Top Grade Immortal Emperor in the Flower City

In a delicately furnished room, Ye Ling looked around with terror at the dozen middle-aged women encircling him, their smiling faces causing him to break out in cold sweat.

What kind of joke was this? He had merely come to wish the Lin Family patriarch a happy birthday, so how had he ended up like a prized animal on display, surrounded and faced with those peculiar smiles?
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"Um, Ye Ling, right? May I ask how far your relationship with our Yu Qing has progressed?"

"Yes, indeed. Our Yu Qing hardly ever brings classmates home, and even females rarely visit, let alone males. I see now, Yu Qing might be in the bloom of young love."

"This is all thanks to Lin Wei. Without him, that girl would have still kept us in the dark."

"Not necessarily. What if she wanted to surprise us?"

As the saying goes, give three women a stage and they'll put on a show. With over ten women, Ye Ling felt his legs trembling just after a few sentences, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Logically speaking, Ye Ling was the mighty Immortal Emperor, and also a seasoned veteran in love, but what use was that here? Could the Immortal Emperor act willfully in his mother-in-law's house?

A veteran in love dared to be capricious in front of his mother-in-law?

What a joke. Had he not seen how unrestrained Liu Qiao'er's parents were the other day at her house? Ye Ling had been very obedient indeed, um, except at night since no one would see them when it was quiet and still.

"Excuse me, which one of you ladies is Yu Qing's mother?" Ye Ling swallowed nervously, realizing at this point that he still hadn't figured out which one was his mother-in-law.

As soon as he voiced this question, the whole room burst into snickering laughter, and Ye Ling almost flipped the table and walked out. This was too terrifying. He'd rather brave the perils of Nine Nether Hell than linger here any longer.

Lin Wei gave an awkward smile and scratched his head, "I forgot to introduce them. These are Yu Qing's aunts and uncles. As for my aunt, she's presently with my uncle keeping Grandpa company."

Damn!

So the main character wasn't even here, and he was scared for nothing. Thinking about it, he was a big shot in the Immortal Realm—what hadn't he seen?

In the past, he'd argued with the Saint and flirted with fairies; he'd even chatted casually with ladies of high status. What was this situation compared to those?

Ye Ling burst into a grin and edged closer to Lin Yuqing's relatives, unleashing his silver tongue. He spoon-fed them sweet words, amusing everyone to laughter and significantly improving their impression of him.

Lin Wei stood by, stunned. This kid's transformation was astonishingly rapid—he had just been as dumbfounded as a pig, and now he was as lively as a monkey, chattering away smoothly, yet managing to charm everyone.

It didn't take many minutes before Lin Yuqing and a middle-aged woman walked into the room, her facial features delicate despite the traces of years on her face.

"Sis, Yu Qing's boyfriend is really great—he's handsome, and what's more, he's now an entrepreneur on his own, not bad at all."

"Yu Qing, your aunt is really impressed with you. Unlike my daft daughter, who's wild all day and can't find a decent boyfriend."

"Yes, it truly is Yu Qing's good fortune."

Lin Yuqing was dumbstruck. What was going on? Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she timidly looked toward her mother.

Her mother was observing Ye Ling, noting that his appearance wasn't bad; he didn't seem unreliable. But to have won over the crowd so quickly, his eloquence must be noteworthy.

"Yu Qing, why haven't I heard you mention having a boyfriend?" Lin Yuqing's mother asked softly.

Lin Yuqing's mother's surname was Kong, and her name was Jia, said to be a descendant of some Saint Kong after multiple generations, of course. Time was too long for any verification, but her family pedigree was indeed impressive, fitting the status of a northern scholarly family of great renown.

Lin Yuqing quickly glanced at Ye Ling, who at that moment also felt the immense aura of his potential future mother-in-law, and he sent a pleading look towards Lin Yuqing for help.

This guy, who had been so talkative just now, had suddenly become mute.

"Mom, this, it's not certain yet," Lin Yuqing said softly while gently shaking Kong Jia's arms.

After hearing this, Kong Jia looked at Lin Yuqing and then at Ye Ling, giving a slight smile, "Just go with the flow, I won't interfere with you two, but don't let yourself be wronged."

After hearing this, Ye Ling immediately felt very grateful.

Look, look, now that's what a mother-in-law should be like.

She didn't ask about his house, car, career, or any other issues, just straightforwardly told her daughter not to wrong herself, and that's all that mattered.

This was what truly reflected the image of a mother-in-law, all those other things, like demanding an 880,000 dowry for engagement, or insisting on a car and house for marriage, were just nonsense.

Lin Yuqing's eyes reddened, and she was just about to speak, but Kong Jia patted her arm, "Alright, let's go to the backyard, the birthday feast is about to start."

Everyone hurriedly stood up, as the event surrounding Elder Lin was today's top priority. Principals from major institutions, academicians, and even some of the most respected figures from the cultural world had sent their congratulations.

The courtyard had a resemblance to the traditional Qing Dynasty siheyuan, yet it was different; the whole yard was strung together as one, with front, middle, and rear courts, covering quite an area.

In the backyard, tables were set up with appetizing delicacies spread all over — roast duck, braised meat, seafood, vegetables, everything imaginable, making Ye Ling, the food lover, salivate profusely.

In the center was a long red table, reserved for Elder Lin, an old man who had lived through that bygone era and placed great importance on etiquette.

There weren't a few people in the backyard, three to four dozen, with five to six tables, including local dignitaries and cultural elites.

Within a few minutes, an elderly man in a red robe emerged from the house, his hair and beard all white, his face full of smiles, and his spirit seemed even better than some of the young people, with a purple-golden cane in his right hand.

"Elder Lin, today is your grand birthday celebration, I'll have to toast you a few drinks in a while!" said a middle-aged man dressed in a Sun Yat-sen suit, approaching Elder Lin and speaking with a gentle laugh.

Elder Lin pointed to the man, "Secretary Mo, you've come to celebrate my birthday; it doesn't matter if it's a few glasses or a few bottles, I'll have to drink with you."

Ye Ling, not far away, looked at the so-called Secretary Mo and nudged Lin Yuqing, "Who is this guy?"

"You don't know him?" Lin Yuqing said in surprise.

"What's he, that I should know him?" Ye Ling asked confusedly, then replied proudly.

Lin Yuqing pursed her lips, "That's Secretary Mo from Donghai City, now tell me what he counts for?"

Ye Ling was taken aback, looked at Lin Yuqing and said, "The Elder is this influential? Even he has to come?"

You should know, due to its special geographical location, the secretary from Donghai City always held a high-profile and powerful position, and there had even been several who directly moved to the central core of power, ranking much higher than some of the provincial big shots.

Lin Yuqing didn't answer Ye Ling, instead, she patted his shoulder, "Brother Ye, it's time to give Grandpa his gift, are you really confident about that painting you're holding?"

"Don't worry, if something goes wrong, I'll never touch you for the rest of my life," Ye Ling boasted, puffing out his chest.