175: Hey! My ex-husband? What a coincidence!

"They? Who are they?"

Facing Chu Qianqian's persistent questioning, Ancestor Chu Yaohua's soul form visibly trembled.

*Hiss...*

But soon, reason allowed her to calm down, and she secretly warned herself in her heart:

"If it really is that group chasing after me... telling her would only add a massive psychological burden to her for nothing."

Thus, Ancestor Chu Yaohua shook her head, as if trying to convince Chu Qianqian, or perhaps more like a self-comforting denial:

"Impossible... absolutely impossible. Even if their methods are heaven-defying and they can cross the myriad worlds, they wouldn't go through the trouble of hunting down a dead person like me, who fell many years ago, all the way to this godforsaken Lower Realm with its barren Spiritual Qi."

"It must be a coincidence... yes, someone must have accidentally triggered the outer Restrictions from back then, or some lucky Loose Cultivator found a partial map."

Ancestor Chu Yaohua feigned a relaxed air, her tone as level as possible as she explained:

"Girl, there are countless Opportunities in this world; perhaps that boy from the Gu Family found a few words in some ancient text."

Although Chu Qianqian was young and lacked experience,

As the Yaochi Saintess, her keen intuition for danger allowed her to clearly capture the desperate concealment in Ancestor Chu Yaohua's tone.

Chu Qianqian instantly made a judgment, but she was a clever woman.

Since the other was willing to lie rather than speak, it meant she currently lacked the qualifications to touch upon this matter.

In the world of cultivation, for certain levels of affairs, the less one knows, the longer and safer one lives.

"Alright, since the Old Ancestor says so, then I am relieved."

Chu Qianqian stopped questioning, burying this doubt deep within her heart.

She temporarily suppressed the gloom in her mind.

Then, she took a deep breath, adjusted her expression, and returned to her usual state of being cold with a hint of haughtiness.

She took Shen Yueyao's hand, and the two women began catching up as if no one else were there, chatting quite heatedly.

Right then, Lu Yi, who had been acting as background scenery the whole time, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Ahem."

Lu Yi cleared his throat and interjected quite abruptly:

"Uh... I say, Qianqian."

He rubbed his hands together and leaned in with a look of overfamiliarity:

"Catching up is all well and good, but we have to talk business, don't we? Since you've managed to become this 'Old Ancestor' of the Chu Family, your word must carry a lot of weight."

Lu Yi raised an eyebrow, finally revealing his true intentions:

"I wonder if it would be convenient for you to do us a favor? Let us stay at the Chu Family for a while?"

The abacus in Lu Yi's heart was currently clicking and clacking loudly.

Just now, he had seen Li Xiu being taken home by that naive girl, Chu Siyao.

"This won't do."

Lu Yi pondered secretly:

"If I stay at an inn outside, how can I monitor that kid's movements 24/7 without any blind spots? What if this kid triggers some hidden plotline in the Chu Family again, like helping them fix a family heirloom or having his relationship with Chu Siyao heat up? Wouldn't I be losing out big time?"

"I must move in and observe from a close distance! I have to be ready at all times!"

Hearing Lu Yi's brazen and overfamiliar request,

Chu Qianqian's beautiful willow-leaf brows instantly twitched.

Almost as a subconscious reaction, she was about to refuse without even thinking:

"In your dreams!!"

She glared at Lu Yi and said crossly:

"My Chu Family isn't an inn, nor is it a shelter! You think you can just stay because you want to? Besides, if I let you stay, what if you..."

However, before she could finish speaking,

She felt someone gently tugging at her sleeve.

Chu Qianqian turned her head to see Shen Yueyao looking at her with large, watery eyes, hands pressed together in prayer. Her eyes were full of hope and entreaty as she acted spoiled in a soft, sweet voice:

"Qianqian... I want to spend a few more days with you too..."

"Uh..."

Facing her best friend's devastatingly powerful offensive, Chu Qianqian's defenses instantly crumbled.

She looked at Shen Yueyao, then at Lu Yi, who had a mischievous grin on his Face.

She weighed the pros and cons.

"Sigh..."

Chu Qianqian let out a long, helpless sigh, as if resigning herself to fate:

"Fine! Fine!"

She turned her head, glared fiercely at Lu Yi, and held up one finger:

"For Yueyao's sake, I'll make an exception this once! However!"

Chu Qianqian's expression turned stern as she laid down the law:

"Let's get the unpleasantness out of the way first! While in the Chu Family, you better behave yourself! Stay in line!"

"If you dare do anything strange... I will kick you out directly! No negotiations!"

"Don't worry!"

Lu Yi immediately stood up straight, thumping his chest with an air of righteous integrity as he guaranteed:

"I, Lu Yi, am a gentleman of honor, a reader of the Spring and Autumn Annals! I would never do anything sneaky or underhanded!"

Having reached an agreement, Chu Qianqian resumed her cold 'Old Ancestor' persona and led the two of them straight to the Chu Family's discussion hall.

At this moment, inside the spacious and bright discussion hall, the atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.

The current head of the Chu Family, Chu Lingfeng, was full of smiles, cupping his hands in gratitude toward Li Xiu, who sat in the primary guest seat.

"Young Master Li, thank you so much!"

Chu Lingfeng looked at the young man before him, who, though plainly dressed, possessed an extraordinary bearing. His eyes were full of admiration:

"If not for your righteous intervention, my daughter Siyao might have fallen into Murong Che's cruel hands! My Chu Family will never forget such great kindness!"

Li Xiu sat in his chair, back straight, returning the gesture neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Family Head Chu, you flatter me. Seeing injustice and drawing one's sword to help is the duty of us Cultivators. Moreover, Lady Siyao only encountered danger while searching for Spirit Medicine for you; such filial piety moved this Junior."

This exchange of pleasantries was flawless, being both modest and appropriate.

Chu Lingfeng nodded repeatedly as he listened, becoming more and more satisfied with this young man the more he looked at him.

He was even secretly calculating in his heart:

Though this boy looks destitute, his Heart-Nature and manner of speech are both extraordinary... Just as the two were conversing happily,

Chu Lingfeng noticed his 'Old Ancestor' had arrived.

Chu Lingfeng's body jolted; he hurriedly retracted his smile, his expression becoming incomparably respectful as he quickly rose to straighten his clothes.

Seeing this, Li Xiu also stood up quickly.

He took a deep breath and straightened his collar, preparing to once again pay respects to that 'young Old Ancestor' who had stunned him and even made his heart flutter slightly, hoping to leave an even better impression.

"Old Ancestor!"

As the sound of footsteps approached, Chu Lingfeng and Li Xiu bowed in greeting simultaneously.

However, when they raised their heads, prepared to welcome the Fairy clad in snow-white,

They were stunned to find that behind the Old Ancestor, there were actually two strangers—a young man and a young woman!

Li Xiu's gaze paused slightly as it swept over Shen Yueyao, a flash of bewilderment appearing in his eyes.

Immediately after, when his vision touched upon Lu Yi beside Shen Yueyao,

*Buzz—!*

The modest, gentle smile originally hanging on Li Xiu's Face instantly froze.

"Lu..."

Before Chu Qianqian or Chu Lingfeng could even open their mouths to introduce them,

Lu Yi took a step forward first.

His Face wore that signature, brilliant smile that made one want to punch him.

He raised a hand and waved extremely enthusiastically at the pale-faced Li Xiu:

"Yo!!"

Lu Yi's voice echoed in the hall, sounding particularly grating:

"Isn't this Ex-husband Brother? What a coincidence! We meet again!"

Looking at Li Xiu's murderous gaze, Lu Yi seemed to suddenly remember something; he slapped his forehead and corrected himself without a shred of sincerity:

"Oh, wait, no, to be more precise, I should call you Ex-fiancé Brother."