Douluo Jueshi: Who let him join Shrek!

Chapter 871 Jiang Ming Meets His Father-in-Law

Ma Xiaotao's family is not actually very powerful.

Logically speaking, Ma Xiaotao's ancestor was Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils, so his descendants' family shouldn't have fared too poorly.

But this is not the case.

The Ma family, in the entire Tiandou City, can only be considered a small family now.

Their clan leader was merely a Soul Master with the cultivation level of a Soul Saint.

It doesn't look weak, but the ancestors of the Ma family were deities!

In comparison, the clan leader is only a Soul Saint, which is indeed too inadequate.

But there's no way around it, ten thousand years is just too long!
Not to mention the Ma family, even the Tang Clan, after ten thousand years, has declined after losing its core competitiveness, and even the territory where the sect is located has been seized by others.

The factions that the other members of the original Shrek Seven Devils belonged to were already very powerful forces with deep foundations, even before they became gods.

Needless to say, Dai Mubai is a member of the Star Luo Empire's royal family. Even though he later became a Grand Duke due to unforeseen circumstances, he is not considered to have fallen from grace.

Oscar joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, which is the most powerful auxiliary weapon spirit family in Douluo Continent. Its core competitiveness lies in its own spirit. As long as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit remains, it can stand firm!
Tang San and the Clear Sky Sect need no introduction. Even now, in seclusion, they possess extremely powerful strength. Before Tang San became a god, or even before Tang San existed, they were already the number one sect.

If Xiao Wu insists on saying so, her faction actually belongs to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ning Rongrong is also from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Zhu Zhuqing belongs to the Zhu family, a prominent family in the Star Luo Empire, and is one that shares weal and woe with the Dai family.

Of the seven, only Ma Hongjun did not retain his initial foundation.

When Ma Hongjun was alive, the Ma family, and even Ma Hongjun's wife Bai Chenxiang's side, and the Min family, were all families that no one in the entire Douluo Continent dared to bully.

But after Ma Hongjun became a god, especially now, ten thousand years later, it is already quite remarkable that the Ma family can still exist.

why?
Because the Ma family not only lacked initial resources, but also core competitiveness!
Whether it's the Clear Sky Sect or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, top-tier martial souls are their core competitive advantage.

That's something passed down through generations; the probability of such a martial spirit appearing within a sect is very high.

But Ma Hongjun is different. Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul is a mutated one! Moreover, he is the only one who possesses this Martial Soul, unlike the Martial Soul inheritance of sects and families.

The earliest generations of Ma Hongjun's descendants have a very high probability of possessing the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

But ten thousand years have passed, and countless generations have gone by, and this Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul has gradually disappeared from the Ma family.

It's only in recent years that another Ma Xiaotao has emerged!

Not only does he possess the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, but he also has extremely high cultivation talent!
When Ma Xiaotao's martial spirit awakened, the entire Ma family was excited!
The Ma family patriarch used all his connections to send Ma Xiaotao to Shrek Academy, where she became Yan Shaozhe's disciple.

The entire Ma family placed all their hopes on Ma Xiaotao!
Ma Xiaotao did not disappoint them. She not only rose rapidly but also gained the recognition of the divine mark left by the ancestor of the Ma family, thus qualifying for the divine assessment.

This mark has been sealed in the Ma family for many years. Over the past ten thousand years, many clansmen with the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul have tried to awaken this mark, let alone gain the recognition of the divine mark.

Ma Xiaotao is the first and only one!
"The young clan leader is back! The young clan leader is back!"

As Jiang Ming and his party alighted from the carriage, a gatekeeper at the Ma residence immediately ran into the mansion and called for the rest of the Ma family to come out.

The other gatekeeper walked up to Ma Xiaotao.

"Young clan leader, you're back!"

As he spoke, his gaze quickly swept over Jiang Ming and the others.

Even a security guard needs to be observant.

"I wonder who these people are?"

Ma Xiaotao said generously, "These are all my sisters, and my lover."

Upon hearing the word "lover," the security guard trembled and immediately realized what was happening.

Although the Ma family is no longer a major clan, they still pay close attention to information about their young patriarch.

Almost every so often, the Ma family would send someone to Shrek Academy to gather information.

Naturally, he also knew who Ma Xiaotao's lover was.

"Greetings, young master! Greetings, ladies!"

He reacted very quickly, bowing respectfully.

Upon hearing this address, Ling Luochen's lips curled slightly.

This way of addressing them made them feel like outsiders.

However, this is normal.

After all, they are from Ma Xiaotao's family, so they will definitely side with Ma Xiaotao.

"Ah."

Jiang Ming nodded slightly, which was taken as an agreement.

As Ma Xiaotao led everyone toward her home, she asked the gatekeeper, "Is my father home?"

The gatekeeper quickly replied, "Yes, the clan leader did not go out today."

Soon, Ma Xiaotao led everyone to the reception hall.

"Everyone, please sit here for a moment, I'll go."

Before Ma Xiaotao could finish speaking, a middle-aged man dressed in black and red clothing walked over.

"Xiao Tao."

When Ma Xiaotao saw the person who had arrived, she immediately beamed with joy.

"Father!"

Upon hearing Ma Xiaotao call out, Jiang Ming stood up and went over to greet her.

The other women stood up, but did not step forward. After all, this was Jiang Ming meeting Ma Xiaotao's parents, and they were actually a little embarrassed.

"father in law."

Now that he has established a relationship with Ma Xiaotao and they have already had a physical relationship, the way he addresses her naturally needs to change.

Upon hearing the word "father-in-law," the middle-aged man was clearly taken aback.

But then he saw Jiang Ming's face and immediately understood.

"You...you must be Jiang Ming?"

He knew that his daughter had someone she liked, and he had even gone to watch the Star Luo City competition. Although he had never met Jiang Ming, he still had a fairly deep impression of him.

"Yes."

To be honest, this was Jiang Ming's first and most genuine meeting with the parents.

On Zhang Lexuan's side, Elder Mu and the other elders of the Sea God Pavilion can be considered Zhang Lexuan's parents, but they are all acquaintances.

As for Liya, she suffered from amnesia due to various accidents in the past. Moreover, at that time, it was the sea princess and Liya who took the initiative, while he was the passive one.

Now, he takes the initiative to visit me, which feels somewhat strange.

The middle-aged man nodded, then glanced at the group of women behind Jiang Ming.

Then, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Who are they?"

In fact, he already had a judgment in his mind, after all, the information he obtained from Shrek Academy also included information about these people.

“Father, they are my sisters!” Ma Xiaotao stood beside Zhang Lexuan and her daughters and said very seriously.

To be honest, Zhang Lexuan and the others were in a very awkward situation here.

This is Ma Xiaotao's family home. Jiang Ming is Ma Xiaotao's lover. Although they address each other as sisters, in the eyes of Ma Xiaotao's family, they are rivals among their own family members!
How could this not be embarrassing?

Fortunately, Ma Xiaotao's use of the word "sister" effectively eased the awkwardness.

The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter, his gaze somewhat complicated, and said softly, "Xiao Tao, it's not lunchtime yet. Why don't you take your sisters and go for a stroll in Tian Dou City? I'll have a private talk with Jiang Ming."

Ma Xiaotao could talk about sisters in a carefree manner, but how could her father stand to see his daughter sharing a husband with other women?

Even if it's true, it's better to just ignore it.

Of course, it's not appropriate to kick them out directly. Fortunately, it's not mealtime yet, so let Ma Xiaotao take these people to stroll around Tiandou City. That way, we can have some peace and quiet for now.

Moreover, he genuinely wanted to have a good talk with this son-in-law.

Ma Xiaotao wanted to refuse, after all, they had traveled a long way and it was obviously inappropriate for them to go out shopping instead of resting at home.

But Zhang Lexuan looked at her.

"Xiao Tao, it's been a long time since I've been to Tian Dou City. Why don't you take us out for some fun?"

She could naturally sense Ma Xiaotao's father's attitude towards them.

Rather than staying here and being stared at with strange looks, it's much more comfortable to go out.

"Oh? Oh, then let's go out for a stroll."

Ma Xiaotao belatedly realized what was going on and led the women out, leaving only Jiang Ming and her father behind.

"sit down."

The middle-aged man walked to the main seat in the reception hall and sat down, gesturing for Jiang Ming to sit down as well.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming sat back down in his original seat.

"I am Ma Lingyun, and I am Xiao Tao's father."

Ma Lingyun waved to the servant to pour tea, and then introduced herself.

“Little Tao hasn’t been home much these past few years. This time she’s come home with you, which makes me very happy.”

Jiang Ming: "."

Jiang Ming thought for a second before replying, "I'm ashamed to say that Xiao Tao and I have been so busy with cultivation these past few years that we haven't had a chance to come and see you."

To be honest, Jiang Ming isn't very good at this kind of thing.

Think carefully about how to respond to every sentence to avoid leaving a bad impression.

This really gives off a feeling of Zhang Fei embroidering flowers.

In comparison, he might prefer to fight Di Tian, ​​which would probably be easier.

Fortunately, Ma Lingyun was unaware of Jiang Ming's thoughts. If he knew that in Jiang Ming's mind, chatting with him was more difficult than fighting Di Tian, ​​the leader of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, he would be truly flattered.

"It's alright. Since you're a Soul Master, you should naturally prioritize cultivation!"

Ma Lingyun waved his hand, indicating to Jiang Ming not to take it to heart.

As the current patriarch of the Ma family, he knows all too well how important the cultivation of a Soul Master is.

If it weren't for the fact that the Ma family still had a Soul Saint expert like him in this Heaven Dou City, their territory might have been taken away long ago, just like the Tang Clan.

The battles between Soul Masters have always been decided by strength.

As the capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the competition among Soul Master factions in Heavenly Dou City is far more intense than one might imagine.

Even within the family, Ma Lingyun constantly reminded the younger generation that they must cultivate diligently in order to support the family.

Unfortunately, among the younger generation of the family, apart from Ma Xiaotao, who is a very talented prospect, the others are not up to par.

Even he himself was not considered respectable in Tiandou City.

After all, he, the patriarch of the Ma family, did not inherit the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, and his cultivation level was only Soul Saint.

In this Heavenly Dou City, a Soul Saint is not weak, but he is certainly not top-tier either.

"Speaking of which, I also went to Star Luo City to watch your tournament back then. The level of excitement in that tournament truly set a precedent in tournament history! Your Shrek Academy was actually able to send a lineup of four Soul Saints and three Soul Emperors. You truly live up to your reputation as Shrek Academy."

Ma Lingyun only has one daughter, Ma Xiaotao, and this is his first time being a father-in-law. Even as the patriarch of the Ma family, he is now just like Jiang Ming, unsure of what to talk about, and can only start by talking about the competition he knows.

If Jiang Ming's status or strength were weaker, he could at least maintain the demeanor of a father-in-law and elder, test Jiang Ming, and incidentally hold Jiang Ming accountable for the many women around him.

But Jiang Ming.
Even though he doesn't know Jiang Ming's strength or how far he has come.

But nearly ten years ago, during the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, Jiang Ming's cultivation level was already that of a Soul Saint!
Moreover, Jiang Ming at that time was able to fight against referees who were at the Title Douluo level on the competition stage!

Now, almost ten years have passed, and heaven knows just how terrifying Jiang Ming's strength has become.

As the bride's parent, he wanted to put on airs and test his son-in-law.

But as a Soul Master, he dared not.
He wasn't the kind of person who was clueless and didn't use his position as an elder to pressure his son-in-law.

This led to a somewhat awkward conversation between the two.

Jiang Ming was thinking about how to respond in a way that would leave a good impression, while Ma Lingyun wanted to know more about her son-in-law, but was a little cautious because her son-in-law was too strong.

"Forehead"

Jiang Ming thought for another second before replying, "Did your father-in-law go to watch that match back then?"

Ma Lingyun said, "Yes, it was Xiao Tao's first time participating in a major competition, so as her father, of course I had to go and watch. However, in order not to affect Xiao Tao's competition, I came back after watching the competition and didn't meet with her."

"."

I'm stuck in an awkward silence again.

In the end, Jiang Ming seemed to sense Ma Lingyun's nervousness and caution.

He sighed and said, "Father-in-law, don't be nervous. Let's just chat normally. You can just think of me as Xiaotao's husband."

This awkward conversation was getting to Jiang Ming's breaking point.

Hearing this, Ma Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since that's the case, then I won't beat around the bush. I'd like to ask, what are your and Xiao Tao's current cultivation levels? Also, when will you and Xiao Tao get married? When do you plan to have children? And how many children do you want?"

These are the two questions that Ma Lingyun most wanted to ask.

Jiang Ming's excellence is beyond doubt; it's beyond his comprehension. Moreover, Xiao Tao likes him, and Jiang Ming's attitude is very respectful, so he has no reason to make things difficult for him.

But like other parents, after learning that his daughter had a boyfriend, getting married and having children became his biggest concern.

As for asking about cultivation level, that was indeed out of curiosity.

After all, Jiang Ming was the most talented and monstrous genius he had ever seen!
Ten years ago, he reached the Soul Saint level at the age of twenty, and his combat power was comparable to that of a Title Douluo.

Over the past ten years, he has also asked his daughter, Ma Xiaotao.

But her daughter always replied that Jiang Ming's cultivation level was higher than hers and his strength was much, much greater than hers.

You have to understand, back then Ma Xiaotao had already received the recognition of the divine mark and passed the divine test to obtain a 100,000-year soul ring! He thought his daughter was going to surpass Jiang Ming.

But to my surprise, my daughter said that the gap between us was getting bigger and bigger!
As a Soul Master and now Jiang Ming's father-in-law, how could he not be curious about Jiang Ming's current cultivation level and strength?

(End of this chapter)