"I wonder if Xinnian has broken through to the Nascent Soul realm yet."
On the streets of Northguard City, Su Chen, clad in a grey robe, weaved through the bustling market, muttering to himself,
"I never expected Senior Sister and Xinnian to actually get married.
I've been adventuring in the Northern Border all these years; it's a pity I couldn't make it back for their wedding or even send a gift.
But, hehe, I won't have to call her 'Senior Sister' anymore. I should be calling her 'Younger Sister-in-law' now, hahaha!"
This kind of muttering caused the passersby around him to recoil, looking at him as if they were seeing a madman.
But Su Chen paid them no mind, simply continuing to murmur to himself to relieve the loneliness of over thirty years of solitary adventuring.
Soaking in the bustle of life around him, he digested the recent family news from the past few decades that he had received via the family Dharma Treasure, the Shadow Nest's Dark Crow, after just emerging from an Ancient Secret Realm.
"Need vast resources to refine a secret treasure capable of breaking through to the Void Refining realm...
The entire family is scouring the world for resources...
Xinnian has become the Family Head...
Adoptive Father's children have also been born—Li Xinri and Li Zhijing?
I shall go take a look at my sworn younger brother and niece."
With those words, he vanished from where he stood.
Weaving through the sea of people, Su Chen found himself in a stone gambling arena. But upon seeing the scene ahead, Su Chen's brow furrowed tightly.
"Smash it! Smash it all for me! Don't think I can't tell—ninety-nine percent of what you put out in this stone gambling arena is just to scam people.
Damn it, trying to scam me? You really are blind in your dog eyes!"
"Brothers, get them! Let them see that we scions of the aristocratic families of Northguard City are not people that trash like them can provoke!
If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility!"
"What? Who am I? Grand Tutor Lin Jiu is my grandfather!
When I was born, Grandpa said that as vast as the heavens and earth are, I am the greatest!
Could your backer possibly be bigger than the Grand Tutor? Piss off!"
"Waaah!"
The sound of a child crying rang out, and the arrogant shouting grew even louder.
"You scared my daughter! Death Row! Send them to Death Row for me!"
"..."
Standing on a rooftop two streets away, Su Chen fell silent.
He looked at the handsome young man in the stone gambling arena, holding a child and bossing everyone around with the aggressive air of a profligate scion.
If he guessed correctly, this was his little sworn brother.
At this moment, this little brother of his was ordering people to strip the stone gambling arena clean, sweeping everything into his storage ring.
It was truly a case of plucking every feather from a passing goose.
That wretched, sleazy smile—he could practically hear it from streets away.
Generally speaking, if he ran into this kind of person, he would beat them to death right on the street.
"This kid... this... I..."
Su Chen stood on the rooftop for a moment, at a loss for what to do.
He didn't know whether he should give Li Xinri a beating to teach him a lesson, or join Li Xinri in beating and robbing people right on the street.
After a long while, once Li Xinri had finally finished his farce, only then did Su Chen rub his forehead, fly down in front of Li Xinri, and prepare to speak.
But then a shrill scream rang in his ears as Li Xinri stared at him in terror.
"Assassin! Guards! Protect me!"
"Sigh." His chest heaving unconsciously, Su Chen let out a long breath.
Thirty-odd years of life in a secret realm hadn't made him feel as exhausted as this brief moment of meeting Li Xinri.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
As Su Chen retracted the spiritual power of his Roaming Dragon Nascent Soul, Li Xinri's group of lackeys scattered to the sides.
The spirit tablet with the character "Li" hanging at Su Chen's waist swayed, causing the cultivators hiding in the shadows to refrain from making a move.
For a moment, Li Xinri and Su Chen stood face to face, staring at each other in awkward silence.
In Li Xinri's arms, Li Zhijing sucked on her thumb, her large eyes wide as she gazed timidly at this stranger.
The look in the eyes of both father and daughter was surprisingly identical, as if they had been caught doing something wrong.
"It seems Adoptive Father is truly overwhelmed with affairs in the Northern Border and has been somewhat lax in disciplining you."
The stranger's words made Li Xinri breathe a sigh of relief; it seemed he wasn't an assassin.
He instantly recalled the adopted son, Su Chen, whom First Mother had mentioned, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He caught a glimpse of the stone gambling arena boss who had just been beaten and was now fleeing. "Big Brother, quick! That bastard is running away!"
"Ya ya ya!" Li Zhijing also reached out her chubby little hand to follow suit.
But Su Chen ignored Li Xinri's shouting, merely knitting his brows tightly.
"Now that I'm back, it's a good time to straighten out that dissolute character of yours."
Hearing this, Li Xinri's eyes grew wider and wider.
"Guards! Guards! Assassin!"
He turned around and ran for his life.
...
Li Wei watched the unruly Li Xinri and couldn't help but put a hand to his forehead.
The family had existed for over five hundred years, yet he never expected such an oddball to appear. However, Li Wei didn't blame him too much.
The clansmen all had their own affairs to attend to, and the Northern Border was far away.
Li Xinghuo's family situation was truly complex; every family has a difficult scripture to read, and Li Xinghuo's little family was probably one of the harder ones.
"I can only hope Su Chen can straighten out Xinri's character."
An image of the little baby, Li Zhijing, mimicking her father's behavior, appeared in Li Wei's mind, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch.
"Who the hell teaches a child like that?"
In the blink of an eye, several more hours passed.
Li Wei was overjoyed as text in the event log on the computer screen came into view.
[Li Xinghuo's adopted son, Su Chen, has rushed back to Eternal Sun Prefecture from the Northern Border.
During over thirty years of training in the Northern Border, he found a secret ground left by an ancient expert. Knowing the family needs vast resources, he has sent back a gift for the family...]
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