Never mind the gift for the occasion; since he’d already charmed the young lady of the house, what did he care about a mere birthday offering? Sending a congratulatory gift was simply repaying Miao Qingcheng's favor and saving face for his own woman. He wouldn't stoop to argue with this shameless old man before him!

With his decision settled, Jun Mo Xie hesitated no longer. With a lighthearted chuckle, he took a step forward, ready to speak.

Unexpectedly, an elder stepped forward first—it was Gu Yun Ju, the head of the Gu family. The old man smiled faintly and said, "A grand celebration for the Estate Master's birthday, truly cause for congratulations. However, this humble junior has another joyful matter to inquire about. I recall the Estate Master mentioning last year, during this birthday celebration, you planned a double happiness: selecting a suitable husband for little Miss Miao from among the promising young talents of the Illusion Estate. I wonder how the Estate Master intends to make his selection?"

As he finished speaking, an extremely peculiar grimace stretched across Gu Yun Yang's aged face.

At the same moment, the expressions of the other elders who had arrived earlier all turned bizarre.

These old fellows were all seasoned and cunning survivors; how could they fail to grasp the current situation? Miao Xiao Miao’s deliberate protection of Jun Mo Xie had already revealed far too much. While securing an alliance with the Miao family would greatly benefit their respective foundations, offending the future leading figure of the Illusion Estate in the process might not be worth it. Moreover, they weren't even certain they could secure the marriage with the Miao family, and speaking rashly could easily result in them being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Miao Jing Yun blinked and burst into loud laughter: "Esteemed colleagues, younger relatives, as everyone knows, I did indeed make that declaration last year. A man's word is his bond; without it, how can one stand firm between heaven and earth? Naturally, I will not go back on my word. Hmm... let's settle it this way: today, besides the main Miao family, the other seven great families are all present, along with several other renowned young talents from the Illusion Estate. Ah, the only pity is that the representative from the Zhan family... has not arrived..."

Zhan Wu Yun's face twitched. He thought to himself that the two most promising juniors of the Zhan family were now two corpses, and the others were all good-for-nothings. If they had come, they would only have provided more material for ridicule. Why bother showing up?

Miao Jing Yun continued, "So, the next step is to select a perfect spouse for my precious granddaughter from among these individuals..."

As he said this, a wave of **swept across the hall.

Many of the young, outstanding talents' eyes lit up, their eagerness clearly visible.

Only Meng Xian Ru, Li Xing Yue, and others could only offer wry smiles: Esteemed Sir, keep putting on this show. Your granddaughter already chose long ago. Today is, at best, just going through the motions to fulfill the words you spoke last year. It seems we are all destined to accompany the prince on his journey...

"Everyone has presented their birthday gifts, and they are all gathered together. After this Young Master Mo presents his gift, my granddaughter and I will make the selection personally. Whoever's gift satisfies us both shall be the worthy son-in-law of the Miao family..."

Miao Jing Yun finished with a smile, pointing to a large table nearby laden with a dazzling array of gifts, numbering no less than several hundred varieties.

At these words, an uproar swept through the entire assembly!

For the Illusion Estate's birthdays, since there were so many elderly figures who lived so long, celebrations were practically annual affairs. For most families, it was merely a matter of appearance, essentially using the occasion as an excuse to eat, drink, and socialize. Few people ever spent lavishly on truly precious gifts...

This was an unwritten custom. Although Miao Jing Yun was the Estate Master and was celebrating his full five-hundredth birthday, which seemed deserving of more attention, the stature of the guests present far surpassed that of mortal dignitaries, yet the value of the gifts was often far inferior.

It seemed that which of these old fellows hadn't celebrated over a thousand birthdays in their lives? A mere five-hundredth birthday, even a full milestone like this, what did it amount to? If the master of ceremonies today wasn't Miao Jing Yun, the head of the Illusion Estate, how could there be such an elaborate celebration!

Many young people stared intently at the gifts they had contributed, now feeling an urge to rebel... My dearest ancestors, the gifts our families sent were far too meager—no, they were downright shabby! How can such paltry things win me the beauty? As the saying goes, save the best steel for the blade. Why didn't we invest more capital this time? Such a grand opportunity wasted...

Many even stamped their feet and beat their chests, overcome with regret...

Li Xing Yue watched Jun Mo Xie standing beside Miao Xiao Miao, noting the calm expression on both their faces, seemingly untouched by the proceedings. He couldn't help but offer another bitter smile. He exchanged glances with Zhang Qi Yun and Meng Xian Ru, seeing the mixture of exasperation and amusement in their eyes.

This Estate Master's move is truly... brilliant!

But perhaps a bit too cruel!

Your birthday gift selection is to be done by you and your darling granddaughter together, choosing the one that most pleases you both? ... Well, the outcome is obvious! I believe no matter what this genius Mo Jun Ye gifts, even if he presents a pile of excrement... your granddaughter will cheer for it... What are we even competing for? "What do you like?"

Jun Mo Xie rubbed his nose helplessly. It seemed this old man was determined to force him onto the horns of a dilemma today. Even if little Miss Miao was willing to speak up for him, the old man wouldn't let him off easily... Damn it, this is clearly a conspiracy between a few old scoundrels! And one they just cooked up!

Seeing Gu Yun Yang and the other family heads exchanging knowing glances with Miao Jing Yun, their faces alight with triumphant excitement, Jun Mo Xie immediately realized: This was deliberately staged! And orchestrated entirely by Miao Jing Yun!

"Jun Ye, I also want to see the gift you prepared for Grandpa. Actually, I already know it must be the best; I will definitely love it," Miao Xiao Miao said softly, gazing affectionately at the young master Jun.

The eldest Miss Miao intentionally did not lower her voice, and since they were standing right next to Li Xing Yue and the others, her words were clearly heard by the group of young men.

Li Xing Yue and the others sighed inwardly. Is this still the cold and aloof Eldest Miss Miao Xiao Miao of the past? Those words are too blatant, too mushy. Aren't these grandfather and granddaughter just playing games with us...?

Eldest Miss Miao had her own agenda. Grandpa wants to play tricky? Well, I can too. As long as I approve of Jun Ye's gift, even if you claim someone else's is better, it'll at most be a tie. Jun Ye definitely won't lose!

"Young Master Mo, it is your turn. Please present your birthday gift for everyone to admire."

Qiu Peng looked at Jun Mo Xie with smug satisfaction. This young man was blinded by greed and infatuation, completely missing all the subtle shifts that had just occurred. In his view, Elder Gu had brought up the matter of selecting a son-in-law, and Elder Miao hadn't denied it—in fact, he had proactively set up a challenge for the great genius Mo. Even with Miss Miao's favoritism, it wouldn't matter; ultimately, the decision rested with the head of the Miao family!

Given the current situation, although all the gifts on that table were valuable, his family's 'Longevity Pine' was the most unique and thoughtful. It seemed he had already secured first place today, and the beauty would certainly not slip from his grasp!

"Speaking of birthday gifts, I truly didn't prepare anything beforehand."

Jun Mo Xie stepped forward, completely ignoring Qiu Peng's expression, treating him as if he were air. He smiled and said, "This junior comes from a poor background and possesses nothing of value, so I truly cannot offer any decent gift... How about this: while I was out traveling, I happened upon two stones that I consider somewhat rare. I have carried them with me all these years. Since this is the Estate Master's grand birthday celebration, this humble one shall offer this stone as a birthday gift to the Estate Master."

What?

A stone?

Presenting a stone as a congratulatory gift made everyone laugh in disbelief!

What rarity was a stone? The entire continent was covered in stones. Are you suggesting that picking up some worthless rock and offering it as a gift is acceptable? This is too outrageous!

It seemed the trouble was escalating. Even if Miao Xiao Miao intended to favor him, she couldn't just lie with her eyes open, could she? Even if she lied, she couldn't claim a stone was gold, could she?

Miao Jing Yun's aged face momentarily stiffened upon hearing this. The old man had planned beautifully: as long as this boy offered up something mediocre, he and his granddaughter could decisively declare it satisfied his heart, making it the best, and thus smoothly conclude the matter...

He never expected this boy to announce he was presenting a stone as a gift. What sort of proposition was this...?

Was the boy intending to renege on his word? Was he deliberately using such a tactic to back out?

It seemed the situation had truly spiraled out of control! He had played with fire!

Cao Guo Feng and the others nearby were also growing anxious. Upon hearing Elder Miao seemingly pressuring the young master about the gift, they had immediately started making arrangements. Bai Qi Feng had even pried a large gem from the hilt of his sword, preparing to slip it to Jun Mo Xie to present as a gift. While it might not guarantee the top spot, it would at least look better. With Miss Miao's help, they could probably get through this hurdle...

Who knew that before anyone could act, the boy had already brazenly announced he would give a stone as a gift... In that instant, Bai Qi Feng, who had just pried the gem from his sword, was almost enraged to the point of twisting his nose!

Only Miao Xiao Miao remained calm, a deep, heartfelt smile in her eyes. She had already decided that even if Jun Mo Ye truly pulled out a small stone picked up from the roadside, she would immediately clutch it to her chest and insist it was the best—the thing that satisfied her was naturally the best thing...

It is easy to gain priceless treasures, but hard to find a true love. Anything given by the man in her heart, even a wisp of air, if he said he gave it, it was the most precious! Given Miao Xiao Miao's current status and position, would she really care about rare treasures? Gems, however precious, were fundamentally still just stones!

Under the gaze of all onlookers, Jun Mo Xie slowly reached into his robes. When his hand emerged, his palm truly held a stone. It was irregularly shaped and quite rough, about the size of a fist—neither round nor flat, neither square nor rectangular. Other than possessing a slight crystalline glint, it held no other outstanding quality whatsoever... (To be continued...)