Chapter 391 - Power of Gods
No one other than Ares, was there to witness the mind boggling scene. Cai Ning and the other two had escaped from the site, leaving only Yang Chen and Ares there in addition to the unconscious Lin Zhiguo.
"Not bad. I'm looking forward to our fight even more now. At least your space methods look decent," mocked Ares.
"It's my second time using it. But you can't classify someone as unfamiliar or highly practised when it comes to this. So it's no big deal," Yang Chen replied.
"If that is all," Ares said before licking his lips in excitement, "Let's begin..."
Yang Chen looked at the giant screen to ensure that the Sandstorm mercenaries were not entering the house. They were just holding God's Stone. Relieved, he turned his head back to Ares and said, "Can I have your word that you won't order your mercenaries to capture my family in the middle of our fight?"
Ares snorted coldly. "Why are you lumping me in with those idiots from Brahma? To me, Ares, the word 'threaten' doesn't exist in my dictionary! I rely on my strength and my strength alone. No one can stop me from getting the God's Stone. Today, I came here to send you to rebirth, after which I'll bring the stone back to the Middle East."
Yang Chen pouted. "I don't believe that is going to happen. Five centuries ago, Athena sent you to rebirth, to which she reincarnated not long after. Now that you've awakened, is it not likely that she would've awakened as well? What if she tries to take God's Stone from you?"
"Humph. What makes you think i'm afraid of that bitch? She only managed to beat me by relying on her 'prophecy'. When it comes to a raw combat, there's no way she can defeat me!" Ares roared.
"I don't know what happened between the both of you. But it certainly wouldn't be ideal if God's Stone ended up with a combat crazy mad man such as yourself. The other gods choose not to intervene as they are well aware that they aren't able to defeat the both of you. Even I don't think I can beat you. I'll just have to draw the fight out for as long as I can. You may end up agreeing to leave the God's Stone with me after that," Yang Chen said confidently while smiling.
"Haha. Do you really think you have the potential to be my rival.? Having obtained god status by 'god killing'? I'm fully aware that the old fellow Hades had gotten bored of his life and dismissed his 'god consciousness' himself. He committed suicide. He wasn't killed by you!" Ares said.
"Whether or not I can rival you isn't your choice to make. Fight me if you want. Why must you spout so much nonsense, even more than I usually do? Have you, the God of War, gotten rusty after sleeping for five hundred years?" Yang Chen ridiculed.
Ares was enraged. Without saying anything more, he stared straight at Yang Chen and roared, causing the insides of the aircraft carrier to vibrate!
Cracks appeared all over the seemingly rigid steel plates while the ground started to fracture.
Yang Chen frowned and moved to hundreds of meters away from his previous position.
At the moment Yang Chen dodged the roar, three extremely tall, sharp objects containing granite and metal rushed out from the ground to where Yang Chen stood earlier, like a skyscraper that rose from the ground!
"Wow, an ambush right after the battle started." Smiling faintly, Yang Chen started walking in circles slowly and calmly.
Every time Yang Chen moved, different kinds of steel plates and stone walls would rise from the ground, or huge rocks would fall from above.
Yang Chen wasn't only focused on dodging. Using the same space techniques as before, he utilized various rocks and metals from the ceiling and the floor as his weapons, causing different kinds of huge objects to collide as if they were playing a game.
The falling rocks and metal plates weighed tonnes at the very least. Should anyone get hit by it, there was no doubt in either of their minds that they would become like minced meat. However,when watching them battle, the supposed heavy objects looked as light as feathers!
"The place is too small. Let's go outside!"
As Ares shouted, the seemingly indestructible site split apart from the center!
"That's exactly what I thought!"
Yang Chen glanced at the unconscious Lin Zhiguo who was at the upper platform. Using his will, he moved two metal plates to cover Lin Zhiguo, granting him protection.
It didn't take long for Yang Chen and Ares to split the already cut mountain in half, yet again!
At the same time, around half a kilometer away, Abbess Yun Miao, Cai Ning, and Yu Jizi who had escaped were dumbstruck at what they saw.
They refused to believe that, from the foot of the cliff to the summit, which was a few kilometres in height, had been cut into four portions by a mysterious and enormous force!
Soon, countless rocks, soil and vegetation turned into debris before sinking into the violent tides!
Even though they were stood far away from the battle, they were still able to hear the thunderous sounds of their fight.
It should be mentioned that the aircraft carrier site had been constructed using stainless steel! However, through the combat of two people, it was split so easily and reduced into dust!
Cai Ning and the others finally understood why the Treaty of Gods had to be formed in the first place. It was to ensure that the gods were never to unleash their abilities against non-gods. Was such a power even supposed to exist in the world?
If they weren't fighting near the mountains, but on an aircraft carrier instead, wouldn't it be destroyed into scrap?
Moreover, if gods were fighting in a city, not only would numerous people disappear out of thin air, the entire city would be obliterated in the blink of an eye as a result of massive space disruptions!
"This... this is the legendary battle between gods..." Yu Jizi murmured to himself.
"Luckily our aircraft carrier isn't inside. Otherwise there was no way in hell it was going to survive this," Cai Ning said.
Yun Miao suddenly remembered, Lin Zhiguo is still inside!
"Crap, I have to go save him!" Abbess Yun Miao said, while dashing back to the site. No matter how often they argued, Lin Zhiguo was still her husband at the end of the day.
Cai Ning and Yu Jizi glanced at each other before quickly following Yun Miao, as they couldn't leave her and not help.
The gleaming moon hung in the sky, bone-biting cold wind blew across the ocean, clear skies all round.
Sky-reaching waves rolled across the sea. There stood two silhouettes midair a hundred meters away; they were Yang Chen and Ares!
The two of them were able to manipulate space and time. Something as trivial as floating in mid-air was a piece of cake to them.
When they could both control space, it was impossible to crush each other into dust or cut their bodies in half like what Yang Chen did to the people of Brahma earlier. It was possible, however, to destroy their opponent's body to force them into rebirth, or destroy the opponent god's consciousness, but it wasn't very practical.
Thus, as the battle raged on, they destroyed the nearby mountains in the process. Their battle was impressive, but had no strategic elements to it. All they could do was compare their ability to manipulate space while predicting future moves and only strike when one side made a mistake.
"It seems like you inherited Hades's understanding towards space methods. However, the old Hades couldn't rival me. Nothing has changed." As soon as Ares finished speaking, through space folding, he directly appeared in front of Yang Chen!
A punch with the quality of a crushed space was thrown at Yang Chen's waist!
Yang Chen waved his arm as he instantly condense the crushed space, and at the same time caught Ares's fist, before using his other arm to chop Ares's neck!
Ares bent down as he withdrew his fist, dodging Yang Chen's seemingly mediocre knife-hand strike.
However, although Ares managed to dodge Yang Chen's attack, the ocean beneath didn't. A trench tens of meters deep and hundreds of meters wide appeared in the middle of the ocean! The cause was obvious, Yang Chen's attack, which had a space fracturing element to it!
Ares wasn't one to give up. It wasn't in his nature. As fast as lightning, he threw countless number of punches at Yang Chen, which appeared to be normal techniques, but all contained the elements of numerous, delicate space methods. Should Yang Chen fail to counter one of them, his body would easily become a broken punching bag!
Yang Chen welcomed each of his strikes. As he repeatedly strengthen the surrounding space to rectify the impacts caused by the usage of space methods by his opponent, while looking for opportunities to strike back.
Their space methods collided unstoppably. Although they have yet to have done any significant damage to each other, they gave rise to various trenches, tides, and high currents in the ocean beneath them.
Their surging auras immediately sent tsunami-like waves to the port.
Yang Chen and Ares, however, didn't spare the time or effort to be wary of their surroundings. They continued using space methods on each other as they swirled in the air.
Abbess Yun Miao together with Cai Ning and Yu Jizi arrived nearby the site. They almost panicked when they were faced with the tsunami-like waves.
When seen from afar, although the battle between the two was frightening and the destruction was severe, it was still comprehensible. However, when they neared the battle scene, they finally felt the sky-flipping and ground-engulfing force!
Luckily, the three were proficient in their use of the lightness skill. They managed to get themselves to higher grounds before the waves came. They only got drenched afterwards, and weren't swallowed by the waves.
When the three came to the site, it was destroyed beyond any recognition. Having searched carefully for a while, they finally located Lin Zhiguo. However... Gray Robe who had been nowhere to be seen all this time was currently standing beside Lin Zhiguo!
Chapter 392 - Beyond
"Gray Robe! Where have you been?! Why have you come so late?!" Since Abbess Yun Miao was more worried about Lin Zhiguo than usual, she had assumed Gray Robe, who was responsible for Lin Zhiguo's safety, to be dead.
Lin Zhiguo had just awakened from his unconscious state as well. He revealed a smile when he noticed Yun Miao had rushed over to check on his safety. "Yun'er, Gray Robe had been given other tasks to do. His capabilities had nothing to do with my capture."
Gary Robe had his head lowered in silence as he didn't plan on explaining anything.
"You..." Abbess Yun Miao gazed upon Lin Zhiguo from head to toe. She asked, "Are you fine?"
Lin Zhiguo pointed at the two huge steel plates which had formed a triangle to shield his behind. It stuck out like a sore thumb at the abandoned site. "Yang Chen must've covered me with those, which allowed me to survive this disaster."
"Humph. Look. You were so unaware of your enemies movements. You've blinded led the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade for so many years!" Abbess Yun Miao said in dissatisfaction.
Lin Zhiguo smiled bitterly. "I would love to explain things to you but now is not the time nor place. Let us watch the battle between Yang Chen and Ares instead."
They turned their heads to focus their attention on the two silhouettes in the sky. Although they were so small that they could hardly be seen, Yun Miao and the others were still able to feel their overwhelming auras.
Determining a winner has never been more difficult. There was almost no difference in their power levels. At most, the only comparable difference would be in their combat experience and skills. However, Yang Chen and Ares had both spent long years on battlefields. Thus, yet again, they were evenly matched. They would launch attacks on each other while dodging or parrying the oncoming blows.
Having noticed the ineffectiveness in his attacks, Ares got infuriated. After all, Yang Chen was nothing more than a 'knock-off' to him. Him, being the original God of War, why wasn't he able to defeat Yang Chen?!
"Consider it an honor that I have to use it." Ares said as he suddenly flew far away. The tattoo of a copper spear on his face shone before disappearing.
Soon, a three-meter-long copper spear with the thickness of an arm appeared in Ares's hand out of nowhere!
An ancient pattern was carved onto the slightly damaged copper spear. Despite being slightly damaged, the spear was still gleaming bright green. Its spearhead which was modeled after a dagger, had the characteristic of a blood-soaked weapon used during ancient wars!
"The Hand of Ares," Yang Chen murmured, astonished.
"Haha, Not bad. Props to you for recognizing my divine weapon," Ares said proudly. "In the beginning when the world was just created, the children of the primal mother goddess Gaia, the Titans, had created a divine weapon for each of their descendants. Hades had his Cap of Invisibility, which allowed him to hide tracelessly from us gods. However, ever since his reincarnation 3000 years ago, it had been lost. Even if you inherited his comprehension towards space methods, you are still left at a disadvantage without a divine weapon. Although my Hand of Ares is inferior to Zeus's Thunderbolts and Poseidon's Trident, it's more than enough to deal with you! You shall die!"
Ares rushed towards Yang Chen once again upon finishing his speech. Following a few space leaps, he had appeared in front of Yang Chen!
Yang Chen tried his best to dodge the attack, but suddenly noticed the space surrounding him had been frozen!
"Fool! Instantaneous space freezing is the Hand of Ares' skill!"
Ares laughed as he grasped the opportunity. The spear was heading to pierce Yang Chen's skull!
Yang Chen knew that he would be forced to reincarnate should he fail to dodge this strike.
What about my family?!
No way!
Almost instantly, Yang Chen instinctively activated his most commonly used technique, Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture, exploding True Qi from his meridians!
Since the start, as they had been fighting using space methods, Yang Chen hadn't thought of fighting Ares with his internal energy. After all, Yang Chen felt that internal energy was useless in a space battle like this one. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. With the surrounding space frozen, all he could do was utilize his last bit of strength as he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.
Yang Chen had used it as his last measure of defense. Exceeding Yang Chen's expectations, the field of Xiantian True Qi had been initiated!
The Qi went rampage like a chained, vicious tiger, exploding in the entire frozen space!
Xiantian True Qi condensed around Yang Chen, forming a huge realm around him as if it materialized. Compared to before, it felt much more powerful when used at a critical moment.
Ares initially expected his attack to hit Yang Chen who was rendered helpless. When the copper spear reached half a meter away from Yang Chen's body, it froze in mid air!
"How is it possible?! What kind of technique is this?!"
Refusing to believe what he had just witnessed, he forcefully pushed his spear forward.
Yang Chen felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Although he wasn't pierced by the spear, the overwhelming aura still made his chest ache for a bit.
Having been stimulated, Xiantian True Qi circulated insanely in his dantian. Through the circulation, an enormous force spread to the realm outside his body!
[TL note: Dantian (丹田 dāntián) – literally translates as "Cinnabar Field" or "Elixir Field". Refers to the region in the body where a person's Qi is concentrated.]
Bam!
Ares was flung away violently and with him, his spear. His body travelled for hundreds of meters before he barely managed to stabilize himself.
In a fit of panic, Ares had forgotten to advance in offense. Speechless, he looked at Yang Chen as he found it hard to believe what he had just experienced.
Yang Chen felt that his body seemed to be filled with plenty of Xiantian True Qi, as if its level was pushed up a little after being stimulated. However, as to why it acted in such a manner, he didn't know.
Why wasn't Xiantian True Qi constrained by the frozen space? How did it manage to break through the space outside my body and even hit Ares? Yang Chen thought, confused.
Is it possible that... Xiantian True Qi is unconstrained by space?!
As this thought surfaced in Yang Chen mind, he himself got frightened.
"What's that energy... It isn't a space method, I'm sure that the space around you was frozen!" Ares asked solemnly.
Yang Chen let out a faint smile. Frowning, he answered, "It's a form of Chinese martial arts I practise called internal energy. I don't know why it turned out like this, but it seemed to be very useful. Would you like to have another go at it?"
"Internal energy? Chinese martial arts?!" Ares got so enraged that he laughed. "Who are you kidding! How is possible for a human creation to conquer us gods?!"
Infuriated, Ares took yet another huge space leap. Freezing the space around Yang Chen, Ares swung his spear at Yang Chen to deliver a fatal blow!
Yang Chen turned serious. Circulating Xiantian True Qi on his hands, he clenched his teeth before forcefully taking the Hand of Ares head-on!
Clink!
The sound of collision between metals resounded. The Hand of Ares was thrown away by Yang Chen's Xiantian True Qi yet again. Moreover, Yang Chen noticed that the force of Xiantian True Qi he released, felt a few times greater than Ares's!
A bold thought emerged in Yang Chen's mind. Xiantian True Qi is unattached from space?!
Doesn't this mean that there's a chance for Xiantian masters to become greater than the gods?!
Although he had achieved the ninth level of Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture when he was in Japan, in addition to entering the realm of Xiantian Full Cycle, Yang Chen was convinced that it was not the end. There were still levels to explore and deeper realms to discover. However, his suspicions were strengthened as he fought his battle with Ares!
After all, the strength of the gods not only included a tough body, but the ability to control space as well.
Therefore, if Xiantian True Qi was indeed beyond the restraints of space, then the power of which the gods boast isn't all that uncomparable, regardless of what they think.
Of course, it was merely a hypothesis. Ignoring whether or not Xiantian True Qi was truly beyond space, it wasn't possible for a Xiantian master to float in mid-air, nor could they destroy large areas with ease or give rise to immense oceanic trenches. Those were only possible through the space methods of gods. It wasn't easy for Xiantian True Qi to achieve such capabilities. To most people, these feats were impossible to perform.
However, Yang Chen could cultivate Xiantian True Qi and grasp space methods at the same time. It was equivalent to a tiger gaining wings!
Ares was incredibly astonished. Having frozen the space around Yang Chen, he was still flung away twice. This was a direct insult towards his skill and powers as a god.
Before Ares struck again, Yang Chen took the initiative to launch the attack first!
"Just as I wanted!"
Ares swayed his spear to welcome Yang Chen, once again freezing the space around Yang Chen!
Yang Chen ignored him and gave up using space methods. Resting his palms against one another, he generated two tracks of waterfall-like Xiantian Qi energy!
The Xiantian True Qi which rushed towards Ares made him feel uneasy about the impending threat!
"Don't even think of hitting me with that! Fold!"
The space between Ares folded to another level. He expected the two tracks of True Qi to change directions and shoot off course.
However, the two tracks of True Qi broke through the folded space, disregarding the laws of space, and penetrated the remaining levels of space, before finally hitting Ares in the chest!
"Puff!'
Ares felt a severe pain on his chest. The overwhelming force made him vomit a mouthful of fresh blood, while his body fell into the ocean like a kite with a broken string!
Although gods had extraordinarily tough bodies, they weren't completely invincible. Yang Chen had gathered his internal energy thoroughly to form the two tracks of Xiantian True Qi. If an ordinary person was hit, it was more than enough to split that person's body into numerous pieces. It was horrifying enough that Ares had merely sustained an internal injury.
In midair, Yang Chen stared at Ares as he fell. He then looked in awe at his palms. Xiantian True Qi really managed to pass through space!
However, Yang Chen wasn't left with much time to think of the reason. Ares flew upwards through the ocean generating monster waves in his tracks!
Chapter 393 - The Unfortunate Mantis
Blood spilled from the corners of his lips, but since he was soaked in seawater, it wasn't all that obvious.
Ares's gaze looked like a lion who had calmed down after going on a rampage. After staring at Yang Chen for a while, he asked, "Was this the work of Chinese internal energy?"
"Yes." Yang Chen nodded. "I myself, am surprised at the result. I wasn't aware that it had the potential to ignore the laws of space until just now."
Complex emotions surfaced in Ares's eyes. After quite a while, he said, "You win."
Yang Chen was stunned. Smiling, he said, "You do not disappoint the legends. You'd always claim victory before the fight, but you'll also admit defeat without hesitation."
Ares looked annoyed. "I am not a coward to the truth. If i lose, I lose. After losing, I'll ensure that I will once again be victorious using my fists the next time we meet! Although you managed to win me today, you couldn't end my life. Although your Chinese martial arts can deal damage to me, you should be aware that you're incapable of killing me."
"I know." Yang Chen nodded. "It wasn't my intention kill you. You'll just reincarnate for a few hundred years if I killed you. That alone seems like it's pointless to me."
"I'm glad that you know." It could be seen from Ares's eyes that he was struggling on something. "Since you won, the God's Stone will still belong to you. However, once I find a way to counter you, I'll still challenge you to a duel! I'll snatch God's Stone sooner or later!"
Gloomily, Yang Chen asked, "Why do you want it so bad? You already have eternal life. Why do you have to obtain the God's Stone?"
"For the same reason as the bitch." Ares let out an evil smile.
Yang Chen recalled what had happened in the past. Frowning, he asked, "Are you still finding it hard to accept this world after tens of thousands of years? Other gods have long adapted to this world; why can't you and Athena do so as well?"
"It's because I don't want to lose the meaning of my existence. Although I hate the bitch Athena, I like it when she adheres to our belief." Ares chuckled before coughing. He continued, "I'll leave now with the people from Sandstorm. Keep the God's Stone with you and don't lose it. I'll be coming back for it."
As soon as Ares finished speaking, he disappeared in midair upon turning around.
Yang Chen sighed. He had grown a small liking toward him. Yang Chen was impressed by his persistence on his belief, having stuck to it for tens of thousands of years.
He tidied up his emotions and took a deep breath. Yang Chen then slowly descended to the abandoned site.
Waiting there was, Cai Ning, Abbess Yun Miao, Gray Robe, in addition to the awakened Lin Zhiguo, who were all waiting for him with high hopes.
"What happened? Has the God of War left yet? Is the God's Stone fine?" Cai Ning couldn't help but ask, despite being usually calm and cold.
Yang Chen smiled at her faintly and answered, "He was unable to defeat me so he escaped, which means that the God's Stone will stay."
"Really? Phew..." Cai Ning smiled in delight while Abbess Yun Miao and Yu Jizi looked at each other in satisfaction.
However, Lin Zhiguo didn't look too happy about it, as if he was troubled by something.
Yang Chen walked towards Lin Zhiguo and stared straight into his eyes. Expressionlessly, he asked, "Is there something you would like to explain to me?"
Lin Zhiguo was stunned. He retorted with another question. "What is it?"
"About what you have done this time," Yang Chen said as killing intent leaked from his eyes.
Lin Zhiguo's face turned dim. Smiling bitterly, he replied, "So you've found out."
"I'm waiting on your answer," Yang Chen said coldly.
"I was thinking since Orinos, no, he should be called Ares now, has been lying to me from the start, he would've exposed me already," Lin Zhiguo said. Being aware that Yang Chen was told about his doings, he decided to be honest.
"What did you do?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Abbess Yun Miao asked.
Yang Chen didn't answer her, but instead waited on Lin Zhiguo to continue speaking.
Lin Zhiguo hesitated for a bit. Using a deep voice, he said, "That's right. What was done was planned by me after all."
Their audience got even more confused by his statement. They anxiously gazed upon Lin Zhiguo, while Gray Robe painfully shut his eyes.
"Yun'er, do you still remember where our son and daughter-in-law died?" Lin Zhiguo asked Yun Miao.
Yun Miao was shocked at first, before sorrow surfaced on her face. She quivered, "Kashmir..."
"Yes, Kashmir, the junction between India and Pakistan..." Lin Zhiguo said. "It was me, I sent them there."
"Why bring this up?"
"I've wanted to tell you that, the people who had ambushed our son and daughter-in-law were the people of Brahma," Lin Zhiguo said.
Yang Chen and the others were shocked after listening to him. Yang Chen frowned as he started to contemplate. He still remembered that when he was in Tibet, Abbess Yun Miao mentioned Lin Zhiguo's 'crime', something about their son dying in Kashmir. But he no reason to pay attention to it then.
The eyes of Abbess Yun Miao reddened. "Really?"
"That's right. I have been investigating this case for more than two decades now. It was only last year that I could confirm their killers." Hatred and grief filled Lin Zhiguo's eyes. "If it wasn't for them, our son and daughter-in-law wouldn't have died. Hui'er would've grown up with her parents, you wouldn't have left me, while your family didn't have suffer so much.
Abbess Yun Miao looked away to wipe the tears leaking from her eyes. "How does it help if you mention it now... It's all in the past."
"No, not everything is in the past. I want to talk about the root of the matter from more than twenty years ago..."
Next, Lin Zhiguo started narrating the story, while the people present were repeatedly surprised from Lin Zhiguo's revelation after revelation...
Last month, Yellow Flame Iron Brigade received a secret report that Brahma wanted to hinder the construction of the nuclear aircraft carrier of China. Moreover, they hired the first-class mercenary corp Sandstorm to cooperate in this war.
Lin Zhiguo had been deeply stressed over this information. He knew that the situation was terrible, as their opponents were unnaturally strong.
Lin Zhiguo had underlying hatred towards Brahma because of what had happened to his children. He didn't want to watch them to go against his country as well.
As he pondered over a response, Lin Zhiguo thought of lending Yang Chen's power. As a result, a bold idea emerged in his mind...
Lin Zhiguo secretly teamed up with the leader of Sandstorm, Orinos, which happened to be Ares. Lin Zhiguo offered to pay twice of what Brahma had paid Ares, for his cooperation of putting up a show.
The plan was really simple. He wanted to get Yang Chen and Sandstorm to destroy the the people from Brahma at the aircraft carrier site.
At the same time, Lin Zhiguo had his eyes set on the God's Stone in Yang Chen's hands.
Lin Zhiguo had always had his attention on the God's Stone, but hadn't found an opportunity to snatch it over. Going against Yang Chen publicly would force him to face severe consequences.
Therefore, his cooperation with Sandstorm also became an opportunity to obtain the God's Stone.
Firstly, Lin Zhiguo made contact with Sandstorm and offered them twice the amount Brahma paid to have them cooperate.
Next, after Sandstorm had agreed, Lin Zhiguo contacted Brahma and gave them an offer—to exchange the aircraft carrier using the God's Stone.
Lin Zhiguo told Brahma that he was willing to help them obtain Yang Chen's God's Stone, since he was able to provide sensitive information on Yang Chen in detail. At the same time, he could shift the people from the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade away from interrupting Brahma in obtaining the God's Stone. His condition was that Brahma couldn't destroy the aircraft carrier together with Sandstorm.
Brahma was an organization with more knowledge about the God's Stone compared to the other interested parties. After comparing the pros and cons, they decided to partner up with Lin Zhiguo to put up the show of forcing Yang Chen into handing in the real God's Stone.
When Brahma and Sandstorm had arrived at Zhonghai, Lin Zhiguo pretended to have been ambushed by Brahma. He then baited Yang Chen to the aircraft carrier site while ignoring the safety of Lin Ruoxi and the other people at Yang Chen's home.
Lin Zhiguo had told the coordinates of the Sea Eagles to Sandstorm, so he managed to gain control there as well.
Lin Zhiguo's preparations were meticulous. As long as Brahma obtained the God's Stone through Sandstorm, Yang Chen wouldn't suspect Lin Zhiguo as the one who stole the stone, but Brahma instead.
Moreover, Brahma would most likely take Lin Ruoxi and the others as hostages, which would certainly provoke Yang Chen.
It would already be too late when Brahma finally realized that the Sandstorm mercenaries would refuse to pass the God's Stone to them after getting it, while the true person who secured the God's Stone would be Lin Zhiguo himself.
As long as Sandstorm agreed to go undercover and rescue Lin Ruoxi and other hostages, Yang Chen would slaughter Brahma with no hesitation.
When Yang Chen failed to retrieve the God's Stone after killing Brahma, he still would have no reason to suspect Lin Zhiguo no matter what.
Unfortunately, Lin Zhiguo missed a key person—Ares!
Ares himself was the God of War. His true intentions were obtaining the God's Stone and killing Yang Chen.
To Ares, Brahma and Yellow Flame Iron Brigade were just toy-like tools. Being someone who was addicted to battles, he was glad to partake in such a battle.
From the beginning to end, Brahma was the pathetic worm who got taken advantage of by both sides. Lin Zhiguo was the mantis hunting a cicada, while Ares was the oriole behind.
[TL note: 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 (Chinese proverb): Literally means the mantis which is hunting a locust is unaware that it is being hunted by an oriole (bird); to covet obvious benefits without being aware of the associated dangers.]
...
After Lin Zhiguo finished narrating the story, everyone had looked at him in a different light. Abbess Yun Miao was shocked, distressed, and disappointed. Yu Jizi, on the other hand, was angered.
Gray Robe appeared to be aware of all of it. He quietly stood beside them in silence.
Yang Chen didn't know what to feel. He said, "No wonder the aircraft carrier was suddenly relocated. No wonder you would miscalculate the time of arrival of the enemies. Moreover, they even knew where we were having just arrived in Zhonghai...
"Oh yeah, Yang Lie suddenly came to my house a while back to pull Hui Lin away. You were the one who told him where Hui Lin was, weren't you? You knew from the start that the women at my house would be taken away as hostages. You were worried that your granddaughter would get harmed, so you used Yang Lie to take her away. Am I right?"
Lin Zhiguo smiled helplessly. "How you managed to get that right is beyond me. Yes, I indeed secretly informed Yang Lie that Hui'er lived with you. Unfortunately, the idiot Yang Lie wasn't able to bring her away. Even I couldn't plan against the heavens. My plan failed, but Hui'er stayed safe."
Yang Chen smiled and said, "There are actually more loopholes in your plan than you originally thought. I have to say, I am impressed by your effort. Your plan is certainly sophisticated. The only reason you failed is because of bad luck. No one expected the leader of Sandstorm to be Ares. He was born out of battles and wars. He is not the scheming type, but he isn't dumb."
"Humph. He's also a guy who doesn't keep his promises," Lin Zhiguo said in dissatisfaction.
Yang Chen burst into laughter. "Do you really think he exposed you?"
"What?!" Lin Zhiguo finally came to realize the truth. With a shivering voice, he said, "Yo—you were testing me?!"
The other few looked at Yang Chen strangely as well.
Yang Chen nodded. "That's right. From the start, I suspected you may have been the mastermind, but I wasn't able to confirm it. So I tried to trick you into telling the truth. To my delight, you actually fell for it. Ares left without saying anything. I wouldn't find out the truth so quickly if you weren't guilty."
Lin Zhiguo staggered backwards as he felt dismal.
"You made so many arrangements, and even allowed your subordinates to get injured. Sky Dragon almost lost his life. At the end of the day, the situation is still the same. I have absolutely no idea what you were thinking. It's no different from digging your grave for yourself," Yang Chen sighed.
Lin Zhiguo started laughing coldly. Soon, his laughter became louder and louder, causing him to look like a madman. "What do you know?! What do you know?! Do you know how much suffering I've been through?!"
"Let me tell you, Yang Chen," Lin Zhiguo said, "I've been the clan master of the Lin clan for almost thirty years. I was assigned as the leader of the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade, but I had to stay out of the spotlight for obvious reasons, which is why the Lin clan has been stuck as a second-class clan in Beijing. I became the head of the organization protecting the country, but I had to face the insufferable fools who roll their eyes at me, or insult me behind my back... But there was nothing I could do!"
"It has stayed this way for almost three decades. I have been enduring all this silently, but what have I gotten in the end? The Lin clan couldn't get stronger. My son and daughter-in-law both contributed their lives to the country! My wife and granddaughter both moved out to live in the mountains! I'm the only one at home, a lonely old man! To top it all of, I have to face my relatives who mock and shun my capabilities to grow the clan!"
As Lin Zhiguo yelled, Abbess Yun Miao slowly got watery. It could be seen that she was sorrowful and regretful. Gray Robe painfully shut his eyes. He obviously knew how bad Lin Zhiguo's life had been.
Lin Zhiguo couldn't calm himself down. Veins popped out on his forehead. He continued, "Other countries have been continuously strengthening their hidden safety organizations. Blue Storm from America, Soviet Medal from Russia, even unofficial organizations like Yamata Sect, the Vatican and Jaguar... They're all growing at a much, much faster rate than us at the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade! We have the most members, but the quality has been declining non-stop! We have to sacrifice more than ten warriors to defeat one member from other special forces. We can't even protect ourselves. How are we supposed to protect a country?!
"We've been craving for growth, but who's there to help us?! All the morons know how to do is take credit. They have no clue that they would've been split into eight pieces without us guarding the country!
"If it's not for this country, why would you assume that I have to please you every time I talk to you, when I'm your elder? Do you really think I have to shut my mouth every time you insult me or talk sarcastically?!"
Yang Chen remained silent. What Lin Zhiguo said made sense. Although he had walked the wrong path, it was rather understandable.
"I've had enough of being looked down upon. I'm also done with pleasing people inferior to me," Lin Zhiguo said coldly. "Since I've been exposed today, I don't plan to continue holding this position. Yang Chen, if you have the slightest bit of conscience, keep today's matter a secret. I just want to resign from my position and be an ordinary old man at home."
Before Yang Chen replied, a man's charismatic voice echoed from the small slope behind him...
"Every mistake made comes with their consequences. Avoiding responsibility means you don't realize what you did wrong..."
Astonished, everyone turned their gazes to the direction the sound came from.
Yang Chen was dumbfounded. At such a short distance, why haven't I noticed someone else's presence?! How is this possible?!
Chapter 394 - How Foolish
Slowly, the contours of a man vaguely appeared from behind the slope. His footsteps were of an even pace, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll.
He was only twenty meters away from them, but they noticed that they couldn't tell how that person was moving, and how his body looked like. All they knew was that he was approaching.
When this young man finally arrived in front of them, they finally saw his face which was held a friendly smile. He had scattered, long, black hair, and wore a green, long robe. His appearance was rather similar to that of Daoist Yu Jizi from Kunlun Sect, but more casual looking.
The man was a little taller than 170 centimeters. He had an elegant temperament and style; although he was smiling, the intent behind it was lost to those present. All they felt was the mystery behind the man and his origin.
"Your Mightiness is..." Yu Jizi was the first one to speak. It wasn't because he wanted attention, but he felt that there was something about his clothes and looks that held a sense familiarity to them.
It couldn't be seen if the man was smiling or not. Looking at Yu Jizi from head to toe, he said, "Woah, I didn't expect to see the Little Jizi back then to be wearing an elder's robe from Kunlun Sect. What is it? Why have you failed to recognize your sect uncle?"
Yu Jizi looked astonished, as if he was reminded of something. He took two steps back and started to observe the man more carefully. When he came to a realization, he revealed a face full of astonishment.
The man laughed. "I still remember when you first came to the mountains and knew nothing about our practices. You would always seek me for any questions about cultivation you had. When I asked why didn't you ask your master, my senior brother, instead, you would tell me, 'Master is too fierce. Sect Uncle wouldn't scold me.' I had had high expectations for your future. I knew you would be exceptional after growing up, as you were able to come up with other solutions to your problems, unlike the other disciples who had endured scolding from their master without asking other sect uncles. Unfortunately, I believe I failed to check on your progress. It's been more than eighty years, why are you still stuck on the early stages of Xiantian?"
Knock!
Being watched by everyone, Yu Jizi suddenly kneeled down and banged his head on the ground before yelling, "Nice to see you again, Sect Uncle Ling Xuzi!!!"
"Sect Uncle Ling Xuzi?!"
Abbess Yun Miao who had been standing aside seemed to have noticed something as well, while Lin Zhiguo and Gray Robe were still a little clueless.
Yang Chen and Cai Ning, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. Who's Ling Xuzi?
The man mentioned 'eighty years ago', and was referred to as 'Sect Uncle' by Yu Jizi. If that was the case, this man would need to be at least a hundred years old. However, he looked closer to Yang Chen, a twenty-four-year-old, than a man who was a hundred years old.
Ling Xuzi sighed, "No wonder you haven't managed to break through to the Xiantian realm. You must've been wrongly taught by my stubborn senior brother. Stop doing unnecessary stuff like this. I'm not Buddha, you don't need to kneel before me. Little Yuzi, if you truly hold filial piety for Sect Uncle, it's more practical to just send me money. I've been wandering around in Zhonghai for the past few days. There are so many good restaurants that I want to dine in, but my travel budget doesn't account for it. My mouth has been watering for so long."
[TL note: In Confucian philosophy, filial piety (孝) is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors.]
Yu Jizi looked bitter. Earlier, he was dumbstruck at Ling Xuji's arrival. However, after listening to Ling Xuzi, he said gloomily, "Se—sect Uncle, I, oh, no, Little Jizi also doesn't have money with him."
Yu Jizi's face reddened as his young sect uncle called him 'Little Jizi' in front of the others. Yang Chen even had the urge to burst into laughter.
"Sigh, forget about it. I'll go back after dealing with tonight's matters anyway." Ling Xuzi turned his attention to Lin Zhiguo. Smiling, he said, "Being the general of the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade, you must've realized who I am by now, haven't you?"
Lin Zhiguo smiled bitterly. He felt that fate was playing a huge joke and he was the fool. Sighing, he said, "Senior must be someone from 'Hongmeng', am I right?"
"That's correct. I've been the 'Hongmeng Messenger' for the past five years. This year happened to be my last, but I didn't expect you to bring me such a trouble in the final few months of the year," Ling Xuzi sighed as he shook his head.
Hongmeng? Hongmeng Messenger?
What are those?
Everyone except Lin Zhiguo had this question in their mind
Lin Zhiguo shut his eyes. "Why is this happening? So many warriors from the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade have died in the past. When we were facing despair, Hongmeng had always been a legend, traceless as ever. When I finally choose to make a decision, Hongmeng decides to appear before me?"
Ling Xuzi smiled faintly. "Do you still not understand? Hongmeng has never given up on this land. It was your Thinking that has changed."
Lin Zhiguo looked miserable as he remained silent.
At this moment, Yu Jizi couldn't help but ask, "Sect Uncle, didn't you... didn't... why did you..."
"Aye, say what you must. Why are you stammering? What do you want?" Ling Xuzi asked in dissatisfaction.
"Alright, alright..." Yu Jizi asked carefully, "When I was only twenty years old back then, didn't you, Sect Uncle, get ambushed... and... that happened? Why did you..."
"Are you trying to say I was supposed to have died in that event, but instead, I'm still standing in front of you, looking so handsome and young?" Ling Xuzi suppressed his laughter.
Yu Jizi nodded forcefully.
"I don't want to tell you," Yu Jizi said in elation.
Everyone got speechless. Although they were immensely shocked, they refused to believe that the young man was really Yu Jizi's sect uncle.
Abbess Yun Miao finally thought of who the person was. Surprised, she exclaimed, "I've figured it out! Ling Xuzi from Kunlun Sect! You are... you are the genius from Kunlun Sect who would work from the shadows most of the time, Ling Xuzi?!"
"Oh?" Ling Xuzi said. "Little Girl, you are aware of who I am as well?"
Yun Miao swallowed her saliva audibly. "When I was young, my sect uncle once me about Senior. Senior was the first person for the past thousands of years who had managed to train the Kunlun-exclusive technique 'Qianyuan Unlimited Technique' to Xiantian Full Cycle. However, you were ambushed by an enemy sect and had died in that ambush. How would... Also, wasn't Senior reaching the ripe age of 50 back then?"
"Judging from your internal energy, you should be a descendent of Shushan. Your sect uncle should be the bald guy Mo Daoran, am I right?" Ling Xuzi pouted. "Why must he tell so many stories, when he hasn't broken through the realm of Xiantian himself yet?"
"So, Sect Uncle, you have... had a breakthrough of Xiantian, and had set foot on the legendary level?!" Yu Jizi asked, dumbfounded. "No wonder... no wonder Sect Uncle looks so young."
Ling Xuzi smiled in acknowledgement. He said to Lin Zhiguo, "Come with me. It is not in your fate that you remain here any more."
Lin Zhiguo shut his eyes in agony. He asked, "Senior, can you tell me why you only decided to show up when us at the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade were at our worst, instead of lending us a hand when we were facing difficulties during the battle? The legend of Hongmeng was passed down by the late, former general. It's a name that was almost forgotten; even I started to doubt its existence. Why? You guys have been here all along. Why were you unwilling to protect the country when it was facing great dangers?"
The smile on Ling Xuzi's face slowly vanished. Strictly, he said, "Lin Zhiguo, don't you get it yet? The one who are in danger is not the country, but your own greed. Does it seem like the end of an era to you? Do you really think our history of more than five thousand years will end just like that?"
Without waiting for Lin Zhiguo's reply, Ling Xuzi continued, "If a truly strong nation wants to develop and grow, it can't rely on the protection of a few people. If a few of you young people at the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade died and faced struggles, and we decide to show ourselves to offer help, everyone would have this idea—it doesn't matter if we lose or retreat, there will be others to clean up our problems for us...
"This wrong thinking would set the progress of this country backward.
"A true master must go through life-and-death experiences, wander around the edge death, before he can hope to have a breakthrough on his limits.
"The culture of our country, amongst countless others, is the only one which hasn't been cut off before. It doesn't rely on the existence of us at Hongmeng, but their undying spirit down to protect the pride of their bloodline.
"Only by repeatedly going through the trials of blood and fire can a nation continue to progress with each generation.
"Being the general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade, not only did you fail to believe in yourself, you also have no faith in your subordinates. All you can think about is yourself, and the dissatisfaction towards your Lin clan, as if every Chinese citizen in the world owes you something...
"How foolish! What do you think the dead warriors of the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade died for?! What do you think they have put their lives on the line for?!
"Even when they knew they would die, they still stood in front of you without hesitation. Your task is only to provide orders, but you're also the first one to lose focus... Have you lived up to the trust the former general had given you? Have you lived up to the spirit of your young subordinates?"
After Ling Xuzi finished speaking, Cai Ning, Abbess Yun Miao and the others looked mournful. At the same time, they were perturbed and the revelations.
Lin Zhiguo, on the other hand, looked pale and aggrieved, as if his soul had left his body. He couldn't say a single word anymore.
"Alright, that's enough of that. I have responsibilities to fulfil and this is one of them, which is to bring you away," Ling Xuzi said before walking towards Lin Zhiguo.
However, Gray Robe who had remained silent leaped in front of Lin Zhiguo. Grief filled his heavily wrinkled face. "If you want to leave with him, it will have to be over my dead body."
Chapter 395 - The Door's Gap
Ling Xuzi was stunned. He didn't expect anyone to stop him, but he wasn't enraged. Smiling, he said, "Little Doll, step away. You are powerless against me."
"Whether I can stop you or not is secondary to the problem," Gray Robe said seriously. "I was rescued by Master and therefore I owe him my life, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here today. Having lived for so many years as Master's guard, I hold no regrets. I know that Senior will imprison Master till death takes its toll on him, which will cause him more suffering than death. Since I'm no longer able to stay by his side, I'm willing to die to thank Master for his act to me."
"Gray Robe, move away!" Lin Zhiguo raised his head as his eyes reddened. "Senior Ling Xuzi is merely fulfilling a responsibility given by Hongmeng. I am the general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade, but everyone, even I, will still have to be punished for my mistakes."
"Master, I have never once disobeyed you. Although I didn't agree with your plans this time round, I stood aside without interrupting. However, this time, I will disobey your orders for my selfish wishes."
As soon as Gray Robe finished speaking, he started condensing True Qi throughout his entire body before posing a fighting stance.
Ling Xuzi didn't respond to him at all, as if he was waiting for Gray Robe to strike first.
Yang Chen who was watching by the side felt a bit odd as he looked at Ling Xuzi stand like he was floating.
It was a mysterious feeling. Ling Xuzi was obviously standing right in front of Yang Chen, but he appeared to be existing in a completely different world.
Yang Chen who was able to grasp space methods had a strong feeling—This man wasn't constrained by space at all!
However, the other people including Yu Jizi failed to notice anything unusual.
At this moment, Gray Robe had finished condensing True Qi before suddenly exploding his energy. Like a grey silhouette, he dashed towards Ling Xuzi in a lightning-fast manner before slapping Ling Xuzi's chest!
Bam!
A thud resounded, but it wasn't because Gray Robe hit something. Before his palm reached Ling Xuzi, a shapeless force swung his body away!
Gray Robe flipped a couple times in midair before crashing into the ground, causing him to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood as a result of receiving a severe internal injury.
Expressionlessly, Ling Xuzi sighed, "It's a pity you had to be so loyal. In this world, there are sentiments and reasons, the former of which can be more important in life sometimes. However, this time, it is not. I have to do what I came for. He's unable to continue being the general. Someone who knows too many secrets of the country must be brought away. But you shall be at ease. He shall live the rest of his life at a great place."
"As long as I, Gray Robe, still breathes, I won't allow Senior to bring Master away..." Gray Robe struggled to stand up as he intended to continue the battle.
"You can't even get near me. How are you supposed to stop me?" Ling Xuzi asked.
"Even if I can't stop you, I will not stop trying."
When Gray Robe rushed over once again, Abbess Yun Miao who had remained silent suddenly kneeled down and said to Ling Xuzi, "Senior, please forgive this man. Although he's at fault, he has come to a realization of his mistakes. Please allow me to bring him back to Shushan, and let him stay at Shushan for the rest of his life."
"Yun'er..." Lin Zhiguo was touched when he saw that Yun Miao was willing to negotiate on his behalf. Tears dripped from his eyes as he got speechless.
"Regardless of your marriage, there's no room for negotiation on this," Ling Xuzi said before walking towards Lin Zhiguo again.
"In your dreams!"
Gray Robe had his eyes widened furiously while he dashed towards Ling Xuzi in an attempt to stop him.
Ling Xuzi frowned slightly. Even Buddha had his limits. Having tolerated him again and again, he didn't plan on holding back anymore.
Seeing the heavily injured Gray Robe who was forcing himself to take on Ling Xuzi once again, resolution surfaced on Lin Zhiguo's face. He suddenly took out a handgun from his shirt pocket before pointing it at his temple!
"Gray Robe, stop it!!!"
"Master?!"
Gray Robe stopped advancing.
"The decision is final. There's no need to trouble Senior Ling Xuzi anymore." Lin Zhiguo forced a smile. "I understand your intention. I'm glad that you aren't involved in this operation with me. Gray Robe, you have been my most devout follower for many years. Instead of saying you're my subordinate, it's more appropriate to say you're my old friend. After I leave, I bet the Lin clan... will slowly decline as well. But I hope you can try your best to help."
Gray Robe painfully shut his eyes.
Lin Zhiguo looked at Abbess Yun Miao. "Yun'er, pass the Lin clan down to Hui'er in the future. I know you have no interest in running a clan, but you're the wife of the clan master after all. After I leave, I hope you can bring Hui'er home and educate her enough to be able to run the clan. Just treat this as the final shameless request by your husband who has repeatedly disappointed you.
"This unfortunate event was caused by me and me alone. I brought shame to the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade and caused the lives of the young people to suffer. The God's Stone even nearly ended up in the hands of another. But I'm lucky to have taken revenge for our son and daughter-in-law."
Abbess Yun Miao kept quiet. She nodded as she held back her tears.
Lin Zhiguo threw a complicated gaze at Yang Chen. "I may not be able to raise my head to you in this last few moments. But I guess it doesn't matter, does it? I hope you can treat Ruoxi well. She's a pitiful child."
Yang Chen let out an evil smile. "You finally want to tell the truth?"
"Haha," Lin Zhiguo laughed. "I've said all I needed to say. You'll find out sooner or later anyway."
"If that is all. We shall leave," Ling Xuzi said as he walked forward before holding Lin Zhiguo's back.
Lin Zhiguo nodded before turning around.
Ling Xuzi seemed to have thought of something. Turning his head towards Yang Chen with a smile, he said, "I was watching the battle earlier. I hope you are able to progress and understand more in the future."
As soon as he finished, without bidding farewell to the others, while holding Lin Zhiguo's back, he instantly moved hundreds of meters away!
Even Yang Chen couldn't tell how Ling Xuzi managed to move like that. The space wasn't bent at all nor did it have any abnormality. It looked like... he was using a teleportation skill!
Before the others could witness the magical scene any longer, Ling Xuzi disappeared in the distance with Lin Zhiguo.
Silence filled the room before Yu Jizi said, "I never expected that Sect Uncle would have really entered that threshold. Is there really such a level above Xiantian..."
Previously, Yang Chen could vaguely tell that he still had room to ascend back then. He could finally make sure of such an existence. Having seen the teleportation-like way of departure used by Ling Xuzi earlier, Yang Chen had received a little more insight.
In front of him, he felt as if an unprecedented door opened slightly and revealed a tiny gap.
"What are you thinking about?" Cai Ning asked softly.
Yang Chen shook his head. "Nothing much. It's nothing I can explain well anyway. Oh yeah, what will happen to you guys at the Yellow Flame Iron Brigade now that Lin Zhiguo has left?"
Abbess Yun Miao wiped the tears in her eyes before saying, "Don't worry. Hongmeng has two major responsibilities—to protect the core of the country and to supervise the general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade. Yellow Flame Iron Brigade is an unconventional hidden organization after all. It can't go through regular legalities. Thus, if the general were to receive judgement, Hongmeng will be the ones to put forth a new candidate for the position of general. For now, all we can do is wait."
Yang Chen nodded. He wasn't too worried. Now that the trouble was dealt with, he was reminded of Mo Qianni whom he placed at Rose Bar earlier. Together with Rose, They should be worried sick for his safe return.
"Since there's nothing else here, I shall return for now," Yang Chen said to them.
Yu Jizi held his fists together. "Thank you, Mr Yang. This daoist wouldn't have survived should it not be your presence earlier."
Yang Chen waved one of his hand hands before turning around and leaving.
He ran as quick as he could to his parked car. Yang Chen then drove back just as dawn was about to break.
The incidents last night presented were so sudden. Yang Chen remembered that he hadn't made a call home last night. He couldn't help but get irritated. Lin Ruoxi must have gotten mad at him again. She had to endure seeing Yang Chen having dinner with another woman. Wasn't he considered looking for trouble by not going home that night?
However, he couldn't just make a phone call this early in the morning, not to mention his inability to explain what had happened last night. Thus, Yang Chen gave up on explaining.
When he came to Rose Bar, there was basically no one inside. Two unknown men from Red Thorns Society were guarding the shop, while Yang Chen could sense the presence of numerous men surrounding the bar. Apparently, they were people asked to protect the place.
Upon seeing Yang Chen, quite a few elites of the Red Thorns Society who knew Yang Chen bowed to him and greeted him.
Yang Chen greeted back by waving his hands. He walked to the back of the bar and came to Rose's room. He asked the two bodyguards outside the door, "Is your boss sleeping inside?"
They shook their heads. "Mr Yang, we don't know if Boss if asleep or not."
Yang Chen felt stupid at that point. It would be weird if the bodyguards knew whether his women were asleep or not, since it would mean that they had peeked inside. Thus, he opened the door himself and walked inside.
The scent of perfume filled the room. Yang Chen raised his head to look at Rose's bed. Instantly, he felt that the blood from his entire body gushed towards his brain. He gulped his saliva audibly as his mouth turned dry...
Chapter 396 - Intimate Form of Address
Rose's huge bed was covered in a dark brown bed sheet, with a chocolate-milk-like blanket made of silk draped on top of it. The contrast made it particularly eye catching.
The two women were dressed loosely in white and a light blue pyjamas, which were wrinkled, as a result of the playful frenzy before bed.
From Yang Chen's point of view, their two white smooth legs were fully exposed for him to see.
More breathtakingly, Rose's head was buried in Mo Qianni's chest, with the latter pouting, while her lips were placed in Rose's hair.
They were in a tight embrace. They didn't look their usual charming self, but displayed a much more adorable look, causing them to appear pleasant to the eyes.
Although Yang Chen crept quietly, he did not try to cover his footsteps. Rose noticed a movement in her room, causing her to wake up blurrily.
She removed her head from Mo Qianni's large and soft bosom. She rubbed her eyes before blinking them a few times, as they were dry and caused her much discomfort. However, when she realised who was in the room, she let out a charming smile.
"Hubby, why are you home so late?" Rose wasn't worried about his safety. It was just that Yang Chen was later than he normally was.
Yang Chen wasn't about to explain what went on last night as it was far too complex, and whom he had met, not to mention the person who was much more capable than him. Yang Chen knew that Rose had no use for information like that. She was not one to question about his line of work unless it had caused him to suffer.
"I feel bad for coming back this late as well. I missed the chance to see how you vixens were playing in bed." Yang Chen walked to the bedside and sat down. He held one of Rose's jade-like legs and lightly pinched on her white, soft foot, causing her to roll her eyes.
"We didn't 'play' in bed." Rose said as she recalled the nonsense she said to Mo Qianni and the weird stuff she did, which she dared not mention to Yang Chen. In refusal, she said, "We just happened to fall asleep like this."
Mo Qianni who had fallen asleep not long ago slowly opened her eyes. Seeing that Yang Chen was unharmed talking at the bedside, she couldn't help but feel elated.
She wasn't as daring as Rose. She only managed to fall asleep because Rose distracted her attention, not to mention she was indeed exhausted, otherwise it would have been one hell of a sleepless night for her. Now that she made sure Yang Chen was fine, she could finally breathe that sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding.
"What do you think? Who do you find more comfortable to sleep with, me or Rose?" Yang Chen winked at Mo Qianni.
Mo Qianni blushed immediately. She sat up before hitting Yang Chen's back. "Don't be absurd. Rose and I were just too tired."
"I never said you did anything. But the more I sit here, the more I think something must have happened?" Yang Chen chuckled.
Mo Qianni suddenly noticed that she fell for the trap. Shy, she continued hitting Yang Chen. At last, she couldn't hold back and started crying.
Yang Chen and Rose were astonished. What's happening? Is she crying because she's too shy?
Yang Chen shook his head with a bitter smile. "Alright, alright. Little Qianqian, I'll stop teasing you about Rose and you sleeping with her, okay? Don't cry anymore."
Mo Qianni slapped Yang Chen's thigh. She didn't know whether she should cry or laugh. Angrily, she said, "That's not why i'm crying you idiot. I'm just glad that you're fine. I have never met anyone so dangerous and been mere inches away from an explosion before. I would always be frightened and restless beside you."
Yang Chen scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't want such things to happen as well, but—"
"You don't need to explain. Although it's very dangerous, if I really cared about what you do, I wouldn't have followed you until now," Mo Qianni said with a smile before murmuring, "How naughty..."
"Wow, Hubby, you called Sister Qianni 'Little Qianqian'. Why don't you ever call me like that?" Rose suddenly thought of another question.
Yang Chen got gloomy. "Your names are different, aren't they?"
"No, that's not what I meant. It's the level of intimacy that matters. I call you Hubby all the time, it's fine if you can't call me something similar, but, at least, address me the same way you address5 Elder Sister Qianni. Call me... the... something." Rose pouted as she felt embarrassed, but still looked at Yang Chen with high expectations.
Yang Chen pondered for a while. "So, it is... Little Qiangqiang'?
[TL note: As the previous translator mentioned, he should've put the name as it is, Qiangwei, which means 'rose' in English. Situ Qiangwei is Rose's full name.]
"You're the one who's Little Qiang!" Rose pouted before saying, "Little Weiwei!"
[TL note: Little Qiang (小强) means cockroach in Mandarin. It's a pun.]
"Pfft!" Mo Qianni who was beside burst into laughter. Laughing, she said, "Little Qiangqiang... Little Qiangqiang..."
Rose was rather ashamed.She looked at Yang Chen like he was the 'culprit.' She said, "It's all because of you. Why did you have to go and call me such a ridiculous name?"
"It was you who asked me to call you that way. Wasn't calling you Babe fine before?" Yang Chen said. Women are indeed tough to please!
"Still, some thought into it would have been nice." Rose turned around angrily. She then said to Mo Qianni who was laughing so hard that she couldn't sit still anymore, "Sister Qianni, if you continue laughing, I'll continue playing the game we played earlier."
Mo Qianni was stunned, as if she thought of something horrifying. Instantly, she suppressed her laughter as she looked at Yang Chen with a pitiful gaze.
"Ro—erm... Little Weiwei, what did you play just now? Why is she so frightened?" Yang Chen asked out of curiosity.
Rose chuckled. "It's the thing you usually do to me. I was acting your role while treating Sister Qianni as myself."
Yang Chen was first confused. As he thought about it more carefully, he instantly found out something. So they were playing the same-gender game?!
While Mo Qianni worked in the modern fashion industry, she was still an eastern woman with a traditional mindset. She wouldn't be able to accept being kissed and caressed by a woman.
Although she was open to most things, she still found it hard to accept such an act. Moreover, she was doing it with someone who was similarly his mistress.
"Little Weiwei, your Sister Qianni isn't as open-minded as you. I think you should spare her next time," Yang Chen said as he tried to refrain from smiling.
Rose instantly understand what Yang Chen was thinking. The man was obviously hoping to see the two ladies play together!
"No way, Sister Qianni will be my woman in the future," Rose said in elation.
Mo Qianni hid behind Yang Chen's back. "Hubby... I want to learn martial arts as well. I couldn't defeat Rose. This isn't fair."
Yang Chen looked at Mo Qianni's mournful look before revealing a smile. "You don't need to; I'm here. Little Qianqian, there's still some time before any of us have to go anywhere. Since the three of us are all here, why don't we properly discuss the problems about bullying in bed..."
Rose and Mo Qianni immediately understood what he meant. He was indeed daring at suggesting such a thing. He managed to shamelessly voice out something so embarrassing like it was normal.
The two ladies secretly glanced at each other. Although they had carefully maneuvered their acts to not spoil their relationship, due to certain reasons, they managed to become rather intimate. However, they were both mistresses after all, and were considered 'love rivals'. The fact that they had shared the same man before surfaced as they sat there in contemplation. But none of them voiced them out for a discussion.
Yang Chen noticed the complex emotions in the eyes of the two ladies. Shit, I was too careless, he thought.
These two ladies weren't the same type of ladies he used to get on with. Their bodies didn't exist just for him to vent his mood on. If he wanted to play with both of them, he had to challenge their morals, feelings, and limits.
Hurriedly, Yang Chen said, "I was just kidding. Don't take my words seriously. I think we'd better go to sleep now."
Rose and Mo Qianni looked at each other before turning their attention to Yang Chen.
"Hubby, actually—"
Before Mo Qianni finished speaking, Yang Chen suddenly stood up!
"Sit here and don't go out. There's someone outside I need to see," Yang Chen said nervously to the two ladies.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Chen had exit the room in a lighting-fast manner. Outside Rose's bedroom, he leaped across the wall and came to a street nearby.
A silhouette standing in the dark had its back facing Yang Chen. It only turned around when Yang Chen came.
"Ares, didn't you say you were leaving?" Yang Chen asked solemnly. Faced with an opponent at the same level, Yang Chen was shocked when Ares came to him again.
Ares didn't look too happy. He said, "You may not believe me when I tell you this, but it has to be said. I had lost connection with the two of my men who went to your house to reclaim the God's Stone. Right now, I have no idea where they left to with the God's Stone."
Chapter 397 - Contradiction
After listening to Ares, Yang Chen felt that he had no reason not to trust Ares. There was no reason for Ares to come here and confront him about the God's Stone if he already had it in his possession.
In fact, hiding from Yang Chen after taking the God's Stone would be a breeze to him as Yang Chen had no way of looking for him in the first place.
Although Xiantian True Qi could assist him in defeating Ares, it couldn't be used to trace Ares's whereabouts.
Furthermore, Ares had always been straightforward and direct. Although he was brash, he was not one to go back on his word. If he said he would give up after losing, he would do just that.
"What's the situation specifically?" Yang Chen asked.
Ares was surprised that Yang Chen didn't doubt him. He too, started to warm up to Yang Chen a lot more than he had before. Thus, he started explaining the situation from start to end.
Having been defeated by Yang Chen earlier, although Ares wasn't happy with the outcome, he didn't sit and wallow in his defeat for long. To him, winning was secondary to the actual fight.
As a result, Ares would always fulfill his promises. He planned to summon his two men from Yang Chen's after putting the God's Stone back to its original place.
However, when Ares wanted to make contact with the two men, he noticed that they had disappeared!
Except for the hole in the wall in Yang Chen's garage, there were nowhere to be seen!
It felt as if they had vanished out of thin air and brought the God's Stone with them!
What Ares realized was immensely abnormal. Although he wasn't afraid of Yang Chen, being upright and frank, he felt that it was only proper to explain the situation to Yang Chen properly. Using the information he had gathered, he came to the bar and found Yang Chen nearby.
Having listened to Ares, Yang Chen immediately thought of the incident that had taken place regarding the Holy Grail after the banquet hosted by the Liu clan.
Earlier that time, Elder Mobses vanished out of thin air. Everyone there had no clue what happened, but Yang Chen was well aware that someone had used space methods to swallow Mobses, and at the same time brought away some kind of 'divine power' from the Holy Grail, causing it to turn into an ordinary antique cup.
It is certainly a possibility that the same man behind the Holy Grail, is behind this too.
However, it was the energy of the Holy Grail that was taken away earlier. This time, the entire God's Stone was stolen, which meant that their intentions wasn't the same as before.
Seeing that Yang Chen was contemplating, Ares said, "If you know who it is, and if you need my help, I'll be willing to help you retrieve the God's Stone."
"No need. If I remember correctly, it can't be found" Yang Chen answered.
Ares frowned. "Then do you plan to surrender the God's Stone?"
"Whether or not I surrender it, I have no choice. There's nothing I can do. The culprit has a grasp on space methods. Just like I won't be able to locate you, it's not possible for us to find him." Yang Chen smiled bitterly.
Ares was shocked. Soon, his expression turned dull. "Which shameless fellow is it who did this?"
"Not someone I know," Yang Chen replied, "I don't think the person is among the ones who have awakened."
After Yang Chen explained the incident of the Holy Grail to Ares, Ares said, "Except the Twelve Olympians who have the ability to be reborn, it is said that all other gods have been wiped from existence. However, I won't be surprised if a few gods who managed to survive due to their relative strength, were still roaming this world. I can understand if they want the God's Stone, but why would they want the cup as well?"
Yang Chen shook his head. He too was wondering why the Holy Grail was of the person's interest as well. The cup was meaningless to someone who understood space methods.
"Since that's the case, I'll help you investigate this matter," Ares said. "I definitely won't let someone who dares to upstage me live comfortably."
Yang Chen wasn't going to stop him from doing so. An extra pair of hands never hurt.
After Ares truly left, Yang Chen shook his head. Although God's Stone was essential, it wasn't enough to make him lose focus on everything else.
Especially tonight, having met Ling Xuzi whom he had failed to see clearly, Yang Chen knew that the people whom he has met were nothing compared to the grand scheme of things.
After returning to Rose's room, Yang Chen was gazed upon by the two worried women. Yang Chen smiled relaxedly. "It's no big deal. Someone came looking for me this late at night. I just went out to meet him for a bit."
Rose and Mo Qianni both knew that Yang Chen wasn't willing to confess the truth, but didn't plan to raise questions.
Rose suddenly said, "Hubby, I'm moving soon."
Yang Chen was stunned. "What moving?"
"I'm leaving this place. I want to move back to my previous home. The place there is slightly bigger," Rose said.
The house Rose mentioned was in fact the one Situ Mingze used to live in. After Situ Mingze was sent abroad, the house got transferred to Rose's name, but she had no use for it and left it untouched ever since.
Yang Chen thought for a while before looking at Mo Qianni who appeared to be troubled. He turned back to Rose with a smile before saying, "What is it? Are you thinking about living together with Qianni?"
Rose nodded. "Yeah, isn't Sister Qianni's home destroyed? Since I don't plan to stay here forever, and it'd be too lonely if I stayed at the old house alone, I believe if Sister Qianni stays with me in the future... we'd be really happy together."
Yang Chen wasn't against the idea. To him, he would save his time and effort from travelling to two seperate places in the future. However, judging from Mo Qianni's personality, it was going to be difficult to convince her that moving into Rose's house was a good move.
Rose seemed to have noticed Mo Qianin's hesitance. Smiling, she said, "Sister Qianni, you'll be responsible for the daily expenses of the house in the future. Treat it as your rent payment. Is that agreeable for now?"
Mo Qianni had no reason to turn the offer down. She nodded before reluctantly looking at Yang Chen. "I bet this naughty fellow benefits the most from this."
Yang Chen didn't feel too bad to have his intentions exposed. Smiling, he said, "Just listen to Rose. I feel that you two can get along well if you live together. I'll go back to take care of something else now. Rest, it's still a bit early now.
Mo Qianni and Rose felt surprised as Yang Chen requested his leave. They had thought Yang Chen would shamelessly make that kind of request after knowing that the two would stay together in the future.
Actually, Yang Chen was unwilling to let go of these two white rabbits which had been delivered to his mouth. However, he felt the need to further investigate after listening to what Ares said to him. He had to find out if there were any signs left, or if the place had been cleared of it. It wouldn't be good if the few women at home got terrified after waking up.
Within half an hour, Yang Chen had arrived at the villa in Dragon Garden.
When he was in the car, Yang Chen made contact with Molin to ask about the situation of Sea Eagles. They had lost four team members, while the others were generally slightly injured. The situation turned out a lot better than expected. After all, the opponents they were faced with were biologically enhanced warriors who lacked the fear of death.
The field outside the villa had been cleaned. Yang Chen came to the underground garage and placed the brick back into the wall. Everything looked the same as before. However, the God's Stone was indeed gone. There were no traces to lead him to suspects.
Yang Chen sighed slightly. All he could do was cross the bridge when he came to it.
In the morning, Yang Chen came downstairs from the second floor as he planned to have breakfast. Dressed in office wear, Lin Ruoxi stood up from the dining table as she had finished eating.
Yang Chen looked at Lin Ruoxi's meticulously tied-up bun and her iceberg-like, expressionless face and felt his heart quake. At the same time, he couldn't help but ask, "Babe Ruoxi, why are you dressed this way? Are you going to work?"
Lin Ruoxi had completely ignored him, as if she heard nothing. She took her handbag from the sofa and planned to leave.
At this moment, Guo Xuehua who was carrying a bowl of porridge walked out from the kitchen and said, "Oh, Ruoxi said that she was going to shop for new outfits for you, so she has to go out today, am I right, Ruoxi?"
Lin Ruoxi stood by the door. She stopped moving when Guo Xuehua spoke. It could be seen from her cold face that she was struggling. At last, she bit her lips and turned around before humming in acknowledgement.
Yang Chen wasn't a fool. It was obvious that Lin Ruoxi wasn't willing to stay at home, judging from her actions earlier. Guo Xuehua noticed the awkwardness between the two, and intentionally helped Yang Chen out a bit as she signalled Lin Ruoxi to not behave in an overly cold manner.
Although Yang Chen was thankful for Guo Xuehua's aid, he couldn't help but feel that it was slightly too cruel on Ruoxi's part.
Had the usual contradiction of the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law surfaced in this house already?
[TL note: In Chinese families, it's rather common for the wife to fail to get along well with the mother of her husband.]
After promising Guo Xuehua, Lin Ruoxi silently walked out of the house. Due to her personality, even if she was aggrieved, she wouldn't show it on the outside.
Yang Chen sat down and had some porridge. After a moment of silence, he said to Guo Xuehua who was peeling the shell of a herbal egg for him, "Next time... don't treat Ruoxi like this anymore. It's my fault. It's not wrong that she's angry."
Guo Xuehua was stunned. Mournfully, she said, "Did I cross the line... I know that I haven't set a good example. To you and Ruoxi, I haven't fulfilled the responsibility of a mother and a mother-in-law. I really don't mean for any wrong. But... but I just couldn't help it. I just feel that Ruoxi has always been showing you a displeased look. It's unnatural for a husband and wife not to sleep in the same room after having been married for six months. Sigh, I know that she's a good child. We had a good conversation two days ago. But I don't want to see you suffer as well. Every time I think of the bad days you had lived in the past, I can't take it when I see people treat you coldly, even when she's my daughter-in-law..."
Yang Chen threw a complex gaze to Guo Xuehua. He shook his head and said, "I'm not suffering. Our situation is a bit unique. In short, leave our relationship to us to handle."
After he finished speaking, Yang Chen stood up and took a coat as he planned to leave.
Guo Xuehua was shocked. "Yang Chen, why are you heading out as well? You haven't finished your breakfast yet."
"I need to go to Yu Lei for awhile. We can't have a unpleasant family dinner with just the two of us during the new year." Yang Chen shrugged. "Even if I have to endure the scolding of my wife, I still have to bring the cold-faced Guanyin back."
[TL note: Guanyin is an East Asian bodhisattva associated with compassion and venerated by Mahayana Buddhists and followers of Chinese folk religions, also known as the "Goddess of Mercy" in English.]
Chapter 398 - Partnered Bullying
Having driven on the road for a short while, Yang Chen noticed that the gas indicator light on the display of his BMW was lit up.
So, he drove to a petrol station not too far from where he was to refuel. As he was paying, Yang Chen suddenly noticed the money he was spending, the car he was driving, and the house he was living in, all belonged to Lin Ruoxi.
Back then, marrying this woman was not on his short list of things to do. It was originally supposed to be contract-based, so he wasn't too bothered as he treated himself as a mere worker.
However, now that he planned to live the rest of his days with this woman, he wouldn't appear all that useful as a husband if all he could do was mooch off his wife.
It wasn't because Yang Chen was feel embarrassed. Yang Chen wasn't afraid to be seen as a man who relied on his wife. His skin was so thick that he wasn't concerned with stuff like that from the start. But what about Lin Ruoxi?
She had always hoped that he could perform and make her proud. Hadn't he noticed that he had been a disappointment as of late?
Although Lin Ruoxi had stopped supervising him during work as he recently revealed his true self a little, people not privy to that information will look at them in a negative light.
Having realized that he had been 'adopted' all this time, Yang Chen didn't know what to feel. Although he wasn't disturbed by it, he shouldn't rely on Lin Ruoxi for everything he used and needed, not to mention he would always piss her off. He indeed felt sorry for her.
Why don't I discuss this with Ron to get a few decent items to please my wife?
Yang Chen pondered about various questions as he drove. The more he contemplated, the more he found material items were meaningless. Although Lin Ruoxi wasn't the richest person in the world, her wealth couldn't be depleted even if the next few generations were to not work and just live off her money.
Instead of giving her strange treasures which wouldn't come into much use, he would rather do certain things to please her like proving himself in the business world or avoid staying out of the house overnight without making a call home.
Yang Chen's mind was really messy. Feeling extremely guilty, he drove to the headquarters of Yu Lei International.
Since it was a day before Chinese New Year, there weren't many people working in the company. Yang Chen came to the top floor of the building and didn't bump into anyone he knew on the way.
"Wi—erm... Boss Lin, I'm Yang Chen. Can you open the door?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.
Nothing could be heard from within the room.
Yang Chen frowned. As he reached his arm out to open the door, he heard footsteps from behind.
He turned around to have a look. A guy and a lady were walking towards him as they chatted happily.
The lady was Lin Ruoxi's assistant Wu Yue, the 'airport'. Beside her stood a good-looking guy whom Yang Chen had met a few times before, but couldn't remember for the life of him, who he was. He looked around thirty-five years old. He looked elegant and he had a well-favored face. There was no question that people would have taken a liking to him on their first impressions.
[TL note: An airport is used to describe a breastless woman in Chinese since a runway is flat.]
"Why are you here?" Wu Yue asked. She looked at Yang Chen with caution upon seeing him, as if Yang Chen was a thief or something.
Yang Chen felt gloomy. "Since you guys are here, why can't I be here as well?"
"Humph. You look so sneaky. I thought you'd at least behave like someone holding a high position after Boss Lin let you be the director of Yu Lei Entertainment. Why do you still look so detestable like a thug member?" Wu Yue said in dissatisfaction.
"Yue'er, who's this guy?" The elegant middle-aged man asked Wu Yue intimately after gazing upon Yang Chen out of curiosity.
The man-like lady Wu Yue instantly blushed, causing even Yang Chen to be stupefied.
"This guy is the director of the new entertainment company Yang Chen. He's not one you should be acquainted with," Wu Yue answered gently.
The man was shocked before smiling at Yang Chen. "Nice to meet you. I've heard of the two generals beside Boss Lin—Department Head Mo and Director Yang. I've met Department Head Mo many times, but I haven't had a chance to see Director Yang. I guess I got lucky this time round."
Yang Chen shook hands with him as he frowned slightly. "You speak of much nonsense. Who the heck are you?"
"Humph. How disrespectful." Dissatisfied, Wu Yue replied, "This is the new vice president of our company sent over by Jade Clouds Corporation, Mr Li Minghe."
Didn't Ruoxi mention about welcoming a new vice president from Jade Clouds Corporation earlier? I believe he's an expert in charge of the market for the new material. I didn't expect him to be this young. I thought he'd be an old man who was 50 at least, Yang Chen thought.
Yang Chen understood the situation as he looked at Wu Yue who appeared to be pleased in addition to the courteous Li Minghe. He was too lazy to continue talking, and wanted to mind his own business so he reached his hand to the door knob again.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Did anyone allow you to enter yourself?!" Wu Yue quickly blocked in front of Yang Chen like a greaved cow.
"I'm looking for Boss Lin. This doesn't concern you in the slightest." Yang Chen pouted.
Frowning, Wu Yue said, "Boss Lin went to Yucong Building for inspection. Go there if you want to find her. The CEO's office isn't somewhere you can enter at your own fancy "
"Yucong Building?" Yang Chen was surprised. He knew that it was one of the shopping malls owned by Yu Lei International, thus its name 'Yucong', as numerous imported emeralds imported from Myanmar would be displayed and traded there.
"You're not lying, are you? Then why are you guys here?" Yang Chen asked doubtfully.
Wu Yue's eyes widened largely. Furiously, she said, "What reason would I have to lie to you? Although I hate you a lot, I don't have any intentions to lie to you. Boss Lin came over here earlier to ask about our year-end sales. She wants to personally pay the place a visit. Is there anything unusual about it?"
Li Minghe who was beside said, "That's right. Yue'er isn't lying. Director Yang, Boss Lin indeed went to Yucong Building. I met with her just now as well. It's nearing the peak season for sales for companies like Yu Lei and the others. Being a highly responsible leader, it's normal for Boss Lin to inspect the place in person."
Yang Chen wondered if he should give Lin Ruoxi a call. However, he didn't know what to say to her even if he did. Thus, he carefully sensed his surroundings outside the door. When he made sure there was indeed no one in the office, he finally believed the two.
Soon, he thought of something else. Yang Chen asked, "Why should you guys have to enter then? Isn't Boss Lin away?"
Wu Yue snorted coldly. "Mr Li wants to review some reports and has received Boss Lin's permission. She asked me here to bring him inside."
Yang Chen let out a strange smile. "You still came to the office with the vice president to review stuff during the holidays. Erm, don't exhaust your body too much. Otherwise it's harmful to your body..."
Wu Yue couldn't understand what Yang Chen's smile meant, while Li Mingye returned a smile without speaking; it was evident that he was an experienced man.
Yang Chen stopped fooling with them and left the building
As he headed to Yucong Building in his car, many roadside stalls were doing their sales promotions, merry crowds in addition to streams of endless vehicles could be seen, causing Yang Chen to feel the merry mood of the Chinese New Year. But at the same time, he was rather worried as well. What if Lin Ruoxi went to another place for inspection after he reached the place?
Having gone through miserable traffic jams, it was already afternoon when Yang Chen arrived outside Yucong Building. He followed signs and came to the underground parking area before exhaling deeply.
In the past, he had never witnessed such crowds in a city abroad. Even New York, America was not busy from time to time.
Surprisingly, there weren't many cars inside Yucong Building. After all, the people who could afford the things there were limited. In the enormous parking area, a little over a hundred luxury cars could be seen.
Yang Chen parked his car and got off, only to find a red Bentley parked two slots away.
It looks like she's still here.
Yang Chen glanced at his surroundings before heading to wards the elevator. Coincidentally, someone came down from there, and who should show up but the very person he was looking for.
Dressed in the same office wear as this morning, Lin Ruoxi's originally tidily tied up hair was slightly messy, while there was sweat on her forehead and her face was pinkish. She looked like she had spent quite a lot of her energy.
In her hands, she held five to six huge paper bags. She should've been tired as a result of walking a long distance while carrying them.
Lin Ruoxi walked out of the elevator as she wanted to proceed to her car. However, she noticed Yang Chen standing opposite her, staring at her while giggling.
Yang Chen couldn't help but feel that it was hilarious. Lin Ruoxi was holding men's clothing from Givenchy, Versace, and Burberry, all of which ordinary people treasured, unlike Lin Ruoxi who was holding them like plastic bags containing groceries. Only people like Lin Ruoxi treated luxury items as invaluable things.
In the morning, Guo Xuehua merely mentioned about it unintentionally. However, Lin Ruoxi had actually gotten him new clothes for the new year. This made Yang Chen feel rather touched and warm inside. He then looked at Lin Ruoxi's powdery face, and found her a lot more adorable than before.
Lin RUoxi immediately noticed something, and pulled her hands to her back. However, the bags were overly large; there was no way she could hide them. Instantly, she lowered her head in embarrassment before hurriedly walking toward her car.
"Why do you need to hide? There's nothing shameful about getting me new clothes," Yang Chen said with a smile after approaching her.
Lin Ruoxi clenched her teeth. Silently, she opened her car boot and stored the bags inside.
"I went to the office to find you. Wu Yue said that you came here for an inspection. I didn't expect my Babe Ruoxi to have come here to get her husband clothes. Aye, I thought you were mad earlier. I didn't actually think you were going to listen to your mother-in-law. Good acts deserve rewards. Why don't I give you a hug?" Yang Chen said jokingly.
Lin Ruoxi instantly dodged aside. She was panting as she had walked quite a distance. But she didn't fail to give Yang Chen a cold stare. "Try it if you dare."
Yang Chen's body quickly stiffened. Smiling, he said, "Alright, I won't hug you, I won't hug you. I only wanted to thank you. Look at me, what I eat and where I live all belong to you, and now even my clothes have to be provided by you. How can a man not feel so touched at this? I want to do something for you in return."
Lin Ruoxi laughed coldly, as if she had heard something funny. "Moved? Thank me? I'll be immensely grateful as long as you mother and son would be willing to stop teaming up to bully me."
Chapter 399 - There's One Final Bowl Left
Having listened to Lin Ruoxi's speech, Yang Chen once again came to the realization—The contradictions between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are gradually becoming more apparent.
Never would I have thought that I would one day be facing family drama such as this one, Yang Chen thought, but was feeling rather pleased. Smiling, he replied, "Don't put it that way. I won't bully you, I'm not willing to do so. She's just as much your mom as she is mine. She's just not used to the way we interact. I promise she isn't biased."
"I have a rather good grip of the situation myself. I don't need your explanation," Lin Ruoxi answered coldly and planned to get into her car.
Yang Chen dashed and blocked in front of her. "There's no need for you to rush back so quickly. Leave the car here. It's the afternoon now, let's head for lunch together."
"You may eat yourself." Lin Ruoxi wouldn't agree to him.
Yang Chen showed a distressed expression. He sighed, "Wife, if you don't come with me for lunch, I'll have to carry you out. I'll carry you out and let everyone on the streets see us... Erm... it does seem like a viable option..."
"You... Why are you so annoying?!" Lin Ruoxi staggered two steps back in fear.
Yang Chen shrugged. "Didn't you say I was shameless on the day you met me?"
"You just said you wouldn't bully me. But you're doing it again!" Lin Ruoxi cried before clenching her teeth.
Yang Chen giggled. "How is this bullying? We're just heading for lunch together. It's for your body's sake. You've shopped for the entire morning to buy clothes for me. What if you get a gastric pain?"
As Yang Chen spoke, he slowly leaned forward to Lin Ruoxi.
Lin Ruoxi didn't dodge him. She was afraid of being carried out by the thick-skinned fellow. All she could do was agree with him. "I'll go with you. Don't... don't come near me."
Yang Chen smiled. "Now, isn't that simpler than denying me that from the start? Why mus you force my hand? I even almost had to show my manliness."
Lin Ruoxi acted like she heard nothing. She knew that if she took him seriously, she would've been pissed to death by this man.
The two walked out of Yucong Building and didn't plan to drive. After all, finding parking at this hour was next to impossible.
Yang Chen walked in front while Lin Ruoxi followed behind. She had her head half-lowered, while her face was filled with helplessness and unwillingness.
Yang Chen wasn't discouraged at this woman's resentful look. Compared to when he first knew her, when Lin Ruoxi looked cold and expressionless all day, although she was still very much different from a normal person, at least she was willing to show some expressions in front of Yang Chen.
Suddenly, Yang Chen stopped moving forward and stood right at the middle of the pathway.
Lin Ruoxi failed to notice him as she was walking with her head lowered. Thus, she crashed into Yang Chen's wide and thick back.
"Ouch!" Annoyed, Lin Ruoxi rubbed her forehead. Aggrieved, she raised her head to look at Yang Chen. There wasn't anything she could do about it. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything.
This man is bullying me again!
Yang Chen on the other hand let out a smile. "Babe, it's not good to walk with your head down. You'll run into a telephone pole sooner or later. Come, walk by my side."
Before Lin Ruoxi could react, Yang Chen took a step back before holding her slim and soft hand.
Lin Ruoxi felt that her hand was engulfed by a huge area of warmth, but she couldn't pull her hand out no matter how hard she struggled. Her cheeks turned pinkish and she wanted to ask Yang Chen to let her go. However, due to the large number of people on the street, she didn't want to cause a scene.
Yang Chen didn't spare a second to allow her to consider. They walked side-by-side with their hands held together, just like the other couples walking there.
However, Lin Ruoxi's look when she wanted to speak up but couldn't say a single word, was too charming and adorable. At least ninety percent of the passersby would turn their heads to take a second look at her.
Yang Chen was fortunately thick-skinned, but Lin Ruoxi's heart was filled with nothing but nervousness. Her heart jumped in all directions like a little deer caught in headlights. As a result, she couldn't be bothered by the gazes she was receiving.
Just like that, she aimlessly walked around for ten minutes while holding Yang Chen's hand. Yang Chen stopped moving again.
Lin Ruoxi raised her head. She had managed to calm herself down. She was currently immersed in an unfamiliar mood. She asked, "What happened?"
Yang Chen pointed at a merry roadside shop. "Let's eat here."
Lin Ruoxi took a look. It was a clean and neatly arranged restaurant selling boiling-hot dumplings from the southeast.
Yang Chen didn't pick the place because he hadn't had enough of Mo Qianni's dumplings. It was because the restaurant was holding an interesting event attracting lots of attention.
Lin Ruoxi also quickly noticed the reason there was such a huge crowd. Outside the restaurant lay a huge wooden plank with a banner in the middle, with the exaggeratingly written words 'Chinese New Year Challenge of the King of Dumplings'.
Whoever that is able to finish 88 dumplings within ten minutes would have their participation fee waived in addition to getting a reserved table for a dumpling feast and a limited-edition 'dumpling doll' customized for yours truly. The big, round dumpling doll instantly caught the attention of numerous ladies.
Whoever failed the challenge had to pay the price of 88 dumplings and leave with nothing.
Events such as this one would always appear easy, but was actually incredibly taxing on the person who was doing the work.
All the dumplings contained meat fillings and were large. A huge-bodied man may be able to eat 40 to 50 of them at most, let alone the southern people whose bodies were usually small, which caused their appetite to be much smaller in comparison, than that of the northern people. One would expect them to make it through the challenge half-way at most.
However, a challenge which gave people a chance of earning a free meal was one that seemed to be well received b the crowd. Moreover, the price for 88 dumplings wasn't too expensive. Many people would try to complete the challenge. Since many of the ladies were obsessed with the adorable dumpling doll, quite a number of men took part in the competition as they tried to win the doll to gift their girlfriend or wife.
Very quickly, the audience of the competition significantly outnumbered those who actually participated.
Lin Ruoxi was also well aware of the doll that was on stage. It certainly was round and cute. She violently raised her head to look at Yang Chen in excitement. "Are... are you thinking about...:"
"Hehe. Wife, wait for me. I'll win the prize for you and take care of our lunch together," Yang Chen said happily.
Lin Ruoxi quickly shook her head. "Are you crazy? Anyone would suffer from eating 88 dumplings!"
"I can do it. Although I'm smaller than the huge guys here, I can eat 100 of them without an issue," Yang Chen said.
Lin Ruoxi wanted to stop him, but Yang Chen pulled her to the counter and said to the employee, "I want to sign up. What should I do?"
The worker was a young guy whose face was oily. He thought Yang Chen was some migrant worker from his first impression. However, he soon noticed that Yang Chen was holding the hand of a stunning beauty and felt incredibly envious. He forced a smile and said, "Sir, you need to show your identity card and sign a contract which states the restaurant would not be held liable for any unfortunate events should they happen, then you'll be allowed to take part in our event."
Yang Chen took out his identity card and sign the paper without hesitation before walking to the main area and sat down proudly.
All Lin Ruoxi could do was follow him behind. She received countless gazes, which caused her discomfort. But she acted like she saw nothing. Stupid Yang Chen, what kind of idiotic idea is this? Why do you have to sign up just because it's free? It's not like we can't pay for our meal, Lin Ruoxi scolded in her mind.
The server started serving Yang Chen the first bowl of dumplings. The huge bowl contained 22 dumplings. A lot of the female customers felt full just by looking at it.
Without saying anything, Yang Chen lifted the chopsticks and pinched a dumpling up. He was even too lazy to dip it in vinegar. He put the dumpling into his mouth.
Frowning, Lin Ruoxi who stood behind him said, "Eat it slower, don't choke yourself... Dip it in the vinegar, or you'll have problems digesting it later... Eh, why aren't you biting it before swallowing..."
As Yang Chen chewed, he muttered, "Why are all of these filled with pork and cabbage? Give me some onion and celery stuffings."
Yang Chen's words amused the crowd. The waitress let out a strange smile as well. "I'm sorry Sir, pork and Chinese cabbage stuffing is our standard for the dumplings in this competition."
Lin Ruoxi had nothing else to say. This fellow is complaining about the stuffing. He only finished half of the first bowl, she thought.
Not long after, Yang Chen devoured the first bowl. He still had eight minutes left. The waitress served yet another bowl of 22 dumplings.
Yang Chen continued swallowing the dumplings one after another without stopping.
Lin Ruoxi lost her appetite just by looking at him eat. "Don't force yourself if you can't finish them."
Yang Chen waved his hand, implying that he could do it.
He finished the second bowl faster than the first. He only took one and a half minutes this time. Not only were the servers amazed at this, most of the crowd started focusing their attention on Yang Chen.
"The third bowl. Please enj—" the server said and stopped halfway. She wanted to ask him to enjoy his meal, but it sounded immensely inappropriate for the situation. Thus, she decided to keep quiet.
Yang Chen on the other hand was really relaxed. He had always had a huge appetite. Now that he had a clear grasp on Xiantian True Qi, the dumplings which entered his stomach were quickly digested and acted as grinding material for the True Qi in his body. Although his stomach would still be full, he could finish the challenge much easier than others.
Yang Chen burped after finishing the third bowl. He felt that his stomach was about three-quarters full. He could still continue eating, but he started feeling disgusted after consuming too much pork and Chinese cabbage.
Lin Ruoxi noticed the unnatural look on Yang Chen's face. She couldn't help but feel a heartache. The man was her husband after all. Although he would always piss her off, her concern for him had never wavered. Once again, she advised, "Don't eat them anymore. You're starting to look pale."
Yang Chen shook his head. Forcing a smile, he said, "There's one final bowl left."
Chapter 400 - Do You Find Me Weird as Well?
The spectators were in awe as they witnessed Yang Chen swallow 66 dumplings. A lot of them even started cheering for him.
After the fourth bowl was served, Yang Chen took a deep breath before basically inhaling the dumplings once again.
With only thirty seconds left on the clock, Yang Chen had already forced 88 dumplings down his stomach. The owner and servers of the restaurant were all dumbstruck and stared at Yang Chen.
Yang Chen wiped his mouth with a piece of tissue. "Erm... the time isn't up right? I finished them already."
The crowd shouted in excitement as they celebrated Yang Chen's victory, while the owner of the restaurant didn't know how to feel about this. It was originally an event organized to trick customers into eating and paying for the dumplings. Never in his wildest dreams had he actually thought that someone would walk in and complete the challenge.
However, he had to fulfill his promise, otherwise his restaurant would be shunned for dishonesty and have to leave Zhonghai.
The restaurant owner personally passed the dumpling doll to Yang Chen. The doll had a round body with a white face and a pouting mouth, causing numerous ladies to go crazy.
The boss immediately asked the employees to prepare a table of dumplings, with 16 different flavors.
"May I ask if you have other friends coming over as well?" the restaurant owner asked.
Yang Chen shook his head. "It will only be me and my wife."
The restaurant still brought the two to a private room with a huge table. All the dumplings couldn't be forced onto a small table after all.
Lin Ruoxi looked at Yang Chen who walked as he rubbed his belly. She found it absurd and funny at the same time. This man is indeed an undiscovered treasure. Why does he always have to worry me like this? Lin Ruoxi thought.
After they walked into the room, using both hands, Yang Chen handed the adorable dumpling doll to Lin Ruoxi. Smiling cheerfully, he said, "Take it. I finally managed to win the new year present."
Lin Ruoxi was stunned as her watery eyes widened. She quickly realized that Yang Chen only took part in the event just to win the doll for her.
Yang Chen let out an awkward smile. "The whole time I was out, I was wondering what kind of gift I should get you. I live in your house, drive your car, and use everything that belongs to you, even my salary is given by you. You even bought me new year clothes. I've wanted to get something for you, but if I bought something outside, I'd still be using your money, so that wouldn't count as a gift from me. This dumpling doll, however, is rather decent. I know for a fact that you would like it. Since this meal is free, it doesn't count as one paid using your money. Treat everything as a gift I'm giving my dear Babe Ruoxi."
Yang Chen spoke while rubbing his belly with one of his arms. Having listened to Yang Chen's strange speech, Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt that her nose turned sour.
"Are you a dumbo?"
"Eh?" Yang Chen was stunned. He suspected himself for mishearing her.
"I said..." Lin Ruoxi reached her arm out to take the doll from Yang Chen's hand before lowering her head as she touched the doll. "I said you're a dumbo. Other than a dumbo, no one would think of such an idea as a gift."
Embarrassed, Yang Chen said with a smile, "I can't help it. If I'm dumb, so be it. I'm glad as long as you like this toy."
Lin Ruoxi looked at the doll which had a smile on its face as she contemplated greatly in her mind. At last, she nodded and said, "I like it a lot."
"Hehe. Your husband isn't that bad after all. Look at all the ladies outside. They're all dying to get this doll, but none of their boyfriends can finish 88 dumplings. I guess it's an opportunity for me to show my hidden talents at such a moment," Yang Chen said, elated.
Lin Ruoxi wanted to laugh but she was pissed at the same time. Her eyes were initially reddish, but tears started to trickle slowly.
The two sat down. Silence ensued for a while. Lin Ruoxi pinched the doll in her hand as she said softly, "In the past during the new year, Grandma would always get me a present. At times it would be a book, and delicious snacks on other occasions... But no matter what it was, I'd feel very happy with it. I didn't feel any of the items was unique. In short, our family could afford whatever I wanted... Then, Grandma and Mom both passed away, and I hadn't received any gifts during the new year since. At that time, I noticed that not everything could be bought with money..."
Yang Chen let out a gentle smile. "That's what I'm here for, no? I'll come here again next year and get you another one. There were still a pink and a white one on the stage earlier. I'll get you a pair next time."
"You..." Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but smile not unlike a blooming gardenia flower. "You're just like a child. There's no need to do silly things in the future. Although you can finish them, I can tell that you feel discomfort after doing so."
"Is this considered a concern a wife holds for her husband?" Yang Chen asked and winked.
Lin Ruoxi pouted. She kept her mouth shut and remained quiet.
After a short while, a dazzling display of dumplings was served. Lin Ruoxi looked at the table placed full of dumplings. Frowning, she said, "I can't even finish one bowl. What should we do now?"
Yang Chen stuffed two crab-meat dumplings into his mouth and felt his loss of appetite. Smiling, he said, "Eat some of them while they're still hot. I'll take the rest home. These dumplings are made with good wrappings. We can reheat them and it would still make for a good meal."
After half an hour, Yang Chen carried two huge plastic bags of dumplings and walked out of the restaurant. Lin Ruoxi hugged the eye-catching doll and walked by his side while they headed back to the parking area.
They soon arrived at the parking area. Lin Ruoxi suddenly asked, "Can you follow me somewhere?"
Yang Chen was surprised. "Where?"
Sorrow surfaced on Lin Ruoxi's face. "I suddenly feel like paying Grandma and Mom a visit. Go with me, can you?"
Yang Chen understood her intention. Lin Ruoxi recently got a new younger sister at home, while Yang Chen brought home a mother-in-law. Moreover, she finally received a gift for the new year after so long.
In Lin Ruoxi's originally ice-sealed heart, her past memories gradually emerged, which reminded her of her grandmother and mother. It was only natural that she wanted to see them.
"I'm actually supposed to meet Grandma-In-Law and Mother-In-Law long ago. Although Qingming Festival took place not long ago, it's still important that we tell them of our marriage," Yang Chen said.
[TL note: During Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day), Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites, pray to their ancestors, and make ritual offerings. Offerings would typically include traditional food dishes, and the burning of joss sticks and joss paper.]
Lin Ruoxi smiled as she boarded Yang Chen's car. "Just leave my car here. I'll have someone send it home."
Yang Chen nodded and drove outside the urban area as he followed Lin Ruoxi's lead. They were heading to a high-class mausoleum located in the west suburb.
After around forty minutes, the car entered a hillside area. It was surrounded by green pine and cypress trees. The road was quiet. Fat squirrels would appear on the road occasionally, adding to the vitality of the place.
Yang Chen stopped his car on a flatland under the hill. The tomb was placed rather high up on the hill.
As they exited the car, Yang Chen slapped his thigh and said, "Oh! I forgot to bring them presents. I don't even have any joss papers."
Lin Ruoxi was feeling rather sad earlier but after listening to Yang Chen's absurdity, she felt her sorrow trickle away. She rolled her eyes and said, "Don't worry, we burnt lots of them during Qingming."
"Hehe. Alright then. I wonder if Mother-In-Law has had dumplings or not," Yang Chen said with a smile.
Lin Ruoxi refrained from laughing as she ignored Yang Chen's jokes.
As they walked on the meandering road on the hill, Yang Chen spotted a black Audi A8 which was leaving the place.
Yang Chen frowned slightly when he noticed the car. He then continued his journey as he followed Lin Ruoxi uphill.
Having walked for ten minutes, Lin Ruoxi was starting to get rather tired and was panting the rest of the way. They finally reached the tombstones of Lin Ruoxi's grandmother and mother.
The tombstones were really clean. It was safe to assume that they were regularly cleaned. Two huge plum pines shaded the tombstones.
However, the surprising thing was the fresh bouquet of flowers placed on the tombstone of Lin Ruoxi's mother. It was a rarely seen Chinese redbud flower whose petals were extraordinarily large.
Yang Chen looked at the name of Lin Ruoxi's mother. He instantly understood why the specific type of flower was there. "So, Mother-In-Law's name is Xue Zijing... It sounds almost identical to the Chinese redbud flower."
[TL note: Chinese redbud flower (紫荆花) is pronounced as Zijing in Mandarin, which sounds almost exactly the same as (Xue) Zijing (子静).]
"Yeah..." Lin Ruoxi leaned downward and touched the petals of the flower. "When Mom was still alive, she liked the Chinese redbud flower the most, with this specific type being her favorite. I have seen this same bouquet of flowers during Qingming before, but I have no clue who put it here."
Yang Chen looked at the picture on the tombstone. Smiling, he said, "You indeed look very much like Mother-In-Law, but you're more beautiful."
Lin Ruoxi blushed slightly. She was pleased to be so directly complimented. But she still gave him an angry gaze. "Behave yourself in front of my mother."
Yang Chen smiled as he felt embarrassed. Yeah, why did I tease my wife in front of her mother? he thought.
They stood front of Xue Zijing's tombstone for a while. Lin Ruoxi then came to her grandmother's tombstone. It was Yang Chen's first time seeing the look of the Old CEO. She looked kind and friendly and apparently used to be really close with Lin Ruoxi.
Standing in front of the tombstone, Lin Ruoxi said to Yang Chen, "Yang Chen, can you give us a few minutes alone? I want to speak to my grandma."
Yang Chen nodded and bowed to the tombstone before walking away.
After a long time, Lin Ruoxi who was still standing reached her arm out to touch the tombstone, the corners of her lips revealing a sour yet sweet smile.
"Grandma, the new year is here. I don't usually visit you during the new year. You know that I cry every time I come here. I remember you telling me that crying girls are ugly girls...
"But I have to come over this year. I don't know what's happening to me now. I can't comprehend my own mind anymore.
"I feel that Yang Chen is a very detestable person. I dislike him a lot. He'd refer to me in various cringey ways. He takes everything lightly and goes around outside. I even saw him with another woman once. He would only come home in the morning after going through the night with other women. Now that he found his mother, I suddenly have a mother-in-law who treats me well sometimes, and bad on other occasions... They even partnered up to bully me today...
"He always does whatever he wants. He doesn't call to tell that he isn't coming home tonight. I always end up waiting for him like a fool...
"But... but... because of him, I feel extremely blessed, but also because of him, I get heartaches all the time. Grandma, do you find me weird as well..."
Cold wind blew from the mountains as it swept across the hills. Lin Ruoxi spoke as if she was talking to herself. Her voice floated in the air and dispersed in unknown directions.
Yang Chen stood near a corner of the hill. He looked at the slim figure dressed in black who was still standing in front of the tombstone before feeling a strange pain in his heart.
"Foolish woman, what if one day all your beliefs are in vain; what if one day all of your hopes turn out to be merely fleeting dreams. Can you... endure the pain?"
Yang Chen turned his head to look at the direction where the Audi left earlier with a depthless gaze.