Staring at the delicate blood-raspberry, Grandma was thrilled—was this her grandson’s girlfriend? The grace of her posture and the elegance of her features—what a standout! "Sit down, sit down right away!" Grandma set down the spiced fish head, pulled out a high-back chair, and warmly invited the Lady of San Dao Mountain to take her seat. The elderly woman was slightly taken aback—she hadn’t expected such hospitality from someone so old, especially with a stranger suddenly appearing in the household. One would have thought the old lady should have asked questions first. Yet perhaps Bai Lan had once used this body before... The Lady of San Dao Mountain nodded gracefully, exuding a dignified and refined presence, and said, "Thank you!" before seating herself with composed poise. This young lady... Grandma couldn’t help but reevaluate her. Beyond her striking appearance and figure, there was something truly remarkable about her manner and speech. So elegant, so well-bred, and carrying a certain nobility—no, not merely pride, but dignity. This kind of grace simply couldn’t be faked by a girl from a typical middle-class family. Looking at this girl, Grandma seemed to see a noble lady from the old society—elegant and reserved, shaped by the refined life of luxury, as bright and striking as fireflies glowing in the night. A girl from a well-to-do family... last time, he had returned home in a luxury sedan driven by a wealthy woman—precisely the one who had helped Yuan Jun secure his promotion. Yuan Zi had only said they were ordinary friends. In Grandma’s mind, the pieces of information were gradually coming together. Initially, she had questioned Yuan Zi about rumors circulating in the neighborhood, but Zhang Yuanqing firmly denied it, insisting he hadn’t been financially supported, merely maintaining ordinary friendship with that woman. With this thought, Grandma called out to her grandson: “Yuan Zi, Yuan Zi, come out for a moment.” She suspected he might still be being supported financially, and felt a growing sense of frustration. There was no response. Grandma pushed open the bedroom door and peeked in—Yuan Zi was not there. “Where is Yuan Zi?” she turned to the old servant and asked. The elder aunt had already gracefully picked up her chopsticks, savoring the delicious dishes, completely ignoring her mother's questions. Her mother thought, this girl must be a bit proud. "Mom, has the troublesome one returned?" After washing her hands, Xiao Ai stepped out of the room and paused upon seeing the woman seated at the dining table, elegantly eating. She then resumed her steps and sat down beside the elder aunt, nodding politely. "By the way, what's your name?" The Three-Mountain Goddess sat upright, didn't turn around, and spoke calmly. "White Lan!" The mother said, "Then let me call you Lanlan. Yu'er, please call Yuanzi and find out where he is." Jiang Yu'er glanced at the elder aunt, hurriedly went back into the room, and a few seconds later, the mother heard the phone ringing from her grandson's room. Well, the phone wasn't brought along. "Beep~" At that moment, the sound of entering the password came from the entrance hall. The security door opened instantly, and Uncle Chen arrived in a deep red suit and black tailored pants, looking like a night club regular, accompanied by his wife and son. Hearing that Yuanzi was bringing his girlfriend home today, Uncle Chen expressed great enthusiasm and said he wanted to meet the future in-law. Aunt Chen originally didn't want to come—her relationship with the mother-in-law had always been strained—but Chen Yuanjun mentioned that Yuanzi's girlfriend was the very person who had helped him secure his promotion. Upon hearing this, Aunt Chen immediately agreed, saying she had to meet her. The entire family—husband, wife, and son—focused their attention on "The Blood Rose." Uncle Chen was particularly impressed by her appearance and figure, feeling that such a beauty truly deserved to be the heir to the family legacy. Aunt Chen was also satisfied. As a daughter of a wealthy family, she sensed a certain grace and dignity in Yuanzi's girlfriend—one quality that was absent in typical modest, homegrown women. This composed, elegant, and refined demeanor suggested she was likely a daughter from one of the elite families in Songhai, which explained how she could have helped Yuanjun with his promotion. Chen Yuanjun was stunned... Didn't Yuanzi's girlfriend used to be the goddess from Kangyang District Public Security Office? The one who drove a blue sports car, Guan Ya? Had she changed? "Ah, it's you all!" Seeing that it wasn't Yuanzi, Grandma warmly invited everyone to sit down and introduced: "Yuanzi's girlfriend—你们 call her Lanlan, right? Yuanzi himself, this poor kid, has vanished somewhere." The old villager, with only two days of experience, simply couldn't grasp what "girlfriend" meant. "Let's just forget about him and start eating," Grandma said, serving rice to everyone. Grandpa looked at the old villager, studied her carefully, then gave a slight nod of approval. With his usually reserved expression, he managed a smile, his tone gentle: "Lanlan, right? How old are you?" The old villager furrowed her brows, responding with a composed calm, mindful of the meal: "My lord, I have been born and have lived for over one thousand years. In the course of my spiritual cultivation, I have never known a single year—my exact age has long been forgotten." The air Grandfather struggled to say, "What do the elders in the family do?" The old, sturdy one replied calmly, "Emperors of the human realm." ...Grandfather continued to hold on, asking, "How did you two meet, Yuanzi?" Now the old one had understood—they referred to Yuanzi as the childhood nickname of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn. "He awakened me from a stone sarcophagus beneath the mountain temple's foundation." The Queen of the Three Mountain Mountains never lies. Grandfather's bowl clattered and rolled onto the table. The family stared at one another in silence, even the most diplomatic uncle at a loss for words. At that moment, the ghost bride leaned in close to the old one, whispering softly, "Majesty, ordinary people in the present world don't understand cultivation—don't be too overwhelming to them." The old one thought, "Back then, my very own ordinary people didn't know about cultivation either, yet they never seemed frightened. On the contrary, they praised me endlessly, built temples, and erected statues in my honor." Yet, the old one still adopted the suggestion of the attendant, Bai Lan, and said gently, "Just The family exhaled in relief. Uncle chuckled and hurried to say, "Lanlan is truly witty—no wonder Yuanzi likes you. That boy loves telling jokes too. I'll tell you..." Wore no earrings, necklaces, rings, or any other accessories. Clean, fresh, simple, and sweet. This at least made her look three to four years younger. Guan Ya is the classic mature professional—full-figured, slender waist, long legs, with a mixed-race complexion that exudes the alluring charm of a seasoned woman. Her labels are firmly rooted in "workplace goddess," "sensual woman," and "mature female supervisor"—nothing at all related to a young girl. Today, she deliberately dressed herself in a more youthful style, clearly aiming to match Zhang Yuanqing's age. A 21-year-old university student, still not formally entering the workforce, is typically perceived by his elders as "the same age," "a girl," and "lacking life experience" when it comes to his girlfriend. Therefore, any elements that highlighted her mature womanly grace or affluent lifestyle were immediately set aside, not given a second thought. Zhang Yuanqing was delighted, as Guan Ya may have complained verbally, her body language clearly showed that she had not treated the dinner as a mere formality. "Just leave it there—that's our parking spot," Zhang Yuanqing said, pointing to the space by the edge of the green belt. His family has four spots, his uncle's family has two, and his grandfather's family has two. When they bought the houses, each household was given one spot as a bonus. But Grandfather felt that two spots weren't enough, so he paid extra to purchase two more. Now, thinking back, he often marvels at how dramatically parking prices have risen since then—buying a few extra spots back then was a wise move indeed. Grandfather frequently reflects on this. Guan Ya parked the car and left the flowers inside. "Hold on, you should take the flowers with you!" Zhang Yuanqing, now stepping out of the sedan, quickly reminded her. Guan Ya rolled her eyes and ignored him. The two walked side by side into the residential building. As soon as they entered the elevator, Zhang Yuanqing spotted Xiao Doudou—his ever-enthusiastic, slightly clumsy companion—crossing the elevator doors, clutching his own leg and crying loudly. The sound of his wails was as if a baby who had been weaned three days ago had suddenly lost "My little spirit servant might have lost her temper after failing at the game..." Zhang Yuanqing explained, bending down to pick up the adorable one, then interpreting the simple, fragmented account from him to uncover the truth. The old, sturdy figure had returned—her presence had startled the little one. Finally, she's back... Zhang Yuanqing felt a great relief; he couldn't feel at ease as long as the old figure didn't return. The ancient daytime deity's presence was truly formidable. The elevator ascended slowly. Zhang Yuanqing gently swallowed the little one whole, nurturing her, and soon forgot about the old figure altogether. Taking a deep breath, he quietly held onto Guan Ya's hand. "If you keep touching me, I'm leaving!" Guan Ya glared at him fiercely, then gently pulled away. She'd already managed to push through the resistance—what was a little hand-holding now? Well, perhaps she wasn't quite acting like a proper gentleman after all. Zhang Yuanqing remembered his mentor's teachings and resumed holding her soft, delicate hand. Guan Ya gave it a symbolic tug. "Ding!" The elevator doors opened, and Zhang Yuanqing took her hand, leading her out of the轿. "My grandmother has been talking about you all day," he said. "She's constantly asking me if you can eat the Songhai local cuisine—whether it's salty, mild, or spicy. By the way, my uncles and aunt will also be coming. Today, I'd like to introduce you all." As he spoke, he entered a password. Guan Ya took a quiet breath. She hadn't really wanted to come. After all, Yuan Shi's grandmother had known her—when the second team was investigating Lei Yibing's disappearance, the staff had visited her for evidence collection. Back then, the old lady had been rather unfriendly, fearing they might come to take her beloved grandson. Now, when she turned around and found that the female peace officer who had come to investigate had become her grandson's girlfriend—what would the old lady think?—that woman must have noticed how handsome her grandson was and taken advantage of her official position to quietly enjoy the best of the cream while the milk was still fresh. Guan Ya found herself feeling rather embarrassed just thinking about it. “Ding-ding~” After entering the password, Zhang Yuanqing opened the security door and announced loudly, “Grandpa and Grandma, I’m back…” As he stepped fully into the foyer, he paused, his smile frozen in place, staring toward the dining table. At the table, Uncle was holding a wine glass in one hand and serving dishes with the other, chatting animatedly about little Yuanzi’s childhood. The old storyteller, however, paid no attention, eating his food steadily. Grandma occasionally interjected, but the aloof attitude of Yuanzi’s friends made the atmosphere at the table somewhat awkward. When Yuanzi finally arrived, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at him. The old storyteller lifted his eyelids, his gaze calm and clear—like a lotus flower in its purest form. “Yuanzi, where have you been? Lanlan has been sitting for quite some time now…” Grandma was about to scold her grandson for being so indifferent, when suddenly she noticed Yuanzi’s companion, Guan Ya, standing behind him. Her words halted mid-sentence. Uncle’s animated, flowing speech instantly stalled, and he stood there, bewildered. Auntie was stunned, her eyes wide, first glancing at Guan Ya, then turning to look at "Bai Lan." Jiang Yu Er, who had been carelessly eating her vegetables, suddenly grew serious upon seeing Guan Ya being brought in. Guan Ya's initial nervousness vanished instantly when she witnessed the elegant way the "Blood Rose" ghost was delicately dining.