Inside the main hall of the Jiang residence, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Only seven branch masters remained seated, all of them staring blankly at Pei Lengxue, who was holding a sword.

Tick-tock…

At the tip of the spiritual sword, a drop of bright red blood fell to the ground at her feet.

Pei Lengxue looked at Hua Qinyu, whose eyes had rolled back in her head while sitting in the main seat. Without hesitation, she raised her spiritual sword again, preparing to strike her with two more blows before chasing after the black-clad man who had just escaped.

However, Ye Anping spoke up and interrupted, saying, “Wife, there’s no need.”

“Uh– Oh.”

Pei Lengxue hesitated for a moment and then nodded, forcefully waving her spiritual sword to the side.

Swish…

All the remaining blood on the sword was shaken off, and the spiritual sword then turned into a streak of light, flying back into her storage pouch.

Ye Anping walked over to his junior sister’s side, took out a handkerchief to help her wipe the blood off her hands, and then glanced at Hua Qinyu’s condition. With a single sword strike, her lifeline had been severed, and there was absolutely no chance of survival.

Strictly speaking, it would be best to deliver a finishing blow, but the primary purpose of having his junior sister strike Hua Qinyu was not to kill her, but rather to establish authority among the other branch masters before the Dragon-Slaying Society’s other leaders.

Originally, Ye Anping had thought that if Hua Qinyu survived his junior sister’s sword, he would add, “Considering you followed our father for decades, I’ll spare your life.”

Unfortunately, his junior sister was too skilled.

Ye Anping turned to look at a human-shaped secret door that his eldest brother, Liang, had installed on the wall, sighed lightly, and then turned back to face the seven remaining Branch Masters in the main hall. He bowed deeply and performed a salute.

“Branch Master Chen, Branch Master Xu– My father’s foundation was not yet stable when he passed away, and now the power in Du Chun City is mixed. If the Dragon-Slaying Society is to survive, we must all stand together, mete out rewards and punishments, and avoid discord. In following my father’s last wishes, I returned to the Jiang residence today, fearing that the task might not be accomplished. I kindly ask all the senior members here for your assistance!”

After saying this, Ye Anping bowed deeply once more and lowered his head in respect.

At this moment, the seven people in the hall finally came to their senses. They looked at Ye Anping as if a burden had been lifted from their shoulders and nodded in agreement.

The scholarly-looking man among them stood up and took the lead in bowing to Ye Anping, saying, “We have followed Big Brother Jiang for decades, and we all recognize the ‘Jiang’ character. Young Master, you’re being too formal.”

“Thank you, Branch Master Xu.”

Then, the others also stood up one by one and saluted Ye Anping, saying:

“This Hua woman is as treacherous as a snake. Today, let’s consider it a blood sacrifice to Big Brother Jiang’s spirit in the heavens.”

“Thank you, Branch Master Chen.”

“To be honest, Young Master Jiang, before you returned, I was worried whether you could shoulder the responsibility of being the Dragon-Slaying Society’s leader. But now, it seems I worried too much. From now on, I will recognize you as the head of the Dragon-Slaying Society.”

“Thank you, Branch Master Liu.”

“Young Master, I’m not very eloquent, but I’ll acknowledge you as our Young Master anyway. Allow me to bow to you!”

“Thank you…”

… …

After expressing their gratitude to each of the Branch Masters, Ye Anping also pretended to breathe a sigh of relief. He gently took Pei Lengxue’s hand beside him and said, “Let me introduce this young lady to all the Branch Masters. Her name is Pei Lengxue, and I met her when I was ten years old while practicing in the woods. I took the liberty of making a three-lifetime vow with her. Originally, I planned to bring her back to meet my father after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, but unfortunately, my father left us too soon— Sigh…”

Branch Master Xu nodded and then saluted Pei Lengxue, “She is indeed talented and beautiful. Miss Pei’s previous sword strike was truly admirable.”

Hearing him describe her and Ye Anping as talented and beautiful, Pei Lengxue’s eyes brightened, and she quickly nodded in thanks, “Yes…”

“No need for pleasantries,” Ye Anping interjected, “When I returned, I inquired about the situation, but I haven’t been home for seven or eight years, so I’m not very familiar with the affairs in Du Chun City. For now, the tasks of the Dragon-Slaying Society will remain as they are, managed by the various Branch Masters.”

He then looked at Hua Qinyu lying in the main seat and contemplated for a moment before saying, “As for the Seven Fragrance Hall managed by Miss Hua, and the tasks related to herbs, they will temporarily be taken over by Branch Master Xu’s Spring Breeze Hall. Any objections?”

The group of people lowered their heads in silence, silently acquiescing.

After waiting for a while, Ye Anping nodded and said with a wave of his sleeve, “Then, you may all leave for now. In a few days, I will invite all the Branch Masters to the Jiang residence to discuss our future plans.”

They all saluted and then, one by one, left the main hall. One of them gave a stern look to Hua Qinyu behind Ye Anping before departing.

After everyone had left, Ye Anping called over a few servants from the Jiang residence.

“You there, take good care of Miss Hua and bury her outside Du Chun City’s Potter’s Field. Afterward, bring some people to the Seven Fragrance Hall and transfer all the spirit stones from there to the Jiang residence.”

Bury her outside Du Chun City’s Potter’s Field?

The servants were puzzled for a moment when they heard Ye Anping’s instructions on how to bury Miss Hua.

“…”

Ye Anping didn’t pay them much attention and continued, “Also, send someone to inform the maids and servants in Miss Hua’s house. They can choose to stay if they wish, or they can take 300 spirit stones each and leave on their own. The Jiang residence won’t trouble them.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Watching as the servants carried Miss Hua out of the main hall, Ye Anping let out a deep sigh. Dealing with these matters of family and relationships was both frustrating and exhausting.

In theory, such matters were typically managed by the lady of the house in a prestigious family. It wasn’t surprising since in this world, once the disciples of prestigious families reached adulthood, they would typically get married right away. Having a wife to share these responsibilities allowed the husband to fully focus on the family’s outside business.

“Sigh…”

Ye Anping sighed deeply and suddenly felt the urge to get married and bring a Daoist companion home as well. However, he knew it wasn’t possible. Not only was there a vast distance to travel in the Frigid Heaven Kingdom, but there were also many dangers. Moreover, according to the game’s timeline, “Xi Yue” should only be around six and a half years old right now.

“…”

Seeing him sigh, Pei Lengxue approached him and asked, “Husband, are you tired?”

“Not really, just feeling a bit sentimental all of a sudden,” Ye Anping looked at Pei Lengxue, smiled helplessly, and then took her hand. “Let’s go, Junior Sister, and check out our residence for tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Lengxue hesitated for a moment, furrowed her brows, and retorted, “Aren’t we Dao companions? Why ‘Junior Sister’? It should be ‘Wife’.”

Ye Anping was momentarily surprised. This girl was really getting into character. He chuckled and said, “…There’s no one else around right now, and I called you ‘Wife’ a few times earlier, but I found that ‘Junior Sister’ rolls off the tongue more easily.”

Pei Lengxue instantly became displeased and raised her voice slightly, “Wife!”

“Alright, Wife.”

“Hmm, Husband.”

“You’re quite the character for someone your age, still enjoying playing house.”

Pei Lengxue averted her gaze, pursed her lips, but then quickly smiled and said, “…I just enjoy it, and besides, it was your idea, Husband.”

“Alright, then I’ll play along with you.”

Ye Anping shook his head, then continued to walk out of the main hall, holding Pei Lengxue’s hand. He intended to visit the rear garden of the Jiang residence and inquire with the servants and the accountant to see if it would be necessary to sell the Jiang residence for spirit stones after the incident at Chi Dragon Mansion.

However, as soon as he walked out of the main hall and took about thirty steps towards the rear garden, he saw a man in black standing by the lotus pond in the Jiang residence’s backyard. The man’s face was pale, and his clothes had several torn spots, likely from the earlier “fake fall” that had seemed quite genuine.

Ye Anping was momentarily surprised and a bit puzzled. He walked over with Pei Lengxue and took the initiative to greet the man, “Big Brother Zhuang, you haven’t left yet?”

Upon hearing this greeting, Zhuang Hu’s left eye twitched uncontrollably.