Half an hour later, Yi Feng and the other three finally finished their meal and wine.
"Thank you for the generous hospitality, Master Yi. Qingshan and I will take our leave now." At the appropriate time, Qingshan Patriarch tactfully bid farewell.
"Alright. Disciple, see our guests off." Yi Feng let out a loud burp, then waved his hand at the two and instructed Zhong Qing.
"Yes, Master." Zhong Qing respectfully nodded, then escorted Qingshan Patriarch and his companion to the entrance of the martial arts hall.
"Thank you for escorting us, young master." Outside, Qingshan Patriarch cupped his fist and politely said to Zhong Qing.
"You're too kind. Master said you're always welcome to visit whenever you have time." Zhong Qing nodded and replied.
"Wonderful, wonderful."
Qingshan Patriarch nodded gratefully. After some more small talk with Zhong Qing, Zhong Qing finally returned to the martial arts hall.
After parting ways, a broad smile appeared on Qingshan Patriarch's face as he stood across the street. He had just broken through to become a Martial King, but his cultivation was still unstable. Yet now, it felt incredibly solidified.
In fact, the degree of solidification was comparable to a Martial King who had cultivated for decades.
"This trip today was worth my entire life!" Qingshan Patriarch sighed emotionally.
Little did he know, he who was once driven to desperation by Xuanwu Patriarch had now completely turned the situation around.
Of course, in his opinion, the greatest benefit was not the breakthrough in his cultivation realm.
Rather, it was the improvement in his state of mind.
Advancements in one's state of mind were rare and precious. It could only be comprehended through self-realization. Master Yi Feng's return to simplicity and humility, along with his extremely down-to-earth and tranquil mindset, allowed Qingshan Patriarch to gain profound insights.
Beside him, Luo Lanxue also had a look of relief on her face.
The huge boulder in her heart, from offending Master Yi Feng earlier, could finally be put down.
Despite being such an eminent figure, not only did he not hold her previous offense against her, he even treated her to a meal without any reservations. This filled Luo Lanxue with admiration.
Compared to this senior, those so-called geniuses of the major sects were simply worlds apart.
"However, I still haven't figured out that young man!" As he watched Zhong Qing's departing figure, Qingshan Patriarch let out a soft sigh. He still could not discern anything remarkable about Zhong Qing.
But if there was nothing special about him, how could he have earned the favor of such an exceptional person like Master Yi Feng?
"Xue'er, when we return to Qingshan Sect, help me thoroughly research the historical records. I must uncover what special abilities this young man has, to be able to become the disciple of this senior." Qingshan Patriarch instructed.
"Yes."
Luo Lanxue was also extremely curious about this. It was not until later, when the two of them were satisfied, that they transformed into beams of light and headed back to Qingshan Sect.
After Zhong Qing returned, he immediately started cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks.
Yi Feng nodded in satisfaction at Zhong Qing. Although there was now one more mouth to feed, a well-behaved child like Zhong Qing was worth it!
Entering the back courtyard and about to sprawl out on the recliner, he suddenly noticed a dog staring intently at him.
"Huh?"
Yi Feng was startled. Wasn't this the dog he had dragged back?
Not only did it endure all those beatings on the street, but also a kick from him. He didn't expect the dog to still be alive. He was even planning to get rid of it and make hot pot.
This dog was truly resilient!
The dog's eyes stared straight at him, seemingly pleading.
"What does this dog want?" Yi Feng wondered.
Just as he was puzzling over this, the dog actually bent its limbs and knelt down before him. Then it started kowtowing.
Although kneeling to a human was quite humiliating for Ao Qing, son of the Heaven Devouring Demon King, considering how powerful this man was, and his own helplessness, he endured it.
"Are you begging for mercy from me?" Yi Feng was completely astonished. He didn't expect the dog to be so intelligent.
Hearing Yi Feng's words, the dog nodded.
Seeing this, Yi Feng sighed in admiration. He didn't expect the dog to be so intelligent. It reminded him of the husky he had raised in his past life. So with a wave of his hand, he said, "Forget it, forget it. You're also a living creature, I won't harm you anymore, alright?"
Upon hearing this, Ao Qing was overjoyed!
He was extremely grateful for making the decision to beg for mercy. Although kowtowing to a human was humiliating, it seemed this eminent man was quite benevolent after all!
Ao Qing lowered his head and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
"What a good dog..."
Yi Feng leaned back in his recliner and used his foot to lift the dog's chin, praising him.
Ao Qing's eyebrows wrinkled. What was his status? Although not favored by the Demon King, he was still the young master of the Heaven Devouring Demon Wolves. How could he be subjected to such humiliation, getting his chin lifted by a foot? Fury instantly rose within him.
No matter how powerful you are, you can't degrade others like this!
However, he endured it. After all, his life and freedom were most important. As long as he could escape from here, the world would be his oyster.
"Since you're so sensible, and I just happen to lack a gatekeeper, why don't you stay here!" Yi Feng did not want to let go of such an intelligent dog, so he continued speaking.
Upon hearing this, Ao Qing's fur stood on end.
His heart wailed in despair.
He didn't expect this man still had no intention of letting him go.
"What's wrong, you're unwilling?" Yi Feng paid no attention to whether the dog could understand him. He bent down and stroked its head.
Who would be willing to stay beside such a freak?
Ao Qing was on the verge of tears.
This young master still had to prove himself. Remaining here would be akin to having his freedom restricted. Who knows, when guests arrive in the future, you might decide to turn me into hot pot again!
However, he could not outwardly express his inner thoughts. Especially considering Yi Feng's question just now, which seemed to contain an implicit threat!
He had no desire to barely escape death as a dog... no, wolf, only to end up as hot pot again.
So he could only swallow his grief and indignation, and nodded.
"Good, then I'll give you a name." Yi Feng nodded in satisfaction and frowned in contemplation, "Now there's Zhong Qing and you, expenses are a bit tight, so I'll call you Wang Cai. Help our martial arts hall generate more business."
"Wang... Cai?"
Ao Qing wailed internally.
At the very least give me a more impressive name!
Oh well. It doesn't matter.
Surviving for now is good enough.
However, this damn human, who he originally thought was so benevolent, turns out to be...
Humans really can't be trusted!
Of course, Yi Feng had no idea the dog could think so much. He assumed it was just a mixed breed stray. Recalling that the dog was probably still hungry, he called out, "Disciple! Don't waste the leftovers, bring them here for your master."

his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"

to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”

he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...