What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Several Golden Core cultivators breathed a sigh of relief in unison. Some picked up their teacups to moisten their throats, while others stretched their stiff necks.

The pressure from the Nascent Soul Ancestor, even if he just sat there quietly, was enough to make people feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.

Sima Duan straightened the wide sleeves of his bright red brocade robe, and the gloom on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a gentle and refined smile.

He picked up a cup of spiritual tea and walked steadily toward the last seat on the left.

Following behind him was an elderly man with white hair and a withered appearance.

The old man had deep-set eyes, and his exposed skin was covered with yellowish-brown age spots.

A pair of cloudy eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets. He held a white bone cane in his hand, and with each step he took, the cane struck the ground with a dull "thud".

The patriarch of the Li family was Li Tiancheng.

Despite having reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage, his lifespan was already running out.

He is the biological grandfather of Li Yang and Li Lan.

Sima Duan walked to the table, his gaze lingering briefly on Li Yang. His sinister eyes swept over her voluptuous figure outlined by her gold and red dress before quickly turning back to Lin Yuan.

He raised his teacup with a beaming smile.

"This must be Junior Brother Lin Yuan." Sima Duan's tone was friendly, his voice carrying just the right amount of warmth and curiosity.

"To secure a core spot at the Foundation Establishment stage, Junior Brother Lin is truly a prodigy. May I ask which lineage of Uncle Shen you belong to?"

According to the conventions of the cultivation world, seniority is often determined by cultivation level. There is a major difference between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, so normally they should be related as uncle and nephew.

However, Sima Duan took the initiative to address him as an equal.

This move was extremely humble, seemingly showing respect and humility, but in reality it was a test—who exactly are you that Shen Guiyan is willing to give up a core spot for?

Lin Yuan sneered inwardly.

This old fellow immediately tried to get close to me and ask about my background; his words were quite smooth.

Lin Yuan stood up, picked up the teacup with both hands, and lowered his posture considerably. A simple, honest smile appeared on his face, making him look exactly like a small person who was flattered and overwhelmed.

"Senior Brother Sima, you flatter me." Lin Yuan smiled with a simple and honest expression, his voice even carrying a hint of embarrassment and awkwardness. "I lost both my parents at a young age and have no one to rely on. How could I possibly be related to Grandmaster Shen by blood? I just run errands and do some menial work for Grandmaster Shen on a regular basis. I am only grateful for Grandmaster Shen's kindness in giving me a meal."

Sima Duan's eye twitched slightly.

Running errands? Doing odd jobs?

You're offering a core spot from the Xuan Yin Sect for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage as a errand boy? That arrogant woman, Shen Guiyan, wouldn't even give such a spot to her own disciples, let alone someone who's just running errands?

Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe such nonsense.

But the more Lin Yuan said this, the more Sima Duan felt that this man was unfathomable. The more casually he described it, the more profound the situation seemed.

"Junior Brother Lin is quite the joker." Sima Duan smiled insincerely, the curve of his lips perfectly maintained. "The Taixu Secret Realm is extremely dangerous. Junior Brother's cultivation is still shallow. If you encounter any trouble after entering, you can come to me. For the sake of Uncle Shen, the Sima family will surely lend a hand."

"Then I thank you in advance, Senior Brother." Lin Yuan downed the tea in his cup in one gulp, his smile as bright as that of a naive young man who had never seen the world. "With you saying that, Senior Brother, please don't find me annoying later."

Lin Yuan readily agreed verbally, but inwardly he was sneering.

The old man's eyes were practically brimming with murderous intent, yet he was still putting on an act of gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility.

Once inside the secret realm, without the constraints of sect rules, the first person to stab you in the back will definitely be Sima Duan.

It doesn't matter.

Sima Duan, unable to gauge the situation, felt the smile in his eyes fade slightly. He calmly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and tactfully took a half-step back.

Li Tiancheng stepped forward, his murky gaze falling on Li Yang.

He leaned on a bone cane, straightening his hunched body as he tried to adopt the dignified posture of an elder.

"Yang'er," Li Tiancheng spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, "Your sister Lan'er has become a Daoist partner with Young Master Sima for the sake of the family's foundation. She is suffering in your place..."

"stop."

Li Yang sat in the armchair, showing no intention of getting up. Her long, slender, white fingers toyed with the teacup lid, and with a gentle flick of her fingertip, the porcelain lid made a crisp clinking sound against the rim of the cup.

Those charming eyes, which usually held a hint of a smile, were now as cold as a frozen pool in the twelfth lunar month.

"Grandpa, you need to make things clear. What do you mean by 'on my behalf'?" Li Yang raised his eyelids, his gaze as cold as a knife. "The family wanted me to marry into their family, but I refused. I earned my own resources, fought for my own place, and worked my way up to the late-stage Golden Core realm. Li Lan's decision to marry him is her choice, and it has nothing to do with me."

Li Tiancheng's face darkened, and the age spots on his face seemed to twitch. He slammed the white bone cane into the ground with a dull thud.

"Insolence! Do you have no respect for your elders?" Li Tiancheng roared, his cloudy eyes wide with rage. "Without the family's nurturing, would you have reached the late-stage Golden Core realm today? Now that the family needs your help, you're shirking your responsibilities like this? You're ungrateful!"

"nourish?"

Li Yang scoffed.

"Over the past hundred years, the spirit stones I've earned for the family, the pills I've traded, and the business deals I've closed have been enough to raise three Golden Core cultivators. Grandfather, that's not how you calculate it." She raised her bright eyes and looked directly at Li Tiancheng. "I've already paid it all off."

Li Tiancheng's fingers froze in mid-air.

Li Yang stood up.

A powerful magical force belonging to the late-stage Golden Core realm erupted from her body.

The old man was forced back half a step by Li Tiancheng. He staggered, and his white bone cane scraped the ground with a harsh screech.

The other Golden Core cultivators in the hall all turned their heads to look.

"Furthermore, Grandpa," Li Yang stepped forward, looking down at the hunched old man, "you are nearing the end of your life and should be resting peacefully in your cave, enjoying your grandchildren and your twilight years. You shouldn't meddle in places like the Taixu Secret Realm."

Li Tiancheng was so angry that he trembled all over, and he couldn't speak for a long time while pointing at Li Yang.

Lin Yuan sat to the side, slowly taking a sip of his tea.

Good heavens. This woman is even more ruthless when she criticizes her own family than when she criticizes outsiders. No wonder she's a formidable figure who has carved out a place for herself in the cultivation world.

Seeing this, Sima Duan reached out and helped Li Tiancheng up. He gave Li Yang a deep look, then glanced at Lin Yuan, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Since Fellow Daoist Li is so confident, then I wish you all the best in your journey to the secret realm."

Sima Duan uttered a perfunctory, polite remark, then helped Li Tiancheng turn and leave.

Lin Yuan watched the two figures leave, then sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs.

"Your family ties are really quite weak," Lin Yuan said, picking up the teapot and pouring himself another cup, his tone slightly teasing.

"Family ties in the cultivation world?" Li Yang sat down again, straightened her skirt, and her bright face regained its usual composure and languor. "That depends on how much flesh the other party has to give. If he truly cared for me, his granddaughter, he wouldn't have tried to arrange a marriage with me in the first place."