On this day, Sheng Yuan-yao and Pei Chu-yun didn’t continue their chicken fight. Everyone was nervous at first, but once they settled into the routine, it would be business as usual. Even Miss Pei, the chief clerk, didn’t go to the Langzhong’s room to flirt; she genuinely returned to her own office to do the work a chief clerk should do.

It must be said that she was quite suited for this job—a student of the Imperial Academy, a talented woman from the capital…

Lu Xing-zhou spent the day assigning tasks to the new recruits, and then everyone left work.

Upon returning home, he first looked for A-nuo and found her practicing alchemy in her small courtyard, which was quite rare. This child, relying on her excellent alchemy talent, had never truly trained hard. She had only assisted him, but now she was actually practicing on her own.

“What kind of elixir are you making? Do you need Master’s help?” Lu Xing-zhou asked, poking his head in.

“An elixir for the piggy, of course.”

“Piggy is… oh.” Lu Xing-zhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You’re really making elixirs for a pig?”

Monsters don’t typically eat elixirs. Can this little exotic pig really do it? So, it seems children usually don’t like to be self-reliant and always want adults to help, but when they get a pet, they suddenly become capable mothers, right?

A-nuo said, “The Alchemy Academy doesn’t even have elixirs for pigs! But last time, Piggy was kicked and injured, and I fed it an elixir, and it clearly worked… I thought about it myself, adjusted some medicinal properties, and found it completely feasible. So, what has the Alchemy Academy been doing all these years? No wonder the students are so incompetent.”

Lu Xing-zhou was speechless. Adjusting elixir formulas oneself is a basic requirement for an alchemist, true. But that’s for “administering medicine according to the person,” not for different species… the difficulty is not the same, okay? Lu Xing-zhou had never even considered this, and you figured it out at home by yourself?

When the elixir was finished, a furnace of nine top-grade elixirs emerged.

Lu Xing-zhou was speechless.

A-nuo excitedly grabbed the elixirs, hugged the little pig, and started stuffing them into its mouth. The little pig was initially startled, but after consuming the elixirs, its eyes lit up, and it comfortably fell asleep. Lu Xing-zhou could clearly feel the energy in the little pig’s body rising; it was actually cultivating. It seemed that in the future, not only A-nuo but also a pig would be eating elixirs for meals. This family was becoming increasingly difficult to support; the Langzhong’s salary wouldn’t even cover one day’s food for them. So, raising A-nuo was essentially like raising a pig?

“Did your older sister Yao not come looking for you today?” Lu Xing-zhou asked.

“She did, said she was going to identify someone,” A-nuo replied. “That red-clothed woman kicked Piggy, so of course, I had to go see and get revenge for Piggy.”

“And then?”

“I couldn’t find her. I wandered around the Jiang residence gate for half a day, but she didn’t come out. I didn’t dare sneak in on my own, lest I be caught like a pig… By evening, having no other choice, I just came back.”

Lu Xing-zhou stroked his chin. That was true; if the Jiang family were visitors from the Ancient Realm, they would likely keep a low profile and not go out unless necessary. A-nuo couldn’t just hang around their gate all day waiting to ambush someone. How would they meet?

As he was pondering, the butler announced, “Master, the second young master Huo has come to visit.”

The butler was an old servant from the Pei residence, brought by Pei Chu-yun, and very useful. At least he was well-known in the capital, and most people recognized him.

Lu Xing-zhou smiled, “He’s really in a hurry… hmm, let him in and sit. Ask the kitchen to prepare some snacks to go with the wine.”

Soon, Huo Zhang, carrying several bottles of wine, entered the banquet hall led by the butler, smiling, “Hey, your house is nice, the same size as a marquis’s residence. Speaking of which, the previous owner was also a marquis who moved his whole family to the southwest to become a high-ranking official, and entrusted someone to handle the house. It just so happened that His Majesty wanted to bestow a residence upon you, and Father was in charge of this matter, so he bought it for you in the name of the imperial court.”

Lu Xing-zhou laughed, “So the previous owner was promoted; this counts as a lucky house with good Feng Shui?”

“That’s right,” Huo Zhang opened a bottle and poured some for Lu Xing-zhou. “Your social circle in the capital was a bit narrow before. The capital isn’t just about the Huo and Pei families; there are many powerful figures… those princes and nobles, are you considering expanding your circle? Second Brother can introduce you.”

Lu Xing-zhou smiled and shook his head, “I don’t like that kind of socializing; it’s not necessary.”

“True, your acquaintances are all beauties.”

“…” Lu Xing-zhou didn’t mean that. Socializing with princes and nobles might have been meaningful when he first came to the Alchemy Academy, but now with his status as a “National Mentor’s disciple,” “Viscount,” and “Langzhong,” he was already directly conversing with their fathers. Why would he bother socializing with them? Huo Zhang hadn’t taken over yet, so his perspective naturally hadn’t reached that level.

However, this was indeed an entry point. “Since Second Brother knows this is my only hobby, why not help me connect with someone?”

Huo Zhang chuckled wryly, “I probably don’t know as many women as you do. Connect you with whom?”

Lu Xing-zhou smiled slightly, “Aren’t you more familiar with Miss Jiang than I am?”

“Hey!” Huo Zhang snapped, “You can’t consider her.”

Lu Xing-zhou feigned ignorance, “Why not?”

Huo Zhang lowered his voice, “Their family is currently discussing a marriage alliance with ours.”

“You and Huo Qi are already married, right? Is it for Huo Heng?” Lu Xing-zhou said casually, “What kind of person is Huo Heng? What’s wrong with me competing with him?”

“…The one being betrothed is Father.”

Lu Xing-zhou: “?”

Huo Zhang seemed to find it embarrassing to say that Huo Xing-yuan was an old ox eating young grass, so he drank silently. “Anyway, I don’t know what Father is thinking. Huo Qi and Huo Heng are very unhappy about this. As for me… I’m actually unhappy too, but maybe she can help me with something, so I’ll just hold my nose and tolerate it.”

“No, and the Jiang family agrees? No matter how useless Huo Heng is, he’s still a Langzhong. No matter how ordinary he looks, he’s still a normal young man, right?”

“As you said, what kind of person is Huo Heng?” Huo Zhang scoffed. “They’re interested in the Huo family’s power and its value in reaching the emperor’s ear. What can Huo Heng do? He’s not even the heir apparent.”

Lu Xing-zhou took a sip of wine and pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “So, if she could help you become the heir apparent and not become your stepmother, that would be a win-win situation for you, right? After all, you don’t want another stepmother.”

“That’s right. But how can she help me become the heir apparent without becoming my stepmother? Isn’t that a contradiction?”

“That’s not necessarily true.” Lu Xing-zhou blinked. “Why don’t you help me invite her to sit down for a chat?”

Huo Zhang stared at him grumpily for a while, then chuckled in annoyance. “Fine, you want to compete, and I don’t think she’ll even look at you.”

With that, he actually went out to call his attendant and ordered him to invite Miss Jiang to the Lu residence for a discussion about the daytime maritime trade.

Then he sat back down. “Alright, don’t say Second Brother didn’t help you. Now, what about our business?”

Lu Xing-zhou was very satisfied and raised his glass to him. “Our business… what do you want to say?”

“Your current status is extraordinary, both with Father and Grandfather.” Huo Zhang stared at Lu Xing-zhou, his gaze burning. “If you’re willing to acknowledge your ancestors and return to the family, they’ll be overjoyed. Do you know that one important reason Father wants to arrange a marriage is that you little rascal made him move my mother’s memorial tablet out of the ancestral shrine?”

Lu Xing-zhou: “…So obedient?”

“It just so happened to line up, killing two birds with one stone… changing the principal wife serves other purposes and also makes you happy. I dare say, making you happy accounts for a large proportion of that value.”

“So?”

“They’re even willing to accommodate you on such matters, so what do you think they’d consider if your condition for returning was… that you dislike Huo Qi, and if he remains the heir apparent for even one day, you absolutely won’t come back?”

Lu Xing-zhou laughed, “You really dare to think.”

“This is highly likely to happen.” Huo Zhang’s expression was serious. “You are even more likely than Miss Jiang to tip the scales. And you can say such things with absolute righteousness and justification, because it was Huo Qi who almost beat you to death back then, wasn’t it? This is also revenge for yourself; it’s a win-win for you and me.”

Lu Xing-zhou chuckled, “Then aren’t you afraid they’ll just make me the heir apparent?”

Huo Zhang waved his hand and laughed, “Heh, you’re already a viscount yourself, so you can’t inherit the family’s peerage anymore.”

“Haha…” Lu Xing-zhou raised his glass again in salute. “No wonder you’re even willing to arrange a stepmother for me… It seems I’m indeed more useful to you than she is.”

Huo Zhang looked at him irritably.

“Alright, I’ll consider this matter,” Lu Xing-zhou said slowly. “As you said, it’s indeed a win-win.”

Huo Zhang finally smiled. “With your word, Second Brother’s efforts to connect us won’t be in vain.”

Then he lowered his voice, “If you want to deal with her, I’ll even help you with the medicine. It’ll be one less stepmother.”

Lu Xing-zhou almost spat out a mouthful of wine, coughing several times. “She’s here.”

Huo Zhang was startled, then saw the butler rushing in to announce, “Master, a Miss Jiang is here, saying that the Second Master Huo invited her.”

Lu Xing-zhou smiled, “Please invite her in.”

Huo Zhang gasped inwardly. First, Lu Xing-zhou’s keen perception shocked him, and second, he was shocked that Jiang Yuan was actually willing to come? What kind of concept is it for a young lady to come to someone’s house alone for a meal? This was only their first meeting; generally, girls wouldn’t agree. Moreover, he only sent his attendant to invite her, not going personally, so the sincerity was already mediocre, yet Jiang Yuan actually came. Could it be that the two of them had already taken a liking to each other, exchanging glances at the office during the day, and were just using him as an excuse?

Huo Zhang’s mind raced. He figured that since Lu Xing-zhou had said, “I’ll consider this matter,” what he needed to say was already done. Expecting Lu Xing-zhou to directly commit was clearly unrealistic. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to be sensible and leave the space to this pair of rascals?

While he was thinking, Jiang Yuan was already led in by the butler, and indeed, she was alone. Huo Zhang secretly cursed them as rascals, but on his face, he wore an apologetic smile and stood up. “I forgot I had an appointment with the son of Marquis Chang-ping… Look at my memory. Uh, anyway, I don’t understand the maritime trade matters you’re discussing, so I’ll be going now. You two chat slowly?”

Lu Xing-zhou rose to see him off, “Second Brother, take care.”

Huo Zhang secretly spat, grumbling in his mind as he left.

Jiang Yuan’s beautiful eyes were fixed on Lu Xing-zhou. “Langzhong Lu used Second Young Master Huo as a pretext to invite me… could it be that you want to engage in some ‘under-the-table’ dealings?”

Lu Xing-zhou said, “This isn’t just a lone man and a lone woman, so why say such a thing?”

A-nuo’s small head peeked out from the side of the banquet hall.

Jiang Yuan’s expression didn’t change. She was wearing a human skin mask at the time, so she figured this little girl wouldn’t recognize her. That said, the psychological shadow the little girl’s tyrannical strength brought her was not much lighter than Lu Xing-zhou tearing her clothes.

Lu Xing-zhou waved his hand, “A-nuo, come meet a new older sister.”

A-nuo walked in, holding a small pig. “Hello, Sister.”

When the pig saw Jiang Yuan, it suddenly struggled, wanting to run in panic. Both Lu Xing-zhou and A-nuo were startled, and at the same time, they looked at Jiang Yuan with a knowing smile.

Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded. What was all this… such a perfect disguise, ruined by a pig?