Chapter 9

In the hall, there were only two people: Yang Yuntian, the second son of the Yang family, was seated on one side, while in the center was a middle-aged man with a refined and dignified appearance, clear eyebrows, and a graceful demeanor.

This was the eldest son of the Yang family's old patriarch, Long Chen's uncle, Yang Qingxuan.

Long Chen stepped into the hall, his gaze meeting Yang Qingxuan's.

"Yang Qingxuan has a kind face, but his eyes sparkle with divine light, clearly indicating he is a highly accomplished expert, far surpassing Yang Yuntian."

Long Chen's cultivation had advanced, and his discernment had improved significantly.

Yang Qingxuan looked at Long Chen and said, "You must be Yang Chen. You've always run off on your own since you were little, and I haven't seen you many times. I didn't expect you to grow up so much."

"Yang Qingxuan didn't immediately punish me; it seems there's a chance."

Long Chen thought to himself. His life motto was that a man should be able to bend and stretch, and as long as he had a foothold, he wouldn't worry about lacking resources. Now that he had beaten Yang Yuntian's son, he felt somewhat guilty, so he followed the rules and bowed to the two men, saying, "Nephew... Yang Chen greets Uncle and Second Uncle."

He had already agreed to change his surname, but he didn't yet have the strength to openly declare it in the Yang family, so he had to use this temporary measure.

"You have indeed reached the third level of the Dragon Vein Realm. Your physical skills are also excellent, so you must have learned a powerful body-strengthening technique. It seems you've been working hard in secret these years, achieving this level. With more time, you might even catch up with Ling Qing and Ling Yue."

Long Chen modestly said he didn't deserve such praise.

"Why isn't he mentioning the fight and instead chatting with me about family matters? And Yang Yuntian is looking at me as if he wants to kill me."

At this moment, Yang Yuntian called out, "Brother!"

Hearing Yang Yuntian's reminder, Yang Qingxuan smiled and said, "You are indeed a good seed, but fighting among family members is not right. I heard you used excessive force..."

Long Chen quickly said, "Uncle, in a fight, one can't control their actions. With my strength, it's impossible to control my attacks, so hurting him wasn't intentional."

Interrupted by Long Chen, Yang Qingxuan fell silent. Then Yang Yuntian coldly said, "Not intentional? I heard you were trying to kill Zhan. At such a young age, you're already so ruthless. If we don't teach you a lesson today, you'll be uncontrollable in the future."

Yang Yuntian stood up and walked toward Long Chen, his formidable cultivation pressing down on him, almost making him fall to the ground.

Long Chen remained silent, enduring the pressure.

He knew that if Yang Yuntian wanted to kill him, it would only take a casual move.

At this moment, a woman's voice came from outside the door.

"Second Brother, leave him to me. I'll give you an answer."

The pressure on Long Chen eased, and he could finally catch his breath, but he was still very afraid.

He knew who was behind him: Yang Xueqing.

Yang Xueqing's attitude toward Long Chen over the years was well-known. If Long Chen fell into her hands, he wouldn't have an easy time.

Yang Yuntian, thinking of this, smiled and said, "Third Sister, take him. A fight among the young is a small matter. Just give him a bit of guidance."

With that, he left.

Seeing that there was nothing for him, Yang Qingxuan also stood up and left, but before he went, he leaned close to Yang Xueqing's ear and said, "In less than five days, he advanced to the next level and mastered the Meteor Fist. His talent might impress Father. You decide what to do..."

Yang Xueqing was stunned. After Yang Qingxuan left, she walked up to Long Chen.

Long Chen had also heard Yang Qingxuan's words. He was looking forward to Yang Xueqing's shocked expression, but unfortunately, this woman still had an icy face.

"True, defeating Yang Zhan to this extent isn't enough to make her look at me differently."

Long Chen was still full of fighting spirit. He said indifferently, "Do what you will. If you're not going to kill me, speak up. I don't have time to waste here."

Yang Xueqing frowned and said coldly, "With a bit of skill, you've become quite arrogant, just like that waste of a person from the past. I've seen many fleeting geniuses. Only you and your father think you're something. It's laughable!"

A flash of killing intent crossed Long Chen's eyes.

He forced himself to hold back.

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

With that, he walked past Yang Xueqing. As he reached the door, she suddenly said, "A month from now, I will marry Bai Zhanxiong, the third son of the Bai family. As for you, I don't want you in Baiyang Town starting tomorrow, or I won't be lenient."

Hearing this, Long Chen wasn't surprised.

But even his strong heart couldn't help but bleed. No mother and son should face such a situation.

Long Chen turned around and looked at her coldly, saying, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Bai Zhanxiong, who appears to be a gentleman, is not a good person. I once saw him kidnap several girls under sixteen and sell them to unknown people..."

Revealing this long-held secret, Long Chen thought she would take it seriously, but Yang Xueqing's gaze grew colder. When Long Chen finished, she interrupted him, saying coldly, "Yang Chen, your ability to defeat Yang Zhan has made me slightly respect you. I thought you would start a new life today, and I was happy for you. But I didn't expect you to disappoint me so much."

"I know you don't want me to remarry, but you don't have to slander Bai Zhanxiong and fabricate such ridiculous charges. Bai Zhanxiong and I grew up together. If your father hadn't appeared, I would have been his long ago. I know him better than you, a million times better. Do you think such a ridiculous lie can deceive me?"

Long Chen was stunned, seeing the disappointment and contempt on her face. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of anger. A wild beast was roaring in his heart!

"Is that so? Your own son's words mean nothing to you?"

Long Chen stared at her, speaking each word slowly.

Yang Xueqing was silent for a moment before saying, "I know everything you've done over the years. You've been uneducated, bullying men and women. I lost all hope in you ten years ago. The people of the Long family are all scoundrels. Why should I believe you?"

Long Chen felt his chest about to explode. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yang Xueqing. Suddenly, he laughed maniacally, saying, "Yang Xueqing, you talk so easily. As a mother, have you ever taken responsibility? I have no father or mother, no one to guide me, which is why I've become this dog-like person. Now you blame me? You blame me for being a born scoundrel, an incurable rogue, but I tell you, while I've harmed a few people, I've never harmed a good person! But your Bai Zhanxiong is different..."

Taking a deep breath, Long Chen said calmly, "You're disappointed in me, and I'm thoroughly disappointed in you. But if you want to get married, with me, Long Chen, around, it won't be easy! Do you hear me? Long Chen!"

Yang Xueqing's face was expressionless as she threw a bag at Long Chen's feet.

"I never considered you a Yang. Here are fifty spirit stones. Take them. Baiyang Town is no longer suitable for you."

There was no point in arguing. Long Chen, who usually liked to take small advantages, didn't even look at the spirit stones this time and turned to leave.

Rushing out of the Yang family, he came to the river and roared, smashing boulders one by one until he was exhausted and sat on the ground.

Looking at the direction of the Yang family, this massive structure seemed like a mountain, pressing on his heart.

Long Chen clenched his fists, and a killing intent erupted from him.

"Father, I don't know if she's worth it, but I know Bai Zhanxiong is not a good person. No matter how she treats me, I will stop her. And I can't let her look down on me or you!"

Until his nails drew blood.

"Father, no one can stop me from becoming stronger. I finally understand what you told me. To be a person above others, to have everyone respect and admire you, you must become infinitely strong, reaching the peak of this world!"

"Thank you for underestimating me. Otherwise, I would still think cultivation is the most boring thing, and life has no purpose. What you will see next is a storm of surprises from me!"

"The family meeting in half a month and the fake wedding in a month, because of my existence, will give you a huge, huge surprise!"

After venting, night soon fell.

Looking at the vast night, Long Chen sat on the roof of his house in the eastern part of the town.

"Yang Xueqing wants me to leave Baiyang Town, but Father wants me to obtain the Dragon Seal. How can I leave? But with my current strength, if she attacks me, how can I resist? Should I leave Baiyang Town for a while and return when the family meeting starts?"

After thinking for a while, Long Chen's furrowed brows relaxed. He thought to himself, "Staying in Baiyang Town is not as good as going out to hunt beasts. This might help me progress faster and even find some treasures!"

With this decision, he was about to leave, but his stomach was growling, so he jumped off the roof and headed to the Rising Sun Inn.

It was almost midnight, but the Rising Sun Inn was still bustling.

Approaching quietly, Long Chen overheard someone say, "Big news! You don't know yet? Something big happened at the Yang family!"

"What happened? Tell me quickly!"

"You don't know? This morning, Yang Zhan, the son of the Yang family, fought with Yang Chen, the son of Yang San. Yang Zhan was stripped in public and committed suicide when he got home!"

"Is that true?"

"How can it not be? It's the latest news. The Yang family is searching for Yang Chen all over town!"

Hearing this, Long Chen quickly left.

"I thought he would be humiliated for life, but I didn't expect him to be so weak and commit suicide. What a waste. But since he never treated me like a person, the sudden change was too much for him to handle."

"Yang Zhan is dead, and I can't stay in Baiyang Town. I need to leave now!"

He was very familiar with Baiyang Town, so he used a secret passage to leave before the Yang family arrived.

After walking for a long time, he looked back at Baiyang Town.

"Yang Zhan is dead. If I return for the family meeting, it will be very dangerous. But I've heard the old patriarch of the Yang family loves talent. If I show my extraordinary talent, I might still have a chance! The Meteor Fist today must have shocked him."

But where could he go after leaving Baiyang Town?

"The Great Wasteland Mountains to the east of Baiyang Town are full of dense forests, venomous insects, and beasts, and there are many treasures..."

Just as Long Chen was about to head to the Great Wasteland Mountains, someone caught up to him.

He was startled and quickly hid.

When he saw who it was, he relaxed and smiled.

It was the younger of the two men who had followed Yang Lingyue earlier, Bai Shixun, the younger son of Bai Zhanxiong.

The scenes of being bullied by Bai Shixun at the Jade Emerald Tower flashed through Long Chen's mind.

"What is Bai Shixun chasing?"

Long Chen thought Bai Shixun was chasing him, but upon closer inspection, he saw that Bai Shixun was chasing a cold, floating light. The light was suspended in the air, clearly a treasure!