Chapter 255: Call Me Uncle Wang

"Are you doubting my strength?"

Xu Chengyi lifted his gaze, glaring coldly at the thirty-something man in a Tang suit sitting before him.

His gaze was as dark as stagnant water.

Li Qinghe seemed oblivious, casually eating grapes with a smile.

"Not at all. You're overthinking things. You're my handpicked Martial Saint—how could I possibly doubt you?"

"It's just that, after all, quite some time has passed since I found you."

He smiled. "And there's still no sign of the other two phrases..."

"Then I believe that isn't my problem," Xu Chengyi said, his expression darkening.

"Sometimes, I'd appreciate it if you reflected on whether you yourself still fall short of the first phrase."

With that, Xu Chengyi turned and walked toward the door. "If you doubt my strength, give me my senior martial brother's location. I'll show you what a true Martial Saint is."

"..."

Xu Chengyi slammed the door shut behind him.

Li Qinghe's expression remained unchanged as he continued to eat his grapes, but his white-knuckled grip on the bowl betrayed his true mood.

A few seconds later, a graceful figure emerged from the inner room.

It was a woman in her late twenties, wearing a plain green dress and embroidered cloth shoes. She looked like a mountain maiden untainted by the mortal world. Only her lifeless, gray-pupiled eyes gave her away—she was blind.

"Your Majesty."

She groped her way toward Li Qinghe, who immediately stood up to support her.

"Yu'er, why did you come out?"

"I sensed you were losing your temper, Your Majesty."

The young woman smiled as Li Qinghe caught and held her searching hands.

"It's nothing. I'm just beginning to seriously doubt whether that old geezer is truly the Martial Saint."

"It's been three years. Ever since he learned he was the Martial Saint, he's grown increasingly arrogant. The martial arts he taught me are certainly useful, but I can't shake the feeling that he's holding something back."

Li Qinghe's expression darkened. He looked at the young woman and asked, "There couldn't be any issues with the divination, right?"

The young woman shook her head.

"Setting cultivation aside, the Martial Saint is the person with the strongest martial skills of the past ten years. I've calculated it several times."

"Mm."

Li Qinghe stroked the young woman's head and pulled her into his embrace. "I didn't mean to doubt you, Yu'er."

"Then it must be him."

Li Qinghe pursed his lips, his gaze darkening.

"Although that old thing's character is questionable, I'll endure it a little longer. But where exactly is this so-called divine bird..."

He took the young woman's hand and led her into another room.

As soon as they entered, pairs of glass-clear eyes turned toward them from inside dozens of cages. Then, a chorus of crisp chirps erupted, rapidly building into a deafening cacophony within the cramped space.

He reached out and gently covered the young woman's ears.

Her blindness made her hearing far more sensitive than a normal person's. Whenever they encountered loud noises, he would always do this for her.

The young woman's face reddened slightly. She listened carefully to the caged birds, her fingers pinching lightly in calculation.

After a long while, she shook her head.

"It isn't here, Your Majesty."

"Still nothing?"

Li Qinghe's expression soured as he led her back out of the room.

Ever since he met her at the age of seven, he had ordered his subordinates to send over a new batch of birds every month. But... the divine bird still eluded him.

Over the years, there had been quite a few people possessing the destiny of an emperor, but...

None of them had ever had a so-called divine bird appear by their side.

"It's fine, Your Majesty."

Sensing the shift in his mood, the young woman reached out, gently grasped the back of his hand, and comforted him. "I've divined it. The emperor of this era will ultimately be you."

"The restart of the Imperial Era will begin with you."

Hearing this, Li Qinghe's expression finally softened.

...

...

Bianliu County.

"So you see why I said we couldn't go to Luohe County right now?"

Bi Jie asked, looking at Yan Jing.

"I understand. If we went to the martial assembly and ran into the people from the Third Lake Prefecture, this setup would almost certainly be exposed,"

Yan Jing replied.

"Exactly!"

Bi Jie nodded. "Don't you know Old Liu by now? His fists are hard, but his heart is as soft as they come."

"If they find out, everything's ruined! That Dao heart he just rebuilt will definitely shatter all over again!"

"So what you're saying is, this field trip..."

Bi Jie looked at Yan Jing expectantly.

"We have to go even more!"

Yan Jing concluded.

"Hey, come on!"

Bi Jie jumped in frustration, but Yan Jing was already heading back to his seat. Left with no choice, Bi Jie hurried after him.

"Sherlock Liu" eyed the returning pair with suspicion.

After their brief private chat, one looked incredibly guilty while the other was perfectly calm—their demeanors were entirely at odds.

"I get it! Bi Jie, you brat, you were badmouthing me to the Young Master again!"

The Old Man reached out with his Smoking Pipe and rapped Bi Jie on the head.

How did he guess that?! Bi Jie's eyes widened in shock.

"Haha, I guessed right."

Seeing Bi Jie's expression, the Old Man laughed triumphantly.

"Alright, then it's decided. Once the railway is fixed, our whole household will go to Luohe County together."

Yan Jing made the final call.

"I'm going too!"

Bi Jie hurriedly raised his hand. He had to keep an eye on the Old Man.

"I wouldn't mind taking a look myself,"

Liu Ye smiled.

And so, the plan was settled.

Normally, hearing they were going out on a trip, everyone would be overjoyed. At the very least, that girl Fei Yu would be squealing in excitement by now.

But the atmosphere today was particularly strange.

The one who seemed happiest was actually Liu Ye, the outsider to all this drama.

Yan Jing simply pretended not to notice their unusual behavior. He saw off his guests, returned to his room, and went to sleep.

...

...

After exiting the Inner World, Yan Jing saw a missed call from Shen Youran on his phone and dialed her back.

"Teacher Shen,"

he said.

"Xiao Yanzi, are you done with your work?"

Shen Youran mumbled around her toothbrush, hurriedly picking up the phone.

"Regarding that prestige-borrowing plan we talked about last time, Domain Chief Wang's secretary from the Fifth Ring Domain came to see me today... We had a chat..."

"Basically, it went like this..."

"..."

Shen Youran finished explaining everything in one breath, then spat the toothpaste foam into the sink.

"So they want to arrange a meeting with you now, Xiao Yanzi. Do you have time soon?"

"No problem,"

Yan Jing agreed.

The terms Shen Youran had just relayed were almost unbelievably generous, and it would still take a while for the Bianliu County railway to be repaired. He had no reason to refuse.

"Then tomorrow morning it is!"

Shen Youran flipped her hair and was about to hang up when she remembered something, quickly adding an extra instruction.

"Make sure you dress up nicely, Xiao Yanzi! The secretary you're meeting is a huge beauty! And you might even get to see the deputy domain chief himself!"

"Mm, okay."

Yan Jing nodded.

Whether she was a beauty or not didn't really matter to him, but meeting a potential backer for the first time did require looking sharp. It was a basic show of sincerity.

He smiled.

"So, Teacher Shen, could you come over tomorrow morning and help me pick out something suitable? I don't have much experience with this."

"Me? Really, me?" Shen Youran's eyes lit up.

To her, this was like showing off a long-treasured masterpiece. Before putting it on display, she naturally wanted to personally style him so that everyone's jaws would drop.

She had just been too embarrassed to offer.

"Yes,"

Yan Jing chuckled.

"Alright! I'll be there at eight o'clock tomorrow morning!"

After hanging up, Shen Youran rolled back and forth across her bed like a happy hamster, finally coming to a stop as she hugged her pillow. She stared at the bedside photo Yan Jing had taken of her, her eyes sparkling.

"Mm, this is perfect,"

she murmured softly.

She knew there was no need to push things further. What she felt right now was pure happiness, and she was absolutely certain of it.

For some people, their connection was exactly right at this distance. Step any closer, and they would plunge into the abyss.

...

...

The next day.

A red sports car pulled into the parking lot outside the Rainbow City municipal hall.

Shen Youran stepped out of the driver's seat. Her outfit wasn't much different from what she had worn yesterday to meet Zhou Zimo. But Yan Jing, stepping out of the passenger seat, looked entirely transformed.

Previously, Yan Jing had worn his hair with loose bangs falling over his forehead, giving him a gentle, low-profile look.

But today, under Shen Youran's personal direction, his forehead was exposed. She had hand-styled his bangs into a slightly messy, textured sweep. His usual casual T-shirt had been replaced by a sleek black dress shirt, its cuffs rolled up to his forearms to reveal the new watch Shen Youran had dragged him out of bed early to buy.

His tailored dress pants—which Shen Youran had ordered the night before after taking his measurements—accentuated his already well-proportioned figure perfectly.

Aside from that, there were no extra accessories. The entire look was clean and minimalist.

Yan Jing's newly refined physique was surprisingly suited to the shirt and slacks. He cut such a striking figure that he drew plenty of double takes as they walked.

Just before they entered the municipal hall, Shen Youran narrowed her eyes, gave him a final critical once-over, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Advancing a tier really does wonders for a person's physique. The clothes are a tiny bit snug, though—your muscles are a little too big."

"But since we're here to negotiate terms, strength is exactly what they need to see."

The two entered the lobby.

A beautiful woman sitting in the adjacent reception area immediately stood up and walked toward them.

"Mr. Yan, Ms. Shen. You've arrived."

Zhou Zimo greeted them.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Zhou. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Yan Jing extended his hand.

Zhou Zimo took it, shaking his hand gently.

As she had approached, her gaze had flicked over Yan Jing's entire body with professional speed. Though the flash of surprise in her eyes vanished almost instantly, Shen Youran didn't miss it.

Hehehe, this is only the beginning.

The smug little fox in Shen Youran's heart crossed its arms in triumph.

"Domain Chief Wang is currently in a meeting."

Zhou Zimo checked her watch. "It should end in about thirty minutes. We can wait in my office until then."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble,"

Yan Jing said with a polite smile.

Whether there was actually a meeting or not, they still had to go through the corporate formalities. He understood how the game was played.

Zhou Zimo tapped her smartwatch lightly. An assistant hurried over from a distance, taking her silent cue to head up and prepare tea in advance.

The three of them then took the elevator up, soon arriving at Zhou Zimo's office.

It wasn't large, but it possessed a quiet, antique charm. The broad wooden desk was meticulously neat; aside from a Computer, it held only two perfectly stacked piles of documents.

Zhou Zimo didn't take the seat of power behind the desk. Instead, she guided them to a small coffee table, taking one of the guest chairs alongside Yan Jing and Shen Youran.

She looked at Yan Jing, her expression shifting from polite host to slightly more serious negotiator.

"Mr. Yan, I presume Ms. Shen has briefed you on the terms we discussed previously?"

"She has."

Yan Jing picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

"I'm very grateful that Domain Chief Wang is willing to offer such generous terms."

"It's like this, Mr. Yan," Zhou Zimo said, taking a slight breath.

"After I relayed those terms to Domain Chief Wang, he did agree to our side of the bargain. However, he felt that your personal demands were rather steep, which is why he wanted to meet with you in person today."

"After all, as I'm sure you know, requesting an orange Fourth Rite and an orange-red Fifth Rite... such demands are frankly unheard of."

In fact, Zhou Zimo was putting it mildly.

When she had first heard Shen Youran state those demands, her immediate thought was that the woman had lost her mind.

The official Yueyin classification for the optimal Ritual ratio across the first seven tiers was:

Yellow-purple, purple, purple-black, black, black-orange, orange, red.

The absolute theoretical limit was:

Purple, purple-black, black, black-orange, orange, red, silver-red.

An orange Fourth Rite! Even if one could be found, could a person at that stage actually absorb it? She heavily doubted it.

Domain Chief Wang shared her skepticism.

Because Wang Changnian's own Fourth Rite was only black-orange.

At the time, he had used a Ritual Blessing Coupon and endured the most extreme conditions possible just to absorb it. Yet now, this unknown young man was demanding an orange Fourth Rite right out of the gate. In his eyes, this was a snake trying to swallow an elephant out of sheer greed.

Of course, he couldn't entirely rule out the existence of such a peerless genius—and he certainly hoped one existed.

That was why he had requested this face-to-face meeting, wanting to gauge for himself exactly what kind of young man Yan Jing was.

Little did they know, this played right into Shen Youran's hands.

Second-hand reports were, in the end, only second-hand reports.

She knew better than anyone the kind of sheer shock value Yan Jing could deliver in person. That was precisely why she had dared to ask for such an exorbitant price.

Yan Jing smiled faintly.

"I understand your and Domain Chief Wang's concerns. How about this: when the domain chief arrives, I'll demonstrate it to him."

"Alright."

Seeing that Yan Jing had no intention of elaborating, Zhou Zimo didn't press the issue. Instead, she took the opportunity while refilling their tea to subtly tap her watch again.

Five minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.

"May I come in?"

a deep male voice called out.

Zhou Zimo immediately stood, opened the door, and bowed slightly to the tall man standing in the doorway.

"Domain Chief."

Yan Jing and Shen Youran stood up at the same time, offering polite bows of their own.

"Domain Chief."

"Mm."

Wang Changnian nodded.

"Let's speak frankly."

"I think highly of you, Yan Jing. I have a vacant seed spot on hand and I want to nominate you. I'm willing to provide substantial backing, but the demands you've put forward... I find them unreasonable."

"I understand, Domain Chief,"

Yan Jing nodded, smiling. "But I imagine your desire for me to be your seed isn't just because you're looking to sponsor an empty suit."

"Of course not,"

Wang Changnian agreed.

"Show me your strength. If it meets expectations, I will agree immediately, without a second word."

"To tell you the truth, my political situation hasn't been great these past few years. Using my seed spot means that we'll be tied to the same boat from now on. The reason I haven't taken a seed all these years is precisely because of the risk."

"Furthermore, you don't need to worry about me going back on my word. In all my years, I, Wang Changnian, have always meant exactly what I said—which is exactly why I was marginalized to such a remote region. Nor do you need to worry about whether I can afford your price. Behind me stands the Wang Family of Tianqi City in the Fifth Ring Domain."

There was only one Wang Family in Tianqi City.

They were the family that had produced the domain lord who ruled Yueyin two generations ago.

Shen Youran knew how cautious her Xiao Yanzi could be. She was just about to step in and reassure him that she had done her prep work, but before she could even touch his arm, a massive span of wings quietly unfurled behind his back.

Crystal-clear, eerie light flowed across those eighty-one pitch-black wings. The sheer power and exquisite beauty radiating from every single overlapping, interwoven feather was palpable. They swayed gently in a phantom airflow, delivering a breathtaking visual impact.

The black-orange light instantly illuminated the faces of the three people in the room.

"This is my sincerity,"

Yan Jing said with a gentle smile.

A few seconds passed.

"The Ritual you requested will be delivered to you next month."

Making no attempt to hide the profound surprise and excitement in his eyes, Wang Changnian took a deep breath. He extended his hand toward Yan Jing with a warm smile.

"Call me Uncle Wang from now on."