Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

"It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back!!!"

Feeling the warmth from her arm and the familiar fluctuations of spiritual energy, Liu was so moved that tears streamed down her face.

His withered hands gripped Wang Daqi's sleeve tightly, refusing to let go.

After a long while, the old man finally calmed down a bit.

Turning her head, although she couldn't see clearly, she still sensed the presence of others and hesitated before asking, "Taibing, what's behind that...?"

"Grandma, this is Senior Sister Xia Chunlian from the sect. She specially accompanied me back to visit my family this time."

Wang Daqi stepped aside to introduce her, his tone carrying a hint of politeness towards his fellow disciple.

Then, he glanced at Xu Yan, who was following behind him and trying her best to conceal her aura and act obedient, and said indifferently, "As for this one, she is my new personal maid, named Yan Yan."

Upon hearing the word "maid," Xu Yan inwardly cursed, but outwardly she had no choice but to obediently bow and greet her in a sweet voice, "This servant Yan Yan greets Madam."

Upon hearing that she was a senior sister from the sect, Liu immediately tried to perform a grand salute, but Xia Chunlian smiled and helped her up.

"Taibing, come in quickly, please invite our distinguished guest inside! Our house hasn't been this lively in a long time." The old lady was overjoyed and pulled Wang Daqi's hand to lead him inside.

While dealing with the old lady's nagging, Wang Daqi secretly observed the mansion.

At this moment, Liu pulled Wang Daqi aside and began to speak quietly.

"Good, good, I didn't expect you to actually invite Xia Chunlian over! Don't worry, Grandma has plenty of ways to make sure you two are a couple and can stay together for a long time."

Wang Daqi: "…………"

The muscles in his face stiffened slightly from shock.

What's going on??

This old lady's words are loaded with meaning. Could she be planning some underhanded scheme to force things into a fait accompli?

He took a deep breath, but dared not show the slightest sign of anything amiss, for fear of revealing his true colors in front of this overly shrewd old woman.

So he could only vaguely reply, "Then... then it's all up to Grandma to decide."

"However," Liu paused, her cloudy eyes, though unable to see clearly, turned precisely towards Xu Yan behind her, her tone tinged with doubt, "Why do you have an extra maidservant by your side? I've never heard you mention her before."

Wang Daqi's mind raced, and he immediately pulled out the pre-prepared explanation, saying casually, "Grandma, you don't know this. I'm cultivating alone in the sect, and without anyone to care for me, it's inevitably inconvenient. A few days ago, I went down the mountain for training and happened to meet this girl in trouble. Seeing her pitiful background and her diligence, I took her in as a friend."

"As I see it, you're just attracted to her because she's pretty, aren't you?" Liu's lips curled into a mischievous smile, as if to say, "I know you too well."

"Uh..." Wang Daqi was speechless for a moment, and could only touch his nose awkwardly.

"Alright, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? It's common for men to have multiple wives and concubines."

Liu's smile faded, and her tone became more serious. "However, we have a deal. Xia Chunlian is an elite female cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, and she has the power of a sect behind her. If you can get her, not only will your lineage's position in the family be more secure, but it will also be a huge boost in your future struggle for the position of clan leader. You need to understand the importance of this, understand?"

Wang Daqi cursed inwardly.

Good heavens, so that's what old Mrs. Xu was planning all along!

Thankfully, Xia Chunlian still cared about their fellow disciple and genuinely wanted to help Xu Taibing!

He sneered inwardly, deciding that he would find a chance to be alone with her later and tell Senior Sister Xia the whole story of the old woman's scheme, so that she wouldn't fall into the trap set by the Xu family.

As they spoke, several obedient servants led the group through winding corridors to a quiet and elegant courtyard deep within the mansion.

"Grandson, ever since you returned to the sect, I have personally supervised the servants to clean this house every week, just hoping for your return."

Liu pointed to the main house in the center, then turned to Xia Chunlian and politely but with a hint of scrutiny, made the arrangements:

"The maid Yan Yan can stay in the small side room next door, so she can serve you at any time. As for Fairy Xia... you can stay in the side room next to the soldier's room; the environment is the most tranquil. What do you think?"

Xia Chunlian didn't seem to care. She nodded slightly and said calmly, "It's entirely up to the old lady."

At this moment, Wang Daqi just wanted to find a secluded place to talk to Xia Chunlian.

I also need to calm myself down after being startled by this old lady.

He rubbed his temples, feigning exhaustion, and sighed, "Grandma, I'm quite tired from the long journey. I'd like to rest for a bit and meditate to regulate my spiritual energy."

"Okay, then you should go and rest."

Liu's face crinkled into a wide smile as she patted Wang Daqi's hand affectionately, as if she were looking at a rare treasure.

Before Wang Daqi could turn around, Madam Liu seemed to remember something and immediately instructed, "Tomorrow morning, you must dress smartly and visit the young ladies and gentlemen of the clan. You've been away from home for a long time, so you absolutely cannot neglect these courtesies!"

Wang Daqi was speechless for a moment.

Why do we still need to visit some young lady and young master?

Before coming to the Xu family, Xia Chunlian did make him cram a lot of information about the core members of the Xu family in order to be absolutely sure.

He repeatedly stroked the portraits of several important figures, noting their names, personalities, and backgrounds.

But a portrait is ultimately inanimate, while a real person is alive.

Since elderly people like Liu have poor eyesight, they can be fooled if the breath matches and the appearance is similar.

However, the younger generation of clan elites are all sharp-eyed and quick-witted, making it exponentially more difficult to stage a "reunion after a long separation" in front of them.

But now that things have come to this, and he's already in this position, he obviously can't refuse.

Wang Daqi could only suppress his worries and, imitating Xu Taibing's nonchalant manner, nodded slightly and said, "I understand, Grandma. I will prepare gifts and go tomorrow."

"Hmm, it's good that you have this intention." Madam Liu lowered her voice and leaned closer mysteriously. "Tomorrow is the day the eldest young lady and young master have arranged to go 'bird hunting' in the countryside. You should go with them and get to know them better. These past few years you've been away, and the younger generation in the clan has almost forgotten about you. You need to let them know that among the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Xu family, you, Taibing, are still someone to be reckoned with!"

"Bird hunting???"

Wang Daqi remained outwardly calm, but a huge question mark immediately arose in his mind.

What bird are you shooting?

A spirit bird?

Or is it some kind of family tradition or competitive activity?

Before he left, Xia Chunlian told him about the location of the Xu family's properties, spiritual fields, and even ancestral graves!

But there was absolutely no mention of the Xu family's second-generation descendants having such a bizarre pastime as "bird hunting"!

He subconsciously glanced at Xia Chunlian beside him and noticed that this usually shrewd senior sister also had a hint of doubt in her eyes at this moment.

Clearly, this so-called "bird hunting" was not within her intelligence capabilities.

"Yes, Grandma, I will be there on time."

Wang Daqi suppressed his curiosity and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Good child, go on. Yan Yan, why don't you quickly help your mistress inside to serve her?" Liu Shi waved her hand.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan quickly lowered her head and walked over, taking Wang Daqi's arm as they headed towards the main house.

Xia Chunlian made an excuse that she had something important to discuss and went inside as well.

Once inside, Wang Daqi closed the door and set up a simple soundproofing spell before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He ripped open his collar and said in a low voice to Xia Chunlian, who entered afterward:

"Senior Sister Xia, this is bad! Your intelligence report didn't mention anything about the Xu family having this 'bird-hunting' act!"

Xia Chunlian walked to the table and sat down, her brows slightly furrowed. "It's nothing. I'll go out and find out what this bird-hunting activity is all about later."

"That's good. By the way, do you know what the old lady secretly told me?"

"What?" Xia Chunlian asked nonchalantly.

Wang Daqi said, "She wants to make you her granddaughter-in-law and even plans to use tricks to help us get married, saying it's to solidify my position in the Xu family. Senior sister, the Xu family is a den of wolves! And you've been so good to her, she's a real scoundrel."

Wang Daqi recounted everything Liu had just said, inside and out.

Xia Chunlian's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and her eyes instantly turned cold.