The Son-in-Law of the Qi Family

"Little Ao should have arrived at the Zhang family by now," Zhu Xiaotong said as she peeled an apple, estimating the time. "When did you ask him to video call you?"

Qi's mother, who was helping wash grapes, looked over and replied, "I didn't. Why would we need a video call? He can just tell me when he gets back."

"..."

Zhu Xiaotong was taken aback. She brought the fruit plate to the bedside and said, "I suppose you're right. The Zhang family is a reclusive clan after all - powerful, wealthy, and low-key. With so many people looking after him, there's nothing to worry about."

"If you said that brat Qi Yuan was taking care of him, I'd agree we could relax. But the Zhang family? Hah!" Yu Anhe laughed sarcastically and lowered his voice. "If it weren't for the fact that we owe the Zhang boy for the Yun Lan incident, I wouldn't even bother passing on messages."

"Don't talk nonsense. He must have misunderstood. They've been together so long, he should know by now that Yun Lan's words should only be taken at face value. It's not a big deal."

Zhu Xiaotong frowned and turned to the nonchalant Yu Anhe. "What's really going on with the Zhang family? If there's something wrong, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Don't you and old Cai have a good relationship? Hasn't she told you that most reclusive clans are difficult to deal with, always pushing back and causing trouble?"

Yu Anhe popped a piece of apple into his mouth, making a contemptuous snorting sound. "During that difficult time when monsters first appeared, many hermits and reclusive families came down from the mountains to help. Later, they were either incorporated into our ranks or maintained connections with us. The Miao domain, Shaolin monks, Taoist disciples, and families like the Xue Family all followed this pattern."

"In other words, those with real backbone stepped up during the crisis. Most of what's left are just dregs. They hide behind the name of reclusive clans, enjoying the honor earned by true hermits who shed blood and fought hard. They use the excuse of family traditions to avoid registering for superpower licenses, so when the city faces a crisis and issues orders to gather superpower users, they don't have to comply."

"Without any sacrifices, their families naturally grow stronger. But they're not breaking any laws, so we can't do anything about it."

When clan members without evidence claimed they had no superpowers, and those with evidence cited family traditions, Yu Anhe could only instruct his subordinates to quickly issue Class II Superpower Licenses to anyone they encountered with powers but no license. They had to catch as many as they could. With so many monsters still to be cleared from Dragon Country, who had the time to play games with these families?

Come to think of it, it was fortunate that the Xue Family's eldest daughter had hurriedly gotten a license for that Qi Yuan kid at the time. Otherwise, who knows how long he would have played around.

After listening, Zhu Xiaotong's brow furrowed even deeper with worry. "Haven't you told Little Yuan about this? What if they corrupt Little Ao..."

Yu Anhe's face scrunched up like an old man on the subway. "Him? It's good enough if that kid doesn't scam people. As for the Zhang family... they'll have to fend for themselves."

...

In the luxury car, the partition was lowered by the driver. Qi Ao peered out the window, his face full of disappointment.

He had already caught sight of the Zhang family residence in Su City.

"It looks so run-down. Such a small place for so many people to live in."

The speed at which the little brother had been corrupted by money was astonishing. It wasn't that he really found the place shabby; it was just that children his age loved to show off about everything, and he was no exception.

In his mind, the massive villa in Jidu with only a few inhabitants represented the epitome of coolness.

Moreover, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Even if it had been a dilapidated Taoist temple, he wouldn't have been this disappointed. This place didn't look at all like somewhere that would house legendary secret manuals. Without those manuals, he felt cheated, and his dislike extended to the entire place.

The more he disliked something, the more he wanted to prove it was no good. Now, everything about the Zhang family residence looked unpleasant to him.

Gao Changze listened in stunned disbelief, wondering if he and Qi Ao were looking at the same thing.

The Zhang family compound was like a small urban district. The outer ring housed the guards and their families, along with small shops run by relatives. Further in, there were numerous extended family members and disciples wearing the family uniform. The training grounds were bustling with people, filled with cheers and applause.

From here, one could see the magnificent main residence in the innermost area.

Just being able to support the livelihood of so many people made this place far superior to the Gao family. Not to mention ensuring the safety of so many ordinary people.

Gao Changze couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. Just what kind of power was the Qi family?

From the fact that Brother Yuan's younger sibling had the surname Qi instead of Zhang, one could conclude that the Zhang family's influence was inferior to the Qi family's.

Now, for him to even say this place looked run-down... This went beyond what could be explained by Brother Yuan becoming a member of the Dark Nine Seats. This was about family heritage.

Unfortunately, this family might not be too friendly towards a son-in-law...

One ended up in prison, another sent back to the Zhang family.

Otherwise, he would really like to ask Brother Yuan if he had any female cousins. To be honest, his digestive system wasn't in great shape.

Gao Changze was just about to probe for information, trying to extract the location of the Qi family ancestral home from Qi Ao so he could secretly go check it out.

However, the car came to a stop, and servants on both sides came forward to open the doors. He had no choice but to give up his plan.

"Second Young Master, Young Master Gao," the servants said with a slight bow, gesturing for them to exit.

Qi Ao didn't realize that "Second Young Master" referred to him, but he had been sitting in the car for so long that he was eager to get out.

He jumped out of the car with his backpack, demonstrating his supposed excellent martial arts skills.

Guided by the servants, the two of them passed through winding corridors and arrived at the main hall.

The building, full of ancient charm, blended well with modern equipment. At first glance, one could hardly detect any contemporary elements.

Although it didn't match the mysterious image Gao Changze had imagined - shrouded in mist atop a high mountain - it was still within the realm of his understanding.

Qi Ao might talk big in front of familiar people, but in reality, he was quite timid. He followed closely behind Gao Changze, matching his every step.

This behavior, observed by the Zhang family patriarch and elders in the main hall, elicited a hint of disdain from them.

Back then, Zhang Zhengbing, who was supposed to be the next family head and was also the current patriarch's son, had a dispute with the family head over marrying a woman with no power or influence.

Unfortunately, not only did she not appreciate it, but the claim of her having no power or influence turned out to be a lie. She refused to marry him and refused to give them a child of Zhang family bloodline.

Facts proved that even though the Qi family was small and insignificant, and had produced more than one member of the Nine Seats, their offspring still couldn't compare to the Zhang family's.

As this thought occurred to them, they couldn't help but think of Qi Yuan.

This was hard to say...

They acknowledged Qi Yunzheng's strength, but his manners and behavior were no different from a commoner's.

Qi Yuan was different. From his demeanor and eloquence to his strength and strategy, he had no shortcomings. If he had been of Zhang family blood, they would have immediately vacated the position of family head for him.

However, the little brat picking his nose in front of them bore no resemblance to his brother.

They couldn't help but wonder: Were they really born from the same mother?

"Second Young Master, this is the Zhang family patriarch, also your grandfather," the servant introduced.

"Hello, Grandfather," Qi Ao said without bowing, causing the Zhang family patriarch to frown. He held back his displeasure and continued, "Now, this is..."

As the list of elders and their titles went on, Qi Ao became dizzy with confusion. So he made what he thought was a filial decision: "Hello, Grandfathers!"

"Pfft!"

"Ahem—"

The elders raised their teacups to hide their loss of composure. Seeing the family head's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, they waved their hands and said, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."