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"I can't reveal his name or identity," Chen Miaoyin shook her head and said, her face filled with curiosity. "Second Brother said that it absolutely cannot be leaked, not even to you. He also mentioned that the opportunity for our Chen Family's rise is coming."
Chen Miaoyin only understood most of what Chen Shuli and Qin Jun discussed. First, Qin Jun's identity is very special and must not be disclosed. Second, Qin Jun has a subordinate who has surpassed the Golden Elixir Realm.
The second point alone is enough for their Chen Family to cling to Qin Jun's coattails!
When Chen Zhanjian heard this, his brows immediately furrowed, and he fell silent, lost in thought. The atmosphere in the hall began to grow oppressive.
Chen Miaoyin really disliked this kind of atmosphere and hastily said, "I will go rest first!"
The plan to run away from home today was ruined; damn city guards, actually demanding a fee to leave the city!
Chen Zhanjian did not pay attention to his willful daughter, murmuring to himself, "Shuli is prudent in his actions; there must be a reason for him to say that."
As Chen Shuli was a bastard son, he was ostracized by the legitimate wife and, coupled with his mediocre talent for energy refining, even as the city lord, he dared not show too much favoritism towards Chen Shuli. He could only satisfy all of Chen Shuli's needs for studying in private.
The news from the royal capital was also something he provided to Chen Shuli without anyone's knowledge. Every month, the major events of the royal capital were recorded on paper and sent by carrier pigeons to every city lord. Of course, anyone with status could subscribe to them. His ability to forward this news to Chen Shuli shows the great hopes he had for this illegitimate son of his.
In Qianyue Kingdom, there wasn't just the route of energy refining.
"Let it be, let him do as he pleases," Chen Zhanjian sighed, knowing that ever since Chen Shuli was young, his mind had been more mature than his peers'. Among his two sons, he favored Chen Shuli more, but status and talent in energy refining were hard obstacles to overcome.
"The Cheng Family…" Chen Zhanjian's eyes turned cold, and his teacup began to tremble from the shaking of his hand.
…
As the dawn light from the east shone through, Qin Jun was woken up by the sunlight itching on his face. He slowly opened his eyes, becoming gradually alert.
Since crossing over, waking up each day felt like awakening in another world, as his dreams were still set in the bustling cities of Earth.
"Roaring Sky Dog, time to wake up."
Qin Jun got up and went over to the basin by the bed, picking up a washcloth while speaking to Roaring Sky Dog, who was sleeping on the ground.
Roaring Sky Dog opened one eye to glance at Qin Jun, its posture somewhat contemptuous, as if to say it woke earlier than him.
After washing up, Qin Jun, accompanied by Roaring Sky Dog, headed to the rooms where Daji and Chang Qianqian were.
"Daji, time to get up!"
"I know," Daji responded lazily, her voice filled with a seductive tone that made Qin Jun's heart itch.
As for Chang Hao, Qin Jun couldn't be bothered to call him — it would be best to leave him here!
Shaking his head, Qin Jun cleared the distractions from his mind and continued down the staircase.
He had just reached the staircase when a beautiful young man in white, gently waving a Feather Fan, descended from the third floor. The youth had fair skin and was more handsome than Qin Jun, even bordering on effeminate — at least, that was Qin Jun's impression.
Their gazes met, and the young man in white nodded politely before continuing downstairs.
"Why didn't I see him yesterday?" Qin Jun wondered. Such an outstanding youth would be hard to forget with just one look. Could it be that he hadn't come downstairs at all last night?
"He has a Demonic aura!" The voice of Roaring Sky Dog suddenly reached Qin Jun's ears, the sound transmission technique making it inaudible to others.
"Demonic aura?" Qin Jun's face instantly changed.
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Energy refining and the pursuit of immortality have been passed down since ancient times, with the cultivators of the Human Clan gradually evolving into two paths: the Righteous and the Demonic. The Righteous Dao values natural progression, while the Demonic Dao seeks quick results, leading to a transformation in their nature; they are also known for their brutal methods, never resting until they achieve their goals.
Whenever members of the Righteous and Demonic Daos meet, it's a matter of life and death.
The Qianyue Kingdom belongs to the Righteous Dao, which is why sightings of Demonic Dao cultivators are rare here.
If this white-clothed youth is a Demonic Dao cultivator, his presence in the Qianyue Kingdom bodes ill.
"It seems his cultivation is not low; even I can't see through him," Qin Jun thought to himself in surprise. He had already broken through to the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment realm, and under Daji's guidance, he considered himself a true powerhouse of Foundation Establishment. Yet he still couldn't see through the white-clothed youth from earlier.
Fortunately, the Roaring Sky Dog belonged to the Transforming Void Realm, an extraordinary existence, and it saw through the other's anomalies at a glance.
With that thought, Qin Jun, accompanied by the Roaring Sky Dog, went downstairs, only to find that the white-clothed youth hadn't left at all. Instead, he sat in a corner waiting for the server to bring his dishes.
Qin Jun merely glanced at him before averting his gaze, then found an empty table to sit at. After ordering some dishes from the server, he sat quietly and waited.
Before long, Daji and Chang Qianqian came downstairs, followed by Chang Hao, who had extremely dark circles under his eyes, leaving one to wonder what he had been up to the night before.
"After breakfast, do we hit the road?" Chang Qianqian asked, sitting next to Qin Jun and yawning.
"Mhm," Qin Jun nodded slightly. He could feel the white-clothed youth's gaze on them, or more precisely, on Daji.
Daji didn't mind, though, as she was already accustomed to all the male gazes in the room fixated on her.
Sometimes being too beautiful is a burden.
"What a beautiful woman!"
The white-clothed youth muttered as he gazed at Daji, his eyes filled with amazement. That amazement soon transformed into a look of greed.
He was determined to possess this stunning woman!
At that moment, a commotion arose from outside the inn, and before long, Cheng Jie entered with a group of followers. He looked around the room and fixed his eyes on Qin Jun.
"You little rat, lucky for me you haven't left!"
Cheng Jie sneered. He was upset with Qin Jun for preventing him from completing the task his father had given him the night before, so he had come early in the morning to find him.
As the Cheng Family wielded significant power in Qingtan City, finding out where Qin Jun stayed was easy.
"Sigh, someone came looking for trouble first thing in the morning!" Qin Jun sighed. Chang Qianqian and Chang Hao, as well as Daji, stared with puzzled faces at Cheng Jie as he approached them.
"Oh, two beauties as well! From now on, they're mine!"
Upon seeing Daji and Chang Qianqian, Cheng Jie's eyes lit up. He was especially captivated by Daji, with his heart racing.
"Ignorant of life and death," Daji remarked with a feather fan as a cover for her coy smile. Though her tone could easily lead men astray, her words vexed Cheng Jie.
Chang Qianqian snorted disdainfully. In the Xuanling Sect, there were many more powerful talents than Cheng Jie. If a core disciple from the Xuanling Sect were to arrive, even the lord of Qingtan City would personally welcome them.
Unaware of their status, Cheng Jie, with hands on his hips, laughed and said, "Ignorant of life and death? In Qingtan City, who dares to make me die?"
Qin Jun was speechless; did this guy know that he wasn't a royal guard and thus dared to be so bold?
"Scram! Or I'll cripple you!" Chang Hao banged on the table as he stood up, shaking Qin Jun's right hand and causing him to nearly drop his chopsticks. Damn it, this guy was definitely venting his long-stifled anger!
Hearing someone wanted to take his junior sister by force, Chang Hao immediately flared up. If the other party were stronger than himself, he might accept it, but the guy was only at the fourth layer of the energy refining realm—how could he endure this?