Chapter 45

Ruo Ying brought her son-in-law Zhang Yi, and her grandson Zhang Jian paid respects to his father and mother; the unfilial daughter has caused her parents worry all these years!

Zhang Qishi's countenance showed some emotion.

Beside him, Zhang Yi was tall and sturdy, his slightly dark face bearing some whiskers, extremely imposing; upon seeing this scene, he immediately whispered comfort to Zhang Qishi, but facing the fierce, stern gaze of Qi Yi from above, his face stiffened a bit—yet as the head of the Zhang Clan, his skin was thick, and he didn't care at all.

His expression was solemn, completely ignoring the piercing gazes of several elder brothers-in-law.

He likewise clasped his hands and said, "Father-in-law, mother-in-law, above, the son-in-law wishes you longevity; I pay my respects with great ceremony!"

Zhang Jian, watching from the side, couldn't help but sigh at how thick-skinned his own family's old man was—something he himself lacked.

Qi Yi's face was somewhat grim.

"Head of the Zhang Clan, this gift of yours makes me feel unworthy!"

He casually rolled up his sleeves, yet didn't even glance at Zhang Yi.

Inside the main hall, other relatives and friends saw this scene with subtle expressions, many treating it as a joke.

Back then, the big commotion caused by Zhang Yi and Qi Ruoying was something they were all too aware of.

Actually, back then Qi Ruoying had been betrothed to another family, yet she ended up with Zhang Yi; the two forced the Qi Clan to call off the engagement, offending long-time friends, and the whole Qi Clan harbored some resentment about this.

As for the old master Qi Yi, there's no need to say more.

Although afterward things were handled fairly smoothly and kept hidden from outsiders, this remained a knot in Qi Yi's heart.

Zhang Yi, however, didn't mind; instead he respectfully said, "Father-in-law, I was young and reckless back then, rash in temperament, I made mistakes that offended you and broke the rules; afterward I have regretted it deeply, keeping it in my heart all these years; today I bring my beloved wife to your door, expressly coming to apologize."

Qi Yi, hearing this, glanced at Zhang Yi; Zhang Yi's demeanor left him speechless, and seeing Zhang Qishi gazing at Zhang Yi with ever-growing affection, he felt a breath caught in his chest, unable to speak; the old lady, noticing this, quickly smoothed things over.

"Everyone, get up!"

"Just being able to come back is good!"

The old lady was beaming.

She gazed at Zhang Qishi with a somewhat affectionate look, feeling true heartache for this daughter.

Zhang Qishi's eyes also glistened a little, and she then said:

"Mother, my husband and I have also prepared a few small gifts for Father's birthday; Jian'er, go bring them up!"

Hearing that, Zhang Jian nodded.

Under the gaze of all the relatives, he took several silk boxes from Zhang Lu and Hu Shan.

Then he opened them in front of everyone.

They were a delicate, exquisite coral and a jadeite vase, plus a scroll of ancient painting and a hand-copied scripture!

"Father, although the exquisite jade coral and jadeite vase are not valuable, coral brings blessings and jade nourishes the body; they will surely bring blessings and longevity to Father and Mother!"

When Qi Ruoying finished speaking, Zhang Jian noticed that his maternal grandfather's expression had visibly softened.

Actually, many relatives and friends could see that the palm-sized exquisite jade coral and the bluish-green jade vase as clear as the sky were certainly valuable, not something money alone could buy; one also needed influence.

It was certainly not as Qi Ruoying said of little value.

The ancient painting was similar; it was called 'Immortals Celebrating Longevity' and was likewise the work of a renowned artist.

Its value was extraordinary.

Zhang Jian stood in the central hall and clearly saw that many elders of the Qi household were somewhat agitated, their demeanors still varied.

Although they had been polite before, deep down there was still a clan prejudice; in the eyes of many Qi descendants, the Zhang family, though wealthy and powerful, was still a minor household, incomparable to the Qi family's martial lineage, generations of officials.

But the Zhang family's now-evident wealth and influence truly made them unable to be disregarded.

Actually, according to Zhang Yi's original plan, he would have just used some antiquarian jade artifacts obtained from the Mian King's Tomb to get by, but in the end Zhang Jian replaced them.

Although his maternal grandfather Qi Yi had never been close to him, his maternal grandmother was decent; even for the sake of his mother Zhang Qishi's face, a replacement should be made.

However, Zhang Jian could guess that back then Zhang Yi must have suffered a great loss at the hands of the Qi family; otherwise he wouldn't hold such a grudge.

But thinking about it, the Zhang family back then didn't yet have such scale.

And yet they provoked the Qi family, such a colossal entity.

To have endured this, Zhang Yi must have poured much effort into it; his lingering resentment is understandable.

At this moment, Qi Ruoying's lovely face also showed joy; Zhang Yi and Zhang Jian's actions this time also let her gain face among the Qi family, naturally making her extremely happy.

"And this final gift is a volume of the 'Jiachen Martial Classic'; it is a superior body-tempering method that can benefit the martial foundation of our Qi family. Knowing Father's love for martial arts, my husband has gone to great lengths to collect this superior classic as a birthday present, wishing our Qi family's martial fortunes to flourish!"

Qi Ruoying was smiling broadly, and in the end she still had Zhang Jian step forward to present the last treasure box to Qi Yi for him to peruse personally.

She noticed that the faces of all the relatives present had changed rapidly; many of the Qi elders who had merely been watching the spectacle also perked up their ears, their expressions shifting.

"Jiachen Martial Classic?"

As the words fell, Qi Yi on that side involuntarily rose to his feet.

And Zhang Jian saw that his two uncles, who usually had calm faces—Qi Yuanwu and Qi Yuansi—now changed expression, with violent fluctuations faintly appearing in their eyes.

He was well aware that releasing this would shock the Qi family.

For a martial lineage, nothing is more important than this foundation of one's standing.

Especially the 'Jiachen Martial Classic' is not an ordinary superior body-tempering method; in rumor it bears a formidable reputation.

This is a marvelous method left by a body-tempering martial artist who had reached the master level.

This volume of body-tempering method actually came from the Mian King's Tomb.

But looking at Qi Yi's expression now, not only would he accept it if it were taken from the Mian King's Tomb, even if it were dug from a corpse's hand, he would take it without hesitation.

This thing originally should not have been given away; such a superb body-tempering method can be stored as a family's hidden foundation, even as the basis for establishing one's life.

But after learning that Zhang Jian and Zhang Yi had embarked on the path of longevity, Zhang Yi changed his mind and simply used this as a bargaining chip.

This also counts as a certain degree of interest exchange with the Qi family.

In exchange for the Qi family's support for the Zhang family's expansion toward other major counties in Fengyang Prefecture.

At this moment, Qi Yi solemnly flipped through the hand-copied 'Jiachen Martial Classic' in his hands; with his discernment, he could almost tell at a glance that this marvelous method was genuine.

A faint ripple appeared in the depths of his eyes.

Such an exquisite method also gave him considerable inspiration for his cultivation as he assaulted the master stage.

At this moment, although he harbored myriad opinions about Zhang Yi, the anger in his heart had mostly dissipated, and for the first time a hint of a smile squeezed onto his solemn, dignified face.

He gazed at Zhang Yi, and Zhang Jian and his son nodded.

"Third Miss certainly didn't misjudge the person!"

Zhang Jian stood to the side, seeing Zhang Qishi's expression instantly shift to tears of joy, her pupils trembling slightly.

After the Zhang couple finished paying their respects, they immediately stepped to one side!

Zhang Jian noticed that the expressions of several aunts and uncles were somewhat subtle.

He had probably already begun cursing in his heart.

Especially the eldest and second uncles-in-law, who had previously proclaimed themselves "exam kings," this one hailed from a prestigious clan in Hao Jing and was indeed a legitimate descendant of noble aristocracy.

The other was also a grandson of a former dynasty's prime minister.

After that, he became an old friend of the Qi family's patriarch!

His expression was not very pleasant.

Zhang Jian also gladly watched the spectacle; this cutthroat competition was not started by the Zhang family, but precisely instigated by these two uncles-in-law who pride themselves on their high birth.

At this moment, the other two aunts and uncles could only grit their teeth and step forward, each presenting a congratulatory gift.

Although these two gifts were also substantial, they were noticeably inferior to the previous three, especially the gift presented by Zhang Yi and his wife.

It wasn't that they couldn't produce a substantial gift; rather, these two aunts and uncles were caught off guard, unprepared, and had not expected Qi Yi's birthday celebration to be so fiercely competitive, thus miscalculating.

After the five daughters of the Qi family had successively finished paying their respects, relatives and friends then came forward one after another to present generous gifts.

Only at noon did the birthday festivities begin.

And this birthday celebration gradually reached its climax, as a portion of the weighty guests arrived at the auspicious hour and entered the Qi household.

The several young masters of the Qi family tasked with greeting guests at the gate also became truly busy.

The gatekeeper's chanting rose and fell in waves!

"Fengyang Prefecture Governor Yu Tongguang, Lady of the Prefecture, has come to wish the head of the house a long life!"

"Fengyang Prefecture Commandant Wang Shao has come to wish the head of the house a long life!"

"Fengyang Prefecture's Gu Chengyan, Old Master Gu, has come to wish the head of the house a long life!"

"Fengyang Prefecture's Yu family's Yu You, Old Master Yu, has come to wish the head of the house a long life!"

"Fengyang Prefecture's Imperial Censor Yao Jianshi has come to wish the head of the house a long life!"

……

The front courtyard was filled with guests; as several weighty visitors from the prefecture arrived, even the birthday celebrant Qi Yi himself could only step forward personally to accompany them.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Jian sensed a hint of something amiss amidst the atmosphere.

Not only the arriving guests, but the entire Qi household inside and out also carried a whiff of blood and intrigue.