Central Plains, Kaifeng.
A middle-aged man wearing light autumn clothes and a baseball cap bought a ticket at the scenic area's ticket window, then passed through the tall city gate and entered this ancient city filled with historical atmosphere.
In Kaifeng, there is an old saying: "Kaifeng city, city stacked upon city, several cities buried underground."
Due to the silt deposition of that ethnic mother river, the downstream riverbed has been elevated, and in many areas, the riverbed is even higher than the city. Therefore, whenever the river floods, sediment will submerge the entire city.
Later generations rebuilt the city on the ruins, and the phenomenon of city stacked upon city appeared.
The ancient cities have long been buried deep underground, becoming part of the long history. The current Kaifeng city is newly built by later generations and does not actually have much historical atmosphere.
The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze caressed his face. The middle-aged man strolled through the unfamiliar ancient city, eventually stopping near a secluded pond with willow trees and a covered bridge.
"How do you feel revisiting this old place?"
A figure rose from the water. Its body was composed of flowing water, its face was blurred, and its body below the waist was hidden in the water.
There were not many tourists nearby, only a few scattered individuals, who ignored the person in the pond, as if they didn't see him.
The middle-aged man in the baseball cap stared at the person in the pond, his eyes flashing with madness, and he chuckled:
"If the Emperor had helped me refine my divine skill back then, I could have extended my life by two hundred years. With the environment at that time, I would have been invincible. How dare those northern barbarians disturb my Central Plains? The demise of the Great Song Dynasty is gratifying."
The water body in the pond slowly said:
"What about your good disciple? Why didn't she take action back then?"
The Chunyang Headmaster sneered: "The Chunyang Sect emphasizes following destiny. Observing the stars, understanding all things, but only able to be bystanders, unable to use the power of a single person to stop the operation of heaven and earth, one should follow the trend."
"My good disciple is pedantic and foolish, preferring to watch the dynasty disintegrate rather than intervene."
"Of course, I used to be so pedantic as well."
After saying this, he stared at the person in the pond with his hidden madness: "Why is the Dark Night Rose helping me?"
The person in the water smiled:
"Because you have enough potential. You are not constrained by moral values and can act recklessly in the real world. This is what we envy most."
"I have no interest in destroying the world," the Chunyang Headmaster said coldly. "Tell the truth!"
The person in the water shrugged:
"This is my truth. If I were not constrained by moral values, I could play those official The Way of the Extraordinary to death."
"Of course, the Grand Guardian may have another deeper meaning. You are also a Night Wanderer, and you know that your profession is mystical, taking one step and looking ten steps ahead. Outsiders cannot know your true thoughts."
The Chunyang Headmaster was silent for a moment and said:
"What is the matter for asking me to meet?"
He did not care what the Dark Night Rose's purpose was. As long as it could truly help him restore his cultivation, that was the most important thing.
"The Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance may take action recently. The Grand Guardian can no longer see clearly your destiny because the enemy is Elder Hongying, who is also protected by Taiyin." The figure in the water slowly said:
"When extraordinary powers cancel each other out, it is a contest of intelligence and cunning, and you are best at this."
The Chunyang Headmaster chuckled: "They are being played by me."
"The Grand Guardian also said that in the near future, you may need your help." The figure in the water thought for a moment and said in a strange tone:
"The leader observed the celestial phenomena and told the Grand Guardian that someone is watching the leader."
"The one from the Taiyi Sect?"
"No, it's not him. If it were him, we wouldn't need to care. How can ants interfere in the battles of gods? But the leader only saw the fluctuations in his own destiny but did not see the opponent clearly."
The Chunyang Headmaster said: "If conditions permit, I will take action."
After a pause, he added:
"The little girl from the Taiyi Sect, her aura is thick and pure. I like her very much. If the Dark Night Rose can help me devour her, I will repay you."
"Yin Ji... Heh, if the Demon Lord were still alive, I would advise you not to touch her."
The half-human figure formed by water smiled, "By the way, there is one more thing. Recently, don't kill the illusionists of the Southern School. They can tolerate you killing extraordinary illusionists, but Saints are the backbone of every organization. If you continue, the Southern School is likely to join forces with the Taiyi Sect."
The madness in the Chunyang Headmaster's eyes increased sharply, and he said coldly: "Are you teaching me what to do?"
"This is advice! Never mind, you're a madman who won't listen to reason."
After saying this, he collapsed into water droplets and fell into the pond.
Fu Family Bay.
A spacious and luxurious study.
Fu Qingyang sat behind his desk, staring at the phone in front of him. The speakerphone was on, and a woman's sharp voice came from the speaker:
"Fu Qingyang, is this how you take care of Guan Ya? When did she get a boyfriend? Why didn't you tell me?"
"The marriage is a decision made by the clan elders. Do you want to defy the clan elders too?"
"You better not defy the clan elders. Without the support of the Fu family, you will never get into the Five Elements Alliance headquarters."
Fu Qingyang calmly picked up his cup and drank water, listening to his elder's scolding with a calm expression.
When the overwhelming roar stopped, he said calmly and indifferently:
"I am not your subordinate and have no obligation to report to you. Guan Ya is your daughter, not my daughter. What does it have to do with me that she has a boyfriend? I am not her guardian."
The woman on the other end heard her nephew's indifferent reply, and the anger in her heart soared again. If it hadn't been for Fu Qingyang protecting Guan Ya back then, could she have avoided trouble in Songhai?
Now he was saying "What does it have to do with me?" It was simply shameless. The next round of scolding followed, but before she could say a few words, Fu Qingyang coldly interrupted:
"Enough, you are my aunt, so I can tolerate you for ten minutes, and only ten minutes."
The phone call just happened to reach 10:00 when he finished speaking this sentence.
The voice on the other end of the phone faltered. She was indeed very wary of this nephew. Not to mention her, even the clan elders were wary of this kid.
However, compared to being wary, the clan elders were more looking forward to his growth. That group of old guys was like this. As long as you showed enough ability and talent, not to mention throwing a knife in front of them, even if you rode on their heads and shat and pissed, the elders would say with a smile:
"Well done!"
The old guys were pragmatic and indifferent. They only believed in the rule of the jungle.
As for Fu Qingyang, as long as he didn't rebel, the clan elders would tolerate him infinitely. This tolerance made Fu Qingyang even more unruly, but the elders in the family were helpless.
After a few seconds, the woman said with gritted teeth:
"Who is her boyfriend?"
If Guan Ya's boyfriend was just an ordinary person, then it didn't matter, she could just get rid of him casually.
If he was a The Way of the Extraordinary, it would depend on his identity.
Different identities had different handling methods.
She wouldn't look up to an ordinary deacon or a descendant of a The Way of the Extraordinary family, and it wouldn't be difficult to break them up.
She was just afraid that Guan Ya would find an older man with power and influence.
For the Fu family, the marriage of high-quality descendants in the family was strictly planned and involved the family's development direction, plans, etc.
It wasn't just anyone with power and influence that would do.
For example, if the Fu family wanted to enter the internet industry and therefore married a giant in that industry, but you married a coal boss from Jin Province, forget about it.
Fu Qingyang said:
"Yuanshi Tianzun!"
After these four words were spoken, there was a dead silence on the other end of the phone. Fu Qingyang picked up the phone and hung up.
He looked at the two people who were craning their necks and eavesdropping on the excitement in front of his desk and said coldly:
"Finished listening?"
Zhang Yuanqing and Ling Jun retracted their heads. The former sighed: "The mother-in-law is so fierce, I already want to fly over and beat her up."
He had just returned from Jin City. Having tasted the sweetness, he wanted to impart his knowledge to his girlfriend, but he was summoned by Fu Qingyang on the way with a phone call.
He said that the list of Qin Feng Academy had been compiled.
So he detoured to the study and happened to hear this scene.
He didn't like Guan Ya's mother's voice very much. It wasn't that it wasn't pleasant, but it was too strong, and her tone was very similar to Chen Shu's, both with a trace of self-importance that would brook no refusal.
The only difference was that although Chen Shu was an incompetent mother, that was all she was.
She still cared about her son, just not much.
Ling Jun waved his hand:
"That won't do. With your level, going to the Fu family is like walking into a trap. Guan Ya's mother is like that, an old shrew of twenty years of quality, but she looks pretty good."
"Of course, you can tell by looking at Guan Ya." Zhang Yuanqing knew what his mother-in-law looked like.
Fu Qingyang's mouth twitched. "Although I don't like this aunt, isn't it too rude to comment on her in front of me?"
Zhang Yuanqing quickly said: "Boss, will she cause me trouble?"
"Yes!" Fu Qingyang got up from his desk and walked towards the wine cabinet while saying:
"You can regard the Miller family's marriage as a project worth hundreds of billions of federal coins. The people in charge of the project are Guan Ya's parents, and the investors are the Fu family and the Miller family."
"If this deal is successful, they will get huge commissions."
He unscrewed the lid of the wine, poured himself a small glass, took a sip, and looked at Yuanshi Tianzun:
"Now that you've ruined it, do you think they'll make trouble for you?"
Ling Jun nodded vigorously and echoed from the side:
"You've indeed ruined Guan Ya, and you have nothing but so-called potential. No power, no assets. No wonder her parents won't agree."
Fu Qingyang gave him a cold look and looked back at Zhang Yuanqing:
"The official identity is a very good umbrella. At most, she will use the power in her hands to suppress you within the rules, and then negotiate with you."
"She won't easily choose assassination."
Assassination... Zhang Yuanqing frowned. It would be outrageous if this kind of thing happened to ordinary people, where the mother-in-law hired someone to kill her son-in-law because she was dissatisfied.
But it was common in big families.
Once it involved huge interests and power, ethics and morality became decorations. This has been the case since ancient times.
"What if she assassinates me?" Zhang Yuanqing said.
Fu Qingyang said lightly: "Assassinating official personnel is a capital crime!"
Zhang Yuanqing knew that this was Qian Gongzi's attitude.
He immediately felt relieved.
Fu Qingyang walked back to his desk, took out a folder, and handed it over:
"All the training lists since the establishment of Qin Feng Academy are here."
Zhang Yuanqing's heart was filled with excitement.
Afternoon, Wuhen Hotel.
Little Fatty parked his electric bike, returned to the hotel, greeted Xiao Yuan at the front desk, and hurried towards the interior of the hotel.
"What happened?" Xiao Yuan looked at the hotel door and asked in a flat tone.
She was always cold and indifferent and didn't like to smile. That cold and beautiful aura was like a plum blossom in the twelfth lunar month.
"I just saw Yuanshi Tianzun," Little Fatty stopped and said, "The Taiyi Sect seems to want to cooperate with the Southern School. He is the lead, and I will report this to the Great Elder."
Xiao Yuan's delicate eyebrows frowned. "He came to Jin City?"
"Yes! He has already returned to Songhai."
After saying this, Little Fatty, as an illusionist, sensed a strong displeasure surging in Xiao Yuan's body, which then subsided.
The plum blossom looked even colder, and she said "Oh" coldly!
So the boss's worries were right... Little Fatty stared at her a few times. His boss, Kou Beiyue, said that this old woman, Xiao Yuan, had something going on with this kid, Yuanshi Tianzun.
He was very worried that Xiao Yuan would be snatched away by Yuanshi Tianzun.
Little Fatty thought at the time that it was going to rain and the mother was going to marry, and you couldn't stop it.
He definitely wouldn't dare to say this, or he would be beaten to a pulp by the Enchanting Demon (Fire Master).
As an illusionist, Kou Beiyue's emotions were like a LAN without a password in his eyes, and he could access them whenever he wanted.
But Xiao Yuan's emotions were very restrained, and it was difficult to capture them without using skills.
He used to be skeptical of what the boss said, but now he believed it.
Before Xiao Yuan could give him a cold glare, Little Fatty slipped into the interior of the hotel and took the elevator back to his room.
He took out a high-tech black helmet and walked to the bed, put on the helmet, and lay down on the bed.
After passing through a bizarre and hazy void, his consciousness appeared in a dream palace.
Sixteen thick stone pillars supported the dome of the palace, and a scarlet carpet extended from the palace gate, ending at a golden throne.
A six-meter-tall figure sat on the throne, draped in a cloak, and inside the cloak was a twisted and flickering dark light.
"Greetings, Great Elder!"
Little Fatty knelt on the ground and said, "The mission you gave me has feedback. Yuanshi Tianzun just sought me out."