Jiangzhong City.
In the Tang Family's courtyard, a young man leaned on a crutch, a foolish smile on his face as he stared at a photo in his hand. He mumbled and stuttered like a simpleton.
"Sister, Sister..."
Suddenly, a jolt shot through him as if he were struck by lightning. The vacant look in his eyes sharpened, turning profound as countless memories flooded his mind. The simpleton stumbled and fell, frantically clutching his head.
"Ah!"
He trembled, unable to believe what was happening. Memories of his past unfolded like a film.
"Qin Long, I will take everything from you!"
"I will make you live like a lump of mud in the gutter!"
"I was going to take your life, but what could be more painful than barely clinging to it, wretched and hopeless?"
The figure in his memory stood with a foot on Qin Long's head, looking as if he were about to devour him.
My head hurts so much!
The young man's foolish gaze was replaced by an icy one.
He was Qin Long, once the young master of the Qin Family. After his family was annihilated, he was saved by the War God, Xiao Jiunan, who later took him in as a disciple. Fighting in countless campaigns alongside his master, he began his rigorous training at eight and first stepped onto the battlefield at twelve. He cheated death numerous times, earning great merit for his country. At eighteen, he was granted the title Heavenly Dragon and given command of the one-million-strong Heavenly Dragon Army on the southern border, becoming the Nine-Star Dragon Marshal, first among the four War Venerables.
In his final battle, Xiao Jiunan fell on the battlefield. Enraged, Qin Long charged into the enemy's heartland alone, battling forty-nine of their martial masters and slaying their leader. His name shook the world, and he reclaimed ninety-nine cities. While he lay unconscious from that near-fatal battle, his own senior martial brother launched a sneak attack, crippling his right leg and dealing a powerful blow to his head. This left him in a state of idiocy, his leg so shattered that he could only walk with a crutch.
Qin Long's eyes bulged, his lips bitten so hard they nearly drew blood. A fierce killing intent erupted from his gaze. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, making him look like a murderous demon.
Now that I've been given a second chance at life, I will take back everything I lost.
After composing himself, Qin Long closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked down at his right leg. He wanted to recover, to throw away the crutch, but after several attempts, he only ended up collapsing. He then took out a set of silver needles and inserted them into his acupoints, trying to move his leg.
The problem isn't too severe. The leg bone was just shattered. With time, I can find the right herbs to refine a medicinal pill. The damage to my meridians can be treated with acupuncture and will slowly heal.
Possessing peerless medical skills and mastery of pill refinement, Qin Long was incredibly confident he would gradually recover.
Looking around the narrow courtyard, memories flooded his mind. He had been a simpleton for three whole years, and now the recollections surged into his consciousness like a relentless tide.
"Is this the Tang Family's abandoned courtyard?" Qin Long muttered to himself.
The Tang Family's matriarch, Tang Rulan, was once a member of the powerful gentry who had donated her massive fortune, worth billions, to the nation. Enamored with Qin Long's status, she had pleaded many times to arrange a marriage between him and her granddaughter, Tang Xuewu. Although the family didn't know Qin Long's true background, they trusted Tang Rulan's judgment and rejoiced at the news. But their hopes of soaring to new heights were dashed when Qin Long was carried to their doorstep one day, covered in blood. After treatment, he was left not only a simpleton but also a cripple. With their dreams shattered and now burdened with caring for him, the family's joy turned to resentment. After Tang Rulan passed away from illness, the family declined from a first-rate power into an insignificant clan, and they directed all their bitterness at Qin Long. For years, he was subjected to humiliation and treated like a toad lusting after swan meat.
When Tang Xuewu was around, things were a bit better. When she wasn't, Qin Long was treated worse than a dog. Even the household servants dared to insult him at will. Only Tang Xuewu, the woman he thought of as his sister, truly cared for him.
Now that I've awakened, it's time to leave the Tang Family. If they are sensible, I will help them soar like dragons and phoenixes. If they dare to continue their wicked ways, I will plunge them into the abyss.
The mighty dragon had awakened.
Revenge must be taken.
Debts of gratitude must be repaid.
His master Xiao Jiunan was dead. His own martial brothers had acted so viciously against him. Now, here he was, barely clinging to life in the Tang Family's home, a picture of utter misery on his crutches.
Right, there's also Xiao Lingyue, the Deputy Marshal of the Heavenly Dragon Army. My master's youngest daughter.
Qin Long pondered for a moment, then leaned on his crutches and made his way to a phone booth. He dialed a number with the code 9998. He needed to know the current state of the Heavenly Dragon Army and everything that had happened in his absence.
"Hello, this is the Heavenly Dragon Army headquarters."
The voice on the other end was incredibly cold and deep, yet held a touch of sensuality, exuding an invisible aura of deterrence.
"Yue'er, it's Qin Long," he said, his voice tinged with excitement.
Xiao Lingyue was his junior sister, the person he trusted most. A true heroine, a rose in battle.
CLATTER!
The phone fell from Xiao Lingyue's hand.
"You're Brother... Long! This is wonderful, you're still alive!" Xiao Lingyue's voice became incredibly gentle, her excitement palpable.
"Can't you even recognize your big brother's voice?" Qin Long asked, taken aback for a moment before smiling.
There was a brief pause. Then, an icy voice came through.
"What kind of trash dares to impersonate the Dragon Marshal?"
"A cripple, a good-for-nothing, and you think you're worthy of calling me your little sister? How utterly laughable!"
Xiao Lingyue's voice was ice-cold, though a faint tremor was just barely perceptible within it. She then viciously hung up.
Qin Long's face turned ashen as he slowly lowered the receiver. First, his senior martial brother had ambushed him, leaving him in a state neither human nor ghost. Now, his childhood friend, Yue'er, had hurled such vicious words at him. His situation was utterly wretched.
Is this what they mean by 'how the tables have turned'?
Qin Long gazed into the distance, shaking his head with a resigned sigh.
「At the Southern Command of the Heavenly Dragon Army.」
A woman with an exceptionally athletic build set down her phone and covered her face with her hands, weeping uncontrollably. She had deliberately chosen a soundproof shower room, turning the faucet on full blast to muffle the sound.
"Brother Long, this is wonderful! I knew you weren't dead!"
Beneath the pounding water, the woman let out a series of hoarse cries, tears streaming from her beautiful eyes.