Starting with Xingyi Quan, it swept across the chaotic world.

Chapter 8 Blind Date

Have you ever felt helpless and like a lackey when facing unfamiliar relatives?

Lu Li has it, and he has it now.

"I can't believe how big Lu Li has grown up in the blink of an eye."

"Yes, time waits for no one, and in the blink of an eye we're all getting old..."

"I remember when Xiao Li was just a little kid, she would pester me all the time to eat dried persimmons. I never imagined she'd be bigger than me now..."

Inside the Dong residence, Lu Zhiyuan and his old friend Dong Gui were having a pleasant conversation.

Lu Li, who was brought here for a blind date, listened to the conversation and remembered this family.

Uncle Dong Gui and his daughter Dong Hui used to be neighbors with his family. They had a good relationship with his father and third uncle.

I and Dong Hui are practically childhood sweethearts.

A few years ago, Uncle Dong couldn't stand his poverty and destitution, so he suddenly became determined to start a business.

So he moved his whole family to another place.

This trip actually led to him starting a small business.

He only recently returned, supposedly because he wanted to return to his roots.

My third uncle happened to run into them, and the two of them drank and chatted happily. As they talked, the conversation turned to marriage.

Originally, Third Uncle couldn't wait to settle the matter that day, so he grabbed him and rushed to the Lu residence, saying he wanted to retrieve the things his parents had left for him before they left for his wedding.

Unexpectedly, the set of jewelry meant for his wedding was sold by his biased grandfather to support Lu Heng's martial arts training.

That's how things unfolded, which led to today's situation.

"This child doesn't even know how to greet people!" Lu Zhiyuan glared at Lu Li, tugged at him, and kept gesturing with his eyes.

Lu Li coughed lightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but still forced himself to step forward:

"Hello, Uncle Dong."

Originally, Lu Li was standing to the side of him like a servant, and he hadn't seen him clearly until now. But when he saw Lu Li looking energetic, with red lips and white teeth, Dong Gui's eyes lit up, and the perfunctory smile turned into a bit of friendliness.

In fact, Lu Li did not notice that during his time practicing martial arts, in addition to the changes in his physique, his temperament had also changed. He walked with a straight back and bright eyes. In addition, he was originally a handsome young man, but now he stood out from the crowd.

Dong Gui could see the confidence in the child's eyes.

Dong Gui was initially somewhat reluctant to accept Lu Zhiyuan's strong matchmaking, but he agreed out of consideration for their past relationship.

Seeing Lu Li now, he could no longer associate him with the rascal he remembered.

Immediately, Dong Gui cleared his throat and spoke:

"Ah Hui, your Uncle Lu and your brother Li are here, why are you still packing?"

His tone carried a hint of reproach.

Not long after, Dong Hui came out from the side room.

However, there was a hint of reproach in her eyes when she looked at Dong Gui.

It was you, Dad, who said that if the other party wasn't good enough, you shouldn't have called me out. Why are you blaming me now?

Despite her inner grumbling, Dong Hui still obediently walked up to the group and greeted them:

"Uncle Lu, Brother Li."

"Oh my, my niece is becoming more and more poised and elegant. She really has blossomed into a beautiful young woman." Lu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

At the same time, he nudged Lu Li.

Lu Li understood and greeted him in return.

"Ah Hui."

Lu Zhiyuan was right; Dong Hui had truly blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She used to be a country girl who hadn't grown up yet, but now she was a graceful young lady.

Even without makeup, she has fair skin, curved eyebrows and eyes, and dimples when she smiles.

It's completely unrecognizable from its former self.

Money really does make you stronger.

Lu Li sighed.

After a few words of casual conversation, Lu Zhiyuan made an excuse to take Dong Gui on a trip back to the old haunts and left, leaving only Lu Li and Dong Hui behind.

Neither of the two young men spoke.

The atmosphere was deathly silent.

It seems that matchmaking in ancient times was just as awkward.

Lu Li muttered a curse to himself before breaking the deadlock:

"have not seen you for a long time."

"Yes, we haven't seen him since he went into business six years ago."

Dong Hui is also seventeen years old this year, radiating youthful energy. She smoothed a stray hair from her temple and asked with a gentle smile:

"Brother Li has changed a lot. He must have become a Ming Jin martial artist by now."

Even though she was a girl, she had heard of the realm of martial arts practitioners and knew what it meant to be a martial artist.

The life of a Ming Jin martial artist is quite comfortable, no worse than theirs.

If you can marry a martial arts master, not only will your future life be secure, but most importantly, you will have face to be proud of.

Many people in Lin'an City also respectfully address her as "Madam Warrior".

It sounds much better than the daughter of a merchant today.

After all, the hierarchy of soldiers, warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants has been the established rule of the Great Yong Dynasty and throughout history.

"Ming Jin... is still a bit lacking, please excuse my poor performance... but my blood energy is almost full."

Lu Li spoke truthfully, saying that if he continued to cultivate diligently, and with the money he "earned" from his assignments, he would be able to successfully pass the test in about a month.

"It's not fully developed yet..."

The sparkle in Dong Hui's eyes immediately faded, and even though she tried to hide it, her disappointment was still evident.

but……

Dong Hui wanted to confirm the truthfulness of Lu Li's words, so she asked:

"How long has it been since you started practicing martial arts, young master?"

"It's been about four months since I joined the martial arts school."

Lu Li did not hide anything.

Three out of those nearly four months were wasted by the original owner of this body; in all that time, she only managed to train a tiny bit.

If you calculate it, it only takes me about two months to go from seriously practicing martial arts to reaching the next level.

He acknowledged the original owner's mistakes, so there was nothing to argue about.

"oh."

Dong Hui fell silent for a while, and her tone became much colder.

Because of the historical emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce, and the reverence for martial arts throughout the ages, coupled with her background as a merchant, she has admired martial arts masters since childhood and hopes that her other half will be a martial arts master, so that he can bring her enough security.

Therefore, she had some understanding of martial arts and knew that talented and promising martial artists usually pass the test within three months.

After more than three months, there's basically no chance of getting through.

Although a small number manage to pass the test by sheer luck, most people have their potential completely exhausted and will never make any further progress in their lives.

When she first saw Lu Li's calm and confident demeanor and his piercing eyes, she was indeed somewhat infatuated.

But to my surprise, this person has been gone for almost four months, and not only has he not reached the threshold of the breakthrough, but he has not even accumulated enough blood and qi.

Dong Hui knew that the most difficult part of the martial arts path was not accumulating blood and qi, but the final step of breaking through the barrier. That barrier was notoriously difficult, and most people not only failed to break through it, but also suffered irreversible internal injuries.

She had recently learned about some of the young talents in the city who had broken through their cultivation levels. Several of them, whom she found pleasing, were under twenty years old when they broke through, and it was said that they were expected to reach the Dark Force level within a few years.

Compared to those talented young men, Dong Hui was instantly disappointed in her soon-to-be childhood sweetheart.

"Brother Li... if you fail to break through the barrier, you can come to my father's shop and find a job."

The enthusiasm in Dong Hui's eyes had mostly faded, and her voice was slightly cold, but in keeping with the principle of good relations between the two families, she still kindly offered her advice.

After all, "even if a deal falls through, goodwill should remain," especially in the current situation.

As for the "marriage" between the two families, Dong Hui believed it was absolutely impossible, and she also believed that even her father would make the same choice.

……