79: edict

At the Chu Family Grand Courtyard, it was evening, and the lights in some of the smaller courtyards had already been lit.

The mountain road had been rebuilt, making it very wide and smooth. Chu Qinhui's carriage steadily stopped in front of the Chu Family Residence gate.

Chu Qinhui alighted from the carriage and entered the main gate. The coachman drove the carriage through a smaller side door into the residence.

Chu Qinhui hurried straight toward the Central Hall. Along the way, he encountered many hired servants and maids, who greeted him one after another,

"Young Master."

"Young Master."

Chu Qinhui nodded in response to each greeting. He entered the Central Hall and saw his Family members who were waiting for him to start dinner.

If he hadn't sent word back today, his Family would likely have already finished dinner at this time.

Seeing him return home, Chu Jingyu nodded lightly, then instructed a servant to bring the dishes.

Chu Shengyuan, who hadn't seen his father in several days, had his Green Forest Giant Python—which had grown to nearly a meter long—following at his feet, and he rushed over to Chu Qinhui.

Chu Shengyuan clung somewhat affectionately to Chu Qinhui's arm. "Dad, you've been gone for so long."

Chu Qinhui laughed, patting Xiao Yuan's head, and chuckled, "I have, haven't I? Did Little Yuan miss Dad?"

Chu Shengyuan nodded, then pointed boastfully at the Green Forest Giant Python at his feet. "Dad, look! Little Greenish-Gray successfully grew to a meter long yesterday. That's longer than Mom's Fenli... by two palms!"

Chu Shengyuan gestured as he spoke, looking for praise.

"Good, good, good. My son is raising it very well. How about we give Little Greenish-Gray extra food starting tomorrow?"

Chu Shengyuan quickly nodded. "Okay, okay. Dad, and that Little Jing, it already finished eating its eggshell and looks much livelier now."

"Little Yuan is taking very good care of them. Dinner is starting soon, so put Little Greenish-Gray away first, go back to your seat, and tomorrow Dad will go with you to see Little Jing, okay?"

Chu Shengyuan obediently nodded and returned to his seat.

After Chu Qinhui sat down, he gave his wife a reassuring smile, then looked at his quiet daughter on the side and asked with concern,

"Xiao Han, how has the Source Beast cultivation been recently?"

"Dad, it should be... pretty good. I feel like I'm about to touch the Mortal Rank Intermediate Bottleneck." Chu Shenghan's voice was also soft and gentle.

Hearing Chu Shenghan's words, Chu Qinhui did not spare his praise. "Xiao Han is truly amazing! Your Realm is catching up to your older brother's."

Chu Shenghan gave her father a helpless look. "Dad, I'm not a child anymore. You don't have to coax me like you coax my younger brother."

Chu Qinhui smiled awkwardly. He could only blame his two older children for being too mature, having lost too much of their childishness in the blink of an eye.

"Alright, alright, Dad won't say any more. I'll share the gifts with you after dinner, okay?"

At this time, the abundant dishes had all been served. After the food was set out, the surrounding attending servants consciously withdrew, leaving only the Chu Family members in the Central Hall.

After the meal, Chu Qinhui took out the gifts he had bought from the Treasure Pavilion one by one.

The gift for Chu Jingyu was a wooden ornament carved to resemble pine wood. It emitted a faint fragrance and possessed the effect of nourishing the Divine Soul, making it a very rare Material capable of nurturing the spirit.

The gifts for Jiang Nian and the three children were all Spatial Artifacts, differing only in appearance: Jiang Nian's was a jade hairpin, Chu Shenghan's was a jade necklace, and Chu Shengfan's and Chu Shengyuan's were jade pendants worn at the waist.

Since Chu Shengfan had not returned to the old Family residence today, Chu Qinhui put his portion away, preparing to personally deliver it to him when he returned to town later.

After distributing the gifts, Jiang Nian took the children back to their respective courtyards to rest, leaving only Chu Qinhui and Chu Jingyu in the Central Hall.

Chu Qinhui briefly told Chu Jingyu about the events that had occurred at the store in town, emphasizing the strange old man who arrived that day, and the subsequent reservations made by several Noble Families for the Moon Worshipping Rabbit and Medicinal Fragrance Powder-Eared Rabbit.

After listening, Chu Jingyu remained silent for a long time before saying, "Medicine King Valley—matters concerning royalty are too distant for us. Regardless of Old Brother Sun's true identity, we don't need to investigate; we just need to know that he is an ally of our Chu Family."

"As for the setting sun, I fear the Old Ancestor Huo doesn't have much time left. Since their Huo Family hasn't produced a new Domain Rank expert, I suspect that in the final moments,

the Old Ancestor Huo might cause a huge disturbance across Zhiyao County. It will either be a purge of the Families within the county, or he will go outside the borders to seize something. He will definitely do something."

Chu Qinhui frowned slightly. "Generally speaking, Source Beasts live longer than the Human Race. Even if the Old Ancestor Huo truly perishes, shouldn't his contracted Source Beast be able to shelter the Huo Family for a few more years?

But judging by Uncle Sun's tone, it sounds as if the Huo Family will face a catastrophe after his death."

"The greatest possibility, then, is that when the Old Ancestor Huo dies, his contracted Source Beast will also be unable to survive for long."

Chu Jingyu's tone was deep. "I don't know if this turmoil will implicate our Chu Family. In any case, we just need to prepare ourselves for the impact of the aftermath."

Chu Qinhui nodded with a serious expression.

"Also, regarding the Source Beasts you have reserved, deliver one before the New Year, and wait six months before delivering the next one."

Chu Qinhui thought of the rabbits living all over the courtyard of the Ancestral Hall, and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth,

"But if we keep raising the rabbits in our Ancestral Hall like this, even without a contract, their Realm might rise to the Intermediate Uncommon Rank.

At that point, those buyers will definitely discover the abnormal age of these Source Beasts."

"What is there to fear? The final right of interpretation is in our hands." Chu Jingyu took two steps. "Furthermore, the shop belongs to Brother Sun. Even the Old Ancestor Huo respects him greatly. Those are merely Eighth Rank Noble Families; they surely wouldn't dare to investigate too deeply."

If Chu Mu were here, he would certainly praise Chu Jingyu; the use of 'borrowing power to intimidate others' was becoming increasingly skillful.

"There aren't enough Source Beasts in the store. I want to take a portion back to the shop. This time, I want to bring the Light Healing Butterfly and the Flower Medicine Butterfly."

Chu Jingyu tapped his palm. "Take the Light Healing Butterfly, but I have other uses for the Flower Medicine Butterfly."

Chu Qinhui raised an eyebrow. "Father intends to..."

"It's time for our Chu Family to cultivate some Vassals. After all, our Chu Family is a Medicinal Noble Family."

...Nearly a month passed in this relatively peaceful manner.

On December 19th, approaching the end of the year, the Heyu Town Mayor summoned the Clan Chiefs of the Three Major Noble Families in town, shattering this peaceful life for the Chu Family.

"The County has issued an Edict: all Noble Families belonging to Zhiyao County must provide a certain number of Contract Masters to participate in this Hunt. Departure is on December 22nd. Your three Families must prepare."