The inner courtyard where Xie Fu originally lived was covered with walls made of pepper and mud by the servants of the Xie family after Shu Yun moved in, making it warm and giving off a very faint fragrance.

Old Master Xie always felt extremely uncomfortable when he came here. The surroundings were full of fragrance, which was too much like the pretentious manner of the royal families in the Central Plains, and had lost the ruggedness of their Western Liang.

Grandpa Xie and Shu Yun sat facing each other, with a crack in the window for ventilation, and a charcoal brazier burning inside, filling the room with a strong aroma of pepper.

Shu Yun picked up a chess piece, glanced at the black and white chessboard, and could feel the disdain emanating from the old man of the Xie family without even looking up.

She raised her hand to place a piece, and said calmly, "If you don't like the smell of pepper, why do you come over every few days?"

The old man from the Xie family snorted twice, "If it weren't for that brat Xie Fu coming over to block me as soon as I woke up, insisting that I listen to his long string of nauseating words, I wouldn't have come."

The old man touched the chess pieces while peering through the crack in the window at the swirling snowflakes outside.

"That kid has been nowhere to be seen for the past two days. I wonder what he's up to."

He hadn't made a move yet, and Shu Yun hadn't urged him. Hearing the old man's words, she gave him a half-smile and said, "The entire Xie mansion is yours. How could you not find out what Xie Fu is doing?"

The old man rolled his eyes. "The reason I didn't want you to be my granddaughter-in-law before, besides your background, was because of your arrogant expression and tone."

Shu Yun took a sip of tea, remaining calm and composed. "Is that so? I've always been like this."

As if she wasn't infuriating enough, she added, "I'm used to it."

After learning Shu Yun's real age, the old man's idea of ​​treating her like a child vanished instantly.

The old man glanced at the chessboard, casually placed a piece, and said, "It's so good to be an immortal; you're still so young after all these years."

Since gaining knowledge of the world of ghosts and spirits, Old Master Xie's state of mind has undergone a tremendous change.

Having been pulled back from the brink of death, he had developed a different perspective on the distribution of power and the pursuit of life in the mortal world.

The old man continued, "Since you were able to save me directly from the clutches of the Black and White Impermanence, why don't you just take my son with you and ascend to heaven to become your divine couple?"

Shu Yun paused in her chess game. "Xie Fu can't cultivate immortality."

"Like you, he has no affinity with immortality. Besides, even if I suggested it, he wouldn't come with me."

The old man narrowed his eyes, wanting to know why Shu Yun said that.

Shu Yun looked at him calmly and said, "You have raised Xie Fu very well. He is now a qualified grandson and a qualified monarch."

The Xie family patriarch understood.

Xie Fu would not abandon his grandfather and leave him alone in the mortal realm, nor would he simply take him away.

The sudden disappearance of the Xie family, the rulers of Xiliang, not only signifies a major upheaval in Xiliang, but also inevitably leads to a power struggle among various scheming aristocratic families for the marquisate.

With internal strife in Western Liang, it's hard to say what actions the Central Plains and the Southern Barbarians will take, and it could very well lead to another period of chaos.

When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer.

Xie Fu may seem arrogant and carefree, but he is actually quite knowledgeable and never shirks his responsibilities.

"Alright," the old master said, seeing that he was about to lose the game, he threw the chess pieces aside and conceded defeat decisively. "As long as you've thought it through carefully, that's fine."

Shu Yun looked up at the old man opposite her.

During this time, in order to show Xie Fu that he had truly put aside his grudges and genuinely accepted her, he visited her frequently, either to play chess or to drink, which put Xie Fu, who had been on edge and nervous about their relationship, at ease.

She used a spell, and the black and white pieces on the chessboard floated in the air, then flew off the board and returned to the chess jar containing the pieces.

She said, "Once Xie Fu achieves his desired goal, I will find a way to get him to enter the Immortal Realm with you."

The old man shook his head. "I'll pass. I've been listening to you these past few days, and that so-called Immortal Realm is really no fun at all."

"Xie Fu only has you as family in this life, and he cares about you very much."

The old man couldn't resist the urge to smoke his pipe, but unfortunately, his granddaughter-in-law across the street confiscated all his pipes after giving him a black, gooey pill.

He rubbed his hands together regretfully, "You two go live your own lives, don't worry about me."

The female doctor he had always looked down upon suddenly became a figure even more powerful and unapproachable than him, a prince of Xiliang.

It's impossible for him not to feel uncomfortable at all when facing Shu Yun.

According to her, neither she nor her grandson Xie Fu were destined to become immortals.

As her own grandson, she naturally wanted him to live with this little immortal he longed for. Even if he couldn't cultivate immortality, she would find a way to prolong Xie Fu's life.

He has always taken these things lightly; otherwise, he wouldn't have continued to enjoy smoking even when his body was decaying.

The other feudal lords all tried their best to prolong their lives. As soon as they ascended to the position, they began to practice with Taoist priests from various places, seeking immortality and taking "elixirs".

He wasn't interested in it, firstly because he didn't believe in ghosts and gods, and secondly because he felt that so-called immortals weren't anything special.

Shu Yun did not persist. Becoming an immortal was not as wonderful as people imagined, and she had seen many examples of mortals who did not want to enter the immortal realm.

Xiaoshu lifted the curtain hanging at the door and came in to announce, "The young master has returned."

When the patriarch was alive, Xiaoshu was always on edge, afraid that he might do something wrong and incur the wrath of this dignified lord.

He showed none of the playfulness and liveliness he displayed in front of Shu Yun; he was like a mouse seeing a cat, so scared that his eyes were fixed on the ground.

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