Chapter 1595: Call Grandpa

"Surprise? Calamity?" Ye Chen murmured to himself, unsure where the so-called surprise and calamity mentioned by Ren Wang had come from.

"Surprise? Calamity?" The women all murmured softly, their faces full of worry, hoping it was the surprise and not the calamity.

"Come on, follow along." As everyone murmured, a noisy commotion arose, with people chattering excitedly.

Ye Chen set aside his thoughts and looked toward the entrance of Yu Nu Feng.

It was a large group, led by his nine Dao Shen.

Behind the nine Dao Shen were men and women, old and young, numbering over a thousand, bustling along in a crowd.

Ye Chen stared in astonishment, his mouth twitching in disbelief.

Clearly, these were all the family members of the nine Dao Shen.

In just three hundred years, those guys had been incredibly prolific, with descendants everywhere and efficiency off the charts.

Moreover, the beautiful wives of the nine Dao Shen all had swollen bellies, obviously pregnant.

"Truly dedicated," Ye Chen said with a meaningful expression.

"Come on, call him Lao Ye." The nine Dao Shen pushed a group of little kids forward, all around two or three years old, chubby and adorable.

"We greet Lao Ye." The little kids knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ye Chen, their voices childish and sweet.

The word "Lao Ye" left Ye Chen momentarily stunned.

He hadn't even become a father yet, and here he was, suddenly a grandfather.

This family rank had skipped a generation—damn, what a thrill.

"We greet Grandma." The little kids kowtowed again.

This time, they were kneeling to Xi Yan, Lin Shi Hua, Shangguan Yu Er, Liu Ru Yan, Bi You, Hao Tian Shi Yue, and the others.

"Uh, hehehe." The women were stunned for a second or two, their cheeks flushing red as they laughed awkwardly. Are we really that old?

Without realizing it, they'd jumped to grandmother status. They hadn't even gotten married, and their family rank had shot up two levels.

"Our grandpa said that if we kneel, we'll get lucky money." The little kids looked up with big, blinking eyes.

"Yes, everyone gets some." The women smiled and stepped forward.

"Come on, line up." Ye Chen also pulled out his storage bag.

"These little ones are so cute." The women were overcome with maternal affection, each holding two kids and stuffing them with spirit pearls and jade pendants, all rare treasures, given generously.

Most importantly, hearing themselves called "Grandma" was so sweet that it made them beam with joy.

Yu Nu Feng became lively again, with over a thousand people setting up hundreds of tables, filled with laughter and warmth.

"Come on, boss, this is for you as a sign of respect." The nine Dao Shen each brought out bags and piled them in front of Ye Chen.

"Not in vain did I take care of you." Ye Chen popped a meatball into his mouth, then eagerly opened them one by one.

But when he saw what was inside the bags, he spat out the meatball he had just swallowed.

It was all He Huan San, pure He Huan San, at least a hundred or eighty jin of it—enough to make steamed buns and eat for ages.

"We have more if it's not enough." The nine Dao Shen winked and flashed OK signs, showing off their pearly white teeth.

"I'm so damn thrilled." Ye Chen's face darkened, veins bulging on his forehead, and he suddenly felt an urge to relieve himself.

"Oh, what a lively scene." More people arrived from the foot of the mountain.

Leading them were Chen Rong Yun, Li Zhang, Hao Tian Shi Yu, Hao Tian Shi Xue, Wei Wen Zhuo, and Dongfang Yu Yan.

Behind them was another group, with people of all ages.

"See that? That's your great uncle—go kowtow to him."

Chen Rong Yun and Li Zhang shoved their sons forward, along with their grandsons.

Ye Chen scratched his head, feeling a bit odd about it all.

The ground echoed with thuds as they kowtowed earnestly.

"Come on, your great uncle is handing out money." Ye Chen pulled out another storage bag. Being the elder was no easy task.

The women were the same, smiling radiantly as the little kids bowed, sweetly addressing them too.

The big family blended together seamlessly. Ye Chen chatted with Chen Rong Yun and the others, while Shi Yu, Shi Xue, and Dongfang Yu Yan gathered with the womenfolk, and the little kids ran all over the mountain.

"I say, if you all go back to your in-laws' homes, you two won't mix up the beds, will you?" Ye Chen asked, hands in his pockets, glancing at Shi Yu and Shi Xue, then at Li Zhang and Chen Rong Yun.

"That's a long story—best not to bring it up." The two men covered their faces and sighed deeply.

"Yu Yan is about to give birth—how about picking a name? Boy takes the Wei surname, girl takes Dongfang, something fierce and intimidating, enough to make people tremble at the sound."

Wei Wen Zhuo nudged Ye Chen.

"Wei Ge, Dongfang Hong—these names are pretty flashy, right?"

"Get lost." Wei Wen Zhuo swatted him with a hand.

"Oh, speaking of Wei Ge, we have gifts for you." Chen Rong Yun and Li Zhang pulled out storage bags.

"How could I accept this?" Ye Chen said, but his hands quickly took them anyway.

When he opened them, it was all He Huan San again.

Ye Chen's face turned as black as charcoal.

He strongly suspected that these three were in cahoots with those nine jerks, teaming up to mess with him.

More guests arrived at Yu Nu Feng: Xie Yun and Mu Wan Qing, Xiong Er and Tang Ru Xuan, Si Tu Nan and Ye Ru Xue, Duan Yu and Yun Meng, Ling Xiao and Xiao Xiang, Zhou Ao and Yue Chi Xun, Hua Yun and Yao Xi, Ling Hao and Qing Yun, Li Xing Hun and Zi Yan, Da Man Xiong and Man Man.

They all came in pairs, and most had their own descendants in tow, instantly elevating Ye Chen's family rank even higher.

Long Yi, Long Wu, and Xiao Ling Wa, those three rascals, also showed up, not empty-handed and being quite generous.

"Come on, put it all here." Many of them carried baskets, all filled with He Huan San.

Well, then—the entrance of Yu Nu Feng was piled high with it.

Ye Chen watched his mouth twitch nonstop. Even if he ate a basketful every day, it would last him over ten years.

The women looked on, their faces flushed red. Had the customs of Da Chu shifted from rugged to outright open?

"Don't sweat the small stuff!" Si Tu Nan, Xie Yun, Xiong Er, and those beasts dragged Ye Chen away.

"Drink up!" Howls erupted, echoing throughout Heng Yue.

They had perfect coordination, surrounding Ye Chen tightly.

It was like toasting the groom at a wedding—no bowls needed, just pouring it down his throat, determined to drink him into a stupor.

Next came the elders: Wu Ya Dao Ren, Gu San Tong, Niu Shi San, Tai Yi Zhen Ren, and Wu San Pao.

These folks had impressively high ranks and brought their own descendants, standing in neat rows.

Ye Chen's family rank plummeted instantly, from grandfather level straight to grandson, and even great-grandson.

It was worth noting that everyone who came brought gifts, and they were all very generous.

Looking around, Yu Nu Feng was packed with people, from top to bottom, all stacked with baskets of He Huan San.

The two elders secretly protecting Ye Chen—Tian Lao and Di Lao—exchanged glances at the sight, their expressions quite amusing.

Was this the rule of Yu Nu Feng? Everyone had to bring He Huan San?

Night fell unnoticed, and the visitors left arm in arm, staggering down the mountain with burps of alcohol.

Heng Yue Sect played the perfect host, arranging lodging for them.

The women took the little kids and left, but that group of drunk fools was wide awake, gathering at the base of Yu Nu Feng.

Xiong Er set up a stone table, carved with names.

Those names were undoubtedly Ye Chen's confidantes, along with odds for betting.

"What's this bet about?" Everyone eyed Xiong Er.

"Nonsense, it's about who calls out the loudest!" Xiong Er shouted.

"Now that's fresh." Everyone's mouths twitched at Xiong Er's bizarre idea. What won't he think of?

"Don't dawdle, hurry up." Xiong Er urged.

"It has to be Shi Yue—my wife is quite lively in bed." Chen Rong Yun grinned. "They're from the same mother, so how could the older sister be less than the younger?"

"I feel the same way." Li Zhang chuckled slyly.

"That's not right—I think it should be Shangguan Yu Er."

"Don't kid around. When it comes to volume, it has to be Luo Xi that girl."

"Xi Yan still seems like a maiden—she'll definitely cry out loudly. Pick her, it's the safest bet. Trust me, no mistake."

"What if Ye Chen covers her mouth? Then we're all losers. That guy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

"You know, that could actually happen!"

The group bantered back and forth, discussing something lewd but with dead-serious faces, like fortune-tellers.

As for the stakes, source stones piled up like mountains, totaling millions.

Once done, they all squatted at the base of the mountain, hands in pockets.

Neatly lined up, they perked up their ears, catching every sound from Yu Nu Feng.

An hour passed, and there was no noise from the mountain.

Two hours passed, still dead silent.

Three hours passed, and nothing changed.

"What's going on?" Si Tu Nan yawned, looking up at the peak. "This isn't right!"

"Maybe Ye Chen really covered her mouth."

"You guys keep watch—I'm catching some sleep first." Xie Yun leaned against a rock and started snoring.

When he woke up, it was already bright daylight.

The diligent disciples of Heng Yue Sect had emerged from their caves, stretching and full of energy, absorbing spiritual energy.

Passing by Yu Nu Feng, the disciples all paused in surprise.

What were they doing? A whole crowd staring up with eager eyes.

"What's there to see?" Too many disciples instinctively looked up, wondering what had so many people squatting there.

But there was nothing, leaving them all puzzled.

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Chen came down, clutching the Wuzi Tian Shu in his hand, head buried in it, reading intently.

"We greet the Holy Lord." The Heng Yue disciples hurriedly bowed.

"Go practice, don't mind me." Ye Chen looked up and smiled.

But that glance—every face was darkened, with dark circles under their eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping this early in the morning? What are you all doing here?" Ye Chen was baffled, realizing they hadn't slept all night.

"Did you sleep well last night?" The group of rascals surrounded him, all rolling up their sleeves in unison.

"It was... okay." Ye Chen stepped back involuntarily.

In an instant, he was swallowed by the crowd, and screams erupted, startling those still asleep to jolt upright.

"Embarrassing, isn't it?" Tian Lao said to Di Lao in the void.

"Embarrassing." Di Lao rubbed his eyes, his own red from waiting all night.

"Hong Chen and Liu Dao must have uncovered some shocking secret, which is why Zhu Xian Jian wants to silence them. It can't defeat Liu Dao Hong Chen, so it's shifting its target to you, hoping to strike at them through your death."