“Oh my, little Jingci has grown so big already.”

Seeing his own granddaughter come running over sweetly, the old man named Gui Ning hurried forward with a broad smile as well.

But very soon, he noticed that the cinnabar mark between his granddaughter’s brows had disappeared.

The limping old man suppressed the shock in his heart, lifted his granddaughter into his arms, and pinched her soft white cheek.

“Well then, have you been doing well lately? Your mother hasn’t scolded you, has she?”

“She has, Grandpa. Mother scolds me all the time.” Tushan Jingci pouted, looking aggrieved. “Grandpa, you have to stay a few more days. As long as you’re here, Mother won’t scold me.”

“Hahaha, all right, then Grandpa will stay a few more days.”

The limping old man nodded, then looked toward the guests in the Tushan residence.

“Why are you all bowing to an old man who already has one foot in the grave? There’s no need to be so polite. Sit down. Today’s true main character is my granddaughter.”

“Yes, Senior.”

Only after hearing the old man say this did everyone return to their seats.

“Father.”

Tushan Xinhua stepped forward, her expression carrying a trace of complexity as well.

“Mm.” The limping old man nodded. He knew what his daughter-in-law wanted to say. “Same as before. Today is my granddaughter’s birthday. Even if the sky falls, we’ll speak of it afterward.”

“Yes, Father.”

Tushan Xinhua nodded and said no more. She led her father-in-law to the seat of honor.

As noon approached and all the guests had arrived, one maid after another from the Tushan residence brought out the dishes.

The top courtesans from the great pleasure houses of Immortal Fox City all wore light, gauzy skirts and danced gracefully between the banquet tables and before the main platform.

The music of silk and bamboo never ceased, and the whole residence was lively beyond measure.

After three rounds of wine, it came time for the gift announcements.

“Birthday gift from the ruler of the Heavenly Demon Kingdom—a half-immortal weapon, the Samadhi Flowing Fire Sword!”

“Birthday gift from the sect master of the Thunder Roar Sect—a Heavenly Thunder Pearl!”

“Birthday gift from the Myriad Demons Kingdom—a half-immortal weapon, the Cold Abyss Bone Blade!”

“Birthday gift from the Leaf Serpent Kingdom—a Nine Shadows Formation Diagram!”

“...”

As Steward Xiong announced them one after another, each guest personally stepped forward to present a birthday gift.

In order to build a good relationship with the Tushan residence, every great family in Immortal Fox City and every figure of note had thought that the gift they brought was precious enough.

Sitting there at the banquet with their gifts, they had all felt rather pleased with themselves.

But once they heard the gifts brought by these rulers and sect masters, only then did they realize that their own offerings truly amounted to nothing.

Some of them were even a little embarrassed to take them out.

When Steward Xiong announced their gifts aloud, their faces flushed slightly.

They could only comfort themselves by thinking, A gift is only a token of the heart, and believe that Madam Tushan surely would not care about such things.

And besides...

Looking at the juniors brought by these guests, the local guests of Immortal Fox City could all tell that these people had not come merely to celebrate Miss Tushan’s birthday.

Most likely, these gifts also carried a few shades of a marriage proposal.

After all, among the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan, only this mother and daughter remained now.

Naturally, Madam Tushan herself was out of the question. The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan had one mate for one lifetime. Even if Madam Tushan was a widow, she could not possibly remarry.

But if anyone could secure a childhood betrothal with Madam Tushan’s daughter, then leaving aside how noble the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox was,

just becoming Senior Gui’s future grandson-in-law was already something every great power dreamed of.

A full half hour passed before the gift announcements finally came to an end.

Tushan Jingci then followed her mother once again from table to table to thank the guests for their gifts.

Seizing the opportunity, those rulers of demon kingdoms and sect masters kept steering the conversation toward the juniors they had brought, wanting their own children to become familiar faces before Madam Tushan and Tushan Jingci.

And it was true—Madam Tushan had to admit that whether in appearance, talent, bloodline, or status, these children were all exceptionally fine.

So long as no misfortune befell them and they grew up smoothly, in the future they would all become pillars of the demon-race world.

Thus, Madam Tushan did not mind their trying to tie a red thread for her daughter. She even thought that among them, perhaps one truly could become her future son-in-law.

But the moment Madam Tushan thought of that human little boy, she put the thought away again. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

In the end, everything still had to be decided by her daughter herself.

After host and guests had all enjoyed themselves,

this birthday banquet continued until the afternoon before finally coming to an end.

At the time of departure, all the rulers of demon kingdoms and sect masters privately and tactfully expressed their wish to form a marriage alliance with Tushan.

Tushan Xinhua neither accepted nor refused. She only said that her daughter was still young, and that they should wait until she was older and had some opinions of her own.

“Father.”

After seeing all the guests off, Tushan Xinhua came to the back courtyard, walked to the old man, and bowed lightly.

“Mm.” Gui Ning nodded, his kindly gaze still fixed on his granddaughter in the distance as she chased butterflies. “Have all the guests been sent off?”

“They have,” Tushan Xinhua replied.

“This time, those rulers and sect masters and the like all brought their juniors with them, wanting to form a marriage tie with you. What do you think?” the old man asked.

“Those juniors truly are quite good.” Tushan Xinhua’s face showed worry. “But Jingci, she...”

“Ah.” The old man waved his hand. “What I mean is, even if the cinnabar mark between Jingci’s brows were still there, what would you think?”

“I would lean toward the First Prince of the Heavenly Demon Kingdom—Chen Jue,” Tushan Xinhua answered honestly.

“And the male who touched Jingci—would he not do?” the old man asked.

Tushan Xinhua bit her lower lip lightly.

“Father... the little boy who touched Jingci is a human.”

“A human? A demon?” The old man chuckled, but did not answer. Instead, he waved toward his granddaughter in the distance.

“Jingci, stop playing and come here a moment.”

Hearing her grandfather call out, Tushan Jingci ran over on her short little legs, her tail bobbing up and down behind her.

“Grandpa, what is it?”

“It’s nothing much.” The old man rubbed his granddaughter’s little head. “It’s just that today is your birthday, and quite a lot of little boys around your age came, didn’t they? Do you think they looked nice?”

“Umm...”

Tushan Jingci thought back on what they had looked like, then shook her little head.

“Nope. They weren’t nice-looking.”

“Those children still weren’t nice-looking?” the old man asked with a smile. “Then for Jingci, what kind of little boy looks the best?”

“Ummm...”

The little girl bit her finger and thought again.

A moment later, a flash of light passed through the little girl’s eyes.

“The one Jingci likes is the best-looking.”

“Hahaha...”

The old man laughed so hard he could hardly close his mouth. Turning around, he pointed his aged finger at his daughter-in-law.

“Look at that! Look at that!”

“So what if one is of the demon race? And what if one is human?”

“Our little Jingci sees it more clearly than you do.”