Feng Jiuge made her way to the mountaintop with ease, only to find the entire peak brilliantly lit, as if deliberately awaiting her return.
Could the old man really be so well-informed that he already knew about the "good deeds" she had pulled off?
On both sides of the marble-paved corridor stretching from the main gate to the main hall stood rows of men in black—solemn and meticulous. The atmosphere alone was exceptionally grave.
Feng Jiuge sensed something was amiss and immediately wanted to slip away, but who knew which brainless fool had overly sharp eyes. He cried out in alarm, "Ninth Miss!"—drawing the attention of the neatly lined-up men in black, who all bowed in unison at a perfect ninety degrees, greeting her in chorus: "Ninth Miss!"
Greetings! Greetings to your whole family!
Now there was no running away. Feng Jiuge concealed the look in her eyes and entered the hall with utter composure.
Seated upon the main seat in the hall was an old man with a head full of white hair yet remarkably vigorous—none other than Feng Zhen, the head of the Xijing Feng Clan and Feng Jiuge's grandfather, though she was more accustomed to calling him "the old man."
Upon the guest seat beside him sat a stout man in his forties or fifties, currently chatting and laughing merrily with the old man in delightful conversation.
Four uncles kept them company. Though her father sported his usual roguish, cynical look, he had uncharacteristically not seized the chance to slip away.
"Seems today's guest has quite a lot of face, to actually make the entire Feng Family turn out to welcome him."
Feng Jiuge had only muttered this softly to herself, but she hadn't expected the stout man to suddenly turn his head and look directly at her, laughing heartily: "It's not my face that's big—it's my niece's face that's big!"
Niece?
From where had this man popped out as a relative?
Across such a distance, at such a low volume, in such a noisy environment—he had instantly distinguished which person had said what. It seemed this visitor was no weakling.
But that line somehow gave off a "Hey, your Extra. No, it's your Extra" vibe.
The man's sudden remark caused the eyes of the entire family to focus on Feng Jiuge, who had just entered. She tugged the corner of her mouth and walked over unhurriedly, sitting down beside her father, Feng Yun.
"Heh. The family sure is lively tonight."
It was so late and they didn't know to wash up and sleep. The entire mountain was lit up—such a waste of manpower and resources.
Feng Yun cast a schadenfreude-laden glance at Feng Jiuge, saying nothing. An ambiguous meaning swirled in his gaze, a faint smile playing upon his lips.
Feng Jiuge suddenly had a premonition that nothing good would happen tonight.
She was born with a destiny that clashed with Feng Yun's. It was said that the moment she was born, she had peed all over him. After that, father and daughter were like sworn enemies; every time they met, they would inevitably kick up an earth-shattering, irreconcilable row, forcing those around them to scram as far away as possible the moment they saw the two together, lest they be caught in the crossfire.
What nonsense about a daughter being her father's lover from a previous life?
Watching Feng Jiuge nonchalantly destroy his most prized painting, he glared at her in fury, jumping up and down in anger: "If I would have taken a liking to her in a previous life, I'll gouge my own damn eyes out!"
Such a deeply rooted feud meant that whenever Feng Jiuge was about to be disciplined by the old man, Feng Yun would always be laughing especially triumphantly from the side.
With the current situation being what it was, how could she possibly feel at ease?
She had barely sat down when the old man glared at her in feigned anger: "No manners. You see a guest and don't even know to greet them first. This is your Second Uncle Ling."