25: Chapter 25 Five...five years...eight hundred thousand...

Fourth Elder Zhuge You looked at the three completely stunned juniors before him, especially at the expression on Li Guidai's face, which looked as if he had been struck by lightning, and felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction in his heart.

He said nothing more, flicked his robes, shifted his form, and transformed into a streak of ghostly light, instantly vanishing into the horizon, leaving behind three people standing in the wind, their minds in chaos, feeling as if they had just ridden an earth-shattering roller coaster.

Li Guidai looked at the heavy jade slip and list in his hands, then glanced at the pale and anxious Zhuge Yue beside him, as well as the conflicted-looking Zhuge Ying. After a long while, he squeezed a sentence out from between his teeth: "Father-in-law... This greeting gift is truly... quite unique..."

Li Guidai, Zhuge Yue, and Zhuge Ying stood frozen in place like three statues, holding the jade slip and list worth "one million three hundred thousand," their minds blank, with the demonic sound of "pay back eight hundred thousand within five years" seemingly echoing in their ears.

Fourth Elder Zhuge You watched the three juniors, who were completely dumbfounded, his majestic face revealing neither joy nor anger.

He merely added faintly: "Manage it well, and do not let me down."

With that said, he gave the three no chance to ask questions or bargain, shifted his form into a streak of elusive ghostly light, and instantly vanished into the horizon. He truly came in haste and left in haste, leaving behind only an inscrutable silhouette and a mountain of astronomical debt.

Not until that oppressive spiritual pressure completely vanished did the three seem to be released from a binding spell.

"Five... five years... eight hundred thousand..."

Zhuge Yue muttered to herself, her pretty little face pale, her hand gripping Li Guidai's arm trembling slightly. "Husband... this... how is this possible to complete..."

Even the usually cold and confident Zhuge Ying furrowed her delicate brows, her tone filled with worry: "Father's... requirements this time are far too harsh. Although the inner city shop is good, earning eight hundred thousand spirit stones in five years is something that even many Golden Core cultivators..."

Li Guidai took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart. He patted the back of Zhuge Yue's hand and gave Zhuge Ying a smile he thought looked relaxed: "It's fine, things will naturally work out when the time comes! Father-in-law is also... hmm... valuing us, giving us motivation! Let's go inside and see our new home first!"

However, just as Li Guidai, Zhuge Yue, and Zhuge Ying, with heavy, complex, and slightly bewildered hearts, pushed open the gate of the residence that bore the weight of a "five hundred thousand dowry" and an "eight hundred thousand debt"—

Dozens of miles away, on a desolate mountain peak.

The previously majestic and inscrutable Fourth Elder Zhuge You, with his imposing aura, was now dancing around without any decorum, like a naughty child who had stolen some honey!

"Hahaha—!" He suppressed his voice, but could not contain the wild joy on his face. He even jumped three feet high in excitement and threw a few forceful punches; where was there any trace of a Golden Core Elder's demeanor?

"I've struck it rich! This time I've truly picked up a heaven-defying bargain!"

He clutched his chest, which was pounding with excitement, and growled in a voice only he could hear, "The fortune on that kid is shining with golden light, it almost blinded my titanium-alloy eyes! That was close, that was close! I am truly wise and martial, acting so decisively!"

As if remembering something, he angrily punched at the air, as if someone were standing there:

"That old fox Clan Head Zhuge Wen! He moved so fast! He actually wanted to use that Xingyue girl of his to employ a beauty trap?

Bah!

In his dreams! Such a good seedling, he deserves to be the fine son-in-law of my branch, Fourth Elder Zhuge You!"

He recalled a moment before, when he had used a special secret technique to faintly capture that fleeting yet incredibly pure Foundation Establishment Dao rhythm. Although the phenomenon was quickly covered up by an inexplicable force, that glimpse was enough for him to conclude—his own daughter, Zhuge Yue, had achieved the legendary Perfect Foundation Establishment!

"Perfect Foundation Establishment! On a little girl with an eighth-grade spiritual root who was only at the third level of Qi Refining a year ago!"

Fourth Elder Zhuge You rubbed his hands in excitement, his eyes burning with fervor. "To be able to give Yueer such fortune, if this Li Guidai doesn't have some heaven-defying opportunity, I'll write my name backward! Invest! I must invest heavily!"

He smugly stroked his non-existent beard, giving himself credit for his "far-sightedness":

"First, give him some pressure, tie him down with the house and shop, and then send that girl Zhuge Ying over to be close to the water...

Hehehe, once this kid grows up, or produces some other good things, won't my branch take off?

This move is textbook venture capital! I am truly a genius!"

If Li Guidai could hear the inner monologue and ridiculous behavior of his freshly minted father-in-law, who was acting like a gambler who had just won the jackpot, his mouth would certainly twitch, and he would be covered in black lines!

It would ultimately turn into a sigh containing all the complex emotions in the world:

"Sigh... those surnamed Zhuge, truly, from top to bottom, from inside to out, not a single one has a simple mind! They are all old foxes who have cultivated until they've become spirits!"

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Li Guidai's life was quite comfortable; he was either fishing by the lake or holding his "Golden Phoebe wood guitar," singing tunes from his past life in front of Zhuge Yue and Zhuge Ying.

Zhuge Ying had completely opened up in front of him now. Under Li Guidai's shameless offensive, the places that should be explored and "investigated" had basically been surveyed by him, so to speak, everything was ready, only lacking that final ceremony of "conquering the city and seizing the land."

In addition, his friendship with the fat neighbor Ji Taida was growing deeper by the day.

This Ji Taida was quite something now; he had heard that he had taken two more beautiful concubines, and his cultivation had soared from the second level of Qi Refining when he first joined the Zhuge Family to the fourth level.

For an ordinary cultivator, increasing one level in a year was already not easy; his speed could be called divine. Furthermore, he still had to "laboriously" maneuver between multiple wives, making Li Guidai unable to help but click his tongue, wondering secretly if this fat man also had some unknown "innate talent"?

Finally, the day of the grand wedding arrived.

The residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners; although it was not extremely luxurious, it was festive everywhere. Li Guidai, dressed in red wedding robes, stood at the entrance to welcome the guests, a standard "groom's smile" hanging on his face.

Just at this moment, a majestic pressure approached from the horizon, and Clan Head Zhuge Wen was seen riding a beam of light, arriving in person. Li Guidai's heart tightened, and just as he was about to adjust his robes and step forward to respectfully welcome him, a ghostly shadow was faster than him!

He saw his father-in-law, Fourth Elder Zhuge You, instantly cross past Li Guidai like a ghost and step forward to meet him, his speed so fast that it was as if he were afraid that if he were a second too slow, something would be snatched away.