Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Although the two had planned to move in together, the new year was coming and the classes were about to wrap up so the two decided to push off their agenda until next year when they were both less busy.
As time flew by, Chen Fan’s first semester was over.
“The first snow of 2009.”
Chen Fan had just dropped off Fang Qiong at the girl’s dorm. He looked up and noticed the fluffy snow that fell from the grey sky wistfully. It had been a year and a half since he woke up on the bus.
A year and a half might seem to be a long period of time for an average person, but to Chen Fan who had already lived five hundred years, it was just a blink of an eye. When he returned, he was a grade twelve student, but now he had reached Ethereal Enlightenment and gained Azure Thearch Longevity Body. He rose to power to become the tycoon of Jiang Bei, General Major in Cang Dragon and the number one Grandmaster on the Heaven roll.
All the elites of in Jin City had heard of his name.
After what had happened at the Su Family of Wu Zhou City, Chen Fan became a household name across Jiang Nan Province. His achievements, such as becoming a General Major, bringing the Tang and Ji Family down to their knees, forcing the Su Family to apologize and ward off the pressure from provincial leaders made him a legend. Although not a lot of people had seen Chen Fan, everyone knew his name.
Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked on the crunchy snow toward home.
He had been focusing on his cultivation, pushing himself to the limit. By now, he was near another bottleneck. The Green Dragon Grand Array was about to produce its first yield of Spirit Herbs. Once those herbs were made into pills, they should help Chen Fan break the bottleneck and reach the mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment. These Spirit Pills would also help him strengthen his Azure Thearch Longevity Body. Since the Azure Thearch Longevity Body was a Divine Body, it was otherwise extremely difficult to make any improvement on it.
“Where should I go for this year’s new year? Should I head back to Chu Zhou City or stay in Jin City?”
Chen Fan pondered his options and made his way back to the dorm. As soon as he walked into the room, he saw Qi Wangsun standing alone by one of the bunk beds and he was flanked by another brawny man with a bald head. The two were talking with each other quietly.
The brawny man’s shiny head had a huge ugly scar that ran from one side of the head to the other.
“We have guests?”
Chen Fan gave the brawny man a glance.
The business school decided to let the student leave early for the new year, and therefore, both Qiu Yilun and Piggsy had already left the school for home. To Chen Fan’s surprise, Qi Wangsun stayed behind. Chen Fan registered flowing energy inside the Brawny man and knew right away that he was a phenomenal success level Internal Force user. However, judging from his servile attitude toward Qi Wangsun, Chen Fan wagered that he was one of the Qi family’s employees.
“Young Lord, Miss Yukishiro had already booked a banquet at Ginza Club. Please think about it and don’t let your father down.” The brawny man bowed to Qi Wangsun and left the room.
He walked past Chen Fan and didn’t even spare Chen Fan a glance.
After Qi Wangsun heard the brawny man’s words, his face frosted over. After a while, he gathered himself and let out a sigh. He squeezed a smile onto his face and said: “Boss, you are back.”
“What’s going on? Make sure you tell me if you have any trouble.” Chen Fan walked over to Qi Wangsun and padded on his shoulder
“It’s nothing, just some stuff at home.” Qi Wangsun seemed ready to say more, but he hesitated. “Have I told you that my family had arranged a marriage for me while I was little?”
“Oh?”
Chen Fan’s interest was piqued.
Chen Fan had heard of it in his past life, and he knew that the girl’s name is Yukishiro Sa. However, he was not aware of the details.
Since Qi Wangsun had started the topic, he decided to no longer hold it back. He smiled wryly and then said: “My father is Qi Dongsheng, the CEO of the Dong Sheng Group. I am his oldest son.”
Any businessmen from Northern China would be shocked to hear the name Qi Dongsheng.
He was one of the most successful tycoons presided over Northern Sea Bay. Although Dong Sheng Group was relatively unknown by most people, it was the power hidden behind the scenes, controlling every facet of the society. Its influence in Northern China was not any less than that of the Zheng family in Hong Kong. If Qi Dongsheng flexed his financial muscle, he could easily make it into the top ten rich list in China. Many rumors said that the Qi’s had stakes in many government-owned seaports in the Northern Sea Bay as well as the port of Jin Men.
Qi Dongsheng was his oldest son, so he was the heir of the mighty Dong Sheng Group.
However, Chen Fan simply nodded. It was evident to Qi Wangsun that Chen Fan had never heard of the Dong Sheng Group.
Qi Wangsun continued, adding in more detail about his family: “My dad’s business was maritime shipping and overseas trade. His trade partners were mostly from Russian and Japan. He had arranged a marriage for me when I was only a kid with the heir of the Yukishiro family in Japan’s Kyushu island. Her name is Yukishiro Sa, the same age as us, and very talented. She is already the family lord of the Yukishiro family clan.”
“That sounds pretty good to me. Why the long face?” Chen Fan asked lightheartedly.
“You have never met her.” Qi Wangsun shook his head and let out a wry smile. “She is cunning, calculating and manipulative. A maneater through and through. Think about it, how else could she become the family lord at the age of twenty? How else could she dominate Kyushu’s underground world? I prefer Xiao Jin much better than her. At least she won’t stab me in the night while I’m sleeping.”
“Women are like horses, with enough skill and patience, you can tame even the wildest mare. Be a man and do the right thing.” Chen Fan looked at his friend encouragingly.
Chen Fan had his fair share of dealing with strident and strong women in his life. Let it be the sisters of Lu family, Zheng Anqi or Tang Yifei, any one of them was a force to be reckoned with. Tang Yifei, in particular, was able to claim dominance over Jiang Nan Province’s underground world. She had proved her decisiveness and gusto when she ordered the assassins to do away with Chen Fan while she lured the latter into the garden.
However, none of these young women’s abilities were remotely threatening to Chen Fan.
All of them ended up laying low with their tails between legs.
“Boss, if I am as powerful as you, of course, she wouldn’t be a problem. But…” Qi Wangsun heaved a sigh.
“It’s ok, no big deal. If you really don’t like her, then just tell her. I can go with you if that makes you feel better.” Chen Fan padded his friend’s shoulder.
“Thank you, boss.” Qi Wangsun gave Chen Fan an appreciative look.
Although he didn’t know the full extent of Chen Fan’s power, he wagered that Chen Fan’s title as the Master Chen of Jiang Bei and his huge wealth in Hong Kong should be able to make Yukishiro Sa turn down her strident demeanor a notch.
The two didn’t waste time, they packed up their luggage and went on their way.
When they walked out of the dorm, the Business School was already wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow. Chen Fan called a taxi and headed toward the Ginza Club.
The Ginza Club was a Japanese style private club built by a Japanese businessman in Jin City.
From the elevated entrance, the wooden plank floor, the Bamboo bush, and the paper window, to the manicured garden and the maroon lanterns hanging from the low roof, everything in the club was built according to the Japanese tradition. The moment they entered the club, they felt they had passed through time and space and arrived in Japan during the Edo Period. The waitresses in the club were all from Japan and looked caring and attractive as a typical young Japanese wife would.
The two were lead into the club by a hostess wearing a magnificent kimono.
Chen Fan scanned the club using his Divine Will as he walked on. Suddenly, he registered something was off.
The rooms in the club were heated and therefore despite the snowy weather outside, it was cozy in here. After their guide slid a wooden door open, they were greeted by the back of a girl in white dress half kneeling on the floor, preparing teas for the guests. Although they could only see her back, her breathtaking curves and the porcelain skin on her hands suggested her extraordinary beauty.
Beside the woman sat a middle-aged man in a samurai outfit.
The man’s face was serious. He pressed on his wakizashi that was laid sideways across his lap as a deadly light glinted in his eyes from time to time. The man looked at Qi Wangsun and nodded before he looked away and saw Chen Fan. Seeing Chen Fan’s unremarkable appearance, a hint of contempt flashed across his face.
The same brawny man who had been taking to Qi Wangsun was sitting across the table from the two Japanese people. He nodded at Qi Wangsun but seemed surprised by Chen Fan’s appearance.
“Qi San, you are finally here.”
The woman turned around, revealing a cold face with exquisite features.
“Miss Yukishiro, I am here to tell you that our marriage proposal was made by our parents against our will. We are both adults, so we have the right to choose to forfeit the engagement.”
Qi Wangsun sat down beside the Brawny man and spoke up.
“Qi San, May I need to remind you that the Yukishiro family had been dominating Kyushu island for over a hundred fifty years. Our first family lord was the Daimyo of Kyushu, highly regarded by the emperor of Japan himself. This marriage is of utmost importance to the Yukishiro family and we will not walk back on our words. It’s a shame, to be honest.”
The woman said as she poured the tea from a teapot into a couple of small delicate bamboo cups.
“But we are living in the twentieth century now. How do we still need to care about dated tradition?” Qi Wangsun asked impatiently.
“May I ask if Qi San had already fallen in love with another woman? Is that why you want to be gone so badly?” Yukishiro Sa locked her gaze onto Qi Wangsun that gave the latter a cold shiver.
Chen Fan noticed the unwavering calm confidence in Yukishiro Sa ever since the conversation started. Her mind was keen and her will strong. They were unaffected by anything around her. It was evident that she possessed powerful Soul Energy that allowed her to even read people’s minds.
“No, I didn’t—”
Qi Wangsun’s protest was cut short by Yukishiro Sa’s sudden clapping of hands. A wooden side door slid open revealing a girl hanging down from the ceiling. Her body was bound by thick ropes that restricted her movement.
“Xiao Jin?”
Qi Wangsun panicked the moment he saw the girl’s face.
The girl hanging in the air was Liu Xiaojin. She was supposed to be back at home with her family now. Her mouth was gagged by a piece of white rag and the moment she saw Qi Wangsun, tears started to trickle down from her cheeks, as she let out muffled cries.
“Yukishiro Sa, what is the meaning of this?”
Qi Wangsun slammed the table and glared at Yukishiro Sa hotly.