“The crabapple blooms as before, the green grows lush and the red fades!”

Xu Xiangqian sighed, “The end of spring is truly melancholic.”

Li Longchuan, who had been engrossed in testing his bow, finally emerged from his battle-honed focus and noticed the scene outside. Hearing Xu Xiangqian’s melodramatic lament, he braced himself.

Turning around, he greeted with a bright and genuine smile, “Grandmother! What brings you to watch my martial practice today?”

The valiant young man gestured for Jiang Wang to join him, then cheerfully approached the old matriarch of the Li family.

A smile flickered in the old lady’s eyes, but she feigned a cold snort, “This old woman is always idle, unlike you, grandson, who rarely has the time!”

“How could that be?” Li Longchuan sidled up, naturally taking her arm. He then introduced Jiang Wang, “Grandmother, this is a new friend of mine!”

Jiang Wang bowed respectfully, “Junior Jiang Wang greets the venerable Madam.”

“Good,” she replied with a smile. “One can tell at a glance that you are a promising young man.”

“My brother laments the spring in deep autumn, how truly cultured!”

The voice was cold and distant, yet strangely inviting.

Jiang Wang turned to see a beauty sculpted from ice and jade.

Her features were exquisitely defined, yet her eyes held a distinct chill.

Her words were a subtle jab at Xu Xiangqian’s clumsy attempt to smooth things over. Lamenting spring in autumn was absurd, and the Li family, known for their military prowess, had little to do with refined scholars.

Li Longchuan seemed oblivious, simply introducing, “This is my elder sister, Li Fengyao.”

Jiang Wang greeted her as well, “Miss Li, greetings.”

Li Fengyao nodded curtly, “You are too kind.”

“Alright,” the old lady interjected. Though she occasionally chided him herself, she disliked seeing her youngest grandson scolded too harshly.

Age-old wisdom held that grandparents favored grandchildren, and people loved the youngest child.

Her wrinkled hand gently patted Li Longchuan’s arm as she said with affection, “You young people go and enjoy yourselves, no need to stay here with this old woman.”

“There’s not much to do outside!” The usually valiant Li Longchuan was quite affectionate with his grandmother. “When I’m away, I always worry about you at home, wondering how you are. I’d like to stroll through the courtyard with you, Grandmother!”

“It would be wonderful for Brother Li to accompany the Matriarch, we should take our leave.” Xu Xiangqian seized the opportunity.

That high-foreheaded wretch! So cold and heartless! I’m still flattering the old lady, and you’re already abandoning me!

Li Longchuan was inwardly furious, but forced a smile, “Then Brother Xu, please be careful on your way, and mind the traffic.”

He emphasized “careful.”

“You’re too kind!” Xu Xiangqian pretended not to understand, then tugged at Jiang Wang. “Venerable Madam, Sister Fengyao, we’ll take our leave. We’ll visit again soon!”

Li Longchuan called out, “Let me see you off, my friends.”

But Xu Xiangqian pushed him back without hesitation, “No need, no need! It’s not my first time here! I know the way!”

Leaving the Marquis of Cuicheng’s residence, Jiang Wang found that his anxiety over Chong Xuan Sheng’s situation had strangely calmed.

Perhaps it was the natural and comfortable way the outwardly glorious and influential young master of a top-tier family, Li Longchuan, interacted with his grandmother that brought peace to those who witnessed it.

This was the joy of family, a feeling Jiang Wang had not experienced in a long time.

“What’s this?” Xu Xiangqian waved a hand in front of Jiang Wang’s eyes, teasing him. “Thinking about Longchuan’s sister?”

Jiang Wang wasn’t used to such jokes. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

Xu Xiangqian, never one to be shy, shook his head and said, “A fair maiden is the pursuit of a gentleman!”

Jiang Wang wanted to shut him up. “What nonsense! We haven’t gone far, what if someone hears us?”

It was just a joke, but Jiang Wang’s shyness only fueled Xu Xiangqian’s enthusiasm. “What if they hear? Just because she’s beautiful, doesn’t mean you can’t admire her!”

“Admire? Of course, I can!”

A cold voice came from behind them. “High-foreheaded one, why don’t you tell us, what kind of admiration?”

It was Li Fengyao’s voice!

Why was she behind them? How much had she heard, and from where did she begin listening?

Both Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangqian were sweating, especially Xu Xiangqian, whose earlier arrogance had completely vanished, leaving him deflated.

He weakly said, “Wh-what admiration? There is none?”

He shifted the blame to Jiang Wang. “Do you have any?”

I have your mother!

Jiang Wang almost couldn’t resist cursing, but he was more composed. He forced himself to ask naturally, “Miss Li, what brings you out here?”

Seeing Xu Xiangqian’s cowardice, Li Fengyao let him off for now and said to Jiang Wang, “Grandmother said that a gift is required for a first meeting with a younger person.”

She guessed they had left in a hurry, and the servant bringing the gift hadn’t arrived yet.

A prestigious family like this would never keep a guest waiting for a gift, as it would seem arrogant, as if the gift were a condescension. It was fine for someone familiar like Xu Xiangqian, but Jiang Wang was a first-time visitor, and the Li family could not be impolite. That was why Li Fengyao had caught up with them.

As she spoke, she handed over a jade box, carved with vibrant green plants and trees, seemingly alive.

Even without seeing the contents, the box’s exquisite craftsmanship indicated a remarkable gift.

Jiang Wang declined. “I am already impolite in visiting unannounced and empty-handed. How can I accept such a generous gift from your esteemed residence?”

“I don’t understand these courtesies, and your refusals seem insincere,” Li Fengyao said, then looked at Xu Xiangqian. “Scholar, can you speak for me?”

Xu Xiangqian said, “A gift from an elder should not be refused. I received a first-meeting gift as well.”

Jiang Wang hesitated to accept the Li family matriarch’s gift, mainly because he worried that it was a return for Chong Xuan Sheng’s bow, and that it would diminish their friendship. No matter how valuable the gift, if Chong Xuan Sheng’s gift became a transaction, the trip would be a failure.

But Xu Xiangqian reminded him that it was just a normal gesture of the Li family, and did not indicate a desire to distance themselves.

Giving and receiving gifts was a way of expressing friendship.

“It would be inappropriate to detain Miss Li, such a celestial being,” Jiang Wang said. “In that case, I shall accept it with gratitude.”

He reached out with both hands to receive the jade box.

Li Fengyao nodded, said nothing more, and turned to return to the residence.

Long after leaving the Li residence, Xu Xiangqian remained shaken. “That was close!”

“Is Miss Li really that frightening?” Jiang Wang was puzzled.

In his eyes, Li Fengyao was cold and arrogant, but it seemed to be her natural disposition, with no malice intended. It shouldn’t make the audacious Xu Xiangqian so afraid.

After all, this was the scholar who had dared to openly mock the Jinghai Gao family outside the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm for relying on women to rise in power.

“I’ll tell you just one thing,” Xu Xiangqian said with an expression that said Jiang Wang was completely ignorant. “The ‘Yao’ in her name wasn’t originally the ‘Yao’ of the ancient sage king, but the ‘Yao’ of beautiful jade. She personally changed it in the family genealogy!”

Jiang Wang was secretly astonished.

This wasn’t just any family, this was the hereditary and irremovable Marquis of Cuicheng’s estate, the Li family of Shimen’s genealogy. Who would dare to tamper with it? Who could tamper with it?

But Li Fengyao had changed it, and even changed her own name!