Da Xuan Martial Saint

A certain mansion.

Although the gate and courtyard weren't extravagantly decorated, one could discern the elegance in every detail. Whether it was the finely carved fake mountain of jade in the courtyard or the clear stream passing through it, it was evident that this residence belonged to a wealthy family.

This place was the residence of the Feng Family, one of the six major families of the State Government Office in Yu State. The Feng Family had prospered for more than a hundred years, especially after Grandmaster Feng Hongsheng emerged from the family, thus climbing to be among the most powerful families in the State Government Office. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire

"Has Chen Mu arrived?"

Feng Hong'an, the head of the Feng Family, was leaning on a glossy Purple Spirit Bamboo Staff in the courtyard. He was the elder brother of Feng Hongsheng, a Grandmaster and Elder of the Seven Profound Sect, older by just one year. However, his appearance looked much older than Feng Hongsheng's, after all, he was not a Grandmaster, and Feng Hongsheng was the only Grandmaster in the Feng Family.

The person standing beside him respectfully replied to Feng Hong'an.

After nodding slightly, Feng Hong'an took a few steps with his staff, saying, "Prepare a generous gift to send over, and remember, it should be presented with full courtesy."

"Yes."

The attendant responded and then withdrew.

Feng Hong'an walked a few steps with his staff, looked up at the sky, and sighed lightly.

Chen Mu, a peerless genius of Cold North Path, was yet another person who had understood Qiankun Artistic Conception within the Five Viscera Realm after nearly a century. Unfortunately, he had been schemed against by the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion. Otherwise, Feng would have liked to marry his own granddaughter to Chen Mu to strengthen ties by marriage.

The main issue was that Chen Mu already had a family. Otherwise, a young expert of the Wind Cloud List, even though the path to becoming a Grandmaster might be uncertain, would completely qualify to marry the granddaughter of the Feng Family, but to take her as a concubine would seem like the Feng Family was too eagerly ingratiating themselves, which could also be seen as losing dignity, especially since the Feng Family was a major clan in the State Government Office, having Grandmaster Feng Hongsheng.

However, it was discernable that after Chen Mu had brought some family members to settle in the State Government Office, it was suitable to be friendly, rather than hostile.

...

Another mansion.

This was one of the six major families, the Qin Family.

With the surname 'Qin,' one could immediately think of an important figure — Chen Mu's master, Peak Master Qin Mengjun of Spirit Profound Peak, who indeed hailed from the Qin Family, although she rose from a collateral branch, not the main lineage of the Qin Family.

Of course, after Qin Mengjun became a Grandmaster, her branch rose dramatically in status and became an integral part of the Qin Family, capable of rivaling the main branch.

"Has Chen Mu arrived?"

"Prepare a gift, and send a greeting."

Upon receiving the news, the head of the Qin Family also quickly commanded.

Since Chen Mu was one of the true disciples of Qin Mengjun and not just any ordinary steward or protector. As a ranked expert of the Wind Cloud List who could even kill Situ Shu, he naturally needed to be treated with much more consideration, and it was only appropriate to take the initiative to greet him.

...

In just half a day.

The six major families of the State Government Office, along with the next tier of families like 'Meng Family,' 'Yan Family,' and others, all reacted to Chen Mu's arrival in the State Government Office, though their reactions varied. Among the six major families, the Feng and Qin families showed much more eagerness, and the 'Liu Family,' ranked last among the six, also showed a clear intention to foster good relations.

As for the other three families, their reactions were relatively lukewarm, merely sending someone to symbolically greet him.

The attitude of the next tier families was much more enthusiastic. The Meng Family, where Meng Danyun and Meng Tianzhang belonged, didn't need to be mentioned, and the Yan Family, belonging to Yan Jingqing, also obviously showed no restraint in showing goodwill. Aligned below the six major families, these smaller clans were openly welcoming to Chen Mu, even going so far as to probe on the first day whether Chen Mu had any intentions of taking concubines, offering females from their family between ages fourteen and over twenty, regardless of their official status within the family.

Compared to the well-regarded big six families, these smaller clans in the State Government Office either relied on marriage connections or had individuals like Yan Jingqing who were somewhat influential, to maintain their power.

As an individual surpassing Yan Jingqing on the Wind Cloud List, Chen Mu naturally became an unstintingly courted figure by these smaller families, especially since Chen Mu had only married a woman from a minor clan in a remote prefecture city and didn't have close relations with families in the State Government Office, making him even more worth the effort to curry favor with.

Not to mention, Chen Mu was still quite young, being only thirty years old this year.

However.

Regarding such overtures, Chen Mu didn't pay any heed.

Having already experienced the struggle between family powers in Yu County, he naturally had no interest in getting involved in another such dispute in family powers, which would only waste his time and affect his speed in drawing his sword.

Bringing Xu Hongyu, Chen Yue, and others to the State Government Office was merely to provide them with a more stable environment, and also to allow himself to travel more at ease without worrying too much about their condition. Each return trip to Seven Profound Sect could conveniently include a visit home.

"Qin Family, Feng Family, and Liu Family... these three families sent gifts that are indeed generous."@@novelbin@@

Inside the new mansion, Chen Mu reviewed the gifts brought by various families who visited, with those from Qin, Feng, and Liu ranking highest. Each family's gift was valued no less than a 'Earth Element Pearl,' a type of Spiritual Object used for Viscera Refining.

Truly, the major families of the State Government Office, each backed by a Grandmaster, were not stingy in their gestures, far surpassing remote families like those from Yu County, who could hardly afford to present such high-caliber items as initial visiting gifts.

"Should they be sent back?"

Xu Hongyu stood beside Chen Mu, pondering for a moment before asking softly.