Chapter 73

As Zhu Lingwu arrived at the gate of his family's mansion, a group of butlers, stewards, and servants were already waiting for him. Seeing Zhu Lingwu's carriage approach, they all bowed to the carriage in unison. Then, the head butler went to the carriage window and reported to Zhu Lingwu that Lady Zhu had already brought the eldest son, the second and third daughters, and the fourth son to the hall to wait for him.

Clearly, the original owner of this body, being called Xiao Wu, naturally had four older siblings: an elder brother, two elder sisters, and a fourth brother.

Zhu Lingwu had already known this from the child's memories and could mostly recall the faces of his siblings. Therefore, there would be no issue of not recognizing who was who; the only question was how to face them.

Thinking about this, Zhu Lingwu could only sigh inwardly.

On the surface, Zhu Lingwu naturally maintained the demeanor of a master, merely acknowledging the butler through the carriage window and then gesturing for him to rise. Afterward, he had them lead the way to meet his stepmother and siblings. He knew he would eventually have to face them, and since he had already met his stepfather Zhu Junyan, it was only natural to meet them now.

However, even though he had arrived at the gate of his family's mansion, it would still take a long time to reach the people inside. Each branch of the Zhu family's ancestral land occupied hundreds of acres, and the largest branch had thousands of people. Although not all clan members enjoyed equal conditions, such a large number of people required a vast estate.

Thus, entering the main gate of the mansion was like entering a city villa complex, with various gardens and lakes of different sizes and scattered residential courtyards within the estate. If outsiders were not familiar with the layout, they would likely get lost inside, just like Liu Laolao in the Grand View Garden, unable to find who lived in which area.

To be honest, even Zhu Lingwu himself did not know where he lived, let alone the hall. He could not even find the courtyard he originally lived in, as the child's memories were vague and lacked specific information. The child was always accompanied by servants when going out, with some leading the way and others surrounding him, so he never needed to remember the routes.

Now, Zhu Lingwu could only follow the butler and steward to find his own hall. Thus, Zhu Lingwu's carriage traveled for about two incense sticks' time within the family's estate before reaching a large garden courtyard in the center.

Here, another group of internal butlers, stewards, and servants were waiting. Seeing Zhu Lingwu's carriage arrive, they came forward to greet him, which took some time. Only then did Zhu Lingwu get out of the carriage and switch to a sedan chair carried by four people, continuing inward.

After passing through the main hall, corridors, and a wooden bridge over a water pavilion, they finally reached the inner hall of the central courtyard. Along the way, the stewards and servants guiding and escorting him changed several times.

This was the etiquette of a high-ranking noble family, and Zhu Lingwu had experienced the trouble of such rules. Zhu Lingwu arrived at the Wu Fort of the Zhu family's ancestral land around 10:00 AM, and it was now past noon before he truly returned home.

Zhu Lingwu thought to himself that it was no wonder Meng Yishi said that the children of noble families in the secular world had no true heart for cultivation. With so much time wasted, it would be better to use it for cultivating qi.

If this were in the secluded sect where Meng Yishi lived, they could simply use magic to fly through the air, and this short distance might take only half an incense stick's time to cover.

"Xiao Wu is back! Quickly, prepare some food. It's already this late, Xiao Wu must be hungry! Ah, Yangwen, Xueqi, Liuxu, Xiao Si, go and see your fifth brother!"

In front of the inner hall, a stewardess saw Zhu Lingwu's figure and ran into the hall to report. A middle-aged woman's voice then came from inside.

Subsequently, four people, two men and two women, ran out of the hall and came toward Zhu Lingwu. The oldest, who looked to be in his twenties, was likely Zhu Lingwu's step-elder brother. Since Zhu Junyan was not at home and this young man was already an adult, he was in charge of most household affairs.

Then came two girls around fourteen or fifteen years old, and finally a boy around twelve or thirteen, who were Zhu Lingwu's step-sisters and fourth brother.

According to what Zhu Lingwu knew, his two sisters were already engaged and would likely marry after the New Year.

All four of them were dressed in fine silk robes, adorned with various jade pendants, hooks, and accessories, and their faces were powdered, typical of noble attire. They all wore smiles and walked quickly, but they had clearly been trained, as they maintained a certain decorum while walking, and their accessories made no noise.

"Xiao Wu, you're back! I heard you got into trouble in Tongshan County and even had the ancestor come to save you. Have you learned your lesson?"

The twenty-something step-elder brother was the first to reach Zhu Lingwu, looking him up and down and giving him a scolding. However, Zhu Lingwu could hear the concern in his voice, indicating that this elder brother did not look down on him because of his inferior innate spiritual meridians. This family relationship was quite good.

The two sisters and the teenage fourth brother quickly reached Zhu Lingwu's side, touching and pulling him, showing a very close and affectionate scene. This made Zhu Lingwu feel a strong sense of family bond.

Zhu Lingwu was somewhat at a loss. In his original world, before he became a witch doctor, he was an orphan and had never experienced such close and affectionate siblings.

The siblings quickly noticed that his hair, eyebrows, and skin were different from before, realizing that these were the aftereffects of being struck by lightning.

For a moment, they all asked Zhu Lingwu about his situation over the past six months, and they comforted him, saying that not being able to cultivate qi and become a cultivator was not a big deal.

Zhu Lingwu could only force a smile, feeling somewhat at a loss. This strong sense of family affection was something he could not feign.

Zhu Lingwu did not know how to face these siblings or how to answer their concerned questions...