Chapter 1826: Signature

Wah wah wah!

Within the ethereal Hengyue Zong, baby cries echoed daily. Xiong Er’s child seemed to cry particularly often.

This was all the fault of his uncles, who would randomly drop by Xiong Er’s house. They would sneak the baby out to play and even scare the poor child.

Consequently, Hengyue Zong was in constant chaos, with shouting and scolding echoing throughout. More than a few people ended up being dragged out and beaten.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. With the child’s one-month celebration, Hengyue Zong became lively once more. As soon as dawn broke, firecrackers filled the air.

“Come, come, please come inside.”

At the entrance of the mountain peak stood Xiong Er, grinning just as he had on his wedding day. His already small eyes were squinted into thin lines, barely visible without a close look.

“Stay in formation, line up properly.” The first to arrive were always Xiong Er’s good brothers, standing in a neat row, each carrying a large sack.

They looked just like a band of bandits who had just returned from a raid.

And what was in those sacks? All treasures, of course—special products from Da Chu that sold well everywhere. The brothers were generous, bringing entire sacks full, definitely substantial.

Xiong Er’s face darkened, his whole big face drooping. Having these good brothers around did make him genuinely happy, though.

“Why the long face? Aren't you excited to be a father?” Seeing Xiong Er’s expression as black as charcoal, the group raised their eyebrows.

“Excited...” Xiong Er’s face turned completely dark. He was excited to be a father, but seeing these troublemakers and their sacks inexplicably irritated him.

“That's the spirit! Be happy about it.” The crowd patted Xiong Er on the back and hummed a tune as they went inside. They dumped the sacks in the most conspicuous spot on the mountain peak. Not wanting anyone to miss what it was, they even added a label: Hehuan San.

After them came the younger ones, like Shao Yu and Gong Xiaotian. They didn't carry sacks but had baskets on their backs, packed full of neatly wrapped bundles. The words "Hehuan San" on the packages were glaringly obvious.

“You little brats, you’ve gone too far!” Xiong Er cursed loudly, grabbing a club. When he got married, these kids had given him Hehuan San, and now that he was a father, they were giving it again—and in generous amounts, no less.

“This is good stuff.” The youngsters were quick on their feet, scampering away faster than rabbits and darting into the mountain peak. Just like the others, they placed their gifts in plain sight.

In contrast, people like Liu Yi, Nie Feng, and Duan Yu were more straightforward. They brought magical artifacts, secret manuals, or divine techniques—nothing but exceptional treasures, and they didn’t hold back.

Next came the disciples of Hengyue Zong, quite a few of them, mostly from the Qing generation, with some from the Xuan generation as well.

Following them were the elders of Hengyue Zong, including even the supreme elders, all making an appearance and giving Xiong Er plenty of face.

Xiong Er finally cheered up. The elders were reliable, after all—their gifts were valuable enough to fetch a good price if sold.

Then, people from Zhengyang Zong arrived, with Zhengyang’s sect leader himself, Hua Yun, leading the way, accompanied by his wife, Yao Xi.

Speaking of them, it was quite a funny mix-up. As soon as they arrived at Hengyue, they headed straight for Yunu Peak, thinking it was Ye Chen who had a new child.

But they soon found out it was Xiong Er who had sent the invitations under Ye Chen’s name, nearly making Hua Yun curse on the spot.

“You’ll get used to it.” Ye Chen said meaningfully.

“I suppose I should.” Hua Yun gave a dry laugh and, from Yunu Peak, headed straight to Xiong Er’s mountain peak, rubbing his brow the whole way.

“Oh, if it isn't the Zhengyang sect leader?” Xiong Er spotted him from afar and waddled over with his hefty body.

“If this were back in the day, I could’ve made you cry.” Hua Yun brushed off his shoulder, muttering to himself that as Zhengyang’s sect leader, this was the first time he’d been toyed with like this.

“Look at you, now that you're here, don't keep scaring me.” Xiong Er took the gift money from Yao Xi’s hands without hesitation. It was full of treasures, carefully prepared by Zhengyang Zong for Ye Chen's child, but it had ended up with Xiong Er instead, which made him feel a pang of regret.

“Let’s go see the baby.” Yao Xi chuckled and pulled Hua Yun up the mountain, her motherly instincts kicking in.

Hua Yun shook his head with a smile and let it go. Treasures were treasures, no matter who they went to. It was a joyful occasion, after all.

After that came Zhou Ao, arriving as the Qingyun Zong sect leader to offer congratulations. He also visited Yunu Peak first.

Once done, he carried his gifts straight to Xiong Er’s mountain peak, his face even darker than Hua Yun's had been.

“Your child, and you put Ye Chen’s name on it? What were you thinking, you fool?” Zhou Ao launched into a tirade as soon as he approached.

“You’ve got a bad temper—that’s a problem you need to fix.” Xiong Er pocketed the gifts smoothly and ushered him inside. He wasn’t about to waste time; he was just there to collect the money.

“Hey!” Zhou Ao rolled up his sleeves, ready for a fight.

“Let’s go see the baby.” Yue Chi Xun covered her mouth with a laugh and dragged Zhou Ao inside. Money was just a worldly possession, after all.

“Ye Chen’s name really works wonders.” Xiong Er chuckled behind them, his shameless grin making him look anything but fatherly, which made many people itch to give him a good smack.

“The gifts you collected—split half with me.” Ye Chen arrived with all his wives in tow, not a single one missing.

“Talking money with brothers just hurts the feelings.” Xiong Er sidled up and rummaged through Ye Chen’s things, snatching the storage bag from his waist without a second thought.

As the lord of the Heavenly Court, Ye Chen’s gifts were incredibly lavish—eight-patterned pills, Saint King artifacts, and rare divine techniques, all top-tier treasures.

“This is great.” Xiong Er grinned to himself, wondering if he should try for more children next year to rake in more gift money and build his fortune.

“Uncle Xiong Er, when I have a baby, you have to give gifts too!” Xi Yan said with a playful giggle.

At that, Xiong Er, who was busy scheming, looked up and glanced at Ye Chen’s wives. There were so many of them—if each had one child, how much would he have to give?

“One for each, no exceptions. If you skimp, I’ll beat you every time I see you.” Ye Chen patted Xiong Er on the shoulder and strolled inside, humming a tune.

The women stifled their laughter and followed along.

Xiong Er’s expression was priceless. He’d overlooked this issue entirely—those gift obligations could bankrupt him.

The Shangguan family has arrived!

The Situ family has arrived!

The Dongfang family has arrived!

The Ouyang family has arrived!

While Xiong Er was feeling the pinch, waves of well-wishers from all sides arrived one after another, as if on cue. They all went to Yunu Peak first, then came down with darkened faces.

They’d all been tricked. It wasn't Ye Chen who had a new child—it was Xiong Er. And hilariously, they only realized it after entering Hengyue, completely caught off guard.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you happy I had a child?” Xiong Er shouted louder than anyone, acting more outraged than they were.

“Happy.” The group of old folks grumbled through gritted teeth.

“If you’re happy, then smile about it!” Xiong Er shamelessly played his part, collecting gift money from each one. No payment, no entry—if anyone wanted to cause trouble, they could take it up with Ye Chen.

“Hengyue is full of talents, no doubt about it.” The descendants of the emperors clicked their tongues in admiration at this clever maneuver.

“You little fatty, I do admire you.” Long Teng stepped forward and pinched Xiong Er’s chubby cheek hard. “You’re a real talent.”

“If this were back in my day, I could’ve turned Hengyue Zong upside down.” Kui Yu Jiang said earnestly, and the other kings looked equally displeased. Even the normally stoic Youming Yanluo Wang seemed ready to explode.

Well, this signature ploy had fooled all the major forces in Da Chu, roping in the descendants of emperors and past kings. They’d traveled far for this, only to be left fuming.

“Don’t just stand there—go in and have a drink.” Xiong Er shoved them along, not caring if they were scowling or not. As long as they paid up, they could head inside and stop holding things up.

“Drink? Oh, we’ll drink all right.” Wu San Pao and his crew loosened their belts, here for the food and drink. Since they’d been tricked, they were going to eat him out of house and home—they wouldn’t leave until they’d bankrupted Xiong Er’s place.

“Hmph.” Xiong Er didn’t mind. With all the gift money coming in, they could drink as much as they wanted. Alcohol wasn’t worth much anyway. But he had no idea if he’d stay so composed once the drinking started—especially with people from all over Da Chu showing up, and the crowd impossible to estimate.

Outside the mountain, another group arrived—a party of over ten, but they weren’t from Da Chu; they were from Xuan Huang.

Taking a closer look, it was Xiao Yuan Huang and his companions: Long Jie, Nan Di, Bei Sheng, Zhong Huang, Xi Zun, Di Jiu Xian, Kui Niu, and the rest. They had traveled through dust and wind to get here.

“How long has it been? Old Seven already has a kid?” Xiao Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur, looking completely baffled.

“This speed, this efficiency—did that guy cheat or something?” Long Jie whistled in amazement. “No wonder they’re called the Saint Body.”

“This time you’re here, don’t leave—just stay and make some babies.” Di Jiu Xian poked Bei Sheng and chuckled.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Bei Sheng’s cheeks flushed red as she glared at Xiao Jiu Xian. She was the most mischievous of the group, especially in front of everyone.

“Old Seven, come out and greet your guests!” Xiao Yuan Huang bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice booming and startling everyone in Hengyue Zong. The phrase “greet your guests” sounded downright improper.

His shout drew a crowd from Hengyue in an instant—juniors and seniors alike, all rushing out with fierce expressions, weapons in hand.

Ye Chen was the lord of the Heavenly Court and the emperor of Da Chu—who did they think he was, calling him out like he was at some brothel?

Uh-heh-heh!

Seeing the swarm of people, Xiao Yuan Huang shrank back without warning, hiding behind Kui Niu and not daring to show his face.

“This guy wasn’t talking about me.” Kui Niu kicked Xiao Yuan Huang forward. What a great big brother move.

This was Da Chu, after all, known for its tough folk. Xiao Yuan Huang and the others had already experienced that in Xuan Huang Heavenly Court. Just grab any one of them, and they’d be a force to reckon with.

They still remembered the day they were beaten into pig heads—supposed to be a one-on-one fight, but a whole group piled on, no honor at all. They nearly got killed.

“Oh boy.” Ye Chen came out and, seeing the crowd, grinned happily. He hadn’t expected them to show up.

“Look who I brought you.” Li Changsheng laughed and released over a dozen people from a bronze furnace.

There were men and women, old and young, all cultivators with modest cultivation levels—the strongest being only a quasi-Saint King.

The group looked terrified, as if they’d been forcibly abducted and had no idea what was in store.

“Who are they?” Ye Chen asked curiously, glancing at Li Changsheng.

“The hosts, of course! The spirit hosts you asked me to find—all of them.” Li Changsheng grinned. “Not a single one missing.”

Ye Chen’s eyes lit up at those words. With the spirit hosts found, he could channel Chu Ling and the others back from the spirit realm—including Ming Jue, Bai Zhi, and Zi Xuan. How could he not be thrilled by this news?