The two looked at each other, finding themselves at a loss for words, their gazes conveying more than a thousand words ever could.

"Brother, Sister-in-law, do you think I don't exist?" Chunyu suddenly said in a low voice.

Ling Zhenfei and Zhou Yun were both startled, realizing they had become so engrossed in their conversation that they had completely forgotten about Chunyu's presence.

"I'm sorry, I actually forgot about Chunyu just now," Zhou Yun said to Chunyu, somewhat embarrassed.

At that moment, Chunyu spoke with a hint of confusion, "I've had a question in my heart that I've been wanting to ask, but I felt too embarrassed to do so. Now, I'm even more puzzled."

"What's there to be puzzled about? If you want to ask something, just ask," Ling Zhenfei said to Chunyu with a smile.

Chunyu asked, "Aren't brother and sister-in-law supposed to be husband and wife? But you don't sleep together at night, yet your affection for each other seems just like that of a husband and wife. My head is so muddled, I can't figure it out."

Hearing this, both Ling Zhenfei and Zhou Yun felt somewhat embarrassed. Chunyu calling Ling Zhenfei 'brother' and Zhou Yun 'sister-in-law' could indeed lead to confusion, but how should they explain this situation?

"Then you should stop calling her 'sister-in-law' from now on, just 'sister' will do," Ling Zhenfei said with a laugh.

"Oh, I get it now. You two aren't married yet, right?" Chunyu said, as if suddenly understanding.

"But that's not right either. Sister Ling Xiu also said she wants to marry Brother. Brother can't possibly have many wives, right?" Chunyu continued to ask, still looking perplexed.

"Kids shouldn't be too nosy. Just know that we are your family," Ling Zhenfei stopped Chunyu's questions, not even letting Zhou Yun explain.

The three of them walked home together. The night passed without further conversation, and after a night of cultivation, it was soon the next morning.

Ling Zhenfei was cultivating in Di Tian Shen Sui when he suddenly heard a gentle tap at the window. He hurried out of Di Tian Shen Sui.

But to Ling Zhenfei's surprise, there was no one outside the window, just a floating leaf. Seeing this, he immediately understood that it must be Chunyu, the little troublemaker, causing a stir.

Without a doubt, the leaf was controlled by Chunyu using Plucking Leaves and Flying Flowers. This little rascal was actually using this method to wake Ling Zhenfei up, truly mischievous.

Ling Zhenfei extended his Divine Sense out to the leaf. Once his Divine Sense reached it, he could sense a thread of Northern Spiritual Energy on it. Following this link of energy, he quickly located Chunyu.

It turned out that Chunyu was hiding in a corner of the yard, waiting under the very tree he had planted.

Ling Zhenfei opened the door and walked out, coming under the tree in the yard and seeing Chunyu standing there, looking up at it.

The tree now looked different from when he had last seen it; it had grown significantly taller, even towering over the walls of the yard. The canopy had expanded considerably, resembling an umbrella even more.

"Brother, what kind of tree is this? It's growing in such a strange way," Chunyu asked Ling Zhenfei under the tree.

Ling Zhenfei also felt some surprise. Wasn't the tree growing a bit too fast? It had not been planted for long, yet it had already outgrown trees that had been growing for one or two years, and it seemed it would continue to shoot up even higher later on.

"I don't know what kind of tree it is either. As long as it's not poisonous, let it grow. By the way, how are you getting on with Plucking Leaves and Flying Flowers?"

Chunyu chuckled, casually picked two leaves off a nearby tree, and with a toss, the leaves whirled off the ground, like two butterflies fluttering in dance.

Chunyu joyfully controlled the leaves, making them fly back and forth; this was the current extent of his ability with Plucking Leaves and Flying Flowers. Although it lacked might, Chunyu's control over the technique, after such a brief practice period, was quite commendable.

What Chunyu lacked now was the Realm of Spiritual Power; to manipulate Northern Spiritual Energy and leaves for attack, one had to at least reach the Mingmu Realm. But for Chunyu, this would still take some time.

After breakfast, Chunyu went off to school, Zhou Yun headed to the mountain villa, and Ling Zhenfei had nothing to do. Right then, the village's deputy head suddenly called him, asking if he had time today to come to the Village Committee to discuss some matters.

This deputy village head, named Guo Ju, used to be overshadowed by Wang Changhe in the village, so Ling Zhenfei was somewhat surprised to receive a call from him out of the blue.

Since Ling Zhenfei was often away from the village, it seemed that the Village Committee was being held together by Guo Ju. Ling Zhenfei wondered what the situation was today, as he hadn't visited the Committee since his election; it seemed appropriate to make an appearance now.

Each Village Committee consisted of a village head, deputy head, and three to seven members, elected every three years. Ling Zhenfei became village head due to unexpected circumstances—if not for Wang Changhe's situation, the next election would still be more than a year away.

While national regulations dictate new Village Committee elections every three years, their small Qinghe Village, lacking incentives, had always had the same few people.

Wang Changhe had served several terms, and it was only because the government had recently focused more on impoverished villages that a few members, including this deputy head, were newly appointed.

Guo Ju was not very old, not even forty, and should be in the prime of his life. However, because the Guo Family was small in number in Qinghe Village, he had always been stifled by Wang Changhe, hardly noticeable.

But Wang Changhe's unexpected arrest made Guo Ju feel like his spring had arrived. He thought as the deputy he would take over by default, only to be surprised by a new election and Ling Zhenfei's win.

Ling Zhenfei, in his twenties, had indeed set up a mountain villa in the village, but Guo Ju had never taken him seriously, seeing him merely as a child.

Ling Zhenfei arrived at the Village Committee, where he saw Guo Ju and several other members had already gathered.

"Uncles, elders, you've all arrived. I'm sorry for being late," he said.

Among them, Ling Zhenfei was the youngest. A quick glance told him that if they weren't his uncles, they were his elders, with Guo Ju among his uncles' generation.

"Zhenfei's here, come on, take a seat. We've been waiting for you," Guo Ju said with a grin that seemed friendly, but Ling Zhenfei knew that a smiling tiger was the most dangerous.

Ling Zhenfei noticed the others eyeing him with seemingly ill intent and felt a hint of surprise, wondering if they wanted to trouble him today.

"I apologize, I've been quite busy these past days, hence my absence," he said, although his feeling told him the reality wasn't so nice, he didn't let it show.

Guo Ju, still smiling, said, "It's all right. We all know you're a busy man with such a large company to run. It's quite natural. We're very happy you could make it today."

"Is there something important to discuss today?" Ling Zhenfei was eager to know the purpose of the meeting.

Guo Ju's laugh was strained, "You know our Qinghe Village is very small, usually without many issues. Today we mainly need to discuss some recent developments in our village."

Ling Zhenfei knew it couldn't be that simple, but continued to listen, "Uncle Guo, I've just taken office and I'm not as experienced as you. So, please, lead the discussion."

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