Finally granted permission to sit, he quickly occupied one of the many chairs at the long dining table, while Li Mei, conversely, purposefully sat near Guo Yishi on the left.
Surprisingly, his stepmother's expression was entirely different when around other people compared to when with him; her look also seemed indifferent, but unlike the boredom Guo Yishi emanated, hers felt more like a "don't touch me, don't look at me" vibe.
I guess that is how Mother usually looks in front of others... I definitely shouldn't piss her off.
While harboring these thoughts, he looked at the food placed before him and was not disappointed; it seemed to be from a spiritual beast resembling pork, with plenty of vegetables and spices making it look very appetizing.
Dang, I want to eat it...
Trying to avoid appearing over-eager, he attempted to calm himself while waiting for his two older brothers to arrive; without waiting long, they appeared one after the other.
The first to arrive was his second older brother, Huang Yi.
Completely unlike his mother, Chu Yiying, he seemed a very amiable person; he wore an azure dragon robe similar to his father's but with a simpler design, and his hair was bunned, making him look like a scholar.
"I pay my respects, Father."
Huang Yi bowed his head, waiting for his father to speak; fortunately, he was treated much more amiably than Huang Shi, as his father quickly told him to rise and sit with a joyful tone.
"Yi'er, it seems your cultivation has improved once again. What level are you at right now?"
Huang Yi, hearing the question from his father, quickly responded, speaking in a confident tone.
"Father, I am glad to inform you that I have just reached the 1st level of the Nascent Profound Realm."
Confirming for himself that his son had already broken through brought a smile to Huang Dao's lips as he praised him for his achievement.
"Well done, Yi'er! It seems our Azure Dragon Sect will have another worthy candidate to send to the True Dragon Ancestral Sect."
Hearing the praise coming from his father brought a proud smile to Huang Yi's lips as he gave a slight bow.
"Thank you very much for your words of praise, Father. I will not let you down!"
Huang Dao laughed heartily as he spoke once more.
"Good, good, good! I know you won't."
Before Huang Yi could finish his response, a calm but arrogant voice suddenly spoke from the side.
His eldest brother—the person who conspired with that bitch Yan Fei to cripple and kill him—suddenly arrived at the scene.
"Is reaching the 1st level of the Nascent Profound Realm really something to be proud of, little brother?"
This bastard... so this is Huang Long, my eldest brother.
Huang Long was the eldest of the three siblings and the son of Guo Yishi.
He wore an arrogant expression, as if nothing in the world were worthy of his gaze; he had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and a defined jaw that made him look fierce.
Huang Yi, already enraged by Huang Long's words, was about to speak up, but before he could, Huang Long suddenly shifted his attention, staring him in the eyes with a fierce glare.
"What is a cripple doing here? Do you have no shame?"
The entire room suddenly froze, as if winter had arrived at the dinner table. If Huang Shi wasn't already conspiring to eliminate his older brother before, he was now even more determined to end his life.
This motherfucker… do you really think I can't do anything to you!
As he clenched his fists, trying his best to remain quiet, a sudden pressure enveloped the entire room.
Huang Shi felt surprised, and as he looked up, he saw his beloved stepmother suddenly erupt in anger as she spoke in a harsh tone.
"You ungrateful mongrel! You dare speak to your brother that way? Do you think we are unaware of what you did?!"
Huang Long, clearly surprised by this turn of events, suddenly paled; he was almost forced to his knees by the spiritual pressure. Luckily for him, their father, Huang Dao, intervened.
"Enough! This is a family dinner! Can't you at least try to get along for once!"
Li Mei, his stepmother, and Huang Long, his elder brother, both shivered and fell silent.
However, it was clear his stepmother's anger was not pacified at all; she quickly slammed her hand on the table and walked out, clearly unable to bear seeing her beloved humiliated like this.
Huang Dao, seeing Li Mei walk out of the room, suddenly shouted in anger.
"Li Mei?! Are you seriously trying to humiliate me like this?! Do you no longer see me as your husband at all!!"
Unexpectedly, his stepmother turned around, and with a face full of fury, suddenly shouted in outrage.
"I was never your wife, Huang Dao! You may have tricked my little sister into becoming one of your concubines, but I have never accepted it, nor will I ever accept it. You and I both know that if it wasn't for Shi'er, I would have left this god-forsaken place a long time ago!"
Huang Dao, feeling humiliated, suddenly stood up as he shouted in anger.
"You damn whore! You better get your ass back here right now, or I will drag you back!"
Li Mei, who had a cold expression on her face, suddenly smirked as she spoke with a chilling smile.
"Let's see you try, Huang Dao. Do you believe me when I say that if you touch even a hair on my head, my Li Family will raze your so-called Azure Dragon Sect to the ground?"
The tension suffocated the room as Huang Dao's rage turned to a sickly paleness.
The mention of the Li Family was ice water on his fury; they were a powerhouse the Azure Dragon Sect could never hope to challenge.
"You..." Huang Dao stuttered, his voice trembling as he gripped the table. "You would threaten your husband with your maiden family over a trivial dinner dispute?"
Li Mei scoffed, glancing back at her so-called "husband" with disdain, her voice sounding like a blade of frost.
"You and I both know that the only reason I even tolerate your existence is because of my sister and Shi'er. But in the end, you still failed to protect him. Why should I care about pretenses at this point?"