On that sunny afternoon, the radiant rays illuminated the room, causing the wooden boards to emit a soft creaking sound.
Suddenly, the door swung open, breaking the tranquility of the moment. Song Huaying entered, her voice filled with uncertainty as she addressed her husband.
"Husband, Sister Ava just paid us a visit and invited both Sister Su and me to her place for dinner tonight. I'm not sure if we should accept."
Ren An, with a smile on his face, responded, "That's great. You both should go."
Curious, Song Huaying asked, "But what about your dinner, my husband?"
Ren An, in the midst of getting dressed, playfully reminded her, "Ying'er, do you remember who cooked for you every day when we first got married?"
Realization dawned upon Song Huaying as she considered her husband's words.
Indeed, he had taught her everything she knew about cooking. Why should she worry about his dinner tonight?
Lost in her thoughts, she turned to Su Chen, who was sitting on the bed, tightly clutching her hands.
Song Huaying inquired, "Sister Su, will you be joining us?"
Su Chen, with her reserved nature, replied, "I prefer to stay at home with my husband."
She had no interest in being a mere presence at Ava Zen's house, silently listening to conversations.
Su Chen cherished the intimate moments spent with her husband far more.
"Su, you should go," Ren An suggested, hoping that Su Chen would venture out of the house more often and engage with others instead of confining herself to domestic duties.
Su Chen complied with her husband's request and replied obediently, "Alright, I will accompany you."
After uttering those words, she got dressed, got out of bed, and accompanied Song Huaying to Ava Zen's residence.
Along the way, Song Huaying curiously asked, "Sister Su, why were you clutching your arms on the bed earlier?"
"I was bitten by a bug there," Su Chen responded softly, her delicate face turning red.
On the other side, after bidding farewell to his wife and concubine at the window,
Ren An promptly rose from the bed and proceeded to the alchemy room to inspect and repair the tunnel within.
During the inspection, he discovered several issues, such as slippery floors, water leakage, and narrow and inclined sections.
To address the slipperiness, he could resolve it by collecting sand from outside and using it to pave the floor.
In the case of leaks, he would need to find some yellow mud mixed with fine grass roots to seal them.
As for the narrow and inclined areas, a complete overhaul would be necessary.
A solution was found and Ren An wasted no time in implementing it.
The task took approximately one hour to complete, resulting in a perfectly trimmed and improved tunnel.
Satisfied with his work, Ren An leisurely made his way to the kitchen to prepare a meal.
By the time he finished eating, the darkness had enveloped the sky, leaving no trace of moonlight and making it impossible to see one's own fingers.
Wanting to aid in digestion, Ren An decided to take a stroll outside in the yard.
Suddenly, his heightened spiritual sense alerted him to the presence of several monks approaching.
A total of four individuals, all in the late stages of Qi refining.
Feeling a sense of unease, Ren An swiftly found a hiding spot.
As he concealed himself, thoughts raced through his mind:
Had he offended someone? The name Ava Zen crossed his thoughts, wondering if her frequent visits to his home had inadvertently led him to offend some of her overly zealous admirers.
This possibility could not be dismissed. After all, the behavior of a dog cannot be rationalized using conventional wisdom.
Once the obsession of dog-like behavior takes hold, even a day meant for romance could quickly turn into a robbery.
Ava Zen's house had a courtyard wall that caught Ren An's attention.
He was surprised when he saw four monks standing on the wall, each carrying a machete with the Black Iron Villa logo engraved on it.
Ren An wondered if they were undercover agents from the Black Iron Villa and worried about the safety of his wives and concubines inside the house.
Suddenly, a soft shout came from Ava Zen's house, causing Ren An to panic.
He heard the monks discussing their plan to knock out a girl and kidnap her without alerting the others.
Just as the situation escalated, Ava appeared, armed with a whip, and started facing off with the four monks.
The battle between the two sides was intense and no one seemed to have the upper hand.
Fearing for his family's safety, Ren An hurriedly ran back home and kicked open the door to the alchemy room.
He then uncovered the tunnel cover, hoping to make something.
Within the depths of the tunnel, a familiar spectacle was about to unfold once more - a dust bomb.
The anticipation was palpable as the seconds ticked away.
Finally, the dust bomb was complete.
If it was detonated, a colossal cloud of dust will be billowed out, dwarfing its predecessor, which had been no larger than a carriage.
The potential for destruction was immense; a mere spark could obliterate the entire house.
The power of the explosion could easily tear apart the four Qi-refining monks who had fallen behind.
With everything in place, Ren An made his way back to the yard, fully aware of the risks he was taking.
He urgently called out to Ava Zen, who was already engaged in a losing battle next door, "Ava, my friend, quickly, come to me!"
Yet, his pleas fell on deaf ears as Ava remained focused on combating the four adversaries.
However, one of the four enemies seemed to disregard Ava's presence.
The leader, senior brother Hang, immediately instructed this companion, "junior brother Wu, go and eliminate that person!"
"Yes!" responded junior brother Wu, brandishing his knife as he charged towards Ren An.
In response, Ren An swiftly turned and without uttering a word, sprinted into the safety of the house.