Chapter 421: Senior Song Daoyuan! Pressing for Marriage and Children?

Although Xu Jingming is currently the only SS-rank ability awakener among the younger generation of the Great Xia Nation,

most of the people present were all bigwigs of their own territories, and without being familiar with him, none of them greeted Xu Jingming.

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

"Hmph, Lei Di? Doesn't look like much, does he."

Wang Mang on the sofa cast a slightly disdainful glance at Xu Jingming.

But upon seeing the graceful figure beside him, he was somewhat struck by her beauty.

"That figure, that face — this precious pearl of the Song family is quite something!"

Wang Mang's gaze burned hot as he licked his lips. "Later I can find a chance to get to know her..."

"Xiao Yun, over here."

At the very front of the reception hall, Uncle Song Feng waved and called out, with Aunt Zhou Tong standing beside him.

"Jingming, let's head over first." Song Qiuyun led Xu Jingming in that direction.

This inevitably left the bespectacled young woman and her companions, who had been waiting nearby hoping to snag an autograph and photo, somewhat disappointed.

They could only sit down on the nearest sofa, prop up their little cheeks, and continue waiting.

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

Led by the Song Feng couple, Xu Jingming and Song Qiuyun took the elevator up to the third floor.

Just now, while still on the second floor, Xu Jingming's SS-rank battle skill Heart Net

had already passively sensed that on the third floor there was a terrifying existence whose aura was second only to someone like Teacher Su, a ninth-tier Law Saint.

Now that the distance to the third floor was closer, and after sensing more carefully,

Xu Jingming realized that although this aura was terrifying, it faintly carried a whiff of decay.

"Ding~~"

The elevator reached the third floor, the doors opened, and what came into view was a great hall.

At the far end of the hall was a quaint solid-wood seat over two meters wide.

Seven or eight people stood gathered around the seat.

On the seat sat an elderly man with greying hair, his body bent with age.

The old man's features bore some resemblance to Song Feng's, only far more aged.

The aura Xu Jingming had sensed originated precisely from here.

"Looks like he's the founder of the Song family — Senior Song Daoyuan." Xu Jingming murmured to himself.

"Grandfather, Xiao Yun and her companion are here." Song Feng smiled and led the two of them forward.

"Great-grandfather." The moment she walked over, Song Qiuyun sat beside the old man in a coquettish manner, calling out affectionately.

And as he drew closer, Xu Jingming finally noticed —

on this Senior Song's exposed left chest, there was a cross-shaped wound roughly ten-plus centimeters long and wide,

within which a faint eerie black light pulsed and writhed.

The surrounding flesh was wreathed in crimson blood qi, as if trying desperately to close the wound, but utterly unable to.

"This is a wound left on me over eighty years ago by a dark-attribute Beast Emperor — a permanent injury that can never be healed.

If not for this wound, I wouldn't be as frail as I am today."

Song Daoyuan's voice rang out.

Though his face was aged, his voice was still full of vigor, resonant and forceful.

"Greetings, Senior Song." Xu Jingming also came back to himself and hurriedly called out respectfully.

He and Song Qiuyun were still just boyfriend and girlfriend — following her lead and calling him Great-grandfather wouldn't be quite right.

Using the address 'Senior' was just right, after all the man was a powerhouse who had walked through those dark, turbulent years.

"Mm, so you're that boyfriend of Xiao Yun's."

Song Daoyuan's slightly cloudy eyes opened a little as he looked Xu Jingming up and down:

"Your blood qi is far more vigorous than the average young man's — you must have practiced a body-tempering art, and quite deeply at that.

Your eyes are spirited, your willpower must be very firm, and your spiritual power seems decent as well."

As he spoke, Song Daoyuan kept nodding.

Upon sensing the aura Xu Jingming faintly emitted, his originally cloudy eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light:

"This aura — you've already entered the fifth tier?!"

"I was fortunate enough to enter it recently." Xu Jingming replied with a modest smile.

A smile also appeared on Song Feng's face beside them.

He had discovered yesterday that Xu Jingming had entered the fifth tier, but had kept quiet about it.

He had wanted to give his grandfather a surprise at this very moment.

Meanwhile, the several people standing guard beside Song Daoyuan's seat — clearly also members of the Song clan — wore varied expressions at the sight.

"The young are truly formidable! Truly formidable!

In my era, because we faced the crisis of ferocious beasts wiping out our kind, ability users were almost constantly locked in life-and-death struggles every day.

Although many died, those who survived also made obvious progress.

But even in such an environment, there was never a single person who could enter the fifth tier at twenty!"

Song Daoyuan could not help but sigh in admiration, and even the eerie black light at his left wound flickered along with him.

"Truly worthy of being the pride of our Great Xia — entrusting my great-granddaughter to you puts my mind at ease."

Nodding in satisfaction, Song Daoyuan then shifted the topic:

"But then again, if it's at all possible —

You and Xiao Yun should marry soon, so you can have children earlier.

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

You're an SS-rank ability user; combining SS-rank with A-rank, plus the current rise in Yuan energy concentration—

your child might even awaken an S-rank ability.

Holy crap, are they already pushing us to get married and have kids?

Xu Jingming was taken aback, while Song Qiuyun's face had already turned bright red as she tugged at Song Daoyuan's arm:

"Grandpa, we're still so young—we're nowhere near ready to have children."

"That's true. This is the golden period for your strength to grow; you really shouldn't rush into having children. I've gone senile."

Song Daoyuan seemed to finally realize it, slapped his own head, and chuckled.

Xu Jingming then caught on—it was all said on purpose, just for him to hear!

But as Song Qiuyun said, having children now would be equivalent to self-sabotaging your future.

On one hand, after pregnancy, Song Qiuyun couldn't cultivate—her strength would stagnate.

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

More importantly, the world today is still dangerous.

Even if they were to have children, it would have to wait until his strength plateaued—or until the ferocious beasts were extinct.

So, whether last night or before—

he had always used his Dou Tian Shen Lei to inactivate the genetic material entering her, completely eliminating any risk of pregnancy.

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

Then, under the guidance of Song Feng and his wife, he was introduced to the several people waiting beside Senior Song Daoyuan.

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

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

But it wasn't over yet—after leaving the third floor—

Xu Jingming was again taken by Song Feng and his wife to be introduced to the representatives of various factions 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 social circles—I won't keep leading you around. From now on, feel free to mingle."

More than half an hour later, Song Feng finally let them go.

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

Xu Jingming sank onto the sofa with a long exhale.

It wasn't just about making acquaintances—it required constant smiling. He felt his face was about to freeze.

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

After covering her slightly exposed Bai Xi thighs, she smiled:

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

"Incredible! If it were me, I couldn't have held out." Xu Jingming gave a thumbs-up.

Fortunately, the birthday banquet was only at noon—if it lasted all day, he'd have slipped out early.

"Cousin Qiuyun, long time no see."

As he 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, my company's recent projects are extremely busy—I can only manage two chapters daily. I still have to work overtime on Saturdays (programmer life is brutal), and on Sundays, when I finally have time, I have to take my wife out shopping. My writing time is severely limited—I simply can't catch up.

Once this busy period ends, I'll slowly make up all the chapters I owe from Spring Festival. Of course, if this novel goes viral and makes me a god-tier author, I'll quit my job outright.

But judging by current trends, we're nowhere near that point—I'll just keep being a humble salary slave...