Chen Zhengyuan's voice came from behind, and Chen Zhanyuan immediately stepped aside to make way.
"Hmph, at least the Chen Family's head knows what's proper."
The Head of the Ning Family snorted coldly, casting a disdainful glance at Chen Zhanyuan before the two families led their people straight into the Chen residence.
Once the Xu and Ning families had entered, Chen Zhengyuan said calmly, "Zhanyuan, close the gates."
Hmm?
Hearing this, Chen Zhanyuan's eyes lit up. He nodded, shut the gates firmly, and then stood guard in place, unmoving.
The Heads of the Xu and Ning Families were entirely preoccupied with thoughts of the Chen Family's treasure and paid no attention to anything else.
"Brother Chen, it's been a while."
"I wonder what exactly kept your family secluded and refusing visitors these past days?"
"We're all cultivators of Swallow Return City. If there's trouble, you could have shared it with us."
"Who knows? We might have been able to help. Don't you think?" The Head of the Xu Family said with a smile.
"No need for your help."
"With both your families bringing all your elites to my doorstep, I doubt your intentions are purely altruistic." Chen Zhengyuan cut straight to the point.
"Hahaha!"
"Well said, Head Chen. Since you're so direct, I won't waste words either."
"A month ago, there was an unusual disturbance in your family. I assume you won't deny that?" The Head of the Xu Family asked with a smirk.
"Of course not."
"Good!"
"In my opinion, your family must have obtained some extraordinary treasure."
"Since we're all part of Swallow Return City, I trust you wouldn't hoard it for yourselves."
"How about lending it to our two families for a while? We'll return it later."
"From then on, our three families could be as one. What do you say?"
The Head of the Xu Family wasn't foolish—if they could get what they wanted without bloodshed, why fight?
Of course, this all depended on whether the Chen Family knew what was good for them.
If they handed it over willingly, all would be well. If not, they shouldn't blame the Xu and Ning families for what came next.
"I’m sure Head Chen won’t refuse, right?" The Head of the Ning Family added with a grin.
Though both men smiled, the threat in their words was unmistakable.
In the past, the Chen Family might have been pressured into submission, but now… they weren’t so easily bullied.
"You two are certainly blunt."
"Whether my family has this treasure or not is none of your concern."
"Let me offer you some advice—think carefully before you act."
"Otherwise, the consequences may be more than you can bear." Chen Zhengyuan replied coldly.
"Hahahaha!"
"A month apart, and Head Chen has grown quite bold."
"I’d truly like to see what consequences we couldn’t handle."
"One last question—will you hand it over or not?"
"If you’re sensible, we can be allies."
"If not, don’t blame us for showing no mercy today!"
Faced with the threats from the Xu and Ning families, the Chen Family remained unshaken—confidence born of strength.
"Then let me see how you plan to show no mercy." Chen Zhengyuan said icily.
"Fine. You’ve chosen the hard way."
"Today, we’ll—"
"Da Huang, is that melon sweet?"
Just as the Xu and Ning families were about to strike, this sudden question froze everyone in place.
Melon? Sweet?
What the—? Can’t you see we’re about to fight? Show some seriousness!
Following the voice, the crowd saw Chen Chang'an lounging on a rocking chair, eyeing the melon in Da Huang’s mouth.
Hearing Chen Chang'an’s question, Da Huang almost nodded but then shook his head after a moment’s thought.
"Tch, so stingy."
"As if I’d steal food from you."
"Who eats a dog’s leftovers anyway?" Chen Chang'an scoffed.
Da Huang shot him an equally disdainful look. You’ve stolen from me plenty over the years!
Dog’s leftovers?
You’re the dog! Your whole family’s dogs!
Do I look like some ordinary mutt?
I’m the King of Dogs—
Wait, no!
I’m a noble-blooded Qilin!
Seeing Da Huang ignore him, Chen Chang'an sighed. He couldn’t just snatch it—mainly because he’d lose the fight.
"Hey, go get me another one. This one’s not sweet. I don’t want it."
Chen Chang'an glanced at a nearby clansman, who hurriedly nodded and fetched a fresh melon.
"Mmm, this one’s good. Sweet."
After a satisfied bite, Chen Chang'an nodded approvingly, much to the clansman’s delight.
"Huh?"
"Why’s everyone standing around?"
"Go on with your fight. I’m just eating melon—won’t get in your way."
Noticing the stares, Chen Chang'an waved dismissively, urging them to proceed.
To the Chen Family, this was nothing unusual. Given their ancestor’s status, what grand scene hadn’t he witnessed?
Eating melon with such calm was perfectly natural.
But the Xu and Ning families were baffled.
This Chen Chang'an looked young, yet his treatment seemed extraordinary—almost as if he, not Chen Zhengyuan, was the true authority here.
While everyone else stood ready for battle, he lounged about with a melon and a yellow dog?
"Have we ever seen this man before?"
"Is he really from the Chen Family?"
Swallow Return City wasn’t large, and the Chen Family wasn’t extensive. The Xu and Ning families knew every Chen member by name and face.
Yet Chen Chang'an was a complete unknown—as if he’d appeared out of thin air.
Could he be the one who brought the treasure to the Chen Family?
That must be it!
Why else would a brat at the Core Formation Realm’s first stage get such treatment?
"Young man, did you bring the treasure to the Chen Family?"
"Let me be frank—in Swallow Return City, the Xu and Ning families reign supreme."
"If you hand that treasure over to us, we’ll treat you a thousand—no, ten thousand times better than the Chens!" The Head of the Xu Family declared confidently.
Yet the moment he finished, the entire Chen Family stared at him as if he were an idiot.
The Head of the Xu Family suddenly felt uneasy. Had he misspoken?
"Did I say something wrong?" he whispered.
"I… don’t think so?" The Head of the Ning Family was equally confused.
As they stood bewildered, Chen Chang'an finished his melon and called for another. Then, he said to Chen Zhengyuan, "Zhengyuan."
"What are your orders, Ancestor?"
"Hurry up and get started. No more chatter, or Da Huang will eat all the melons."
Hmm?
Da Huang shot Chen Chang'an a glare. You’re on your third melon, and I’ve only had one! How is this my fault?
"As you command, Ancestor!"
The exchange between Chen Chang'an and Chen Zhengyuan left the Xu and Ning families utterly stunned.
Ancestor?
Chen Zhengyuan called that young man… Ancestor?
He's actually the ancestor of the Chen family?
How is that possible!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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...
