The clan meeting concluded in such an unexpected manner, a turn of events no one had anticipated.
Some, burdened by pressing commitments, took their leave.
Yet, the vast majority chose to remain.
After all, they had heard that the Young Master of the Li family had resolved a rampaging dungeon.
Such formidable power promised a future of great achievements.
He was certainly worth cultivating a deeper acquaintance with.
Even if he might not ultimately pursue the path of an adventurer.
A certain body cultivator, whose brain seemed to be made of muscle, muttered: “Oh, absolutely, absolutely.”
Aya Tone slowly approached the main seat, subtly nudging Fire Finch.
“President, those few items you mentioned…”
With the clan meeting concluded, he considered his task for Fire Finch fulfilled.
He was no merchant; there was no need for him to linger and engage in discussions with these industry magnates.
If not now, when would be the opportune moment to collect his things and depart?
“Wait a moment, I’m not in the mood right now…”
Fire Finch glanced back, recognized Aya Tone, and then resumed her seat on the long bench, her expression still laden with gloom.
The thought of Huo Shenming keeping her for training sapped all her energy.
She wanted no training; she simply yearned to slack off and binge-watch dramas.
If she were in her office, she would already be sprawled out, unconcerned with appearances.
This was so annoying…
“Oh…” Noticing Fire Finch’s unusual demeanor, Aya Tone wisely chose not to disturb her further.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m not in the mood?”
“Huh?”
Aya Tone, who had just turned to leave, abruptly paused.
He stared at Fire Finch, utterly bewildered. “I’m not a parasite in your stomach; how could I possibly know why you’re upset?”
Fire Finch fell silent.
“It’s nothing…”
Aya Tone simply responded, “Oh.”
‘If the President says it’s nothing, then it must be nothing,’ he thought.
Once Aya Tone had walked away, Fire Finch’s gloom deepened, and she stomped her foot in frustration.
Why had she brought this humiliation upon herself, insisting on asking a block of wood?
‘Fool, utter fool!’
****
“Little Finch, is that your boyfriend?” Huo Shenming, seated nearby, chuckled.
Their dynamic was quite peculiar; they appeared to be merely casual acquaintances, yet a closer observation revealed his granddaughter’s heart was clearly captivated by the young man.
Indeed, no sooner had he left than she began to sulk.
Moreover, the young man had been seated at his daughter-in-law’s table…
Huo Shenming narrowed his eyes.
‘Had even Xuan Yuanhuai given her approval?’ he wondered.
He was keenly aware of how discerning his daughter-in-law’s taste was.
“Grandpa, please don’t talk nonsense! What boyfriend? He’s not one yet,” Fire Finch retorted with a playful whine.
“Ohh,” Huo Shenming drawled, casting a teasing glance at Fire Finch.
‘Still dilly-dallying, just like her father,’ he thought.
“Well, you’ll have to hurry, then.
I’ve noticed that Li Jia girl looks at him with the same expression you do.”
Huo Shenming had certainly observed the three when they returned earlier.
Truthfully, his initial impression of the young man named Aya Tone had not been favorable.
He had merely carried Li Huaiming on his back, perhaps along a mountain path, for only half an hour.
Yet, his face was ashen, and he appeared utterly drained.
With such a physique, it was truly questionable whether he could withstand his granddaughter’s ‘demands.’
As the former Vermillion Bird successor, he knew precisely how robust a successor’s constitution was.
In his youth, he had always ‘conquered’ Fire Finch’s grandmother, emerging victorious in every ‘battle.’
‘That young man truly wouldn’t do,’ he concluded.
However, since his granddaughter was fond of him, as her grandfather, he naturally couldn’t object.
His physique could be gradually improved; he knew a few experienced traditional Chinese doctors.
They could cure all ailments!
It was just that…
That little girl, Li Jia, was practically ‘melting’ with her gaze.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Huo Shenming then scrutinized his granddaughter from head to toe, a corner of his mouth twitching.
‘Aside from her face, she had no discernible advantages,’ he mused.
Moreover, from what he knew of his granddaughter, she had practically cultivated Li Jia, her own romantic rival.
‘Oh, my foolish granddaughter…’
“Little Finch, how about Grandpa offers you some strategies?
Back in my day, your grandpa was known as the ‘Flower Killer.’
Even your grandma, a rose bristling with thorns, was won over by me.”
Recalling his romantic history from his youth, Huo Shenming sighed wistfully.
He reminisced about being one of the city’s rare handsome men, whose charm captivated countless maidens within the guild.
Alas, among a myriad of beauties, his heart belonged to but one.
“Grandpa, you’re not against it?” Fire Finch asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
Xuan Yuanhuai had asked her to bring Aya Tone to the clan meeting primarily so Huo Shenming could observe him.
“Oppose? Why would I oppose?” Huo Shenming chuckled, dumbfounded.
‘What era do we live in now?
Obstinate old men have long gone out of fashion,’ he thought.
Don’t assume there’s no internet in the mountains; he spent plenty of time surfing the web.
Besides.
The Vermillion Bird’s inheritance wasn’t about the purity of bloodline; with so many people in the village, Fire Finch was hardly the only option.
‘As long as his granddaughter was happy, that was all that mattered.’
“And you know how much your mother wants grandchildren,” Huo Shenming added, subtly gesturing towards Xuan Yuanhuai nearby with a meaningful glance at Fire Finch.
If he were to disagree, Xuan Yuanhuai might very well come after him with a knife that very night.
And it wasn’t just talk; back when Xuan Yuanhuai had ‘taken’ Huo Linyun, she had literally brought a knife when she came to the guild to propose.
‘Her ferocious demeanor…’
‘For the sake of his golden years, agreeing was certainly the wiser course of action.’
Devising strategies for his granddaughter—the thought alone was amusing.
Huo Shenming envisioned his granddaughter, guided by his wisdom, triumphing over her rivals and gracefully stepping into the halls of matrimony.
He lifted his teacup and took a delicate sip.
‘It felt like being young again.
Excellent, excellent…’
“Oh, by the way, Grandpa,” Fire Finch suddenly recalled something.
“What if he already has a child?”
“Pfft!”
The tea went down the wrong pipe, causing Huo Shenming to erupt in a fit of coughs.
“A ch-child!?”
“Yes,” Fire Finch replied, patting Huo Shenming’s back with a look of disdain.
‘Such an old man, choking on a sip of water…’
“Look, the one sitting next to Wushuang.”
Following her gaze, Huo Shenming indeed saw an adorable little girl nestled beside Huo Wushuang, clutching a white egg.
The stifling heat had tinged her pale little face with a faint blush.
Little Aya Jiu, at that moment, was pondering why the egg, despite having no mouth, had managed to ‘eat’ that pretty stone.
Every one of her tiny actions exuded utter ‘cuteness.’
‘What an adorable little girl…’
Huo Shenming sighed inwardly.
Then, with a slight furrow in his brow, he turned to Fire Finch and asked, “Do you know who the child’s mother is?”
If the man were already married, he would absolutely never agree to his granddaughter becoming a mistress!
‘Being a third party never ends well,’ he thought.
‘He was a pure love advocate!’
“Don’t worry, Grandpa, the child is adopted,” Fire Finch reassured him.
‘Adopted, huh… Well, that’s good then.’
Huo Shenming mused for a moment.
‘If it’s an adoption, then it’s not interfering with someone else’s marriage, and in that case…’
‘A grandson-in-law, who also comes with a ready-made great-grandchild!?’
‘This is wonderful!’
“Alright, you just stay here.
Grandpa will go investigate for you.”
With that, he rose and headed towards little Aya Jiu.
Fire Finch blinked in confusion.
‘Seriously, are all the elders this bold?’ she wondered.
Before she could even finish her thought, he had already sprung into action.
Compared to him, she truly couldn’t even catch up on horseback.