Early morning on December 31, 1228 of the Ziyun Era.
Chuxiu Inn.
In the courtyard of the best guesthouse, a youth in a white robe was sitting at the stone table, drumming his knuckles gently on the tabletop with a misty look in his eyes.
Without realizing it… it has been more than a year since I’ve been back.
On December 12, 1227 of the Ziyun Era, Zhou Donghuang had been accidentally brought back from a thousand years in the future, and he had embarked on a journey to change his fate.
Over the past year, many things had happened, and thinking back on it now, Zhou Donghuang still felt like he was in a dream.
However, this was not at all a dream.
It has already been over eight months since I left Yunfeng Prefecture… I wonder how Mother and Xiao Lu are?
Thinking of Lin Lan and Xiao Lu, a look of worry surfaced in Zhou Donghuang’s eyes. “I should have brought them over together back then.”
Back then, he had not brought Lin Lan and Yun Lu over because he did not know if he could attain level-seven of Qi-gathering in such a short time.
He also did not know that the concentration elixir could help him speedily enter a state of calm and focus to practice the Lord of the Four Supremes. After all, if his family was with him in a place like the Chu royal city, he could not act freely without sufficient ability.
However, while he was formulating the concentration elixir three months ago, he had written a letter and passed it to Fu. “Fu, go and find a big post station in the Chu royal city and find a messenger that uses a ferghana horse for delivery and get this letter delivered to Yunfeng prefecture, to Patriarch Lu Qinghu of the Lu family.”
In the Chu royal city, some of the larger post stations employed a team of messengers who used ferghana horses to deliver express mail.
Of course, the fees for such messengers were extremely expensive. However, this was small change to Zhou Donghuang, who had twenty million liang of silver.
After today, I will have become an adult in this life.
Returning to the stone table and sitting down, Zhou Donghuang smiled wistfully as he remembered that it was the last day of the year 1228 of the Ziyun era.
On the planet of Ziyun, an eighteen-year-old was considered an adult.
Those below eighteen were considered youths and young ladies, but once they reached eighteen, they were considered young men and women.
“Big Brother Zhou!”
Not long after Fu left, Ren Jiapei came over. “Where is Zixi? Today is the day of the gathering for the scions of the grand families, I’m here to look for you both so we can go over together.”
Ren Jiapei was not dressed as casually as she usually was, but was dressed like a lady in the same manner that Yang Zixi usually was. Zhou Donghuang was not used to seeing her like this.
“Sister Jiapei.”
Ren Jiapei’s voice was rather loud, and just as she finished, Yang Zixi came out of her room after having heard her voice.
Yang Zixi was dressed in a snow-white long-sleeved gown and wore a white gauze top over the dress, complementing her fair skin perfectly. This gave her an incomparably pure look. In addition to Yang Zixi’s beautiful looks, her gown accentuated her appearance such that she looked like a saint—pure and holy, and nothing could mar her appearance.
“Wah!”
Seeing Yang Zixi’s outfit, Ren Jiapei’s eyes shone. “Sister Zixi, you look stunning today! Moreover, it really suits your personality. With your original good looks, even if you made a minimal effort in dressing up for today’s gathering, you would already outshine the crowd… now, the daughters of the other families are going to wither before you.”
Ren Jiapei spoke as though she had forgotten that she herself was one of the daughters of a prominent family attending the gathering.
Yang Zixi’s disposition was slightly aloof, which matched her completely white outfit and gave her an aura of detachment and coolness. Usually, Yang Zixi did not speak much in front of outsiders, and sometimes not at all. Only in front of Zhou Donghuang would she behave like a girl-next-door.
“Moreover… it really matches Big Brother Zhou’s white robe.”
Ren Jiapei looked at Zhou Donghuang as she said this with a teasing smile.
Two spots of red bloomed on Yang Zixi’s face at Ren Jiapei’s words. Her alluring appearance made an onlooker feel like rushing forward to hold her tight and give her a kiss.
“Big Brother Zhou, does my outfit… look good?”
Yang Zixi looked at Zhou Donghuang as she brushed her white gown and asked anxiously. Today, she had dressed up not to impress others, but first and foremost for the youth before her.
Women beautify themselves for their own happiness, and this described Yang Zixi now.
“Mm, it looks good.”
Zhou Donghuang nodded with a slight smile.
How could he fail to discern the young lady’s thoughts? However, at this point, his feelings towards the young lady were like that of a sibling. She had never plucked that particular string in his heart.
After the last incident, he had wanted to make his feelings clear to the young lady but did not know where to start, and thereafter it had gradually fallen aside.
This time after the gathering, when we are alone, I will make it clear to this girl… to avoid her falling deeper.
Zhou Donghuang sighed to himself. He knew that some things had to be said, no matter how difficult. However, Zhou Donghuang did not know that the young lady had already fallen in as deep as she could go, even to the point where she could not extricate herself…
“Let’s go,” he told Ren Jiapei.
To avoid the young lady’s misunderstanding, Zhou Donghuang quickly looked away from her and rose.
The young lady had perceived how Zhou Donghuang had intentionally avoided her gaze, and the corners of her mouth subconsciously curled upwards in a bitter smile.
But in an instant, her gaze once again became incomparably resolute,
“Good! Let’s go!”
Although Ren Jiapei was usually casual, she sensed the mood was not right. She went to the young lady’s side and took her hand, leading her out of the courtyard.
Zhou Donghuang followed the two ladies, his white robe fluttering in the wind like drifting snow.
…
Grand families were common in the Chu royal city. For example, the Yang family that Yang Zixi had been a part of was only at the bottom of the hierarchy of the grand families.
Even the Ren family that backed Ren Jiapei was only considered an intermediate-level grand family, even though they had three level-six adepts in charge. This was because an elite grand family would usually have many level-seven adepts in charge.
Even superior-level grand families would have at least one level-seven adept in charge.
The gathering for the scions of the grand families was organized once a year. The scions of several elite grand families of the Chu royal city took turns to organize it, rotating this duty among their families.
This year, the gathering was organized by the elite grand Wei family.
As an elite grand family, the Wei family’s mansion was huge, far outclassing the mansions of the Yang and Ren families even though they were both also grand families. It would not be considered inferior even when compared to the family mansion of the tycoon Shi family.
“Young Mistress Ren.”
Ren Jiapei took out the invitation at the main entrance of the Wei family mansion and led Zhou Donghuang and Yang Zixi in.
The several guards who were guarding the main entrance of the Wei family mansion were left staring at the beautiful young lady in the pure, white gown from the moment the three of them had entered.
“This… is the Yang Zixi who was expelled from the Yang family by the patriarch of the Yang family?”
“No wonder the first young master of the tycoon Shi family had taken a liking to her, she is breathtakingly beautiful, and I don’t think any of the young ladies can hold a candle to her.”
“That Young Mistress Ren is also very beautiful; when the two of them are standing together, it is like looking at a pair of beautiful sisters.”
“That youth in white behind them has a carefree air around him, and his demeanor is extraordinary… but which family is he from?”
“Since he did not produce an invitation, he probably is not from a grand family, and might not even be a direct relative of a grand family.”
…
Several side relatives of the Wei family were talking among themselves, but they managed to recognize Yang Zixi. As for Zhou Donghuang, he was a new face to them and completely unfamiliar.
However, each of the direct relatives of the grand families attending today’s gathering could bring a maximum of two people, therefore, even though Yang Zixi was not a member of a grand family and Zhou Donghuang did not have an invitation, they did not remark upon it.
“Young Mistress Ren, right this way.”
When they entered the Wei family mansion, someone was there to show them the way to the area where the gathering was held, which was the spacious back courtyard of the Wei family mansion.
Zhou Donghuang followed the two ladies into the back courtyard and saw at first glance that the tables were laden with food and drink. They were neatly set up at every corner of the back courtyard, just like the buffet restaurants back on Earth.
“Oh? Isn’t that Young Mistress Ren?”
As soon as the three of them arrived, a young lady in a green gown approached together with a servant girl, giving Young Mistress Ren a mocking look. “Young Mistress Ren, I heard that by taking Yang Zixi in, you caused the Ren family substantial losses form the joint businesses with the Shi family.”
The young lady in the green gown could still be considered pretty, but she was miles behind Ren Jiapei and Yang Zixi in terms of looks. Now, she had been chattering continuously like a shrew since she approached them.
Zhou Donghuang had already noticed that this young lady in the green gown, who obviously had no intention of acknowledging Yang Zixi, had been looking enviously at her since they had arrived.
“Zheng Qiuhe.”
Ren Jiapei looked at the young lady in the green gown with an icy smile. “If I recall correctly, Yang Zixi gave you quite a lot of rouge powder in the past and also did you many favors? Before Sister Zixi was expelled from the Yang family, you called yourself her sister, but after she was expelled, you turned her away at the door. I, Ren Jiapei will have nothing to do with such an ungrateful wretch like you… get lost!”
The young lady in the green gown, Zheng Qiuhe, was the third young mistress of the grand Zheng family.
The Zheng family?
Zhou Donghuang swept an indifferent gaze over Zheng Qiuhe. He remembered clearly that the first place Yang Zixi had went to after being expelled from the Yang family was the Zheng family mansion.
Recalling that, it was to find this Zheng Qiuhe.
The Zheng family, like the Yang family, was at the bottom of the hierarchy of the grand families. Because of this, seeing that Ren Jiapei was in a stronger position, Zheng Quiuhe’s expression turned extremely foul, but she did not dare block Ren Jiapei’s path and obediently made way.
The Ren family was much stronger than the Zheng family.
“Third Young Mistress, First Young Mistress of the Ren family will have to answer to First Young Master of the Shi family sooner or later if she continues to be so stubborn… you don’t have to put up with her.”
The servant girl behind Zheng Qiuhe consoled her gently.
“Hrmph! I’ll wait for misfortune to befall Ren Jiapei,” Zheng Qiuhe said hatefully, staring coldly at Ren Jiapei’s back.
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