Regardless of others’ resentment or the heartache of some who harbored ill will, these three truly proceeded with a formal marriage proposal. It was an open request for marriage made in the imperial court, witnessed by all officials, and not even rejected by the emperor.

So, even if the procedures weren’t fully completed, it was already a done deal. Whether it was premarital misconduct or something else, the Pei family, who valued their reputation and honor so much, didn’t say anything, so it was nobody else’s business.

People could only clutch their bleeding hearts, accept their refunds, and stumble away.

The truth was not as sordid as people imagined.

Since it was the Winter Solstice, the family was naturally supposed to celebrate the holiday together. Besides the two wives currently in his arms, Lu Xingzhou also sent someone back to call Anuo over.

Additionally, he “dialed” and called Ye Tinglan.

Ye Tinglan refused.

She wasn’t ready to reveal herself as Ye Zhuoyu in front of Pei Chuyun and Sheng Yuanyao, especially considering the feeling of being held and intimately embraced by a man in front of others. Ye Tinglan felt utterly restless and sticky with discomfort.

“I won’t go,” Ye Tinglan said. “Did you invite Fuyyao?”

Lu Xingzhou had to think for a moment to remember who Fuyyao was. “That… no. Honestly, if she were there, the atmosphere would be a bit strange, and it’s not necessary. Besides, she never celebrates these kinds of holidays; I haven’t seen her do it in all these years.”

“That’s right, Tianyao Holy Land doesn’t pay much attention to mortal holidays, and neither do I.” Ye Tinglan seized the opportunity to clear all reasons for her absence. “Alright, you all go ahead and celebrate; that’s it for me.”

While Lu Xingzhou was “on the phone” on his end, the two women on the other side were already at each other’s throats.

Pei Chuyun sat leisurely in a chair, sipping tea and surveying the surrounding furnishings, tsk-tsking, “Is this the bridal chamber?”

Sheng Yuanyao’s face was utterly foul. Their lovely private world had been ruined by this annoying “green tea” woman, and not only ruined but turned into a family gathering.

Although she knew in her heart that for a big holiday like the Winter Solstice, she definitely couldn’t monopolize him, she was still annoyed.

“What’s wrong with the bridal chamber being like this?” Sheng Yuanyao wasn’t afraid of Pei Chuyun now. “Green mountains and clear waters, a scenic spot that some talented poetesses even pay specifically to visit. By the way, I wonder what some other talented poetess’s bridal chamber looks like?”

That talented poetess’s bridal chamber was Lu Xingzhou’s Danxueyuan dorm cave dwelling, which was quite dilapidated, but she didn’t care at all. She said leisurely, “Sharing simpler times is proof of a young couple’s hard work and shared hardships. If you only join when things are already prosperous, that’s not very meaningful.”

Speaking of shared hardships during simpler times, Sheng Yuanyao only felt inferior to Shen Tang, not Pei Chuyun. “When Xingzhou and I fought against demons together, a certain demoness didn’t even know where she was, let alone sharing hardships…”

“Yes, General Sheng knew the man very early, but I was the first,” Pei Chuyun completely dropped her pretense.

“You…” Sheng Yuanyao couldn’t stand that last remark the most. She grabbed Pei Chuyun’s collar with one hand. “A noble lady of the dignified Pei family, engaging in premarital relations, and you have the nerve to boast?”

Pei Chuyun, who could defeat Yan Jun with a single hand, didn’t even consider this “fool” in her eyes. The two were about to start pulling each other’s hair.

Lu Xingzhou finished his call at this moment, turned around, and his face turned green. He quickly stepped between them, suppressing both with one hand each. “It’s a holiday; don’t make yourselves a laughingstock.”

But there was no one else here…

The two women, held by him, instinctively struggled for a moment, then both realized that the man’s strength was now considerable and they couldn’t break free. They then turned their heads away in a huff.

Actually, deep down, they both knew there was nothing to argue about. They were sisters, openly sought in marriage together. Both had long been psychologically prepared for the other, and they had been bickering for how long now…

Moreover, before getting involved with him, they both already knew about Shen Tang’s existence… neither of them was the primary partner, so what was there to fight about?

The two women, one on each side in his arms, exchanged glances, pouted in unison, and said nothing.

Lu Xingzhou was also embarrassed, unsure of how to speak appropriately at this moment. Calling out to marry several people at once in the imperial court was grand, but managing their relationships when actually facing them was a demanding skill that most people couldn’t handle. Even Lu Xingzhou had to figure it out slowly.

The air was rather quiet, when Anuo, beaming with joy, arrived riding a pig, carrying flour and meat. She shouted from the air, “Shifu, Shifu, shall we make dumplings?”

The little pig shed tears.

Not knowing whether to call her Yuyu or Zhouzhou was bad enough; now it had to watch them eat pork.

And it was even pork from the front leg.

The frozen air suddenly stirred. Sheng Yuanyao and Pei Chuyun simultaneously broke free from Lu Xingzhou’s restraint and scurried out to greet Anuo. Each took the items from her hands, and with their other hands, in perfect sync, pinched Anuo’s face. “Anuo is so thoughtful! She even knows to buy things to make dumplings.”

Anuo: “…”

If you want to step down from your argument, why use my face? Can’t you pinch your own faces?

However, Anuo’s arrival truly lubricated the stuck atmosphere. The family genuinely began happily making dumplings together. Some kneaded dough, some chopped filling, and the division of labor was quite natural.

In truth, neither Sheng Yuanyao nor Pei Chuyun, nor Lu Xingzhou and Anuo themselves, knew how to cook, especially the more skilled tasks.

So the atmosphere actually became livelier. Pei Chuyun even nudged Sheng Yuanyao. “Hey, how do you make this dough? How much water? How do you ferment it?”

Sheng Yuanyao: “…You’ve asked the right person, I don’t know either.”

“Is that why you grabbed the meat to chop first?”

“That is the wisdom of a scout.”

“You, someone who was a scout, can’t cook? How did you manage as a scout?”

“We always carried dried rations; I have a storage ring. Besides, what kind of scout has a dough-kneading course…”

Speaking of kneading dough, both women turned to look at Lu Xingzhou. He probably kneaded a lot.

Upon looking, they saw Lu Xingzhou huffing and puffing, making a mess, his face covered in flour, looking utterly disheveled. Anuo giggled beside him, “Shifu, you are at your most handsome right now, do you want a mirror?”

Lu Xingzhou quickly grabbed a handful of flour and smeared it all over Anuo’s face.

Anuo jumped up, and two clumps of flour landed on Shifu’s backside.

Lu Xingzhou dropped the flour and, grabbing a rolling pin, chased the child. The two women watched the big and small figures running wild around the house, their expressions incredibly peculiar.

Then, with a “puchi” sound, they both burst out laughing.

Lu Xingzhou said embarrassedly, “I’ll go find the kitchen. Let them handle the skilled work; we’ll just be responsible for wrapping…”

When it came to actually wrapping, the situation was much better than kneading dough.

They were all powerful cultivators, controlling their strength as easily as moving an arm. When it came to kneading dough, they had no idea how much water to add, how to mix or ferment it, but wrapping dumplings was not an issue. So, one by one, they started showing off, wrapping them into all sorts of shapes, such as a pig, or an Anuo.

The four of them gathered around the square table, wrapping dumplings happily.

Anuo’s face, still covered in flour, smiled like a cat. She had never experienced such a warm, homely holiday dumpling-making event since her birth; she was overjoyed.

It was worth always being a cat that could do backflips, helping that useless Shifu chase Shiniang… This scene was Anuo’s dream come true.

Looking at Lu Xingzhou, he also wore a smile, tinged with a bit of nostalgia.

He had experienced such scenes before… but that was a very, very long time ago, so long that he could barely remember.

He once thought he had a home in this world, but it was shattered in an instant.

He once thought someone had given him another home, but now it didn’t quite seem so.

After so long, he finally had a true home again. Beautiful wives, adorable children.

Far away in the Pei manor, Pei Qingyan looked curiously at the visiting Yuan Muyu: “It’s a holiday today, isn’t阁下 going to spend it with your younger brother?”

This old man had already opened a way out by not sending anyone to catch Chuyun to bring her home, specifically so she could celebrate the holiday with her husband’s family. Why was her husband’s family’s sister still running around?

Yuan Muyu’s expression was calm: “There are still so many formalities and details to discuss regarding the marriage proposal. I don’t have much time, so it’s better to discuss it now. These matters are irrelevant to them, the young couple; they can celebrate their holiday.”

Pei Qingyan knew there was something off about these siblings but didn’t care; it was none of his business. He nodded, “Alright, then let’s discuss other matters…”

Leaving the Pei manor, it was almost dinner time. Yuan Muyu slowly walked into the Sheng family’s residence.

Sheng Qingfeng: “?”

Come to mooch food and drink?

Yuan Muyu said, “Yesterday, Chief Sheng said he wanted to discuss something with me; I’m here.”

“…” Sheng Qingfeng pulled at his beard, annoyed. “Forget it, yesterday I was just a bit impulsive and thoughtless because it was my first time meeting Yan Jun face-to-face. Thinking about it afterward, we’re not suitable for conversation.”

Of course, it wasn’t suitable. They might even become enemies in the future. What could they talk about? Persuading surrender or amnesty? Sheng Qingfeng knew that Yan Jun would absolutely never consider such a thing, so there was no point wasting effort.

Yuan Muyu nodded, “Then let’s continue discussing the marriage.”

“Is Yan Jun in a hurry to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Since that’s the case, the elaborate formalities can actually be entrusted to a steward; it’s not strictly necessary for you to handle them personally. At least our Sheng family doesn’t care much about them.”

Yuan Muyu paused, then smiled with some relief. “Sheng Yuanyao has a good father.”

Sheng Qingfeng: “…”

Yuan Muyu rose to take her leave. “Thank you also, Chief Sheng, for raising such a good daughter; Xingzhou likes her very much.”

Yuan Muyu left. Madam Sheng asked Sheng Qingfeng curiously, “What’s going on with this Yan Jun? She feels strange.”

Sheng Qingfeng’s expression was serious. “It feels like she’s at a very subtle point in her cultivation… I can’t quite make it out. Actually, if I were more ruthless, gathering elite troops and fierce generals now would definitely make her suffer a great loss.”

“Then you…”

“Forget it. Considering her purpose here is to discuss Yuanyao’s marriage, we cannot do such a thing. If we are to be enemies, let it be in a straightforward and honorable manner later.”

Though his voice was low, Yuan Muyu heard it, and merely smiled.

Leaving the Sheng manor, she turned to look back. The scent of cooking wafted from all over the capital, and laughter and joyous voices filled every household, brimming with warmth.

Yuan Muyu walked alone through the heavy snow, silently heading towards the city gate.

The snow continued to fall, covering her solitary footsteps, gradually leaving no trace.

Ye Tinglan stood silently on the city wall, watching Yuan Muyu’s figure gradually disappear until she was just a tiny dot.

After a long while, she sighed softly, “Why bother?”

As her words faded, Yuan Muyu, who was already far away, suddenly covered her mouth and coughed violently. When her hand moved away, there was a startling patch of blood.

Her cultivation, which had already broken through to the mid-tier of super-grade, visibly plummeted, nearing the edge of super-grade, teetering precariously.

Yuan Muyu panted softly, looking at the bloodstains in her palm.

If this was truly to help sever her emotions, why did her cultivation not rise but fall? Her injuries also didn’t improve, but became more severe.

Did it mean that the emotions were not severed at all, or did it mean…

Yuan Muyu looked at the bloodstains, gave a bitter smile, and murmured to herself, “Mistake… all wrong…”