“Hahaha, Old Ghost Fang! How does it feel to get the short end of the stick?” Jiang Tianxing had gained a slight advantage in their brief exchange and immediately gloated.
“Hmph. That’s what I thought. Neither Jiang Bin nor Jiang Ling could have stopped that fireball so easily,” the red-robed man said, giving Jiang Tianxing a disdainful look. They weren’t even members of your Jiang family. What are you so pleased about?
Jiang Bin and Jiang Ling felt as though arrows had pierced their knees. Even if they were not as strong as the Xu brothers, Uncle Fang Qin did not have to say it so frankly!
“Father… why do you always do that?” Fang Tianyun asked, clutching his head in frustration. His father was on one side and his future father-in-law on the other. He was trapped between them.
“What? Do I need you to teach me how to behave?” The man in red glared and roared at him.
“Uncle Fang must have his reasons,” Jiang Ying interjected with a smile behind her hand. “Surely he only wanted to test how quickly our Jiang family disciples could react in an emergency.”
Fang Qin laughed heartily. “Exactly, exactly! Ying’er is the clever one.” Then he glared at Fang Tianyun. “You brat, learn something from your wife!”
Fang Tianyun could only nod helplessly, while a flush rose in two patches on Jiang Ying’s cheeks beside him.
After scolding his son, Fang Qin turned his attention to Xu Ziyan and examined him with keen interest, looking him up and down until Xu Ziyan shivered.
What’s with that covetous look, Uncle?! Hey! I have absolutely no intention of getting involved with you!
Fang Qin appeared very pleased with Xu Ziyan. Rubbing his chin, he displayed a smile that looked exceedingly lecherous to everyone else.
He stretched out a hand to clap Xu Ziyan on the shoulder. Before he could touch him, however, a sharp crack sounded, and a blood-red shadow whipped toward him.
“Oh? Young man, you’ve got quite a temper.” Fang Qin flicked a finger and sent out a streak of red light that collided with the blood vine. It did not destroy the vine, but it successfully halted the attack.
It also interrupted his attempt to clap Xu Ziyan on the shoulder. Only then did he move his gaze aside and notice Xu Zirong.
“Eh? Young fellow, are you the one who summoned that blood vine?” Fang Qin quickly recognized that Xu Zirong was responsible.
Xu Zirong regarded him expressionlessly. The red-robed cultivator was far too powerful for him to match at his current level. Although displeased by Fang Qin’s behavior, he had no desire to escalate matters.
“Senior,” Xu Ziyan said, taking a step forward to shield Xu Zirong completely, “suddenly launching attacks at people is hardly a good habit. We’ve come today on behalf of the Jiang family to help with wedding preparations. Senior, what you’ve done is… rather inappropriate, wouldn’t you say?”
He had little affection for this uncle who attacked without warning, and the man’s lecherous appearance gave him even less reason to let Fang Qin focus on Zirong.
“Tsk, young people these days.” The red-robed man did not insist. With that single remark, he grabbed Jiang Tianxing and hurried toward the training grounds, grumbling that nobody had fought him lately and he was bored to death.
Fang Tianyun stared speechlessly as his father appeared, disappeared, and took the Jiang family patriarch with him. Facing the bewildered gazes of the Jiang family guests, he wished he could find a crack in the earth to hide in…
Fortunately, Jiang Ying had long since grown accustomed to her future father-in-law’s personality. She reassured the Jiang family visitors, and with Fang Tianyun’s efforts as well, they eventually recovered from the awkward sight of their patriarch being dragged away.
Jiang Bin and Jiang Ling glanced fearfully in the direction Fang Qin had gone and thanked their luck. Fortunately, the two Flowing Light Sect guests had been beside the patriarch today. If Fang Qin had picked them instead, the pair would probably be looking utterly disheveled by now.
“Big Brother!” Fang Tianyun was leading the Jiang family guests toward the reception hall when he caught sight of Fang Tianrui stumbling in through the main entrance.
Fang Tianrui jerked his head up. His usually stern, solemn face now held an unmistakable trace of panic.
“Big Brother, where did you go yesterday?” Concerned by Fang Tianrui’s unusual state, Fang Tianyun hurriedly entrusted the Jiang family guests to Jiang Ying and rushed over to him.
Fang Tianrui seemed to remember something unpleasant, and his face turned pale. “Nowhere… nowhere in particular,” he muttered.
Fang Tianyun frowned deeply as he studied him. He did not understand. He and his older brother had always been close, yet ever since the announcement of his engagement to Jiang Ying, Fang Tianrui seemed to have been avoiding him.
Was something troubling Big Brother?
“Big Brother, were you drunk yesterday? The people Eldest Uncle sent to find you said a friend had taken you away, but we searched nearly all your friends’ homes and couldn’t find you anywhere,” Fang Tianyun asked carefully.
Fang Tianrui’s expression changed abruptly at the mention of someone taking him away. “Don’t mention that bastard!” he snapped.
Fang Tianyun clicked his tongue in astonishment. His older brother had always been rigidly proper, and Fang Tianyun could scarcely remember hearing him curse before. Whoever had taken him away yesterday must have angered him deeply. In a way, that was quite an achievement.
Since Fang Tianrui looked so upset, Fang Tianyun could hardly question him further. Besides, the Jiang family guests were still waiting. He offered a few quiet words of reassurance, then arranged for someone to escort his brother to his room.
Just before Fang Tianrui departed, Fang Tianyun glanced at him again and unexpectedly noticed a dark mark on the back of his neck.
Fang Tianyun went rigid. The mark was too obvious to overlook, no matter how hard he tried. Did that mean… Big Brother had gone to a brothel yesterday?
The realization nearly overwhelmed him. A brothel? How could such a place possibly have anything to do with his stiff, old-fashioned older brother?
He silently covered his forehead. He had learned far too much in one day and felt he had stumbled upon a secret he was never supposed to know…
Still dazed, he went back to entertaining the Jiang family guests. Even Xu Ziyan could tell that Fang Tianyun was not himself.
“Brother Tianyun, is something troubling you?” Xu Ziyan asked.
“Huh? No, nothing at all.” Fang Tianyun hurriedly waved the concern away. His job today was to host the Jiang family visitors. He had only been distracted by the shock of seeing his older brother in such a state.
But he was an outstanding member of the Fang family’s younger generation. His brief lapse was enough to alert him, and he quickly gathered himself to entertain the guests properly.
Most of today’s Jiang family visitors were young people led by Jiang Bin and Jiang Ling. The two were already acquainted with Fang Tianyun, and before long they had fallen into easy conversation.
Fang Tianyun was skilled at handling such occasions, and the atmosphere soon grew lively.
A while later, Patriarch Jiang finally returned from where Fang Qin had dragged him away. His companion, however, was no longer Fang Qin but the Fang family patriarch, Fang Mian.
The appearance of both patriarchs immediately silenced the reception hall. Younger members of the two families could not help feeling a certain reverence and nervousness in their presence.
“Hehe, carry on with your conversations. Brother Fang and I still have a few things to discuss.” Jiang Tianxing smiled at the young people. He knew that he and Fang Mian put pressure on them, so he planned to withdraw and let them get acquainted.
Fang Mian nodded, then said to Fang Tianyun, “You young people have more in common. Why not invite Martial Nephew Bai from Tianyu Sect to join you?”
Fang Tianyun quickly agreed. He understood that his uncle wanted the two families to grow closer through this gathering, and that it was likely also Patriarch Jiang’s wish.
“Perfect timing. I was dragged away by Fang Qin earlier and forgot to introduce our guests,” Jiang Tianxing said with a smile, indicating Xu Ziyan and Xu Zirong. “These two are direct disciples of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord from the Flowing Light Sect. They’ve come to congratulate my daughter, so I brought them along.”
Fang Mian’s pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the brothers, his expression becoming thoughtful.
Jiang Tianxing continued smiling as though entirely unaware of how much his words had shocked the Fang family.
Most amusingly, the younger generation of the Jiang family looked almost as stunned as the Fangs. Apart from Jiang Ying, everyone stared in disbelief.
After all, an ordinary disciple of the Flowing Light Sect and a direct disciple of one of its Nascent Soul Dao Lords were two very different things!
“Hehe, Brother Jiang, you really have surprised me,” Fang Mian said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at Jiang Tianxing.
“You’re overthinking things, Brother Fang. These two have only come to attend my daughter’s wedding. My late father once met Dao Lord Luo Yun of the Flowing Light Sect. When he heard about the marriage, the Dao Lord kindly sent his two beloved disciples to congratulate us.” Jiang Tianxing spoke casually, but every word reminded Fang Mian that he had no intention of using the Flowing Light Sect to intimidate him; the young men had simply come to celebrate.
Fang Mian relaxed somewhat. The Fang family’s position as Wuti City’s foremost clan depended on Tianyu Sect. If the Jiangs had genuinely established a connection with the Flowing Light Sect, he would have reason to worry about which family would hold the top position in the future.
Now that Jiang Tianxing had made it clear he was not trying to suppress the Fangs through the Flowing Light Sect, Fang Mian began to understand why he had mentioned the Nascent Soul Dao Lord at this moment.
Realizing this, Fang Mian secretly sighed in relief. He himself had never considered annexing the Jiang family. Although someone in the clan had suggested the idea, Fang Qin had already found an excuse to beat that person up before Fang Mian even had the chance to reject the proposal.
The four major families had maintained a stable balance in Wuti City, and the Fang family did not want to disturb it.
“Tianyun, what are you still standing there for? Hurry and invite Martial Nephew Bai!” Fang Mian saw Fang Tianyun still frozen and shook his head inwardly. Tianyun was an outstanding member of the Fang family’s younger generation, but the limitations of Wuti City had kept his horizons narrow.
Jiang Tianxing’s mention of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord had understandably stunned everyone, but to remain shocked for so long? Clearly, the young man had seen too little of the wider world…