We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

On the third floor of the mansion, in a spacious study, a stone fireplace burned brightly, bringing warmth to the room.

The air was filled with the faint scent of leather and pine resin, and the only sound was the soft crackling of firewood.

A beige velvet cushion covered the dark oak table, with documents and office supplies neatly arranged. A silver two-handed sword leaned against the table, exuding a solemn and dignified aura.

Earl Lionheart put down his quill pen, crossed his hands to support his chin, and raised his sharp gaze forward.

"How are the preparations for the ceremony going?"

An elderly man dressed in a butler's uniform bowed slightly.

"Reporting to Master, everything is ready, awaiting only the arrival of the offerings."

"Alright, let's begin the dinner then. Let's treat our guests well."

"Yes, ma'am."

The butler nodded, turned and left the room.

At the same time, a notification sound rang in the minds of everyone in the mansion.

[The banquet is about to begin. Challengers, please arrive at the banquet hall as soon as possible. Latecomers will be pursued by guards.]

Having just escaped from the domain, Xu Zhou cursed Chi Feng twice more in his mind upon hearing this, then packed up his equipment and stepped out the door.

He had a strange feeling that the bald priest seemed to know the process of the challenge in advance, and that he had almost caused him a lot of trouble with just a slight move, and this was only their first meeting in the mansion.

"Next time, don't say a word, just go up and beat him up, and see what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

Retracing his steps, Xu Zhou quickly returned to the first floor.

Just as the maid had said, the first floor structure wasn't complicated, and since he had already looked at the floor plan, he found the way to the banquet hall without much effort.

Just as they arrived at the entrance of the hall, three figures walked towards them from the passage on the other side. The one in the lead had a pair of chubby, light blue ears. Who else could it be but Wu Lulu?

At this moment, Wu Lulu looked unhappy. Her tail drooped listlessly, and her face was full of impatience. A man and a woman were following behind her, constantly trying to talk to her, which was obviously the source of her irritation.

As the group drew closer, Wu Lulu finally spotted Xu Zhou waiting outside the door. Her droopy eyes widened instantly, seemingly sparkling with a bright light. Her ears stood up high, and her tail wagged wildly from side to side. Excitement was written all over her face.

The person she had been searching for finally appeared before her. The girl's lifeless expression was like ice meeting the warm sun; her indifferent face quickly relaxed, and a bright smile blossomed on her lips.

"Boss of the small fry!"

Wu Lulu rushed forward and jumped into Xu Zhou's arms.

Xu Zhou grabbed her slender waist and spun her around two and a half times, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

"Boss! Wu Lulu has been looking for you for ages, thank goodness you're alright!"

As she spoke, the girl buried her face in Xu Zhou's shoulder and took a deep breath.

They're probably checking on their companions' condition, right?

"What's with this title? How did I suddenly get promoted?" Xu Zhou couldn't help but ask.

Before Wu Lulu could answer, the boy among the two behind her let out a sneer.

"You're Wu Lulu's partner? Boss? You don't look that strong, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten injured."

Xu Zhou looked up and saw a man and a woman walking towards him.

The young man was from Huanya, with a handsome face but a sharp edge; his female companion was from Niuya, with a graceful figure and charming demeanor. They were truly a perfect match.

At this moment, the boy had one arm around his female companion's shoulder, and his hostile gaze was piercing Xu Zhou without any attempt to conceal it.

Xu Zhou immediately understood that Wu Lulu was using him as a shield, which was exactly what he wanted.

The more vulnerable Wu Lulu appears, the more she can lull her opponents into a false sense of security. When the real battle begins, she will definitely give everyone a surprise.

Xu Zhou didn't want to pay attention to the other party, but the boy clearly didn't intend to give up.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Hao Jia, the chosen one, and this is Lan Zhi." Hao Jia smiled smugly. "We are not here to compete for the reward, but for your companion."

Lanzhi maintained that gentle smile throughout, quietly watching the two of them.

Xu Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, and almost couldn't hold back his smile.

"A chosen one? What arrogance! Were you a saint in your past life?"

"That's absolutely right!" Hao Jia laughed and nodded, pointing directly at Wu Lulu. "And she is one of my soulmates in this life!"

Beauty?

"One of"?

Xu Zhou and Wu Lulu exchanged a glance. The latter shook her head, looking completely bewildered, while Xu Zhou finally understood why she was so opposed to the two people opposite her.

As the saying goes, when you're out in the world, you have to give yourself your identity, and Xu Zhou suddenly felt playful.

"If you are the chosen one, then I am the one who blocks the way for the chosen one, and I will only knock the toes off the chosen one."

"Goodness, so you're aware that you're just a stepping stone! That's great!" Hao Jia patted Lan Zhi's shoulder, both amused and exasperated.

Lanzhi also took the opportunity to offer her advice, her tone genuinely sincere.

"Young man, a gentleman is always willing to help others achieve their goals. My Haojia is kind-hearted and benevolent, and will certainly not treat your companions unfairly. If you are willing to give them a chance to get to know each other, we can even help you win the challenge."

Xu Zhou was so angry at those words that he laughed.

Am I now the villain preventing the male and female leads from being together?

Regardless of whether this is true or false, just based on their constant talk of destiny, he absolutely cannot believe these two people in front of him; they are even more charlatan than Chi Feng.

Before Xu Zhou could utter a sarcastic remark, Wu Lulu imitated Lan Zhi's posture, tightly wrapping her arms around Xu Zhou's shoulders and almost pressing her entire body against him.

She bared her little tiger teeth and loudly retorted to the person opposite her:

"No way! The boss and I have already made a pact to form a clan for life. There's no place for you in this family! Get out, get out!"

Xu Zhou felt a surge of pleasure and couldn't help but pat the girl's head. Wu Lulu immediately showed a comfortable expression, her tail swaying back and forth, making his thigh ache.

Hao Jia shrugged, adopting an indifferent attitude, and walked towards the banquet hall with his arm around Lan Zhi's waist.

He left out a sentence:

"It's alright, it's all fate. Since you think I'm no match for your boss, let's see who's better!"

As Hao Jia passed by Xu Zhou, he gave him a deep look, his lips moving slightly as he made a mouth shape that only he could see.

—You're dead.

Xu Zhou remained unmoved, but pondered to himself.

He thought Chi Feng was already quite arrogant, so where did this expert come from?

He was prepared to underestimate his opponent, and since Hao Jia dared to display such confidence, he must have some tricks up his sleeve.

"Wululu, how strong are they?"

Xu Zhou regretted asking the question as soon as it left his mouth.

Wu Lulu put her hands on her hips and gave her standard, unchanging answer: "Just two small fry! One spear and they're done for!"

In her eyes, there seem to be only two categories in this world: nobodies and veterans.

"Then why didn't you just kill them before?" Xu Zhou asked.

"Huh? We have no grudge against each other, this isn't quite right..."

Xu Zhou was speechless.

As expected of the Alliance, not attacking is not a crime, which is in accordance with the rites of Zhou.