At the same time, outside the Zhu Family Courtyard within Spider Silk Ridge territory, Axel casually tossed the loudly clanging lantern spirit aside before knocking on the gate three more times.
"Old Sister, we've known each other since the Heavenly Realm, so why are you getting shy now?
Come on, this won't do. Even if you're inside fixing your makeup and drawing your eyebrows, don't make my Little Pig brother wait too long. You know how impatient he is.
If he gets tired of waiting and runs off again, wouldn't that be tragic?"
"Brother, stop talking already! Please stop making things worse!"
Behind Axel, Pigsy desperately tugged at the edge of Axel's battle skirt, wishing with all his heart that Axel would finally shut up.
Before arriving at Spider Silk Ridge, Pigsy thought Axel knew nothing about his relationship with the spider demon.
The entire journey there had filled him with anxiety.
Back during the Journey to the West, demons were hunted for merit and spiritual power. Pigsy had already pushed his luck just by secretly sparing Zi Zhuer's life.
But now?
He genuinely could not figure out what Axel was planning.
Worse, Axel's temper was unpredictable and his hands moved faster than reason. Pigsy had no doubt that if things went wrong, Axel could kill Zi Zhuer with a single strike before anyone had time to react.
The more Pigsy thought about it, the colder his sweat became.
Yet the situation unfolding before him was even worse than he imagined.
Not only did Axel know about his relationship with Zi Zhuer, he was openly using it to embarrass him.
What kind of brother acts like this?
Pigsy tightened his grip on Axel's clothes in panic, nearly cracking the stone floor beneath his feet.
Too humiliating.
His reputation was finished.
Click.
The gate lock shifted softly before the courtyard doors slowly opened from the inside.
Pigsy immediately froze.
He quickly hid behind Axel, peeking through the gap beside Axel's waist like a guilty criminal.
A young woman wearing a black and white robe cautiously poked her head out from behind the doorway.
The moment her eyes landed on Axel, she froze completely.
Her lips parted slightly in shock.
"Ah!"
With a startled cry, she instantly pulled her head back and slammed the gate shut again.
Bang!
Moments later, excited screams echoed from inside the courtyard.
"Second Sister! Third Sister! Fourth Sister! Sixth Sister!
A ridiculously handsome man is outside the gate! His clothes don't even look mortal!
I... I've never seen someone like him before!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Fifth Sister's excited shouting, Second Sister Spider looked speechless.
"Fifth Sister, honestly...
The man clearly came with bad intentions, and you're still staring at his face?"
She sighed in disappointment.
"Husband? More like a walking disaster."
Even so, Second Sister still walked gracefully toward the entrance before carefully opening the gate herself.
Holding onto the doorframe, she cautiously leaned her head out to glance outside.
The moment her eyes met Axel's smiling face, she froze.
Axel gave her a warm smile and casually waved.
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Ah?!"
Second Sister immediately slammed the gate shut again before clutching her chest tightly.
Inside the courtyard, the other sisters stared at her in disbelief.
Even Fourth Sister raised an eyebrow in surprise.
A small golden spider crawled from her sleeve and peeked toward the gate curiously.
Fourth Sister frowned slightly.
"Even you reacted like that?
Is this so called guest really that exaggeratedly handsome?"
"Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!"
Second Sister nodded so quickly it looked absurd.
Her cheeks flushed red while her fingers twisted together nervously in front of her chest.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke shakily.
"He... he's still a guest from afar. Everyone, mind your manners. Don't embarrass yourselves."
After saying that, she hesitated briefly before pushing the gate open once more.
This time, several little spider spirits immediately crowded near the entrance and peeked outside together.
The instant they saw Axel standing there in his armor, every single one of them fell silent.
His armor looked impossibly refined, almost unreal beneath the sunlight.
Combined with Axel's appearance, the visual impact was overwhelming.
Third Sister's eyes widened before she quickly raised her fan to hide half her face.
Second Sister swallowed hard.
Then she suddenly became aware of her bare feet.
Would he think she looked improper?
Were her feet attractive enough?
The maids always praised them, but what if they were lying?
For a moment, her steps turned clumsy.
Finally, she forced herself forward and gave Axel a graceful bow.
"S... Spider Silk Ridge's Zhu Family welcomes honored guests.
But may I ask why you've come here...
And why you used the word 'pig' to tease our mother... Ah?"
Her expression suddenly changed.
"Pig? Pig?!"
Pigsy awkwardly poked his head out from behind Axel's side.
The romantic atmosphere instantly shattered.
Second Sister stumbled backward in horror before pointing directly at him.
"Pigsy?! How could it be you?!"
"Huh?"
"Pigsy?"
"Mother's former lover is that pig?"
"Why does he look so filthy?"
"If it were the armored man instead, then maybe Mother really would've matched someone like that in her youth..."
The sisters whispered among themselves in disbelief while staring at Pigsy.
Only the small golden spider on Fourth Sister's shoulder continued observing him curiously.
Pigsy himself looked painfully awkward.
Back then, he never dared approach Zi Zhuer openly. At most, he could secretly visit from afar just to catch a glimpse of her.
If he had truly stayed at Spider Silk Ridge to raise children openly, the Heavenly Court would never have spared him.
So he acted foolish.
He pretended not to care.
Leaving had always seemed like the safest option for everyone involved.
But things were different now.
With Axel turning both Heaven and Spirit Mountain upside down, Pigsy finally had the chance to stop running from his past.
Ironically, that only made him more nervous.
Right now, he looked less like a legendary celestial and more like a terrified man meeting his girlfriend's family for the first time.
Under the sisters' judgmental stares, Pigsy swallowed nervously.
"You girls better stay away from my Great Saint Brother!
I'm not trying to ruin anyone's romance here, but I have to warn you, this guy has plenty of women around him already. He even flirts with married women sometimes!
Getting involved with him won't end well for any of you... Ouch!"
Bang!
Axel punched Pigsy directly on the head.
"You haven't even married their mother and you're already acting like their father?"
Pigsy immediately shut up.
Axel grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him into the air like dead weight.
"Hello everyone, my name's Axel.
I came here to deliver a gift to Sister Zi Zhuer."
He casually glanced past the gate.
"So what's with the delay? Are we seriously going to keep talking outside?
Invite us in already. Set out some food and drinks too.
And don't bring yellow wine. I want the strong stuff."
Before anyone could respond, Axel casually stepped through the courtyard entrance.
The moment he crossed the gate, both Second Sister and Fifth Sister instinctively stared downward at his feet before quickly looking away again.
Only Fourth Sister stepped forward to block his path.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked Axel over carefully.
"Distinguished guest," she said softly, "before entering our home, perhaps you should first prove whether you're truly a guest... or an enemy."