The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 399 (Patreon)

Chapter 398 doesn’t exist

Chapter 399: Rewards, Stripped Titles, and the Xuantian Token

At the Lei Clan’s mountain gate, Cuizhi waited, glancing toward the clan’s main peak from time to time. About half an hour later, a familiar figure came into view. She hurried forward.

“Mother, did the Lei Clan agree to an alliance?”

There was a faint tension in her voice.

Liu Meizhen gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Cuizhi’s eyes lit with joy. “Mother truly is formidable! In that case, counting the Cao Clan we’re heading to next, we’ll have a three-party alliance. If we can rope in the Ouyang Clan as well, we’ll be the largest camp!”

Liu Meizhen shook her head. “A three-way standoff is already the best outcome. If we become the largest camp, the Huang and Wu clans will inevitably join hands against us. At that point, the situation would actually turn unfavorable.”

Cuizhi was puzzled. “Mother, if that’s so, why don’t we just ally with either the Huang or the Wu? They’re powerful. If we could join forces with them, wouldn’t that be safer?”

Liu Meizhen gave Cuizhi a meaningful look. “The Huang Clan hails from the imperial capital and has people in court; the Wu Clan comes from the city of wealth and is rich and strong. They look down on small families like us who clawed our way up from the bottom. Even if we make overtures, they may not sincerely ally with us. Besides, if a camp grows too large, the spoils get diluted. Rather than playing polite games with them, it’s better for us to move steadily and keep a three-way balance.”

Cuizhi listened, then nodded, more thoughtful now and more admiring of her mother’s foresight. She said softly, “Mother, you’re right. I didn’t think it through.”

Liu Meizhen smiled. “Cuizhi, you’re still young. Many things must be learned slowly. Remember this: in chaotic times, steady wins. Bite off more than you can chew, and excess turns to harm.”

Cuizhi nodded solemnly. “Rest assured, Mother. I understand.”

“Come. We’re going to the Cao Clan.”

From the Lei Clan to the Cao Clan, going by footwork alone, Cao Xianger should already have arrived.

Liu Meizhen patted her Spirit Beast Pouch, and a Two-Headed Green-Eyed Python roared out. The two mounted the serpent and sped toward the Cao Clan fief.

The head of the Cao branch clan, Cao Yuanshan, was in the council hall discussing the imperial proclamation with his elders when a disciple reported that Cao Xianger from the main line had come to visit. His brows rose; a hint of doubt and anticipation surfaced in his heart.

Cao Xianger was a genius of the main clan—young, yet already at the False Core Realm, her strength remarkable. This visit was likely tied to the soon-to-open secret realm. “You continue the discussion,” he said tersely.

Rising from the grand armchair, he straightened his robes and hurried toward the mountain gate, calculating inwardly. If he could leverage the main clan’s influence on the quota allocation for the Kunlun Secret Realm, perhaps their branch could secure a few more places.

With that thought, his steps quickened.

At the gate, he saw the chief steward leading Cao Xianger toward the guest hall.

Cao Xianger wore a plain dress; her brows and eyes were as if painted. She had served as a Ten-Thousand-Household Lord at the Realm-Pacification Division for decades now, and an unobtrusive but undeniable authority ran through her every gesture.

Cao Yuanshan hastened forward, cupped his hands with a smile, and said, “Miss Xianger, your visit honors us. Forgive me for not welcoming you from afar!”

Cao Xianger showed no airs. “Uncle Yuanshan, you’re too kind.”

This was his first time dealing with Cao Xianger.

Because she hadn’t spent many years with the main clan, he hadn’t expected this official from on high to be so approachable. He was a little flattered—after all, besides bearing office, she had another identity: a cultivator at the False Core Realm.

One step further would be Golden Core.

He bent at the waist and led the way. “Please, Miss Xianger.”

They entered the main hall and sat as host and guest. After having fragrant tea served, Cao Yuanshan finally asked, “May I ask what instructions bring you here, Miss Xianger?”

Cao Xianger set down her cup.

All were family; she didn’t beat around the bush. “The Kunlun Secret Realm is about to open. As I understand it, the court has allotted one hundred spots to the seventh-rank clans of Wu Province. I’m here to help our Cao Clan secure as many as possible.”

As expected, she had come for the secret realm.

The patriarch’s thoughts spun.

Nothing falls from the sky for free.

Cao Xianger’s offer to aid their branch likely aimed at finding a chance within the Kunlun Secret Realm to break through to Golden Core.

That would mean one of their Purple Mansion slots would be taken by her.

Their seventh-rank clans in Wu Province had only twenty Purple Mansion slots. Still, with Cao Xianger’s help, they could likely gain an advantage in the coming allocation. Moreover, having a clan member at the False Core Realm leading the team into the secret realm was as good as having an extra life-saving card.

Naturally, the patriarch was delighted. “Miss Xianger, do you have a plan?”

Cao Xianger nodded slightly and explained her idea to ally with the Fu Clan.

The patriarch’s face remained impassive, though he did look down on the Fu Clan somewhat.

Their branch might not be the main line, but they still hailed from a Golden Core family. Among the cultivators in their fief, there were already several at the peak of Purple Mansion. From the intelligence he’d gathered, the Fu Clan’s strongest—its head, Fu Changsheng—was said to be only at the sixth layer of Purple Mansion.

Cao Yuanshan said tactfully, “Miss Xianger, not long ago both the Huang and Wu clans sent word wishing to ally with us. Those two clans far surpass the Fu Clan in overall strength, and each camp already has three families. If we nod, we’ll be part of Wu Province’s largest alliance among the seventh-rank clans. Wouldn’t that let us dictate how the secret realm quotas are divided?”

Cao Xianger chuckled, lifted her cup, and took a sip.

She hadn’t wanted to come in person, but Liu Meizhen had sent a message urging her to come no matter what. Hearing Cao Yuanshan’s words now, she finally understood Liu Meizhen’s insistence.

“Uncle Yuanshan, have you looked into the internal situation of the Huang and Wu alliances?”

Of the four seventh-rank clans tied to Huang and Wu, calling them allies was generous; they were more like vassals. Their ties were deep-rooted and solid as bedrock. They might seem to extend an olive branch, but truly they only wanted another lapdog. Joining either alliance would leave the Cao Clan without any voice.

With that hint, the patriarch’s expression changed.

They were used to deference in Jingzhou under the Cao Clan’s banner. Even in Wu Province, their main clan was a fifth-rank Golden Core family; other seventh-rank clans, if not for them then for the main clan’s face, had to show some respect. He hadn’t expected the Huang and Wu backgrounds to be so great. Feeling a bit abashed, he rose and bowed. “Many thanks for the reminder, Miss Xianger.”

Since the Huang and Wu camps weren’t reliable, the Cao Clan’s remaining options were to ally with the Fu Clan and the Lei Clan.

As for the Ouyang Clan—mysterious and unfathomable.

Ever since they settled their fief in Wu Province, he hadn’t heard a single true whisper about the Ouyang Clan.

Just then, a message came from outside: Liu Meizhen had come to visit.

Hearing this, Cao Yuanshan’s heart stirred. He’d intended to have servants bring her in, but after a moment’s hesitation, he decided to go personally.

The clan had been busy building the fief.

Even so, he’d vaguely heard that the Fu Clan’s matriarch, Liu Meizhen, was currently managing the Huizhou Prefecture.

He quickened his pace.

At the mountain gate he saw two plainly dressed women, both rare beauties, but the one on the left—Liu Meizhen—had a steady, immovable grace that immediately drew the eye.

“I have long heard of Madam Fu’s name. Seeing you today, you truly are a heroine among women.”

After a few polite exchanges, he escorted them toward the guest hall.

Talking along the way, he found Liu Meizhen poised and at ease, as refreshing as a spring breeze. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in praise, and he understood why the Fu Clan head trusted her to manage Huizhou Prefecture.

In the guest hall, Liu Meizhen saluted Cao Xianger. “I pay my respects, Lord Ten-Thousand-Household.”

They hadn’t met for some time, but because of a secret known only to the two, they weren’t stiff with each other.

After the three sat and exchanged brief courtesies, they got down to business.

When the patriarch heard Liu Meizhen had already obtained the Lei Clan’s blood-oath alliance contract, he was stunned. His earlier disdain for the Fu Clan dissolved by more than half.

His gaze unconsciously settled on Liu Meizhen, who was conversing with Cao Xianger at ease. He couldn’t help thinking, “This Liu Meizhen truly is remarkable!”

They had just received the imperial proclamation and hadn’t yet settled on any plan, while she had already secured two families in quick succession, establishing a third alliance to counter Huang and Wu.

As efficient as their own Cao Xianger.

With Cao Xianger taking the lead, the alliance came together even more smoothly than expected.

Liu Meizhen flicked her sleeve; a burst of rosy light flashed, and a dark red contract soul-book hovered in the air. With a Hand Seal, it buzzed open. Faint ghostly howls seemed to rise from within.

This alliance book was forged by an ancient secret technique. Once signed, it could not be violated. Those who broke it would be devoured by divine and ghostly backlash.

This was the most solemn alliance rite in the cultivation world.

Liu Meizhen nodded, drawing a shallow line on her finger. A drop of essence blood flew out, hovering in the air with a faint red glow.

Cao Yuanshan didn’t hesitate. He likewise flicked his fingertip; a drop of essence blood flew forth and met Liu Meizhen’s in midair.

Together they declared, “My Cao Clan will form an alliance with the Fu Clan and the Lei Clan for the council of seventh-rank families on the Kunlun Secret Realm quota distribution. We swear by blood, with gods and ghosts as witness!”

When the words fell, a boom resounded.

Ghostly qi coiled around the soul-book, condensing into a vortex. Something neither god nor ghost, veiled in heavy mist, darted out and swallowed the fused blood in one gulp.

Then it sank back into the book.

At the same time, the runes on the soul-book blazed; gold and blood light interwove, forming a dazzling pillar that flooded the hall. The three felt a powerful force surge from the scroll and envelop the hall. The pillar spiraled for a moment, then split into two streams that shot into Liu Meizhen’s and Cao Yuanshan’s foreheads.

The pact was sealed.

Cao Yuanshan relaxed a little. Seeing that Cao Xianger clearly had private words for Liu Meizhen, he wisely said, “Madam Fu, please rest a moment. I’ll have them prepare a banquet.”

With that, he took his leave.

Only Cao Xianger and Liu Meizhen remained in the hall.

Cao Xianger sent a Hand Seal into the room’s formation; the light curtain closed. Only then did she say, “Madam Fu, I heard Brother Qiang has been missing for years with no word. Do you know why?”

Liu Meizhen started.

After his relapse into drink, Brother Qiang had been confined by Fu Changsheng to a small courtyard. She’d been in Jingzhou all this time and had assumed Brother Qiang had already died of old age. “Lord Cao, this matter—when I return—”

“No need,” Cao Xianger waved.

With a flick of her sleeve, a casket floated to Liu Meizhen. “Please pass this to Brother Fu for me, and say it’s a gift from Changsheng.”

Changsheng?

Liu Meizhen’s lowered lashes trembled.

That address was far more intimate than the earlier “Patriarch Fu.”

Leaving the Cao Clan, Cuizhi noticed her mother seemed more preoccupied and, after thinking a moment, ventured, “Mother, are you worried we’ll be the weak link in this alliance?”

The Cao main clan was a Golden Core family.

The Lei Clan looked weak, but it had a natural sword-seed genius—breakthrough to Golden Core was within reach.

Liu Meizhen shook her head.

Before long, Kang’er would inherit the Seven-Commandery Prince’s residence.

When that time came, these people would be scrambling to curry favor with the Fu Clan.

Back in Demon-Subduing City, those who had come from Huainan Prefecture—Fu Yongfu and the others—hurried over to pay respects.

Liu Meizhen’s gaze fell on Fu Yongjing, and her brows eased.

The family hadn’t gathered in a long time. Fu Yongfu volunteered to arrange that night’s family feast. Yaoyao laughed. “Mother, you must try a few new dishes Fu ge’er developed. I ate them three days running and still can’t get enough.”

As the family chatted, Yaoyao handed Liu Meizhen a Hundred Treasure Pouch. “Mother, Father left this for you before he left for Jingzhou.”

“Mhm.”

Liu Meizhen took it.

Earlier, Fu Changsheng had sent her the Drunken Dragon Pill formula through the Shadow Gate Mask; without looking, she knew most of what was inside would be ingredients for refining Drunken Dragon Pills.

Night fell. Lights glittered across Demon-Subduing City. Warmth filled the clan head’s hall. Liu Meizhen sat at the head seat.

Yaoyao, Cuizhi, Gan Muwan, Fu Yongjing, Fu Yongfu, and Fu Yongfu’s wife Haiyun sat around the long table. The dishes were plentiful and fragrant. Fu Yongfu, who had cooked personally and devised several new recipes, introduced them with pride.

“Mother, please try this ‘Spirit Deer Stewed with Snow Lotus.’ The venison is tender, the snow lotus sweet and pure—nourishing and perfect for you.” He served Liu Meizhen a piece, eyes full of expectation.

Liu Meizhen smiled, lifted the meat delicately, tasted it, and nodded. “Fu ge’er’s craft is truly excellent. The heat is just right and the flavor superb.”

Yaoyao teased with a grin, “Mother, don’t praise him too much or Fu di will get carried away.”

Fu Yongfu pulled a mock wounded face at Yaoyao. “Elder Sister, you’ll hurt my heart. I racked my brains for this feast.”

Everyone laughed, and the mood grew lighter.

Haiyun, gentle as ever at her husband’s side, laughed softly. “Elder Sister, when he learned we’d come to Huizhou Prefecture, he cooked these dishes over and over, day and night, just to please Mother and everyone.”

Liu Meizhen looked at Haiyun with satisfaction. “Yun’er, these years Fu ge’er could focus on developing new spirit cuisine recipes thanks to you cleaning up after him, handling the household, and raising the children. You’ve worked hard.”

Haiyun lowered her head, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Mother flatters me. This is a daughter-in-law’s duty.”

Fu Yongjing sat quietly, but his eyes stayed on Liu Meizhen with respect. He raised his cup. “Mother, I toast you. May you enjoy good health and long life.”

Liu Meizhen clinked cups with him, smiling from the eyes. “Jing ge’er, you took first in the clan competition this time. You made me look at you anew. In the future, guard against pride and keep pressing forward.”

Fu Yongjing nodded solemnly. “Rest assured, Mother. I won’t let you down.”

Seeing the cups raised, Yaoyao suggested with a smile, “Mother, since we’re so rarely all together, let’s toast as one—may the Fu Clan flourish, and may our family be safe and joyful.”

Liu Meizhen agreed, and everyone raised their cups together. “May the Fu Clan flourish, and our family be safe and joyful!”

After the feast, Liu Meizhen kept Fu Yongfu behind. “Fu ge’er, has the clan discovered why your younger brother disappeared?”

The mention wiped the smile from his face, leaving guilt and self-reproach. “Mother, I only learned later from my sister-in-law. I failed as an elder brother. Over these years while Qiang ge’er was confined, I barely visited. He must have felt neglected, grew disheartened, and left home. Given his age, I fear…”

He feared his brother had died in some forgotten corner.

Liu Meizhen’s finger tapped the table. If Qiang ge’er had truly died, the clan would already have held a funeral. Even without a body, they could always raise a cenotaph. And the Soul Lamp left for him in the clan’s soul hall should still be lit.

This was a variable she didn’t know.

She gathered her thoughts, offered a few words of comfort, then flicked her sleeve and sent a casket drifting to Fu Yongfu. “This is your birthday gift prepared by your father. He hoped to hand it to you himself, but urgent business in Jingzhou forced him to leave it with me.”

Though Fu Changsheng couldn’t celebrate with his children every year, he never once missed a birthday gift. Fu Yongfu had grown used to it, but he was still moved. He accepted it with both hands.

Leaving the clan head’s hall, he returned to his small courtyard. Seeing his dejection, Haiyun’s heart skipped. “Husband, what did Mother say to you?”

Fu Yongfu had always been an open book to his wife. He told her frankly about Qiang ge’er. Haiyun frowned and shook her head. “Husband, if Mother truly wanted to know about our younger brother, she ought to ask Sister-in-law Muwan directly.”

Gan Muwan handled the household and, in any case, was Qiang ge’er’s wife.

Haiyun felt Liu Meizhen’s move had another aim.

Her gaze turned slightly. “Besides your younger brother, did Mother say anything else?”

Fu Yongfu was still mired in self-blame and had little desire to talk. He only shook his head and was about to enter the room when he noticed his wife still pondering. He handed her the gift. “Wife, this is my birthday present from Father. Mother passed it on. Keep it.”

Fu Yongfu cared only for spirit cuisine and spirit wine. Nearly everything in their household he left to his wife.

With that, he closed the door.

Clearly, raising the matter of Qiang ge’er had left him unsettled.

Seeing this, Haiyun didn’t press him. Her gaze fell to the casket in her hands. The seals showed it had never been opened. She wasn’t overly excited—most of the gifts Fu Changsheng sent Fu Yongfu were related to spirit cuisine or spirit wine.

She formed a Hand Seal.

As the white wood-leaf patterned casket opened, a pill bottle appeared. Seeing what lay within, Haiyun couldn’t help exclaiming, “This is…”

The Soul-Guiding Pill!

The spirit pill countless Foundation Establishment cultivators dreamed of lay before her eyes. Haiyun swallowed, excitement surging, and nearly knocked on the door to call Fu Yongfu out.

But when her hand touched the door, she froze.

“No. Something’s off.”

A Soul-Guiding Pill was that important.

If Father truly meant to give it to her husband, he should have handed it over personally. Even if he had Mother pass it on, he would have told her clearly. Yet Mother hadn’t mentioned it at all. Obviously, she likely didn’t know what the casket held.

In a flash, a thought struck her. “Could the rumor be true?”

Her body trembled.

Fu Yongfu and Fu Yongqiang were twins. As a sister-in-law, she had paid attention to Qiang ge’er. Even at his drunkest, he wouldn’t have been suddenly confined by Father—and kept there unless he died.

There had to be a reason.

She couldn’t help recalling some drunken ravings Qiang ge’er had once muttered. She had let them in one ear and out the other, not daring to take them seriously. But thinking that Mother had just returned from seeing the Cao Clan and brought back a gift, it was hard not to speculate.

“Most likely, the rumor is true!”

Haiyun felt as if she had uncovered a shocking secret; her heart thudded faster.

Cao Xianger was only a step from Golden Core. If the rumor was true, it would be a tremendous boon for her husband.

She nearly rushed to share the secret with him—but just as the thought rose, she crushed it.

Given his temperament, learning his true parentage might be hard to accept. He was deeply sentimental. To discover that his birth mother hadn’t acknowledged him for decades, that he had been abandoned at birth—one wrong turn in his heart, and he might invite inner demons.

Haiyun clenched the three Soul-Guiding Pills.

Her husband’s top priority now was awakening his soul and completing the last step to break through to Purple Mansion. As for the rest, they could speak of it later.

She shook off the clutter of thoughts and knocked.

The door opened.

When she handed the Soul-Guiding Pills to Fu Yongfu, he froze, rubbed his eyes again and again, thinking he’d misseen. In the end, he bowed toward the direction of Jingzhou, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Father hadn’t given the Soul-Guiding Pills in person, evidently not wishing to pressure him about breaking through. Touched by that deep paternal love, Fu Yongfu swore silently to make something of himself and not disappoint his father’s hopes.

At the side, Haiyun’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but in the end she said nothing. As the saying goes, the simple are simply blessed.

By the time Fu Changsheng arrived at the Seven-Commandery Prince’s residence, dusk had fallen. The sunset’s afterglow lay gold and red across the grand vermilion gates. He wore a dark robe and a jade belt embroidered with cloud patterns at his waist.

Several servants had been waiting at the gate. When they saw him, the chief steward hurried forward and bowed. “Patriarch Fu, His Highness has been waiting in the main hall. Please, this way.”

Fu Changsheng inclined his head, his gaze sweeping over the stone lions and lofty archway. He couldn’t help a private sigh. Though the Seven-Commandery Prince and the Grand Princess—his mother-in-law—were at odds, the stone lions were forged from third-tier top-grade cloud-spirit jade—extravagant indeed.

And all of this—

As long as Kang’er completed the last metric, he could inherit the princely title.

Entering the residence, they passed winding corridors and came to the main hall. The hall was bright with lamps. The Seven-Commandery Prince sat in the main seat. A glance told Fu Changsheng the prince showed no trace of illness; he hardly looked like a man near death.

“Your Highness.”

“You and I are family. No need for formality.”

In the past, getting an audience with the Seven-Commandery Prince would have been a fool’s dream. Besides being a prince, he was a Golden Core True Person. That he received Fu Changsheng personally today meant he had something to say.

Fu Changsheng had a guess—the matter of Kang’er completing the final requirement.

The prince indicated a seat and dismissed the attendants. Only the two remained. He didn’t beat around the bush. “Patriarch Fu, Kang’er is bright and blessed with fine aptitude. He has completed the first ten or so criteria for establishing the heir apparent. Only one remains: he must personally go to Heavenly Secrets Valley and obtain the Xuantian Token, proving he has the ability to inherit the title.”

Heavenly Secrets Valley?!

Fu Changsheng’s body jolted.

Heavenly Secrets Valley lay in the southwest of Jingzhou Prefecture, one of the ten great forbidden grounds.

It was said that in ancient times, there had been a war between immortals and demons. Countless immortals fell, and heaven and earth changed color. Heavenly Secrets Valley was the final battlefield. When the war ended, an ancient immortal named Xuanji Zi sealed the immortal and demonic forces within the valley with a ban laid at the cost of his cultivation, to prevent leakage and harm to the world.

Because of that ban, no one entering could have a cultivation higher than Purple Mansion.

After hundreds of thousands of years, the valley had long since been trodden through. Even so, a tract of trial grounds remained intact. It was said those who passed the layers of tests could obtain the “Xuantian Token” Xuanji Zi left after setting the ban.

Over time, Heavenly Secrets Valley became a sacred place in Jingzhou cultivators’ hearts. Countless cultivators at or below Purple Mansion took pride in entering it, seeking to pass the trials and obtain the Xuantian Token and an ancient immortal’s legacy. But the dangers were beyond imagining: ancient bans, fierce beasts, illusions—one misstep could mean utter ruin.

Thus all the great families and sects treated Heavenly Secrets Valley as forbidden, strictly forbidding disciples to enter lightly. Only those with true talent and strength would enter under elders’ protection. Even then, those who succeeded in obtaining the token were extremely few.

Fu Changsheng frowned. “The valley is a forbidden ground and extremely dangerous. Kang’er has cultivation, but his experience is still a bit thin. I fear this trip…”

The prince sighed. “I know the peril, but ancestral rules cannot be violated. And if Kang’er can obtain the Xuantian Token, it will not only let him inherit—it will be a great chance for him.”

Hearing the string, Fu Changsheng understood the tune. He grasped why the prince had received him today and vaguely guessed that Kang’er’s failure to inherit the residence likely meant he had fallen in Heavenly Secrets Valley.

Even so, with the residence’s depth, what need was there for a cultivator like him at the seventh layer of Purple Mansion?

Still, Fu Changsheng nodded. “In that case, I’m willing to personally escort Kang’er to Heavenly Secrets Valley and lend a hand.”

The prince’s eyes showed relief. “With your help, I can rest easy.”

Just then, light footsteps sounded. A youth entered—clear-browed and lively-eyed. Seeing Fu Changsheng, he brightened and bowed. “Grandfather!”

Fu Changsheng smiled and helped him up. “Kang’er, long time no see. Your cultivation has improved.”

Zhou Kang’er laughed. “How could I compare with Grandfather? I haven’t seen you for years, and you’re already late-stage Purple Mansion.”

Compared to back when he’d first visited Yunshan Commandery, Kang’er now spoke and acted with far more polish.

After a few courtesies, Fu Changsheng looked for a chance to ask about Ningning. One major reason he’d come was to investigate her disappearance thoroughly.

But whenever he tried to bring it up, the prince cut in. “My friend, I’ve had a few dishes prepared to welcome you. Please, come.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Fu Changsheng sighed inwardly. Since he couldn’t get answers from the prince, he would have to ask Kang’er after the banquet.

By the time the lamps were lit, the banquet was ready.

The hall glittered with gilded beams and painted rafters. Famous calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls. The tables overflowed with delicacies and fragrant dishes. The Seven-Commandery Prince sat at the head, wearing brocade and a jade crown—solemn but kind.

Fu Changsheng was seated at the prince’s left hand in the place of honor.

The prince raised his cup and said loudly, “Patriarch Fu has come from afar. I host this feast to welcome him. Let us drink!”

All raised their cups.

After several rounds of wine, the mood warmed. The prince set down his cup and looked at Fu Changsheng gently. “Patriarch Fu, I’ve discussed Kang’er’s matter with you in detail. For this journey to Heavenly Secrets Valley, I must trouble you.”

Fu Changsheng nodded. “Rest assured, Your Highness. Kang’er is my grandson. I will do all in my power to keep him safe.”

After the banquet, he finally found a chance to be alone with Kang’er.

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