A thoughtful look appeared in Li Guanqi's eyes; he had already made a fair guess as to why Long Hou wanted to see him.
Once Li Guanqi had settled everyone in, Meng Jiangchu insisted on taking Meng Wanshu away to see Li Guilan no matter what.
Li Guanqi did not stop them. Instead, he simply accompanied Meng Wanshu, and together they flew toward the small town in the Immortal Spirit Realm.
Meng Jiangchu treated Li Guanqi just as he always had, lecturing him without the slightest ceremony.
"Brat, how many times have you visited your mother-in-law since coming to the Seventh Domain?
"If I hadn't made excuses every time telling her how busy you were, she would have marched over looking for you long ago."
Seeing Li Guanqi nodding, bowing, and sweating profusely under the lecture, Meng Wanshu couldn't help stifling a giggle.
"Yes, yes, yes. Father-in-law's scolding is completely justified."
Before long, the three arrived at a courtyard residence in the town.
The courtyard was quite spacious. Before they even stepped through the gate, the clucking and quacking of chickens and ducks could be heard from inside.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Who is it? Just come on in! Why bother knocking?"
A slightly plump woman wearing a blue apron emerged from the house.
The moment she opened the gate, she froze in place, tears glistening in her eyes.
Meng Jiangchu and Li Guanqi both looked at Li Guilan with smiles on their faces.
Suddenly—
*Bang!*
The gate slammed shut with a resounding crash, followed by the woman's sarcastic, furious shouting from inside the courtyard.
"Scram, every last one of you! Every single one of you is right here in the Seventh Domain, yet the old man won't come home, my daughter won't come home, and my son-in-law won't come home!
"Get lost, get out of here, don't any of you come back! What did you come back for anyway?
"Do you treat my place like an inn? Coming and going whenever you please!"
Bombarded by her rapid-fire verbal barrage, the three stood outside the main gate, exchanging bewildered glances.
Awkwardness was practically written across their faces.
Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu looked at Meng Jiangchu, their expressions speaking volumes.
*And you were lecturing me... Turns out you haven't come back in all this time either...*
Meng Jiangchu sent a solemn voice transmission. *"Wasn't I cultivating over at the King of Weapons Pagoda? It reached a critical juncture, so I had to enter closed-door seclusion."*
As he said it, Meng Jiangchu suddenly realized something was off and snapped back in annoyance, *"Why are you blaming me? Neither of you came back either!"*
Li Guanqi shrugged and replied plainly through voice transmission, *"I was killing an Ascended immortal in the Third Domain."*
Meng Wanshu wore an innocent expression. *"I was in seclusion, breaking through and facing my heavenly tribulation."*
The corner of Meng Jiangchu's mouth twitched. Compared to the two of them, his closed-door seclusion to break through to half-step Tribulation Transcendence really wasn't worth mentioning.
With no other choice, the two men turned their gazes toward Meng Wanshu.
Meng Wanshu rolled her eyes, stepped up, and knocked on the gate, calling out in her soft, sweet voice, "Mother, I haven't been back in so long. I just passed my heavenly tribulation, and I missed you so much... Please open the door."
Leaning against the door inside, Li Guilan heard Meng Wanshu say she had just passed her heavenly tribulation.
Only then did she realize that the sudden drop in temperature across the Immortal Spirit Realm earlier had been because of Wanshu's breakthrough.
*Creak...*
The gate swung open, and a hand reached out to yank Meng Wanshu inside.
Just as the gate was about to slam shut again, Meng Jiangchu shot Li Guanqi a meaningful look.
Li Guanqi caught the hint immediately. Moving with lightning speed, he braced the gate with one hand and stuck his head inside, beaming at Li Guilan.
"Mother, I'm hungry...
"Look how hard I've had it too. I went through life-and-death peril in the Third Domain. I almost didn't make it back to see you."
*Smack!*
A hand slapped Li Guanqi upside the head, and Li Guilan scolded with an exasperated scowl, "Spit, spit, spit! What do you mean 'almost didn't make it back to see me'? You're not allowed to spout such ominous nonsense!"
Li Guanqi grinned sheepishly. Beneath the woman's sharp words and stern expression lay unmistakable warmth and concern.
Yet Li Guilan didn't seem entirely mollified. Tightening her jaw, she gave Li Guanqi several more brisk slaps on the shoulder.
"You little rascal, not even bothering to come see me for so long!"
Reaching out, she pulled the gate fully open. Meng Jiangchu walked in with a broad smile, only to be met with a cold glare before she turned her back on him.
The atmosphere turned rather awkward...
Li Guanqi chuckled and took Meng Wanshu's hand, leading her toward the house.
Meng Jiangchu swallowed the snub and didn't dare say a word; simply being allowed through the door was already a blessing.
Li Guilan held Meng Wanshu's hand and chatted endlessly about this and that, showing no intention of cooking for the group.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi glanced at Meng Jiangchu, who was staring up at the sky in avoidance.
Left with no choice, Li Guanqi rolled up his sleeves and set to work preparing dinner.
Catching the chicken, plucking the feathers, building the fire, and stewing the dishes—he carried it all out in one smooth, seamless sequence.
Li Guanqi bustled away in the kitchen with full enthusiasm.
Li Guilan took it all in, her lips curling into a faint smile.
By contrast, when she caught sight of Meng Jiangchu wandering around aimlessly with nothing to do, she shot him a glare so sharp that the man didn't know where to put his hands...
Looking thoroughly awkward, Meng Jiangchu stood before a spirit tree, plucking leaves off its branches...
Before long, Li Guanqi had prepared five dishes and a soup. When he brought them to the table, their appealing presentation and savory aroma drew praise even from Li Guilan.
"Who would've thought you were so skilled in the kitchen, kid?"
Li Guanqi rolled down his sleeves and couldn't help laughing. "Back in the village, if I didn't cook, my grandfather and I would have had to live on the cold wind. Wasn't all this trained into me since childhood?"
Hearing that, Li Guilan remarked with deep emotion, "Ah, to think nearly thirty years have slipped by in the blink of an eye..."
Li Guanqi paused, a complex smile touching his lips.
He hadn't realized that he was already nearing forty years of age...
Time truly flew like an arrow, and at that moment, he felt a wave of bittersweet sentiment.
Yet the woman's very next words made the hand holding his chopsticks tremble.
Li Guilan crossed her arms and looked at Li Guanqi with an unfriendly expression.
Sitting across from her, Li Guanqi suddenly felt as if he were sitting on a bed of needles.
Meng Jiangchu's appetite had been thoroughly whetted by the feast, but the moment he went to pick up his chopsticks, a single glare from Li Guilan froze him in place.
Li Guanqi set his bowl and chopsticks down as well, resting his hands neatly on his knees and sitting ramrod straight.
Seeing this, Li Guilan wasted no time on pleasantries and spoke with utter solemnity.
"Guanqi."
Her voice was heavy and deliberate.
"Yes, Mother-in-law. Please speak, I am listening." Li Guanqi remained upright, his expression solemn.
"You and Wanshu have been together for so many years now.
"Isn't it about time the two of you settled down and started a family?
"Even though your cultivation is high and your strength immense today, our Meng clan isn't some casual, ill-mannered household.
"We may be reasonable folk, but Wanshu deserves proper recognition and status, doesn't she?"
Meng Wanshu reached out and tugged at her mother's sleeve, but Li Guilan merely fixed her glare on Li Guanqi.
"Don't blame your Aunt Li for bringing this up. That's just who I am—blunt and outspoken.
"After all, she was an innocent young maiden when she chose to follow you. Now so many years have passed, and she still hasn't been given a proper status as your wife. Isn't that a bit unjustified?"
A tangle of complex emotions rose in Li Guanqi's chest, and he hardly dared meet Li Guilan's eyes.
He knew that although Meng Jiangchu had not raised the issue aloud, ever since they stepped through the door, his father-in-law had been alternating between frowning and looking helpless—clearly communicating with Li Guilan through voice transmissions.
Beside them, Meng Wanshu kept her head lowered, lost in thought.
It was evident that she, too, harbored a woman's quiet longing regarding this very matter...
Gathering his thoughts, Li Guanqi composed his expression and spoke solemnly.
Chapter 1369