Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 456 Departure

The next day, after lunch.

Lin Chen put down his chopsticks and glanced at the people at the table.

Zhao Mingyue was serving him soup, while Liu Ruyan was feeding Lin Nianjun.

Qin Shuyan was teasing Lin Nianbei, while Xiao Yulou was staring at Lin Nianying.

No one looked at Lin Chen, but everyone knew that the time for them to part ways again had come.

Lin Chen stood up and said with a smile:

"I have to go now."

Upon hearing this, the women paused, their eyes reddening as they looked at Lin Chen.

Lin Nian'er jumped off the chair and ran over to hug Lin Chen's leg.

"Daddy, I want to go too!"

Lin Chen bent down, picked up Lin Nian'er, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Daddy's gone to run some errands. Be good at home, and I'll bring you something delicious when I get back."

Lin Nian'er wrapped her arms around Lin Chen's neck and pressed her face against his; it was cool and soft.

"I don't want any good food, I just want Daddy to come back soon."

"it is good."

Lin Nianjun squirmed in Liu Ruyan's arms, mumbling "Daddy, Daddy—" incoherently.

Lin Chen took his son, and the little guy immediately rushed into his arms, patting his face with his chubby little hands, making a loud slapping sound.

Lin Chen kissed him on the cheek, and the little guy grinned, revealing two tiny teeth, drooling all over Lin Chen's face.

Lin Chen returned his son to Liu Ruyan, who took him and lowered her head to wipe Lin Nianjun's drool, not daring to look at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen looked at Lin Nianbei again, reached out and gently touched his face; it was smooth and warm.

Lin Nianbei stirred, hummed, and then went back to playing by herself.

Lin Nianjie, nestled in Ye Qingying's arms, stared at Lin Chen with wide eyes, paused for two seconds, and then grinned.

Her little fists were clenched tightly and waved in the air, as if she were greeting Lin Chen.

Lin Chen grasped his small fist and gently squeezed it.

The little guy laughed even harder, making "ah ah ah" sounds.

Lin Nianying rolled over in Xiao Yulou's arms, frowned, and pouted as if she was about to cry.

Xiao Yulou quickly bounced up and whispered something in his ear.

Lin Nianying stopped, pouting, glanced at Lin Chen, then at Xiao Yulou, and then closed her eyes.

Xiao Yulou looked up at Lin Chen and nodded heavily.

Lin Chen then looked at Lin Nianze, Lin Nianzhao, and Lin Niansu.

The three little ones were lined up in a row, sleeping in the crib next to each other, each in a different position, but all sleeping soundly.

Lin Nianze lay on his side, his little hand clenched into a fist and placed near his mouth.

Lin Nien-chao lay on his back with his limbs outstretched, resembling the Chinese character "大" (da).

Lin Niansu curled up like a little shrimp.

Lin Chen glanced at them.

Then he turned and walked out.

Lin Nian'er's voice came from behind: "Father, come back soon!"

In the middle was Lin Nianjun's crying and shouting, mixed with the sound of "Daddy".

Nearby, Lin Nianbei's crying was also heard, and Lin Nianying joined in the fun, with cries rising and falling.

Lin Chen didn't turn around, but waved his hand.

We walked out of the courtyard, through the covered walkway, and through the moon gate.

Blue Phoenix followed behind him, her silver ornaments jingling.

Yao Yao caught up, chattering away.

Shishi followed at the very back, quiet and still, her footsteps as light as a cat's.

Lingbo followed Lin Chen at a leisurely pace, maintaining the same distance.

……

Songshan City, teleportation array.

Mei Jiu Niang was waiting there early in the morning.

A purple dress, her alluring figure partially concealed.

She leaned against a pillar next to the teleportation array, waving a round fan in her hand, and watched Lin Chen walk over with a smile.

Passersby stole glances at her, but dared not look too long, for fear of being captivated by this famous enchantress of Zhongzhou.

A young cultivator glanced at it again, his eyes immediately becoming somewhat confused. He was reminded by his elders beside him, quickly lowered his head, and hurried away.

Bai Mei, Liao Chen, Jian Wusheng, Yun Zhongge, Zhou Lie, and Yun Yao all arrived and stood on the other side of the teleportation array.

Bai Mei stroked his beard and walked over, looking Lin Chen up and down.

"Your Highness, things are not peaceful in Zhongzhou. Please be careful."

Lin Chen nodded: "Don't worry, Master."

Bai Mei glanced at Lin Chen for two seconds, then stepped aside without saying anything more.

Monk Liaochen put his hands together, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and remained silent.

His expression was calm, but Lin Chen noticed that the prayer beads in his hand were spinning faster than usual.

Jian Wusheng, holding his sword, glanced at Lin Chen and nodded in acknowledgment.

Lin Chen looked at him and smiled, "Wait for me to come back, then we'll have a little sparring."

Jian Wusheng paused for a moment, then his lips twitched slightly: "Okay."

Yun Zhongge cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, have a safe journey."

Zhou Lie followed suit, bowing slightly. Yun Zhongge had already finished speaking; he opened his mouth, but only managed to utter two words:

"Take care of yourself!"

Yun Yao walked over and handed Lin Chen a jade pendant.

White jade, warm and smooth, with cloud patterns carved on it and tied with a red rope.

"A talisman from the Kunlun Domain. It wards off evil spirits."

Lin Chen took it, looked down at it, and then looked up at Yun Yao.

Yun Yao felt a little uncomfortable under Lin Chen's gaze and took half a step back.

"Thank you," Lin Chen chuckled, then casually patted Yun Yao's hand.

Yun Yao's face flushed red, from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.

She gave Lin Chen a reproachful look, withdrew her hand, and turned to leave.

Zhou Lie glanced at Lin Chen and gave him a thumbs up, but Yun Zhongge pretended not to see it.

Chen Cang stood at the back of the crowd. The old man hadn't brought his wine gourd today; instead, he had a walking stick. It was pitch black, and he didn't know what kind of wood it was, but it looked very heavy.

He squeezed to the front, pulled a wine jar from his sleeve, and handed it to Lin Chen.

The jar was small and dusty, sealed with yellow mud, and had a yellowed seal on it with the character "苍" written on it.

"Have some first," Chen Cang said with a smile. "When you come back, I'll send you a few more jars."

Lin Chen took the jar; it was heavy.

The seal bore the marks of time and the fluctuations of the array; the layer of yellow mud had dried and cracked.

But it was sealed tightly, and not a trace of the aroma of the wine could be detected.

Lin Chen could imagine the enticing aroma of the wine below.

"Okay." Lin Chen nodded with a smile.

Yuan Tiangang stood beside the teleportation array, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face expressionless.

Li Chunfeng squatted on the ground, checked the array patterns one last time, traced them with his finger, and only stood up after confirming that everything was correct.

"My lord, the teleportation array has been set up and is directly connected to Tianyuan City in Zhongzhou. The coordinates have been checked three times and there are no problems."

Lin Chen nodded and strode to the center of the teleportation array.

Lingbo's figure moved accordingly, always following her.

Lan Fenghuang followed behind Lin Chen, her silver ornaments jingling, her Nanzhao attire making her stand out in the crowd.

Her eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation, after all, Lin Chen had promised to take her back to her ancestral home.

Yao Yao followed closely behind, wearing a pale yellow dress, and was overjoyed.

Shishi followed Yaoyao gracefully, both wearing the same pink dress, their faces expressionless, like two lotus flowers blooming side by side.

Shishi held a sword in her hand, and Shishi held a zither in her hand.

The two walked in unison, even their breathing rhythm was exactly the same.

Mei Jiu Niang walked at the very back, her purple skirt fluttering, her waist swaying gracefully, swaying with every step.

She walked to the teleportation array, stopped, glanced back at Bai Mei and the others, and smiled.

Bai Mei and the others lowered their heads and looked away, secretly grumbling to themselves:

You vixen, you've already followed Lin Chen, and you still won't behave yourself.

One after another, the array patterns lit up, and blue light rose from beneath their feet, spreading along the patterns in concentric circles.

Li Chunfeng placed his hand on the center of the array, chanting incantations. The blue light grew stronger and stronger, hurting people's eyes.

Lin Chen glanced in the direction of the East Mountain Villa.

He exchanged a glance with the old lady and Su Wanqing across the distance, saying nothing, yet saying everything.

Finally, he glanced one last time in the direction of the capital, and exchanged a glance with the Empress across the distance. The Empress nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then the teleportation array shone brightly and shot into the sky.

Lin Chen's figure gradually blurred in the light.