"Who else knows of this?"
"In response to the great elder: aside from the Phoenix Faction, nobody else knows. I rushed over immediately after receiving the news!"
"Did you talk to him?"
Seeing the elder's serious expression, Ma Tianbei couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Great elder, why would he even acknowledge such a lowly being like me?"
The great elder took a deep breath.
"It seems like I must visit him myself in Jiangbei. If he is what you claim, then we at the Dragon Faction cannot easily let go of such a genius.
A potential valkyrie was worth a lot of money.
In the Yan Kingdom's nine military factions, there aren't even one hundred major generals.
Including the great elder from the Dragon Faction, their numbers were still not over 100.
This showed the scarcity and value of a martial arts valkyrie.
Xiao Chen was already able to cultivate his skills to sovereign level in five years. Even the elder was excited at his prospects.
"Great elder, there's something else I need to report."
"Speak!"
"That kid has a big grudge against the Lu family from Beijing!"
The great elder frowned.
"Huh? Across the country, from north to south, how did he go up against the Lu family?"
"In response to the great elder, at the time, the young master Lu Qiran was in pursuit of the Liu family princess, Liu Yunxuan from Shanghai! But Liu Yunxuan chose to marry this kid instead. Then, Lu Qiran went into a fit of rage and went to Jiangbei himself to kill the child's parents, breaking the kid's limbs before tossing him into the Yangtze. It's been five years since the incident, and he's returned with terrifying strength. Although we don't know where he obtained the strength from nor where he got the martial arts skills, we know in the future he will go to war with the Lu family!"
The great elder exploded with rage.
"Nonsense! This Lu Qiran is too arrogant, isn't he? He dares destroy an entire family based on personal feelings! Who does he think he is? Does he think the Yan Kingdom belongs to the Lu family?"
Ma Tianbei immediately responded:
"Great elder, although the Lu family is despicable, they are still one of the most notorious families in Beijing. If they end up stirring conflict, there will be big trouble!"
"You are right!"
The great elder nodded.
"If I recall correctly, the Lu family possesses a high ranking general in the south! If this kid becomes a valkyrie and faces off with the Lu family, they will definitely have something to compete over. When the time comes, two tigers fighting will leave casualties behind. You have to think of a good way to resolve it. How about this, you stay in the capital for a few days. During tomorrow morning's meeting, I will inform Chief Elder of this news and have him decide."
"Alright!"
...
As time passed, the stars came and left.
The sunlight broke through the night sky to signal the beginning of a new day.
Xiao Ziyi awoke from her slumber, still rubbing her eyes. When she opened them, she was greeted by her father's gentle smile.
"You're up?"
Xiao Ziyi obediently nodded.
Xiao Chen pulled out a brand new princess style dress.
"Get changed, we must head out soon."
Xiao Ziyi's eyes gleamed.
"Such a pretty dress! Daddy, are we going to class today?"
Xiao Chen shook his head.
"Today, we have an important event."
"What event?"
"To see a family member. And… some enemies."
Xiao Ziyi tilted her head, frowning her small eyebrows. She was confused.
She didn't understand what kind of medicine her dad was trying to sell her.
But she still obediently changed into her clothes. As long as she was with her father, she was happy going anywhere!
The two got dressed and cleaned up before leaving the house.
Qi Sha was already outside, waiting by the car.
Today, Qi Sha was wearing a suit as well.
Xiao Chen got into the car as a voice sounded from behind him.
"Xiao Chen!"
Xiao Chen looked behind him to see Su Ruoxue.
She looked like she'd been up all night. Her eyes were swollen puffy and bloodshot red. Evidently, she'd been crying all night.
But Xiao Chen did not express any emotions. Calmly, he said to her:
"I'm busy, we will be heading off now."
Su Ruoxue's heart dropped. Xiao Chen's strange tone made her feel heartbroken.
It was something she refused to and was scared to think about.
"Xiao Chen! I'm sorry, please don't treat me like this, okay?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. Only, we belong to two different worlds."
After that, Xiao Chen drove off.
"Xiao Chen! Xiao Chen!"
Su Ruoxue ran after him down the stairs. Xiao Chen was already long gone. Even if she ran off without her slippers and disregarded the pain, she wasn't able to catch up to him.
"Xiao Chen! Please..."
...
Inside the car, Ziyi's eyes widened in shock as she said with a frown:
"Daddy, are you angry with Auntie Ruoxue?"
Xiao Chen rubbed her little head.
"Kids shouldn't meddle in adult business!"
Ziyi was upset.
"But Ziyi really likes Auntie Ruoxue!"
Su Ruoxue was always good to her, and sometimes Xiao Ziyi even felt that aside from her father, Su Ruoxue was the most reliable person in this world!
It must be the motherly love she'd always desired.
Xiao Chen sighed.
The adult world was so distant.
He had murdered Su Ruoxue's father. The two were destined to never be friends again.
And he could feel Su Ruoxue's feelings for him as well.
Perhaps, it was best that they took this as a chance to cut each other off.
His heart already belonged to someone else and would be difficult to retrieve.
Why bother causing more worries and grievances?
...
At this moment, the Xiao family's village was already very lively early that morning.
Grandfather Xiao's eightieth birthday was a big event. Everyone in the village had to gather together!
For these simple villages, if one family is in trouble, then it meant eight families pitched in to help.
It was a picture of liveliness and joy, an intimate village with tight relations.
Here, they lack the cold, distant formalities of the outside world. Although there will always exist conflict, overall, it's still a very kind environment.
This was a kind of warmth that couldn't be compared to the coldness of the concrete jungle.
Grandpa Xiao, at eighty years old, had strong bones and dressed in mid-century style, pale blue work clothes. He wore a small, black hat and wore a small, red crest on his chest. He placed his hands behind his back, like a government official on an inspection tour of the countryside.
"Fellow villagers, today is this old man's birthday. Good wine and good food await you, so eat as much as you can at noon. If anyone does not take to the food and drink, then you are not giving me face!"
A few young men were killing sheep teased back and forth.
"Grandpa Xiao, we can drink of course. But it's your birthday today, so you have to drink with us!"
"Yes, yes! We'll match you. We can't take advantage of you, can we?"
Grandpa Xiao rolled his eyes.
"If I was forty years younger, I could drink two glasses to your every glass and knock you guys out!"
"Heroes don't mention their prior conquests. Grandpa, just tell us, can you drink or not at noon?!"
"I have to take care of guests at lunch, drink my a*s! You guys drink on your own."
His strong spirited reply attracted a burst of laughter. It added extra joy to their busy morning.
Before half past eight, several luxury cars began pulling into the Xiao village one by one.
Leading the array was a Mercedes-Benz Maybach, followed by a Range Rover, a modified and very personalized AMG version of the Mercedes-Benz G, and then three sports cars consisting of Porsches and Lamborghinis.
These cars alone were worth more than twenty million dollars!
Driving down the road, the small convoy inevitably attracted the attention of many people.
But in the Xiao village, aside from the children who weren't familiar with outside business, all the other villagers were scoffing with disdain.