After listening to Li Ziqing's account, Chen Xiao sighed again.
His in-laws, whom he had never met, were quite unlucky to have such useless relatives.
However, Chen Xiao still had some doubts about this matter.
“Wife, by all rights, this is a feud between your family and the Wang family. Why would the five great families join forces to deal with your parents?”
Li Ziqing frowned. “Husband, I’ve thought about what you said. Although our Li family was powerful at the time, we were still far inferior to the Wang family. If the Wang family solely wanted revenge, they were capable enough on their own. There was no need to involve the other four families.”
“Moreover, as I recall, the five great families seemed to be forcing my parents to hand over something. But I was too young then, and my memory is very hazy, so I’m not entirely sure.”
“Four years ago, I transformed into a Bamboo Leaf Green and went to the Imperial City. Besides avenging my parents, I also wanted to uncover the truth of the matter. However, that incident was very secretive, and the younger generation of the five great families seemed unaware of the inside story, so I couldn’t find the truth.”
“Later, I was driven out of the Imperial City, making it even more impossible to investigate.”
Hearing Li Ziqing’s words, Chen Xiao nodded repeatedly. “It seems there must be another hidden agenda. Perhaps it’s intricately related to the runes within you and that master from beyond the world… Wife, let’s go to the Imperial City together tomorrow. You don’t need to fear the five great families; they are merely a bunch of cowardly rats. With your husband here, they can’t harm you!”
Compared to Li Ziqing, the Martial Arts Tournament had a lower priority. Chen Xiao decided not to participate in the tournament and to accompany Li Ziqing to the Imperial City instead.
However, after hearing his suggestion, Li Ziqing shook her head.
“Husband, the reason I survived the five great families was because Xiao Tian Ce saved me. And I promised him back then that I would absolutely not set foot in the Imperial City for three years. Now, there’s less than a month left until the three-year period is up. I don’t want to break my promise. I want to wait until the three years are over before returning for revenge… That’s also why I never told you about these grievances until now.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll listen to you. When you are ready, we will go to the Imperial City together and flatten the five great families!”
Chen Xiao declared with great bravado.
“Mmm-hmm!”
Li Ziqing nodded repeatedly. “Husband, I rested for a while just now, and my strength has recovered a bit. How about we…”
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao didn’t hesitate. He pounced like a hungry tiger…
The next day, when Chen Xiao set off with Gongsun Yi and the others, Li Ziqing was still asleep in bed.
There was no helping it; her mortal body simply couldn’t withstand Chen Xiao’s… exertions.
Chen Xiao, along with the other two, met Qi Qingfei at the airport and boarded a plane to Xiangnan City.
The Hall of Gods was located on Mount Jiuyi, which was within Yongning County, under the jurisdiction of Xiangnan City.
After the four of them landed in Xiangnan City, they rented a car and drove towards Yongning County.
Along the way, Lin Zicong and Qi Qingfei were incredibly excited, like two primary school students going on a trip with their parents.
It was already past two in the afternoon when they arrived in Yongning County. After the long journey, Gongsun Yi suggested, “Mr. Chen, it’s still over a hundred kilometers from here to Mount Jiuyi. Let’s rest here for the night and head up the mountain tomorrow!”
Chen Xiao nodded. “I have no objections.”
Since he had no objections, the other two, being younger, certainly didn’t either.
The four of them first found a hotel to stay in, then gathered in the lobby, planning to go out for a meal, and also to sightsee and experience the local customs and traditions.
The hotel they stayed in was the best five-star hotel in the area. Chen Xiao noticed that many of the guests coming and going in the hotel possessed internal energy; they were martial artists.
Some were even more exaggerated, wearing ancient costumes, Taoist robes, Buddhist robes, and so on… Without knowing better, one might think this five-star hotel was filming a historical drama.
After gathering in the lobby, the four of them set off for dinner.
Gongsun Yi had been to Yongning County many times and was familiar with the place, so he took the lead.
“Mr. Yang, the lamb offal soup here is exceptionally authentic. Every time I come to Yongning County, I have to drink several large bowls. You must try it today!”
Gongsun Yi led the three of them to a lamb restaurant called ‘Three Sheep Welcoming Auspiciousness,’ giving it a thumbs-up.
“Alright, let’s try it today then.”
Chen Xiao smiled and walked into the restaurant.
The lamb restaurant was quite large, with thirty to forty individual tables in the first-floor hall.
The four of them found an empty table and sat down. The tabletop was stained with grease, clearly from the previous customers who had just left.
Although it wasn’t clean or elegant, it exuded a strong sense of bustling everyday life and local charm.
The hall was filled with people, enthusiastically drinking lamb soup and chatting over drinks.
Because it was too noisy around them, one had to shout to be heard, which only made it even more chaotic.
This lamb restaurant was a popular spot, with a bowl of lamb offal soup costing only ten yuan. Therefore, most of the patrons were laborers and rough men who earned a living through physical strength.
However, Chen Xiao noticed that among the customers today, there were quite a few martial artists.
It seemed they, like Gongsun Yi, had a fondness for this place.
The four of them ordered four bowls of lamb offal soup, eight steamed dumplings, and a few side dishes.
Before long, the lamb offal soup was served. The milky white soup was topped with vibrant green cilantro and scallions, and underneath were generous portions of lamb offal and meat.
Taking a sip of the soup and a bite of the meat, the four of them immediately praised it.
Gongsun Yi chuckled proudly. “How about that? I didn’t lie to you, did I? Follow Brother Yi, and I’ll ensure you eat well and live luxuriously.”
Lin Zicong was already accustomed to his master’s lack of formality, while Qi Qingfei was surprised that a Grandmaster of the Hua Jing realm, ranked in the top thirty of the Heavenly Rankings, could have such a lively and interesting side.