Respectfully Inviting the Old Master to Return

"We respectfully request the Old Patriarch to come out of seclusion!"

"We respectfully request the Old Patriarch to come out of seclusion!"

The mournful and urgent cries echoed through the forbidden area in the back mountain of the Situ family, startling a flock of birds into the sky.

The bleak mountain wind blew over the still-wet bloodstains on the crowd, bringing a piercing chill.

The Patriarch, Situ Hongyi, had died in battle. Nine out of ten members of the Elder Hall had perished. More than half of the family's authoritative figures and decision-makers were gone.

The massive Situ family had its foundations slashed overnight and was now teetering on the brink of collapse in the stormy winds.

The Third Elder stood in the crowd clutching his chest, his breathing erratic and his face deathly pale.

He was one of the few high-ranking members to survive, spared by that fiend named Lin Mo only because he hadn't been involved in the arranged marriage targeting Jiang Yunlu.

At this moment, kneeling at the very front was Situ Hongzheng, the most senior member of the branch family. By blood, he was Situ Yunshu's biological uncle.

He felt bitter inside. A branch member was ultimately just a branch member; even if he was leading them temporarily, he was only a proxy.

The sky of the Situ family still needed to be held up by the person inside the cave.

The shouts gradually died down, and the crowd fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the cave entrance sealed by a massive boulder several meters high, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Suddenly, a muffled sound came from deep within the cave.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

It didn't sound like footsteps, but more like the heartbeat of some primordial behemoth. Each beat was incredibly heavy, as if it would shatter the mountains.

The Situ family members were startled at first, but were soon overwhelmed by immense ecstasy.

The Old Patriarch has broken through!

Just then, an aged yet vigorous roar exploded from the cave.

"What's all this noise! I can't even get a peaceful sleep!"

Someone immediately shouted, "Old Patriarch! The family is at a critical juncture of life and death, please come out of seclusion!"

After a long while, a voice sounded from behind the cave.

"Everyone, step back!"

Hearing this, the crowd was not afraid but grew even more excited. They scrambled and tumbled backward, completely clearing the area around the cave entrance.

The next second, the voice inside the cave rang out again, carrying a domineering aura that looked down upon the world.

"With strength to uproot mountains and a spirit that conquers the world!"

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the massive boulder sealing the entrance caved inward instantly without a single crack appearing, and then violently exploded!

Countless stone fragments, wrapped in strong winds, shot out in all directions. Yet, bizarrely, after flying three feet past the entrance, they lost all their momentum, uniformly turned into fine powder, and rustled to the ground.

As the dust settled, a burly figure stood at the cave entrance with his hands behind his back.

The man was bare-chested. His bronze skin was covered in crisscrossing scars, and his knotted muscles looked as if they were carved from stone, brimming with explosive power.

His snow-white long hair was draped casually, complementing the flowing white beard on his chest.

He merely stood there quietly, yet an invisible pressure enveloped the entire area, leaving everyone breathless.

The Old Patriarch swept his gaze across the crowd, his brows gradually knitting into a tight knot.

"Where is that piece of trash, Situ Hongyi?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Situ Hongzheng shuddered. He hurriedly stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and buried his head deep.

"R-reporting to the Old Patriarch, the Patriarch... he has died in battle."

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Everyone looked nervously at the Old Patriarch, waiting for a thunderous fury.

However, there was not a trace of grief for the loss of his son on the Old Patriarch's face. His deep eyes only narrowed slightly, flashing with a cold, icy glint.

His gaze bypassed Situ Hongzheng, taking in the sparse scattering of elders in the crowd and the injured clansmen.

"Dead?"

He spoke slowly, his tone terrifyingly calm. "And the others? Are they all dead too?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a chill ran through everyone's hearts.

The Old Patriarch then locked his gaze back onto Situ Hongzheng. His look was like he was staring at a dead man.

"Speak. Tell me every single word without leaving anything out. I want to see which reckless fool dared to trample on my Situ family's head while I was in seclusion!"

--System: So here comes the question, who is the real reckless fool?--

At this moment, the scene shifted to a large flat in Yangcheng.

Situ Yunshu leaned against the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed, quietly watching the back of the man busy at the stove.

The Jiang Chengshan in her memory probably couldn't even tell which way the kitchen door opened.

But the man before her tossed the wok, stir-fried, and drizzled sauce in one smooth, flowing motion. That unhurried composure was a proficiency that could only be accumulated over years and months.

Who was it for?

As soon as this thought popped up, it felt like a tiny thorn, causing a slight ache in her heart.

Jiang Chengshan brought the dishes out of the kitchen.

"Your favorite Longjiang pig trotter, spare ribs with black bean sauce, and beef with preserved vegetables..."

He rambled off the names of the dishes, every single one a favorite of hers from the past.

When he finished setting the bowls and chopsticks and looked up, he realized that the woman opposite him had somehow withdrawn all her expressions. Her clear eyes were staring at him unblinkingly, holding no joy, only interrogation.

"Spit it out, how many women have you cooked for?"

Situ Yunshu's face bore a scrutinizing look.

Jiang Chengshan was taken aback.

"Including you, just four," he answered honestly.

"Four?"

Situ Yunshu's pitch suddenly rose as she stood up abruptly. The legs of the chair scraped against the floor, letting out a harsh, piercing screech.

Great. During the years she was away, he had been living quite a colorful life!

Jiang Chengshan's survival instinct instantly exploded, and he hastily waved his hands.

"Wait a minute! Only Yunlu, Chengyue, and Sister Qiong have eaten the food I made. I haven't cooked for anyone else."

Hearing these names, she cast a suspicious glance at Jiang Chengshan and ultimately sat back down, though her expression was still far from pleasant.

Then she looked at Jiang Chengshan. "Then why did you put me here? Keeping a mistress in a golden mansion?"

What a sensitive woman.

Jiang Chengshan sighed, then pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.

"I was thinking about how to explain this to Yunlu, whether I should tell her about the existence of the Hidden Sect. A long time ago, she asked me where her mother went, and I could only tell her that her mother was in a faraway place."

Situ Yunshu frowned. "She wouldn't think her old lady is dead, would she?"

This familiar sharp tongue, this familiar tone.

Jiang Chengshan felt a wave of relief, as if the iceberg of alienation built up over the years had quietly melted a corner at this moment.

He couldn't help but reach out across the table and grasp her hand resting on the edge.

Her hand was slightly cold. She instinctively struggled a bit but didn't pull away.

"No, I told her. I said that one day, her mother would come back."

Situ Yunshu lowered her eyes, looking at their clasped hands. In the end, she said nothing more, but her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Forget it, it's better to just tell Yunlu directly. After all, that classmate of hers named Lin Mo is not ordinary either. I think if Yunlu was willing to take a picture with him on her birthday, she must like that boy."

At the mention of Lin Mo, Jiang Chengshan instantly felt a wave of sourness in his back molars.

The tender cabbage they had painstakingly raised was about to be snatched up by some random pig from who knows where!

Just say it, lay all the cards on the table at once. Who knows, maybe Sister Yunshu doesn't even like this three-timing Lin Mo anyway.