Chapter 421: Elder Song Dao Yuan! Pressuring Me to Marry and Have Kids?

Although Xu Jingming is currently the only SS-ranked psychic awakened in the Great Xia Nation.

But most people present were powerful figures themselves, and under unfamiliar circumstances, none greeted Xu Jingming.

So, after confirming that Song Qiuyun's boyfriend was indeed him, they all turned their gazes away.

"Hmph, Lei Di? Doesn't look that impressive."

Wang Mang, sitting on the sofa, glanced at Xu Jingming with slight disdain.

But when he saw the graceful figure beside her, he was momentarily stunned.

"What a figure, what a face—this Song family's precious daughter is truly outstanding!"

Wang Mang licked his lips with burning eyes, "Maybe I'll find a chance to introduce myself later…"

"Xiao Yun, over here."

At the front of the banquet hall, Uncle Song Feng waved them over, beside him stood Aunt Zhou Tong.

"Jingming, let's go over there." Song Qiuyun led Xu Jingming toward them.

This left the group of glasses-wearing girls, who had been waiting nearby hoping for autographs and photos, somewhat disappointed.

They could only sit on the nearest sofa, propping up their cheeks, continuing to wait.

"Xiao Yun, your great-grandfather is on the third floor—I'll take you up."

Under the guidance of Song Feng and his wife, Xu Jingming and Song Qiuyun took the elevator to the third floor.

Just moments ago on the second floor, Xu Jingming's SS-ranked combat technique, Heart Net,

had already passively sensed a presence on the third floor whose aura was only slightly below that of Su Laoshi, a Ninth-Rank Law Saint.

Now, as they drew closer to the third floor and his perception sharpened,

Xu Jingming realized that though the aura was terrifying, it faintly carried a tinge of decay.

"Ding~~"

The elevator reached the third floor; the doors opened, revealing a grand hall.

At the hall's end stood a sturdy, ancient wooden chair over two meters wide.

Seven or eight people stood around it.

Seated upon it was an elderly man with white hair and a frail, aged appearance.

His features bore a resemblance to Song Feng, though far more aged.

The aura Xu Jingming sensed originated from him.

"So he must be Song Dao Yuan, the founder of the Song family," Xu Jingming thought silently.

"Grandpa, Xiao Yun and her boyfriend are here." Song Feng smiled as he led them forward.

"Great-grandfather!" As soon as she approached, Song Qiuyun plopped down beside the old man, affectionately calling out.

And as he drew nearer, Xu Jingming noticed:

On the old man's exposed left chest was a cross-shaped wound, roughly ten centimeters long,

within which flickered faint, eerie black light that writhed like living things.

The surrounding flesh was crimson with swirling blood qi, desperately trying to seal the wound—but utterly failing.

"This is a permanent, incurable wound left by a Dark-type Beast Emperor over eighty years ago.

Had it not been for this wound, I wouldn't be so weak today."

Song Dao Yuan's voice rang out.

Though his face was aged, his voice remained strong, resonant, and full of vigor.

"Greetings, Elder Song," Xu Jingming snapped back to attention and bowed respectfully.

He and Song Qiuyun were merely boyfriend and girlfriend—he couldn't properly call the old man "Great-grandfather."

"Elder" was appropriate; after all, this man was a powerhouse who had survived the Dark Chaos Era.

"Hmm, you're Xiao Yun's boyfriend, then."

Song Dao Yuan's slightly clouded eyes opened slightly, scanning Xu Jingming up and down:

"Your blood qi is far more robust than an ordinary young man's—you've definitely trained a body-strengthening art, and deeply so.

Your eyes are sharp, your willpower must be firm, and your spiritual force seems quite strong."

As he spoke, Song Dao Yuan couldn't stop nodding.

When he sensed the faint aura radiating from Xu Jingming, his clouded eyes suddenly blazed with brilliance:

"Your aura—you've already reached the Fifth Rank?!"

"I barely slipped into it recently," Xu Jingming replied with a humble smile.

Song Feng, beside him, also wore a faint smile.

He had discovered Xu Jingming's advancement to the Fifth Rank the day before, but had kept quiet.

He'd wanted to surprise Grandpa with this news now.

The several individuals standing beside Song Dao Yuan's chair—clearly members of the Song family—reacted with varied expressions.

"The younger generation is truly formidable! Truly formidable!

In my time, facing the threat of beast extinction, psychic warriors endured life-or-death battles almost daily.

Many died, but those who survived advanced markedly.

Yet even under such conditions, no one ever reached the Fifth Rank before age twenty!"

Song Dao Yuan couldn't help but praise, and as he did, the eerie black light in his left wound flickered in rhythm.

"No wonder you're Great Xia's prodigy—I can rest easy entrusting my great-granddaughter to you."

Satisfied, he nodded, then shifted tone:

"But on another note—if possible,

you and Xiao Yun should marry soon, so you can produce offspring early.

Xiao Yun's psychic rank isn't bad—she's an A-rank.

You're SS-ranked; combining SS with A, plus the current rise in Yuan energy,

your child might awaken an S-rank psychic ability."

Holy hell, already pushing for marriage and babies?

Xu Jingming was taken aback; Song Qiuyun's face had already flushed crimson as she shook her great-grandfather's arm:

"Great-grandfather, we're still so young—we're nowhere near ready for children!"

"True, this is your golden period for strengthening—you shouldn't rush into having children. I've gone senile,"

Song Dao Yuan seemed to realize his mistake, slapped his forehead, and chuckled.

Xu Jingming then caught on—he'd said all that deliberately, just for him!

But as Song Qiuyun said, having children now would be self-sabotage.

On one hand, pregnancy would halt Song Qiuyun's cultivation and stall her growth.

On the other, Xu Jingming didn't want an extra burden.

More crucially, the world today is still dangerous.

Even if they wanted children, they'd have to wait until his cultivation plateaued—or until the beasts were extinct.

So, whether last night or before,

he had always used his Doushen Thunder to sterilize any genetic material entering her—no risk of pregnancy whatsoever.

After a few more exchanges, Xu Jingming presented the gift he had prepared in advance.

Then, under Song Feng and his wife's guidance, he was introduced to the several people standing beside Elder Song Dao Yuan.

As Xu Jingming had expected, they were all senior members of the Song family.

After the introductions, Xu Jingming had at least become familiar to the Song household.

But that wasn't the end—after leaving the third floor,

Song Feng and his wife led Xu Jingming to introduce him to the representatives of various factions gathered in the second-floor banquet hall.

Of course, throughout the entire process, Song Qiuyun remained by his side.

"Alright, you've met enough people.

You youngsters have your own circles—I won't keep escorting you. Enjoy yourselves now."

After over half an hour, Song Feng finally let them go.

"Phew, who knew attending a birthday banquet meant meeting so many people?"

Xu Jingming collapsed onto the sofa with a long sigh.

Making acquaintances wasn't the issue—it was constantly forcing a smile that made his face ache.

But Song Qiuyun beside him appeared effortlessly composed, smoothing her skirt.

After concealing her slightly exposed fair thighs, she smiled:

"This is nothing—I once maintained a smile for over an hour straight."

"Incredible! I couldn't possibly last that long," Xu Jingming gave a thumbs-up.

Luckily, the birthday banquet was only for lunch—if it lasted all day, he'd have slipped out early.

"Cousin Qiuyun, long time no see."

Just as they sat resting, a beautiful woman in a red gown approached.

Beside her walked a young man with an earring, dressed casually.

PS: Regarding make-up chapters, the author's company has been extremely busy lately; he can only manage two chapters daily. He still has to work overtime on Saturdays (programmer life is brutal), and even on Sundays, when he finally has free time, he has to take his wife out shopping—writing time is severely limited, and he simply can't catch up.

Once this busy period ends, the Spring Festival backlog will gradually be made up. Of course, if this novel explodes and makes me a god-tier author, I'll quit my job outright.

Unfortunately, given the current situation, we haven't reached that point yet, so I can only humbly remain a salary slave...