Chapter 35: Lost the Lady and the Army?

"He Muxue? Why did she come too?"

Zhou Chu was somewhat startled, frowned slightly, and then walked toward a tent in the encampment.

Upon hearing this news, it was not just Zhou Chu who was startled; even Lin Yue'er, who was at his side, could not help but reveal an expression of surprise.

"Zhou Chu... has a fiancée?"

However, she quickly felt relieved.

He Muxue's father was, after all, the principal of her high school.

The He Family had a tradition since the days of their ancestors: on the day the eldest daughter of the family came of age, they had to find a live-in son-in-law through a martial arts competition.

Presumably, this marriage contract had just been decided at today's mock exam.

Because the matter of He Laijin making a marriage promise in front of the examination hall during this morning's mock exam had already become known to everyone in Tianhua City.

At the same time, the news of Zhou Chu winning first place in the Tianhua City mock exam had also been hyped up to a fever pitch.

Thus, the matter of the fiancée coming to the military camp in person to find her fiancé came to be.

Lin Yue'er could not help but smile bitterly.

For He Muxue to be able to run directly to the front lines to find Zhou Chu, she must be very worried about this fiancé of hers, Zhou Chu.

Was Zhou Chu really that good?

Zhou Chu walked into the tent, only to see He Muxue, wearing her No. 3 Middle School uniform, sitting there quietly, staring blankly at the night scene outside.

Hearing footsteps, she turned her head and saw Zhou Chu walking in; a glimmer of light instantly flickered in her eyes.

Zhou Chu looked at He Muxue with a confused expression and asked, "Why did you come here too? Could it be that, like me, you also have plans to go to the front lines?"

He Muxue said with a calm expression, "I came to find you."

Zhou Chu frowned: "Why come all this way to find me? Or do you want me to be your He Family's live-in son-in-law?"

"Since you are still alive, our marriage contract is still valid! Don't even think about welching on the debt!"

He Muxue stood up, walked over, grabbed Zhou Chu, and pulled him outside: "Let's go, come home with me!"

Zhou Chu had originally intended to return tomorrow morning.

Now that this had happened, he could only rush back overnight with He Muxue.

Letting He Muxue pull him along, the two arrived at the entrance of the encampment; very quickly, two beams of light flashed in the distance.

Immediately following, accompanied by the sound of an engine starting, a black off-road vehicle slowly arrived in front of the two.

An old man nearly seventy years of age stepped down from the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle; his sparse, silver-white hair was combed back, and a pair of bright, piercing eyes flashed with a sharp light in the darkness.

"Young Miss, Young Master-in-law, please get in the car!"

As the old man spoke, he opened the car door.

He Muxue did not say a word, grabbed Zhou Chu, and got into the car.

Subsequently, the car drove off overnight in the direction of Tianhua City.

At the same time, Tianhua City, the He Family residence.

He Laijin was pacing back and forth in the main hall with a serious expression.

On the sofa, a middle-aged woman who still retained her charm was instead leisurely cracking melon seeds while watching television.

She was He Laijin's wife and He Muxue's mother, Liu Lanzhi.

Seeing He Laijin pacing back and forth, Liu Lanzhi said with some annoyance: "Just look at you, a dignified school principal acting like an ant on a hot pan."

"I already said, with Uncle Tu there, Muxue will definitely be fine."

He Laijin rubbed his hands together, blowing his beard and staring: "I just didn't expect that this girl would actually dare to take my letter of introduction and run to the front lines! It seems it must have been that brat Zhou Chu who instigated it."

"Otherwise, how would our little Xue have the guts!"

"What's most infuriating is that the He Family's future son-in-law is actually an F-Grade!"

"Since the generation of our ancestors, there has never been anyone in the He Family with such a low rank."

"I never imagined that the He Family's hundreds of years of prestige would be ruined in my hands."

Speaking of this, He Laijin beat his chest and stamped his feet even more.

Liu Lanzhi could not help but roll her eyes at He Laijin and said with a sneer: "Hurry up and put away your rotten old ways! I think Zhou Chu is an honest and steady person, which just happens to go well with our little Xue's kindness."

"It's no big deal if his Soul Profession is low; at worst, I'll go to our Soul Profession Office tomorrow to hunt for a higher-quality Binding Soul Stone, and when the time comes, we'll just overwrite his F-rank Soul Profession."

"Moreover, according to my experience, this child Zhou Chu's Soul Profession might have a natural advantage against Calamity monsters."

"This is also the key to him being able to clear a Hero-level Dungeon!"

"Actually, I think this time our He Family has struck gold!"

He Laijin suddenly stopped his pacing and looked at Liu Lanzhi with an expression of disbelief: "You haven't even met the person yet, and you already treat him as the He Family's future son-in-law?"

"High-quality Binding Soul Stones aren't Chinese cabbage at the vegetable market; don't treat your Soul Profession Office like a treasure chest."

"And, for me to spend a large sum of money on an F-rank Soul Profession, unless I've gone blind with age!"

Liu Lanzhi rolled her eyes at He Laijin, stood up, and said unhurriedly: "You, you're just stubborn. Although Binding Soul Stones are precious, if Zhou Chu really has potential, isn't this investment worth it? You only see that he is F-rank now, but you don't consider his room for development."

He Laijin snorted: "Room for development? How much room for development can an F-rank have? I think you have too high expectations for him."

Liu Lanzhi walked to He Laijin's side and gently patted his shoulder: "Think about it, Zhou Chu was able to clear a Hero-level Dungeon and take first place in the mock exam; this shows that he has his own exceptional qualities. If our He Family can cultivate him well, perhaps he can bring unexpected glory to the He Family."

He Laijin frowned and shook his head: "The best way now is to cut our losses in time and find a way to cancel the marriage contract; otherwise, where will the He Family's face go?"

Liu Lanzhi smiled slightly: "Face? Does the He Family's face rely on finding a high-level Soul Professional to prop it up?"

"What can truly prop up the He Family are people with ability and potential. Zhou Chu might just be that person; don't always look at people with old-fashioned eyes."

He Laijin still had a hesitant expression: "I still feel it's unreliable. What if this kid isn't as good as you imagine? Wouldn't we have lost the lady and the army as well?"

"I heard people say that this Zhou Chu seems to be a bit slow in the head too..."

Liu Lanzhi shook her head helplessly: "Can't you be a bit more optimistic? If you are truly worried, wait until they return, and I will properly vet Zhou Chu. If he really isn't up to the task, it won't be too late to make other plans then."

He Laijin was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Fine, then let's first see what kind of person this kid really is. However, I won't easily agree to let him enter the He Family's door."

Just then, the roar of a car engine came from outside the door, and Liu Lanzhi's eyes lit up: "They might be back. Don't go putting on a sour face; don't go scaring the child away."

He Laijin snorted, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the door with Liu Lanzhi.

……

Zhou Chu had originally intended to have He Muxue drop him off at home.

But as soon as he got into the car, a heavy wave of sleepiness struck him once again.

He hadn't had a proper sleep all day, having only dozed off for a while in the car on the way to the front lines that afternoon.

Furthermore, the comfort of this high-end off-road vehicle was far better than that of a military vehicle.

The moment his backside touched the seat, Zhou Chu fell asleep.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Chu slept in a daze, but he could feel that his head seemed to be resting on someone's shoulder later on.

"Miss, Young Master-in-law, we have arrived!"

Not knowing how long he had slept, it was only when the old man's voice sounded again that Zhou Chu discovered he had actually been resting his head on He Muxue's shoulder.

He Muxue glanced at the bleary-eyed Zhou Chu, then pulled out a tissue and handed it over, saying: "Wipe your drool!"

Zhou Chu took the tissue with some embarrassment, wiped the corner of his mouth, and chuckled: "Sorry about that, I was too tired and fell asleep without realizing it."

He Muxue didn't speak; she pushed the car door open and got out.

Zhou Chu moved his sore neck, feeling helpless in his heart.

In the end, he had still followed He Muxue home.

But no matter what, Zhou Chu held fast to one principle and would not waver: he would absolutely not marry into her family.