"Miao Miao—my poor, suffering daughter..." Madam Miao stumbled out, clutching Miao Xiaomiao, tears streaming down her face from sheer relief. Mother and daughter embraced, sobbing uncontrollably...

After a long moment, Madam Miao wiped her eyes and approached Jun Moxie. Her expression was filled with genuine admiration, layered with the gentlest, most maternal warmth. She spoke softly, "Jun Ye, Xiaomiao... she is yours from this moment forward... She has been willful since childhood, spoiled, and often lacking in manners; you must bear with her indulgences..."

After the events that transpired, Madam Miao had completely accepted this son-in-law! Now, even if Miao Xiaomiao were to change her mind, this mother-in-law would undoubtedly side with Young Master Jun!

In this world, what man would willingly face death for the sake of his woman? As far as Madam Miao knew, there had been none before this! Mo Junye’s actions had finally put her heart at ease!

Entrusting her daughter's entire life to this young man truly put her mind a hundred percent at ease! Moreover, he would never let her suffer any slight! He risked his life for her daughter; how could he ever bear to mistreat her?

Jun Moxie managed an awkward smile, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

Under such loving scrutiny, the Evil Monarch, whose skin was usually thicker than the corner of a city wall, flushed crimson—a rare sight, making him resemble a shy youth from legend...

That evening, the Miao family hosted a grand banquet, and every guest departed thoroughly satisfied!

Every single one of them returned utterly, gloriously drunk...

Only Qiu Chengyun, the head of the Qiu family, felt a pang of discontent: "You all come back safe and sound, without a scratch! But my grandson was beaten half to death by Bai Qifeng, and I still don't know his condition..."

Yet, these thoughts remained confined to his heart; as for voicing them aloud? Even if you gave him ten more chances, he wouldn't dare.

The most crucial thing was that Jun Moxie and Miao Xiaomiao had returned safely, which meant the impending crisis for the Qiu family had dissolved by eight or nine parts instantly!

That was why, the moment he saw Jun Moxie return, the Qiu family head was the happiest: My little ancestor... you are finally back... If you hadn't returned, our Qiu family truly wouldn't have been able to carry on...

That night, Li Xingyun and the group of younger men surrounded Jun Moxie, plying him with endless drinks. This lucky fellow had actually claimed the foremost beauty of the Phantom Prefecture, and enjoyed a thorough celebration of it that very day—if they didn't toast him relentlessly, who would they toast?

Everyone found excuses, wine cups in hand, jars being dragged forward, launching a relentless 'wheel battle.' Each person fancied themselves a God of Wine, an Immortal of Drink...

Young Master Jun's character remained impressively steadfast; true to his word, he refused none, draining bowl after bowl. His face turned crimson, his stance wavering, looking as if he might collapse onto the table and die of intoxication at any second—but... the fellow simply refused to fall!

This gave everyone the illusion: Just one more bowl, and this guy will finally go down...

Adding to this was Miao Xiaomiao's incessant, anxious pleas: "Drink less... drink less." She looked genuinely distressed, shooting dagger-eyes at those who kept refilling his cup...

With such clear evidence presented, everyone naturally became more convinced: It seemed this Ethereal Physique had good taste in wine, but a rather average tolerance...

Thus, everyone grew more excited, the atmosphere more fervent, the toasting more aggressive, and their own drinking more unrestrained... Bowl after bowl, jar after jar... The rotation continued, round after round...

CRASH! Meng Xianru, the Young Master Meng who had been drinking the fiercest, dropped his wine bowl. His whole body went limp, sliding off the tabletop before collapsing backward in a sprawl. Immediately, a loud, clear song erupted...

The rest of the company wasn't faring much better than Young Master Meng. Most had already slurred their words, but they paid it no mind, still scrambling for the next drink... Some vanished after downing a bowl, others tripped over the bodies sprawled at their feet and collapsed, falling instantly asleep...

Some, overwhelmed by too much drink, staggered unsteadily toward the latrine to relieve themselves, only to squat down and fall asleep right there. At least no one followed in the footsteps of Fatty Tang; that was a blessing amidst the disaster...

Finally, a large contingent lay defeated around Young Master Jun...

The young masters and heirs of the great noble families lay sprawled on the ground like dead dogs, snoring loudly, their clothes stained with spilled liquid, the scent of wine thick on their faces...

Young Master Jun was still maintaining that same look of drunken haze and flushed cheeks... Only when Miao Xiaomiao finally approached did he lift a cup, give a silly chuckle, splash the wine onto the floor with a whoosh, and then collapse forward onto the table... seemingly drunk at last...

Under the table, the supine Meng Xianru snored, his mouth agape. Half of the wine Jun Moxie splashed down actually ended up down his throat. In his semi-conscious state, he choked slightly and managed to utter, "...Good wine! Uh... another jar..."

Then the snoring resumed...

Miao Xiaomiao looked helplessly at the group of drunkards before her, a wry smile touching her lips. For the first time, she truly experienced what it felt like when her mother took care of her father when he was drunk...

It was a feeling of exasperation and amusement mixed with a certain helpless powerlessness...

Madam Miao happened to be standing beside her daughter just then, observing the drunken youths, and let out a soft sigh. "Miao Miao, do you know why these people got so drunk?" Madam Miao asked placidly.

"Why?" Miao Xiaomiao retorted, puzzled. Getting drunk meant you drank too much wine; what else could it be for?

"Li Xingyun, Meng Xianru, Zhang Qiyun, these people—they grew up with you. These young men, along with Qiu Peng, Gu Feiyu, and the late Zhan Yushu... none of them have taken a principal wife up to this point, solely for your sake."

Madam Miao smiled bitterly. "Now, you have been claimed, your heart won, by a sudden outsider in such a short span of time. For them, this is no less than more than a decade of dreams shattering in a single morning."

"Gu Feiyu was crippled... Did you ever consider that although Mo Junye held the advantage during their contest, Gu Feiyu's cultivation was still far superior to Mo Junye's. How could he have suffered such severe internal injuries to become a cripple? Think about it, if you hadn't been there, would Gu Feiyu have met the same end?"

"The Zhan brothers' wager ultimately failed, partly due to luck, but mainly because they were awed by Mo Junye's unparalleled talent. But do you truly not know Zhan Yushu's feelings for you? Perhaps not just Zhan Yushu; I even suspect Zhan Qingfeng harbors feelings, though he has never shown them. And look at Qiu Peng today; completely out of character, abandoning his usual gentlemanly elegance, ruthlessly opposing Mo Junye at any cost, ultimately angering Saint Emperor Bai Qifeng into demeaning himself and throwing a punch, resulting in him being scorned by almost everyone in the Phantom Prefecture... Do you think the usual Qiu Peng would act so recklessly, so thoughtlessly?"

Listening to Madam Miao's recounting, Miao Xiaomiao couldn't help but frown slightly, asking uncertainly, "Are... are you saying... all of them were doing this because of me?"

"If not for you, then for whom?" Madam Miao smiled bitterly, looking at her still naive daughter and sighing, "Take these men, currently dead drunk beside you. Do you think they are truly drunk?"

"They aren't drunk? Are they pretending? Their acting skills are too good then?" Miao Xiaomiao looked at the unsightly, sprawled figures of the talented youths of the Phantom Prefecture and couldn't believe such people could be feigning drunkenness...

"They are truly drunk, yes, but they are not drunk because of the wine." Madam Miao spoke with profound meaning. "Li Xingyun is adept at navigating social circles, Meng Xianru is resourceful, Zhang Qiyun is mature and steady—which one of these three is not a cultured, elegant young master of high standing? Have you ever once seen them lose control like this since childhood? Yet today they are not only out of sorts, but completely insensible from drink, lying in a mess, yet they haven't used their vital energy to clear their minds even slightly... Why?"

"Why?" Miao Xiaomiao asked blankly.

"As the saying goes, intoxication washes away a thousand sorrows. Today, their dream was shattered, and they are drowning their immense sadness in drink! This drunkenness is a farewell to the past. For them, this inebriation is a transformation!"

Madam Miao continued softly, "But before this intoxication, and during it... they are still living within the dream they cherished... That is why they are unwilling to force the alcohol out with their cultivation... This is a pain that pierces the heart, and other than getting drunk, they have no other outlet. Townspeople might choose a brawl, or soldiers might choose a bloody fight... but they cannot. Because they are always sons of noble families, bearing the mission inherent to their birth!"

Madam Miao suddenly became grave as she looked at her daughter. "I tell you this not to recount their infatuation with you. Because that infatuation is now history! I only want to tell you that men, sometimes, carry burdens that are heavy, certain sorrows they will never speak of, perhaps only when they are drunk...

"Or perhaps when they are healing wounds deep within their souls... At such times, anyone who disturbs them is irritating, even their wives. And a wife must never curse, mock, ridicule, or simply abandon them at this moment...

"Only one who can care for her man's body and spirit in the most appropriate way during this time... is a good wife..."

Miao Xiaomiao seemed to grasp the meaning, a faint spark of realization dawning in her bright eyes...

Madam Miao sighed deeply. "The world knows that being a woman is difficult—the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, confinement indoors... it seems the entire world is unfair to women; but who knows that most women only bear the trivialities of daily life, while their men must carry the weight of the entire world! They shoulder all the responsibilities of war, sacrifice, providing for the family, nurturing wives and children... A woman can cry when wronged, and no one will laugh; but if a man sheds tears, people will mock and criticize him... That is why the saying exists: men bleed but do not cry... In truth, if we women could choose, we would rather our men... cry instead of bleed... because tears carry no danger, but when blood flows... it often signifies the eternal loss of the person we rely upon..."

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