Peach Blossom Dual Cultivation

It was now past nine in the evening. Outside the villa, the moonlight bathed the surroundings in a silvery glow, while inside, the lights were so bright it felt like daytime. The Zhao family had been informed of Zhao Xiaorou’s return.

“Father, how is Mother’s illness?”

Zhao Xiaorou asked immediately, not waiting for the stern-looking middle-aged man to approach. Zhou Lang had correctly identified the man—Governor Zhao Cang was indeed Zhao Xiaorou’s father.

“The governor’s daughter… became my girlfriend?”

Zhou Lang was momentarily dazed. Before he bonded with the ancestral coin, he was just an orphan with nothing, struggling to survive and study. He hadn’t even had the chance to meet Ye Qianqian, the fiancée his grandfather had arranged for him, let alone court a prestigious heiress like Zhao Xiaorou. But now, he had become powerful, and it seemed like Zhao Xiaorou had been the one pursuing him. The contrast between his past and present was like night and day.

“It’s just her old ailment acting up again—rheumatism in her legs,” Zhao Cang sighed, indicating that his wife’s condition wasn’t as serious as Elder Zhao had implied.

“Father, so you had Elder Zhao lie to trick me into coming back,” Zhao Xiaorou exclaimed, realizing she had fallen into the trap her father had set.

“If I hadn’t done that, would you have come back?”

Zhao Cang snorted coldly.

“You’re becoming more and more disobedient. Can’t you stay at home anymore? You even ran away and changed your phone number so we couldn’t contact you. Elder Zhao spent half a month searching for you, using plenty of connections to finally track you down.”

“Father, I would’ve stayed home if you hadn’t been forcing me to marry Shangguan Yu. I wouldn’t have run away if not for that. I’m not being unfilial; you’re the one forcing me,” Zhao Xiaorou retorted.

“I’ve already promised the Shangguan family patriarch, Shangguan Long, that you would marry his son, Shangguan Yu. It doesn’t matter whether you agree or not, the marriage is set,” Zhao Cang said.

“Shangguan Yu is one of the outstanding young men of his generation. He’s more than qualified to marry you. What more could you ask for? He’s a dragon among men.”

“Father, what’s the point of you agreeing to the marriage? If you like Shangguan Yu so much, why don’t you marry him yourself?”

Zhao Xiaorou snapped.

“In your eyes, he’s a dragon among men, but to me, he’s not even worth dog shit.”

“You… How dare you talk to me like that…! I’ve spoiled you too much,” Zhao Cang fumed, nearly losing his composure.

“Master, I think Xiaorou is rejecting this marriage because of this man. His name is Zhou Lang, and he claims to be Xiaorou’s boyfriend. She went to Feiyun City just to be with him. He’s just a college student and an orphan at that,” Elder Zhao, who had just parked the car in the garage, walked over and pointed at Zhou Lang as he spoke to Zhao Cang.

Only now did Zhao Cang turn his gaze to Zhou Lang, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Greetings, Uncle Zhao,” Zhou Lang said calmly, clasping his hands in a polite gesture, his demeanor neither overly humble nor arrogant.

“Xiaorou, are you really with this man?”

Zhao Cang ignored Zhou Lang and asked his daughter directly.

“That’s right. Brother Lang is my boyfriend, and I will marry no one but him,” Zhao Xiaorou declared.

“Zhou Lang, I will not allow you to see my daughter again. Leave,” Zhao Cang ordered in a commanding tone.

“Uncle Zhao, that’s not right. Would you destroy your daughter’s happiness with your own hands?”

Any ordinary young man, upon learning that Zhao Xiaorou was the daughter of a provincial governor, would have been terrified. But Zhou Lang remained composed, neither servile nor overbearing.

“Destroy her happiness? Shangguan Yu is the heir of a prestigious family. Putting aside his family background, his martial skills and character are exceptional. What qualifications do you, a poor student, have to compare with him? You think my daughter wouldn’t be happy marrying Shangguan Yu, but she would be with you?”

Zhao Cang was even more furious now. He hadn’t expected Zhou Lang to speak so boldly.

“His character? His martial skills? He sent people to Feiyun City to capture Xiaorou when she refused to marry him. What kind of character is that? As for his martial skills, I’d say he’s just a spoiled brat who knows a thing or two about fighting. Uncle Zhao, there’s an old saying: ‘There are no great men among spoiled sons.’ His character and martial skills don’t even come close to mine. The only area in which he surpasses me is wealth. But making money shouldn’t be difficult for me either,” Zhou Lang said with a lighthearted smile.

“Arrogant nonsense!”

Zhao Cang shouted angrily, then turned to Elder Zhao.

“Throw this man out!”

Elder Zhao shared Zhao Cang’s view, thinking Zhou Lang was all talk. “Zhou Lang, please leave,” Elder Zhao said firmly.

“If I have to lay hands on you, it won’t be pleasant.”

“Father, Elder Zhao, you can’t do this!”

Zhao Xiaorou immediately stepped between Zhou Lang and her father, blocking them.

“Xiaorou, I will never allow you to be with him,” Zhao Cang said coldly, growing even angrier at the sight of his daughter defending Zhou Lang.

“Uncle Zhao, you’re a provincial governor. Are you going to force your daughter to do something she doesn’t want to, just because of pressure from the Shangguan family?”

Zhou Lang said after asking Zhao Xiaorou to step aside.

“Utter nonsense!”

Before Zhao Cang could respond, Elder Zhao charged toward Zhou Lang with a tiger-like stride, aiming to grab his wrist and throw him out of the Zhao residence.

“Elder Zhao, your early-stage grandmaster cultivation isn’t quite enough,” Zhou Lang said calmly.

He didn’t defend himself or attack but simply took a casual step to the side, easily avoiding Elder Zhao’s grasp and moving to his flank.

Most young people nowadays were weak and lacked martial skills, so Elder Zhao had attempted the grab casually, not using his full strength. When Zhou Lang dodged it, Elder Zhao was momentarily stunned. Then, he increased his speed and strength, launching another lightning-fast grab at Zhou Lang.

By now, Elder Zhao realized Zhou Lang wasn’t just talking. At the very least, his footwork, which had allowed him to evade the first grab, was quite impressive. As an early-stage grandmaster, Elder Zhao could easily capture most martial artists, but he failed to catch Zhou Lang. He immediately understood that Zhou Lang wasn’t simple.

Whoosh!

This time, Elder Zhao’s grab tore through the air with a sharp crack, as he exerted 60 to 70% of his strength.

Yet Zhou Lang remained calm, merely tilting his body slightly to once again dodge the grab, brushing past Elder Zhao.

“This is… strange,” Elder Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. As Zhou Lang passed him, his arm brushed against Elder Zhao’s waist, whether intentionally or not.

If Zhou Lang had wanted to, he could have taken advantage of that moment to strike. Wouldn’t Elder Zhao have been defeated?

Could it be that Zhou Lang was a hidden master? Elder Zhao’s heart began to race with unease. He was a renowned expert in Dianxi Province, yet he couldn’t even touch this young man.

“Xiaorou, you’re back,” a gentle voice suddenly called out, breaking the tense atmosphere. A middle-aged woman hurried over.

“Mom!”

Zhao Xiaorou immediately ran to the woman.

The woman was, of course, Zhao Xiaorou’s mother. Mother and daughter quickly embraced.

“Mom, this is Zhou Lang, my boyfriend. But Father is trying to have Elder Zhao throw him out,” Zhao Xiaorou explained, pulling her mother over to where Zhou Lang stood.