Chapter 1

Spring sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the spacious tea room.

Feng Yi stared at the stack of papers in front of him, his face tense, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

An hour ago, he was still a young man in deep trouble, burdened with huge debts due to his partner's betrayal.

And now...

Feng Yi glanced at the old man sitting across the table. Immaculately dressed, from his clothes to his hair, he looked like an ancient gentleman. He smiled, the curve of his lips measured to perfection—too deliberate if it were any more, and too perfunctory if it were any less. It seemed as if the papers on the table were just a menu, not a property transfer agreement worth hundreds of millions.

When Feng Yi was in dire straits and almost in despair, this old man appeared before him, telling him that he had a great-aunt he had never met, who had recently passed away and left him a substantial inheritance.

As an adult who had just experienced the harsh realities of society, Feng Yi did not believe in windfall gains, especially ones that came at such a convenient time!

So when this happened, the first thought that came to Feng Yi's mind was—

Scammer!

But now, facing the property transfer agreement on the table, Feng Yi was already 70% convinced.

Of course, the presence of the three lawyers sitting nearby played a significant role. These three were well-known in the city, and a quick online search would reveal a lot of information about them. Feng Yi had even briefly interacted with one of them.

Why not fully believe it?

The document on the table was a property transfer agreement, not a will. According to the old butler, the part of the estate left to Feng Yi by his great-aunt, who he had never met, was directly handed over to the butler. The butler would then transfer the assets to Feng Yi in batches, with no time limit and no specific amount required.

This operation seemed very peculiar to Feng Yi.

He couldn't understand why his great-aunt would leave her inheritance in such a way.

Was the butler so trustworthy that he even surpassed her own children?

If it were one of her children or grandchildren, it would make sense, as they shared some blood ties.

But a butler?

The first batch of assets the butler transferred to Feng Yi was a hundred million yuan, on the condition that Feng Yi do one thing—go to the Feng family ancestral home and write his name in the family genealogy.

First, Feng Yi had never heard of the "Feng family ancestral home."

"Genealogy?"

Does such a thing still exist?

What era is this, to still have a genealogy?

But putting that aside, just finding the ancestral home and writing his name could earn him a hundred million yuan. This seemed too easy.

He didn't believe it.

But a hundred million yuan...

He, burdened with debt, really needed it.

After a while, Feng Yi's gaze, which had been fixed on the papers, finally moved away with difficulty. He wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and said, "...I need to go to the restroom."

The old man across the table smiled understandingly and nodded slightly, "Please go ahead."

Feng Yi walked out of the tea room stiffly, all his calm gone, his breathing rapid. He quickly entered the restroom, closed the door, and splashed cold water on his face from the sink.

The cold water didn't wake him up.

Good, it wasn't a dream.

Feng Yi looked at himself in the mirror.

Due to insomnia and the pressure of debt, he hadn't rested well for a long time. His eyes, filled with bloodshot, looked frighteningly red from the emotional stimulation.

He splashed his face again, dried his hands hurriedly, and took out his phone from his pocket. The screen showed over ten missed calls, all from creditors.

Ignoring those, Feng Yi opened his contacts and looked at two phone numbers. He hadn't dialed these numbers since he left the Feng family five years ago. Hesitating, he finally dialed one of them.

It rang for a long time with no answer.

He dialed the other, which disconnected after two rings.

Not surprising.

Feng Yi exhaled softly.

One must rely on oneself!

He put his phone back in his pocket.

He splashed his face with cold water again, tidied himself up, and returned to the tea room.

His brain, which had been overheated, cooled down a bit. His voice still trembled slightly, but he spoke more smoothly than before. Facing the butler, his smile became more natural. Although his mind was still in chaos, he had to maintain a calm exterior.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No problem," the butler said, his smile deepening as he looked at Feng Yi's current state. "Have you thought it over?"

"Yes, I've thought about it calmly, but I still have many questions. Your timing is so convenient, I almost suspect you're doing this on purpose," Feng Yi probed.

"No, I originally planned a one to two-year observation period. I started paying attention to you last month, which is the second month. I learned that you were in significant trouble, so I decided to contact you earlier," the butler explained calmly.

Feng Yi didn't know if this was true and asked more about his great-aunt.

The butler gave a brief account.

Feng Yi learned that his great-aunt had gone abroad early, had children, and mainly developed her business overseas, though she also had assets in the country. When dividing her estate, she left a portion to Feng Yi. She was buried abroad, so Feng Yi would need to travel there to pay his respects.

That was all the butler was willing to say.

"Why me? The Feng family is a large clan. In this generation, there are so many of us. Why choose me?" Feng Yi asked.

The butler looked at him with a smile, as if looking at a kitten he had just picked up from the street: "Mrs. Feng said you have the most appealing appearance."

Feng Yi touched his sharp face.

"She had good taste!"

For the first time in his life, an elder had said his appearance was appealing!

He had heard many comments about his looks being "promiscuous and unlucky," so hearing that his appearance was appealing was quite a surprise.

Feng Yi thought he was handsome. In the entertainment industry, there were many stars with sharp faces, and there were plenty who had even sharper faces. However, elders seemed to prefer traditional "lucky" faces or those that looked more mature and upright.

But...

Who cares what my face looks like, as long as I'm handsome!

Feng Yi wasn't entirely narcissistic.

In his first year of college, he went to a barbershop, and the manager personally approached him for a collaboration. He often received invitations to various club activities at school.

In his second year, he expanded his collaborations to earn tuition and money for a house, working with barbershops, photography studios, clothing accessory stores, and even the largest hot pot restaurant on the commercial street outside the campus, shooting promotional photos for the GG brand.

In his third year, he partnered with someone to open a small studio, no longer working alone, and saved enough money to buy his first house. Among ordinary students of his age, he was considered a success.

In his fourth year, he got lucky and joined a web drama production, playing a minor but memorable role. To his surprise, the web drama became a hit at the beginning of the year, and he gained some online presence, finally stepping into the entertainment industry.

His career was on the rise, and he planned to capitalize on it to make more money in the entertainment industry. However, at a critical moment, he was betrayed—his partner orchestrated a series of incidents and then fled with the money.

Feng Yi faced furious business partners, huge breach of contract fees, and various compensation payments.

So, he was in dire straits, desperately needing this money.

If he weren't in such a difficult situation, even with a hundred million yuan in front of him, he would have thought twice. His experiences told him not to be too naive; if he didn't have the strength to bear it, even a windfall could crush him.

Most appealing appearance? So she left him a large sum of money?

Who is he trying to fool!

A hundred million yuan, what kind of trap is waiting for him!

But even knowing there might be a trap, he had to step into it.

No matter how much he complained in his heart, Feng Yi just smiled and continued, "Where is the Feng family ancestral home? Is it the century-old villa in Yangcheng?"

The butler chuckled, as if the century-old villa in Yangcheng was beneath him.

"Far outskirts of Yangcheng, Xiaofeng Mountain."

Feng Yi thought to himself: As expected, I've never heard of it.

He was born and raised in Yangcheng, and only left for Rongcheng to attend university after the college entrance exam. He had never returned. He had some vague memories of Xiaofeng Mountain, but they weren't clear.

However, it was the first time he heard of the Feng family ancestral home on Xiaofeng Mountain.

In front of the butler, Feng Yi took out his phone, searched for information about Xiaofeng Mountain in Yangcheng, and fell silent.

He knew it wouldn't be easy, but the challenge was even greater than he expected.

Xiaofeng Mountain, also known as Snake Mountain by locals, was famous for its large number of snakes.

Just looking at the pictures online made his skin crawl.

Feng Yi hated snakes, but to get through this crisis, what were a few snakes?

Besides, most of the snakes on Xiaofeng Mountain were non-venomous garter snakes, and the mountain was fenced off.

"Is the ancestral home guarded?" Feng Yi asked.

The old man seemed satisfied with Feng Yi's reaction, his smile widening. "Of course, it needs to be maintained. But don't worry, I've already spoken to the guards."

Feng Yi nodded, thinking that the challenge wasn't too great.

"I need to clarify, I left the Feng family after the college entrance exam," Feng Yi added, "due to ideological differences."

Leaving the Feng family and then going to the ancestral home to add his name to the genealogy would be a slap in the face, and it would be a significant challenge, as seen in historical dramas. Feng Yi needed to plan carefully.

The butler understood Feng Yi's concerns and said, "You don't need to worry. The genealogy is unrelated to the other members of the Feng family. Mrs. Feng personally placed the genealogy in the ancestral home, and no one else knows about it."

Feng Yi raised an eyebrow.

That didn't sound right.

The genealogy in the ancestral home being unrelated to the other members of the Feng family?

Was there a division in the family?

The butler handed Feng Yi a zodiac coin.

Feng Yi was familiar with this small metal coin, which he had worn around his neck since childhood.

One side of the coin had the twelve Chinese zodiac signs and their corresponding Earthly Branches, while the other side had the Bagua diagram.

In the Feng family, only those born in the Year of the Snake had such a zodiac coin.

Feng Yi took out the coin he was wearing, and the one the butler held flew over and attached to his.

The two coins overlapped, and the patterns on them began to rotate.

A golden light flashed, blinding Feng Yi so he couldn't see the patterns on the coin.

After a soft click, it stopped.

When he looked again, there was no trace of the two coins being stacked. The coin was slightly thicker, and the side with the zodiac signs and Earthly Branches now showed only a large snake pattern!

Feng Yi couldn't control his expression, staring wide-eyed