This really left Chen Feng at a loss.
"Right now, I'm their prisoner," he thought.
"Suddenly proposing to take someone as my disciple—is that really appropriate?"
But never mind that for now.
He was both thirsty and starving.
Even if he were to die, he’d rather do so on a full stomach.
"Could you give me some food and water first?"
Gu Qianqian nodded.
"Mm-hmm."
"Wait a moment, I’ll go get some for you."
Watching her retreating figure, Chen Feng couldn’t help but feel she didn’t seem blind.
Only her eyes were peculiarly unusual.
Soon, the young girl returned with a tray of bowls and plates.
And she walked straight up to Chen Feng without hesitation.
Staring at the items in her hands, Chen Feng asked in surprise,
"You walked right up to me—aren’t you afraid I might attack you?"
Gu Qianqian smiled.
"I know you’re pure white—a good person."
"If you were a bad person, I wouldn’t have come in."
Pure white?
This "good person card" caught Chen Feng completely off guard.
He accepted the plate of coarse pastries and a bowl of water she handed him.
Both the plate and bowl were made of rough ceramic.
The plate had cracks, and the bowl had a chipped rim.
Clearly, they had seen better days.
As he ate, Chen Feng couldn’t help but ask curiously,
"How did you know I’m a good person?"
Gu Qianqian pointed at her eyes.
"I saw it."
"My eyes were burned blind by qilin blood."
"I can’t see worldly things—only good and evil."
Qilin blood!
Chen Feng was inwardly shocked.
Qilin blood was a legendary treasure, something one could only hope to encounter by chance.
Yet this girl had obtained it, only for it to blind her.
However, the qilin blood’s unique properties had granted her the ability to perceive morality.
Unable to resist, Chen Feng asked,
"What does good and evil look like to you?"
Gu Qianqian was quite talkative, as if she and Chen Feng were already familiar, making him feel an inexplicable closeness to her.
"Good is white, the same color as the qilin."
"Evil is black, like the flood dragon serpent in the Green Dragon Tomb."
"Most people are a mix of both—gray—just in different shades."
"Someone as purely white as you is rare."
Chen Feng was so stunned by her words that he choked on his pastry.
He hurriedly took a sip of water from the bowl.
Qilin, flood dragon serpent, Green Dragon Tomb…
The sheer amount of information was overwhelming.
Chen Feng was burning with curiosity but didn’t know where to start.
Before he could speak, the girl asked first:
"Do you like the pastries I made?"
Chen Feng nodded reflexively.
"They’re fragrant and delicious."
The pastries were coarse,
but the roasted grain aroma was rich and natural—
unlike the artificial sweetness of store-bought treats.
There was no added sugar.
The outer layer was plain whole wheat flour, while the filling was sweet potato.
Yet they were far more satisfying than the cloyingly sweet pastries outside.
At the very least, they didn’t leave a greasy aftertaste.
Five egg-sized pastries were quickly devoured.
The bowl of water was also drained.
Chen Feng couldn’t help but admire Gu Qianqian.
Despite being blind, she could still bake.
"Thank you very much."
Hearing his gratitude, Gu Qianqian giggled.
"Can you tell me what the outside world is like?"
"I’ve heard you have cars, planes, and very tall buildings."
Now that he was fed and had nothing else to do,
Chen Feng sat on the ground and chatted with her.
The girl was lively and spoke with startling directness.
Her mind was refreshingly simple.
This reminded Chen Feng of his two disciples—
You Xi and Wei Wei—who were just as guileless.
He wondered how they were doing now.
Thinking of Wei Wei winning the championship,
with a prize of ten million,
at least he didn’t have to worry about their living expenses.
Chen Feng first described life beyond the Kunlun Mountains.
Gu Qianqian listened with rapt curiosity,
firing off questions one after another.
They talked for a long time.
Before they knew it, evening had fallen.
As the sky darkened,
Chen Feng finally asked,
"Is it just you here?"
Gu Qianqian nodded.
"I’m blind, and my martial arts are weak, so I was left behind to guard you."
"My elders and clansmen have all gone to the Four Symbols Chasm."
"Mr. Zhang Bowen doesn’t want word of the Four Symbols Chasm to spread."
"All of you outsiders who came this time… might not make it out alive."
Chen Feng stiffened.
"What is the Four Symbols Chasm?"
Gu Qianqian didn’t hold back.
"The false dragon vein you’ve been guarding is the Four Symbols Chasm."
False dragon vein!
Chen Feng was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you saying the dragon vein our nation has protected for centuries… is fake?"
Gu Qianqian spoke apologetically.
"The true dragon vein isn’t there. Ours is the real one."
This place was the dragon vein!
Chen Feng was shocked once again.
He never imagined that where he stood now was the true location of the dragon vein.
He pressed further,
"Then what’s the story with the Four Symbols Chasm?"
Gu Qianqian explained,
"The Four Symbols Chasm is an extremely dangerous place."
"Three hundred and sixty years ago, outsiders took advantage of Kunlun’s mountain-opening event."
"They raided our ancestral lands, stole many martial arts manuals,"
"and learned the secret of the dragon vein."
"Later, Mr. Zhang Bowen went to the Four Symbols Chasm and carved words into the cliff face."
"Then you outsiders foolishly mistook the Four Symbols Chasm for the dragon vein,"
"and spent generations guarding it, barring all outsiders from entering."
Chen Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He recalled the eight characters he had seen at the Jade Mountain Heavenly Pool:
"Jade Mountain Heavenly Pool, Kunlun Ancestral Vein!"
Who would have thought it was all a lie?
The dragon vein they had protected for centuries was nothing more than words carved by Zhang Bowen.
He thought of the dead at Jade Mountain Heavenly Pool—
the bloodied youths, the elders who faced death without flinching.
Corpses piled upon corpses, all for the sake of those eight characters.
For over three hundred years,
how many had died for this?
A quiet fury simmered in Chen Feng’s heart.
He remembered the old men who had sacrificed themselves to save him,
the predecessors who had guarded the dragon vein with their lives.
What was the purpose of Kunlun’s mountain-opening, occurring once every sixty years?
He looked at Gu Qianqian and asked,
"Why did Zhang Bowen do this?"
"And how has he lived so long?"
Gu Qianqian answered without reservation,
"I don’t know the full details."
"Zhang Bowen has half our Gu Clan’s bloodline and has cultivated our secret art—the Everlasting Youth Technique."
"Legend says his father was an outsider."
"He’s the only one in our clan who can leave Kunlun Mountain."
"He told us outsiders are all greedy."
"But I don’t believe him. He’s pure black—a bad person."
The sheer weight of the revelations made Chen Feng realize this was far more complicated than it seemed.
Gu Qianqian’s knowledge was limited.
Still, he never expected Zhang Bowen to be a mixed-blood descendant of an outsider and the Kunlun remnants.
The only regret was that he was trapped here now,
unable to warn the outside world about the false dragon vein,
unable to stop the bloodshed that came every sixty years.
As night deepened,
Gu Qianqian spoke apologetically to Chen Feng,
"You’re a good person. Once Mr. Zhang Bowen returns, you’ll surely die."
"But I don’t have the key to let you go."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
