"Linlin's matter?" Teng Qingshan turned his head and exchanged a glance with Li Jun, who was walking beside him. He then reached out and took the stack of papers. "Uncle Zong, why don't you go about your business first? We will look over this intelligence slowly."

Both Teng Qingshan and Li Jun took the matter of their daughter, 'Hong Lin,' very seriously.

Two days later, at the Donghua Courtyard of the Xingyi School in Dayan Mountain.

"Dad!" "Mom!"

Hong Lin, dressed in streamlined martial attire, sprinted through her family's courtyard, shouting loudly from afar with an excited smile. Although the ground was covered in snow, Hong Lin still moved incredibly fast as she charged straight into the central courtyard.

"Linlin, you only call out for your mother and father. You didn't even call for Grandpa," said Teng Yongfan, whose hair was threaded with silver but whose spirit remained vigorous, smiling. Beside him, Yuan Lan looked at her granddaughter with doting affection: "Linlin, it's been over a month since I last saw you. Hmm, you've become even more beautiful. I wonder which young man will be lucky enough to marry our Linlin."

"Grandpa, Grandma," Hong Lin immediately called out sweetly twice.

Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan smiled broadly, nodding repeatedly.

"Dad," Teng Qingshan said with a smile, "Linlin now has someone she fancies."

"Oh? Who is it?" Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan were both surprised, looking toward Hong Lin with delight.

Hong Lin touched her nose and glanced at Teng Qingshan: "Dad, did my brother tell you?"

"I also know that lucky fellow is called 'Fan Anran.' Linlin, am I right?" Teng Qingshan smiled slightly. Li Jun beside him chuckled: "I heard that my daughter and this Fan Anran were even seen holding hands while boating on the lake in broad daylight."

Hong Lin's face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

"They were holding hands?" Teng Yongfan was greatly astonished.

On this vast continent of Jiuzhou, men and women did not easily hold hands. Even when they were in the Guiyuan Sect, Teng Qingshan and Zhuge Qing had never done so, let alone in broad daylight.

This gesture carried extraordinary significance.

"Where is this Fan Anran from?" Teng Yongfan couldn't help but ask.

"Anran is a disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, and currently a Commander in the Black Armored Army," Hong Lin confessed truthfully.

Teng Qingshan and Li Jun exchanged a look, both feeling a sense of foreboding.

She called him 'Anran'?

That form of address was far too intimate.

"Linlin," Teng Qingshan said, smiling, "Your mother, your grandfather, your grandmother, and I all wish to meet this young man named Fan Anran. Bring him home with you sometime."

"Bring him home?" Hong Lin blinked a couple of times.

"Yes, the Ancestral Memorial Ceremony is in a couple of days. After the ceremony, you must bring this Fan Anran home so your mother and I can get a good look at him," Teng Qingshan said with a smile. "If this Fan Anran truly wishes to marry my daughter, he must pass my test first. Otherwise—I will not consent. I have raised my daughter for nearly twenty years."

Hong Lin giggled.

She knew her father's temperament well; he cared little for wealth or status, only for a person's character.

"Yes, alright," Hong Lin nodded. "We'll bring him to meet you all after the New Year. Mom and Dad, you must give him a good grilling."

...

That night, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun were already asleep.

"Qingshan, according to the intelligence we gathered, this 'Fan Anran' himself seems fine, but his father's identity is somewhat uncertain."

"Mmm. His father also arrived in Yong'an Commandery fifteen years ago. Before that, investigations suggest he was a bandit. Nothing more could be found."

The land of Jiuzhou was too chaotic; even the intelligence network of the Xingyi School struggled to investigate the affairs of a defunct bandit gang from fifteen years prior.

"His father's background being less than pristine is one thing; let's first see what this young man 'Fan Anran' is truly like," Teng Qingshan said. "If Fan Anran passes our scrutiny and is indeed very good, letting him be with Linlin is fine. Besides, Linlin is already of marriageable age."

"Mmm, at her age, I had already married you, Qingshan."

The couple clearly placed great importance on their daughter's future.

The Ancestral Memorial Ceremony quickly passed, and Hong Lin left the Xingyi School for Yong'an Commandery.

...

In Yong'an Commandery, on the second floor of a tea house, positioned by the window, a young man of ordinary appearance but with remarkably bright eyes sat opposite Hong Lin. Few customers came for tea at this hour; only three or five patrons were scattered across the entire second floor.

"What?" The young man looked utterly shocked. "To your home?"

"Yes, my parents want to meet you," Hong Lin nodded.

The young man seemed stunned, blinking his eyes: "You, your father... I'm going to meet your father?" The young man's breathing grew slightly ragged. Hong Lin, across from him, couldn't help but laugh. She knew her beloved 'Fan Anran' held deep reverence for Teng Qingshan. In truth, the vast majority of the younger generation across Jiuzhou had grown up listening to the legends of Teng Qingshan.

"Don't worry, Anran, my dad won't eat you," Hong Lin chuckled, covering her mouth.

"Hoo."

Fan Anran let out a long breath. "Linlin, your father... I'm going to meet your father... This, this. Although I know your father is Senior Teng Qingshan, I've never met him or truly grasped it. But just thinking about meeting him makes me nervous. More nervous than when I was at the Guiyuan Sect competing to become a Centurion."

"Look at how useless you are. You need to show some manliness in front of my father. My dad despises weak people the most," Hong Lin said deliberately.

Fan Anran nodded: "Don't worry, I absolutely will not disgrace you in front of your father."

"Hmph, you must remember... if you can't pass my father's test, don't even think about marrying me," Hong Lin stated plainly.

"Ah—" Fan Anran looked crestfallen.

Seeing this, Hong Lin burst into laughter.

As the young couple teased each other, the other tea drinkers nearby frowned, glanced over, and soon departed. Only Hong Lin and Fan Anran remained on the second floor.

"Get ready, we leave the day after tomorrow," Hong Lin decided.

"Good," Fan Anran nodded.

"To meet my father, you need to prepare some gifts. Come on, let's go out and see what we can buy," Hong Lin stood up and said.

...

The young couple prepared some gifts and arrived at the Xingyi School in Dayan Mountain on the twenty-first day of the first lunar month.

In the main living room.

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, Hong Lin, and this Fan Anran, who had brought quite a few presents, sat around a table eating lunch.

"Anran," Teng Qingshan looked at the young man with a smile, "Why are you only eating plain rice? Do you need me to serve you a dish?"

Fan Anran’s face flushed slightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and the tip of his nose. Being at the same table as Teng Qingshan clearly made him extremely tense.

"No, no need," Fan Anran nervously served himself.

"Dad," Hong Lin glared at Teng Qingshan with mock displeasure, "Anran is here for the first time; he's a bit restrained."

Teng Qingshan smiled and exchanged a glance with Li Jun beside him.

After this initial contact, the couple was quite satisfied with the young man named 'Fan Anran.'

After lunch.

"Anran, come with me," Teng Qingshan stood up and walked toward the door.

Fan Anran froze.

"Hurry up and go!" Hong Lin whispered, giving him a small push. Fan Anran finally snapped out of his daze and quickly followed Teng Qingshan out. Only Li Jun and Hong Lin remained in the living room.

"Mom, is everything alright?" Hong Lin asked Li Jun.

"He seems fine for now," Li Jun smiled and nodded. "In a moment, your father will speak with Fan Anran privately. If he passes your father's test... then your matter will be settled. But if he fails, then there's nothing your mother can do."

Hong Lin huffed, "Anran will definitely pass Dad's test."

**

"Creak!"

Teng Qingshan pushed open the study door, walked in, and sat down in the armchair nearby. Fan Anran then entered the study. Teng Qingshan’s study was clearly spacious, about four to five zhang long and wide, making Fan Anran appear somewhat constrained upon entering.

"Anran," Teng Qingshan spoke.

"Uncle," Fan Anran responded respectfully.

"What weapon did you use at the Guiyuan Sect?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"I used a spear," Fan Anran replied.

Teng Qingshan smiled slightly, beckoned with his right hand toward the outside, and instantly, a branch from a large tree in the courtyard snapped off, its messy twigs stripped away. This wooden rod then flew directly into the study, landing in Teng Qingshan's hand.

"Show me your most formidable spear technique. This space should be enough, right?" Teng Qingshan said with a smile, tossing over the wooden rod.

Fan Anran skillfully reached out and caught it, taking a deep breath before cupping his hands in salute: "Uncle, please guide me."

Having said that, Fan Anran's entire demeanor changed drastically. In an instant, he became as sharp and piercing as a honed sword. With a sharp 'snap,' Fan Anran began executing his spear forms. His technique was fiercely swift; every move was as ruthless as a wolf's bite, filling the study with spear shadows.

"Mmm," Teng Qingshan nodded slightly.

From the spear technique, one could discern a person's character. This Fan Anran was definitely resolute in spirit; otherwise, his spear work could not possess such momentum.

Only with focus could one master such a formidable spear technique.

Similarly, from the technique, one could glimpse a part of the person's inner world.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan's brow furrowed slightly.

As arguably the foremost master of the spear technique across the entire land of Jiuzhou, Teng Qingshan sensed a very faint trace of hidden savagery within Fan Anran's movements.

'Does this Fan Anran harbor a deep-seated, suppressed ferocity? Could he have suffered torment or disaster in his childhood?' Teng Qingshan mused internally.

"Anran, use your most potent move," Teng Qingshan’s voice suddenly became strangely modulated, carrying a subtle, peculiar wave. In his past life, Teng Qingshan had a degree of proficiency in hypnosis. Now, in this life, his 'Spirit' was immensely powerful, and he understood the principles of suggestion even better. To hypnotize someone who hadn't even reached the Xiantian realm was effortless!

One must remember that the Celestial Gods of the Heavenly God Mountain could influence the eighty thousand dedicated troops in Hongtian City through mere sound waves.

Even if Teng Qingshan was not as capable as that Celestial God, hypnotizing Fan Anran was trivial.

For his daughter's sake, Teng Qingshan clearly intended to probe the depths of this Fan Anran's character!