TRWSB – Chapter 256 Return to the Original Country

Zhuang Hao and his companions appeared in the imperial capital, instantly causing a huge sensation.

It had been five years since Zhuang Hao left. In those five years, much had changed. Among the four great families of the capital, the Zhuang family still held the top position, while the Yi family, due to a lack of talent, had been replaced by newly risen noble houses.

Tang Tianfeng had inherited the throne, and Tang Tianying was granted a fief and sent away.

Zhuang Residence

Zhuang Qian looked at the fair and tender little Zhuang Yun with great curiosity.

He reached out a finger and poked Zhuang Yun’s soft, chubby face.

Zhuang Qian’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Zhuang Yun. In his eyes, Zhuang Yun was like a miniature version of Zhuang Hao. Since childhood, he had lived under the “shadow” of Zhuang Hao, and now that he had a chance to tease this “copy,” Zhuang Qian felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Zhuang Yun, clearly displeased by Zhuang Qian taking amusement in teasing him, bit down hard on his finger.

Zhuang Qian yelped and pulled his finger back. On it were two deep bite marks.

Zhuang Hao, arms crossed, looked at Zhuang Qian and said, “A-Qian, don’t provoke him. A-Yun is fierce.”

Qi Shaorong frowned. For some reason, he felt that Zhuang Hao’s words didn’t sound like he was talking about a child—but more like a dog.

Zhuang Qian withdrew his bleeding finger and said, “Big Brother, you were gone for so many years. I worried many times that you might not make it back.”

Zhuang Hao said indifferently, “Don’t you trust in my strength? What’s there to worry about?”

“Of course I trust your strength, Big Brother. But you went to the Forsaken Lands! A place where magic doesn’t even work,” Zhuang Qian said gloomily.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Even without magic or battle aura, your big brother can still stand tall.”

“That’s true. Big Brother, you’re truly amazing,” Zhuang Qian said with a smile.

Zhuang Hao stretched his limbs. During his five years in the Forsaken Lands, he hadn’t been able to train in magic or battle aura. But after returning, he realized his magic had significantly improved—perhaps due to a rise in his physical constitution, which led to a magical upgrade as well.

“Big Brother, you’ve been gone from the capital for so long that the ‘Seven Talents of the Capital’ have all changed. Some clueless newcomers don’t even know who you are. How ignorant,” Zhuang Qian complained.

Zhuang Hao chuckled. “It has been a while. Have many new talents emerged in the capital?”

“When there’s no tiger in the mountains, the monkey becomes king. The current Seven Talents can’t compare to those from back then,” Zhuang Qian said.

“A-Qian, are you saying you’re the monkey? I heard you’re ranked fifth among the Seven Talents now,” Qi Shaorong interjected.

Zhuang Qian laughed awkwardly. “I just got lucky to make the list.”

“Shen Yuan, who’s ranked last, is the one who got lucky. You being fifth isn’t just luck,” Qi Shaorong said with a smile.

Zhuang Qian: “…”

———

Qi Shaorong’s Residence

“Young Master, you’re finally back.” Qi Heng sighed in relief upon seeing Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong smiled. “Thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone. I looked over the performance of the Qingcheng Cosmetics stores—A-Heng, you’ve done an excellent job.”

Qi Heng smiled back. “If you were here overseeing everything yourself, the scale of Qingcheng would’ve grown even more.”

Qi Heng took out a card and handed it to Qi Shaorong. “This is the earnings from Qingcheng Cosmetics over the past few years—five billion.”

Qi Shaorong was stunned. “That much?!”

“Yes! Actually, it’s not that much considering it’s accumulated over several years.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng. “Speaking of which, I brought you a gift.”

“This fruit… is it a Convergence Fruit?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes.”

“Is Zhuang Yun the result of such a fruit?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded again. “That’s right.”

Qi Heng smiled. “Thank you, Young Master.”

“No need to thank me. If you and Zuo Yunfei manage to produce a beautiful child, our Zhuang Yun will have one more option when it comes to finding a partner,” Qi Shaorong said.

Qi Heng: “…” Young Master really thinks ahead!

“I heard Zuo Yunfei has become a Saint-level expert?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Qi Heng nodded. “Yes, he awakened his domain by chance last year.”

“Then that’s great news for him,” Qi Shaorong said.

He then asked curiously, “Young Master, have you made contact with your domain yet?”

Qi Shaorong gave a dry laugh. “Not yet.”

After obtaining the Yin-Yang Herb, Qi Shaorong discovered that light and dark magic elements fused perfectly in his body. He had originally worried about magical imbalance and internal conflict, but the herb had eliminated those concerns.

Qi Heng smiled. “There’s no need to rush, Young Master.”

“I’m not in a hurry,” Qi Shaorong replied calmly. In this world, people can live very long lives. He was still young—there was no need to rush into the Saint-level.

Qi Shaorong stroked his chin. “Although I haven’t touched the domain yet, it seems Yi Fan has formed his domain already.”

Qi Heng paused. “Oh? Then congratulations to him.”

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “That guy is way more ambitious than I am.”

“Young Master, is A-Yun starting school soon?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes.”

“Which academy are you planning to enroll him in?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong shook his head and said, “I haven’t decided yet.”

…

Yi Ming tugged at Yi Fan’s sleeve, walking behind him. “Dad, I’m going to school!”

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes.”

Yi Ming trotted after him excitedly and asked, “Will there be a lot of kids like me at the academy?”

Yi Fan nodded. “Of course!”

“Can I be the boss?” Yi Ming asked immediately.

“That depends on how strong your fists are,” Yi Fan said.

Yi Ming clenched his fists proudly. “I’m the strongest!”

“I heard you tried to fight Zhuang Yun yesterday and got pinned down again,” Yi Fan said.

A faint blush appeared on Yi Ming’s face. “That pretty boy is surprisingly strong! But it’s fine—I’ll beat him eventually.”

“Ambitious! I like that,” Yi Fan praised with a smile.

As they walked, someone suddenly blocked their way. Yi Fan frowned at the person in front. “Ah Fan, you’re back.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

Yi Ming clung tightly to Yi Fan’s sleeve and looked curiously at Yi Xun, softly calling out, “Papa?”

Yi Fan picked Yi Ming up. “It’s nothing, let’s go.”

Yi Ming lay on Yi Fan’s shoulder, glancing at Yi Xun behind them with confusion. “Dad, that guy’s weird. He keeps staring at me.”

Yi Fan chuckled. “Just ignore him.”

Yi Xun’s face twitched as he watched the harmonious father-son duo walk away.

…

Tianlan Academy.

Hu Feng looked at Yi Ming. “So this is your son?”

Yi Xun nodded. “Yes! Cute, isn’t he?”

“You want him to enroll in Tianlan Academy’s preschool division?” Hu Feng asked.

Yi Xun nodded. “Yes. I want him to interact with more kids his age.”

“You made the right choice. Our Tianlan Academy has grown rapidly in the past few years—we’ve already pushed Mingya to third place. Soon, we’ll dethrone Shenghuang Academy from the top,” Hu Feng said proudly.

“Then congratulations, Principal,” Yi Fan replied.

“Little one, you better behave in the academy. Otherwise, you’ll get beaten,” Hu Feng warned.

Yi Ming responded indignantly, “I’m going to be the boss—only I’ll be doing the beating!”

Hu Feng turned to look at him. “Your son’s pretty domineering!”

“Qi Shaorong taught him,” Yi Fan said.

Hu Feng: “…”

“Kid, don’t be too arrogant, you hear me?” Hu Feng scolded with a stern face.

Yi Ming blinked at him, then looked at Yi Fan and whispered mysteriously, “Dad, who’s stronger—you or this guy?”

Hu Feng: “…”

Hu Feng frowned. As far as he knew, Yi Fan had already touched the Domain level. The gap between Level 9 and Saint-level was enormous. Frankly, he wasn’t a match for this so-called abandoned son of the Yi family.

Hu Feng coughed lightly and said, “Back in the day, your dad was my student—he did everything I told him to.”

Yi Ming hugged Yi Fan’s leg and asked suspiciously, “Dad, can you beat him?”

Yi Fan nodded. “Of course.”

Satisfied, Yi Ming said, “I knew it! Dad’s the best!”

Hu Feng: “…”

…

Zhuang Residence.

Zhuang Renquan held Zhuang Yun and asked, “Have you decided which academy Ah Yun will attend?”

Zhuang Hao attended Shenghuang Academy; Qi Shaorong went to Tianlan Academy. Now their only son had to pick—truly a tough choice.

Zhuang Hao sighed. “I still haven’t decided.”

Zhuang Renquan replied helplessly, “You probably don’t know this, but Lu Ming already came crying once.”

Zhuang Hao scratched his head awkwardly. “Really?”

Zhuang Renquan nodded. “Yes. A Level 9 powerhouse, crying his heart out—it was honestly a bit embarrassing. He said if Zhuang Yun ends up in Tianlan, then he, as principal of Shenghuang, has failed in his duty. He’d rather resign or even… well, end it all.”

Competition between Shenghuang and Tianlan Academies had grown intense in recent years. Yi Fan had already reached Saint-level, and Yi Ming was rumored to be talented. If both Yi Ming and Zhuang Yun ended up at Tianlan…

Zhuang Hao: “I need to discuss this with Shaorong first…”

Zhuang Renquan nodded. “I understand.”

He rubbed his temples, thinking: Everyone in the capital knows Zhuang Hao is a prodigy—talented and strong, reaching Saint-level at a young age. But they also know this nearly flawless man has one fatal flaw: he’s afraid of his wife.

“Ah Yun is very gifted. Given time, he might even surpass you,” Zhuang Renquan said.

Zhuang Hao looked at Zhuang Yun and smiled. “If that happens, that would be wonderful. By the way, Third Uncle, any news of the Nether Dragon or the Light Dragon King?”

Zhuang Renquan shook his head. “Not really.”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Well, no news is good news too.”

“Oh, right—Shen Yuan has arranged a banquet at a restaurant to welcome you back. Anyone of note in the capital will be attending.”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Sounds good.”

He’d been away from the capital for many years—a gathering with old friends sounded nice.