Douluo Continent: The Peerless Sun and Moon Traverse the Heavens

There were four people when they entered the Ordinary Merchant Guild, but five came out. Ye Guyi was at the back of the group, still somewhat at a loss about the identity of "private doctor".

She was more like a wandering knight-errant, eliminating evil and upholding justice.

Now that he's suddenly entered aristocratic circles, he's started having all sorts of wild thoughts:

I've heard that noble families are quite chaotic, and the man and three women in front of me now look rather strange.

Why do all three women have blonde hair?

Oh no! My hair is blonde too!

Could that Xu Cheng be some kind of blonde-hair fetishist? Will he make any inappropriate demands?

Having received such a huge benefit from him, should I agree or... agree?

Lost in a mental whirlwind, Ye Guyi felt a tap on her shoulder and snapped out of her daze. It turned out to be the Soul Saint woman who had blocked her attack, giving her a warm smile.

"Ah... Madam Xu... is there something you need?"

Upon hearing Ye Guyi's address to her, Han Ruoruo quickly covered her mouth and secretly chuckled.

"Bone Robe, right? May I call you that?"

"Hmm... okay."

Han Ruoruo waved her hand and put her arm around Ye Guyi's shoulder: "Don't call me Mrs. Xu, it's too formal. You and Nannan are about the same age, just call me Sister Ruoruo. Don't be shy, we're all family."

"Okay, Sister Ruoruo."

"Xu Cheng said he hasn't been back to Mingdu for a long time, so why don't you introduce him to us?"

The group walked westward along the wide street, and a magnificent palace came into view.

The outer city wall is made of white granite, with exquisite carvings on the rocks. This is the imperial palace of the Sun and Moon Empire. Looking beyond the city wall, you can vaguely see the palace's round spire, which shines with golden light under the sun.

Xu Cheng led the way, circling half of the city wall before heading north.

The hustle and bustle gradually faded away, and tall plane trees lined both sides of the road, with iron fences separating the residential areas.

The courtyard is planted with some trees to shield the view from outsiders. The buildings are no longer so tall, mostly three- or four-story red brick villas, with lush green vines climbing the walls, as if telling the story of the villas' antiquity and history.

There were few pedestrians here, with only a few carriages passing by occasionally. Xu Cheng turned into a street first, and after walking about three hundred meters, he stopped in front of a courtyard. The iron gate of the courtyard was already open, and a man and a woman were waiting there.

Both of them looked to be around thirty years old. The man had blond hair that was meticulously styled, while the woman had long black hair tied up in a bun.

Xu Cheng waved to the two first and then stepped forward to hug them:

"Old Deng, long time no see!"

"Mother, I've missed you terribly all these years."

Xu Rui frowned slightly, indicating his displeasure: "After being away for several years, you're still as disrespectful as ever."

Looking at her child, Xu's mother felt as if he had suddenly grown up, and a wave of melancholy washed over her. She gently patted Xu Cheng's back.

"It's good that you're back."

Xu Cheng didn't forget others either. He grabbed Han Ruoruo's arm and said to his mother, "Mother, this is the daughter-in-law I found for you, Han Ruoruo. What do you think? Isn't she beautiful?"

"Hello, Mother!"

This was also the first time Han Ruoruo had experienced such a scene in her life, so she couldn't help but show some respect and bowed slightly.

Xu's mother took Han Ruoruo's hands in her arms, looked her over carefully, and praised her with a smile, "You are truly a beautiful woman. The child you and Xiao Cheng have will definitely be very beautiful."

Han Ruoruo lowered her head, a blush creeping up to the back of her ears, and stammered, "Mother, you flatter me. As long as you like me... I'm... I'm content."

Faced with the pressure from her elders to have children, Han Ruoruo was also experiencing this for the first time.

Xu Cheng watched with amusement from the side. He then brought Jiang Nannan and her daughter to the two of them and introduced them:

"This is Jiang Nannan, the younger sister Ruoruo and I adopted at Shrek Academy. She and her mother came back to Mingdu with us this time, and they will always be Ruoruo and my family."

"Nannan? She looks like such a well-behaved child." Xu's mother took Jiang Nannan's hand, then stood up and said to Jiang's mother, "We're about the same age, how about we call each other sisters?"

"Hello, Auntie!" "Hello, Sister!"

Xu Cheng looked at Ye Guyi, who was cowering at the back of the group, and helped her into the courtyard: "This is my comrade-in-arms, named Ye Guyi. At the age of fifteen, she has already reached the Soul King level and will be studying at the Mingdu Soul Master Academy."

"That's truly a remarkable genius! From now on, consider this place your home." Madam Xu, born into a noble family, handled this situation with ease, quickly becoming one with the women and leading them into the villa.

"You must be tired from the journey, right? The room is all ready, let's have lunch together first."

The villa's living room features a long oak table, on which a variety of sumptuous dishes have already been laid out.

With Xu Cheng and Han Ruoruo present, the atmosphere was never dull. They chatted about all sorts of interesting things, and the lunch was finished in no time.

After lunch, Xu Rui looked at Xu Cheng, his tone becoming more serious: "Xu Cheng, come with me to the study later."

Xu Cheng knew that Xu Rui had something important to discuss with him, and glanced in Han Ruoruo's direction: "Father, shall Ruoruo come along too?"

Xu Rui gave Xu Cheng a relieved smile: "Okay, then you two can go together."

……

The three of them went to the study and closed the door.

Xu Rui fiddled with the wall for a while, then took out a starlight sapphire ring and handed it to Xu Cheng:

"This is the revenue that General Soul Guidance Company has earned during the years you were away, approximately 200 million gold soul coins. As per your request in your letter, 80% of it has been converted into rare metals, which should be enough for you for a while."

Xu Cheng took the ring, examined it for a while, and then smiled with satisfaction. The three of them then took their seats.

Xu Rui sat in the main seat and pondered for a while before slowly speaking: "Ruo Ruo, Xu Cheng has been away from Mingdu for six years. There may be some things he himself is not very clear about, so let me tell you about the current situation at home."

I am an eighth-level Soul Master and the Dean of Mingdu Soul Master Academy. Xu Cheng's mother is a seventh-level Soul Master and also works at Mingdu Soul Master Academy. Our family has been a hereditary Earl because of our Soul Master lineage.

Six years ago, our family sought refuge with the then-Prince, who is now His Majesty the Emperor.

A year later, the current Emperor of the Sun and Moon successfully staged a coup, and our family also secured some contracts from the military, accumulating considerable wealth over the years.

However, His Majesty's health has been deteriorating in recent years, and the princes have begun to harbor various schemes.

Xu Rui suddenly stopped, his voice involuntarily lowering a few decibels:

"Six months ago, Crown Prince Xu Tianran was assassinated and crippled in both legs. Two months later, the Second Prince was found dead in the Prince's residence. No one knows who did it, but everyone suspects it was the Crown Prince."

Now, with Prince Xu Guozhong leading the charge to support the Third Prince, the struggle between the two factions has intensified recently.

Xu Rui paused, then looked at Xu Cheng and sighed:

"Xiao Cheng, I don't know whether going back to Ming is a good thing or a bad thing at this time..."