"Hello, Emperor Son. My name is Jiang Linglong. I hope there will be a chance in the future to seek your guidance, Emperor Son~" Jiang Linglong said, extending her delicate, boneless little hand toward Jiang Chen.
"There will be opportunities in the future." Jiang Chen generously grasped the small hand before him.
"Alright, alright, you juniors. Go ahead and chat amongst yourselves. Second Uncle won't meddle." With that, Jiang Taixu turned and walked toward the other clan elders.
"Emperor Son, I've heard that you possess the Chaos Physique and the Supreme Immortal Bone. Observing your ethereal temperament and the profound Dao Rhyme about you, I assume your current cultivation must be unfathomable. I wonder if the three of us might have the chance to seek some guidance from you?" Seeing that only the young people were left, Jiang Wanjie spoke directly, revealing what was on his mind.
"Hahahaha! No problem at all. However, since today is a family gathering, it wouldn't be appropriate for us to start fighting. But if you truly all wish to spar and exchange pointers with me, you are welcome to come straight to the Divine Emperor Palace another day." Jiang Chen quickly set the location inside the Divine Emperor Palace. As long as he was within his own domain, it didn't matter who came.
"How magnanimous of the Emperor Son. There's no time like the present, so tomorrow we will head together to the Divine Emperor Palace to pay our respects." Jiang Wanjie cupped his fists in salute to Jiang Chen.
Afterward, Jiang Chen, Jiang Wanjie, and the others exchanged insights on cultivation. Amidst this harmonious atmosphere, the few of them brought today's family gathering to a close.
Afterward, humming a little tune, Jiang Chen happily returned to his courtyard. As soon as he stepped through the door, he scattered some fish food into the pond. He even casually patted the big rooster in the yard before finally heading back to his room.
Once Jiang Chen closed his bedroom door, those little goldfish in the pond suddenly spoke up, "It seems the master is in a good mood today. Presumably, today's family gathering brought no trouble to the master whatsoever."
"Hmph, these people should count themselves lucky that they made the right choice today. Otherwise, once our cultivation recovers in the future, we will certainly teach a profound lesson to anyone who has ever provoked the master," the big rooster said coldly.
......
Early the next morning, Jiang Wanjie and the others set off for the Divine Emperor Palace to visit Jiang Chen. Upon arriving at the Divine Emperor Palace, they were informed that Jiang Chen had long since moved to live alone halfway up the mountain. Following the directions, Jiang Wanjie and the others arrived outside the courtyard where Jiang Chen lived.
Looking at the somewhat unadorned courtyard before them, Jiang Wanjie and the others wore the exact same expressions Ji Ruxue had worn earlier.
"No way? Our Emperor Son actually lives in a place like this?" Jiang Wanjie and the others stared in astonishment at the courtyard before them.
"Oh? You're here. Come on in~" Sensing the visitors outside, Jiang Chen pushed open his door and beckoned to Jiang Wanjie and the others. After all, the 100-meter radius belonged to Jiang Chen's Invincible Domain; within this domain, anyone approaching could be perceived by him. Thus, sensing that Jiang Wanjie and the others had arrived, Jiang Chen immediately came out to greet them.
"Emperor, Emperor Son, why do you live in a place like this?" Still finding it hard to believe, Jiang Wanjie stepped into the courtyard.
"This—is this Dao Rhyme?" The moment Jiang Wanjie stepped into the courtyard, he abruptly sensed that this place was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface. The entire courtyard was permeated with dense Dao Rhyme laws.
"Come, sit down." Jiang Chen brought out a few stools, placing them in the large courtyard and inviting Jiang Wanjie and the others to take a seat.
"Okay~" Puzzled, Jiang Wanjie and the others sat down.
"Emperor Son, this place of yours..." Jiang Wanjie seemed about to say something, but Jiang Chen cut off his question first.
"Do you find it somewhat out of place, seemingly simple here yet filled with all sorts of Dao Rhyme laws?" Jiang Chen smiled.
"What you see is indeed correct. This place was personally crafted for me by the Thirteenth Ancestor himself. Furthermore, because I have always remained in the Ancestral Land for secluded cultivation and naturally dislike interacting with others, this small courtyard looks unadorned on the outside, yet contains a universe within."
"Oh, oh, so that's how it is." Hearing this, Jiang Wanjie nodded.
"Right, since you're all here, stay for lunch before you leave." Without waiting for Jiang Wanjie and the others to reply, Jiang Chen stood up, hoisted an axe from beside the front door, and prepared to chop some firewood.
"Emperor Son, do you actually cook your own meals?" Jiang Linglong looked at Jiang Chen in mild surprise.
After all, among important figures of their clan, which of them wasn't surrounded by throngs of attendants and servants? How could it ever fall to them to do such things themselves?
"Yes, that's right. I treat this as a form of cultivation as well. Would you like to try? Chopping firewood isn't as simple as you might imagine." Jiang Chen smiled, unconcerned with the opinions of others, and instead explained calmly to Jiang Linglong.
"Try it then if you say so," Jiang Linglong said dismissively.
She picked up a few pieces of wood from the ground, raised her right hand into a palm, and slashed through the empty air. She wanted to rely on her own palm wind to effortlessly split a few logs—wasn't that supposed to be child's play?
"Huh? How is this possible?" Looking at the completely motionless wood before her, Jiang Linglong's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Take it. It's much easier to chop firewood with this axe." With that, Jiang Chen handed over the axe he was holding.
While Jiang Linglong was still in a daze, he thrust the axe into her hands.
"Ah~~" Before Jiang Linglong seemed ready, the axe slipped directly from her hands and dropped to the ground.
At first, Jiang Wanjie and the others assumed Jiang Linglong simply hadn't held on properly, but only Jiang Linglong herself knew at that moment that this was far from a simple slip of the hand.
Recovering her balance, Jiang Linglong prepared to pick up the axe from the ground. But when she grasped the handle, she discovered that no matter how hard she tried, the axe refused to budge an inch.
"Alright, stop putting on an act, Linglong. It's just picking up an axe, why are you dawdling for so long?" Clueless, Jiang Wanjie couldn't help teasing her.
"Hmph—I don't believe this." Jiang Linglong took a deep breath, a pale red aura emanating from her body, and then grabbed fiercely at the axe on the ground. With a burst of exertion, a flash of light suddenly cut across her mind.
As if startled, Jiang Linglong abruptly released both hands, yet the axe remained completely motionless on the ground.
Seeming to notice Jiang Linglong's embarrassment, Jiang Chen walked over and easily picked up the axe.
"Never mind, Linglong, you go sit over there and let me do it." Immediately, Jiang Chen swung the axe effortlessly, smashing the pieces of wood on the ground to pieces, and then carried the logs into the house.
"Hey, Linglong, what on earth were you doing just now?" Jiang Wanjie looked with puzzlement at Jiang Linglong, who was still sitting dazedly in her spot.
"Light. Let me check... I just saw a flash of light that split the heavens and earth apart," Jiang Linglong muttered to herself.
"Huh? What nonsense are you babbling? Have you got a fever?" Jiang Wanjie reached out and felt Jiang Linglong's forehead.
"No, you don't have a fever," Jiang Linglong said, swatting Jiang Wanjie's hand away with a slap.