Chapter 464: Have You Ever Seen a Son-in-Law Bowing to His Father-in-Law?
As dusk fell, the carriage finally arrived at its destination.
Despite being less than fifty miles from Linzhou, Jingzhou still lived up to its reputation as a quiet little state city. While all the surrounding cities in Linzhou were expanding in prosperity thanks to the Floating Splendor Commerce, Jingzhou, with its unique three-sided mountainous terrain, remained semi-isolated from the world.
The people in the state city still relied on the mountains for sustenance, with a small population and even the commerce association only having a barely-there branch here.
Zhang Xiaoying said she was born in this peaceful little city.
“When I was three years old, I encountered the disciple selection of the immortal sect.”
In the carriage, Zhang Xiaoying rested her head, gazing at the scenery around her. A few strands of hair fell by her ears, softening her appearance.
“I barely remember anything from then, just that when the elder from the immortal sect took me back to the mountain, my dad was bowing like crazy, and my mom was crying her eyes out.”
“Jingzhou, a small state city, only produced three children that caught the attention of cultivators, and the other two were just local rich landowners.”
“So after reaching the immortal sect, I thought I would definitely come back and let my parents live a good life.”
Sang Zhe listened quietly.
“But… it seems pretty funny to think about it now.”
Zhang Xiaoying suddenly chuckled: “I originally thought my talent must be quite good since I was chosen by the immortals.”
“But when I got to the immortal sect, I realized my talent was just mediocre compared to my peers.”
“I fell into that type of situation where, no matter how hard I tried to cultivate, I couldn’t keep up with the average pace.”
“There was a time I felt a lot of pressure, thinking if I kept being so mediocre, I would let my parents down.”
“But when the sect allowed family visits, I went home and found out I had been worrying for nothing.”
She smiled self-deprecatingly: “My parents were pretty happy at home. In a small place like Jingzhou, people live their whole lives knowing each other, and my parents’ tailor shop was doing well. My mom could even do her favorite embroidery every day.”
“It seems that whether I cultivate or become an immortal doesn’t change the fact that they are living very happily.”
“They also advised me not to put too much pressure on myself and to just live normally; even if I don’t become an immortal, I’m still a child they can be proud of.”
“Isn’t that great?” Sang Zhe asked.
“Yeah.” Zhang Xiaoying slightly tilted her body, resting her head against Sang Zhe’s shoulder, a faint fragrance wafting around.
“I think I’m just a child lucky enough to make even myself jealous.”
“I met such gentle parents. I also met such a wonderful husband.”
“So, you don’t have to be too nervous,” she said, gently holding Sang Zhe’s hand, her fingers softly caressing his broad palm.
“My parents are very patient and aren’t the type to be materialistic or vain.”
“As long as they know you’ll treat me well, they won’t blame you.”
…Really?
Even with Xiaoying’s comfort, Sang Zhe couldn’t shake off the anxiety he’d felt all the way here.
The thought of meeting his in-laws was just too overwhelming.
He couldn’t help but imagine himself in his future father-in-law’s shoes. It felt like a wild-haired, smoking, drinking youth on a motorcycle kicked open the door, shouting, “Hey, old man, I’m taking your daughter with me!”
Just shifting his perspective made Sang Zhe’s blood pressure soar.
Hopefully, he’d get a chance to explain himself to his father-in-law when the time came.
——
——
At the Zhang Family Tailor Shop in Jingzhou.
“Old Zhang, why are you closing so early today?”
“Ah, just a bit of stuff going on, we have guests coming over.”
After dealing with the neighbor’s question, Zhang Quanzhi locked the door and turned to the middle-aged woman behind him.
“…Wei Fen, it should be about time, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is everything ready?”
“All set.”
Wei Fen said worriedly: “Old Zhang, we’re just two ordinary folks, and they might be terrifying killers! Can we handle it?”
“If we can’t, we have to!”
A determined look flashed in Zhang Quanzhi’s eyes: “Since Xiaoying has chosen him, saving our child is our only option.”
“I won’t let our child be unhappy, even if it costs me my life!”
Saying that, he dragged out several heavy sacks and hid them in the main pathway.
“When the time comes, I’ll give the signal, and you dump these out all at once—surprise him, got it?”
“Can we really handle that? He’s a demon cultivator; if we fail, we’ll just make him angrier—”
“Then we have no choice! We can’t gather more than this!”
Just then, the sound of a carriage approaching outside made the couple’s hearts skip.
“We don’t have time to think.” Zhang Quanzhi decisively said, “Just follow my lead, and if things get desperate, I have a secret weapon!”
“Got it! I believe in you, old man!”
Meanwhile, the carriage slowly stopped in front of the Zhang Family Tailor Shop.
The moment he got out of the carriage, Sang Zhe felt his legs turn to jelly.
…Thank goodness.
His father-in-law wasn’t waiting at the door with a stick.
That was already better than the worst scenario he could imagine.
After Yu Xia supported Xiaoying down from the carriage, her eyes became slightly misty and nostalgic as she looked up at the familiar sign.
“Wait, I’ll knock—”
Before Zhang Xiaoying could take a step forward, the door creaked open.
Inside stood a muscular man with dark skin and a stern glare, along with a woman with a serious expression and watchful eyes.
The pair’s gazes seemed to fixate on the direction of the carriage.
Standing beside the carriage, Sang Zhe’s heart dropped instantly.
Oh no.
From their expressions, they didn’t seem welcoming at all.
“Dad! Mom!”
Zhang Xiaoying joyfully ran up, about to say something, when she suddenly heard Zhang Quanzhi’s grave voice:
“My good daughter, you go inside first.”
“Dad wants to have a word with this young man behind you.” His eyes glinted ominously as if he could swallow Sang Zhe whole.
Sang Zhe felt cold sweat break out on his back.
“Late, junior Sang Zhe, greetings to Uncle Zhang, Aunt Wei…”
He forced a strained smile, respectfully bowing.
Seeing the killer glint in their eyes, Sang Zhe genuinely didn’t have the courage to call them father-in-law and mother-in-law.
“Uncle, Aunt?”
Zhang Quanzhi scoffed, slowly stepping toward Sang Zhe: “You dare to address us like that?”
Huh?
Was that actually offensive to them?
Sang Zhe struggled to swallow, feeling hopeless.
Looks like he had no choice but to pull out the whip he’d prepared beforehand for his apology.
Zhang Quanzhi exchanged glances with Wei Fen.
…Addressing them as uncle and aunt confirmed their worries were true.
Since that was the case.
Let the secret plan unfold!
“I’m sorry, esteemed father-in-law! It’s me, Sang Zhe, who’s clueless and behaves worse than a beast. Please, esteemed father-in-law, punish me with the whip, but don’t stop my marriage with Xiaoying!”
“Please, mighty demon cultivator! Xiaoying may not be the prettiest, but she’s hardworking, capable, gentle, and virtuous; I’m okay with being a concubine, just don’t take Xiaoying away!”
In the next moment, both men on their knees, facing each other, froze and looked up in shock.
Zhang Quanzhi: “?”
Sang Zhe: “?”
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