"It's alright..."
Mu Jinyu gently nodded in response to Chen Shuyi's inquiry, without saying much more.
Because right now, Wen Rou couldn't really be considered alright either. After all, she and Jian Ruyan had swapped bodies, but this isn't something you can just announce in front of everyone, right?
Moreover, the mother-daughter bond between Chen Shuyi and Wen Rou was quite weak. If it were another mother, mentioning Wen Rou's situation might prompt her to care about Wen Rou. But for Chen Shuyi, she'd probably feign concern due to his current power, though she wouldn't truly care.
Mu Jinyu couldn't be bothered to say much to her.
Yet when he goes back, he would tell Wen Rou about Chen Shuyi's situation honestly. As for whether Wen Rou would reunite with Chen Shuyi, that would be her decision.
He wouldn't interfere too much.
"That's good then..."
Hearing Mu Jinyu's response, Chen Shuyi smiled as she spoke, but her smile appeared somewhat forced and awkward.
Clearly, she didn't know how to converse with Mu Jinyu anymore, and the former overbearing demeanor was gone from her expression.
Back then, she had gotten a divination from the clan's elder, revealing that a child she left behind in the outside world of Huaxia would bring unpredictable changes to the Chen Family and most likely lead to its prosperity.
Though not many in the Chen Family took this divination seriously, she, having little status in the Chen Family, considered it perhaps her only chance at redemption and set out to the Kunlun Ruins again to find Wen Rou.
Upon finding Wen Rou, she was displeased with Mu Jinyu's womanizing ways, aggressively intended to hit her in-law, and finally, she left in disgrace, forced out by Mu Jinyu.
Recalling the past, Chen Shuyi indeed felt deep regret.
If she had known Mu Jinyu would rise to his current position within less than a year of entering the Kunlun Ruins, even having their Chen Family Ancestor serve him as a servant, how could she have treated Mu Jinyu that way back then?
That divination turned out to be accurate, but alas, she hadn't seized the opportunity.
The people of the Chen Family listened to Mu Jinyu and Chen Shuyi's dialogue with great suspicion. When did this woman have a daughter? And with Mu Jinyu's wife?
If this were true, then wouldn't their Chen Family have dramatically stumbled upon the Dragon King Temple?
The Chen Family Ancestor was even considering whether this situation might give him a chance to escape serving Mu Jinyu as a slave.
"Let's go, let's go, let's head inside first..."
Finally, noticing the tension between Mu Jinyu and Chen Shuyi, the Chen Family Ancestor tried to ease the atmosphere by ushering everyone in.
Once within the Chen Family's mountain range, Mu Jinyu wasted no time and set to work rearranging and upgrading their Mountain Protection Array, rather than communicating with his mother-in-law, Chen Shuyi.
Understanding he wouldn't be of any help, and could only cause trouble, the Chen Family Ancestor didn't seek out his son or grandson, but went directly to Chen Shuyi instead.
This was a descendant he wasn't sure belonged to which generation of his clan.
"Ancestor..."
Seeing the Chen Family Ancestor approach her, Chen Shuyi was genuinely flattered and exclaimed warmly.
Yet she understood why the Ancestor was there — to inquire about Mu Jinyu and her daughter Wen Rou's relationship. Thus, amid her excitement, she also felt a mix of emotions.
If her relationship with Wen Rou was truly good, this change would undoubtedly place her among the highest in the Chen Family.
No one would dare do anything to her!
But unfortunate was her strained relationship with Wen Rou. The last time they met, over ten years later, they had a falling out. Knowing this, while the Chen Family would still give her a high degree of respect and status externally, it would merely be superficial, offering little substantive benefit.
There was a world of difference between the two scenarios.
"Hmm, whose child are you?" the Chen Family Ancestor asked.
Suppressing her complex and regretful thoughts, Chen Shuyi answered, "Ancestor, my great-great-grandfather was Chen Xuansheng..."
"Oh, so you're the great-granddaughter of Xuansheng's kid..."
The Chen Family Ancestor nodded, his expression somewhat complex.
In the past, Chen Xuansheng was a Heaven's Pride in the Chen Family, a promising figure among his nephews. However, he failed in his attempt to pass the Hedao Tribulation and had long since passed away.
Unexpectedly, in a blink of an eye, even his great-granddaughter had grown to such age...
After listening, the Chen Family Ancestor's brows remained furrowed deep in thought.
He wanted to scold Chen Shuyi for her actions but dared not due to her current status.
After all, no matter how bad her relationship with Wen Rou was, they were still mother and daughter, and surely Mu Jinyu would afford her some respect.
"You were so foolish. Sigh, in the future, try to mend things with your daughter and strive to improve our Chen Family's relationship with the master."
After saying this, the Chen Family Ancestor left the room with hands clasped behind his back.
"Sigh..."
Once he left, Chen Shuyi sighed deeply, internally chastising her past foolish actions.
"Sister Shuyi..."
"Sister Shuyi, I heard your daughter is Young Master Mu's woman, is that true..."
At this moment, over ten female peers from the Chen Family, all having successful cultivation making them appear like young girls in their prime, rushed into Chen Shuyi's room with cheerful greetings once the Ancestor left.
Chen Shuyi watched them with a sense of detachment, scoffing at herself internally.
In the past decade, she felt Wen Rou was a burden and after returning to the Chen Family with worse aptitude, she was ignored by the Chen Family. These peers hadn't even given her a glance back then.
Now, just because of a word from Mu Jinyu, they audaciously came over to greet her.
It truly was laughable.
"Sister Shuyi, I'm so envious of you, having such a great daughter. If I had known earlier, I would've married and had kids sooner, and I wouldn't still only be at the Divinity Transformation Realm now..."
"Yeah, you really turned things around this time..."
Listening to their envy-filled chatter, Chen Shuyi couldn't help but feel both amused and tearful.
Some of these women knew she'd had a daughter outside and that her loss of Elemental Yin Force diminished her already average aptitude further, and they mocked her stupidity for marrying an outsider and having a child.
Now, they envied her great daughter, wishing they too had a daughter that found favor.
It was truly amusing.