The patriarch of the Wang family has arrived!

Seeing Ye Qing look over, the two women immediately bowed gracefully, their voices soft and charming:

"Greetings, Young Master."

"We two servants have been ordered by the Family Head to serve Young Master here."

"If Young Master needs anything, please do not hesitate to command us servants."

Ye Qing nodded.

He thought to himself that the Wang Residence had indeed put in effort.

Saying nothing more, Ye Qing went straight into the room... Meanwhile, on the other side.

Inside the study.

After settling Ye Qing, Wang Zhengyuan immediately pulled his niece, Wang Qianliu, and closed the door.

"Qianliu, sit."

Wang Zhengyuan asked Wang Qianliu with a serious expression:

"I told you not to run around alone, but you wouldn't listen."

"What exactly happened?"

"Tell your uncle in detail about how you encountered danger and how you met Senior Ye Qing!"

Wang Qianliu did not hide anything.

She vividly recounted how she encountered the Two-headed Demonic Lion in the mountain range, nearly lost her life, and was finally saved by Ye Qing with a single glance.

She vividly recounted the story.

When speaking of the scene where Ye Qing made his move, her eyes still held undisguised gratitude and admiration.

After all, he had glared a Soul Transformation Stage Two-headed Demonic Lion to death with a single glance!

At that time, she almost thought she was hallucinating before death!

However.

After listening to her account.

Wang Zhengyuan's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, eventually forming a 'Chuan' character.

"Something's not right..."

He tapped his finger lightly on the table, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's not right?"

Hearing this, Wang Qianliu was puzzled.

Wang Zhengyuan looked at her and slowly analyzed:

"You said you encountered a mad Two-headed Demonic Lion?"

"Demonic Lions usually only have one head; if it has two, it's a mutated species, and its strength is at least that of a Soul Transformation Stage Yao Beast!"

"This also aligns with your situation of being no match for the Demonic Lion and nearly losing your life."

"But..."

Wang Zhengyuan's tone shifted here, a glint flashing in his eyes:

"The subsequent events are too strange!"

"In your description, that Ye Qing merely glanced at the Demonic Lion, didn't even move his hand, and the Soul Transformation Stage Demonic Lion directly exploded?"

"However..."

"From my observation, that Ye Qing's Qi fluctuation is clearly only at the Nascent Soul Stage!"

"A Nascent Soul Cultivator glaring a Soul Transformation Stage Yao Beast to death with a single glance?"

"This simply defies common sense!"

"Qianliu, don't you think there's a problem here?"

Eh?

Wang Qianliu was stunned by the question.

Then she smiled and shook her head.

She said:

"Uncle, aren't you overthinking it?"

"I don't think anything is wrong."

"Senior Ye Qing must be an expert who hides his true strength! Or perhaps he cultivated some concealment Cultivation Technique, which is why he only appears to be at the Nascent Soul Stage."

"Moreover..."

She thought of the Purple Heart Orchid and the sword techniques Ye Qing demonstrated.

She said confidently:

"The reason I trust him is because he really knows my friend Lin Xueer, and they are even from the same sect!"

"Furthermore, along the way, I could feel that he truly held no ill will towards me; he's not a bad person."

Looking at his niece's confident demeanor.

Wang Zhengyuan, however, sighed.

He said, somewhat frustrated:

"Ah, you are still too young, too easily trusting of people!"

He stared at Wang Qianliu, pondering for a moment.

Suddenly he asked:

"Then I ask you."

"When you revealed your identity, saying you were from the Wang Family of Qianshan City..."

"What was that Ye Qing's expression?"

"Expression?"

Wang Qianliu recalled, then said blankly, "He didn't have any expression, just very calm."

"Hmph! That's the biggest problem!"

Wang Zhengyuan immediately snorted coldly.

He slammed his hands on the table:

"No expression at all precisely indicates a problem!"

"Within several thousand li of this area, who doesn't know our Wang Family of Qianshan City?"

"Since you reported your name and wanted to bring him to Qianshan City, how could he have no reaction at all?"

"You must know, although our Wang Family is only a second-rate Family..."

"In the eyes of truly exalted and powerful individuals, it might be nothing."

"But for an ordinary Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator, a second-rate Family is still a behemoth! It's an existence to be looked up to!"

"A normal person, upon hearing this, should at least show some awe or surprise, right?"

"But him? No reaction at all!"

Above second-rate, if further subdivided, there are first-rate families, quasi-Supreme, Supreme Aristocratic Families, and even top-tier forces.

The Wang Family naturally couldn't compare to top-tier existences, but for a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

It was already a towering mountain!

Therefore, the more Wang Zhengyuan spoke, the more he felt his analysis was reasonable, and his eyes sharpened:

"So..."

"The only explanation is—he's faking it!"

"He already knew your identity! Even..."

"He came for you!"

"I even suspect that the Two-headed Demonic Lion you encountered might have been fake! Created by some clever illusion technique of his!"

"The purpose was to use this as an excuse to get close to you, make you owe him a favor, and then legitimately infiltrate our Wang Family!"

..."Ah?!"

Wang Qianliu listened, utterly bewildered, her small mouth slightly agape, an incredulous expression on her face.

She hesitated for a moment, then thought about it.

She still couldn't help but say:

"Uncle... aren't you, uh, overthinking things a bit?"

"Came for me?"

"This... it can't be, right?"

"Besides, even if he really had some ulterior motive, he didn't do anything along the way."

"He didn't even accept most of the thank-you gifts I gave him, only taking a common fourth-grade Spiritual Plant."

"What could he be after?"

"After what?"

Wang Zhengyuan heard this, sneered, his eyes wise and gleaming.

He lowered his voice, then suddenly changed the subject and said:

"Qianliu, there's something you probably don't know."

"Our Wang Family Old Ancestor... will arrive in three days!"

"What?"

Wang Qianliu was immediately surprised, saying, "You mean, my grandfather is coming to Qianshan City?"

"Exactly!"

Wang Zhengyuan nodded, his expression solemn.

He said:

"You should know the relationship between our Family and that behemoth—the Primeval Qin Clan, right?"

Wang Qianliu nodded.

Of course she knew.

The Wang Family was initially an obscure small Family with weak strength.

Later, one of the Family's grandaunts was fortunate enough to be noticed by a powerful Family Head of the Primeval Qin Clan and taken as a concubine.

Only then did 'one person attain the Dao, and even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'.

The Wang Family, leveraging this connection, rapidly developed and grew, which led to its current scale and status as a second-rate Family.

Although that grandaunt later died unexpectedly, the Wang Family valued this connection more than their lives and absolutely did not want to sever it!

After all, that was one of the three Supreme Aristocratic Families in the Central Region!

Even a little bit of their leftover resources would be enough to fully sustain the Wang Family.

Even without resources, just basking in their reputation was excellent!

Therefore.

The Wang Family Old Ancestor would annually use the former marital ties as a stepping stone, bringing lavish gifts to visit the Primeval Qin Clan.

Although the people of the Primeval Qin Clan didn't particularly welcome him, being allowed to enter the Primeval Qin Clan was enough!

As long as this subtle connection could be maintained, it was the greatest protective charm for the Wang Family!

You should know, countless people wanted this stepping stone.

And couldn't even get it!

"Seven days later."

Wang Zhengyuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"It will be the thousandth birthday of the current Family Head of the Primeval Qin Clan!"

"Qianshan City is also relatively close to the Primeval Qin Clan's ancestral land."

"The Old Ancestor is personally coming this time to retrieve the valuable birthday gift that I meticulously prepared for a long time!"

"And then personally deliver it to the Primeval Qin Clan to offer congratulations!"

Speaking of this.

Wang Zhengyuan's gaze was burning as he looked at Wang Qianliu:

"At this critical juncture, such a person suddenly appears..."

"Approaching you in such a hero-saves-the-beauty, suspicious manner and infiltrating the Wang Residence... Tell me, how can Uncle not be more cautious?"

"I guess!"

"He might have already scouted for information, wanting to approach the Old Ancestor through you, or even through me!"

"I've seen too many people who want to climb the social ladder and take shortcuts!"

...After listening to her uncle's logically rigorous analysis, which seemed to truly see through everything.

Wang Qianliu's heart couldn't help but waver a little.

Could it... really be like this?

But she seriously recalled every little detail of her journey with Ye Qing.

That calm, composed, and utterly disinterested attitude towards her... absolutely couldn't be faked!

So.

"No!"

Wang Qianliu shook her head firmly:

"Uncle, I still think you're overthinking it!"

"Senior Ye Qing is definitely not that kind of person!"

"I trust my intuition!"

"You..."

Seeing his niece so stubbornly misguided, Wang Zhengyuan frowned, feeling somewhat helpless.

He shook his head and sighed:

"You are still too young, too inexperienced."

"Some things, you can't see clearly."

"In short, human hearts are complex; one must be on guard!"

Speaking of this, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and he began to plan some measures in his heart.

"Why don't I send someone to..."

But the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back.

"Never mind."

Wang Zhengyuan waved his hand, suddenly dismissing the idea.

It was, after all, just a guess.

"Regardless of whether he has an ulterior motive, as long as he doesn't cause trouble, we will treat him normally."

"I will also temporarily leave him be."

"However..."

Wang Zhengyuan warned in a serious tone:

"In these few days, I will strengthen the mansion's defenses."

"I will absolutely not give him any chance to approach the Old Ancestor, or to touch the birthday gift, or to cause any trouble!"

"Once the Old Ancestor takes the items and leaves..."

"Then everything will naturally be fine!"

At worst, perhaps he could report to the Old Ancestor, letting the Old Ancestor take a distant look, and naturally, he would know whether that Ye Qing was a donkey or a horse!

You must know, the Wang Family Old Ancestor.

Is a powerhouse at the Late Stage of Soul Transformation Realm!

To discern the true depth of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Wang Zhengyuan felt it should be effortless, right?

Because Wang Zhengyuan grew suspicious of Ye Qing, regarding him as a

"fraudster" with ulterior motives, the treatment and standards for Ye Qing in the Wang Residence naturally quietly decreased.

Of course, Wang Zhengyuan was, after all, an experienced Jianghu figure, meticulous in his actions.

Before completely falling out, he wouldn't make it too obvious, lest he wrongly accuse a good person and make future encounters awkward.

Thus.

The next morning.

Ye Qing pushed open the door, stretched, and was about to go to the courtyard for some fresh air.

Suddenly, he felt something was off.

His gaze swept towards the courtyard entrance.

He saw that the two beautiful, graceful, and soft-spoken maids from yesterday were gone.

In their place were two burly, plain-looking, and even somewhat dull middle-aged women.

Seeing Ye Qing come out, the two didn't even bow; they just looked at him with blank faces, then continued sweeping the ground as if nothing happened.

"…"

Ye Qing was slightly taken aback, then chuckled wryly.

"This is... a change of staff?"

However, he had always cared little for external things, and the beauty or ugliness of maids was irrelevant to him.

Thus, he didn't take it to heart, nor did he think much about it... Another three days passed.

On this day, Ye Qing was meditating in his room when he suddenly felt the entire Wang Residence become busy.

The previously quiet mansion became extraordinarily bustling, with lanterns and decorations everywhere, and servants coming and going, looking nervous yet excited.

It seemed... some extraordinary dignitary had arrived?

Ye Qing's Divine Sense swept slightly.

He sensed a powerful aura of the Ninth Layer of Soul Transformation Stage, being welcomed deep into the mansion like a multitude of stars surrounding the moon.

"Ninth Layer of Soul Transformation Stage..."

Ye Qing understood.

If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the Old Ancestor of the Wang Family's main lineage whom Wang Qianliu had mentioned earlier—Wang Yunshan!

Who was also Wang Qianliu's biological grandfather.

However.

Although the mansion was bustling, no one ever came to invite Ye Qing to meet them.

It was as if he, the "honored guest," had been completely forgotten.

Ye Qing was content with the peace and quiet, not bothering to join the excitement, and remained in his small courtyard, playing with his disciple Mu Mu... Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Wang Residence.

Wang Zhengyuan, with a beaming smile, respectfully welcomed an old man with white hair and a youthful complexion, full of vigor.

This elder was precisely the Wang Family Old Ancestor, Wang Yunshan!

And by Wang Yunshan's side, there was a young man dressed in brocade robes, holding a folding fan.

This young man had quite a handsome appearance.

However, there was an innate faint arrogance between his brows, and his cultivation was not weak either, having impressively reached the Spirit Transformation First Layer Realm!

Among the ordinary younger generation.

He could be considered a rare Genius.

"Zhengyuan."

Wang Yunshan pointed to the young man beside him and, smiling, introduced him to Wang Zhengyuan and Wang Qianliu, who was standing nearby:

"Come, let me introduce you."

"This is the beloved son of one of my closest friends, named Zhao Di."

"This child has good talent and is a direct descendant of the Zhao Family. I brought him out this time mainly to let him see the world and gain some experience near Qianshan City."

At this point.

Wang Yunshan looked at Wang Qianliu, his eyes full of affection, his tone slightly meaningful:

"Qianliu, during your time in Qianshan City, you young people can interact more."

"Zhao Di is knowledgeable and talented; you should have many common topics."

The meaning was already very clear.

This was a subtle attempt to set the two up!

The young man named Zhao Di, hearing this, immediately closed his folding fan.

He bowed politely to Wang Zhengyuan and Wang Qianliu.

With a smile, he said:

"Junior Zhao Di greets Uncle Wang."

"Greetings, Fairy Qianliu."