“Zhen’er, where did you get this airship?” Yan Lie sat in the passenger seat, his withered hand trembling slightly as he stroked the fourth-order beast skin covering the chair, just like a true car enthusiast. “This thing is priceless, unobtainable even for a fortune. Even the royal family doesn’t have many.”
Yan Zhen blinked, a touch of guilt in his voice as he replied, “The great elder gave it to me after I claimed first place in the Inner Academy.”
“She gave it to you?” Yan Lie was startled. “The great elder of Holy Land Academy is truly generous.”
“It’s also because your grandson is talented enough.”
“Hahaha, you cheeky brat.”
“If Grandpa likes it, I’ll buy one for you to pilot someday.”
“Never mind. It’s great, sure, but it guzzles too much money—powered by Mystic Crystals, no less. Ordinary families can’t afford it. Use your savings for your own cultivation, Zhen’er. Grandpa can’t give you much; from here on, it’ll all be up to you…”
Yan Lie began nagging on.
Yan Zhen responded casually, stealing a glance in the rearview mirror. There, Huangfu Wenqing watched him with the eyes of someone who had spotted a little fibber.
In truth, if he weren’t the “Yu Family Son-in-Law” who called her “Elder Great-Aunt,” Elder Yu Yan wouldn’t have been so generous. The airship was her prized possession, after all, and she had only given one to Yan Zhen because she truly doted on him.
But he couldn’t let Grandpa know about that, or the old man would be furious—the kind that no amount of coaxing could soothe.
Fortunately, Huangfu Wenqing showed no sign of exposing him.
Thinking ahead to when he provoked her into calling off the engagement—and how Grandpa would surely erupt in thunderous rage—Yan Zhen felt a deep headache coming on.
This path would hurt so many people. Even Yun Xiu might end up resenting him.
Sigh. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he’d deal with things after the fight.
Before noon, the small flying boat reached the royal capital. The capital was a no-fly zone, enforced on all except Mystic King powerhouses. The four of them landed outside the city gates, immediately drawing intense stares from passersby.
In the Garo Kingdom, flying beasts were the standard transport for great clans, but airships—flying skiffs—were rare treasures owned only by the royal family, the Three Great Families, the Talisman Refiner Association, and Cloud Heaven Palace.
The onlookers buzzed with speculation about which family they belonged to.
Yan Zhen and the others disembarked, storing the airship in their storage ring. Led by Yan Lie, the earl, they entered the city without issue.
The Garo Royal Capital was vast, nearly rivaling the City of Water, teeming with mystic cultivators. Even pedestrians and vendors carried some cultivation base.
The group hired a carriage and, after about half an hour, arrived at the Huangfu Family’s Duke’s Mansion.
Huangfu Wenqing led the way inside. Servants soon shouted, “The young miss is back!” The news spread up the chain. By the time the four entered the courtyard, Huangfu Xiong had already come out with a crowd, including two women, to greet them.
Yan Lie had sent a letter and formal visit notice via flying falcon to the Huangfu Family the very evening Yan Zhen returned. Huangfu Xiong knew Yan Lie and Yan Zhen were coming to pay respects—and that his granddaughter would return with them—so he had prepared accordingly.
“Brother Yan Lie!”
“Huangfu old bro!”
The two old men, bound by life-and-death camaraderie on the battlefield, laughed heartily and gripped each other’s hands fiercely, nearly forgetting their grandchildren in the excitement.
“Grandpa, I’m back.”
“Grandpa Huangfu, long time no see.”
Yan Zhen echoed Huangfu Wenqing’s greeting. Only then did Huangfu Xiong turn his gaze to his precious granddaughter and her fiancé. He first glanced at her, nodding in satisfaction at her mystic general realm cultivation. Then he looked at Yan Zhen, noting his mystic general realm as well, and smiled even wider.
Back at Mystic Academy, Huangfu Xiong had begun paying attention to Yan Zhen. He knew the young man had been at Mystic Master realm upon graduation. Now, a year later, he had reached mystic general, fully shedding his “trash” reputation to become a true powerhouse.
“Good lad! You’ve truly risen against the odds and cleared your name. No wonder you’re the grandson-in-law this old man chose. Hahaha!”
Hearing Huangfu Xiong’s teasing, Yan Zhen sheepishly scratched his cheek. He then noticed that Elder Huangfu’s complexion looked unhealthy.
It reminded him of the previous life: Huangfu Wenqing had stormed to Martial Tang City to break off the engagement, enraging Elder Huangfu and triggering a flare-up of his hidden injuries—much like what had happened to Yan Lie back then, leaving him bedridden and unresponsive.
The Huangfu Family had panicked, urgently summoning “Court Chief” Sixth-Tier Pill Refiner Feng Xiao.
But Feng Xiao only knew treatments that addressed symptoms, not the root. The Revival Spirit Pill, which could cure it, eluded him without the precise pill formula.
Desperate, the Huangfu Family posted a reward at the Talisman Refiner Association for the formula and enlisted the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce in the capital to scour for leads. All efforts failed.
That Revival Spirit Pill was the very medicine Yan Zhen had used to save Yan Lie—the creation of his beautiful female master. It revitalized necrotic organs, expelled stubborn hidden injuries, and worked wonders on Mystic Masters and below.
By chance, Yan Zhen had arrived in the capital with Long Ying, buying materials at the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce to refine the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire. There, he reunited with Good Big Sister, who was inspecting the place, and learned of the situation from her.
Remembering how Grandpa had always quietly worried about his old battlefield brother, Yan Zhen’s heart softened. He decided to help.
Introduced by the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce, Yan Zhen—wearing a silly dog-head mask he’d bought for Long Ying to play with—visited the Huangfu Family. He administered the Revival Spirit Pill, combined with special acupoint techniques, successfully rousing Huangfu Xiong.
As a Mystic King powerhouse, however, Huangfu Xiong needed more than one pill for full recovery. Yan Zhen treated him for a full seven days.
In this life, with the engagement intact, Elder Huangfu’s injuries hadn’t flared. But judging by his pallid face, it wouldn’t be long before he collapsed like Yan Lie had—suddenly, gravely ill.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the System Interface popped up before him, displaying the corresponding role-playing task: treat Huangfu Xiong, then gain his endorsement to represent Garo in the Grand Dan Fighting Competition.
The Grand Dan Fighting Competition was a grand event cycled among the Garo, Sunward, and Shadow Moon Kingdoms—a clash of their alchemical prowess. Rewards were lavish, and this year’s top prize was a fifth-order Volcanic Cauldron.
Yan Zhen had long lacked a suitable pill furnace; most couldn’t withstand his extreme flames and shattered quickly.
Tempted by the prize, he agreed to compete, turning the tide against the alchemists from Sunward and Shadow Moon to claim the Volcanic Cauldron.
Thanks to Yan Zhen bringing glory to Garo Kingdom, when Cloud Heaven Palace later issued a kill order, the royal family, Three Great Families, and Talisman Refiner Association dragged their feet in cooperating.
“…”
Yan Zhen skimmed it briefly and dismissed the System Interface. He took the quietly obedient Long Ying’s hand and followed behind the two old men into the Huangfu Family residence.
After the rounds of chatting, bantering, dining, and drinking, Yan Lie, Yan Zhen, and Long Ying were shown to their guest rooms. To prevent Long Ying from wandering off, Yan Zhen shared a room with her.
The little girl had sulked from start to finish, her small mouth pursed the whole time. Even snacks didn’t help; she’d eat them and keep pouting, clearly unhappy about visiting the Huangfu Family.
In the script, when Yan Zhen had come to treat Huangfu Xiong, Long Ying had stayed back at the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce’s rear courtyard.
