Upon arriving at this place, listening to the discussions around him, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness and a somewhat inexplicable expression.
While this scene was somewhat unexpected, it also felt so natural.
Clearly, the Zhou family now knows that it is too difficult to win Lin Xiuyuan back to the Zhou family, so they are taking this opportunity to put on the appearance that Lin Xiuyuan and the Zhou family have a very deep relationship.
The so-called "building momentum"!
This should make those forces that want to take a bite out of the Zhou family think twice about what kind of towering tree this 'wild grass' will become when the spring breeze blows.
After all, although the Zhou family had deliberately spread the word that he was a member of the Zhou family's maternal family, the relationship between them did not appear to be particularly strong.
And that's how this scene came about.
Since Lin Xiuyuan is unwilling to rejoin the Zhou family genealogy, then we should take advantage of this matter to make him passively accept a favor, and then use it immediately to boost our prestige.
It's likely that the conversation at Xinyuan Pavilion there made Zhou Jianwen realize that getting Lin Xiuyuan back into the Zhou family genealogy was too difficult, so he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure...
Lin Xiuyuan felt this was perfectly reasonable, and that he would have done the same if he were in Zhou's situation.
Although Lin Xiuyuan could understand this, he still couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted.
Lin Xiuyuan remained calm as he strolled to the front of the Zhou family's gate.
At this moment, the guard at the door stopped him. He didn't recognize Lin Xiuyuan's face, but the powerful aura of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator emanating from him was undeniable. He immediately bowed politely and asked, "May I ask if you have an invitation?"
"An invitation?" Lin Xiuyuan shook his head and said, "I came by invitation from the Zhou family head, and I did not receive an invitation."
"Oh? May I ask your name? I need to go in and report."
The guard spoke without a hint of doubt, after all, a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert like Lin Xiuyuan wouldn't need to fabricate stories. His own patriarch was also a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert, at the Perfection Realm, and might very well be a friend of the patriarch.
"My name is Lin Xiuyuan."
Lin Xiuyuan calmly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Alright, please wait a moment, senior. You may also go and sit at the front table for a while. Servants will take care of you."
The guard had just finished speaking and was about to step into the mansion to report.
At the entrance, a Zhou family steward stepped out, preparing to welcome an elder from a powerful faction. Hearing the remaining part of the conversation, particularly the name Lin Xiuyuan, his expression shifted dramatically. He immediately abandoned his honored guest, turned sharply to Lin Xiuyuan, and said with a hint of excitement in his voice:
"You are Fellow Daoist Lin?"
Lin Xiuyuan nodded slightly and looked at him calmly.
"I apologize for the poor hospitality. Today's events were held in a hurry, and the servants have not yet received all the instructions and do not know the specific details. As a result, I have neglected Fellow Daoist Lin. Please come in quickly. The clan leader and many elders are already waiting for Fellow Daoist Lin's arrival in the main hall."
The Zhou family steward exclaimed with delight, then quickly left his distinguished guest and led Lin Xiuyuan into the Zhou family mansion.
Originally, the distinguished guest who had been ignored by this Zhou family steward showed a hint of displeasure. After all, he was an elder of a force, and although he was not as powerful as the Zhou family, he was still a person of importance and a master cultivator who had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. Naturally, he was unhappy to be treated like this.
Upon seeing the conversation between the two, his expression shifted slightly, and his gaze suddenly turned to Lin Xiuyuan.
"It's him? No wonder..."
Instantly, he suppressed his anger at turning away, replacing it with an air of nonchalance, even thinking, "I wonder if I can get acquainted with this prodigy later. The Zhou family, truly, is like a centipede that dies but doesn't fall down. I never imagined that at such a critical juncture, on the verge of complete decline, such a monstrous prodigy would emerge. It's truly enviable..."
Not only him, but many people at the nearby tables also noticed this scene.
In an instant, all eyes turned to Lin Xiuyuan's back.
"So, he's that famous prodigy?"
"They just walked past us earlier. They looked ordinary and had nothing special about them. If it weren't for the aura of a Foundation Establishment expert emanating from them, we would probably have thought they were just ordinary rogue cultivators."
"It's truly unexpected that one can be so easily deceived by appearances."
"It seems that today's ancestral worship ceremony of the Zhou family was all caused by this person. Could it be that he really intends to return to the Zhou family?"
"It's possible. News recently came from the Cloud Soaring Sect that this prodigy has already clashed with that Han family prodigy. The news just came out, so it's not clear yet, but it seems like they've set up a duel. Maybe that's why this scene is happening?"
"After all, the Zhou family and the Han family are sworn enemies. If they weren't both under the Yunxiao Sect, they would probably have already started a war in open battle."
"Now that even the prodigies from those two families are facing off, setting up such a show of force is also advantageous for the Zhou family. If this monstrous prodigy from the Zhou family were to emerge victorious, perhaps he could truly resolve the Zhou family's current predicament?"
"You're overthinking it. Who is this prodigy from the Han family? This new genius from the Zhou family is indeed powerful, a talent that comes along only once in a millennium. It is said that he has broken countless records in the Lingxiao lineage on the main peak, and even created legends in the Trial Tower. He has been recognized by countless prodigies on the main peak of Yunxiao and has become one of the most powerful contenders for the top spot in Lingxiao."
"But, after all, he only emerged in the last twenty or thirty years, while the one from the Han family entered the main peak at a young age, sweeping away all opponents of the same realm. Moreover, he entered the main peak's Cloud Vein and is extremely skilled in combat techniques. He has been famous for over a hundred years. I heard that even the group of prodigies in the Cloud Vein who broke through to the Purple Mansion stage believe that once this Han family prodigy catches up, it will be difficult for them to compete with him for the chief position. This shows how promising he is."
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