In the following days, the three of them didn’t return to the capital, instead, they continued to rush around, hunting and killing demons, and eventually killed four more demon creatures.
The leaf-shaped place had a demon-slaying mission, and the three of them directly completed their KPI for the next month, with each person gaining extra rewards.
Xu Qingwan and Zhou Cheng earned silver, while Wei Changtian’s cultivation level increased.
After absorbing the demonic auras of the four demon creatures, his realm had reached the peak of the seventh rank, just one step away from the sixth rank.
It had to be said that the “Demon-Capturing” divine ability was really too overpowered!
If it weren’t for everyone being a bit tired, he would have wanted to kill all the demons he could remember in one go.
However, killing slowly also had its benefits, at least he didn’t have to explain to Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen why his realm was increasing so quickly.
On the eighth day of the ninth month, after a final count, the three of them finally ended their not-too-long demon-slaying journey and headed back to the capital.
…
At noon.
The black carriage with the tiger flag flew into the eastern gate of the capital, and the guarding officials didn’t dare to stop it.
After entering the city, the carriage slowly came to a stop by the roadside, and Wei Changtian and the others got off, preparing to head back to their respective homes and meet up again the next day.
Zhou Cheng, as a single dog, had been fed dog food from time to time during these days, and now he couldn’t take it anymore, so he bid farewell and fled, seemingly heading towards Pingchang Lane.
Wei Changtian watched him leave in a hurry, then turned to ask Xu Qingwan.
“Do you want me to send you back?”
According to the views of a female V-blogger from his previous life, a man asking this question implied – I don’t want to send you back.
This theorem could also be applied to questions like “What gift do you want?”, “Do you need me to pick you up?”, or “Do you want me to send you some medicine?”
But in fact, for most men, asking these questions was simply to get a clear answer, without any complicated thoughts.
If you need it, just say so; if you don’t, just say no; why bother guessing and making it complicated?
What’s with “If you love me, you’ll understand my thoughts”? In Wei Changtian’s opinion, it was just nonsense.
Fortunately, Xu Qingwan had not been tainted by such soul-stirring chicken soup, so she simply shook her head honestly.
“No need, it’s not good if my family sees it.”
“Alright, then I’ll have my father visit your family in a few days… cough, to pay a visit and settle our matter.”
Wei Changtian deliberately avoided using the term “to propose.”
As for Xu Qingwan’s status after marrying into the Wei family, he didn’t really care, but Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caijuan would never allow Little Xu to become the main wife.
After all, even someone like Lu Jingyao, who came from a good background, had become a concubine, let alone a woman like Xu Qingwan who was always in the public eye.
Since she wouldn’t be the main wife, there was no need to mention “proposing” at all.
Xu Qingwan, of course, understood this and had probably known her status after marrying into the Wei family, so she didn’t feel anything was wrong, and instead, her face turned slightly red.
“It’s all up to you; if you want to wait a few more days, I’m not in a hurry.”
“You’re not in a hurry, but I am.”
Wei Changtian had a mischievous grin: “You should come over earlier, and we can cultivate together sooner!”
“Aren’t we cultivating together now?” Xu Qingwan looked puzzled.
“Cough, I mean another kind of cultivation.”
“……”
Xu Qingwan was not a naive little girl, although she could be a bit silly at times, but she could still understand the implications behind Wei Changtian’s words.
She didn’t know how to respond, feeling her face burning, and eventually, she left with a simple sentence.
“Then, then you can marry me earlier!”
“……”
The sunlight filtered through the alleys, and the vendors along the street were bustling with activity, wafting enticing aromas into the air.
Wei Changtian chuckled and walked towards the Wei residence, humming a popular idol song from his past life.
“The smile of a dead oil-splashing idol is not as sweet as yours~”
“The August sun is not as dazzling as you……”
Wei Changtian was in a good mood all the way, but unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived and came to an abrupt end when he returned to the Wei residence.
……
In the study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, but the atmosphere was solemn.
However, Wei Changtian and Wang Er’s faces were not pleasant.
Especially Wei Changtian, who had never expected the “Liu-Wei rivalry” to escalate so quickly.
During these few days when he was away killing demons, the two families had suddenly and unexpectedly fallen out!
It was hard to say who had started the fight, but the conflict had already spread rapidly throughout the capital like a raging fire.
In the imperial court, countless memorials poured in like snowflakes every day, regardless of whether they were from the Wei or Liu faction, implicating almost half of the officials, who were all red-faced and arguing fiercely.
In the underworld, the industries of both the Liu and Wei families were being targeted by each other’s open and secret machinations, with several martial arts sects involved, and the streets were already filled with the sounds of fighting and bloodshed.
Overall, it was a chaotic mess, but not yet out of control.
It seemed that the current emperor had some tricks up his sleeve.
Wei Changtian knew that the originally fragile balance between the Liu and Wei families had been suddenly broken, and Ning Yong’s behind-the-scenes manipulation was definitely involved.
As for Xiao Feng… for now, he was at most a participant who was taking advantage of the situation and pushing it forward, and his power was definitely not enough to turn the tide of the battle.
This was similar to his own situation.
Everything was happening too fast, and Wei Changtian’s own power, including his subordinates, had not yet developed, making it difficult for him to influence the situation.
If he waited a few more years, he might be able to decide the direction of the conflict, but for now, he could only do very little for the Wei family…
Forget it, if he couldn’t help, then he couldn’t help.
For himself, as long as he could preserve his strength in the storm and kill Xiao Feng according to plan, that would be enough.
Thinking of this, Wei Changtian finally gave his orders to Wang Er.
“For the time being, put the Co-op Society on hold and don’t recruit new members. Meanwhile, slowly withdraw our brothers from the Chunshen Bookstore and try to keep Li Yang’s side clean.”
“Tell Li Kan that the Da Li Temple shouldn’t take sides and should remain neutral.”
“Send more people from the Xuantian Society and the Liu Manor to gather information. It would be best if we could find some spies to infiltrate.”
“Keep a close eye on that little girl Liu Yingying from Hou Qiu Village and her grandfather… Never mind, just bring them back to me directly!”
“…”
After giving several orders, Wei Changtian finally felt a bit relieved.
He felt like he had forgotten something, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was.
Looking out the window, he saw Yu’er chasing away the chickens on the roof with a bamboo stick, Qiu Yun bending down to clean the chicken coop, Lu Jingyao sitting in the pavilion embroidering handkerchiefs, and Wei Qiaoling still fast asleep on the big ghost’s back.
The sunset’s orange glow cast a warm light on them, making the entire world seem gentle and feminine.
Looking at this scene, Wei Changtian suddenly felt that this was quite good.
He had women, family, and pets.
No worries about food or clothing, just peace and tranquility.
Sigh…
He touched the slightly warm jade pendant at his waist and withdrew his gaze, gently closing the wooden window.