Chapter 4

Hong Lie's face turned red, feeling somewhat embarrassed at being seen through, but he looked at Hong Yu with even more surprise: "Old Two... When did you become so smart?"

Hong Yu cursed himself inwardly, almost giving himself away. He forced a bitter smile: "Big Brother, I wasn't stupid before, was I?"

Hong Lie was a decent person. Although he felt that Old Two was indeed not very smart in the past, he didn't want to say it to his face. He let it slide, but any slightly more astute person would not have been so easily distracted.

"Just tell me, which families' girls does Grandfather favor, and I'll try to choose from among them."

Hong Lie was overjoyed. If Old Two was willing to cooperate, it was the best outcome. However, he didn't realize that Hong Yu had already made up his mind: he would be an independent stallion! He would absolutely not mate with the women chosen by the old man!

"The main ones are the fourth daughter of the Yu family from the Ten Golden Beams, Yu Yaole; the eldest daughter of the Wang family from the Sixteen Golden Bricks, Wang Hongyu; the eldest daughter of the Si family, Si Yonghe; and the eldest daughter of the Yang family, Yang Yiyun."

Hong Yu's face was filled with gloom as he memorized these names, determined not to choose any of them.

Hong Lie saw his expression and felt a bit guilty. The gap between these families and the Hong family, one of the Four Great Pillars, was not just a little. If it weren't for Hong Yu's notorious reputation, any of these women would be a high honor to marry into the Hong family!

But now, these women were the best choices.

Hong Lie felt a bit indebted to his younger brother, but this was Grandfather's arrangement, and he was helpless.

Among these families, some had great potential, some were extremely wealthy, and some had strong external support. To be fair, Hong Shengri's arrangement was indeed for Hong Yu's benefit. After all, once Grandfather and Grandmother passed away, Hong Yu would still have his wife's family to rely on.

Hong Yu suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion: "The Yang family? Is that the one behind the Four Seas Trading Company?"

Hong Lie looked at him: "You know about it?"

Hong Yu's face turned red. Of course, he knew. The Four Seas Trading Company was the one he had forcibly taken over to buy forbidden items. At the time, he didn't take the Sixteen Golden Bricks seriously, but he didn't expect that one of the main choices would be the daughter of the Yang family.

Hong Lie didn't hide it from him: "The mess you caused, the old man of the Yang family came to our door personally. I said everything I could, and only then did the old man of the Yang family tell me that the Four Seas Trading Company was the dowry he prepared for his eldest daughter, Yang Yiyun! What can I say? You occupied the dowry of someone's daughter..."

Hong Yu was speechless: "How can this be! Isn't this forcing his daughter on me? If his daughter is extremely ugly, wouldn't my dream of being a charming stallion be ruined?"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, Big Brother. You keep saying you've handled it, but this is how you handled it? By adding his daughter to the list of candidates?"

Hong Lie said proudly: "Although we are at fault, our Hong family is not the kind of people who can be forced into marriage. We can only give them one chance."

As he spoke, he noticed Hong Yu looking at him strangely, and his confidence gradually waned. His pride turned to embarrassment, and finally, his face turned red: "It's all because of the trouble you caused!"

Hong Yu: "..."

Hong Lie suddenly slapped his forehead: "Right, there is actually one more person to choose from, but... it's a bit difficult."

Hong Yu rolled his eyes: "Just say that the girl probably won't look at me."

Hong Lie laughed dryly: "At this year's Xiushan Autumn Gathering, it is said that the first talented woman of Lucheng, Li Xiaoxiao, will also participate. It is rumored that Li Xiaoxiao not only has extraordinary literary talent, rivaling the great scholars of our Great Xia, but is also extremely beautiful, known as the first beauty of the southeast of Great Xia."

Lucheng is the largest city in the southeast of the Great Xia Dynasty, with a highly developed economy. The commercial taxes of Lucheng account for more than 20% of the total commercial taxes of the Great Xia.

The Li family is the first financial power in Lucheng, with substantial assets. However, they lack the support of influential officials in the court, so they have not been able to expand their business throughout the Great Xia.

Hong Yu muttered to himself: This Li Xiaoxiao coming to the capital must have a more complex purpose.

Hong Lie explained everything to Hong Yu and, before leaving, gave a final reminder: "Old Two, you don't need to be too resistant. Everyone has to get married, and with our background, whether you are a waste or a genius, your marriage is not up to you."

When Hong Lie said this, he looked a bit desolate. Hong Yu could tell that his brother's marriage was not satisfactory. He sighed in sympathy and nodded: "Big Brother, don't worry, I understand."

...

"Did you tell that little brat?" Hong Shengri's study was interestingly arranged. On the eastern side, there were many books, while on the western side, there were all kinds of divine weapons and tools.

Behind his large desk, on the left, was an ancient stone stele, and on the right, a fine suit of armor.

The large desk was made from simple processing of raw wood. Hong Shengri, who had spent his life in military service, did not like overly intricate objects. He sat behind the desk with a stern face.

Hong Lie respectfully said: "I have told him, and he doesn't seem too resistant."

Hong Shengri snorted coldly: "Really?"

Hong Lie smiled bitterly: "How could your grandson dare to deceive you?"

"How many times have you lied to me for that little brat?"

Hong Lie's face turned red, and he couldn't speak. Hong Shengri glared at him and waved his hand: "Issue the order. From now until the start of the Xiushan Autumn Gathering, Hong Yu cannot step out of the Hong residence! No matter who visits, the gatekeepers are to turn them away without reporting!"

Hong Lie was a bit worried: "But Grandfather, you know Old Two's stubbornness. The more you do this, the more he will want to go out..."

"Enough talk. Just three months. He must not be allowed to hang out with those scoundrels anymore!"

Hong Lie shook his head helplessly and left. Hong Shengri's face was stern, and he sat there waiting for Hong Yu to cause trouble.

...

Hong Yu was originally worried that his old friends would come to bother him, but instead, he received the order from Hong Shen that he was under house arrest.

During these three months, he had no plans to go out anyway. He intended to stay at home and study the Shami Dharma and the Ancient Demon Elephant Totem. No one bothering him was perfect. So, Hong Yu calmly replied: "I understand."

Hong Shen waited for a moment, but seeing no further intense reaction from Hong Yu, he was taken aback. Hong Yu was puzzled: "Uncle Shen, is there anything else?"

Hong Shen quickly shook his head: "No, nothing..."

A high-ranking Third Rank Manifest Saint, and he was stuttering! After leaving, Hong Shen smiled bitterly and shook his head, wondering: What's wrong with Young Master Yu?

When Grandfather Hong Shengri heard Hong Shen's report, he was even more puzzled: "He just agreed like that?"

"Yes, General!"

Hong Shengri was suspicious, stroking his chin: "No, that little brat must have some scheme!"

Hong Shen secretly sneered, not entirely agreeing. With Hong Yu's previous intelligence, he was more likely to be the victim of a scheme than the one who orchestrated it.

"Go and keep a close eye on that little brat. Don't let him pull any tricks. If there's a problem, I'll hold you responsible!"

"Yes!"

...

Hong Shen received the order from Hong Shengri, handed over his duties at the military library, and quietly came to the courtyard where Hong Yu lived.

Although there were many servants in the Hong residence, it was very easy for a Third Rank Manifest Saint to hide his presence.

He silently sneaked into the courtyard and suddenly frowned: No one in the small building!

At his level, his spiritual senses naturally extended ten feet beyond his body. If he focused, he could sense the movement of an ant thirty feet away in the soil.

So, as he walked, he knew exactly how many people were in the surrounding houses. When he entered the courtyard, he naturally and subconsciously sensed his target, but the three-story wooden building where Hong Yu lived was empty!

Hong Shen was still confident that Hong Yu couldn't pull any tricks, but he was shocked to find Hong Yu missing as soon as he entered the courtyard. He quickly appeared on the third floor of the small building, ready to burst in but suddenly stopped.

Through the window, he saw Hong Yu lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

Hong Shen stood like a ghost at the window, his brows deeply furrowed.

The moment he saw Hong Yu, he immediately sensed his presence. But how could this be? He was very sure he wouldn't make a mistake. When he entered the courtyard, he clearly didn't sense Hong Yu's presence.

Could there be a problem with his cultivation technique?

Hong Yu was not the type to escape his spiritual senses. The only possibility was that his cultivation technique was not perfect and had hidden flaws he didn't know about!

Hong Shen was drenched in sweat. But now, he didn't have time to reflect on his technique. He had a military order to follow and had to keep an eye on Hong Yu.

He sighed inwardly, sat down in a corner of the courtyard, and hid himself behind a few bamboo plants. With the strength of a Third Rank Manifest Saint, even if someone passed by, they wouldn't notice him.

After sitting down, Hong Shen thought for a moment and, for safety, extended his spiritual senses thirty feet, covering the entire courtyard.

Now, only Hong Yu and Hong Shen were in the courtyard, and the servants were far away.

The night was filled with stars. After sitting for a while, Hong Shen began to practice his cultivation technique. His "Starfire Divine Furnace" technique focused on starlight, and every starlit night was precious to him.

Fortunately, he could still extend his spiritual senses while practicing, monitoring Hong Yu's every move.

As he practiced, he converted the starlight into a faint golden energy, which he absorbed through his pores and then transformed into pure martial qi.