130: Xiao Mansion

Heyu Town.

The carriage marked with the 'Chu' family emblem stopped on the street in front of the Town Head's Residence.

The heads of the Shi and Zhang Families, who had just arrived not long ago, greeted each other and gathered together a short distance away.

With the passing of the old family head and the rise of the Chu family, the relationship between these two families seemed to have become much closer.

Chu Jingyu stepped down from the carriage, and from the carriage behind him, Chu Suyuan was carefully helped down by her maids.

The current head of the Zhang family, Family Head, swept his eyes over Chu Suyuan. A light smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he whispered to the head of the Shi family beside him:

"I really don't know where this Chu family found this girl. Even if they're using a fake, they weren't very careful; her looks are far too mediocre."

The two of them were naturally familiar with the Chu family's population and knew that they had no idea where the girl currently being sent to the county town had come from.

Shi Jingchun, the head of the Shi family, lowered his eyes, making his emotions unreadable.

"It seems the Chu family has no intention of being selected at all. This is for the best; it saves them from climbing the high branch of the County Magistrate, and prevents this Heyu Town from having no room for our two families."

Family Head pursed his lips. Whether it was a good thing to be chosen for the County Magistrate's marriage was uncertain, but regardless, his Zhang family had to seize this opportunity. Otherwise, they would be forever suppressed in Heyu Town, unable to hold their heads up.

Thinking this, he looked down at the slender young woman behind Shi Jingchun. Her features weren't exactly beautiful, but her eyes were sharp and spirited, carrying a heroic air that offered a different kind of charm among the more delicate girls.

Chu Jingyu watched the Shi and Zhang Families from a distance. Seeing them close together and not coming over to say hello, he realized they had already formed a subtle alliance. He didn't bother going over to cause any unpleasantness.

Seeing Chu Jingyu's arrival, the guards at the gate immediately went inside to report. A moment later, Tang Cheng walked out from the Town Head's Residence.

Having not seen him for a few days, Tang Cheng's internal injuries seemed to have improved; his face was ruddy, and he looked to be in good spirits.

He glanced at the girls behind the three family heads, having already guessed most of their intentions.

But this was the private business of each Noble Family and had little to do with him. After exchanging greetings, they didn't waste any more words and headed toward the passage leading Beyond the Border.

Once they reached this point, ordinary attendants could no longer follow, so the group suddenly thinned out significantly.

It was only then that Chu Jingyu noticed the head of the Zhang family was followed by two veiled girls.

Chu Jingyu raised an eyebrow slightly; it seemed the Zhang family had put in quite a bit of effort.

The entire group now consisted of Contract Masters who had undergone Spirit Opening, so they moved quickly and reached the passage to the outside world.

The relationship between Zhiyao County and its subordinate towns was actually like a flower in full bloom.

The stamen was Zhiyao County, and each petal was a subordinate 'town'.

Heyu Town acted as the stamen, connecting several independent 'petals' together. Although they were all subordinate towns, they were not directly connected to each other; travel between them required using Zhiyao County as a springboard.

Besides Zhiyao County, the 'Treasure Pavilion', which stood independent of the towns, also connected them. However, for some reason, the 'Treasure Pavilion' never allowed personnel from various towns to use it as a springboard to connect with one another.

While thinking this, several people had already passed through the passage and arrived atop the city wall.

As soon as they reached the outside, wind and snow pelted down from the sky, and the world around them was a vast expanse of white.

Chu Jingyu thought this might be the lingering effect of the Ice Valley's collapse on the surrounding environment, and he wondered how long this change would last.

The family heads were fine, but the two girls brought by the Zhang family and Chu Suyuan behind Chu Jingyu were somewhat dazed, seemingly stunned by the desolate sight Beyond the Border.

Tang Cheng was in no hurry, waiting for them to compose themselves before continuing along the city wall.

After traveling about two kilometers and passing several vortex passages leading to other towns, a large vortex passage appeared on the side of the wall, where traffic was most frequent.

Because they were led by the Town Head, they didn't need to queue or pay the fee to enter the county town. They quickly entered the vortex passage and returned to the interior.

The town was indeed prosperous. There were significantly more Contract Masters on the streets, and some small Source Beasts moved about without avoiding people at all. The sounds of hawking were constant.

They had suddenly gone from a desolate region to a world full of the bustle of human life.

Near the vortex passage, the items being sold on both sides of the street were Source Beast furs, special medicinal herbs, crystals, and some specially made weapons.

As they moved further from the vortex passage, ordinary people became more numerous, and their spirits seemed to have more Life Qi than the residents of the town.

Due to the importance of their business, Tang Cheng led them straight to the Xiao Residence, where the County Magistrate resided.

The Xiao Residence was grandly built. Bluestone was casually laid on the street in front of the gate as building material, and the walls were constructed from feather-pattern ore—a material where even a small piece pried off could be sold for hundreds of Origin Rune Stones.

People were coming and going in front of the Xiao Residence, mostly town heads from other towns. Tang Cheng would nod to those he recognized.

As they drew closer to the Xiao Residence, a servant soon came to receive them. After asking Tang Cheng which town they were from, he efficiently led them into the courtyard.

Entering the Xiao Residence, they came to a doorway and saw a row of servants dressed as maids. The leader among them had the fluctuations of an Uncommon Rank Contract Master.

She bowed to Tang Cheng. "Welcome, honored guests. The courtyard ahead is for the banquet prepared for you lords, so it is no longer suitable for these female family members to remain by your sides."

"Please entrust them to me. I will take them to another courtyard to participate in the upcoming selection."

There were indeed many rules, giving off a slight feeling of an 'Emperor' selecting concubines.

Tang Cheng had no objections, and the three family heads didn't voice any either. They left the four girls there, who were led away by the junior maids behind the head maid.

"Then I shall not disturb your enjoyment, lords. Please, I hope you all drink to your heart's content today."

Only then did Tang Cheng and the family heads enter the courtyard behind the maid.

Calling it a courtyard was more like calling it a plaza. Nearly two hundred square tables were set up, presumably one per person. Quite a few people were already scattered across the seats.

Tang Cheng stood at the entrance, looked around, and then spoke. "Let's take our seats."

Tang Cheng didn't seem to like crowds and chose a seat near the edge. As for the heads of the Shi and Zhang Families, they seemed to have old acquaintances here, so they excused themselves to Tang Cheng and went elsewhere.

Chu Jingyu had never participated in such a scene of fame and fortune, nor did he like the polite but fake clamor, so he sat down next to Tang Cheng.

As soon as the two were seated, the serving maids immediately arranged wine and spiritual food. Before long, the nearly 1.5-meter long table was fully laden.

What caught Chu Jingyu's attention was that among these serving maids, not a single one was an ordinary person. The lowest were Mortal Rank Low Tier, and the highest were Mortal Rank Upper Stage.

Tang Cheng glanced at Chu Jingyu beside him and smiled. "This is a good opportunity to build relations with other Noble Families. Your Chu family is, after all, a newly risen Noble Family; there's no harm in socializing more."