Chapter 1 Kaifeng

In the Central Plains, Kaifeng Prefecture.

A middle-aged man in cool autumn clothing and a baseball cap bought a ticket at the scenic area ticket window, then passed through the tall city gate and entered this ancient city with a long history.

In Kaifeng, there is an old saying: Kaifeng City, city stacked upon city, with several cities buried underground.

Due to the silt deposition of that ethnic mother river, the downstream riverbed has risen, and the riverbed in many areas is even higher than the city. Therefore, whenever the river floods, the silt will submerge the entire city.

Later generations rebuilt the city on the ruins, and the phenomenon of city stacked upon city appeared.

The ancient cities have long been buried deep underground, becoming part of the long history. The current Kaifeng City is newly built by later generations and does not have much historical atmosphere.

The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze caressed his face. The middle-aged man strolled through the unfamiliar ancient city and finally stopped by a secluded pond planted with willows and a covered bridge.

"How do you feel revisiting this old place?"

A figure rose from the water. Its body was composed of flowing water, its face was blurred, and its body below the waist was hidden in the water.

There were not many tourists coming and going nearby, only a few scattered people, who ignored the person in the pool, as if they didn't see him.

The middle-aged man in the baseball cap stared at the person in the pool, a look of madness flashing in his eyes. He chuckled and said:

"If the Emperor had helped me refine my divine skill back then, I could have extended my life by two hundred years. With the environment at that time, I would have been invincible in the world. How dare those mere northern barbarians disturb my Central Plains? The fall of the Great Song Dynasty is gratifying."

The water body in the pool slowly said:

"What about your good disciple? Why didn't she take action back then?"

The Chunyang Sect Leader sneered: "The Chunyang Sect emphasizes following the will of heaven. Observing the stars, understanding all things, but they can only be bystanders, unable to stop the operation of heaven and earth with the strength of an ordinary person, and should follow the trend."

"My good disciple is pedantic and foolish, preferring to watch the dynasty disintegrate rather than intervene."

"Of course, I used to be so pedantic as well."

After speaking, he stared at the person in the pool with his hiddenly crazy gaze: "Why is the Dark Rose helping me?"

The person in the water smiled:

"Because you have enough potential. You are not restricted by moral values and can do whatever you want in the real world. This is what we envy the most."

"I have no interest in destroying the world," the Chunyang Sect Leader said coldly. "Tell me the truth!"

The person in the water shrugged:

"This is my truth. If I were not restricted by moral values, I could have toyed with that group of official Lingjing Xingzhe to death."

"Of course, the Great Protector may have another deeper meaning. You are also a Night Wanderer. You know, your profession is mysterious and unpredictable, taking one step and looking ten steps ahead. Outsiders cannot know your true thoughts."

The Chunyang Sect Leader was silent for a moment and said:

"Why did you ask me to meet?"

He didn't care what the Dark Rose's purpose was, as long as it could help him restore his cultivation, that was the most important thing.

"The Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance may take action recently. The Great Protector can no longer see through your destiny because the enemy is Elder Hongying, who is also protected by Taiyin." The figure in the water slowly said:

"When extraordinary powers cancel each other out, it is a battle of wits and cunning, and you are best at this."

The Chunyang Sect Leader chuckled: "They are being played by me."

"The Great Protector also said that in the near future, you may need your help." The figure in the water thought for a while and said in a strange tone,

"The leader observed the sky at night and told the Great Protector that someone is targeting the leader."

"The one from the Taiyi Sect?"

"No, it's not him. If it were him, we wouldn't need to worry. How can ants interfere in the fight between gods? But the leader only saw the fluctuations in his own destiny but did not see the opponent clearly."

The Chunyang Sect Leader said: "If conditions permit, I will take action."

After a pause, he added:

"I like that little girl from the Taiyi Sect. Her aura is strong and pure. If the Dark Rose can help me devour her, I will repay you."

"Yin Ji... Heh, if the Demon Lord were still alive, I would advise you not to touch her."

The half-human formed by the water flow smiled, "Oh, yes, there is one more thing. Don't kill any more illusionists from the Southern School recently. They can tolerate you killing ordinary illusionists, but the Saints are the backbone of all major organizations. If you continue, the Southern School is likely to join forces with the Taiyi Sect."

The madness in the Chunyang Sect Leader's eyes surged, and he said coldly, "Are you teaching me what to do?"

"This is a warning! Forget it, you are a madman who can't listen to advice."

After speaking, he collapsed into water droplets and fell into the pool.

Fujiabao.

A spacious and luxurious study.

Fu Qingyang sat behind his desk, staring at the phone in front of him. The hands-free function was on, and a woman's sharp reprimanding voice came from the speaker:

"Fu Qingyang, is this how you take care of Guan Ya? When did she get a boyfriend? Why didn't you tell me?"

"The marriage alliance was decided by the elders. Do you also want to disobey the elders!"

"You better not disobey the elders. Without the support of the Fu family, you will never be able to enter the headquarters of the Five Elements Alliance."

Fu Qingyang leisurely picked up his cup and took a sip of water, listening calmly to his elder's scolding.

When the overwhelming roar stopped, he said calmly and indifferently:

"I am not your subordinate and have no obligation to report to you. Guan Ya is your daughter, not my daughter. What does her having a boyfriend have to do with me? I am not her guardian."

The woman on the other end was enraged by her nephew's cold reply. If Fu Qingyang hadn't protected Guan Ya back then, would she have been able to hide in Songhai without any trouble?

Now he says, "What does it have to do with me?" How shameless. The next round of scolding followed, but before she could say a few words, Fu Qingyang interrupted coldly:

"Enough. You are my aunt, so I can tolerate you for ten minutes, and only ten minutes."

The call time happened to reach 10:00 when he finished speaking.

The voice on the other end of the phone paused. She was indeed very afraid of this nephew. Not to mention her, even the elders were afraid of this kid.

However, compared to fear, the elders looked forward to his growth more. That group of old guys were like that. As long as you showed enough ability and talent, not to mention throwing a knife in front of them, even if you rode on their heads and sh*t and pee, the elders would laugh and say:

"Good job!"

The old guys were pragmatic and indifferent. They only believed in the rules of the jungle.

As for Fu Qingyang, as long as he didn't rebel, the elders would tolerate him infinitely. This tolerance made Fu Qingyang more and more lawless, but the elders in the family were helpless.

After a few seconds, the woman said through gritted teeth:

"Who is her boyfriend?"

If Guan Ya's boyfriend was just an ordinary person, then it didn't matter. She could just send him away.

If he was a Lingjing Xingzhe, then she would have to see what his status was.

Different identities would require different handling methods.

She looked down on ordinary stewards or descendants of Lingjing families, and it wouldn't be difficult to break up the couple.

She was just afraid that Guan Ya had found an older man with a lot of power.

For the Fu family, the marriage of high-quality descendants in the family was strictly planned, involving the family's development direction, plans, etc.

It wasn't just anyone with power who could be considered.

For example, if the Fu family wanted to enter the Internet industry, they would marry a giant in the industry. But if you married a coal boss from Jin Province, forget about it.

Fu Qingyang said:

"Yuanshi Tianzun!"

After these four words, the other end of the phone fell into dead silence. Fu Qingyang picked up the phone and hung up.

He looked at the two people in front of the desk, stretching their necks and pricking up their ears to listen to the gossip, and said coldly:

"Finished listening?"

Zhang Yuanqing and Ling Jun retracted their heads. The former sighed: "Mother-in-law is so fierce. I already want to fly over and beat her."

He had just returned from Jinshan City, and after tasting the sweetness, he wanted to share his experiences with his girlfriend, but he was summoned by Fu Qingyang with a phone call on the way.

He said that the list of Qin Feng Academy had been compiled.

So he detoured to the study and happened to hear this scene.

He didn't like Guan Ya's mother's voice. It wasn't that it was unpleasant, but it was too strong, and her tone was extremely similar to Chen Shu's, both with a hint of unrefusable ego.

The only difference was that although Chen Shu was an unqualified mother, that was all she was.

She still cared about her son, but not much.

Ling Jun waved his hand:

"That won't work. With your level, going to the Fu family is like walking into a trap. Guan Ya's mother is like that, an old shrew with twenty years of experience, but she looks pretty good."

"Of course. Just look at Guan Ya and you'll know." Zhang Yuanqing had an idea of what his mother-in-law looked like.

Fu Qingyang's mouth twitched. "Although I don't like this aunt, isn't it impolite to criticize her in front of me?"

Zhang Yuanqing quickly said, "Boss, will she make trouble for me?"

"Yes!" Fu Qingyang got up from his desk and walked towards the liquor cabinet, saying:

"You can think of the Miller family's marriage as a project worth hundreds of billions of Federal dollars. The project leaders are Guan Ya's parents, and the investors are the Fu family and the Miller family."

"If this deal is successful, they will get huge commissions."

He twisted open the wine bottle, poured himself a small half glass, tasted it, and looked at Yuanshi Tianzun:

"Now you've messed it up. Do you think she'll make trouble for you?"

Ling Jun nodded vigorously, echoing from the side:

"You really messed up Guan Ya, and you have nothing but your so-called potential. You have no power, no assets. Of course, her parents won't agree."

Fu Qingyang gave him a cold look and looked at Zhang Yuanqing again:

"Your official status is a good umbrella. At most, she will use the power in her hands to suppress you within the rules and then negotiate with you."

"She won't easily choose assassination."

Assassination... Zhang Yuanqing frowned. This kind of thing happening to ordinary people, a mother-in-law hiring someone to kill her son-in-law because she was dissatisfied, was completely outrageous.

But in large families, it was commonplace.

Once it involved huge interests and power, ethics and morality became decorations. This has been the case since ancient times.

"What if she assassinates me?" Zhang Yuanqing said.

Fu Qingyang said lightly, "Assassinating official personnel is a capital crime!"

Zhang Yuanqing knew that this was Qian Gongzi's attitude.

He was immediately relieved.

Fu Qingyang walked back to his desk, took out a folder, and handed it over:

"All the training lists since the establishment of Qin Feng Academy are here."

Zhang Yuanqing was instantly excited.

Afternoon, Wuhen Hotel.

Little Fatty parked his electric scooter, returned to the hotel, greeted Xiaoyuan at the front desk, and hurried inside the hotel.

"What happened?" Xiaoyuan stared at the hotel door and asked in a flat tone.

She was always cold and indifferent, didn't like to smile, and that coldness was like a plum blossom in the twelfth lunar month.

"I just saw Yuanshi Tianzun," Little Fatty stopped and said, "The Taiyi Sect seems to want to cooperate with the Southern School. He is the leader. I'm reporting this to the Great Elder."

Xiaoyuan's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "He's in Jinshan City?"

"Yes! He's already back in Songhai."

After saying this, Little Fatty, as an illusionist, sensed a strong displeasure surging in Xiaoyuan, which then subsided.

The plum blossom looked even colder, and she gave a cold "Oh!"

So the boss's worry was right... Little Fatty stared at her for a few moments. The boss, Kou Beiyue, said that this old woman Xiaoyuan had an affair with Yuanshi Tianzun.

He was worried that Xiaoyuan would be snatched away by Yuanshi Tianzun.

Little Fatty thought at the time that if the sky wants to rain and a mother wants to marry, you can't stop it.

Of course, he wouldn't dare to say these words, or he would be beaten up by the bewitching demon (fire master).

As an illusionist, Kou Beiyue's emotions were like a local area network without a password in his eyes. He could access them whenever he wanted.

But Xiaoyuan's emotions were very introverted, and it was difficult to capture them without using skills.

He used to be skeptical of the boss's statement, but now he believed it.

Before Xiaoyuan gave him a cold glare, Little Fatty slipped into the inside of the hotel and took the elevator back to his room.

He took out a technological black helmet and walked to the bed, put on the helmet, and lay on the bed.

After passing through a bizarre and hazy void, his consciousness appeared in a dream palace.

Sixteen thick stone pillars supported the dome of the palace, and a scarlet carpet stretched from the palace door to a golden throne at the end.

A six-meter-tall figure sat on the throne, draped in a cloak, with a distorted and flickering dark light inside the cloak.

"Greetings, Great Elder!"

Little Fatty knelt on the ground and said, "The task you gave me has been completed. Yuanshi Tianzun just sought me out."