Could it be that the Dugu Clan was rushing to find him because they intended to discuss the marriage between him and Dugu Xiaoyi? This was the only possibility Jun Moxie could conjure. If they were indeed going to propose a marriage alliance, how should he face it?

The words on the invitation were concise and to the point, containing only a single sentence: Invite Jun Moxie of the Jun family to the Dugu Residence for a meeting. The closing read: Dugu Zongheng awaits.

The handwriting was rather crude, almost illegible. Yet, the brushstrokes were filled with a tense, aggressive spirit—unrestrained and bold—unmistakably penned by the old master Dugu Zongheng himself.

This exceedingly simple invitation bespoke the Dugu Family’s gravity regarding this meeting, mingled with evident agitation!

By saying gravity, the fact that the elder Dugu Zongheng personally signed it made that clear. But the brevity, cutting straight to the core, passing over everything else in one go, suggested an extreme reluctance and unwillingness toward this meeting.

The Young Master calculated secretly: Besides discussing his marriage to the little girl, might the Dugu Clan also wish to solidify her standing? After all, the little girl had returned home publicly with a visibly large belly that day—this was no jest. Although any discerning person could see the trickery—how could a belly swell so much in just two or three months?—regardless of the truth, the little girl's reputation was certainly ruined, a fact that touched Jun Moxie deeply.

In reality, the Jun and Dugu families were perfectly matched—no two families could be better suited. But the Dugu Clan would absolutely not allow their only daughter to be a concubine to anyone. Even if they knew perfectly well that the little girl was still a virgin, and that the Young Master’s only woman right now was Guan Qinghan, they would not consider this.

Establishing the little girl’s status as the principal wife was necessary and extremely important. To put it plainly, although Guan Qinghan saved the Young Master with her own purity, she had still been his older brother’s wife. Given the consideration of seniority (the elder brother first, then the younger), even if the Young Master truly married her, Guan Qinghan’s delicate position would still prevent her from becoming Jun Moxie’s main wife. Since the little girl had always been close to Guan Qinghan, making the little girl the primary wife and Guan Qinghan the secondary consort would be a solution agreeable to everyone!

Jun Moxie frowned. This must be the reason the Dugu Clan was so eager to see him.

But no matter the topic, the Dugu Patriarch seemed to have summoned the wrong person. Shouldn't he, if anyone, be summoning the old master Jun Zhantian, rather than Jun Moxie himself? After all, Jun Zhantian was the head of the Jun family. Especially for such a delicate matter as marriage, it should rightly be the Jun Patriarch who stepped forward.

Furthermore, Jun Moxie was not the one Dugu Zongheng should be meeting face-to-face directly.

His standing was simply insufficient.

No matter how prominent the Young Master had become, or how staggering his battle records were, his level was still not high enough!

This had nothing to do with personal strength; it related to the level of etiquette and human relations. Despite being reborn, the Young Master was still a novice in the sphere of social graces. He was utterly out of his depth concerning such major life events!

Jun Moxie gripped the invitation, truly unsure whether to laugh or cry.

When the old master Jun Zhantian learned of it, he merely curled his lip dismissively when asked about his confusion: "Boy, what’s so strange about that? I imagine Dugu Zongheng, that old codger, must have been screamed at by the tigress back home again, forcing him into this charade. I reckon his she-cat of a wife wants to meet you personally, and that old rogue Dugu Zongheng doesn't dare not summon you, yet he’s reluctant about it—that’s all there is to it.” You usually act brazenly, yet today you’re this timid? Hmph. Now scram and get out of my sight before you disturb my cultivation of the Great Dao!

It must be said that the Jun Patriarch and Dugu Zongheng had associated for a lifetime, and their understanding of each other was absolute. With just a momentary thought, he deduced the truth of the matter.

This deduction wasn't just close to the facts; it completely matched reality!

The Patriarch’s final command ruthlessly expelled the suspicious subordinate. He himself returned to his meditation, delving into the Great Dao. With such a rare opportunity for a breakthrough, how could he not stabilize his realm in the shortest time possible?

Jun Moxie let out a wry smile, and then unexpectedly noticed a thick stack of papers on Old Master Jun’s desk, all folded and subsequently unfolded. Clearly, these were all secret reports delivered via carrier pigeon.

The topmost one read: The magistrate of Qingshui County in Xidu was killed in his home, suspected to be the work of the killer currently rampaging—Liuyun. The murderer left only a line of poetry: Good and evil will eventually be repaid, the laws of heaven cannot be overturned; If you seek the hand that killed, ask Liuyun beyond the heavens…

Below it were two characters replied by Jun Zhantian: Investigate immediately!

The next report followed the same vein. Jun Moxie counted them: exactly fifty reports! Not one more, not one less—precisely the intelligence leads on the fifty individuals killed by Baili Luoyun!

Jun Moxie couldn't help but sigh at such an efficient intelligence network; its excellence was truly astonishing! Baili Luoyun had only just arrived in Tianxiang, yet all the work he had done was already compiled here. Moreover, the fact that Old Master Jun had already reviewed them indicated that this intelligence reached him even earlier than Baili Luoyun’s arrival!

It was a pity that although these intelligence agencies were nominally controlled by the Jun Family, their true masters were the Tianxiang Empire, not the Jun Family's core strength. Should a day of rupture come, these intelligence networks would not only be useless but would become a massive liability.

Jun Moxie frowned, carefully placing the papers back as they were, and slowly walked out. As soon as he emerged, he saw a guard rushing toward the main gate, followed by a bizarrely shaped, very fat man.

Jun Moxie gasped in shock; he almost didn't recognize the person as Tang Yuan. It had only been three months, yet this fellow had gotten fat again! And not just a little bit, but several whole sizes larger.

The original Tang Yuan was merely round, but now he had turned triangular! His massive head was now a distinct point, sloping down and spreading out on both sides…

“Third Young Master!” Tang Yuan, upon seeing Jun Moxie, immediately burst with excitement, rushing forward, panting heavily, ready to deliver a bear hug!

“Stop!” Jun Moxie exclaimed, startled. “What happened to you? How did you get so fat?” He sized him up, frowning. “I could still vaguely see your calves before. Now, I can’t even see your feet…”

“Ahem, don’t mention it!” Tang Yuan looked utterly miserable. “Brother has suffered greatly during this time. I’ve been forced to lose weight incessantly…”

“What?! Forced weight loss?!” Jun Moxie finally cried out. “Forced weight loss managed to turn you from three hundred-plus jin to over four hundred jin?”

“Wrong!” Tang Yuan pointed sternly to correct Jun Moxie. “If I were four hundred-plus, I wouldn’t be so depressed. This time, I was reduced from three hundred and sixty jin all the way down to my current weight—five hundred and twenty-four jin!”

“Holy…” Jun Moxie’s mouth hung open, unable to close it for a full moment. Finally, he sputtered, “You gained one hundred and sixty jin in three months—from three hundred and sixty to five hundred and twenty-four? Damn it, even feeding a pig with hormones wouldn't make it gain that much in three months!”

“Feeding a pig?” Tang Yuan looked displeased. “I have special reasons for this.”

“What special reasons?” Jun Moxie blinked. He had to admit, Tang Pangzi’s current physique could no longer be described as ‘obese’; it should be called ‘terrifying’!

“These days, that shrew Duoxiaomei forces me to diet every single day,” Tang Yuan wailed, close to tears. “Every morning she whips me awake to go running, and whenever she’s free, she chases me out to exercise. Not a single person in the family stands on my side; they all eagerly cooperate with that woman. Why is my life so bitter? Even at the Noble Hall, someone follows me to supervise!”

“I still don’t understand. If it’s about cooperating with a diet, those are normal and effective weight loss methods. Why are you…?” Jun Moxie became even more perplexed.

“Big Brother, I do exercise, but after exercising, I get hungry! Very, very hungry!” Tang Yuan ground out through gritted teeth. “As soon as I move, I’m hungry! Before dieting, I ate three meals a day, six steamed buns per meal. But now I have to eat nine meals a day! About ten steamed buns per meal… not counting late-night snacks…”

Jun Moxie swayed slightly, nearly falling over, his face turning black. What kind of person was this? Even the legendary Altar Cleanser probably wasn't this much of an eater!

“It truly is… reasonably fat!” Jun Moxie nodded repeatedly, looking on in amazement. “No wonder such a tremendous miracle occurred in these short three months. There truly is a ‘reason.’ Such a powerful reason. It would be strange if you didn’t get fat.”

“Isn’t that so!” Tang Yuan sighed, patting his belly. “Before, I could at least manage to hug my own stomach, but now it’s completely flat when I try to hug it…”

“It seems further exercise is needed,” Jun Mox