on is such that Ah Ren is a prince consort of East Sea. If they dare harm him, we will retaliate with full force. Old Man Zeng understands this principle," Zhao Guang said as he took off his coat.He h...Chapter 762 - The Maidens Are All Here

Hao Ren pulled Xie Yujia and Xia Ren out of the sea and flew directly to the villa by the seaside.

This time, when he refined the Dark Crystal, there were no dangers encountered, but the process was as cautious as operating the most delicate instrument. This feeling was akin to defusing a bomb within a limited timeframe; any mistake or slight tremble in his hand could result in an explosion.

Therefore, Hao Ren truly felt that he had walked a tightrope on the edge of life and death. This sense of survival differed from undergoing tribulation.

The process of overcoming tribulation was grandiose and fiery; it depended solely on how far one’s resolve could stretch to withstand the challenge. In contrast, refining the Dark Crystal was quiet yet perilous at every step.

Without a strong will and calm mind, the Dark Crystal would be impossible to refine. Many cultivators struggled for years to find these crystals only to fail during the refinement process due to unstable mental states.

In this moment, Hao Ren held Zhao Yanzi with his left hand and Xie Yujia with his right, not letting go even when breaking through the sea surface. Only after experiencing the silent yet endless danger of refining the Dark Crystal would one truly appreciate its value.

Xie Yujia felt Hao Ren’s firm grip on her palm and knew that this night was difficult for him.

Zhao Yanzi saw an unwavering clarity in Hao Ren's eyes, allowing her to somewhat understand the resolve he had while facing life and death. Her heart softened a bit.

Her uncle once said that cultivators with weak wills or too many distractions dared not refine Dark Crystals; one wrong thought could make them explode within their bodies. This agony required holding on for at least half a day, something ordinary cultivators couldn’t endure.

Hao Ren’s ability to refine the Dark Crystal proved that he had firm goals in his heart. It was this resolve that allowed him to persevere until the end.

"Hey! Stinky old man!" Zhao Yanzi punched Hao Ren in the chest.

"What's wrong" Hao Ren held her small hand and asked.

While flying, he was still feeling the cold Dark Crystal within his body. He hadn't expected Zhao Yanzi to suddenly punch him.

"I... I've discussed it with Yujia sister," said Zhao Yanzi as her face turned red, twisting for a few seconds.

“What did you discuss” Hao Ren blinked and asked her.

“We discussed…” Zhao Yanzi bit her lip, "Ask Sister Yujia!"

"Huh" Hao Ren was confused as he turned to the side to ask Xie Yujia, “What's this”

To his surprise, Xie Yujia’s face also flushed red. Seeing Zhao Yanzi signaling with her eyes fiercely, she said, "A Zi means that you will marry her in the Dragon Palace..."

Seeing Hao Ren staring at her, her face turned even redder, “She lets me have the wedding in the city.”

"I see…" Hao Ren’s heart raced.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Yanzi and Xie Yujia to reach such an agreement.

"Anyway, your status as the Dragon Palace's son-in-law can't be made public!" Zhao Yanzǐ suddenly bared her teeth and lifted her small face to shout at Hao Ren.

Hao Ren looked at her fierce expression and knew that she was hiding her embarrassment behind her shouting. He couldn’t help but smile.

He then turned his head to look at Xie Yujia, seeing her face flushed red as if it were a ripe apple.

"You're the bad guy!" Seeing Hao Ren tacitly agreeing with their agreement, Zhao Yanzǐ raised her small fist and punched Hao Ren in the chest.

Hao Ren was actually the worst!

Although she knew that the elders in the Dragon Palace had multiple wives and concubines, seeing Hao Ren smiling made her sure that he must be feeling very pleased inside!

Seeing Zhao Yanzǐ nearly "fuming with rage," Hao Ren smiled even more, reaching out to pinch her little nose. He then flicked out a sword beam and landed in front of the small villa by the beach.

The grandmother was busy tending to flowers in the garden when she suddenly looked up and saw Hao Ren standing outside the garden, feeling both surprised and delighted.

"Why are you here so early in the morning Has something happened" The grandmother put down her watering can, opened the small gate of the garden, and asked.

"I came back to get something. They insisted on coming with me," Hao Ren said.

Xie Yujia glanced at Hao Ren unhappily, thinking that he was lying so casually. Her eyes hinted at a sweet reproach.

Zhao Yanzǐ also quietly spat out, thinking that he was being vain.

"Where are Linlin and Lili Where have those two little girls gone" The grandmother asked in pursuit.

She didn’t feel anything amiss with Xiao Zǐ following Hao Ren, but rather thought it strange that the Lu family sisters who usually followed Hao Ren weren’t here together.

"They…" A wave of depression hit Hao Ren as he continued, "they’re not adjusting well to this lifestyle and have gone south. They have an uncle there doing business, so they can be better taken care of."

Hao Ren had already thought up a story about the Lu family sisters beforehand; however, he didn’t expect his grandmother to be so sensitive, immediately asking when she saw that they weren’t here.

"Why did they go just like that… sigh…" The grandmother’s joyful expression instantly turned to one full of worry.

She genuinely liked these two talkative little girls. Especially compared to Xie Yujia and Zhao Yanzǐ, the Lu family sisters at home often massaged her back and legs for her, keeping her company and seeming to understand the thoughts of elderly people—something that Xie Yujia and Zhao Yanzǐ couldn’t do.

Upon hearing that Linlin and Lili had left Donghai City, the grandmother felt a sudden emptiness in her heart.

"Sigh… before they left, they didn’t even come to see me. Such good children." The grandmother shook her head with regret.

Perhaps Hao Ren's relationship with them wasn’t the deepest, but his relationship with them definitely wasn’t shallow; every weekend she spent almost half of her time with this pair of sisters.

Hao Ren felt guilty seeing the grandmother’s disappointed expression.

In fact, he also wanted to keep Lu Linlin and Lu Lili around, but they had their own choices. Hao Ren couldn’t force them to stay on the continent just because of his own selfish reasons or for Grandma’s sake.

The reason why Lu Linlin and Lu Lili hadn't come to visit Grandma was probably that they were afraid of making her sad or of being asked to stay.

"Where are they I’ll give them a call," Grandma suddenly looked up at Hao Ren.

She couldn’t let go of the thought of Lu’s sisters and wanted to hear their voices once more.

"Well..." Hao Ren hesitated; he had not considered this issue due to the urgency of his return.

"Forget it," Grandma changed her mind suddenly, waving her hand. "Young ladies have their own paths in life. Since they’re going south, let them go with peace of heart."

Her eyes and words were full of concern for Lu’s sisters, but she wasn’t their real grandmother, so how could she interfere in their lives

The deeper the bond, the harder it is to part.

During these days, Grandma had always been radiant thanks to the care from Lu’s sisters. But now her face looked pale and weary as if she had aged ten years overnight.

She truly couldn’t bear to see the girls leave.

If she liked Hao Ren so much, they should all stay by his side. Sigh! All because of this rascal Hao Ren who could not keep them around. He must have hurt their feelings!

Suddenly Grandma glared at Hao Ren in anger, making him take three steps back.

At that moment, Grandma wanted to scold Hao Ren and tell him that she wouldn’t see him again unless he brought Lu’s sisters back. But... She also feared that if he found them, it would hurt their feelings.

"Grandma, take care of yourself. I’m off to school in a moment," said Hao Ren as he helped Grandma into the room.

He had come back specifically to make sure Grandma was safe. In his heart, the first priority was always Grandma who raised him from childhood; then came Zhao Yanzǐ and Xiè Yujia, followed closely by his parents...

"Has Su Hán also moved to another city" Returning to their warm home, Grandma suddenly asked with concern.

"No, she hasn’t," Hao Ren said after a moment’s hesitation.

Grandma had an uncanny intuition when it came to girls.

"Good..." she nodded. "Have her visit us often."

The Lu sisters were close to Grandma, while Su Hán was more mature in both speech and action, giving Grandma a comfortable feeling that made her like her very much.

"How have Mom and Dad been these past few days" Hao Ren asked.

"They’re fine! They’ve just gone out to work! I reckon no one will look after this old lady in the future!" Grandma said indignantly.

"Grandma, we're all taking care of you!" Zhao Yanzǐ and Xiè Yujia hurriedly hooked their arms around Grandma's on either side, almost saying it at the same time.

Seeing how quick they were to react, Grandma finally looked somewhat relieved. She reached out to pat their heads. "You two little girls are all that’s left."

"Grandma, you can rest assured, our home will definitely become lively again," Hòu Rén said while holding Grandma's palm.

"Have your babies sooner, Grandma is looking forward to it," Grandma said.

Upon hearing what their grandma said, Zhao Yanzǐ and Xiè Yujia both turned red at the same time.

"Alright, I'm fine. A-rén, once you've got everything, head back to school for class," Grandma said.

"Okay!" Hòu Rén ran upstairs and pretended to retrieve something before leading Xiè Yujia and Zhao Yanzǐ out of the house and away from this villa area. Once they were sure their grandma couldn't see them, he suddenly flew towards Donghai University.

In a few hours, Sū Hán would ascend in Dragon Deity Temple. Upon returning to school, Hòu Rén wanted to see if Xu Ke had made any moves and also take Zhao Yanzǐ out of class for the day.

Duàn Yáo said that Xu Ke was a "soul body", which made Hòu Rén curious. He felt something wasn’t right about Xu Ke, who had been planted in Donghai University by this first-level Dao Lord.

Zhao Yanzǐ took the day off from school and then went to find Hòu Rén at Donghai University. She was ready to marry him and now that she was clinging to him, there were no more psychological barriers for her.

The Heavenly Dao would be undergoing its rotation today, but for most of the teachers and students in the university, it was just another sunny autumn day.

Even the young cultivators at the school didn’t feel that anything special was happening.

Hòu Rén wasn't in the mood to attend classes. Xiè Yujia also happily skipped class to accompany him.

The scenery of Donghai University was quite nice, and Hòu Rén lay back on a long bench by the lake with ease, gazing at the calm surface of the water as if he were taking a break in a park.

Xiè Yujia sat on the bench, letting Hòu Rén rest his head on her long leg while gently pinching his earlobe with her fingers.

Hòu Rén breathed softly and closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of Xiè Yujia's delicate fingers moving along his ears.

With a tiger in one’s heart, yet taking time to appreciate the roses.

Xiè Yujia watched Hòu Rén as if he were sleeping peacefully and knew that there was much going on inside him.

"Alright, I’ve taken care of the day off!" Zhao Yanzǐ panted as she ran over and sat down beside them.

Seeing Hòu Rén leaning against Xiè Yujia’s legs, she smacked his butt hard, causing him to jump up suddenly.

"Then… let's go," Hòu Rén pinched her delicate cheek with a smile and stood up.

Far away, Xu Ke was standing behind a cluster of trees, sourly watching Hòu Rén and Xiè Yujia.soft and easy to bully—suddenly felt that he had an elegant demeanor.Handsome, handsome, cool... Suddenly they didn't seem so important anymore."Let’s eat. Let's eat," Zhao Guang called them over to s...