“What took you so long?” Liu Zonghe hurried over as soon as Liu Nanfeng parked the car.
“It’s still late?” Liu Nanfeng glanced at the sun in the sky.
It was only a little past eight, not yet nine. On the way, Liu Nanfeng had seen people squatting by the entrance eating breakfast.
“Your mother got up at four o’clock and has been waiting for you until now.”
“Then where is Mom?”
“She’s busy in the kitchen.”
“Busy with what? She got up so early, hasn’t she finished yet?”
“Precisely because she got up so early, she had nothing to do, so she killed another chicken.”
Liu Nanfeng: …
This chicken was truly wronged.
The two entered the house, talking as they went.
“Dad, do you want to come with me for a while?”
“How can I do that? We have chickens and ducks at home. If everyone leaves, who will take care of them?” Liu Zonghe refused outright.
Besides, Yu Huilan had also instructed him to raise more chickens at home and to save all the eggs for his daughter-in-law.
Hearing him say this, Liu Nanfeng didn’t insist. Just then, he saw Yu Huilan coming out of the kitchen with a basin.
“What took you so long?” she said, repeating Liu Zonghe’s earlier words.
“It’s not even nine yet, why are you rushing?” Liu Nanfeng complained.
Yu Huilan just said it casually and didn’t dwell on the issue. Instead, she asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Oh? Did you make breakfast yourself, or did Jinxiu get up early to make it for you?” Yu Huilan looked at him with a slightly displeased expression.
“Neither. Huamei made it when she got up this morning,” Liu Nanfeng said, feeling a bit speechless.
Then he pointed to the several snake-skin bags on the cement ground in the yard and asked, “Are you planning to take all of these with us?”
“Yes, these are all homegrown produce, unsprayed. They’re good for your health. Your father and I prepared them all day yesterday,” Yu Huilan said matter-of-factly.
“Is that necessary? There’s too much of this, it’ll spoil.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t. These sweet potatoes, peanuts, and yams can all be stored for a long time.”
Liu Nanfeng looked. Besides the items she mentioned, there were also eggs, duck eggs, broad beans, fava beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and so on.
“Then what about these?” Liu Nanfeng asked, truly speechless.
“These aren’t many; we’ll eat them in a few days. Your mother knows what she’s doing and won’t let them spoil,” Yu Huilan said with great confidence.
“Alright, enough nonsense. Move them to the car,” Liu Zonghe said and prepared to act.
“No need to move them,” Liu Nanfeng stopped him directly, then summoned [Guanshanhai]. With a single sweep of his hand, everything in front of them vanished without a trace.
The couple was first surprised, then reacted.
Then Yu Huilan spoke first, “If I had known it was so convenient, we should have prepared even more.”
Liu Nanfeng: …
After Yu Huilan had prepared her toiletries, Liu Nanfeng swept them up again with Guanshanhai, taking the couple into it. Liu Nanfeng followed.
“Mom, Dad.” Su Jinxiu was standing in front of the pile of items that had just been brought in. Seeing them enter, she immediately went to meet them.
“Jinxiu.”
The couple hurried to greet her. They were already very satisfied with their daughter-in-law, feeling their son had married up. Now that she also had the status of a cultivator, and most importantly, was willing to sacrifice herself to have a child for their son, they were both touched and in awe.
“How long have you been pregnant? Are you feeling unwell anywhere, like nausea or vomiting…”
Yu Huilan held Su Jinxiu’s hand, appearing very enthusiastic.
Meanwhile, Liu Nanfeng was moving the items he had just collected into the house. Gugu was also helping with the effort, making “Gugu, Gugu” sounds.
Liu Nanfeng did not refuse her good intentions. Although she couldn’t help much, sometimes allowing her to feel useful would make her more confident.
So, after all the items were moved, Liu Nanfeng solemnly thanked Gugu.
“Gugu.”
Seeing Liu Nanfeng thank her so earnestly, Gugu actually felt a little shy and became fidgety.
Seeing her adorable demeanor, Liu Nanfeng put a handful of peanuts into her pocket as a token of thanks.
Gugu did not refuse. After all, everything she ate and drank was from Liu Nanfeng; she was already used to it.
Leading him out of the house, they saw Liu Zonghe and his wife surrounding Su Jinxiu and talking to her.
They kept giving her instructions, worrying about everything, a thousand times over.
While Liu Nanfeng was experiencing familial bliss, the Ninth Bureau was reporting up the chain, and the entire national machinery began to operate.
Old Dragon King was also invited to the Xia Capital headquarters, bringing with him the corpse of the desolate beast.
“It’s so enormous, and its body is even harder than steel. Truly remarkable.”
The speaker was a middle-aged man with white, flowing hair, carrying a long sword on his back.
He was Xia Changsheng, an old friend of Old Dragon King and one of the twelve presidents of the Ninth Bureau. He was stationed in Xia Capital for a long time and was extremely powerful.
“Look at its front limbs, incredibly sharp. My steward, although not deeply cultivated, possesses the bloodline of the Xuan Turtle and is protected by a turtle shell, making him invulnerable to any divine weapon. Yet, in one blow from this desolate beast, he was split in two.”
Old Dragon King spoke, his finger brushing over the barbs on the forelimb, producing a pleasant sound like jade striking jade.
“But it was ultimately killed. It seems your niece is immensely powerful. Among the younger generation, there is likely no one who can match her,” Xia Changsheng praised.
Old Dragon King merely chuckled at this, not uttering any words of false modesty.
“By the way, does the Grand President know about this matter?” he asked Xia Changsheng, his gaze drifting towards Ao Haiping and Ao Jiangyue in the distance.
A few young people were surrounding them, talking about something.
He had brought the two of them to Xia Capital this time, while Ao Haichao remained in Shencheng to oversee matters.
The events at Dragon Gate had thrown the aquatic race into a state of panic, and they needed reassurance. Their base of operations could not be left unattended at this critical juncture.
Furthermore, this was Ao Jiangyue’s first formal appearance to the public. Many had forgotten her existence over the years.
“Of course, the Grand President knows. The invitation for you this time was actually issued by the Grand President himself.”
“Then where is he?” Old Dragon King asked, puzzled.
The Ninth Bureau’s Grand President was immensely powerful and held a revered position in Great Xia. However, Old Dragon King’s position was also extremely unique.
If the Grand President had invited him, it was highly impolite for him not to even show his face.
“There’s no helping it. There have been frequent incidents in the Xining area recently. Just before you arrived, another major event occurred, and the Grand President had to go personally to take charge,” Xia Changsheng explained.
Upon hearing this, Old Dragon King showed a hint of disappointment.
“However, don’t worry. The Grand President specifically instructed me to give you a tour of some of our Ninth Bureau’s research institutes.”
“Research institutes?” Old Dragon King was taken aback.
Why would they take him to visit research institutes?
“Although we are cultivators, this is, after all, a technologically advanced society. Many studies have indeed provided us with new perspectives. Moreover, the combination of spells and technology has led to the creation of many formidable devices.”
Hearing Xia Changsheng’s words, Old Dragon King couldn’t help but feel curious.
Xia Changsheng, as one of the twelve presidents of the Ninth Bureau, was naturally very strong. His ability to be stationed in Xia Capital made him a standout among the twelve presidents. If he said something was formidable, it truly must be formidable.