extremely intelligent woman. Perhaps because she grew up in this wealthy land, she is not worldly-wise. In addition, she is kind and innocent, which is why Sister Qingluo said she was confused. In fact, she is not confused, but just innocent."

Li Qingluo knew her daughter was very beautiful and in her prime, but Jiang Mingzhe only glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to her. She was very pleased and laughed, "You can't praise children. If she believes you so well, she'll be hard to discipline. What do you mean by 'broad forehead'? It's just a big forehead, hahaha."

Of all the men Wang Yuyan had ever met in her life, only Murong Fu was around her age, but he was more than ten years older than her. Jiang Mingzhe was five or six years younger than Murong Fu and was also handsome. When she suddenly saw him, she couldn't help but feel shy.

She was well-mannered and could suppress her shyness, but her mother's unbridled jokes in front of this handsome young man made her feel utterly humiliated.

She wanted to turn around and run away to a secluded place to cry, but she was always afraid of her strict mother and dared not run away. She lowered her head in grievance, her eyes reddened, and she was about to cry.

But Li Qingluo wouldn't let her off the hook, frowning as she said, "Yuyan, how have I taught you? You don't even greet your uncle. Is this how you behave?"

Wang Yuyan felt increasingly aggrieved and began to dislike Jiang Mingzhe. Just as she was about to greet him, she heard Jiang Mingzhe say, "Miss Wang, please don't greet me yet. Sister Qingluo, Yuyan is my junior. I didn't know that Sister Qingluo had a daughter. I came here so rashly and without a gift. How can I let her call me uncle? However, I have already thought about what gift to give her after seeing this child today. I will prepare it later so that she will be worthy of calling me uncle."

A young girl's heart can change in an instant. Although Wang Yuyan was unhappy that her uncle, who was only a few years older than her, called her a child, she couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill when he said he would prepare a gift before she could greet him. She couldn't help but wonder what gift he would give her.

Li Qingluo laughed and said, "You are my younger brother, why are you being so formal? Give her whatever you want as a gift, there's no need to prepare anything special."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled and said, "Actually, this gift is not only suitable for my niece, but also very suitable for my sister. My sister may not know, but I have been determined to seek immortality since I was a child. That is why I went to Kunlun Mountain and met my master at the source of the Yellow River. In recent years, I have traveled all over the world and learned many exquisite techniques. The gift I want to prepare is one of them. However, I am not good at it and need some time to try it a few more times."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingluo's curiosity was piqued, and she guessed, "Is it brewing wine? Or making something delicious? It can't be some kind of elixir that will prevent you from aging, can it?"

Jiang Mingzhe feigned mystery, simply smiling and shaking his head. Li Qingluo became even more concerned, turning her head to say, "Grandma Rui, my younger brother needs to prepare gifts for Yuyan and me. If he needs manpower or money, you must help him raise the funds and not make things difficult for him."

Grandma Rui readily agreed.

Li Qingluo was in a great mood. She beckoned Wang Yuyan to sit down next to her and took the initiative to pour wine and serve dishes to Jiang Mingzhe, just like she was entertaining her own brothers.

During the meal, the siblings chatted casually, and Li Qingluo couldn't help but ask about the lives of the Xingxiu Sect disciples. Jiang Mingzhe told a lot of nonsense, making Li Qingluo laugh heartily. Wang Yuyan was also captivated, feeling that the life Jiang Mingzhe described was dozens of times more exciting than the outside world she had imagined.

Soon the conversation turned to martial arts. Jiang Mingzhe talked about the skills he learned at the Xingxiu Sect, and then said, "Later, I had a strange encounter in the martial arts world. Once, I went to a temple to worship Buddha and saw several monks who wouldn't allow a woman to enter the temple to worship. I can't stand people looking down on women, so I argued with the monks, and a fight broke out. I then realized that they were monks from Shaolin Temple. They outnumbered me, so I had no choice but to leave. But then I met an old man who said he appreciated my righteousness and taught me several martial arts techniques, one of which was the Great Vajra Pestle of Shaolin Temple!"

Wang Yuyan's eyes lit up as she listened, and she couldn't help but ask, "Oh my, could this old man be a senior monk from Shaolin Temple?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head, took out the Murong family's blood-written flag from his pocket, and unfolded it: "No, no, that old man is the famous chief steward of the Murong family, named Yan Longyuan!"

"The Murong family?" The mother and daughter exclaimed in unison, looking at each other in astonishment.

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "That's right! My brother Yan said that the Murong family has its own rules for its banners. The gold banner is given to subordinates, the black banner is given to allies, and the blood banner is only given to experts from all sides. Those who have the blood banner are all brothers of the Murong family! Alas, although our Xingxiu Sect is indeed a first-class sect, I am just an insignificant disciple among them. To be valued so much by my brother Yan is truly something to be ashamed of."

Li Qingluo snorted and said, "Murong of Gusu, is he so great? You are my little brother, Li Qingluo's little brother, so it is only natural for you to take his banner."

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, "That's true, but the Murong family is so famous that my martial arts skills are ultimately not up to par. The most powerful fist technique I have right now was taught to me by Brother Yan."

Li Qingluo said arrogantly, "What kind of divine skill or secret manual is this mere Great Vajra Pestle? Little brother, after you've eaten and drunk your fill, I'll take you somewhere, and you'll know that my brother, Li Qingluo's brother, carrying the Murong family's banner is giving them plenty of face."

(End of this chapter)