Zhang Yuanqing’s current mood could only be described in two words: “Whoa.” The old, sturdy mountain deity hasn’t returned to the spiritual realm and is actually eating at my home? He thought to himself—how could your esteemed mountain goddess, a being of such grace, find my humble tea and simple meals acceptable? You should quickly return to the spiritual realm. To be honest, although the Three-Mountain Goddess has demonstrated the demeanor befitting a true deity, Zhang Yuanqing still feels profoundly intimidated by her, often feeling tense and restrained in her presence. On one hand, it’s the natural apprehension of a lower-ranking person facing a higher one. On the other hand, even before the killing quest, Zhang Yuanqing had deeply feared the old mountain deity, viewing her as a potential adversary. And even now, despite having met her only three times, that sense of apprehension hasn’t diminished yet. This mountain goddess is an ancient daytime deity from antiquity, lacking the modern sensibilities of today’s people. Zhang Yuanqing simply doesn’t feel the same confidence he does when addressing the Dog Elder. As a rising star of the Five Elements Alliance, even if he angrily rubs the elders' heads like old dogs, the elders will tolerate it. But try rubbing an old, solid-minded elder's brain—just watch him knock your dog head flat. The family members, seeing Yuan Zi's suddenly stiff expression and his hesitant stance at the entrance, unable to step inside, seemed to grasp the situation immediately, wondering if perhaps he was juggling two romantic relationships. As the heir of a family traitor, doing something like this wasn't entirely surprising. The first family traitor, glancing at the composed Blood Rhododendron, then at the instantly deflated Guan Ya, and finally at Zhang Yuanqing, could hardly believe what he saw: "This... this? Both of them are girlfriends? Truly impressive—no wonder you're my heir, carrying my legacy with such grace." "Graceful? What exactly do you mean by graceful? Clarify that!" His aunt snapped. "Just kidding, just kidding..." His uncle immediately wilted. Girlfriends? What are you talking about, Uncle? How could my cousin possibly have such a girlfriend? If you insist on making this a romantic matter, I’d be lucky to be just her face-to-face lover. Zhang Yuanqing felt a tightness in his chest, instinctively glancing at his uncle, fearing that his uncle’s blunt remarks might upset her. Fortunately, the Three Mountain Goddess had already turned her attention back to her meal, continuing to enjoy her food, and calmly said, “Don’t worry—I’ll be leaving once I’ve finished dining.” She was soothing Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn. But to the family, this statement sounded like a subtle, high-level warning from a well-bred young woman, making the atmosphere even more awkward. She’d just eat and then leave… Zhang Yuanqing felt a slight relief, cleared his throat, and introduced, “Grandfather, Grandmother, this is my girlfriend, Guan Ya.” At the same time, he understood the reason for the awkwardness at the table—everyone had mistaken his uncle for his girlfriend. Guan Ya forced a smile and said, "Grandparents..." Her gaze swept over Yuan Shi's family, and when she saw Jiang Yu Ei—round-faced, sweet, and charming—her expression instantly froze. She recognized this girl; she had been in contact with her at the Ping Tai Maternity Hospital's obstetrics department. Suddenly, Guan Ya felt a strong urge to rush out the door, but Zhang Yuanqing held her firmly. ——Zhang Yuanqing clearly sensed that Guan Ya's hand had gone stiff, and that she was silently exerting strength, as if trying to pull away. Grandmother glanced at Guan Ya, nodded stiffly with a tone that conveyed "too awkward to know how to respond, so I'll just remain cold," and said, "Sit down, let's have dinner." As she finished, she vaguely felt that Guan Ya's second ship seemed familiar, though she couldn't quite recall why. Her wrinkled face remained expressionless, she gave a simple nod as a greeting, then, with a subtle but sharp gaze, fixed her eyes on the granddaughter. The retired police chief, just now thinking about how to tidy up after dinner, felt his cheeks swell as he looked deeply at Guan Ya. She lowered her head, busily eating her rice, her eyes rapidly darting, as if plotting something. What on earth were these kinds of situations—hadn't my life coach taught me how to handle such moments? Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, firmly guided Guan Ya to sit down, and said to his aunt, "Aunt, it was Guan Ya who helped with my cousin's promotion last time." Upon hearing this, the aunt's attitude shifted dramatically—she had previously shown mild resistance toward Guan Ya. "Guan Ya, right? I'm Yuanzi's aunt. Oh, what a lovely young lady—she really matches well with my son." The aunt now eagerly served Guan Ya dishes, inquired about her well-being, which brought a slight comfort to the elder's heart, and she managed to offer a gentle, quiet smile. The atmosphere slightly warmed up, and Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to say, "Guan Ya is actually my girlfriend. This one, this one..." He glanced at the old clog-walker and explained to his family, "This one is my friend." How could a friend come to have dinner at his house without saying a word? And how could he even enter the house, knowing the family's password? Grandmother didn't believe it, merely giving her cold, steady gaze to the grandson. The police chief's father, too, seemed unconvinced. The old clog-walker, who had been chewing slowly, now paused her筷子, looking at Zhang Yuanqing with a furrowed brow, asking, "What exactly does 'girlfriend' mean?" Though she didn't speak, she had been observing all these human expressions closely. Wait—did she not understand the concept of a 'girlfriend'? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily taken aback; this wasn't what he had expected. If the old clog-walker understood the meaning of 'girlfriend,' then clearly explaining his social relationships would have resolved the matter. On the contrary, if the old, sturdy lady knew that "girlfriend" meant "unmarried spouse," as a person from ancient times, a high-born mountain goddess, she would certainly feel deeply offended. —— These ordinary mortals, thinking that I am merely the fiancée of the humble Yuanshishen? What a humiliation! What a disgrace! Let them be wiped out! Well, the old lady probably wouldn't go so far as to execute them, but simply making her displeased is already a serious matter. Zhang Yuancheng explained earnestly: "A close female friend." The old lady nodded slightly and continued enjoying her dinner. Zhang Yuancheng turned to Guan Ya, then performed a series of expressive gestures toward her. He intended to first calm her down, reveal the true nature of the Blood Rhododendron, and thus ease the old shrine maiden's displeasure. If Yuan Shi secretly uses the Yin Shi as a stand-in for his girlfriend behind the scenes, then what's so special about his relationship with that spiritual servant? In that case, there would truly be no need to invite me home for dinner, nor would there be such a clumsy mishap now. His expressions tell me he's harboring something unspoken—he's hesitant, even afraid of his Yin Shi. But that doesn't make sense. Guan Ya silently observes Yuan Shi's subtle facial cues, using her intuitive insight to analyze the situation in her mind. Let him explain himself later. Clearly, Guan Ya is not being unreasonable. Taking a deep breath and smiling, she says to her aunt, "It's just a small favor—Chen Chief has excellent professional skills and was promoted based on real merit. I'm merely helping out." "That's quite impressive," her aunt beams. "By the way, what does your family do?" Before Guan Ya can answer, her aunt glances at the elderly man across the table, recalls her earlier response, and quickly shifts the topic: "Let's eat. Let's eat." Zhang Yuanqing also said, “Having dinner, having dinner…” He wanted to wait until the elder bingzi had finished eating and drinking, returned to the spiritual realm, and then explain everything to Guan Ya and her family. Though the elder bingzi’s unexpected stay at the table had caught him off guard, the overall situation was manageable. At that moment, the younger aunt, who had been holding her rice bowl silently throughout, now looked earnestly at the elder bingzi and explained formally, “A girlfriend is a lover, a fiancée.” The elder bingzi’s chopstick movements froze, and his expression grew cold. “!!!” Zhang Yuanqing stared at the younger aunt, stunned, thinking internally, “After all our years of family ties, you don’t have to betray me like this, do you?” He carefully glanced at the elder bingzi. Yuan Shi seemed startled… Guan Ya glanced at him, her heart tightening. Though Yuan Shi hadn’t explained anything, she already sensed that the evening dinner had taken an unexpected turn, and she no longer felt upset. Jiang Yu-ye seemed entirely unaware of her nephew's pale face, instead turning to Guan Ya with a look of surprise. "Hm, I've seen you in the obstetrics department—didn't you once ask me about fertility preparations? I didn't hear from Yuanzi that they were planning to have children so soon..." As soon as she said this, everyone except the old cobbler turned to look at Guan Ya. Her grandparents' expressions darkened. Chen Yuanjun was stunned—never had he imagined that the goddess of the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau was such a woman with such a lively personal life. Having visited the obstetrics department and even been preparing for pregnancy... Yuanzi had only recently become involved with her. Even the aunt-in-law quietly suppressed her smile. "!!!" Guan Ya sat rigidly, her face flushing and then turning pale, both angry and anxious. She wanted to explain, yet didn't know how to begin. And with the person directly involved trying to justify herself, the situation only seemed to grow worse. In just one sentence, Yuanshi's younger sister had completely undermined her image. Guan Ya, who had lived for twenty-three years, had never experienced such a moment of embarrassment. Zhang Yuanqing had just sighed in relief that the old boulder hadn’t been angry, only to find himself once again staring at his aunt, expression blank, thinking—after all, we’ve been close family, you don’t have to keep betraying me again and again, do you? In the silent pause, the old boulder set down her chopsticks, rose gracefully, and said coldly, “Thank you for the hospitality. The dishes here are truly delicious. I’m pleased, and I shall now be leaving.” Zhang Yuanqing didn’t pause to comfort Guan Ya and hurried to rise, saying, “The door’s on this side—I’ll see you to the door…” He didn’t want his family to see the old boulder enter the bedroom. The old boulder glanced at him with neutral composure, “Very well.” Zhang Yuanqing immediately rushed toward the bedroom, opened the drawer, took out the Fumagong staff, and tucked it into his pocket, then, under the bewildered gaze of the family, opened the security door and made the gesture of welcoming. The old boulder moved lightly through the living room and foyer, stepping out of the house. Zhang Yuanqing led her down the hallway, avoiding the blind spots "The Lady of San Dao Mountain silently watched her," "It seems I have caused you some trouble." Zhang Yuanqing bowed low, speaking repeatedly, "I am delighted to accept it, delighted to accept it." The Lady of San Dao Mountain nodded slightly. At that moment, a surge of golden light erupted within the Blood Rhododendron, flooding the dark corridor with brightness. Then, a powerful wave of golden light surged into the Fumigating Demon Staff, before gradually dissipating, restoring the corridor to darkness. Phew—finally, she's gone. Zhang Yuanqing murmured to herself, commanding the Blood Rhododendron to remain stationed in place within the corridor, then returning home with the Fumigating Demon Staff. As soon as he opened the security door, his foot still halfway into the living room, his grandmother spoke: "Jian, I remember now. When the case of Ah Bing's disappearance happened, it was you who came to take the statement, wasn't it? You and Yuanzi were then..." The grandmother didn't finish her sentence, but her expression clearly conveyed her disbelief—“How can a professional from society take my cabbage, when he's still just a child?” …Guan Ya paused, truly unable to stay any longer, and rose to say: "I'm sorry, I have other matters to attend to. I'll meet you again another time." She maintained her last semblance of grace, nodded politely to the two elders, then picked up her bag and hurried past Zhang Yuanqing, leaving the Chen household. The family didn't try to detain her, merely watching silently as Zhang Yuanqing went. Zhang Yuanqing, in turn, silently watched his younger sister, and after a long moment, gritted his teeth and murmured: "What a pity!" before turning and heading out after Guan Ya. "What kind of things are these!" Grandfather angrily tapped his chopsticks against the table. The family members looked solemn, except Jiang Yu Ei, who remained carefree and cheerfully invited everyone to eat: "Let's eat, let's eat. Mom, your soup today is absolutely delicious." … The night air was thick and heavy, with the lingering heat of the day still clinging to the atmosphere as the sun dipped below the horizon. "Guan Ya, Guan Ya..." Zhang Yuanqing stopped her, who was now furious, embarrassed, and flustered, standing in front of the blue sedan. "Listen to me explain..." Guan Ya angrily pushed his hand away, her eyes blazing. "Explain what? Explain why you had your undead body pretend to be your girlfriend and sit at the dinner table? Explain why your aunt has been targeting me? You don't need to explain anything. What's our relationship, exactly? I don't need you to explain." Under the soft glow of the neighborhood streetlights, the clear light in her eyes shimmered like ripples, as if about to cry—furious, embarrassed, yet giving up, and with a quiet undercurrent of hurt. Zhang Yuanqing paused. He was used to seeing her smile gracefully, playing the seasoned professional; used to her efficient, composed handling of matters; used to her consistently strong, independent image as a capable woman. Yet, suddenly seeing her express the nervousness and vulnerability of a young girl, Zhang Yuanqing felt an unexpected softness rise in his heart. Without a life coach guiding him, he knew this was the feeling of love. Love is that softness in your heart, that gentle warmth, sparked when you're moved by a girl. When a woman with rich life experience and deep experience reveals a young girl's charm before you, what could possibly make you not fall in love with her? Guan Ya waited patiently, but he never got an explanation from him. Her heart sank, and she snapped, "Get out!" She firmly pulled her hands away and opened the car door, stepping inside. Zhang Yuanqing hurried to follow and got into the sedan, saying it was better inside than outside.