Xiahou Zhong came out of the study and went downstairs into the reception room. At a glance, he saw Lian Yucheng sitting on the sofa, cold-faced as he kept drinking water to calm his anger. Beside him, the tall and sturdy Long Ying stood silently behind Lian Yucheng with his arms crossed, his expression hard and cold, clearly intending to back Lian Yucheng up.
Xiahou Zhong quietly breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out a fairly amiable smile, and leisurely walked into the reception room.
“Patriarch.” Seeing Xiahou Zhong approach, Uncle Qi bowed slightly.
“Marshal Xiahou.” No matter how angry Lian Yucheng was at this moment, he still had to show Xiahou Zhong some respect. Although much of the coldness on his face had faded, he was still far from being in a good mood.
“Little Cheng, you’re here. Sit!” Xiahou Zhong smiled and gestured, walking over to sit opposite Lian Yucheng. “Uncle Qi, pour some tea.”
“No need.” Lian Yucheng rejected Xiahou Zhong’s kindness and said flatly.
“Looking at the time, it should be time to eat. Little Cheng hasn’t eaten yet, has he? Uncle Qi, prepare the meal.”
“Marshal Xiahou.” Seeing Xiahou Zhong acting as though he were simply making small talk, Lian Yucheng could not force a smile no matter what. The anger surging inside him made him wish he could blow up the entire Xiahou family. “I believe you should know why I came today?”
“Knowing why you came is one thing, but how to resolve it is something we can still discuss, isn’t it?” Xiahou Zhong held his teacup and said evenly.
“There’s nothing to discuss!” Hearing Xiahou Zhong say this, Lian Yucheng’s anger was completely ignited. He abruptly stood up and shouted furiously, “How old is Xiaoguang? He’s not even considered an adult! He’s just a child, and that bastard Xiahou Shaoxuan actually had the heart to do such a thing to him! Does he have no shame!!”
Hmm? Xiahou Zhong raised his eyebrows slightly. He was cursing his grandson?
Mm… But to be honest, the cursing was quite justified.
“Marshal Xiahou, Xiaoguang is about the same age as your grandson Xiahou Hetian. If your youngest grandson became pregnant, what would you do? Would you still be able to sit here and drink tea with a clear conscience like you are now?!”
The movement of Xiahou Zhong’s hand paused slightly. Just imagining that possibility suddenly made Xiahou Zhong feel that the beating he had given Xiahou Shaoxuan had been far too light.
If Xiahou Hetian got someone’s belly swollen, he would definitely mount a spaceship, shoot up the ancestral graves of that person’s entire eighteenth generation, and annihilate them.
“So?” Xiahou Zhong put down his cup and calmly looked at Lian Yucheng, whose anger was blazing. “How do you think this matter should be handled? Shaoxuan was wrong. If you want to beat him or curse him, I absolutely won’t let him fight back.”
Looking at Xiahou Zhong’s calm face, Lian Yucheng took a deep breath, suppressing the irritability in his heart, and said coldly, “Let me take Xiaoguang away.”
“Impossible.” Knowing what Lian Yucheng meant, Xiahou Zhong waved his hand directly and decisively. “Xiaoguang is the Xiahou family’s grandson’s wife. Now that he is also carrying the Xiahou family’s child, divorce is impossible.”
“Divorce?” Lian Yucheng sneered. “But as I remember it, the two of them aren’t married at all. They’re merely engaged.”
“Then you really picked the wrong time.” Xiahou Zhong opened his optical brain. A floating screen appeared, showing Xiahou Shaoxuan and Lian Qiguang each placing a drop of blood in the partner-consent section, verifying and binding their genes. “The two of them established their marital relationship two days ago.”
“You…” Lian Yucheng’s eyes widened as he stared at the two people on the floating screen, his fists clenched tightly.
“Little Cheng.” Xiahou Zhong shifted his body and looked at Lian Yucheng solemnly, his voice serious. “I know Shaoxuan went too far with this matter, but the two of them were willing. The child will eventually be born. You can’t let the child be born without a father. Besides, even if they really divorced, who would dare answer to the title of father when it comes to a child of the Xiahou family?”
Lian Yucheng looked at Xiahou Zhong’s serious expression. After his anger came a deep sense of helplessness.
“AAAH!!”
A ghostly howl suddenly rang out as a red figure shot toward Lian Yucheng. Long Ying, who had been standing there like part of the background the entire time, suddenly sharpened his gaze. He pulled Lian Yucheng into his arms with one hand, raised flames in his other hand, and met that red figure head-on.
The red figure flipped through the air and landed steadily on the ground.
Xiahou Luoyu pushed the hair on both sides of her head away with both hands. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Long Ying, rubbing her hands together lecherously.
“Mo Long! Are you here to find me?? Tell me, are we fighting inside the house or outside!”
Looking at the crazed Xiahou Luoyu, Long Ying indifferently withdrew his gaze and settled Lian Yucheng back onto the sofa.
“No.”
“Huh?” Xiahou Luoyu froze.
“I’m not here to find you.” Long Ying looked at Xiahou Luoyu and said coldly.
Xiahou Luoyu blinked. It took her a long while to recover and understand the meaning behind Long Ying’s words. She immediately became furious. She planted one foot heavily on the table, pulled out her broadsword, and pointed it straight at Long Ying’s nose.
“If you’re not here to fight, what are you here for? This is my house! Are you here to wreck the place?!”
Xiahou Zhong’s face had been dark for quite some time. Finally unable to endure it any longer, he kicked Xiahou Luoyu, sending her sprawling onto the floor.
“I’m discussing something! Stop fooling around! Turn right! Target: the doorway. Ten thousand push-ups!!”
“Old man!!” Xiahou Luoyu clutched her butt and sprang up, pointing at Long Ying as she shouted, “He’s Mo Long, the leader of the interstellar pirates! He was the one who fought me for territory back then and schemed against me countless times. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been able to come to Blue Star long ago, and I wouldn’t have been separated from you for so many years!”
“Interstellar pirate.” Xiahou Zhong narrowed his eyes and looked dangerously toward Long Ying.
Seeing Xiahou Zhong’s gaze, Lian Yucheng’s heart jumped. He abruptly stood up, pushed Long Ying behind him, and shielded him with his own body.
“He’s my man!”
Looking at Lian Yucheng standing in front of him, a flicker passed through Long Ying’s eyes, and the corners of his lips curled into a pleased smile.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Look at that smile.” Xiahou Luoyu curled her lips. “So lovey-dovey!”
Long Ying withdrew his smile and coldly glanced at Xiahou Luoyu.
“Loser.”
“What did you say!!” The words “loser” instantly hit Xiahou Luoyu’s sore spot. She immediately started flailing and chattering angrily. “Say that again if you have the guts! I’ll fight you one-on-one! I can crush you with one hand, believe it or not!”
Facing Xiahou Luoyu’s fury, Long Ying leisurely tossed out a sentence.
“Gui Ling has come to Blue Star. A few days ago, he even contacted me to ask about you.”
Xiahou Luoyu froze.
Long Ying’s words were like a heavy blow to the head, leaving her eyes seeing stars and her brain buzzing. Her entire body went stiff.
Xiahou Zhong frowned slightly and looked toward Long Ying.
“Who is Gui Ling?”
“The undisputed overlord among the interstellar pirates. You may not be familiar with Gui Ling, but he has another name—Mie.”
“Mie?” Xiahou Zhong suddenly raised his head, the warmth in his eyes slowly turning cold. “It’s him?”
The government’s mortal enemy. The government had dispatched troops to surround and suppress him numerous times, only for the entire forces to be wiped out. Later, Xiahou Shaoxuan had been ordered to take the Blood Fiend Wolves with him, but the result had been mutual destruction. Xiahou Shaoxuan himself had been seriously injured and remained unconscious in the hospital for two months.
“I remember he fought the Xiahou major general before.” Long Ying thought for a moment. “That time, Gui Ling was seriously injured. His spaceship was blown apart, and he wandered alone through the interstellar void for more than a year while gravely wounded before someone found him. He almost died.”
Xiahou Zhong shifted his gaze toward Xiahou Luoyu, who was trying to sneak away, and said coldly, “You provoked him?”
“I—I didn’t.” Caught trying to escape, Xiahou Luoyu rubbed her head and denied it guiltily.
“Then what is he looking for you for? He even chased you all the way to Blue Star!”
“I…”
“Oh! There’s one more thing I forgot to mention.” Long Ying seemed to have just remembered and said calmly, “Xiahou Luoyu actually married Gui Ling many years ago, when she was wandering through the interstellar regions. At the time, this was considered a beautiful story among us interstellar pirates. But later, apparently, Gui Ling’s wife had a huge argument with him for some reason and then stormed out of the house. All these years, Gui Ling has been searching for his wife.”
“Additionally…” Long Ying’s gaze drifted faintly toward Xiahou Luoyu. “Right now, someone’s number one on the interstellar pirates’ bounty list. Whoever can find Gui Ling’s wife will receive a bounty of ten billion universal interstellar credits.”
“AAAHHHH!!! I knew it!!” Xiahou Luoyu screamed and lunged toward Long Ying. “You were the one who betrayed me!! You despicable bastard! I’ll kill you!!!”
“Xiahou Luoyu!!”
A furious roar shook the entire Xiahou residence.
Xiahou Zhong’s face had turned pitch-black as he approached Xiahou Luoyu menacingly.
Seeing the terrifying expression on Xiahou Zhong’s face, Xiahou Luoyu shuddered and hurriedly backed away.
“O-Old man, you—you—you… what are you trying to do?! I’m your biological daughter!”
“I don’t have an unfilial daughter like you!!” Xiahou Zhong kicked at her. “You actually dared to casually marry someone outside without telling me, and you even dared to conceal it? That’s another crime on top of the first!!”
“I couldn’t beat him, and I couldn’t outdo him when it came to fighting for territory! What else could I do besides marry him?” Xiahou Luoyu screamed as she dodged Xiahou Zhong’s attacks.
“Couldn’t beat him, couldn’t outdo him, so you married him?”
“What else was I supposed to do!!”
Xiahou Luoyu accidentally got swept by Xiahou Zhong’s foot and stumbled into the wall. Feeling aggrieved, her eyes immediately reddened.
“How could I have known back then that I had such a powerful backer like you? I was the head of a pirate crew! Out in the endless interstellar regions, I was leading a useless pirate group of fewer than two hundred people. Do you know how difficult it was just to survive?
“Surrounded by a bunch of fierce men, how was I supposed to establish myself as a woman? Do you understand that? Everyone under me depended on me to make a living. What could I do?”
“Yes, Gui Ling is a bastard, but he could protect me and protect my brothers! If it weren’t for him, I probably would’ve died long ago in the vast interstellar void. In the interstellar regions, Gui Ling is a god in the hearts of all pirates. The fact that he took a liking to me was considered a blessing in everyone else’s eyes. Everyone thought that everything I had back then was given to me by Gui Ling. That’s all bullshit! I built it all step by step, earning it with every shot and every blade, exchanging my entire body covered in wounds for what I had.
“Apart from giving me protection and security, I never relied on Gui Ling for anything.”
Looking at his daughter, who was more manly than a man yet now had reddened eyes, Xiahou Zhong’s heart also ached.
He had always felt guilty toward this daughter. Otherwise, he would never have tolerated her reckless behavior without limit. She carried the Xiahou family’s bloodline, yet what she did outside was the work of a pirate and mercenary.
“So this is why you married him.”
“What do you mean, married?” Xiahou Luoyu forcefully wiped her face and curled her lips disdainfully. “At most, it can only be called a political marriage between two pirate groups for mutual benefit.”
“…” Xiahou Zhong.
“Enough. You guys talk. I’m leaving.”
Xiahou Luoyu turned around and left with her head held high, putting on the same frivolous, carefree air she always had.
“What are you going to do?!”
“Pack my things and go out to avoid the storm!”
“Get back here!!!” Xiahou Zhong’s face darkened again as he roared, “Starting tomorrow, you’re going on blind dates!!”
“Old man!! If you dare make me go on blind dates, I’ll blow up the Xiahou family!”
“If you dare blow it up, I’ll take back every spaceship I sold to your bandit den! If I can’t get them back, I’ll personally lead troops to seize them back, and while I’m at it, I’ll flatten that bandit den of yours!”
“……”
Xiahou Luoyu.
On the sofa, watching the two of them battle it out, Lian Yucheng leisurely sipped the tea in his cup, feeling completely refreshed.
Long Ying sat down beside Lian Yucheng, curved his lips into a smile, leaned close to Lian Yucheng’s ear, and whispered softly,
“Chengcheng, feeling much better now, right?”
Lian Yucheng shot Long Ying a sideways glance and gave a light snort.
“You’re really wicked.”
“As long as you’re happy.”
“Hmph!”