5: Chapter 5 My Future Husband!

Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai, hovering in mid-air, appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his divine sense enveloped the entire area. Li Guidai's little actions and whispers naturally fell into his ears without missing a single word.

He slowly opened his eyes and swept his gaze once more over Li Guidai, who was on the deck with his arms bulging and was winking at the registration disciple. Instead of anger, a trace of almost imperceptible... approval flashed in his eyes?

"This child... is thick-skinned enough, quick-witted, knows how to secure benefits for himself, and doesn't even hesitate to use a little cunning."

"Although his cultivation is low and his spiritual roots barely meet the standard, this kind of 'pragmatism' is rare among the pedantic disciples of the family."

Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai pondered inwardly, then closed his eyes again, as if he had seen and heard nothing.

Seeing that the registration disciple did not object (mainly because he was bewildered by his outrageous maneuvers), Li Guidai felt smug, thinking his performance was simply flawless!

He had not only swindled... er, reasonably allocated resources, but also paved the way for a happy future life.

Standing at the edge of the enormous flying boat, he looked down at Jicai Village, which was getting smaller and smaller, and watched the villagers who were still looking up like ants. A sense of heroic spirit—'the sea is vast for fish to leap, the sky is wide for birds to fly'—welled up within him.

"Young ladies of the Zhuge Family! Your good kidney... cough cough, your good husband is coming!"

Li Guidai only felt a blur before his eyes, his body enveloped by a gentle yet irresistible force. The next moment, his feet landed on the solid and slightly cold deck of the flying boat.

He subconsciously looked down and saw Jicai Village below, those villagers and houses as small as ants, rapidly shrinking and receding at a dizzying speed, eventually turning into blurry patches of color at the edge of his vision.

A strange feeling, mixed with the lightness of escaping a cage and anxiety about the unknown future, surged into Li Guidai's heart.

He took a deep breath. Hmm, the air on the flying boat was indeed fresh, carrying a faint spiritual energy and some unknown woody fragrance, far superior to the air in Jicai Village, which was mixed with dirt and manure.

He steadied himself and began to look around. The deck of the flying boat was vast enough to run horses on, and dozens of youths were already standing sparsely upon it.

Most of these youths were between fifteen and twenty years old, dressed in various styles, but all exuded a rustic simplicity from the countryside, with expressions similar to Li Guidai's, mixed with excitement and anxiety.

Evidently, these were the "talents" that Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai had scoured from every nook and cranny along the way, and Jicai Village was the last stop.

Just then, Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai walked slowly in front of the youths. His figure was not tall, but the moment he stood there, an invisible pressure rendered the deck, which had been whispering, instantly silent.

All the youths subconsciously straightened their backs, looking nervously at this Golden Core powerhouse who would determine their fate.

Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai's gaze was like a cold searchlight, slowly sweeping over the youths. Everyone touched by his gaze involuntarily held their breath.

"From this day on," Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai began, his voice still flat yet clearly reaching everyone's ears, "you are now people of my Zhuge Family."

"The term 'matrilocal son-in-law' may not sound very glorious."

He shifted his tone, surprisingly taking the initiative to mention this sensitive term, "But my Zhuge Family is not the kind of place that is harsh, ungrateful, or heartless."

Many youths secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"If anyone has no great ambitions and only seeks a stable life, not striving for progress," Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai continued, his tone carrying a strange allure, "the family will not force you."

The Zhuge Family will arrange everything for you, with no worries about food or clothing, and comfortable living quarters.

It can be said that at the age of ten or twenty, you can live a 'lying flat and retiring' life that countless rogue cultivators, and even some disciples of small sects, would envy."

The four words 'lying flat and retiring' were like magic, making the eyes of many youths light up instantly!

Most of them came from poor backgrounds, and their cultivation aptitude barely met the standard; how could they have ever imagined such a good thing?

No need to fight to the death, no need to run around for resources, just retire early? Was there such a heavenly life?

Watching the fire of yearning ignite in the eyes of the youths below, a faint, almost imperceptible curve seemed to hook at the corner of Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai's mouth.

He paused for a moment, as if brewing a bigger bomb, and then slowly threw out the ultimate temptation:

"Even..." He drew out his tone, whetting everyone's appetite, "The future husband of my Zhuge Family patriarch's daughter, that proud daughter of heaven, will also be born from... among my Zhuge Family's matrilocal sons-in-law."

"Boom—!"

Once these words were spoken, it was like dropping a depth charge into a calm lake! All the youths were stunned, eyes wide and mouths agape, as if they had heard some Arabian Nights tale!

The patriarch's daughter! Future husband! Selected from the matrilocal sons-in-law?!

This... if this could happen... that would truly be ascending to the heavens in a single step! A carp leaping over the dragon gate!

From then on, no longer a humble matrilocal son-in-law, but a core member of the Zhuge Family, and in the future, perhaps even... capable of controlling this massive cultivation family?!

The huge impact plunged all the youths into a deathly silence, with only heavy and rapid breathing rising and falling on the deck.

In everyone's eyes, a flame called 'ambition' ignited, and even the few youths who had only wanted to 'lie flat' now had burning gazes.

Li Guidai's heart was also shaking violently! The patriarch's daughter?! In his mind, various web novel tropes he had read in his past life instantly emerged—the useless matrilocal son-in-law making a comeback, winning the heart of the icy young lady, slapping faces left and right... wasn't this the standard script?!

"Hehe... the patriarch's daughter..." He subconsciously touched his lower back, feeling the warmth of those two 'little furnaces,' and his confidence inexplicably swelled, "With my Ancient Kidney Physique, plus the system... maybe... there really is a chance?"

Just as the youths were immersed in fantasies of ascending to the heavens in a single step, the flying boat shuddered slightly and pierced through the thick clouds.

"We have arrived." Seventh Elder Zhuge Tai's flat voice sounded again.

Everyone subconsciously looked up, and immediately, everyone was so shocked by the scene before them that they lost their words!

Below, the sea of clouds churned like an boundless white ocean. And within the sea of clouds, towering and magnificent immortal mountains rose from the ground, suspended in the air!

The mountains were verdant, surrounded by dense spiritual energy and rosy clouds, as if carved from jade.

Between the mountains, waterfalls hung like inverted silver rivers, plunging down three thousand feet, the splashed mist refracting seven-colored rainbows in the sunlight.

Exquisite pavilions and towers were built against the mountains, looming in the swirling clouds and mist, resembling the dwellings of immortals.

Countless white-feathered immortal cranes and colorful spiritual birds elegantly weaved and danced between the clouds and mountains, emitting clear and melodious cries that intertwined with the sound of waterfalls and the whistling of mountain winds into an ethereal immortal melody.

Ten thousand rays of rosy light, a thousand strands of auspicious energy, dense spiritual mist, and immortal birds singing in harmony!

What a magnificent, grand, and awe-inspiring immortal scene!

Compared to this fairyland, the Jicai Village they had previously lived in was simply not even as good as an outhouse! Although Guidai had just experienced a real outhouse!

The youths watched, mesmerized, and the slight resentment in their hearts due to the 'matrilocal son-in-law' status was shattered at this moment by the unimaginable immortal scene before them.

Being able to stay in such a place, even as a matrilocal son-in-law, was worth it!

Li Guidai was equally stirred, but he felt more of the novelty of 'Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden' and the excitement that 'this place will be my battlefield for striving (and picking up girls) in the future.'

"Zhuge Family... they really are wealthy and powerful!" He smacked his lips, already starting to ponder which mountain peak had the best feng shui and was most suitable for his Ancient Kidney Physique to cultivate.

The flying boat slowly lowered its altitude, heading towards one of the most majestic floating immortal mountains, where the palaces were most densely packed.