"In the blink of an eye, have I become such a hot commodity?"

While "hot commodity" is meant as a compliment, from Liu Zixuan’s tone, it was full of helplessness.

Old Qiu chuckled awkwardly, "Being such a hot commodity isn’t easy, every move you make is crucial. If things go well, you’re a savior, but if not, you become a target for everyone. You might even have the entire Martial Realm against you!"

"Damn it!" Liu Zixuan cursed angrily, "All I want is to live a carefree life with my wife, why is it so hard?"

"Hearing you curse so early, what’s the matter?"

Just then, Liu Ruyan walked over and asked.

Liu Zixuan reached out and held Liu Ruyan’s delicate hand, "Your husband is about to become the most famous man in Star Sea."

"Isn’t that a good thing?" Liu Ruyan smiled gently.

"It’s a good thing, but it’s uncertain if Zixuan will be happy about it!" Old Qiu stood up and said with a smile, "Alright, I’ve delivered my message. If there’s any news, I’ll contact you by phone. There’s more than ten days until the martial arts tournament, so let’s enjoy the festival first."

"You’re leaving already?" Liu Zixuan asked.

"Today’s Little New Year, my wife and kids are waiting at home for dumplings." Old Qiu smiled warmly and walked out with his hands behind his back.

"What did Old Qiu just say about the martial arts tournament?" Liu Ruyan turned her head and asked.

Liu Zixuan shook his head, just about to speak, when a graceful figure walked in from outside.

It was Bei Meiyin, known as Madam Bei in the Celestial Capital.

"Oh my, Madam Bei looks so happy, must be something delightful!" Liu Zixuan teased.

Bei Meiyin blushed, "Today is Little New Year, my father is hosting a banquet at the East City Restaurant, inviting everyone to join us for a New Year’s meal."

"Is it with the Diwu Clan?" Liu Ruyan asked.

"Yes, has Qingrou already contacted you?"

Liu Ruyan smiled, "I just hung up on Qingrou’s call before coming out."

"Oh my, when did you guys start contacting each other? Someone’s inviting people to dine, and I know nothing about it." Liu Zixuan asked, displeased.

The two beauties chuckled and walked inside hand in hand.

Liu Zixuan sat in the living room, biting his cigarette, staring at the ceiling, unable to calm his mind.

In terms of identity and status, he should never stand at the peak of the Martial Realm.

Yet, here he was, pushed into that position.

Next, Liu Zixuan has to deal not only with the Eight Great Powers, the Four Great Clans, and those sects, but also with the Independent Martial Artists with no background.

Sometimes, dealing with those great families might even be easier since at least there are rules, but those Independent Martial Artists, used to their freedom, would be difficult to communicate with.

A single misstep, and that’s a battle.

Liu Zixuan isn’t afraid of a fight; after all, a battle would at least determine a winner. The hardest part is communication and balancing the relationships between both sides. That’s not an easy task.

Flicking off his cigarette ash, he muttered to himself, "What is Jianghu? Jianghu isn’t about fighting, it’s about human relationships! Achieving this is difficult, and fully understanding it is even harder."

The plan now might be to engage in some human relationships with both parties.

At noon, all those bigwigs in the Celestial Capital gathered at the East City Restaurant, considered both a meeting and a way to celebrate Little New Year together.

Passing Little New Year means the main New Year is not far away, just a few days left.

During the meal, Liu Zixuan briefly explained things to Junior Master Diwu Qingfeng, setting the plan to go to Ghost Wood City for the next morning.

Junior Master and Diwu Qingfeng didn’t say much; Liu Zixuan was no longer the young man they could control.

They might still live under the small sky of the Celestial Capital, but Liu Zixuan was now touching the entire sky of Star Sea.

Leaving the restaurant, Liu Ruyan suggested, "Tomorrow we’ll return to Ghost Wood City, so let’s go shopping. Let’s buy some clothes and other things for Sister Lian and them from here. We haven’t been back for a while, and we should bring them some gifts."

"Why don’t you go?" Liu Zixuan, really troubled by shopping, said.

"Of course we’ll go, just lacking someone to carry the bags." Bai Jingjing smiled wickedly.

And so, Liu Zixuan was once again forced to be the porter.

Accompanying one woman shopping is exhausting enough, and now with three or four, it’s really draining Liu Zixuan’s energy.

After some hustling, Liu Zixuan was already carrying more than ten large and small bags.

He stood at the street corner and said helplessly, "Ladies, that’s enough. You can buy things in Ghost Wood City too."

"It’s different; those were gifts for them; we haven’t bought our own yet." Liu Ruyan pouted, "Also, since it’s New Year, we should get you some decent clothes too."

Liu Zixuan pinched his forehead, "In that case, I’ll go get the car and put these in. I really can’t spare my hands right now!"

"Pfft!" The women exchanged smiles, realizing they had indeed troubled Liu Zixuan.

Liu Zixuan quickly ran to the other side with the bags, placing them in the car and exhaling heavily, bought a bottle of water, and lit a cigarette to have a short break.

Moments later, he drove to the street corner where they had parted. Just as he arrived, he saw a scene that made him laugh and cry.

"How could I accept this? We’re shopping; how can we let you pay!" An Sanjie said, embarrassed, looking at a middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman shook her head and directly placed a bank card on the counter, "It’s just a small gesture. I just hope you ladies can put in a good word with Master Xuan, so after the New Year, he might look out for my husband during the martial arts tournament."

"Who is your husband?"

"Bai Dazhuang." The middle-aged woman smiled excitedly and happily walked away.

In the second store, the same scene played out, with people eager to pay the bill.

It should be a joyful thing, after all, going shopping with someone else footing the bill, but Liu Zixuan felt helpless. What if he couldn’t help all these people at the martial arts tournament?

Old Qiu had only informed Liu Zixuan about this in the morning, and in just half a day, martial artists had already come looking for him. It’s likely that in the coming days, there will be more martial artists around Liu Zixuan.

After another round of shopping, as the sky grew darker, they stopped in front of a jewelry store. The ladies looked at the various discount promotions posted in front of the store, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Which girl doesn’t love beauty? Such ornamental items naturally couldn’t be missed.

Liu Zixuan didn’t stop them; after all, there were still people he cared about in Lingxiu Village. It had been a long time since he had seen them, and he should buy them some small gifts to bring back.