It was a surreal, almost unreal scene.
A young man, dressed casually, stood straight and tall upon a long sword glowing with purple-blue light.
Hands clasped behind his back, body unmoving like a mountain pine, he flashed past the cockpit window in an instant—
Like a banished immortal descending from the heavens.
"Captain, what's wrong?" The co-pilot noticed how shaken Shen Miaoyin looked and asked curiously.
"You didn't see it? Someone just flew past us—standing on a sword!"
"Flying on a sword?"
The co-pilot froze for a second, then gave a small laugh. "Captain, you're kidding, right? There's no such thing as sword flight in real life. That'd make him a god! You must be seeing things—you've been working too hard lately."
"You really didn't see it?"
Shen Miaoyin frowned slightly, her willow-shaped brows knitting together, a flicker of doubt in her almond eyes.
Could she have imagined it?
Impossible.
At twenty-two, she was already a captain—not just because of her top-tier education and exceptional physical fitness, but because of her sharp eyes. She trusted her vision.
And yet… sword flight? That was just too absurd.
When the co-pilot once again denied seeing anything, Shen Miaoyin started to wonder if she really had been mistaken. After all—eyes might deceive, but radar didn't. And radar had shown nothing. So, for now, she could only bury this bizarre incident in her heart.
⸻
"Someone actually saw me?"
Su Beichen was slightly surprised.
His sword flight speed was faster than an airplane—nearly a blur—so for anyone to spot him at all was unexpected.
Still, no big deal.
So what if someone saw?
Drifting among the clouds, Su Beichen stood thousands of meters above the ground, his clear eyes shimmering with light.
This was his Eye Technique—
Able to pierce through all illusions, to see truth itself. Similar to X-ray vision, but far more profound.
Through the endless sea of clouds, the entire city of Jinling spread out beneath him, every mountain and river in perfect detail.
He stood there like a god overlooking the world.
Four years of hardship—one day of ascension. Now he soared into the heavens, free and unbound!
His heart surged with emotion.
Four years.
Four long years!
He could finally go home.
⸻
The landscape blurred backward as he descended rapidly.
The Su Family—an old Jinling clan—had already been worth fifty million yuan four years ago. They even owned an entire mountain, complete with their private villa on top.
Born into wealth, Su Beichen had been the classic "golden boy." At sixteen, the line of girls chasing him could have circled their mansion twice, hand in hand.
When he landed, he found the scenery mostly unchanged.
The mountain was still there—lush and green, standing proudly amid the bustling city.
But the decorations were more lavish now: rare trees, ancient stones everywhere.
At the mountain gate, two pairs of stone lions stood tall and fierce. The carved sign above read Su Family Estate, the calligraphy bold and powerful. Two guards stood at attention by the gate, posture rigid—clearly the mark of a wealthy house.
"Looks like Mom and Dad have done well these past four years. Guess I can keep being a rich second-gen."
Su Beichen grinned crookedly and walked straight toward the entrance.
"Stop right there!"
No sooner had he approached than the two guards blocked his path.
"Who are you? Do you have an appointment with the Su Family?"
"Hmm, pretty diligent," Su Beichen said with a smile. "Who am I? I'm Su Beichen, the eldest son of the Su Family. Go tell my parents—their good son is back home!"
"The Su Family's eldest son?"
"Su Beichen?"
The two guards exchanged startled looks.
"You mean the Su Beichen?"
"Absolutely genuine."
"O-okay, please wait here!"
Everyone in the Su Family knew the young master had mysteriously disappeared four years ago. Now he'd suddenly shown up—of course the guards didn't dare take chances. One of them ran inside to report.
Three minutes later—
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of synchronized footsteps filled the air.
From the mountain path above, a crowd of over a hundred people came rushing down.
All in suits, sharp and polished.
They stopped in front of the gate, split neatly into two rows—like a rehearsed ceremony—bowed deeply, and shouted in unison:
"Welcome home, Young Master Su!"
"Welcome home, Young Master Su!"
At that moment, down the central path came a figure Su Beichen knew all too well—
His elder brother, Su Beilie.
Su Beilie, now twenty-four, had changed little since four years ago, except that the once-slender young man now looked strong, broad-shouldered, almost burly. Even his suit couldn't hide his thick muscles.
"Little brother—it's really you!!!"
Su Beilie rushed forward, eyes brimming with emotion. "You're finally back!"
He pulled Su Beichen into a bear hug.
Though Su Beilie and their younger sister, Su Yan, were adopted, the three had grown up together, their bond as close as blood.
"Four years…"
Su Beilie looked him up and down, eyes misty. "Where have you been all this time? Thank god you're back!"
"Brother, it's a long story—"
Before he could finish, Su Beilie patted his chest. "A long story can wait. Come on, let's go home. I'll show you around—the place has changed a lot since you left."
"Where are Mom, Dad, and Grandpa? And little sister? Why aren't they here?"
Su Beichen frowned. With how his parents and sister used to dote on him, they should've been the first to rush out. Why only his brother?
"Well…"
Su Beilie hesitated briefly. "You'll know soon enough. Come—I'll take you through the estate first."
He waved a hand, and the guards brought over a sleek car.
They climbed in, cruising slowly up the private road of the Su Family estate, a formation of bodyguards jogging alongside like an escort detail.
"Take a look, little brother. The Su estate's doubled in size since you left. That's the garden, over there's the gym, and that side's an artificial lake we had excavated. The Su Family's holdings have grown fivefold. We now own major shares in three publicly listed companies—total assets close to ten billion."
Pride gleamed in Su Beilie's eyes.
Su Beichen listened quietly, uninterested.
"Brother, I only want to know—what happened to Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and Yan."
The moment he said that, Su Beilie fell silent, the air in the car suddenly heavy.
After a long pause, he finally said, his tone low and grave:
"You'll find out soon enough…"
Then he turned to look out the window, saying nothing more.
A chill crept through Su Beichen's heart.
Somehow, he had a very bad feeling.