Chen Mo originally planned to make a casual excuse.

But Luo Zhen was just a merchant’s daughter.

Xu Miaozhen was even from a small mountain village.

Chun Lan and the others had only recently shed their slave status.

If he mentioned them, Wu Lu would inevitably feel insulted, thinking the Wu family’s legitimate daughter was inferior to them.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "Just a person from the Jianghu, not worth mentioning."

However, this only piqued Wu Lu’s interest further, prompting another inquiry.

Even Wu Xin’Er perked up her ears, looking curious.

"Her name is Jiang Ruoqing, the sect leader of the Su Nv Sect," Chen Mo revealed.

"It’s her?" Wu Xin’Er was taken aback, blurting out as Jiang Ruoqing’s face appeared in her mind.

"Xin’Er, you know her?" Wu Lu asked in surprise.

Wu Xin’Er nodded, "Previously in Qinyang County, she was Chen Mo’s personal soldier."

Upon hearing this, Wu Lu felt uneasy, realizing that their relationship seemed quite deep, as the one called Jiang Ruoqing even accompanied Chen Mo to the battlefield.

It’s not merely about love anymore; it’s also a life-and-death bond.

Moreover, such companionship is quite enviable.

As for the Su Nv Sect, Wu Lu had never heard of it.

There are numerous Jianghu sects, but under the deliberate suppression of the Imperial Court, many have fallen into obscurity, except for a few major sects, many Jianghu powers are unheard of.

The Su Nv Sect is passed down a single line and isn’t well-known, so Wu Lu knowing about it would be strange.

"Unexpectedly, the Miss Jiang that General Chen Mo spoke of has such skills, truly a heroine among women. I wonder what realm she is?" Wu Lu finished and took a sip of wine.

"Second Grade." Chen Mo said calmly.

"Pff..." The wine sprayed from Wu Lu’s mouth, leaving him dumbfounded, "W-what grade?"

"Second Grade." Chen Mo repeated.

"Gulp..." Wu Lu swallowed hard. Since she’s Chen Mo’s beloved, they should be around the same age, and even if she’s older, definitely not over twenty.

Chen Mo is currently nineteen, with Jiang Ruoqing being at most thirty-nine.

A Second-Grade Martial Artist at thirty-nine would already be outstanding across the entire Canglan Continent.

Not to mention, Wu Lu was calculating by the largest age gap, without knowing the specifics.

If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that Chen Mo isn’t interested in Xin’Er.

Wu Lu gave a wry smile and added, "For men, having three wives and four concubines is normal. You could definitely marry Xin’Er and then bring Miss Jiang into your household."

Chen Mo shook his head with a smile, "But a wife is only one."

The so-called three wives and four concubines are simply false.

Normally, it’s one wife with multiple concubines.

Even the number of concubines is regulated by law.

And the status of concubines is far below that of a wife; they can even be bought and sold freely or given away, but a wife cannot.

As for the so-called equal wives, their status is actually the same as concubines, just spoken nicely.

At this point, the atmosphere in the room turned completely cold.

Some people from the Wu family had already criticized Chen Mo to his face for not knowing his place.

For the Wu family to favor you is entirely your good fortune, yet you refuse again and again, do you truly think you’re such a prized treasure?

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo’s eyes narrowed, and Wu Lu sternly hushed the scornful remarks, for in Wu Lu’s heart, Chen Mo was indeed a prized treasure.

However, today’s topic had already died, so Wu Lu didn’t continue the conversation. He then raised his glass, "Come, let’s drink, don’t stop until we’re drunk."

Wu Lu tried to warm the atmosphere.

But the cold atmosphere was not so easily warmed.

After drinking three glasses of wine, Chen Mo found an excuse to leave the Witch Mansion.

After Chen Mo left, members of the Wu family started expressing their displeasure.

"Who does Chen Mo think he is? His Majesty?"

"Just a mudborn, daring to repeatedly refuse our kindness."

"I think behind this must be Xiao Yunqi’s instruction, Chen Mo wouldn’t have the guts."

"Exactly, exactly."

"..."

Seeing the crowd argue noisily, Wu Lu’s face darkened completely, and the hidden anger in his heart erupted.

"Have you had enough of arguing?" Wu Lu’s voice was icy, "What kind of world is it now? The world is unstable; everything we have could vanish at any moment. Have you heard the slogans shouted by those Yellow Turban Rebels?

They want to exterminate the aristocracy! That means us. Is looking at one’s background useful anymore? In today’s world, it’s about strength. Do you have it?"

The Wu family, of course, has strength, but all of it lies with Wu Lu; the other members naturally do not have it.

Everyone was left speechless by Wu Lu’s words.

"Moreover, what he said was reasonable and well-founded, he already has a beloved. Do you want him to abandon his cherished one and carry the title of an unfaithful man? And he’s right, even Prince De Ning is his concubine, can a Wu family girl equal the Empress of a nation?"

Wu Lu was venting, and they conveniently became his outlet.

But what Chen Mo said was indeed neatly expressed, leaving no loophole.

And Chen Mo didn’t directly refuse, maintaining the Wu family’s dignity.

Additionally, the Wu family also suspected Xiao Yunqi’s interference in all this.

After all, for Chen Mo, marrying into the Wu family would be entirely beneficial.

"Uncle, Xin’Er will go rest now." Wu Xin’Er, looking displeased, didn’t want to stay in the hall longer and excused herself from Wu Lu.

Wu Lu nodded.

After Wu Lu’s scolding, the other Wu family members also felt too ashamed to stay, leaving one by one.

In the end, only Uncle He remained.

Wu Lu asked, "What’s the situation with Jiang Ruoqing?"

"As Chen Mo said, she is indeed a Second-Grade Innate Martial Artist and very close to Chen Mo; they even live and eat together," Uncle He said, "And from what this old servant sees, her appearance doesn’t differ much in age from Chen Mo, suggesting her constitution might be superior to the young lady’s."

Wu Lu sighed, "Could it really be that we are destined to have no connection with Chen Mo?"

Uncle He said nothing.

"Forget it, let’s just leave it for now."

In fact, Wu Lu had another option, which was to let Xin’Er become Chen Mo’s concubine.

But Wu Lu didn’t want to do that; a girl of the Wu family had not fallen to the point of becoming a concubine.

At least not for the current Chen Mo.

...

Less than an hour after the Wu family banquet ended, Xiao Yunqi already knew what happened at the banquet.

Upon learning that Chen Mo politely declined the Wu family’s marriage proposal, Xiao Yunqi’s mood improved significantly.

As for Chen Mo’s beloved, Xiao Yunqi wasn’t concerned.

As long as Chen Mo’s main wife wasn’t the legitimate daughter of the Wu family, anyone else was fine.

And after confirming Chen Mo’s identity as Chen Hong, Xiao Yunqi’s apprehension about him decreased a lot.

"What a pity, it’s only the Nanyang County," Xiao Yunqi murmured.