Chapter 473 A Prodigy Emerges from Seclusion! The Liu Family's Top Leaders Break Down in Defense?!

The heavy doors of the treasury slowly opened to both sides amidst a rumbling sound.

When the first ray of light leaking through the door gap shone onto the plaza, the breathing of everyone on the entire plaza paused for half a beat at that very moment.

Thousands of gazes converged simultaneously from all directions onto the slowly widening gap in the door, and every face was written with the same expression.

Expectant, impatient, and a fanatical fervor bordering on pilgrimage.

The door gap grew wider.

The light grew brighter.

A slender, upright figure stepped out from the light.

His pace was not fast, but every step was steady and powerful; the sound of his footsteps echoed clearly across the suddenly quiet plaza.

He did not deliberately release any aura, but just by standing there, that figure felt like a mountain that one dared not look at directly.

It was exactly Jiang Yun.

The dead silence on the plaza lasted for a full three breaths.

After three breaths, it exploded.

"Grand Tutor Dongxuan!! Grand Tutor Dongxuan has come out!!!"

A young Disciple standing in the front row of the crowd screamed first. His voice cracked from excessive excitement, and his hands waved wildly in the air, as if trying to grab something ethereal.

"He really came out!! He brought the ancestral dragon essence blood and the void seed out!! Two items!! He took two of the three Family-protecting treasures from the seventh level all by himself!! Is this something a human can do?! Is he human?! He is a god!!"

"Too Heaven-Defying!! Too Heaven-Defying!! Three beasts killed the Azure Ancient Dragon and the Void Guardian in succession!! One at Diamond Rank Nine, one at Diamond Rank Seven!! All cross-rank kills!! In the final fight against the Void Guardian, he didn't even give the opponent a chance to fight back!! Crushing from start to finish!! What kind of godly tactic is this?! What kind of godly command is this?!"

Another Disciple held his head with both hands, fingers dug into his hair, his face filled with the excitement and fanaticism of a worldview being completely shattered and pieced back together.

"From now on, Grand Tutor Dongxuan is my god!! Whatever Liu Family Genius, whatever Eastern Region Prodigy, they are all little brothers in front of my idol, Grand Tutor Dongxuan!! sixteen years old!! He is only sixteen years old!!!"

"Grand Tutor Dongxuan is so handsome!!"

A sharp female voice suddenly exploded in the crowd.

It was a Liu Family girl of fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a water-blue training suit. Her face was flushed red, her hands tightly clenched in front of her chest, and the light in her eyes shone like two miniature stars.

Her voice was exceptionally abrupt amidst the discussions of rough male voices, but the effect was surprisingly explosive.

Because she shouted out the words that countless female Disciples present wanted to say but were too embarrassed to speak aloud.

"So handsome!! Really so handsome!! The silver-white mask paired with that black robe, walking with the wind, cool temperament, and so strong!! The master of three Divine Beast Bloodline beasts!! Grand Tutor Level Appraiser!! Killing his way in and out of the seventh level of the treasury as if it were an empty place!! Dad!! Dad, where are you!! Hurry up and go up to propose marriage for me!! I want to marry him!!"

"You're crazy!"

Her companion grabbed her sleeve, her expression both shy and anxious, but the light flickering in her eyes was clearly exactly the same as her companion's.

"You're shouting such things in public, have you no shame?!"

"Who cares about shame! Can having shame marry Grand Tutor Dongxuan?!"

The girl in blue not only didn't restrain herself, but stomped her feet even more excitedly.

"This is a peerless Prodigy! If I don't shout today, I'll never see him again once he leaves tomorrow!! Dad!! You hurry and think of a way for me!! Your daughter's happiness is in your hands!"

Similar voices exploded one after another in every corner of the plaza.

Those Liu Family female Disciples who were usually dignified and reserved were now like ignited powder kegs, faces flushed red, eyes sparkling with stars. Some were screaming, some were stomping their feet, some were tightly gripping their companions' hands and shaking them desperately, and the bolder ones were waving their arms directly in the direction of Jiang Yun, shouting increasingly explicit words.

"Grand Tutor Dongxuan, look at me! Just one glance! I'm better looking than the ancestral dragon essence blood! I promise! Take me with you, Grand Tutor Dongxuan!"

"Grand Tutor Dongxuan, do you lack a maid? A beast tamer is fine too!! Contract me!! I can do anything! Clean the Immortal Cave, organize medicinal herbs, serve tea and pour water, warm the bed and fold the quilts—no, I mean make the bed! I mean make the bed! I really just mean make the bed!!"

"Wuwuwu, he looked this way! I can't tell if he looked because of the mask, but I feel like he did!! He definitely looked!! It's over, it's over, my heart is beating so fast, I'm about to faint!! Help me! I'm going to marry such a Prodigy like Grand Tutor Dongxuan in the future, I can't faint now!"

The male Disciples on the plaza looked at each other, their expressions like a spilled jar of five flavors.

Sour, astringent, bitter, spicy, salty—everything was there, except for sweet.

A young Disciple in his early twenties crossed his arms, his mouth twitching several times, muttering sourly.

"I say, you all should stop it. Grand Tutor Dongxuan is wearing a mask, you don't even know what he looks like, and you want to marry him? What if he has a pockmarked face under that mask? What if he actually looks like a toad?"

"Bullshit!"

A Liu Family girl next to him turned her head instantly, glaring at him fiercely, her eyes as fierce as a mother tiger protecting her cubs.

"Even if Grand Tutor Dongxuan has a toad face, he's still the most handsome toad in the world! Besides, do you have the qualifications to talk about him? What was your cultivation at sixteen? Gold Rank? Grand Tutor Dongxuan is at Amethyst Fifth Tier Peak! How many beasts did you have at sixteen? One? Two? Grand Tutor Dongxuan has three, all of them ancient Divine Beast Bloodlines! Look in the mirror yourself, you aren't even as good as the most ordinary Amethyst beast in front of Grand Tutor Dongxuan! What right do you have to talk about him?!"

"I… you… he…"

The young Disciple was rendered speechless, his lips moving for a long time, finally squeezing out one sentence.

"Fine, fine, fine, he's a Heavenly Immortal, I'm a toad, okay?"

"Glad you know!"

The Liu Family girl snorted and turned her head away, satisfied, continuing to wave her arms in Jiang Yun's direction.

In the area where the stewards and managing Elders gathered, the older generation, although not screaming like the young Disciples, had no less fervor in their eyes.

"A pity, truly a pity."

A managing Elder stroked his beard, a trace of deep regret flashing in his eyes.

"Old man only has three sons, not a single daughter. Otherwise, with my seniority as a steward in the Liu Family for so many years, I could at least say a few words in front of Grand Tutor Dongxuan. If I had a daughter who could form a good bond with him, I wouldn't have any regrets in this life."

"What are you regretting?"

Another managing Elder beside him gave him a sideways glance, his tone carrying a few points of unconcealed disdain.

"So what if you had a daughter? Could your daughter catch the eye of a Prodigy like Grand Tutor Dongxuan? In my opinion, even if it's a distant relative, as long as one can establish even the slightest connection with this Grand Tutor Dongxuan, one will benefit greatly in the future. Haven't you heard? This Grand Tutor Dongxuan is not only Heaven-Defying in beast taming talent, but also a Grand Tutor Level Appraiser, a Grand Tutor Level Rune Master, and his attainments in array path make even Master Fu Shan feel inferior. The connections of such a person are a gold mine! No, more valuable than a gold mine!"

"Sigh, that is true."

Another white-haired managing Elder couldn't help but interject, a glimmer of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"I do have a grand-niece at home, just turned eighteen this year, she looks decent, and her talent… although not comparable to Young Miss Liu Ruyan, she is considered upper-middle among the younger generation. I must find an opportunity later to see if I can mention it in front of Grand Tutor Dongxuan."

"Save it. I've seen your grand-niece. She looks good, but is she worthy of Grand Tutor Dongxuan? He's a ruthless person who dared to slap Elder Liu Lie's face to his face and left Elder Liu Lie speechless after! A figure like this, his background power is probably bigger than our entire Liu Family combined. Your grand-niece marrying over would at most be a bed-warming maid—no, she wouldn't even get to be a bed-warming maid. Grand Tutor Dongxuan definitely doesn't lack servants a hundred times more capable than her."

"You!!! You old bastard, how do you talk!"

The Elders bickered back and forth, but everyone knew in their hearts.

No matter what they said, they were all secretly calculating the same thought.

Whether there was any young girl in their own Family who could be presented, and if they could find a way to establish even the slightest connection with this Grand Tutor Dongxuan.

And on the high platform where the Grand Elders were located, the atmosphere was a completely different scene.

The screaming and fanaticism of the young Disciples below, the screaming confessions of the female Disciples, the calculations and discussions of the managing Elders—all were clearly heard by the Grand Elders on the high platform.

And for every bit more of these sounds, the faces of the Grand Elders darkened by another point.

That veteran Grand Elder with white hair and beard, Liu Qingshan, was currently looking livid, his hands behind his back, his knuckles slightly white from the force.

His gaze swept slowly across the fanatically screaming young Disciples on the plaza, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, as if he were forcibly enduring something.

Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore.

"What kind of conduct is this! What kind of conduct is this!!"

Liu Qingshan suddenly flicked his sleeves, and a low, majestic voice exploded among the Grand Elders.

His face was as livid as if it had just been fished out of a vinegar jar, his two gray eyebrows almost twisted into a knot.

"Look at these Liu Family Disciples below! Screaming and shouting, screaming confessions, completely lacking the composure and backbone that Disciples of a hidden great Family should have! My Liu Family has been passed down for hundreds of years, our ancestor, Old Ancestor Tianxing, had such heroic spirit—how did it become like this in this generation! What kind of conduct is this! It is simply what kind of conduct is this!!"

His voice was not loud, but every Grand Elder present heard it clearly.

"Elder Qingshan is right!"

A conservative Grand Elder immediately echoed, his face also filled with indignation of hating iron for not becoming steel.

"These young Disciples are too outrageous! Who is Grand Tutor Dongxuan? He is the person who took away two Family-protecting treasures from our Liu Family treasury! ancestral dragon essence blood, void seed—which one isn't the foundation our Liu Family ancestors risked their lives to leave behind? Now they have all been taken away by him, and these young people are actually still screaming and cheering for him? It is simply… simply disgraceful to the Family reputation!!"

"Exactly! Especially those female Disciples, it's even more outrageous! What 'I want to marry him', what 'take me with you'… are these words that can be shouted in public? Do they still remember their surname? Do they still remember that they are Disciples of the Liu Family?"

Another Grand Elder shook his head in distress, as if he had seen some unbearable moral decay.

Liu Qingshan snorted heavily and threw his sleeves backward. His entire aura was extremely majestic.

"At the end of the day, it's because the Liu Family has been in seclusion for too long. The younger generation has had too little contact with the outside world, their Heart-Nature has not been tempered enough, and their knowledge is too shallow. A mere Grand Tutor Dongxuan, although his talent is that of a Prodigy, our Liu Family is a hidden great Family of hundreds of years—what kind of Prodigy haven't we seen? We Grand Elders should lead by example, hold our ground, and maintain the backbone and composure that a hidden great Family's Elders should have. As the saying goes, 'The color does not change when Mount Tai collapses in front, and one does not blink when an elk rises on the left.' This is the bearing that a Liu Family Elder should have!"

His words were righteous and resounding. The surrounding Grand Elders nodded in agreement, their expressions also straightening up, putting on a high-minded attitude of 'my Family's Disciples are ignorant, please forgive me'.

However, just as Liu Qingshan finished speaking, before he could even enjoy the satisfaction of being echoed by everyone, a graceful figure suddenly moved.

It was a beautiful woman in a purple dress, looking to be in her early forties, whose face still clearly showed the stunning charm of her youth.

Her willow eyebrows were curved, her phoenix eyes were full of spring, and although her skin was not as delicate as a young girl's, the well-maintained face had only a few more subtle traces of time, which instead added a few points of maturity and charm unique to a mature woman.

Her figure was still exquisite and well-proportioned, the belt of her purple dress tied tightly around her waist, outlining a mature curve that made it hard for people to look away.

Elder Ruhua.

One of the only two female Grand Elders of the Liu Family.

She was already over two hundred years old.

But at this moment, this two-hundred-year-old beautiful woman was slightly on tiptoe, stretching her slender neck to look in Jiang Yun's direction.

The starlight in her phoenix eyes was exactly the same as that of the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls on the plaza. The blush on her face was not as intense as that of the young girls, but it had a more dangerous charm.

She suddenly turned around, facing Liu Qingshan, reached out and touched her well-maintained cheek, her voice carrying a bit of girlish shyness and a bit of a mature woman's self-confidence.

"Hey! Old man Qingshan, help this Elder see, is there anything dirty on this Elder's face? Is my hair messy? Is my lipstick smudged?"

Liu Qingshan was stunned, not yet reacting to why she was asking this, when Elder Ruhua had already continued to speak on her own.

"Later, this Elder is going to show her face in front of little friend Dong Xuan. I believe that with this Elder's beauty, this temperament, this charm, hehehe, little friend Dong Xuan will definitely be infatuated with this Elder, and maybe he will propose marriage to the Patriarch on the spot! By then, it will definitely bring huge benefits to the Liu Family!"

When she said this, she held her plump cheeks with both hands, her waist twisted slightly, the whole person exuding a kind of girlish spring aura that made all the surrounding Grand Elders' hair stand on end.

The whole high platform… went quiet…

Liu Qingshan's majestic posture of 'not changing color when Mount Tai collapses in front' was still stiff on his face, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitching violently at a frequency visible to the naked eye.

His mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, but his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

He had just finished saying that we Grand Elders must lead by example, hold our ground, and maintain the backbone and composure befitting a hidden aristocratic Family.

The sound of his voice hadn't even faded from the air yet...

One of the oldest female Grand Elders was now, right before his eyes, declaring her intention to show herself off before a sixteen years old youth, and even expecting the other party to be captivated by her?

The slap in the face came too quickly, so fast that Liu Qingshan's brain hadn't even had time to process it.

The expressions of the other Grand Elders were even more spectacular.

Some widened their eyes, some gaped, some nearly dropped the teacups in their hands, and others instinctively raised their hands to cover their faces, unable to bear watching.

They had just been agreeing with Liu Qingshan's words, condemning the younger generation for their lack of composure and for bringing shame upon the Family, but the moment they turned around, their own Grand Elder gave them a vivid lesson.

What it truly means to have no composure.

And just at this moment.

A clear voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, breaking the awkward silence.

"Pfft!!!"

Elder Liu Lan stood beside Liu Qingyun, one hand covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently.

Her lively eyes curved into two crescents, filled with teasing and schadenfreude.

"Elder Ruhua!"

Her voice was full of irrepressible mockery.

"You are over two hundred years old, so please don't set your sights on young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan. He is only sixteen years old. In terms of seniority, your great-great-great-grandchildren are probably older than him, right? If you really manage to captivate him, wouldn't Grand Tutor Dongxuan have to call Elder Qingshan 'Uncle'?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Grand Elders almost couldn't hold back their laughter, but looking at the expressions of Elder Ruhua and Liu Qingshan, they forced the laughter back in, their shoulders shaking as they held it in.

However, Elder Ruhua was not affected by Elder Liu Lan's words in the slightest.

She turned around, rolled her eyes at Elder Liu Lan with a condescending look full of Elder superiority, and then gently wagged a slender finger in the air.

"What do you know? Little girl."

Her voice carried a bit of confidence from a person who had been there before, and a touch of allure that made Elder Liu Lan's scalp tingle.

"You are only a little over a hundred years old, still just a yellow-haired girl, how could you understand a man's mind? Although young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan has Heaven-Defying talent and unparalleled combat strength, he is ultimately a hot-blooded youth. A youth of this age is most easily captivated by the charm of a mature woman like me. Although this Elder has lived for over two hundred years, which aspect of this face, this figure, or this temperament is worse than those yellow-haired girls? This Elder's type, the intellectual big sister—no, the intellectually beautiful big sister—is exactly the type that a youth of young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan's age likes most! Perhaps young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan lacked maternal love since childhood and would just happen to like a warm, inclusive, and charming big sister like this Elder? Hehehe..."

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. She cupped her plump cheeks with both hands, stars sparkling in her eyes, as if she had already envisioned the romantic scene of herself and Grand Tutor Dongxuan strolling hand in hand under the flowers and the moon.

"If I could really fly together and tie the knot with young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan, then the second half of this Elder's life would be settled! At that time, young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan will be sweeping across the Eastern Region and Central Province, and I will be behind him serving tea and pouring water, grinding ink and laying out paper. Little girl, don't laugh! The pastries this Elder makes are delicious; young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan will definitely praise this Elder for being virtuous after eating them! Perhaps he will even..."

Her voice suddenly lowered, but the words she spoke made the expressions of all the Grand Elders present become spectacular.

"He will also be with this Elder every night in the warmth of the hibiscus tent, with red candles burning high, enjoying several bouts of spring breeze, entangled in clouds and rain... Oh my, how embarrassing! This Elder cannot think about it anymore!"

She covered her face with both hands, but the phoenix eyes peeking through the gaps in her fingers clearly sparkled with undisguised anticipation and longing, and she even secretly glanced at Jiang Yun several times.

"Then this Elder will give birth to a few chubby little babies for young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan, continuing his Grand Tutor Dongxuan lineage's Heaven-Defying Bloodline. By then, the Family will be happy and harmonious, with this Elder raising the children and teaching them, and young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan dominating the world. Tsk tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes life feel like Perfection!"

Boom!!! The entire high platform fell into complete silence.

Liu Qingshan's expression management finally cracked at this moment.

The corners of his mouth twitched violently, the vein on his forehead was throbbing, and his entire face was filled with the confusion and embarrassment of 'Who am I, where am I, and why do I have to hear these words?'

He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and closed it again, like a fish slapped onto the shore.

Elder Liu Lan was already laughing so hard she couldn't straighten her back.

She covered her stomach with one hand and held onto the pillar beside her with the other, her whole body shaking with laughter, tears almost coming out from laughing.

She pointed at Elder Ruhua with a trembling finger, wanting to say something but unable to speak from laughter.

Supreme Elder Liu Yunshan turned his face away, his shoulders heaving, obviously trying his best to hold back his laughter, but his twitching shoulder blades had betrayed him completely.

But the most spectacular part of the whole scene was not this.

The most spectacular part of the whole scene was Liu Lie.

From the moment Elder Ruhua started speaking, the expression on this conservative Grand Elder's face seemed to have been pressed with a fast-forward button, rapidly and irrevocably sliding from a normal expression into some kind of abyss.

His eyes were wide open, his lips were trembling slightly, his hands were hanging at his sides clenched into two iron-blue fists, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging one by one.

Because in the entire Liu Family's Grand Elder group, almost no one knew that Liu Lie had been secretly in love with Elder Ruhua for over a hundred years.

From the time he was not yet a Grand Elder, from the first time he saw Elder Ruhua in the ancestral grounds, he had held this woman in his heart.

For over a hundred years, he had never said it out loud, but every time he secretly looked at Elder Ruhua during Grand Elder meetings, every time he deliberately sat opposite Elder Ruhua during discussions, and every time he subtly poured an extra cup of wine for Elder Ruhua at Family gatherings.

All of these were silently telling of his unspoken feelings.

And now, the woman he had been secretly in love with for over a hundred years was, right in front of his face, coyly planning to marry a sixteen years old youth. She even wanted to have babies for that youth. Chubby little babies. Several of them.

At that moment, it was as if a volcano that had been accumulating for over a hundred years erupted in Liu Lie's heart.

Magma gushed out, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, and all his secret love, all his longing, and all his silent protection were reduced to ashes by Elder Ruhua's words about giving birth to a few chubby little babies for young friend Grand Tutor Dongxuan.

His face turned iron-blue, then flushed red, then deathly pale, and finally turned into an indescribable, dead gray.

His lips were trembling violently, and his hands were clenched in his sleeves so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

His gaze pierced through the crowd, viciously, full of hatred, wishing he could devour the other person alive, staring at the back of the youth who was slowly walking from the entrance of the treasure vault.

"Damn it..." Liu Lie squeezed out two words from between his teeth. His voice was so low that only he could hear it. "Brat Dong Xuan... I... I will not stand under the same sky as you!!!"

He was roaring frantically in his heart, but he dared not show too obvious an expression on his face, only able to clench his back teeth tightly, the muscles on his cheeks twitching.

The other Grand Elders finally recovered from Elder Ruhua's earth-shattering remarks, and the expressions on their faces were full of embarrassment.

It was not the embarrassment of being offended, but the deep awkwardness of not knowing how to react and only being able to pretend to have heard nothing.

Liu Qingshan sighed heavily, supporting his forehead with his hand, as if he had suddenly aged ten years.

His declaration just now about leading by example, holding his ground, and maintaining backbone and composure had been crushed into dust by Elder Ruhua's words.

He felt that he had never been so embarrassed in his life.

He silently, silently turned around, deciding not to look in Elder Ruhua's direction for the time being, pretending that nothing had just happened.

However, he was smiling bitterly in his heart. It seems he had underestimated the composure of these Grand Elders of their Liu Family. It wasn't that their composure was too good, but that they had no composure at all. If even a Grand Elder who has lived for over two hundred years can act like a lovesick fan towards a sixteen years old youth, what backbone is there to speak of?

Thinking of this, Liu Qingshan's gaze drifted involuntarily towards Liu Qingyun, who had been silent in front.

When he saw Liu Qingyun's back, as steady as a mountain, a glimmer of sincere relief and admiration finally flashed in Liu Qingshan's eyes.

The Family Head really has composure. From beginning to end, not saying a word, unmoved as a mountain, not shouting like those younger Disciples, not calculating how to cling like those executive Elders, and certainly not like Elder Ruhua... Ahem.

The Family Head has always maintained the composure and dignity befitting the current Family Head of the Liu Family; this is the demeanor that the head of a hidden aristocratic Family should have. He is worthy of being the Family Head that I personally recommended back then.

Liu Qingshan silently gave Liu Qingyun a thumbs-up in his heart and nodded with satisfaction.

However, what Liu Qingshan did not know was that this Liu Family head, Liu Qingyun, who had been silent from beginning to end with a face as calm as water, was currently experiencing an inner world that was undergoing a psychological storm more intense than anyone else on the square.

His hands were behind his back, his posture as straight as a pine, and the expression on his face was extremely steady. But no one could see that his hands in his sleeves were rubbing against each other in a tiny range, an unconscious movement that only appeared when he was extremely anxious and calculating in his heart.

His gaze passed through the crowd, firmly locked onto Jiang Yun. The youth in the silver-white mask was walking slowly from the entrance of the treasure vault, his pace steady, his temperament cold and aloof.

And the look in Liu Qingyun's eyes when he looked at him was not like looking at a creditor who had taken two of the Liu Family's heirloom treasures. It was more like looking at a priceless treasure. A priceless treasure that he had weighed repeatedly in his heart countless times, feeling more and more that it was worth a fortune the more he weighed it.

His brain was running at high speed. Although Liu Ruyan was still in seclusion, she would see Grand Tutor Dongxuan sooner or later after she came out. With Liu Ruyan's appearance and talent, she was definitely a leader among the younger generation.

Ancient Nether Phoenix Bloodline, twenty-year-old Purple Crystal Ninth Rank Peak, recognized by the ancestral grounds' Legacy. Such conditions would make her a marriage candidate that any force in the Eastern Region would fight over.

And Grand Tutor Dongxuan. sixteen years old, Purple Gold Rank Five Peak, three Divine Beast Bloodline tamed beasts, Grand Tutor Level Appraiser, Grand Tutor Level rune attainments, Grand Tutor Level formation comprehension, and a Beast Taming Space with a Heaven-Defying recovery characteristic. Such a Prodigy would definitely be a person standing at the Peak of the continent in the future.

If Liu Ruyan could be with him... then he would be Grand Tutor Dongxuan's father-in-law. Father-in-law!! The father-in-law of a Peak Prodigy of the continent!!

By then, let alone the Eastern Region, even those ten-thousand-year-old clans in the Central Province would have to politely call the Liu Family "in-laws" when they saw them.

With Grand Tutor Dongxuan as such a son-in-law to support them, who would dare to touch a single hair of the Liu Family for the next hundred or thousand years?

By then, what kind of heirloom treasures would the Liu Family still need? Grand Tutor Dongxuan himself is the Liu Family's strongest heirloom treasure!

Liu Qingyun's mental abacus was clicking loudly, but his face still maintained the steady, mountain-like dignity of a Family Head.

He moved his gaze away from Jiang Yun and quietly searched for Liu Ruyan's figure in the crowd. Then he remembered that Liu Ruyan was still in seclusion and was not on the square.

It doesn't matter. No rush. Such a big matter cannot be rushed; it must be done slowly. First, he must let Liu Ruyan and Grand Tutor Dongxuan have a chance to interact. Only with interaction can they cultivate feelings, and only with feelings can things proceed naturally. After things proceed naturally, he, the father-in-law, can be justified.

He had already gone through the whole process in his mind. From initial acquaintance to knowing each other, from knowing each other to falling in love, from falling in love to proposing marriage, from proposing marriage to the grand wedding, from the grand wedding to holding a grandson. He had planned every step clearly, and he had even begun to silently deliberate on the names of his future grandchildren in his heart.

However, on his face, he still wore that steady expression of "a mountain collapsing before him without changing color, a deer rising on the left without blinking."

Liu Qingshan looked at Liu Qingyun's steady, mountain-like posture from afar and nodded with satisfaction again.

He turned his head and whispered to a Grand Elder beside him, "Do you see that? This is what a Family Head should look like. Grand Tutor Dongxuan took away two of the Liu Family's heirloom treasures, and the people below are all shouting, and Elder Ruhua is also... Ahem. But look at the Family Head, from beginning to end, he remains unmoved, as steady as a mountain. This demeanor and composure are the true style of a Family Head of a hidden aristocratic Family. It seems I didn't misjudge the person when I recommended him as Family Head back then."

That Grand Elder nodded in deep agreement, and the two of them looked at Liu Qingyun's steady, mountain-like back with approving eyes.

Little did they know, Liu Qingyun was currently thinking of names for his future grandson in his heart.

Elder Liu Lan stood beside Liu Qingyun, squinting her eyes as she secretly looked at the Family Head's face, which was as calm as water, and then looked at his hands in his sleeves, which were rubbing back and forth in a tiny, rhythmic motion, betraying all his inner activities, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

She didn't say anything. But her eyes, curved into crescents, were filled with one central idea: Family Head, keep pretending, just keep pretending...