Magic doctor ceo lady's humble husband - A novel reading online. Synopsis : Fade Chen, who came down from Tianwu Mountain, had a miraculous medical skill that could cure all kinds of diseases. His martial arts skills were unrivaled. Read the full story fr....
Previous Chapters from Here (1696-1710)
Chapter 1711 The positive energy of the black shadow was as strong as Donnigan's; he was also a Martial Arts Master in the middle stage of the Heaven Level. He was the old guardian of the Zhao family, Carrington, who was also in the middle stage of the Heaven Level. Both Martial Arts Masters moved and instantly attacked Fade from both sides. The momentum of the two martial artists at the middle stage of the Heaven Level was a lot stronger than the two martial artists at the early stage of Heaven Level. Under the attack from both sides, the momentum was so strong that it was as if the Zhao family's living room would be overturned. Facing attacks from the two martial artists, Fade was still fearless. He stood still as if he was a statue of the god of war, and waved his fists towards them. "You're courting death, you b*stard!" They gritted their teeth and roared. Their momentum grew even more intense, and they were filled with fierce killing intent as they charged murderously towards him. Their positive energy surged and stirred the air, forming two whirlpools in the air, like two miniature cyclones, The two cyclones were rotating in opposite directions, like two huge biting gears on a machine which kept rotating, trying to pull everything in their surroundings to crush them. Fade was the one in the middle of the two huge gears, feeling the pressure of it getting closer and closer. He was about to be destroyed in the middle of that giant meat grinder. Such a situation caused the Zhao family to be overjoyed and they cheered one by one. "Master Zhao's move is indeed amazing!" "Master Zhao, you're awesome!" "Master Carrington is also extraordinary, he is indeed the old guardian of our Zhao Family "Both of them are powerful. Under their joint attack, even a martial artist in the late stage of Heaven Level would be troubled, not to mention this brat." "Look, that brat is going to be minced into meat stuffing." "This is what he get for offending our Zhao family!" With excited laughter, the Zhao family seemed to have seen the dawn of victory shining on them. However, Fade gave a cold snort and a thick layer of positive energy condensed on his hands. He then stretched out his arms and he looked as if he was going to grab the two gear-sized cyclones like steel pincers. When Donnigan and Carrington saw this, they couldn't help but snort, and their faces were full of sneers. "You're courting death! You are actually using your hands to grab two Heaven Level middle stage martial artists' attacks at the same time!" "Kill him!" Along with the voice, ferocious smiles appeared on their faces. With crazy killing intent, they controlled their cyclones which roared towards Fade like a meat grinder. Fade, who was in the middle, was about to be crushed by the two cyclones, but at this moment, he stretched out his arms and grabbed the two cyclones. A large sound was produced which reverberated through the surroundings. The spinning attack suddenly stopped, as if the machine was stuck and it paused immediately. In an instant, Donnigan and Carrington could not help but look surprised. "How is this possible?" *Our attacks were blocked by his hands." "Put more force on him! Crush him!" Carrington had more combat experience, so he was the first to react from his surprise and he quickly reminded Donnigan. Donnigan came to his senses. He gritted his teeth and forced out his positive energy, increasing the strength of his cyclone, as if he wanted arm into pieces. eak They exerted their strength, trying to break him apart. Fade's eyes were full of anger. He shouted loudly and exerted his strength, pulling them up as his hands grabbed the cyclones. Donnigan and Carrington immediately felt their bodies become light and then they were lifted into the air, forming a huge arc in the air. Then, with a huge impact, they fell heavily onto the floor of the hall. This was followed by another loud sound. Two loud bangs sounded like an explosion. Their strong positive energy spread out, blasting two huge holes in the hard floor. Donnigan and Carringotn laid at the bottom of the hole with their clothes in tatters. Their breaths were weak and their bodies were motionless. It was obvious that they had suffered heavy injuries. At this moment, the Zhao family members who were preparing to celebrate the victory were stunned. They looked at this scene in disbelief and their faces were full of astonishment. "Master Zhao and Master Carrington have lost!" "This, this can't be true!" "Two martial artists at the middle stage of the Heaven Level attacked together and they still lost. Just how strong is Fade?" "Moreover, they lost so quickly. How did he do that?" "Is our Zhao family really going to be over?" For a moment, all the people of the Zhao family were panic-stricken and shocked. Fade lowered his arms and put his hands behind his back. He looked coldly at the people of the Zhao Family and shouted, "Hand over Quin!" "I don't know where Quin is. Our Zhao family doesn't... One of the Zhao family members stepped out and denied. After hearing what he said, Fade gave him a hard look and slapped him at the same time, "If you don't know, then you are useless." In an instant, with a "smack" sound, the man who had spoken was covered in blood. His bones were broken and he fell to the ground, almost lifeless. With such a fierce attack, the other members of the Zhao family were so scared that their faces turned pale and their bodies began to tremble. "If you don't hand her over, I'll beat your Zhao family to death one by one, Fade said coldly. The rest of them looked at each other with fear on their faces. Seeing his face getting colder and colder, someone couldn't stand it and looked at Ingram anxiously and urged, "Mr. Ingram, it's already over. Please hand her over!" The moment someone took the lead, the rest of the people started to urge him. "Ingram, Master Zhao and Master Carrington have both been defeated. We're no match for him. Hand her over quickly." "That's right. At this moment, there's no point in being tough and holding on!" "Ingram, do you really want to see the destruction of our Zhao family?" Listening to the crowd's words, Ingram, who was sitting in a wheelchair at the moment, had an expression that was as dark as charcoal. His heart was filled with anxiety, anger, and helplessness. He also wanted to hand her over to Fade and send him away as soon as possible. Otherwise, if this guy got angry and slapped him to death with one hit, he would have died for nothing. However, it was a pity that Donnigan had personally ordered his men to secretly kidnap Quin. Only he and his men knew about the secrets. As his son, he only knew about this matter but not the specific situation. Therefore, Ingram could only force a smile and explain, "I... I don't know where Quin is either." At the end of his words, he saw Fade's face sink and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, "Although I don't know, I will be able to find her. My house has some secret bases. I can send people to look for them one by one and they will be able to find her soon." With that, he took out his phone and was about to call someone.
Chapter 1712 However, at this time, a loud old voice sounded, "Put down your phone! When has my Zhao family become so weak?" Upon hearing the voice, Ingram was taken aback for a moment before he turned his head to look towards the source of the voice. An elderly man with silver hair, dressed in a martial arts suit, walked over proudly with his hands behind his back. At the sight of him, Ingram and the rest of the Zhao family were first stunned, then they were overjoyed and shouted one after another. "Grandpa, you're out of seclusion." "Master Elijah is out." "Master Elijah is here. Our Zhao family can be saved." "That Fade, I want to see how arrogant he can be. He will definitely be slapped to death by Master Elijah." "Of course. Our old master is a martial artist in the Late Stage of the Heaven Level, the eighth on the Divine Dragon List." In jubilation, Elijah looked at Fade and said in a low voice, "Young man, you have gone too far." Fade looked at the man in front of him coldly. He was not afraid at all. He snorted and said, "Too far? If you don't hand over the person I want, killing your Zhao family is nothing for me." "Young man, you're too proud." Elijah's aged eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing his words. "Since our country was established, we have been Capital City's guardian family. Martial arts have thrived and talented people have come out in succession, but today, you have actually humiliated my Zhao family. Have you ever thought about the consequences?" Elijah shouted in a deep voice and glared at him with his eyes fiercely. Fade snorted coldly, "I don't care how glorious your Zhao family is. If you don't hand over my wife, Quin, today, you can wait for the destruction of your whole family!" "You son of a b*tch, how dare you be so arrogant in front of me? It seems that if I don't teach you a lesson, you don't know how to be respectful," Elijah snorted coldly and stepped forward. In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall changed drastically. A fierce and secretive killing intent filled the entire hall. Everyone seemed to feel as if their skin was wrapped with a sharp stinging sensation. It was as if they made a slight move, their body would be penetrated by the sharp energy and they would die instantly. At the very moment when the energy broke out, Elijah also stepped out and walked towards Fade step by step. With his pace, the fierce energy in the room formed a funnel and converged towards Fade from all directions. The positive energy converged like countless tiny steel needles, shot towards him in a dense formation and was just about to pierce through Fade's heart. "Go to hell!" Elijah waved his hands and a burst of positive energy broke out. Fade looked at him coldly, condensed his positive energy, and punched out at the exit of the funnel. In an instant, the countless tiny needle-like energy that was created by Elijah was shattered by Fade's punch. The positive energy was scattered and quickly dissipated. "Uh..." Seeing this scene, even Elijah couldn't help but be shocked. His aged face revealed a surprised expression. However, he then snorted coldly and coldly said, "Little brat, you do have some power. However, that's all. Take this move of mine. If you can block it again, then I will change my surname to the one same as yours." Fade sneered and stepped forward, "You don't deserve to have the same surname as mine!" At the same time, his index finger and middle finger of his right hand reached out, and his finger became a sword. He shot out a stream of strength and condensed energy on his two fingers. With a whistling sound, he struck out like lightning towards Elijah. This action was extremely fast, and with a thunder-like momentum, it had arrived in front of him. Elijah did not expect Fade's attack to be so fierce. He was slightly shocked, but then quickly ran his positive energy to form a shield and block his attack. At the same time, Elijah put his left hand behind him. A dark red ball of energy began to condense and turn into a small cross dart. He was ready to block Fade's attack and launch a fatal attack against him at the same time. As the virtual sword chopped down, Elijah stretched out his right hand to block it. The cross dart in his left hand was also condensed to the top of momentum, ready to burst out at any time. Boom! With a loud sound, their energies collided. Elijah's eyes turned fierce, and he stretched out his left hand, ready to launch this fatal attack. However, at this moment, he suddenly felt a cracking sound in his right hand, followed by a sharp pain. He was completely focused on the cross darts, only to find at this moment that the shield formed on his right hand had actually been cut through by Fade's virtual sword. The momentum was too overwhelming for him to bear. Putting aside the fact that the virtual sword had broken Elijah's shield with a single sword strike, it continued forward and pointed towards his chest. Elijah, who had sensed the danger, had no time to launch his attack. He quickly retreated to the side, trying to avoid this virtual sword. Although his reaction was very fast, it was still a little late. When he dodged, the sword that had been aiming at his chest cut off his right arm. In an instant, half of his right arm fell to the ground with a flash of blood. Elijah's face turned pale. His left hand quickly tapped a few times on the wound on his right arm to stop the gushing blood. At the same time, he retreated instantly to keep his distance from Fade, and his face darkened. Elijah was shocked. He didn't think of this at all. As for the other Zhao family members, their eyes were filled with shock. They never thought that such a thing would happen. "Is, is this true? Master Elijah's arm was cut in half by that brat." "Master Elijah was defeated? This is impossible!" "What is Fade's martial arts level? Is he even more powerful than Master Elijah at the late stage of the Heaven Level?" "No, it's impossible. I don't believe it!" It wasn't just the juniors who didn't believe it. Even Elijah himself was looking at Fade with a frown, and a grim look in his eyes. There was absolutely no mistake in his action just now, and he even made some effort. However, in the face of Fade's move, he had no time to dodge at all. That was the pure difference in the level. "Could this brat be that powerful? Even stronger than me?" He thought to himself, but he found it hard to believe, "He's not even thirty years old yet. Could it be that he's already reached the late stage of Heaven Level, or even the peak of Heaven Level? How is this possible?" Just as Elijah was still immersed in his shock, Fade once again stepped out and approached him. Feeling the fierce and murderous pressure, the wrinkles on Elijah's face deepened. He knew that if he continued to fight with Fade, he would be more and more passive, and eventually he would be killed. Therefore, he must stop fighting immediately. Thinking of this, he looked at Fade and shouted, "If you want your wife to be safe, you must stop right now."
Chapter 1713 Hearing this, Fade's face darkened. He glared at Elijah, gritted his teeth and said, "If anything happens to my wife, I will tear your Zhao family into pieces. Elijah ignored his threat and continued in a cold voice, "Stop now, or I can't guarantee that there won't be any problems with your wife. "How dare you!" Fade was furious. He shouted and hit him with his palm. The palm fueled by anger rumbled like a mountain falling on him. The huge shockwave shattered some of the weak walls in the hall, and the whole hall was left teetering. The Zhao family's faces turned pale with fear as they tried to dodge Fade's attack. Elijah, on the other hand, gritted his teeth. He stood where he was and took no action, nor did he have any intention of dodging. He looked up at Fade and said coldly, "You can kill me, or even all the people in my Zhao family, but in that case, your wife will be dead for sure. You'd better think about whether you want to kill me or not." Upon hearing his words, Fade felt his heart skip a beat. His palm stopped above his head and did not continue to land. Putting away his positive energy, Fade looked at him coldly and said in a low volce, "Hand over my wife, and I will spare your Zhao family this time." Elijah looked at him and said, "That's not enough." "Not enough?" Fade's face darkened and he looked at Elijah with anger. He almost wanted to smash him into pieces, but he held back his anger and said, "What else do you want?" Elijah thought for a while and said, "The Professor Song treason incident, Filex was sacrificed innocently." Hearing this, Fade's eyes narrowed slightly, revealin a cold feeling. He looked coldly at Elijah and said, 'You want me to take the blame for Filex and your Zhao family? Elijah said, "My Zhao family has been the guardian family for decades, and I will not allow the name of treason to be related to my family in any case." "Then I should be the one?" Fade shouted coldly. Elijah looked at him and said, "Mr. Chen, you are strong. Besides, except for your wife, you can be regarded as someone who's alone. Even if you bear the name of a traitor, I believe that you can leave smoothly and find another place to live." "However, my Zhao family is different. Once we bear this name of treason, we will not be able to go anywhere. I hope you can understand my difficulties, Mr. Chen." Fade stared at him for a while. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Okay, I agree to this condition. However, I won't admit that I'm a traitor Hearing this, Elijah laughed and said, "Mr. Chen, you don't need to worry about this. After you have your wife, you can leave directly. I'll take care of the rest." Hearing his familiar tone, Fade felt a little sick. He had come up with the scene that after he left, the Zhao family would push all the blame to him. However, compared to Quin, these were no longer important. He saw Elijah's mouth moving, as if he was about to say something. Fade said coldly, "I've already made enough concessions. If your Zhao Family still wants more, don't blame me for being rude." Hearing this, Elijah laughed and said, "Mr. Chen, you have misunderstood me. I don't have any other requirements. "If not, then hand over my wife. Fade coldly shouted. Elijah nodded, then turned around and called over a servant of the Zhao family, giving him instructions. After a while, two men came out with an unconscious woman. Fade fixed his eyes and found that it was Quin. He couldn't help but rush over. However, Elijah was closer. He stood in front of Quin, blocking Fade's way, and said, "Mr. Chen, why are you in such a hurry?" "I've agreed to your conditions, hand her over now," Fade said coldly. Elijah shook his head and said, "Mr. Chen, you are very powerful. I dare not hand her over to you now. If you regret it after getting her, my Zhao family will have no place to complain." "Since I've agreed, I won't go back on my word; Fade said coldly. Elijah's attitude was still firm, "You can't prove it with words." "What on earth do you want?" Fade's eyes were a little gloomy. Elijah narrowed his eyes and said, "Mr. Chen, you are so powerful that our family dare not take risks! So, for the sake of safety, I would like you to take a hit from me without guarding your lower abdomen." As he spoke, a strong positive energy converged on Elijah's palm. The momentum was extraordinary. Seeing this, Fade's face was so cold that it was a little scary, "Elijah, don't go too far." Even if Fade took Elijah's one move without defense in his lower abdomen, his Dantian abdomen would be destroyed and his strength would be greatly reduced. For a martial artist, this was an important matter that was comparable to death. Elijah smiled and said to Fade, "Mr. Chen, I have no choice! Mr. Chen, you are too strong, so my Zhao family has to guard against you!" "It's impossible!" Fade shook his head firmly. If his Dantian abdomen was destroyed and his strength was greatly reduced, then there would be no more threats to the Zhao family. Whether Elijah would let Quin and him go or not, he could do nothing about it, he would not have the slightest ability to resist. This was something Fade would never allow. Hearing this, Elijah smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Chen, if you don't agree, my Zhao family will be in a very difficult position!" "If I can't guarantee our safety, it's hard for me to let her go!" While speaking, Elijah looked back and winked. Behind him, the two men that supported Quin took out a sharp dagger and placed it against her neck. "How dare you!" Seeing this, Fade was furious. With a loud shout, the positive energy on his body surged. Elijah's body shook and his face turned pale, but then, he steadied himself and gestured to his men behind him. Instantly, the dagger on Quin's neck exerted a bit of force. A line of blood instantly appeared on her fair neck. Elijah gritted his teeth and glared at Fade. He said, "Mr. Chen, you'd better make your decision as soon as possible. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that their hands won't shake!" "You..." Fade was furious at this moment. His eyes were filled with killing intent as he looked at Elijah. At this moment, he finally understood what was going on. Elijah, the cunning fox, had no intention of letting anyone go from the start of the negotiations just now. The conditions that he had set up were merely a pretense. His true goal was to cripple or even kill Fade to ensure there was no threat left for his Zhao family.
Chapter 1714 Although he knew what Elijah was planning, the latter was now determined to use Quin as a threat to Fade, forcing him to follow his request. "Mr. Chen, time waits for no one. If we delay any longer, my men's hands will be sore, Elijah looked at him and spoke. As he said that, the dagger on Quin's neck increased its force, and part of the blade had already cut into her skin and was embedded into her flesh. Blood immediately flowed down from her neck along her fair skin. Quin, who was still in a coma, felt the pain and gently frowned. "Quin!" Fade couldn't help but shout when he saw this.. However, Elijah continued, "Mr. Chen, it's time to make a decision. Otherwise, your wife will probably bleed to death." "You..." He gritted his teeth and frowned, with a very dignified expression. Thinking for a while, Fade then said, "I can promise you, but..." Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Elijah's eyes narrowed, and he stepped back slightly, blocking the Zhao family's servant who was holding a dagger behind him. Then, he warned Fade in a cold voice, "Mr. Chen, bring out your hand behind your back. You are still trying to play tricks in front of me now aren't you. Mr. Chen, don't you really care about your wife's life?" Hearing this, Fade's expression stiffened. He took out his left hand, which was placed behind his back and was converging energy. Just now, he was preparing to gather his energy secretly and kill the servant who was holding Quin. Then, he would rush over to save her. If it was an ordinary martial artist, Fade would have been able to do this. However, Elijah was a martial artist at the late stage of Heaven Stage. His level was too so he quickly noticed Fade's action and prevented him from doing it. "Mr. Chen, my patience is limited. I'll give you the last ten seconds. If you still don't agree, don't blame me for being rude," Elijah threatened coldly. Fade's body trembled, and at this moment, he couldn't help but be anxious. Was there really no other way? Was his Dantian abdomen really going to be destroyed by Elijah? Just when Fade was extremely anxious, he suddenly touched two round things, and he thought of something. This, maybe I still have a chance." Immediately, he reached for his pocket. Seeing this, Elijah suddenly became nervous. "What are you doing? You'd better not do anything stupid, otherwise..." While he was speaking, Fade took out two peach kernels from his pocket. He showed them to Elijah and said, "Don't worry, I won't mess around. These two peach kernels are tokens of love between me and my wife. I want my wife to wear one of them at this time, so that we can work it out together." "A token of love?" Elijah had a look of disbelief on his face. Fade didn't say much. He directly threw a kernel to Elijah, "This is just the most common peach kernel. If you don't believe me, you can check it yourself" Elijah took the kernel and inspected it in his hand. He did not find anything unusual, so he handed it to the two people behind him. The two took the kernel and looked at it with curiosity and disdain. Then, they sneered and were just going to put it into Quin's pocket casually. At this moment, Fade's eyes suddenly turned cold, and an intense positive energy burst out from his body. He charged ruthlessly towards Quin's direction. When Elijah saw this, he was shocked. At the same time, he reacted and shouted, "Fade, do you want your wife to die?" Without any intention of stopping, Fade continued to rush forward. Seeing this, Elijah gritted his teeth, with a stern look in his eyes, he shouted, "Kill her!" Meanwhile, Elijah's body moved to the side. He was not ready to confront Fade face-to-face. After all, with one of his arms broken, he was no match for him. Moreover, after killing Quin, Fade would definitely put up a desperate fight with the Zhao family. Thus, Elijah was already considering whether he should escape. However, he suddenly realized that after he shouted to kill Quin, the servant of the Zhao family who was holding a dagger was stunned as if he had been fixed on the spot. He was not moving at all. "Kairos, what are you doing? Quick, take action and kill that woman!" Elijah shouted angrily. This loud shout brought Kairos out of his confusion. He held the dagger and was about to exert his strength. However, in the time when he was in a daze, Fade had already rushed over. He hit Kairos' head with his palm. In an instant, a red and white object burst out and he died. Holding Quin in his arms, Fade slapped the other member of the Zhao family to death. The two peach kernels were obtained by Fade from the Buddha statue of Mokao Temple in Jopeno. They had the effect of a mental attack and could make people dizzy. Jaegar spent nearly half an hour at that time trying to attack Fade, with the combination of sandalwood and tea. However, it merely affected him. The mental attack effect of the peach kernels was not too strong. However, that was the case for a martial artist at the peak of the Heaven Level like Fade. The Zhao family members who were holding Quin only had the strength of the Black Level. In the face of the spiritual attack of the peach kernel, they naturally did not have strong resistance like him. Therefore, they were stunned for a moment and this gave Fade an opportunity to save Quin. At this moment, when Elijah saw that Fade had saved her, his face suddenly changed. He turned around in a hurry and ran away, trying to escape. He knew that his threatening behavior just now had completely triggered him and now, Fade would definitely destroy his Zhao family. Just as Elijah thought, after saving Quin, Fade saw him running for his life and was instantly enraged. He shouted and chased after him, "Where do you think you're going!" While he was speaking, he struck out a palm. Elijah felt the energy coming from behind him, so he quickly threw out a burst of positive energy to block Fade's attack. With a bang, their energy collided and then exploded. Elijah's energy was instantly smashed by Fade. The aftermath of his energy went towards Elijah and hit his back, knocking him down. He ignored the blood in his mouth and the rolling organs in his body. After he flew out and hit the ground, he immediately got up and ran forward like a madman. At the same time, he looked at the messy people of the Zhao family and roared crazily, "Stop him, stop him!" In an instant, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and all Zhao family members rushed towards Fade. There were martial artists with pikes or broadswords in their hands, as well as shooters with guns. All of them launched their attacks towards him.
Chapter 1715 All of a sudden, the swords, spears, pikes, positive energy, and bullets all rushed towards Fade. However, at this moment, he was like a God of war. His positive energy surged wildly, and it was like a thick white fog shrouding him, blocking all the attacks of the Zhao family. "Impossible? I can't hurt him!" "Even a gun is useless. Is he still human?" "Quick, run! He's about to attack!" The Zhao family was in a mess, fleeing in all direct However, Fade, with his scarlet eyes, still had positive energy bursting out of his fingertips. They were like countless sharp swords, slicing towards the members of the Zhao family. Suddenly, the Zhao family's mansion collapsed. The ground cracked, and blood flowed across the floor. One by one, the members of the Zhao family fell to the ground. Fade had single-handedly killed the members of the Zhao family who were present, almost ruining the family, Meanwhile, Elijah, who had run away, couldn't care about these things anymore. He didn't even care about his children and grandchildren. He ran away alone, spitting blood as he ran. However, although it took Fade some time to kill the Zhao family's members, he was still able to catch up with Elijah at a very fast speed. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them had shortened to less than two hundred meters. Fade gathered a burst of positive energy and turned it into a long sword. It whistled through the air and slashed at Elijah. Elijah felt a sharp energy behind him, but he could not avoid it in time. Hit by Fade's sword, his legs were cut off and blood gushed out. He fell heavily onto the ground, and the momentum of his fall caused a huge pit to form on the ground. Fade rushed over and was going to give Elijah a final fatal blow. Lying in the pit, Elijah couldn't care less. He used the only hand he had left to pull himself through the dirt frantically, trying to escape. Despite this, there was no chance left. Fade's figure closed the gap with him quickly. The anger emanating from his scarlet eyes almost seemed to ignite Elijah. "Go to hell!" Fade, who stood at the edge of the hole, looked coldly at him. A stream of energy gathered at the tip of his finger, and he was about to shoot it at him. However, at this critical moment, a deep, harsh voice was heard, "Mr. Chen, stop!" Hearing the sound and feeling the rumbling momentum, Fade's hand stopped slightly. Then, he saw a burly man in an army green uniform coming over. The man's positive energy surged and it was extremely strong, like a huge beast from primitive times, coming to attack. For a moment, Fade felt that the pressure was similar to Jaguar. Looking at the person walking over, he was slightly surprised and he looked over attentively. At this time, Elijah, who was in the pit, also noticed the man. When he looked up at the burly man, he was very excited and quickly shouted, "General Liu, I'm Elijah. Save me." General Liu stepped to the other side of the pit and glanced at Elijah. He was shocked and said, "Master Zhao, why are you... Elijah looked at Fade with great resentment. He then said to General Liu, "Jotham, Fade is the traitor. He has killed dozens of my Zhao family's members, and now he even wants to kill me. General Liu, you must stop him. You must!" Hearing this, Jotham looked at Fade, frowned, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Chen, how will you explain this matter?" At this moment, some information quickly came to Fade's mind when he heard the name "Jotham". Jotham Liu was a martial artist at the peak of Heaven Level. He ranked seventh in the Divine Dragon List and was second only to Jaguar in the army. Now that Jaguar was not in Capital City, Jotham must be in charge of military affairs. When he noticed the commotion here, he rushed over immediately. "Mr. Chen!" Seeing that Fade didn't answer his question, Jotham couldn't help but remind him. Hearing this, Fade said in a deep voice, "How will I explain it? Filex betrayed the country. The Zhao family tried to frame me and kidnapped my wife to threaten me. I'm just fighting back for my sake." "This..." Jotham couldn't help but frown as he looked at both sides. It was as if he wasn't able to determine who was speaking the truth for a moment. When Elijah saw this, he quickly said, "General Liu, he is lying. Fade escaped from the Capital Security Team by killing people and escaping from prison. Now that he has come to my Zhao family to cause trouble, he wants to kill us to keep the secret." "Kill them to keep secrets? I'm going to kill your entire Zhao family!" Fade snorted. He did not want to continue the entanglement, so he gathered his positive energy and was going to kill Elijah. Upon seeing this, Jotham's face darkened, and the positive energy in his body surged. He shouted sternly, "Mr. Chen, stop it right now. "He threatened my wife. I will definitely kill him!" Fade's eyes were scarlet once more. Jotham sternly shouted, "Mr. Chen, we will investigate this matter thoroughly. Then, we will definitely give you a satisfactory answer!" "What's a satisfactory answer?" Fade asked back, and then said coldly, "Only his death will be one." As he spoke, his energy shot out and headed straight for Elijah. Upon seeing this, Jotham couldn't help but fly into a rage. He threw out a burst of energy to block Fade's attack for Elijah. Then, he charged at him and said, "Mr. Chen, you're going too far!" "Far or not, your words don't matter!" Fade snorted and condensed his positive energy again. Jotham's face darkened. He slapped at Fade and said, "Mr. Chen, if you do it again, I'll show you no mercy." Jotham was worthy of being a martial artist at the peak of Heaven Level. His palm was full of momentum. It was like thousands of troops and horses surging toward Fade, suppressing him back. However, Fade was also a martial artist at the peak of Heaven Level, so he was not afraid of this move. He frowned and shouted, raised his right hand, and waved his virtual sword in the air. Facing the surging army, he chopped down with his sword. The energy from the sword soared, and it seemed to be able to split the world in two. The momentum of Jotham's mighty army was directly split by Fade's sword. The aftermath of the virtual sword even reached Jotham's side, which made him take a small step back with a look of astonishment on his face. When he stepped back, this gave Fade a chance. He would not miss out on this opportunity. A stream of energy shot through the air and went straight into Elijah's heart. It pierced through and directly killed him. In his final moments, Elijah had his eyes wide open. He didn't expect that he, the old master of the Zhao family, the guardian family of Capital City and a martial arts master in the Divine Dragon List, would die here in such a tragic way. No matter how shocked he was and how much regret he felt, when the last bit of his life flowed away, everything disappeared into nothing. When Jotham saw this scene, he shouted, "Stop!" However, it was already too late. When he saw Elijah's dead body, his face was very gloomy. He glared at Fade, gritted his teeth and said, "Fade, you are too reckless. This is Capital City and Master Zhao is a representative of the guardian family. How dare you kill him!"
Chapter 1716 Fade looked at him with cold eyes and snapped, "So what? He threatened my wife, so I killed his family. It doesn't matter who comes!" "You're too arrogant! You... Jotham was so furious. He glared at Fade, gritted his teeth and said, "You're suspected for treason and murder. Go back with me right now to accept the investigation." "Investigate?" Fade sneered, "You didn't even investigate a treasonous family like the Zhao family. What are you investigating? You're not even qualified to investigate me!" "Fade, you're going against the military and the government!" Jotham roared angrily. His expression was very grim, and the positive energy in his body. surged. He looked as if he was about to fight. Seeing this, Fade's face darkened and he shouted coldly, "You, Jotham, cannot represent the military, let alone the government." "If you want to fight with me, I don't mind. However, as for the people you brought, I can't guarantee how many of them will die." Fade stood straight. His figure was like a sword, carrying a sense of fierce determination. Jotham stared at him and gritted his teeth. In the end, the energy that had gathered in his palm didn't strike out. Putting aside whether or not he had the confidence to defeat Fade, even if he could, two martial artists at the peak of Heaven Level fighting in Capital City would cause a big impact. Even the aftermath of the battle could probably destroy a community. He didn't dare to take such a risk. He held his breath, glared at Fade and warned, "If we find that you are suspected of treason, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, we won't let you go." "Then investigate it!" Fade snorted and did not defend himself. He took Quin with him. quickly left. That night, the entire Capital City was shocked. The Zhao family, the guardian family of Capital City, had been destroyed, and Elijah, the old master of the Zhao family, the eighth on the Divine Dragon List, had been killed. Some well informed people also noticed that the second in command of the army, General Liu had also taken action, stirring up all the people in Capital City. Even high-level officials like Baldrick and Galeno rushed to Fade's villa in Capital City the next day, hoping to know what was going on. In the face of these guests' visits, Fade did not welcome them immediately. Instead, he carefully treated Quin's wounds, took care of her, and let her sleep peacefully. After that, he came out to welcome Baldrick and Galeno. As soon as he came out, the two men spoke anxiously. "Fade, did you really destroy the Zhao family?" "What about General Liu? Did you fight with him?" Fade looked at them who were anxious. He knew that they were concerned about him, so he didn't hide anything and told them what happened the previous night. After hearing this, the two of them couldn't help but frown, and their faces were full of worry. "Fade, although the Zhao family had kidnapped your wife, what you have done is too much!" "Yes, after all, it is the Zhao family. They have been the guardian family for so many years, but now, the family has been destroyed. I am afraid that the higher ups will have some problems with you!" "Moreover, you're still under suspicion of treason now. If you're suspected again, it'll be even more troublesome." Fade was not worried about what they said. He said, "When General Xu returns, they will know. As for the dissatisfaction of the higher-ups against me, I don't care. I can just leave Capital City. I don't expect to be promoted anyway." "Oh, you, you..." "Fade, it's good for young people to have enthusiasm, but sometimes when it's too much, it becomes bad!" Fade sent Baldrick and Galeno away. In next few days, he stayed at and did not go anywhere, only taking care of Quin with all his heart. me He also noticed that there were more people monitoring his villa. He knew that this was a surveillance set by the relevant department, they were afraid that he would run away. Ignoring all these things, he took care of Quin carefully and she recovered quickly. Upon her recovery, she realized what had happened and could not help but widen her eyes. She harshly scolded Fade, saying he was too reckless to make such a huge problem. In the face of the lesson of his wife, he did not refute anything and accepted it all. On the fifth day after the Zhao family was destroyed, a man in military uniform knocked on Fade's door. "What's the matter?" Fade asked coldly. The person at the door said, "Mr. Chen, General Xu has returned. He invites you to speak with him in the military office. Hearing this, Fade nodded and said, "Okay, wait for a moment!" Returning to his room, he informed his wife of the situation and then went out. After coming to the military, Fade was brought to a small house made entirely of special alloys. Not long after he sat down, Jaguar came in. "General Xu, you are back, Fade greeted. Jaguar glared at him and said, "Why are you still smiling? Don't you know how much trouble you've caused this time?" Fade scratched his head and said, "General Xu, I was forced to do that!" "See, I went through dangerous investigations and brought Professor Song back from Jopeno. As a result, instead of being praised, they detained me as soon as I came back and said I was a hidden traitor. Who can accept such a thing?" Jaguar said, "The matter of the traitor will be investigated clearly sooner or later. In the worst case, I will explain to them after I come back. Why were you so impulsive?" "That's because the Zhao family went too far. They kidnapped my wife and threatened me. They can hurt me, but definitely not my wife." Fade was very determined. Jaguar retorted, "I can understand that, but you could have left after saving your wife. Why did you have to kill Elijah and fight General Liu?" "That was because I don't want to leave behind anyone who would threaten me again. If I kept him alive, it would be a huge threat to the relatives and friends around me, Fade muttered. "Nonsense!" Jaguar slammed the table and shouted, "You can't simply kill anyone just because you don't want to have them alive." "I... Well, this is how it went and there is no way to change it." Fade spread out his hands, with an expression as if the matter had already reached this stage. Jaguar glared at him and said, "I really don't understand. Master Hsuanyuen is such a righteous person. How could he have nurtured a disciple like you!" Hearing this, Fade immediately widened his eyes. He was very doubtful about whether the old man whom Jaguar saw and the old fogey whom he saw were the same person. At the thought of the obscene scene of the old man hiding in the room and watching adult films, Fade could not connect him with the word righteous at all. However, these words couldn't be said to Jaguar.
Chapter 1717 Fade could tell that Jaguar's words made it seem like they were close. If they weren't, he could just continue with his official business rather than engage in small talk. Thinking of this, he smiled and went over to ask, "General Xu, how's the investigation of the Zhao family? Filex must be the traitor. As for the others of the Zhao family, I'm not sure. Jaguar said, "We have investigated the situation of the Zhao family. Filex is the traitor. Donnigan and the others were all also involved. They were bribed by foreign forces and secretly participated in the kidnapping of Professor Song." "Oh, so that's how it is!" Fade did not ask if Elijah had participated. After all, his status was not ordinary, and he was very powerful. If even he was involved in it, it would be absolutely shameful for the upper levels of the country. Jaguar looked into Fade's evasive expression and could not help but say, "Don't think that the confirmation of the Zhao family's treason means that your matter. has come to an end. General Liu is still very dissatisfied with you." Hearing this, Fade could not help but curl his lips and said, "General Liu sided with Elijah so much. Maybe he is on the same side with him." "Don't talk nonsense. General Liu has contributed so much for the country and the people. He is upright and righteous, and will never betray us. You can't talk nonsense like this anymore," Jaguar scolded him. Fade knew that he was a bit indiscreet, so he immediately shut up and stopped talking. Jaguar was silent for a while, then sighed and said, "You are lucky to get through this matter safely, but the people above don't think well of you, you know?" "Well, let it be. I don't expect to be an official anyway. At worst, I will go back to the mountain and continue to live with the old fogey." Fade said. "Go back to the mountain! You make it sound great. Now that you have your wife and your company, and you have even taken in disciples. Are you really willing to let go of them and go back to the mountain to go through those boring days?" Jaguar said sternly. "Ahem, ahem, this... Fade coughed a few times. Seeing this, Jaguar waved his hand and said to him seriously, I know that you are strong, even no less than me, and almost have no opponents. But what I want to tell you is that the world is more complicated than you think, and there are more masters than you think. Don't be too proud, understand?" "Understand. Thank you for your guidance, General Xu!" Fade said, "General Xu, is there anything else? Otherwise, I'll head home. My wife is still..!! Hearing this, Jaguar glared at him, waved his hand, and said, "You kid, go back! Keep a low profile in the future." "Yes, thank you, General Xu!" Fade stood up and was ready to leave. However, at this time, Jaguar seemed to have thought of something and said, "Let me remind you that the Zhao family has not been killed entirely by you. A member of the Zhao family had been sent to learn martial arts in a clan since childhood. He has great strength and is very unusual. You should pay attention to it." "Clan, this..." Thinking of this, Fade couldn't help but ponder. Jaguar reminded him, "Don't mess around with the clan. It won't be long before something big will happen. Be careful." "Something big?" Fade asked, but Jaguar did not answer. Seeing that he refused to say anything more, Fade then waved goodbye and left. After returning from the military, Fade found that all the surveillance personnel around the villa had disappeared. It seemed that General Xu had figured out the matter and cleared up his name. Later, Fade volunteered to resign from the Stealth Team as a special instructor, which also had some official background. He resigned on his own initiative and asked them to issue corresponding notices so as to make a distance between him and the authorities. After all, this incident left him with a bad impression, and he didn't want to participate in the battle between these upper-class people anymore. The revocation of Fade's official positions still caused a big storm in Capital City. After all, he had risen rapidly in the city and defeated several big families, as well as many rich and famous people. He almost jumped to the peak in an instant. However, all of a sudden, his positions were removed, which naturally caused many speculations. Some people guessed that he had provoked some big shots this time, and he couldn't take it as he did before, so he was punished. There were also people who said that Fade rose too fast and caused the higher ups to be afraid of him, so they wanted to suppress him. In short, there were all kinds of explanations, but all of them were bad to Fade. Even the properties related to him, such as Fel Enterprise Holdings Inc, Fei Shipping Company, and Sincere Medicine Center, had been affected during this period of time, and their performance declined a little. However, it was not a big deal to him. After all, he didn't care much about money; earning more or less had little influence on him. He was in a good mood, but his wife, Quin, was not in a good mood these days, and her face had always been a little gloomy. After a brief talk with her, he roughly understood what his wife was thinking. As a beginner in the field of cultivation, his wife had spent most of her time on cultivation, and she did not have much energy left for other activities. After a month or so, she would naturally feel irritated and impatient. This incident between Fade and the Zhao family also made Quin feel a little guilty and worried. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have made such a big mess. All these things pressed down on her mind, causing her to feel a little depressed over the past few days. After figuring it out, he thought of something, so he simply took his wife on a train and left Capital City directly. On the train, she looked at Fade helplessly and said, "Where are you taking me?" He spread out his hands and said, "I don't know. I just bought the latest seats. and got on the train." "Aren't... Aren't you just messing around?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes and glare fiercely at him. Seeing this, he quickly comforted his wife and said, "Honey, don't be angry. I'm not messing around. I know that you've been a little annoyed recently, so I want to take you out to relax." "You don't need to be in such a hurry to go on a trip. You didn't plan anything, or make any preparations!" She said in annoyance. He replied, "My dear wife, we're here to relax, not to work, so we don't need any plans. Besides, your cultivation has reached a bottleneck. Just walk around and get closer to nature to feel all things in the world. It's also good for your cultivation." "In the following days, you don't have to worry about anything. Just follow me. I promise that it will be good for you," he continued seriously. Upon seeing his serious appearance, her anger slowly dissipated. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she said to him, "Then I'll only trust you once!" "No worries, Honey. I won't let you down," he reassured her with a smile.
Chapter 1718 In the following period of time, Fade and Quin went out of Capital City and wandered around casually. Sometimes, they would take the train to an unknown small station and stay with the locals for one or two days to walk around and enjoy the scenery. Sometimes, they would drive to certain sights and see the strange scenery there. At other times, they would find a suitable place to be immersed in nature, and then they would meditate and begin cultivation. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Fade and Quin had traveled around the mountains and swam in the south, and they were obviously much more relaxed. Moreover, her vation strength had improved considerably in the past two weeks. Now that she was at the Peak of the Yellow Level, she could be considered an expert in some small cities. On this day, they got off the train and came to a village called "Spirit Bird Village which was surrounded by mountains. It was said that this village was a blessed place with great talents. Decades ago, some people saw spiritual birds flying out of the forest behind the village, which attracted people to watch. Fade and Quin naturally did not come for this kind of unconfirmed myth. Instead, they came for the natural scenery of Spirit Bird Village. The village was located in a mountain forest, so the path to the village was not easy to walk on. There were around 30 families living in the village, which maintained an ancient rural style. It was a good place for leisure and relaxation. Fade took Quin into the village. He looked around and found that the environment was indeed good. Surrounded by dense forests, the mountain springs were tinkling, and there were flowers surrounding the whole village. The villagers here drank spring water and ate the food they had planted and harvested in the mountains. They were all in high spirits, and they looked very healthy. The village was not too secluded but the arrival of Fade and Quin still attracted the villagers' attention. He generously stuffed a handful of bills to them. Then, he looked for a villager's house to stay there for a rest and had a meal. The living environment in the small mountain village was not very good, but the scenery was beautiful. The two of them lived very comfortably. The ingredients were also very simple, just some rice and vegetables, but the taste of the food was very good. It was even more delicious than the elaborate ingredients in five-star hotels in the city. Even Quin, who usually didn't eat too much, couldn't help but eat another bowl of rice. After dinner, the couple took a stroll in the village. They looked around and took photos. They were quite relaxed. However, they didn't walk for long. Suddenly, they heard a shout, and then the village was like a pot of boiling water. The villagers rushed out of their houses and ran to a family at the foot of the mountain. Among the running villagers, Fade and Quin also saw the villagers who were entertaining them. They couldn't help but ask, "Jamar, what's wrong? What happened in the village?" Jamar said, "Acton, who lived at the foot of the mountain, encountered dirty things in the mountain. He was found and had to be carried down. Now, he can' t make it anymore." "Dirty things?" Hearing this, Fade couldn't help but squint his eyes. Quin also raised her eyes and looked a little surprised. She obviously didn't believe in these things. Jamar, the villager, said with a serious face, "Fade, Quin, believe me. This is really a bit strange. "At first, we didn't believe in the bewitched either, but just half a month ago, the crippled Old Liu was found dead after he went up to the mountain. Later, when he was carried back, his face was dark, his body was stiff, and he was out of breath. "There was also a boy from Kobe's family who was only ten years old. A week ago, he was naughty and went to the mountain alone. As a result, after he came back that day, he felt cold all over and became stiff before he was taken to the hospital." "With the addition of Acton, there are three people who have fallen in only half a month. It's really weird!" "This..." Even though Quin had received a good education and didn't believe these words at all, she still couldn't help but feel her scalp go numb and her body turn cold after hearing Jamar's explanation. "Could it be bacteria, poison or something like that?" Fade guessed. Upon hearing this, Jamar said, "I heard someone say so before. The matter has been reported. The experts of the Sanity Bureau have asked the experts of the hospital to check the body, but they didn't find any toxins." "Moreover, the first time, it was Old Liu. He was old and might not have had a good constitution. The second time, Kobe's kid was too young and might have had too much resistance. However, this time, Acton is just 40 years old and he was strong and healthy!" While they were talking, there was a cry of surprise coming from the direction of the crowd gathering, "Oh no! Oh no, quickly bring hot water!" Upon hearing the voice, Jamar quickly turned his head and ran over there. Seeing this, Fade and Quin looked at each other, and then they followed him. They came to the small house at the foot of the mountain. The house was already full of people, and it was noisy. Everyone was very worried, but there was nothing they could do. Fade pushed the crowd aside and was about to squeeze in. Seeing this, Jamar couldn't help saying, "Why are you here? It's not clean. You'd better not get involved in this kind of thing and leave now." His eyes were firm and he said, "Jamar, I am a doctor. Let me go in and have a look. Maybe there is a way." "You are a doctor, this... Jamar was a little hesitant. Quin added, "He's a doctor from Capital Hospital. He's very good at medicine." Upon hearing the name of Capital Hospital, the villagers suddenly felt awe inspired. Jamar also rushed into the house and told Acton's family. After getting the consent of the other party, he let Fade and Quin come in. When Fade entered the room, he immediately saw a strong man in his forties lying on bed. His face was dar his whole body was stiff, he was even trembling. His breath was getting weaker and weaker, and it was likely that he would die at any time. Seeing this, Fade immediately sat down, grabbed the man's wrist and began to feel his pulse. In less than a minute, his eyes changed, and his expression became cold. As he looked around, his expression became a little strange. Seeing this, Acton's family couldn't help but be full of curiosity and worry, looking nervously at him. Seeing Fade let go of Acton's hand, the crowd immediately rushed up and asked, "Dr. Chen, can Acton be saved?" Fade nodded and said, "Yes, I can cure him." Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but be overjoyed. They were all extremely grateful to him. He waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me now. Let me save him first." After that, he took out the needles and performed acupuncture on Acton's body. Then, he massaged him for a while and finally took out a pill, making him take it. After a while, the dark Qi on Acton's face gradually dissipated, and he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing this, the villagers could not help but be overjoyed. "He has woken up! He has woken up! Acton is awake!" "Well, the dark Qi has dispersed, and his body is not cold anymore." "Dr. Chen, you're amazing. Thank you, Dr. Chen." "No wonder he's a doctor from Capital City. He's really awesome."
Chapter 1719 Fade didn't say anything, but after Acton had recovered, he asked, "Can you tell me what happened? Why did you fall unconscious on the mountain?" The other villagers were also full of curiosity and they all looked at him. Acton touched his head and said, "I don't even understand what happened. I was farming in the mountains as usual in the morning. At noon, it was almost time to rest, so I packed up my things and went down the mountain to have my meal." "When I was halfway there, my stomach became bloated, so I took one more step forward and went to the side of the slope to relieve myself." "I felt a chill on my back before I unbuckled my belt, and then I lost my consciousness." After listening to Acton's story, the villagers couldn't help but feel confused, and they began to talk among themselves. "It's so strange. Is there really something supernatural there?" "I think there really are some supernatural things there. The old man in our village said that there were gods and spirit birds in our Spirit Bird Village before. If we have all these things, it's normal for ghosts and creatures to appear here." "Is it going to be dangerous if we continue to live here? Why don't we move?" "Move? Where can we move to?" The villagers were all talking about it. Fade remained silent in thought before he thought of something. He looked at Acton and said, "Can you take me to the place where you passed out?" "This..." Acton looked embarrassed. Obviously, he didn't dare to go there. The other villagers also began to persuade him one after another. "Dr. Chen, that place is not safe. Don't take any risks. "That's right. Two people from our village have also passed out near that place too. There must be something wrong since they all passed out in that place." "Dr. Chen, we'd better call the police. It's too dangerous for you to go there by yourself." Fade explained, "Thank you for your kindness, but I can protect myself." Seeing his resolute expression, Jamar said, "How about this, Dr. Chen. I'll take you there. I know where it is." "Okay, thank you, Jamar, Fade nodded. Jamar led the way without any delay. Fade and Quin followed closely behind him and headed for the scene of the incident. A little farther away, she asked him in a low voice, "You are so insistent on going there. Is there any problem?" He nodded and replied, "I did find something wrong. Acton wasn't possessed, nor was he poisoned. He was injured by a martial artist." "He was injured by a martial artist!" She exclaimed in surprise. Fade continued explaining. "It was the positive energy of a martial artist that entered Acton's body, and that martial artist's positive energy belongs to the cold nature. Ordinary people would usually not be able to withstand it. Their bodies would freeze and their faces would turn dark. In the end, their breaths would be severed and they would soon die." "That is to say, there are martial artists in that place. The two villagers who died in Spirit Bird Village were also..." Quin's expression turned grave. He said in a deep voice, "It's very likely to be so." "I don't care what reason the martial artists have, but I can't sit idly by and watch them kill innocent people." She also nodded seriously. "We have to get rid of evil for the people. Otherwise, I don't know how many more people will be killed." Upon hearing this, he held her hand and said softly, "Quin, if there is a conflict later, you have to hide behind me, understand?" "I'll protect myself," Quin said as she nodded. After another 20 minutes or so, Jamar stopped and pointed to a copse of lush shrubbery hundreds of meters away and said, Chen, President Lin, that's the place. Do you really want to go there?" Fade nodded and said with a smile, Jamar, you can go back now. We will be alright." "Dr. Chen, President Lin, take care of yourselves. If there's any danger, shout out and I'll bring some people to help." Although Jamar wanted to stay behind to help them, he was afraid and didn't dare to get close to the spot. "Thank you, Jamar. You can go back now!" Fade nodded. He and Quin approached the woods after Jamar left them. As he approached, Fade immediately found something unusual. Even though this was a dense forest, the trees and flowers here were particularly lush, almost twice as dense as the surrounding forests. The trees, flowers, and plants here were all exceptionally tall and robust. The both of them drew near, took a deep breath, and they could even feel the aura of the universe's energy. "Could it be that there are some treasures here?" For a moment, his eyes lit up. As they got closer, they pushed the dense bushes aside and walked into the forest. Suddenly, he stopped. His face froze as he pulled Quin back. "What's wrong?" She looked at him nervously. He responded in a low voice, "There is a formation here." "Now, I can be sure that there must be a martial artist here, and he has set up a formation. There must be some kind of treasure here that he's worried about being discovered. That's why he has sealed off this place." "Then we..." She was a little worried. Fade squeezed his wife's hand gently and said with a smile, "Don't worry, this formation is very ordinary, and from that I can see that the martial artists inside aren't very powerful. They are only at the late stage of the Black Level at most, and I can slap them to death easily." Then, he gathered positive energy in his hands and formed a few magic spells quickly in front of his chest. Finally, he tapped on Quin and himself. Then, he took his wife's hand and walked forward. "I've set up a small formation to block the warning effect of the formation. In this case, the martial artists inside won't be able to notice us even though we have breached their formation." The two of them passed through the dense forest and continued to walk deeper into the forest. About ten minutes later, a small cave appeared in front of them. The aura of surging positive energy was clearly emanating from the cave. They could even hear the voices of people talking. "Senior, I can't hold on any longer. Come and help me!" "Hold on, I'll be ready soon." "Seniors, my positive energy is about to be depleted. Upon hearing the voices, Fade could not help but look at Quin, "There's more than one martial artist." Even so, he still had no intention of retreating. He continued forward and headed straight into the cave. The cave was not very spacious. The ground was wet and muddy, but the deeper they went in, the more obvious the fluctuation of the positive energy coming from inside. "There is a treasure inside!" A thought came to his mind, and he continued to move forward with his wife quietly. After passing through the cave for about five minutes, he finally saw a natural cavern in front of him. He stopped at the entrance and asked Quin to hide behind him. He moved forward slightly, stuck his head out, and observed the situation in the cave.
Chapter 1720 In the cave, five young men and women, each wearing uniforms, could be seen. Positive energy was emanating from their bodies, indicating that they were likely disciples of some martial arts clan. At this moment, the five of them were gritting their teeth as they activated their positive energy, attacking a wild beast with gray fur desperately in the depths of the cave. Looking over, Fade fixed his eyes on it. He found that the wild beast was about the size of a wolf or dog, but its appearance was like a cat. Its eyes were a shining blue, and its sharp claws were covered with blood stains. Obviously, the five disciples were fighting against it. He focused his vision even more and it went deeper into the cave. Fade saw that in a small pool in the depths of the cave, there was a one-foot-high plant. The plant was blooming with white flowers, looking like white snowflakes. The whole plant was emitting rich spiritual energy, which made the energy in the cave much denser than that outside. Seeing this, Fade's heart skipped a beat. "That, that's Frozen Snow Flower, a Heaven Level herb. No wonder the spiritual energy here is so dense. A Frozen Snow Flower is growing here!" Heaven Level herbs were incomparably precious. It was natural for these clan disciples to want to get their hands on it after discovering it. However, there were usually all sorts of guardian beasts beside these precious herbs. These guardian beasts were born with the spiritual herbs to protect them from being damaged and destroyed. As for the guardian beast itself, it could also stay next to the spiritual herb to absorb the medicinal effects of the spiritual herb, which would make its strength increase. This Frozen Snow Flower had grown to an extraordinary quality, and the guardian beas strength was also very strong. It was alm comparable to an ordinary early stage Earth Level martial artist. Therefore, although these five young disciples were all martial artists at the advanced stage of Black Level and could be considered quite good, they were clearly no match against the attack of the guardian beast. Even though they had managed to injure the guardian beast relying on their superiority in numbers and weapons, the damage taken by them hadn't been small either. If this continued on, they probably wouldn't be able to hold on for three or four hours. Fade was still thinking about whether he should take action or not. All of a sudden, one of the five young men turned his head and shouted, "Who's there? Get out!" It turned out that Fade had inadvertently exposed himself while his attention was focused on the Frozen Snow Flower. However, since he had been discovered, he did not hide anymore. There was no need to do so. Therefore, Fade and Quin stood out. The expressions of the five young people changed dramatically when they saw that someone was approaching, and their eyes were full of vigilance and hostility. "Who are you?" The man who had just shouted said. At this moment, he was blocking the attack of the guardian beast while shouting at Fade. Fade responded faintly, "We are tourists who came here to travel. We came here by accident." "Tourists!" The man's eyes sank and he looked doubtful. At this time, another woman with a long sword looked over and said, "Baylor, they are lying. We have set up a formation in this place, so ordinary people can't break in at all. Even if they do, we will be alerted when they come to the cave. However, they came here without a sound, so they must also be martial artists." With that being said, they all became alert and looked at Fade and Quin. Fade shrugged his shoulders and didn't deny it. He said, "You're right. We're indeed martial artists. We came here to investigate a case. I didn't expect to see such a good thing, which is the Frozen Snow Flower. "You know the Frozen Snow Flower!" Hearing him say its name, their expressions became even more vicious. A fierce look flashed in the woman's eyes, who was holding a long sword, and she said, "They must be here to rob the Frozen Snow Flower. We can't let them succeed. Let's kill them. While speaking, the woman with the long sword whistled and was about to rush over. Seeing this, Fade snorted and said, "I mean no harm. If you continue to be so reckless, then don't blame me for being rude." At this moment, Baylor Hu, who was obviously the leader of the five, shouted, "Ezra, come back now. We can't hold on any longer. Hearing this, Erza's eyes showed a hint of fierceness. She glared at Fade, but had no choice but to go back to fight against the guardian beast. However, in such a short time, the guardian beast had left blood stains on the remaining four people, which made it even more difficult for the five people to deal with it. They also had to worry about Fade and Quin who were behind them, as they were worried they might suddenly make a move and snatch it. For a moment, the pressure on them was doubled. At the thought of this, Baylor quickly turned his head and said to Fade, "The man over there, we are disciples of Ice Lake Clan in East Lake District. We should follow the first-come-first-serve rule. We found the Frozen Snow Flower first. If you want to grab it, our Ice Lake Clan will not let you go." Obviously, Baylor wanted to use the name of the clan to threaten Fade and prevent him from robbing it. However, what he didn't know was that the Ice Lake Clan was really not strong enough in Fade's eyes. After thinking for a while, Fade remembered vaguely that it was a Black Level force in East Lake District. The overall strength of Ice Lake Clan was about the same as the Sun family in Dragonville, Cloud Clan, and Third River Clan. The guardian's strength was at about the early stage to the middle stage of Earth Level. For Fade, it was not worth mentioning. Although he did not take Ice Lake Clan seriously, he would not take others' treasures for no reason. Hence, he said, "You found the treasure first. If you can get it first, I won't take it. I understand this rule." "Since you understand, then that's the best outcome for us all!" Baylor said. However, Fade changed his tone and shook his head, saying, "But with your strength, it will not be easy to defeat the guardian beast and get the Frozen Snow Flower. Baylor's face turned pale, but he then snorted and said, "You don't have to worry about it. We have our own way "Is that so? Then I won't interfere!" Fade did as he said. Bringing Quin with him, they took a few steps back and looked as if he was watching a show from behind. Seeing that Fade really had no intention of robbing them, Baylor focused his attention on dealing with the guardian beast. "Attack with full force. Try to kill this beast quickly!" As soon as he gave the order, they attacked fiercely, leaving more blood stains on the guardian beast's body. However, the guardian beast was also enraged, and its attacks became even more fierce. Its speed was faster than before, and if the steel-like claws were to gently scratch their bodies, a piece of their flesh would be torn off. Blood dripped from their bodies, and their injuries worsened even more.
Chapter 1721 It was obvious that the five of them did not quite expect the guardian beast to be so ferocious, so much so that it was able to injure all of them in a matter of seconds. Judging from the intensity of its fighting spirit, it was questionable as to whether they were even going to be able to escape, what more to mention whether or not they could even get the Frozen Snow Flower. "Should I ask the guy at the back to lend me a hand?" Baylor was hesitating as he thought about this. However, just as he was thinking, there came a loud scream. A disciple's left arm was bitten by the guardian beast. Mustering all its energy, it tore off his arm before swallowing it... The injured disciple fell to the ground in pain. His face was pale and he has lost the ability to fight. the ability to fight. Baylor was left utterly flabbergasted. At the same time, anxiety took over him. He had no time to care about anything else. Turning his head to look at Fade, he yelled, "Come on buddy, you just broke into our spell formation and snuck in silently. It should be quite effortless for you judging from your strength. "Lend us a hand. Let's kill this guardian beast together. Ice Lake Clan will surely reward you handsomely in return." Upon hearing this, Fade shook his head and replied nonchalantly, "I don't fancy any of your rewards. "We'll be able to reward you with an Earth Level Pill," said Baylor as he clenched his jaws and gritted his teeth. His expression was one of excruciating pain. Fade smirked and replied, "The Frozen Snow Flower is a herb of Heaven Level grade. You are asking for my help to get the Frozen Snow Flower, but you are only rewarding me with a mere Earth Level pill. What an incommensurate reward!" "You..." Sensing that Fade wanted to take advantage of the situation, Baylor could not help but grit his teeth in animosity. Alas, he had no choice but to raise the stakes. "Two Earth Level pills, one each for the both of you. As rogue cultivators yourselves, this should be quite a good deal." Notwithstanding the follow-up offer, Fade continued shaking his head. He asserted, "Didn't I just say it? I don't fancy any of your rewards." The moment Baylor heard this, he replied disgruntledly, "You want to wait until we are defeated before taking advantage of us. Let me tell you, it's not as simple as you think. If we are defeated, the both of you will not be able to battle the guardian beast. However, we might possibly triumph over it if we work together. That's a win-win for everyone." "What makes you think the guardian beast is out of my league?" Fade retorted sneeringly. He went on and proclaimed, "Give up your pursuit of the Frozen Snow Flower and I shall come to your rescue. Otherwise, you won't be able to last more than thirty minutes." "You..." Baylor scowled at him. Despite his anger, he did not lift his hands to fight. Wielding a longsword, Ezra glowered at Fade and said, "I get that. Once we get rid of the guardian beast, you are going to have a good time. Ignoring the threat, Fade replied nonchalantly, "Hurry up then. You guys can't. beat this guardian beast." The remaining disciples clearly showed no signs of giving up. Giving Fade the go-by, they clenched their teeth as they prepared to kill the guardian beast. Be that as it may, having lost a combat partner, the enraged guardian beast was now out of their league. In just a few minutes, two other disciples had been severely wounded. They were bleeding profusely and their faces had turned pale. It seemed that they were about to succumb to the injuries. At this moment, Baylor knew that he and his team would definitely be unable to defeat the guardian beast. He could not help but grind his teeth and declare, "We give up. Over to you!" Nodding his head, Fade took a few steps forwards and sneered, "That should be the way. Why the delay though? Now, everybody has been injured." Baylor glared at him. Not saying anything, he retreated with his comrades so that Fade could come forward to battle against the guardian beast. Baylor could not help but remark angrily, "So arrogant of this guy. I'd like to see how he comes to blows with the guardian beast by himself!" It could be seen that the three injured disciples did not want to concede defeat. As the guardian beast dashed towards Fade, he shot out a stream of positive energy at the guardian beast gently, causing it to somersault and smash into the walls of the cave. It roared angrily. As he witnessed what had just occurred, Baylor could not help but be blown away. "This guy is much stronger than I thought." The three disciples were taken aback too. As for Ezra, she seemed to be cooking up a plan as she could be seen moving her eyes. She came close to Baylor and whispered, "As the guy delivers the death blow, shall we then make our move and... As she was talking, she gestured a throat- slash sign. Naturally, Baylor understood what she meant. He pulled a long face and replied, "That's not proper, is it?" She asserted, "What's improper about it? We're talking about the Frozen Snow Flower, a Heavenly-grade herb! Baylor, Ice Lake Clan is nothing but a Black Level sect. Our resources are naturally not comparable to those of the bigger sects. It' Il thus be challenging for us to grow influential. If we miss this opportunity, I don' t know when it will ever come knocking again!" "This..." He was still a little hesitant. "Baylor, we're running out of time. If that fellow succeeds, it'll be difficult for us to snatch it from him. We have to strike him from his back now that he has let his guard down, so that... As she was convincing Baylor anxiously, the sound of a sword slash could be heard all of a sudden. The five of them turned over and looked as Fade used his fingers to create a sword formation of the Heaven Level. The sword whizzed in the air and slashed the guarding beast in half at lightning speed. Baylor and the team had been struggling to bring the guardian beast down. However, all it took was one fatal blow from Fade to kill it. Everyone was left in great astonishment. Just as they were still in awe, he unearthed the Frozen Snow Flower. He carried it by his side as he walked back. Seeing this, Ezra could not help but squint, and her expression was a little unnatural. Fade walked towards Quin and said faintly, "Done. let's leave!" Immediately, the two of them turned around and were about to leave. Ezra refused to resign to the fact that the Frozen Snow Flower had been taken. Finally, she could not help but utter, "Wait a minute!" "What's the matter?" Fade stopped walking and turned around. Ezra looked at him and blurted, "Hand over the Frozen Snow Flower." "What do you mean?" Upon hearing her words, he gave her a cold stare. Looking self-righteous, she asserted sanctimoniously, "We were the first to locate the Frozen Snow Flower. We've been preparing for more than half a month, not to mention fighting arduously against the guardian beast for two days. Now that we're about to get our hands on it, you take it away from us. Such shameless riding on our coattails!" "Calling me shameless, huh?" Fade mocked. "Let's get this clear. You were unable to fight against the guardian beast. If it wasn't because of me, you would have been killed by it." "What's more, Baylor himself too mentioned about giving up on Frozen Snow Flower," he said as he directed his gaze at Baylor. Suddenly, Baylor was miffed and he could be seen pulling a long face. He stammered, "Granted, I did say so, but in hindsight, we wouldn't have necessarily been defeated. As a matter of fact, we should be credited for the guardian beast's eventual death."
Chapter 1722 Fade squinted and he replied coldly, "And by that do you mean that I should hand over the Frozen Snow Flower to you?" "Of course," Ezra said matter-of-factly as she wielded her sword. Baylor felt bad but assured, "Be that as it may, we do acknowledge your effort in bringing down the guardian beast. Therefore, we won't shortchange you." "Haha!" Fade sneered and said, "What if I refuse to hand over the Frozen Snow Flower?" "Then don't blame us if we get nasty Ezra retorted as she thrusted her long sword, signalling an imminent fight. The remaining four people got into a fighting stance too. They ran their positive energy and were ready to fight against Fade. Shaking his head, Fade grinned and said, "Such an ungrateful lot. Since you want to die, don't blame me for being merciless." As he spoke, his energy surged as he got ready to attack. The moment Ezra noticed this, she yelled quickly, "Let's attack together and kill them all. The Frozen Snow Flower will then be ours." All of a sudden, the five of them came forward to attack at the same time. "You're courting death!" Fade snorted coldly. Besieged by five people, he threw out a stream of positive energy which tossed all of them, eventually causing them to fall to the ground. They all spat out blood. Never had they thought that he would be so powerful. Despite joining forces, they could not even withstand a blow from him. In an instant, everyone was confused. As Fade strode towards them with a sombre expression, one of them was so utterly scared that his face turned pale. "No, don't kill me. I know I'm wrong." "I didn't want to fight. It was Ezra who gave us the order. Boohoo!" "If you kill us, Ice Lake Clan will go after you," Ezra remained headstrong even though she was on the brink of death. Fade was not bothered by her words. The Qi sword in his hand whistled out and he was about to cut down. However, at this moment, Quin shouted, "Fade, stop!" As he looked back and gazed at her, he asked, "Yes Quin?" Looking at him, she muttered, "Granted, they were in the wrong. However, it's not to the point where they should be killed. Just let them go!" Fade knew that his wife had always been kind-hearted. She had just been exposed to the world of martial arts. Naturally, she was not aware of the cruelty and danger which were part of the modus operandi of this world. Hence, she was unable to tolerate it when he wanted to commit the killing. Setting them free could potentially spell trouble. However, after all, his wife had spoken. Hence, he withdrew the virtual sword and shouted coldly to the five people, "Lucky you for cheating death. I'll spare your lives. Now get out of here!" At this point in time, all five of them were too afraid to say anything. They got up from the ground and ran out of the cave. However, at this time, Fade suddenly thought of something and shouted, "Wait a minute!" Instantaneously, all five of them stood stock-still. They looked back at him with a long face and said, "What else do you want?" Quin too was looking quizzically at him. Fade asked, "Did some villagers pass by here this afternoon? Did you assault them?" Upon hearing this, all five of them were stunned. Then, four of them directed their gazes at Ezra. Knowing that she could not keep mum about the incident, she confessed, "It was me. Those foolish villagers should have been punished for breaking into our formation. I had to teach them a lesson." Fade's face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Teach them a lesson? Why on earth did you have to teach them a lesson by shooting freezing cold energy into their bodies to kill them?" She retorted indifferently, "I did not. I was merely striking lightly. Those villagers were just too weak to withstand my inner force. They deserved to die anyway. His face darkened at this moment. He stared at her and continued, "What about the crippled old man and the ten-year-old kid in the past two weeks or so? Were you the one who killed them?" She replied nonchalantly, "It was the same situation. They broke into our formation by accident. They were so feeble that they couldn't even withstand a single blow from me. It serves them right to die anyway!" Upon hearing this, Fade did not utter a single word. He raised his hand and shot out a stream of positive energy towards her. She was taken aback at the sight of Fade attacking her despite promising to spare her life. She wanted to say something. However, the stream of positive energy pierced through her heart before she managed to utter a single word. She collapsed to the ground and succumbed to her injuries. The remaining four people were utterly horrified and terror-stricken. Fade shook his hand and said coldly, "Take her body and buzz off!" Baylor and the other three comrades were too stunned to say anything. As they collected Ezra's body, they ran out of the cave quickly. It was not until they were out of sight that Fade's stony gaze started to dissipate. He looked back at Quin and explained, "My dear wife, I resorted to killing Ezra as she had gone overboard. Not only was she ruthless, but she was also highly conceited and did not treasure human lives. The lives of ordinary folks are nothing but a speck of dust to her. "Sparing her life would only lead to more innocent people getting harmed. For this reason, she can't be forgiven." Quin nodded in agreement. She looked at him and said, "Fade, you don't have to explain yourself. I understand. I was too naive. Not realizing the cruelty in the world of martial arts, I... He squeezed her hand and said, "Alright then, let's not talk about this. The Frozen Snow Flower that I've just got is of good quality. It suits you perfectly as you are practicing the Nine Froze Skill. Let's descend the mountain and find a place. I'll help to refine the Frozen Snow Flower which can improve your strength." "Okay," she nodded. Then, the both of them left the cave and descended the mountain. Before descending the mountain, Fade destroyed the formation set up by Baylor so that innocent villagers would not be harmed unnecessarily. At the base of the mountain, Jamar and the others were fixated from afar as Fade and Quin made their way down the mountain. When they finally reached the foot of the mountain, the villagers scurried towards them to express their concerns. "Doctor Chen, you descended safely. Great." "Doctor Chen and Miss Lin, you aren't hurt, are you?" "Doctor Chen, what is up there at the summit? Is it something spooky?" Hearing the words of concern from the villagers, Fade felt a tinge of warmth. He explained that the dangerous formation at the summit had been removed and that it would no longer pose any hazards. As for the three people that had perished, Fade did not elaborate. Instead, he used poisonous miasma as a smokescreen to cover up the truth.. At noon, he and Quin bid farewell and left after taking a respite at Spirit Bird Village. Not too far from Spirit Bird Village, the two of them arrived at the centre of East Stream City. They managed to locate a five-star hotel and checked in. They took a shower and rested. The following day, Fade started to help Quin refine the Frozen Snow Flower. After refining, her cultivation improved. She managed to break through the Yellow Level and reached the early stage of Black Level. "Honey, let's go out for a walk. It's too boring to confine ourselves to the room for the entire day!" He grabbed hold of her arm to make their way to the door. She nodded in agreement. Just as they were about to leave, the phone beeped. There was a message.
Chapter 1723 When Fade saw Quin standing stock-still, he could not help but ask, "Are you alright? What's the matter?" She shook her head and chuckled, "No big deal, it's just an invitation." "Invitation?" He was burning with curiosity. She clarified, "It's from a friend of my father. He'll be celebrating his 70th birthday. He invited me to attend the party." "That old man is Taegan Zhou, who used to be my father's partner in the Lin family business in Capital City. When my parents got together, the Lin family did not give their blessings. They were eventually expelled from the Lin family's home and had to flee elsewhere." "At that time, many friends cut ties with my parents. Old Master Zhou was the only one who wasn't intimidated by the threats made by the Lin family. He took my parents under his wing for a period of time. My dad is forever indebted to him." "After my parents settled down in Bay City, my father continued to visit him on several occasions. We rarely stayed in touch ever since my father passed away though. However, we continued to extend greetings and exchange gifts with one another during every festive season." "A few years ago, I delivered some gifts. This year is his 70th birthday. The Zhou family wants to make some proper arrangements, hence they sent out invitations." "Where is the Zhou family's home? Would you like to head over there?" Fade asked. Quin smiled and replied, "It's such a coincidence that the Zhou family's home ist in East Stream City. Now that I'm here and it's his 70th birthday, I should head over to send him my well wishes. "Alright then. Let's get him a gift!" As the both of them were in a leisurely mode and time was not so much of a constraint, he did not mind staying in East Stream City for a few extra days. She nodded and replied, "By chance I am here, I want to get Old Master Zhou a well-thought-out gift. After all, it was he who lent a helping hand kindly to my parents at a time when they hit rock bottom." "Absolutely concurred Fade. Then, they left the hotel. After having a meal, they went to a few places in East Stream City in search of a suitable gift. However, they did not manage to find a suitable one after going around a few shops. Although the Zhou family was not incredibly wealthy, the scale of their business was not small. The market capitalization of the various companies they owned was in the region of two to three billion dollars. This had already surpassed the market capitalization of Fei Enterprises Holdings Inc owned by the Lin family in Bay City. Besides that, the Zhou family was also one of the most powerful families in East Stream City. The Zhou family was not in shortage of all kinds of luxury goods, luxury cars or watches. Even then, these were not the things which Taegan would find useful. As for jade wares, Buddhist statues and calligraphic artworks, Quin resisted the temptation to purchase them since she did not know much about his interests. Just as they were perturbed and could not make up their mind, an idea suddenly popped up in Fade's mind. He looked at Quin and said, "I got it. I got it!" "What do you mean?" She looked at him. He beamed as he replied, "The gift, I know what kind of gift will be suitable!" "What idea have you got?" She gazed at him. He nodded and grinned as he replied, "As you said just now, it's Old Master Zhou' s 70th birthday this year. The Zhou family is well-off and money has never been in shortage. I'd like to think that good health and longevity are what he will be after. So, let's get him a health supplement." "That sounds pretty good. However, when it comes to health supplements, there are way too many scams out there. I'm afraid it'll be a little difficult to find one that's truly effective!" She said worriedly. Fade smiled and patted Quin's head gently before saying reassuringly, "Honey, it might be difficult for others, but that's not quite the case for us. You must have forgotten what your husband does for a living!" "I... She was confused momentarily before getting it. Rolling her eyes at him, she pouted as she said, "Well if you can do it, just go ahead and prepare." "Alright, sure thing. As per your command, I'll have it prepared right away," he beamed as he headed to purchase a variety of medicinal herbs to prepare some longevity pills for Taegan. By afternoon, he had already prepared the pills. The next day, the couple made their way to the Zhou family's home. Although there were two more days before the actual birthday party, they decided to pay Taegan a visit in advance. They called for a cab to drive them over to the Zhou family's home. The Zhou family truly lived up to its reputation as one of the biggest clans in East Stream City as they had constructed a mansion sprawling over a thousand square meters in the city centre. Exquisite and expensive, it exuded an affluent vibe, befitting the abode of a tycoon. By the time Fade and Quin arrived at the gate of the mansion, many luxury cars were parked by the entrance. Well-dressed guests carrying gifts could be seen coming in and out from the mansion, most likely invitees of the birthday party sending their well-wishes to Taegan. As the both of them were about to make their way through the gate, a security guard stopped them. "Hey stop. Where do you think you're going?" Upon hearing what the guard said, Fade could not help but subtly furrow his brows... Immediately, Quin went forward and clarified smilingly, "Hi, we're invited guests. for Old Master Zhou's birthday party. "Guests?" The security guard gave them a suspicious look, as if he was doubting what they had said. She took out her phone and showed him the electronic invitation card sent by the Zhou family. After scrutinizing and confirming its authenticity, the security guard let them in. As they walked into the mansion, Fade could not help but purse his lips and grumble disapprovingly, "So high-handed of the Zhou family!" She gently pulled his sleeve and comforted him in a soft voice, "Don't be angry. After all, this is the first time we're here. It's not unusual that they don't recognize us." Taegan was a friend of father in law. Therefore, Fade refrained from complaining too much. Instead, he headed straight to the living hall with Quin. There were many guests in the living hall. Some members of the Zhou clan could be seen welcoming guests. They shook hands with them and greeted them with great enthusiasm. Not all guests received the same level of warmth and enthusiasm. After some observation, Fade found that some guests were treated to an affectionate reception, while some merely received a lackluster welcome. In all likelihood, the guests that received a warm reception had a high social position. After greeting a slew of guests, it was Fade and Quin's turn. As the Zhou family members greeted them with a smile, they shook hands with them and said, "Hello there, welcome!" It was evidently clear that the Zhou family members had no intention of going beyond basic greetings to exchange pleasantries with them. Judging from the situation, Quin took the initiative to introduce herself. "I'm Quin Lin from Bay City. My father Daniel Lin was one of Mr. Zhou's friends." "Oh right, President Lin from Bay City. I know him," After coming to the sudden realization about Quin's identity, the Zhou family members said, "Please take a seat. There are many guests today. Old Master Zhou is under the weather. You may need to wait a little longer to see him." "It's alright. Go ahead and welcome other guests! Quin said politely before searching for a place to sit. In the living hall, guests and hosts alike continued to exchange greetings and make small talks. Even though the official day of the birthday party had yet to come, some guests could be seen bringing along their lavish gifts. Those with presumably higher status were invited into the family room while the rest were merely sipping tea at the living hall.
Chapter 1724 Although they had been sitting for over thirty minutes, none of the Zhou family members came to greet Quin and Fade. Both of them were able to come to grips with the situation. After all, they were not locals to begin with, nor did they have a close relationship with any of the Zhou family members. Not only that, they were not as socially prominent. Hence, it was a given that the Zhou family members did not give them any attention. Fortunately, that did not bother Quin and Fade. Their main objective had been to express their gratitude to Taegan. After sitting for another ten minutes or so, they bid farewell to the Zhou family members. Although the Zhou family members smilingly xed them into staying a little longer, Fade and Qiun knew that they were merely being polite. Therefore, they did not stay but instead left for the hotel. By the time they were in their hotel room, the whirlwind of visitations at the mansion had subsided. In the backyard, Taegan could be seen sitting on a mahogany chair and holding a dragon-headed walking stick. Younger members of the Zhou clan were sitting in the lower deck, each taking turns to report the details of the reception. "Dad, we had guests from a total of 135 families today. Most of the movers and shakers in East Stream City turned up too. These included members of the Xu family members of the Chu family and some business associates. Representatives from the municipal government were here too." "Some major suppliers from neighbouring provinces sent representatives over too. We have duly welcomed them as they are waiting for the actual birthday party which will be held in two days' time. After that, they'll leave." "Invitations have been sent out to your friends and relatives. Half of them turned up. As for those that did not, some of them had already lost touch with us over the years while the rest of the invitees are out of the country. Be that as it may, they have called up to clarify and sent over the gifts. As the younger members reported the details of the reception, Taegan listened and nodded nonchalantly, as if he was not taking the details to heart. Instead, he asked, "What about the Tao family?" A middle-aged man, in his forties or fifties, stood up. He was Holden Zhou, Taegan's only son in the family. He was also the present head of the Zhou household. Holden beamed as he clarified, "Dad, no worries. We've contacted the Tao family. Soren and Eudora's engagement has been set. Both families agree to announce the engagement officially at your birthday party. This will surely be a joy to behold." Taegan nodded and said, "Good arrangement. With everyone present, it'll be more convenient. As he said this, he directed his gaze at a young man who looked like he was twenty-five or twenty-six years old and said, "Soren, you're not young anymore. Once you're engaged, be sure to get along well with Eudora. Carry yourself well and don't mess around any longer. You should start developing yourself and make plans for the future of the Zhou Family" That young man was Soren Zhou, Holden's son and Taegan's grandson. Hearing this, he stood up and nodded, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'll work hard to expand the family's business empire." Taegan nodded and said, "Okay, it's good that you have such determination. Remember not to repeat your past mistakes." Samantha Xu, who was Holden's wife, beamed and said, "Rest assured, Dad. Soren is now a mature adult and won't be up to any mischief anymore." On the other side of the backyard, a young girl aged eighteen or nineteen came forward and reassured smilingly, "Grandpa, no worries. Once my brother is engaged to Eudora, he'll stop fooling around." "From what I have heard, Eudora is a martial artist who has been accepted into Ice Lake Clan. If my brother has the audacity to mess around with other girls, Eudora will beat him to death." "Shut up, Annie. Why do you speak ill of your brother?" Samantha glowered at her daughter before looking at Taegan and said, "Dad, what Annie said about the Tao family learning martial arts is true. I've arranged someone to probe into it. Eudora has been learning martial arts for three years in Ice Lake Clan. She has befriended many people there. Many teachers like her too." "The Tao family has been informed that Ice Lake Clan will send representatives over to the engagement party too. This'll bring great honor to the Zhou family. Upon hearing this, the members of the Zhou family burst with excitement and started to talk about it. "The Ice Lake Clan is a true-blue martial art sect. Having them coming over to the engagement party will elevate the status of the Zhou family in East Stream City and even in East Lake District itself." "That's right. A powerful martial artist commands high status. Our connection to the Tao family via Soren's marriage is therefore a powerful alliance. Surely, the Zhou family will continue to flourish in the future." "Not only that, I've got wind of the many panaceas and elixirs kept by the sect. Once Soren is engaged to Eudora, let's get him to ask her if she can solicit some elixirs that can help in boosting Old Master's health and longevity" Still in euphoria, the members of the Zhou family continued talking endlessly. At this moment, Taegan skimmed through the guest list. As he chanced upon a guest name, he stopped browsing. "Quin Lin, Bay City!" "Dad, are you alright?" Holden asked as he noticed his father's expression. unusual Taegan asked, "Were Quin Lin and Fade Chen from Bay City here today?" After asking one of the servants, the butler replied, "Master, two guests by the name of Quin Lin and Fade Chen were here. President Lin claimed her father was a friend of yours and that she was here on behalf of him." "On behalf of her father. Bay City. She must be the daughter of Daniel Lin. Where is she? Is she still around?" Taegan asked agitatedly. The butler paused for a moment and said, "Erm... President Lin left shortly after sending over the gift." "Why didn't you give her a hospitable reception? She's the daughter of Daniel Lin, I... Taegan seemed to be a little ruffled. The moment Holden and Samantha heard about a certain Daniel Lin, their expressions changed instantaneously. "Dad, you're still in contact with the Lins. Haven't they brought enough harm to our family?" "That's right. If it wasn't for him, the Zhou family wouldn't have been ground down by the Lin family in Capital City, causing our business empire to reduce in net worth to the tune of an amount that took us ten years to accumulate. It wasn't until recently that we were able to bounce back." Upon hearing this, Taegan stabbed the floor with his walking stick and hollered, "Nonsense. Keep your mouth shut." "All you can remember is Daniel bringing trouble to our family, but you forgot that it was me who befriended him in the first place. It was with the help of the Lin family that we were able to prosper." "Come to think of it, our family's current social status should be credited to Daniel's support. Even if we are impoverished, you have no right to hate him." Hearing this, Holden and Samantha did not rebut. Instead, they pursed their lips disapprovingly. Although Soren and Annie were quite young, they understood that Taegan had had a close friendship with Daniel. They knew about this, but not quite the details of their friendship.
Chapter 1725 Someone found that there was something wrong with the atmosphere and changed the topic. "If I'm not mistaken, Daniel has been gone for over ten years. Now that she is paying us a visit, I'm wondering what she's up to." "What else but to send her well-wishes to the Old Master?" Someone said. "I don't think so. Ever since Daniel passed away, our family has been sending invitations to the Lin family whenever we host parties. However, the Lins haven't attended any of our parties over the years. Instead, they have sent well-wishes through a phone call or delivered gifts over to us." "For over ten years, we haven't been particularly close. Aside from the occasional exchange of greetings over the phone, Daniel's daughter has not paid us a visit at all. Why the sudden visit now though?" "Erm..." For a moment, everyone was at a loss and a little befuddled. At this moment, Holden suddenly exclaimed, as if he had thought of something, "Could this be the reason?" "What's the reason?" Everyone's attention was fixated on him. Holden looked at Taegan and said, "Dad, do you remember the last time Daniel came over to our home before he passed away? That night, the both of you drank a lot. Soren had just returned from school." "At that time, you talked about Soren. Daniel said he had a daughter whose age was about the same as Soren. He suggested matchmaking the both of them if compatibility wasn't an issue." "Dad, you were all tipsy and mellow after some drinks. Hence, you agreed to his suggestion immediately. You said the Zhous and the Lins would be closer through this marriage." All members of the Zhou family were astounded. Taegan was deep in thought too. A straight shooter herself, Annie remarked, "Dad, I think you're trying to say that Quin is aware of Soren's marriage and that her intention of coming over now is to mess things up so that the wedding will be called off and she can marry Soren thereafter." Just as she uttered these words, many members of the Zhou family were taken aback. Samantha protested, "I'll be the first to oppose it if she has the guts to do so. Eudora is good enough for Soren." "That Lin family from Bay City only owns a small-time cosmetics company. Though they can be considered a business owner, the level of their wealth and social status is a far cry from that of the Tao family's!" "It goes beyond a simple mismatch. Truth be told, the Lin family is not worthy enough to be placed alongside the Tao family to begin with!" "The way I see it, Quin Lin is after our family's social influence. "We don't condone this kind of behaviour. I think we need to ask her to make a move. As for the invitation to the birthday party, we'd like her to pass on it too." The members of the Zhou family got into a frenzy of heated discussion. At this moment, Taegan snorted and exclaimed, "Silence." Everybody quietened down and looked at him. He said, "Those are merely suppositions. How can you claim with such assurance? I know Daniel well enough. His daughter shouldn't be that bad of a girl." "What's more, we aren't sure that she's here because of the prearranged marriage. We can't just turf her out of the house as we please." "But Dad, that's clearly the reason she's here," Samantha objected. "Daniel's dead. Surely his company isn't doing well. The girl got wind of Soren's marriage, hence she came all the way here." Taegan snorted and said, "What do you mean? Those are merely your assumptions." After a pause, he said, "If that's indeed her motive, I'll have a talk with her. Don't make a fuss over it." After that, he got up and went back to his bedroom. The other members of the Zhou family looked at each other in dismay before leaving. Just as Soren was about to leave, Samantha pulled him over and said, "Pay attention to Quin's matter. You must handle it well. Don't ruin your wedding with Eudora. "But Mom, Grandpa said..." Samantha murmured, "Your grandfather is old. He has forged a close friendship with Daniel over the years. For this reason, he is scrupulous and tends to act reservedly. Thus, make sure you handle this matter well by yourself so that it is in your best interest." At this moment, Holden came over. He looked at Soren and said, "Your marriage is a big deal for the Zhou family. You mustn't mess it up. Do you understand?" He nodded and said, "Dad, Mom. I get that. I'll resolve this issue as soon as possible. Annie also came over and said, "Soren, I have your back. Eudora and I have bonded over the years. I want her to be my sister-in-law. No one else but her. After visiting the Zhou family, Fade and Quin had a greater understanding of their character and disposition. Not wanting to be bothered by them, they shifted their focus elsewhere by travelling around the city. They strolled around downtown East Stream City, did some sightseeing and ate some local cuisine. Both of them changed their attitude towards the birthday party. On the day of the party itself, they would head over to the Zhou family home and have a simple lunch. Soon after that, they would bid farewell to the host and leave. By doing so, they would have behaved with the utmost propriety, not that they would ever have the chance to rub shoulders with each other again in the future. It was lunchtime when they made their way out of the temple. They strolled around the area before settling on a food stall in the street to have lunch. Although the street was located in the shabby part of the town, the food nonetheless packed a unique flavor. They enjoyed their meal. As they were eating and chatting, the place was buzzing with excitement. Suddenly, a cold voice came from the side, "Are you Quin Lin?" Quin turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice. An 18-year-old girl stood before her. Decked out in designer labels and flanked by two strong men who looked like bodyguards, she was unquestionably a rich man's daughter. "You are..." Quin looked at the woman and asked. The girl replied, "My name is Annie. Soren is my brother." "Annie and Soren?" Quin could not recall. She furrowed her brows and thought about it for a while before she managed to jog her memory. "You're Taegan Zhou's granddaughter, aren't you?" "Yes, that's right." Annie's face was aglow with pride. Then, she glanced sideways at the food that Quin and Fade were eating. She sneered and said, "No doubt about it, your company is in such bad shape that you can't even afford a proper meal. It's not surprising then that you came all the way to East Stream City to meet my brother. Haha!" "Miss Zhou, I don't get what you're trying to say, Quin frowned as she asked. "Feigning innocence, huh?" Annie snorted coldly and slammed the table. With a face aglow with haughtiness, she scowled at Quin and said, "I'll stop beating around the bush then and get straight to the point. I'm here for the simple reason of asking you to give up and stop scheming to pursue my brother. He's about to get engaged. You don't stand a chance. Get out of East Stream City as soon as possible. "Miss Zhou, I don't get you," Quin explained. "I'm here in East Stream City to send my well wishes to Old Master Zhou. I have no other intentions."
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