"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."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
