Ye Tiancheng channeled his true qi to his dan tian, intending to strike and finish the tiger in one blow. However, the tiger lunged to bite him. Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng dodged in time, or he would have been injured.
"It's just a wisp of true qi, and after so many years, it's almost dissipated. Why do you still fight me so desperately?"
"Who are you? You are not a descendant of the Hou family. Leave quickly, or don't blame me for being impolite."
The voice sounded like an elder. This guardian beast of the Hou family was indeed old. Even after so many years of dissipation, it could still possess such formidable strength. It was truly incomprehensible.
"I am your Hou family's son-in-law, so I can be considered your descendant. I've come to retrieve the fragments of the Fuxi Qin. I already have two pieces, and I want to collect all six."
"You can obtain two fragments of the Fuxi Qin, which shows some ability. However, I am not sure if you are the Hou family's son-in-law. As for that drop of blood, it could have been obtained after killing a member of the Hou family."
It turned out that this guardian beast was so loyal, being so vigilant against anyone outside the Hou family. If he couldn't produce evidence, Ye Tiancheng would likely have to fight it.
"I told you, I am the Hou family's prospective son-in-law. There's nothing to doubt. If you don't believe me, I'll have to beat you into believing."
"Don't be so arrogant, young man. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your cultivation is strong. You are merely at the peak of the Golden Core realm, not yet an immortal. What's so great about that? Even if you destroy me, you will also be injured."
What the Hou family's guardian beast said had some truth to it, but Ye Tiancheng had to obtain the Fuxi Qin fragments. Otherwise, all his efforts during this period would be in vain.
"No more nonsense. I must take the item. If you don't move aside, we'll have to perish together."
At this critical moment, Hou Mingzhu suddenly rushed out and stood in front of Ye Tiancheng. "You big tiger, do you just want to prove if he's a member of the Hou family? I am a member of the Hou family, and he is my fiancé."
"It's you, Cai Xia. I finally get to see you again."
It seemed that the person who refined the guardian beast with true qi back then must have had some connection with Hou Mingzhu's ancestor, which led to this sudden remark.
This guardian beast likely had the divine consciousness of that immortal on it, but it was merely a remnant, a lingering obsession that served no real purpose and would soon dissipate with the wind.
"Give my Brother Ye what he wants. Brother Ye is a very important person to me. Don't hurt him."
"Cai Xia, it has been a thousand years. I can finally see you again. I have no regrets in this life."
After the voice faded, the big tiger also disappeared. It seemed that Hou Mingzhu's appearance had timely prevented a fierce battle, and Ye Tiancheng was unharmed. He felt even more grateful to Hou Mingzhu.
"Hou Mingzhu, I truly don't know how to repay you. I've clearly told you that I'm using you, yet you repay my ill intentions with kindness time and time again, helping me. Thank you."
"Alright, Brother Ye, isn't that glowing object what you've been looking for? You've gone through so much hardship to finally get it. Don't waste any more time."
Indeed, it was a fragment of the Fuxi Qin. The two fragments of the Fuxi Qin Ye Tiancheng possessed sensed it and were also emitting a faint light.
Ye Tiancheng didn't even need to walk over. The fragment of the Fuxi Qin was attracted to the other two, and the three fragments formed a semicircle.
"Hou Mingzhu, look, this is what I was looking for. I've got half of it now. I still need to find three more pieces. Once found, this will be a divine artifact."
"Brother Ye, you're amazing. I believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I will always support you."
Ye Tiancheng's original intention was that once he obtained the Fuxi Qin fragments, his relationship with Hou Mingzhu would be completely over.
However, seeing Hou Mingzhu's sincere blessings, Ye Tiancheng hesitated. He decided to postpone it for a while longer, and deal with it later. For now, he couldn't be so ungrateful.
Although Ye Tiancheng wasn't a gentleman, abandoning someone after using them felt wrong, completely inhumane.
It seemed he needed to wait a while. Perhaps when Hou Mingzhu's feelings for him were less fervent, breaking up would be a better choice.
"Let's leave here quickly. I can feel the vibrations here getting stronger. I'm afraid the secret chamber of this ancestral hall is about to collapse."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng didn't have time to explain further to Hou Mingzhu. He grabbed her hand and ran. As the vibrations intensified, the secret chamber had no reason to exist after the Fuxi Qin fragments were taken, so its collapse was quite normal.
Ye Tiancheng's prediction was correct. Not long after he brought Hou Mingzhu out, the entire secret chamber collapsed.
"This is bad. If your father finds out that I came here to cause trouble and caused your family's ancestral hall basement to collapse, he definitely won't let me off."
Compared to Ye Tiancheng's panic, Hou Mingzhu was surprisingly calm. "What does it matter? Anyway, my father doesn't know. As long as the ancestral hall is fine and the ancestral tablets are not lost, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, my father probably won't know anything."
What Hou Mingzhu said made sense, and Ye Tiancheng quickly accepted her reasoning.
"You're right. Then let's keep it a secret between us and not let your father know. Your father has a very bad temper, and I'm afraid he'll get angry and hurt himself."
"Brother Ye, your decisions are always right. I'll listen to you."
Since Hou Mingzhu lost her memory, she had completely become Ye Tiancheng's little follower, listening to everything he said. It was quite amusing, and they got along well.
"Alright, we've seen our ancestors at our hometown, and the mission is complete. Why don't we head back?"
With the Fuxi Qin fragments in hand, Ye Tiancheng was now contemplating how to obtain the next fragment and didn't want to waste any more time at the Hou family's residence.
"Okay, then can I go home with you?"
This question truly stumped Ye Tiancheng. Bringing Hou Mingzhu home was something he wasn't prepared for. However, rejecting Hou Mingzhu outright felt rather ungracious.
"Do you really want to come home with me?"
"Yes, I want to go home with you. I want to meet everyone around you and let them all know that I am your fiancée."
It was normal for Hou Mingzhu to have such thoughts. Ye Tiancheng couldn't just use her and then discard her. Without Hou Mingzhu's help, he wouldn't have been able to obtain this Fuxi Qin fragment.
"But my home environment is too poor, and I don't want you to suffer. It's not appropriate for you to go at this time. My living conditions are difficult, and I'm afraid you won't be able to adapt."
Ye Tiancheng was becoming a bit incoherent in his attempt to reject Hou Mingzhu, which made his intentions rather obvious. Hou Mingzhu's face clearly showed her displeasure.
"Brother Ye, are you looking down on me? I can adapt to this poor environment, so how could I not adapt to your home!"
Ye Tiancheng was once again in a state of confusion. "Hou Mingzhu, sometimes I really can't understand if you're genuinely foolish or just pretending to be."
"Of course I'm not foolish. I've just lost some important memories, but I still remember my feelings for certain people. For example, I feel very familiar with you, and that good impression cannot be erased even after memory loss."
"Alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't treat you like an idiot. You are quite intelligent. If you want to come home with me, then come home."
This time, Hou Mingzhu's contribution was significant, and Ye Tiancheng felt too embarrassed to refuse. Since she had made the request, Ye Tiancheng could only agree.
Before their return journey, Hou Mingzhu received a call from her father. In the conversation, her father mentioned that Ye Tiancheng had taken good care of her, making Hou Mingzhu almost reluctant to leave.
"Dad, I'm planning to go home with Brother Ye. You don't need to worry about me. I'll take good care of myself."
"Mingzhu, can you be a little more reserved? You're a girl, and you're just going to someone's house like this!"
Even Hou Mingzhu's father found it unacceptable. Why was his daughter acting as if she were possessed, clinging to Ye Tiancheng?
"Dad, I want to be with Brother Ye, so I want to go to his house. It's not because his house is particularly good, but mainly because of him."
Upon hearing Hou Mingzhu say this, her father became even more angry.
"Daughter, you've forgotten many memories, but Ye Tiancheng treated you poorly before. If you two hadn't gotten re-engaged, I would have told you to stay away from him. This person is not a good man. Be careful, you might be deceived by him over time."
"Dad, don't worry. Brother Ye is very good. He won't deceive me. He protects me very well and won't let me suffer any grievances."
Hou Mingzhu seemed to be speaking with great effort, mainly because her father didn't seem willing to believe her. At this point, Ye Tiancheng had to step in. Ye Tiancheng took the phone to help Hou Mingzhu.
"Dad, please rest assured and entrust Mingzhu to me. I won't do anything that makes her unhappy."
"You better keep your word, young man. If I find out you've bullied Mingzhu, I will never let you off."
Ye Tiancheng certainly made strong guarantees in front of Hou Mingzhu's father. He couldn't afford to offend his future father-in-law and didn't want to cause trouble.
After gaining the approval of Hou Mingzhu's father, Ye Tiancheng finally brought Hou Mingzhu back home. However, with Hou Mingzhu around, he couldn't sleep in a shack anymore.
Hou Mingzhu was delicate and pampered. Sleeping for one night might cause her skin to break out in a rash. Ye Tiancheng had to ask Xiao Pang to redecorate his old house, making it look less shabby than before.
"Mingzhu, you'll be staying here for the time being. If you're not used to it, please tell me early, and I'll arrange other accommodations for you."
"It's alright, Brother Ye. I really like staying here. Just thinking that this is where you've always lived makes me feel very close to it."
Hearing Hou Mingzhu speak like this, Ye Tiancheng was deeply moved. Hou Mingzhu's devotion to him was genuine and came from the heart, something that could never be faked.
At that moment, an idea sprouted in Ye Tiancheng's mind. If the Hou Mingzhu from the past had half the emotional intelligence of the current Hou Mingzhu, and if their interactions had developed in this direction, they wouldn't have been so confrontational every time they met. Their relationship would likely have eased long ago.
"I will hire someone to help with housekeeping and cooking later. You don't have to do anything yourself. If you need anything, you can tell me, or tell Xiao Pang, or tell the servants directly. Don't hold back."
Ye Tiancheng doted on Hou Mingzhu like a child, fearing she might suffer any grievances. He kept emphasizing that she shouldn't hide her thoughts and should speak up if anything made her unhappy.
"I understand, Brother Ye. I'm not an idiot. I won't keep things bottled up."
Hearing Hou Mingzhu say this, Ye Tiancheng was relieved. He then needed to find information about the next Fuxi Qin fragment. However, after inquiring with the Nuwa Stone and the Great Green Snake, there were no leads. Finally, Ye Tiancheng had to discreetly send out messages among the cultivators.