51: Chapter 51 No, this absolutely won't do!

Chen Rou didn't waste any words, her expression grave.

She recounted everything Chen Shanzhi had encountered in the Secret Realm to the Marquis of Zhenguo in great detail.

From the sudden involvement of the Wu Race to the betrayal of the Successor of the Divine Oracle.

And even the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma Formation Diagram, which involved the breaking of the Demon God's seal, she explained it all.

The Marquis of Zhenguo listened quietly.

As Chen Rou spoke, the gentle smile that had been on the old man's face gradually vanished.

It was replaced by a suffocating, iron-blooded Evil Qi that was palpable even through the Ten-Thousand-Mile Light Mirror.

After Chen Rou finished her explanation, a suffocating silence fell over the other side of the light mirror.

Standing before the mirror, Chen Rou found it hard to breathe under the pressure of this silence, her eyes filled with tension.

A long while passed.

Under Chen Rou's extremely nervous gaze, the Marquis of Zhenguo finally spoke slowly.

"Xiao Rou'er, don't scare yourself."

"There is no problem with the incidents Shan'er encountered in the Secret Realm."

"Tell Shan'er that as long as he doesn't go out..."

"...and blabber about his experiences in the Secret Realm to cause unnecessary trouble, it will be fine."

Chen Rou was stunned for a moment, not expecting such a casual reaction from the Marquis of Zhenguo.

But out of blind trust in this Great Zhou God of War, she still breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, a flash of surprise crossed the Marquis of Zhenguo's eyes as he asked:

"Wait, since Shan'er entered the Secret Realm..."

"...does that mean his current cultivation has reached the Xuanguan Seven Apertures?"

A gratified smile immediately appeared on Chen Rou's face as she nodded.

"Yes, Marquis."

"Ever since Shan'er got close to that Miss Tang, the boy seems to have suddenly matured and become much more sensible."

"In less than a month..."

"...he forced his way from the Xuanguan Five Apertures all the way to a Breakthrough into the Xuanguan Seven Apertures!"

"Moreover, his Foundation is very solid, without any sense of instability."

Hearing this, the Marquis of Zhenguo could not hide the satisfied look of praise in his eyes and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! That brat, he has the blood of my Chen family flowing in him; his talent was never poor!"

"In the past, he spent his days seeking flowers and willows, putting all his mind on those women."

"That resulted in his cultivation barely reaching the Xuanguan Five Apertures."

"Now it seems he has a true sweetheart and wants to put on a good show in front of the little girl!"

"In any case, as long as he can pull his mind back..."

"...and focus it on Martial Dao Cultivation, it is ultimately a great thing!"

Speaking of this, the Marquis of Zhenguo paused and continued:

"Xiao Rou'er, when you have time, have Shan'er bring that little girl to the Marquis Mansion more often."

"They are young people, after all. Spending more time together to nurture their feelings is a good thing."

Hearing these words, Chen Rou's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face froze slightly.

She quickly lowered her head to hide the trace of panic in her eyes and softly replied, "Yes, Marquis, Rou'er has noted it down."

But in that moment when her eyes were lowered.

An indescribable and complicated emotion surged in Chen Rou's heart.

Looking at the Marquis's attitude, he was clearly very satisfied with this Miss Tang who could make Chen Shanzhi turn over a new leaf.

He even seemed to have the intention of accepting her into the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

When the Marquis returns to the capital from the border later, would Shan'er and this Miss Tang be getting engaged and married?

When that time comes...

...Shan'er would have a family of his own, his own little home, and his own wife.

Would she, the aunt who had raised him since he was a child and had always been by his side, become someone redundant?

Would she no longer be able to be like this in the future?

To see Shan'er every day and care for him so recklessly every day?

The thought of Chen Shanzhi revolving around that Tang Xiaowu while she could only stand alone in the courtyard watching.

Chen Rou felt her chest tighten with distress, and that groundless jealousy almost overwhelmed her.

"Xiao Rou'er, is there anything else?"

In the light mirror, the Marquis of Zhenguo clearly didn't notice Chen Rou's convoluted maidenly thoughts and said:

"If there are no other urgent matters, let's end this communication for now."

"The border hasn't been peaceful lately; those beasts of the Yao Race are stirring again."

"There are many affairs to attend to, so I must continue my work."

Chen Rou snapped back to her senses, suppressed the bitterness in her heart, and quickly looked up, forcing a proper smile.

"There is nothing else. Rou'er won't disturb the Marquis's military duties further."

"Marquis, please take care of your health while you are away."

The Marquis of Zhenguo nodded and said no more.

Buzz—

The square light mirror in mid-air blurred, and the Marquis of Zhenguo's face instantly disappeared.

At this moment, tens of thousands of miles away at the border, inside the Central Army Tent.

The Marquis of Zhenguo cut off the transmission and slowly leaned back in the large Grandmaster Chair of the commander-in-chief.

In his eyes, which were as sharp as a hawk's, an extremely complex emotion now flowed.

After a long time.

The Marquis of Zhenguo looked up, his gaze fixed on the Void Realm within the tent.

It was as if he had pierced through ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers to see a shadow that should have died a hundred years ago.

Inside the empty tent, a sigh rang out.

"So many years have passed... It turns out you have never let it go."

"Even the deduction of this Secret Realm is still stuck at that moment from back then..."

...

Inside Chen Rou's bedroom in the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

Chen Rou watched the square light mirror floating in mid-air.

It turned into countless specks of starlight, finally reconverging into an Emerald Token with a dull surface.

She stepped forward, reached out her jade-like hand to take the token, and put it away.

Every time this transmission token was used...

...it required a full month of nourishment to finish recharging before the next transmission could take place.

If it weren't for the things Shan'er encountered in the Secret Realm this time...

...which completely deviated from what Shan'er's father had experienced...

...Chen Rou would never have dared to use this transmission token so easily.

However, judging by the Marquis's reaction just now, he should know the reason for the change in the Secret Realm.

Since the Marquis said there was no problem, that was the best outcome.

Only...

Chen Rou walked to the dressing table and looked at herself in the bronze mirror—still peerless in her generation, yet lacking a bit of a young girl's vitality.

She couldn't help but recall the words the Marquis had just said.

Should she... really take the initiative to play matchmaker?

To let Shan'er bring that Miss Tang to the Marquis Mansion more often?

Chen Rou bit her red lips and paced back and forth in the room.

"Before, it was Shan'er who brought her here himself; at most, that could be considered a private invitation between young people and doesn't count for much."

Chen Rou calculated secretly in her heart.

"But if I personally speak up and ask Shan'er to bring her over..."

"...then the meaning would be completely different!"

"In name, I am currently the Mistress of the House of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion."

"Once I speak, it's equivalent to an elder of the Marquis Mansion making a formal statement of approval!"

"That would be a disguised form of meeting the parents!"

"No, this absolutely won't do!"

Thinking of this, Chen Rou stopped in her tracks and bit her red lips.

She found an extremely high-sounding reason for herself in her heart:

"Shan'er is still young, just turned eighteen. It's a time when he's full of vigor and easily distracted by beauty."

"Has he supported few Courtesan Queens in the Yihong Pavilion before?"

"Maybe his interest in this Miss Tang is just for the sake of novelty, just playing around."

"If I rush to settle things now..."

"...wouldn't it just add trouble later if Shan'er gets bored?"

The more Chen Rou thought about it, the more she felt it made sense.

"So, I think I should pretend I don't know for now."

"And observe in secret for a while longer!"

"I'll see what his true feelings for her are before making a decision."

After thoroughly straightening out this set of logic in her mind.

The chest that had been tight with distress finally felt clear.

She subconsciously raised her hand, lightly covering the breathtaking fullness of her chest, and let out a long, fragrant breath.

A relaxed smile once again hung from the corners of her mouth.