While I'm at the martial arts academy, my wife is cultivating while I enjoy life.

After the meal began, the other tables ate very casually, but Yang Ding's table hardly touched their chopsticks.

What shocked everyone even more was that Mu Lan actually took out a handful of sea salt-flavored melon seeds from her military uniform pocket and started cracking them open.

"Dean Mu, you even brought your own impromptu banquet?"

"These are not just sunflower seeds."

After Mu Lan finished speaking, she tapped the table with two fingers, and all the sunflower seed shells flew up and hovered in the air, like flying swords.

"See? You can set up the Big Dipper Sword Formation even with sunflower seed shells. It all depends on how strong your mental power is."

Mu Lan spoke with great confidence, completely forgetting that she was only an SS-level.

Although they are very strong, they are not strong enough to be arrogant.

Ye Rou was stunned; this was incredibly imaginative.

"Wood-type abilities are so great, honey. You must find a strong wood-type wife like Sister Mulan in the future."

"Cough cough..." Mu Lan almost inhaled a melon seed into her trachea. "You brat, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"I was just using a metaphor, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Don't use me as a comparison."

"Okay, okay, I'm hungry too. Can you share some sunflower seeds with us?"

So while everyone else was enjoying a seafood feast costing over ten thousand yuan per person, the four pretty girls at this table were frantically munching on sunflower seeds.

This greatly displeased the second concubine, who walked over with a swaying gait, carrying a glass of red wine.

"Hey, why aren't you eating this food?"

"I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry." Mu Lan waved her hand.

She didn't dare to bully Mulan, so she could only keep an eye on Yang Ding and his three wives.

"Yang Ding, Fang Jing, it's your father's birthday, and you didn't eat anything or offer any wine. Do you suspect the hotel food is poisoned?"

"There's food, there's food," Fang Jing replied dismissively.

"Yes, yes, we will."

Yang Ding also grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open.

Seeing that these people were unyielding and there was nothing else she could do, the second concubine returned to the table, where her daughter, Fang Qiuyue, pulled her aside and whispered in her ear.

"Mom, they're so disrespectful. How am I supposed to face the Wang family after this? Seventh Grandfather is someone important; he wouldn't stoop to harming him, okay?"

"If you don't want to eat, then don't eat. It's not like we're giving you much money. Let's save the food from being wasted."

"But they're representing my family; I have my pride."

"I can't persuade them at all, what should I do?"

"Let's go up on stage and invite Dad and his children to come up and celebrate his birthday. Let's see if he'll drink."

The second concubine's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea!"

This was at the urging of Fang Qiuyue by her husband, Wang Gao. She wasn't very intelligent and had no status in the Wang family. She believed whatever her husband said and had no idea that she was murdering her brother-in-law.

The second concubine excitedly walked onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and began to speak in a master of ceremonies tone.

"Distinguished leaders and guests, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my husband Fang Hongbo's birthday dinner."

"Fang Hongbo participated in the Cataclysmic War and fought tirelessly for humanity. His selfless spirit of sacrifice has deeply inspired his children."

"Next, please invite the four wives and their children to the stage. Also, please invite today's birthday celebrant, my beloved husband Fang Hongbo, to the stage to receive a toast from the younger generation."

"applaud!"

Fang Hongbo's hundred lieutenant-level subordinates were the first to applaud, and the others followed suit.

Only Fang Hongbo looked ashamed.

"This woman is quite adept at handling things; please excuse her for making a fool of herself."

Zhang Beiye lit a cigarette and said, "Isn't this what you like? Go on, I haven't even had a bite of food yet."

In fact, Fang Jing's mother, Wu Huixian, made an even greater sacrifice during the cataclysmic battle, falling directly from an SSS-level spatial ability user to a B+ level.

One of the cruel aspects of the Jinglong Empire is that the victims do not receive corresponding benefits, as master families and their cronies occupy too many positions.

This leads to a shortage of resources. Since our strength has already been depleted, what can we do?

In the postwar era, SSS-level spacefaring personnel could even become lieutenants, but Wu Huixian could only manage to become a lieutenant in a military hospital.

Fang Hongbo's position as a general was largely a compensation from the Queen.

Although the eighth rank is considered a high-level martial artist, there are over a hundred people with this cultivation level among the million-strong Eastern Navy.

Some of them even had higher cultivation levels than Fang Hongbo, but they still served as captains under him.

The captain's salary was only 40 percent of Fang Hongbo's.

"Fuck!"

Mu Lan was so angry that she slammed a handful of melon seeds on the table.

She never expected the old woman to pull this tactic.

She couldn't filter Yang Ding's drink when he publicly toasted on stage.

"Yang Ding, you can't go up. Fang Jing can go instead," Mu Lan said.

As soon as Fang Jing stood up, she stared at Yang Ding's second wife and shouted, "What's wrong? Don't the daughters of your first wife bring their husbands along? Shouldn't you let Old Fang's colleagues and comrades-in-arms see his new son-in-law?"

This new son-in-law immediately touched a nerve with Fang Jing.

If God gave her another chance to choose, she would want to marry Yang Ding from the very beginning.

Hearing her daughter's hurtful words, the usually dignified Wu Huixian turned and glared at her second wife.

"If you dare say another word about my daughter, I'll throw this wine in your face."

"Go ahead and splash! Let my husband's men see who's the shrew, you or me!"

When it comes to shrewish women, the second concubine is a prime example. She can throw a tantrum on the spot, completely disregarding her dignity.

Fang Hongbo was afraid of this. "Forget it, Huixian, you know how shameless she is."

"Who can be more despicable than you?"

Wu Huixian turned pale with anger.

When his wife was being bullied, Yang Ding couldn't just cower in the shadows. He stood up and prepared to go on stage.

"They probably wouldn't dare to poison someone in this situation."

"Are you crazy? What if?"

Mu Lan also thought it was unlikely, but she didn't know that Yang Ding had water-based abilities.

Yang Ding didn't say anything, but he took the opportunity to test whether Dean Mu was on his side or not.

"There are no such 'what ifs'. What are Dean Mu and Dr. Cai, two masters of the Wood element, afraid of?"

"Alien toxins are not so easy to cure."

Yang Ding ignored Mu Lan, walked onto the stage, took Fang Jing's hand, and called out to the second concubine, "Where is your second wife's precious son-in-law?"

"He...wasn't he injured by you?"

"No way, falling from the 38th floor can cause injuries? Wasn't he almost at the fourth rank?"

The second concubine was so angry with Yang Ding that her face turned green.

"Only you can do it, only you can do it."

Wang family's seventh master, He Lianting, knew his opportunity had come. "To add to the festivities for your family, I'll give you a bottle of fifty-year-old rare Maotai tea."

"Seventh Master is so generous, this must be worth several hundred thousand."

Money doesn't matter, as long as I'm happy.

He dared to be so arrogant for two reasons. First, the poison he used was quite special; it wouldn't kill him, but it would cause fibrosis in his meridians, making him breathless after walking three steps and unable to sleep with even the most beautiful woman.

Furthermore, Wang Xuehua had long been prepared to turn against the empire. As long as she could wait until she absorbed the mermaid patriarch's cultivation, she could start a war with the empire.

Fang Jing scratched Yang Ding's palm with her fingers, signaling him to be careful.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"Then, should we summon spirits?"

"Ruoxi uses it often, it must be effective."