Outside, Old Kui then nodded and said, "That would be acceptable."
For some reason, Sun Ze felt relieved.
This seemingly wooden carter consistently gave him a subtle sense of oppression.
It also made him curious about who exactly was riding in the carriage.
Leading the way, Sun Ze headed to the Sun Family’s grand entrance with Old Kui driving the carriage, under the astonished eyes of the passerby, they slowly entered the Sun Family’s magnificent gates.
The carriage stopped.
The Sun Family head, Sun Yi, personally welcomed them.
But the cultivators that came out of the carriage surprised them all.
First was a young boy with eyebrows like painted swords and stars for eyes, followed by a cute-faced young girl.
Then came a little cultivator with clear eyes and well-defined features, who was helping a celestial-looking white-robed cultivator with no sense of energy on him, not even appearing like a cultivator.
Sun Yi was momentarily at a loss.
Among these people, who was the Foundation Establishment?
Whose Divine Sense was that, probing in?
Sun Yi frowned.
Logically speaking, this white-robed cultivator looked most like a Foundation Establishment, but if he were in the Foundation Establishment stage, it wouldn’t be possible for him to conceal his presence to the point of being undetectable.
Unless he was above Foundation Establishment, a Great Cultivator of the Golden Core Realm.
However, a cultivator of the Golden Core Realm wouldn’t likely visit the remote and minor place of Second Grade state boundary.
"Could it be that I was mistaken?"
Was there actually no Foundation Establishment cultivator spying?
Sun Yi muttered to himself with some doubts.
But now that the guests had been welcomed inside, it was impossible to turn them away, and it was also not appropriate to admit to his mistake.
He could only pluck up the courage to say, "May I inquire the esteemed name of this Taoist Friend...?"
Mr. Zhuang said indifferently, "Surname Zhuang."
Sun Yi was taken aback. It was an unusual surname, sparing with words, and carried the demeanor of a noble expert.
It just wasn’t clear if it could be a fake.
Still, there was no point in dwelling on these things now.
Sun Yi bowed his hands and said, "What brings our honored guest here?"
Mr. Zhuang’s tone was still indifferent:
"Passing through your land, I will rest for a few days."
Sun Yi didn’t quite believe it, but still smiled and said:
"Encounters are fate, and those who come from afar are guests. If you don’t mind, please stay at my Sun Family residence for several days so that I may show a token of my hospitality."
Mr. Zhuang revealed a trace of a faint smile:
"Then I shall impose."
"There is no need for courtesy," Sun Yi said with a bow of his hands.
Afterward, Sun Yi arranged for them to settle in and warmly said:
"If there is anything you need, just let the servants know. My Sun Family will do our best to fulfill it."
Once Mr. Zhuang and his party were settled, the smile on Sun Yi’s face gradually faded once he returned to the living room.
Sun Ze asked him, "Dad, who is at the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Sun Yi shook his head, "I haven’t figured it out yet."
Sun Ze was not satisfied, "If there is no one at the Foundation Establishment stage, then weren’t we busy for nothing? And you were so humble and obliging, do they even deserve it?"
"Say less of such ignorant remarks!" Sun Yi rebuked with a frown, "A true man can bend and stretch. What’s wrong with being humble and obliging?"
The Sun Family living room was decorated regally.
Sun Yi sat down, a beautiful maid came forward to offer tea, and after he took a sip, he pondered for a moment before slowly saying:
"Among this group of cultivators, even if there is no one at the Foundation Establishment stage, their identities must not be ordinary…"
Sun Ze’s gaze, reluctantly moving away from the maid’s waist, nodded in agreement and said:
"That’s right, that old man driving the cart, the young lad with an impressive bearing, and that pretty young girl, they all have an extraordinary temperament…"
"And that Mr. Zhuang, either he is a true expert with an air of immortality, or he’s a real big fraud…"
Sun Ze counted them all, but only Mo Hua was left out.
To Sun Ze, Mo Hua only looked a bit more clever, not worthy of his attention.
"Dad," Sun Ze leaned in and whispered:
"What are we going to do next?"
Sun Yi’s eyebrows raised, he put down the tea cup and said in a calm voice:
"Observe for a few days. If they are beyond our reach, we treat them with courtesy..."
"What if they are within our reach?"
Sun Yi looked at Sun Ze, his gaze somewhat secretive, "... then we must still treat them well."
Sun Ze also smiled.
...
The Sun Family prepared two large guest rooms for Mo Hua and the others.
One for Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui to stay in, and the other for the three children including Mo Hua.
Although called large guest rooms, they were also exquisitely arranged with complete sets of porcelain, folding screens, and the burning of sandalwood, with smoke curling upwards.
There were five or six beds placed side by side, each bed covered with soft blankets.
Bai Zixi sat cross-legged, elegant and calm as she meditated.
The two brothers of Mo Hua were lying on the beds, whispering to each other.
"That Sun surname doesn’t look like a good guy."
"Which Sun surname?"
"Is there any other Sun surname?"
"One father, one son..."
"Both don’t look like good people."
"Exactly, their smiles are too fake."
"A smile that doesn’t reach the eyes."
"Too enthusiastic, they must be harboring ulterior motives."
"No good deed goes unoffered without a hidden agenda..."
...
As the two murmured among themselves, Bai Zixi found it impossible to continue her cultivation and could only open her eyes, wide as autumn waters, and look at them helplessly.