Zhou Yu had never underestimated that woman, Yun Yanlan.
From the moment he met her, Zhou Yu had tested every invincible background imaginable and attributed it to her.
But no matter how many times he tried, he found that some top-tier backgrounds, while seemingly plausible, didn't quite fit Yun Yanlan. Of course, it might also be because this woman was rather peculiar and often did things that didn't match her status.
Someone who would throw a small stone at his butt couldn't possibly be the behind-the-scenes power broker of some major force.
Yet, this person was Yun Yanlan!
With this woman, nothing was impossible.
In short, Zhou Yu couldn't fathom her.
And his arrival in Yunhai this time, silently withdrawing from the Su family's marriage engagement, if he guessed correctly, meant he had been under Yun Yanlan's constant surveillance.
"If I question her why she's monitoring me, she'll definitely say it's to protect me. This woman always thinks a step ahead of others, making her impossible to guard against."
Zhou Yu leaned against the edge of the swimming pool, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Compared to the old man, he was more afraid of this demoness, Yun Yanlan.
Going by this, the Jin family was undoubtedly Yun Yanlan's force and eyes and ears in Yunhai City.
Because the only force in Yunhai City capable of evading Fatty Qian's intelligence network was the low-key Jin family!
Also.
This Yunlan Tiangong villa complex might well be Yun Yanlan's property.
Yunlan Tiangong?
Yun Yanlan?
Yunlan Villa?
He should have realized the connection between these three long ago.
In Yunhai City, there was likely no greater power than Yun Yanlan.
Moreover, the Jin family was likely just one of the forces controlled by that woman!
A demoness indeed.
Thinking this, Zhou Yu asked Qian Fuhua, "Fatty, have you ever tried to contact the Jin family?"
"Little Boss, why are you suddenly so concerned about the Jin family?" Qian Fuhua asked, confused.
In his eyes.
Although the Jin family was a dominant force in Yunhai City, at most they were a top-tier family, nowhere near the level of the super-tier families in Emperor City or Jiangnan City, let alone the top five families of the Dragon Kingdom.
Given the Little Boss's status, he shouldn't be interested in the Jin family.
Of course, while Zhou Yu wasn't interested in the Jin family, he, Qian Fatty, had desperately wanted to get on their good side upon returning to Yunhai City after his release from prison.
Unfortunately, they completely ignored him.
"The Jin family is not simple. You should interact with them more; there might be unexpected benefits."
Zhou Yu didn't explicitly state his suspicions, only hinting at it to Fatty Qian over the phone.
Whether he could grasp it or not depended entirely on the richest man in Yunhai.
"The Jin family not only acts discreetly but also rarely interacts with other families. Even if I wanted to, I have no way to approach them," Qian Fuhua said dejectedly.
In fact, even without building a good relationship with the Jin family, he would eventually gain more power through the connections he made with his brothers in prison.
But with the Jin family's support, this process would be even faster!
For the wealthy, what was most precious?
It was undoubtedly time!
As a rich man among the rich, Qian Fuhua naturally valued time immensely.
"It's getting late. I'll swim a bit more before bathing and resting. If you have nothing to do tonight, exercise more and eat less; you won't starve!"
Zhou Yu said.
Without waiting for a reply from the other end, he hung up.
That dead fatty indulging in late-night gluttony.
Truly detestable!
...
The next morning.
As before, Zhou Yu changed into sportswear and went out for a run.
There were many elderly people exercising in the park early in the morning, practicing Tai Chi, swordplay, and square dancing, a dazzling spectacle.
However, Zhou Yu ran in a state of near-emptiness.
Becoming one with nature.
All external disturbances were none of his concern.
"Ancient martial artists progress through four minor realms: body tempering, Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin, advancing from a post-natal master to a pre-natal master. It's one in a million. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to touch that threshold in my lifetime."
On the way back to the villa, Zhou Yu remembered the old man's instructions.
But he had persisted for so long and still gained nothing.
The word 'comprehension' had always been the most unfathomable since ancient times.
The path of martial arts was humanity's way of seeking to break through physical limits, but this path was incredibly difficult!
"No wonder those Xianxia stories often say that cultivation is like battling the heavens, like rowing upstream – if you don't advance, you fall back. In reality, ancient martial artists tempering their bodies with true energy is much the same."
Lost in thought.
Zhou Yu returned to the Yunlan Tiangong villa.
However, an old man in the yard of the villa opposite caught his attention.
"Just glimpsing the threshold of post-natal Ming Jin?"
Seeing the old man practicing in the yard, Zhou Yu stopped.
He didn't recognize this old man.
"Is this young man awestruck by my movements?"
As Zhou Yu stared at the old man, the old man also saw him.
But the old fellow assumed the youth was there to worship his majestic presence while he practiced his martial arts, hence his pause to watch.
The old man's name was Lin Weidong, an important figure in the Dragon Kingdom's military.
He had come to Yunhai City to assist War God Leng Xue in training the new recruits who had just joined the Dragon Group.
The selection of Dragon Group members had always been stringent. After becoming a new member, they were actually just reserve members, not official Dragon Group members.
If they failed the assessment at any point, the recruit would be expelled from the team at any time.
"It's alright, it's alright. Watch, you won't be able to learn it anyway. I just broke through to the Ming Jin threshold a couple of days ago, and there's a trace of true energy in my body. This trace alone is enough to make countless body-tempering martial artists go crazy. You won't be able to see anything special by looking."
Lin Weidong was somewhat smug at this moment.
He had started on the path of martial arts later than many ancient martial artists, but even so, he had reached the post-natal Ming Jin level at the age of sixty!
If one didn't consider his age, he indeed had the capital to be proud.
"Strange, the old man is practicing martial arts, why does he look so showy?"
The more Zhou Yu watched, the more he felt something was amiss.
The old man had been practicing well just moments ago, but as soon as he arrived, the former's boxing technique instantly became full of flaws.
"Should I remind him that practicing like this will cause the hard-earned true energy to dissipate bit by bit?"
Zhou Yu was somewhat conflicted.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally said loudly, "Old sir, if you continue with this set of boxing, your true energy will dissipate."
Upon hearing this.
Lin Weidong's wrinkled face was filled with astonishment.
True energy will dissipate?
Is this kid kidding me?
"Could he also understand ancient martial arts?"
The moment this thought arose, Lin Weidong stopped his movements.
He walked slowly to the edge of the yard wall and asked, "Are you a martial artist?"
"I should be," Zhou Yu replied modestly.
"What is your realm?"
"Uh... early... peak Ming Jin."
"Peak Ming Jin? You?"
Lin Weidong narrowed his eyes, completely disbelieving what Zhou Yu had said.
He had barely managed to touch the threshold of Ming Jin, and yet a young man he randomly encountered claimed to be at the peak of Ming Jin.
Wouldn't that make him look very bad?
No!
This kid is definitely spouting nonsense!
He's no peak Ming Jin master!
Do you really think martial arts masters are as common as cabbages on the street, that you can just grab one at random?