When it came to earth-attribute treasures, even the Peacock Emperor was powerless to help.
However, after hearing
"Jiang Chen, with such comprehension, I am very pleased. In a few days, I shall depart for the Barbarian Lands. From now on, you will slowly take over the management of this Peacock Sacred Mountain."
Jiang Chen was taken aback. "That soon?"
"Haha, you're being given authority and you think it's too soon?" The Peacock Emperor joked half in earnest.
Jiang Chen smiled ruefully. "Your Majesty, I worry that advancing too quickly will leave my foundation unstable. Besides, I have no experience managing a place as vast as the Peacock Sacred Mountain. And further, I was hoping to travel around in the coming days, see the world, broaden my horizons."
The Peacock Emperor chuckled in a leisurely manner. "No matter, no matter! You don't have to sit at home every day to manage the Peacock Sacred Mountain. As the Young Lord of the Peacock Sacred Mountain, you can go wherever you wish. When neither you nor I are here, others will naturally maintain day-to-day order. Did you truly think that the daily operations of the Peacock Sacred Mountain require my personal command at every turn?"
Jiang Chen naturally understood all this as well — it was simply impossible for those in power to concern themselves with daily affairs every single day.
After bidding farewell to the Peacock Emperor, Jiang Chen returned to his own cave dwelling.
Back at the Young Lord's manor, Jiang Chen's personal guards had already learned that the Young Lord was about to return. Each and every one of them was overcome with excitement.
Over these years, while life on the Peacock Sacred Mountain had been comfortable enough, with Jiang Chen absent they had always felt as though they lacked a pillar to rally around.
Now that the Young Lord was finally coming back, their excitement was natural.
Even Huang'er, separated from Jiang Chen for so long, missed him deeply in her heart. Accompanied by a group of personal guards, she had been waiting since early outside the mountain gate of the Young Lord's manor.
From a distance, Jiang Chen spotted Huang'er leading the contingent of guards, familiar faces appearing one after another before his eyes, and his spirits soared. He quickened his pace to greet them.
Huang'er's usually composed features carried a faint blush at this moment. She let out a soft laugh. "You're back?"
"Young Lord!"
"Young Lord, we missed you to death!"
The personal guards crowded around him one by one.
Gouyu, for her part, had become more reserved than before. Over the years, her mindset had been constantly shifting. Now she understood that Huang'er and the Young Lord were truly a match made in heaven.
As for those little feelings she had once harbored, she had long since buried them deep in her heart, clearly defining her own place.
"Senior Brother, hee hee, you're back? You've been gone for years — everyone missed you so much. Especially Sister Huang'er."
Jiang Chen glanced at Ling Hui'er with a smile. "Junior Sister, it seems you've grown up too."
Ling Hui'er pulled a face and suddenly dropped a thunderbolt of a line: "Senior Brother, Hui'er was already an adult long ago. Where exactly are you saying I've grown?"
As she spoke, the little girl even stuck her chest out in a show of defiance.
Pfft!
Her words immediately set everyone nearby struggling to hold back their laughter. The Qiao brothers doubled over, clutching their stomachs.
Even someone as serious as
Gouyu flicked Ling Hui'er on the nose. "You silly girl, shameless, saying such foolish things."
Huang'er also smiled gently. "Hui'er is innocent and carefree — that's just how she is."
It was clear that over these years, Huang'er and Ling Hui'er had gotten along extremely well. The closeness between them was not merely superficial; they truly treated each other like sisters.
Gouyu and
Seeing this scene, Jiang Chen couldn't help but admire Huang'er's temperament. She seemed to possess an innate quality that allowed her to get along well with everyone.
She had a quality that others lacked — a capacity to be tolerant and understanding, while remaining entirely sincere, without the slightest hint of pretense.
This quality allowed her to maintain such harmony with the other girls from beginning to end. Even though she knew that these girls all greatly admired and deeply loved Jiang Chen, Huang'er never looked down on them for it, nor did she grow distant or try to suppress them.
On the contrary, Huang'er felt proud and considered it entirely natural.
A man as outstanding as Jiang Chen would naturally attract the admiration of all manner of exceptional girls. A unique genius would naturally possess such charm.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Jiang Chen was astonished to find that during his years of absence, the Young Lord's manor had been managed beautifully by everyone.
When he had first left, the place had still been somewhat desolate.
Now, everything was in perfect order, appearing thoroughly prosperous.
The batch of servants purchased from the market had fully stepped into their roles, becoming indispensable assistants in the day-to-day operations of the Young Lord's manor.
Huang'er did not stint on these people either. The top-grade pills from the Taiyuan Pavilion — she would occasionally bring them out as rewards for the manor's servants.
Huang'er's generosity earned her the deep devotion of these servants. In private, they all remarked that the future Young Lord's lady was truly a worthy helpmeet to the Young Lord — elegant and magnanimous, virtuous and kind, yet considerate toward her subordinates, never looking down on them for being servants.