As soon as the two love birds left the Su Family’s residence, they sampled each and every food truck in downtown. Fang Qiong had decided to let go for the day as she wolfed down greasy street food.
Pork Mooncake, Honey Tofu Curd, Deep Fry Potstickers, Lard Rice Cake, Date and Walnut Loaf.
The downtown area of the city was modeled after the buildings of the Tang and the Song dynasty. Buildings made out of dark walls and green roofs hugged the ancient street. A network of bridges linked the roads across a web of small channels. The streets were filled with tourists who were enamored with the quaint and serene scene.
After the two had eaten enough, they walked along the famous Scholar’s Channel to help digest. Fang Qiong pointed at the ancient well-preserved buildings from time to time, telling Chen Fan the stories behind each one of them.
In the end, the two paused on the Wu Zhou Bridge.
“Listen, if you want to ask me about Chen Beixuan, just do it.” Chen Beixuan stood against the railing and looked at Fang Qiong with a smile.
“So you have decided to tell me everything?” Fang Qiong batted her lashes at Chen Fan expectantly. “Who are you exactly? Are you Chen Fan, Chen Beixuan or Master Chen? Why do I feel that you are so much more different than the Chen Fan I knew when we were kids.”
“I am Chen Fan, Master Chen and also Chen Beixuan.”
Chen Fan rested his arm on the stone lion statue at the top of the railing and said slowly.
“So are you that fortune teller I met by the Jin City River?” Fang Qiong wrinkled her nose and said faintly.
The fortune-teller had given Fang Qiong a Dharma Treasure before he disappeared amidst the waves. Fang Qiong had suspected that Professor Chen at the university was that fortune-teller in disguise. However, after seeing Professor Chen in real life, his handsome features and impressive knowledge differed from the overall demeanor of the fortune-teller.
“Of course, that’s me. Who else would give you a Dharma Artifact for free?” Chen Fan jabbed a finger at the girl’s forehead and said with a smile. “That was the very first Dharma Artifact I had made and it has more than one incredible effect. It might hurt my feelings if you don’t wear it all the time.”
“Yes, I do.” Fang Qiong protested. However, she couldn’t help but ask: “Xiao Qiong, how come you suddenly possessed so much magical power, such as walking on water and flying through the air? Are you an immortal now? Did you also make up a story about the North Mystic Celestial Lord and the Zi Qiong Goddess?”
“I am not an immortal yet. But being an immortal is not as big of a deal as you thought. Even a martial artist who had achieved a high enough level of attainment in their internal force cultivation could pull that off.” Chen Fan said lightly.
“Internal Force cultivation?” Questions lit up in Fang Qiong’s eyes.
She was the heir of the Ming De Group a company that her father had founded when he had nothing. The line of business Fang Mingde was in and his relatively low position at the totem pole means that he had never been exposed to the world of Martial Arts. Therefore, Fang Qiong also knew very little about martial artists and spell casters.
Chen Fan filled in the details for Fang Qiong patiently.
“Underneath the peaceful and harmonious facade of our society exists another world that plays by different rules. Men and women in this society are much more than thugs and outlaws. They are martial artists, Spell caster and Extraordinary Ones.”
Chen Fan continued. “a martial artist started to surpass ordinary humans once they gained the power of Internal Force. Even the top Law enforcement units might not be able to bring down these Internal Force users. Most Internal Force users who had reached the peak of their cultivation were able to lord over an entire area.”
Chen Fan paused and asked: “Do you know anything about your friend Tang Yifei’s father?”
“You mean Sister Yifei? I only know her father Tang Yuanqin is a powerful man in Jiang Nan Province’s underground world.” Fang Qiong batted her lashes and asked curiously: “Even when I was little, I had heard that the Tang family was as powerful as the Song family and the Qiao Family.”
“Then haven’t you ever wondered why a seemingly ordinary man could have gained so much prestige and respect among his peers?” Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Do you mean—”Fang Qiong covered her mouth to stifle a cry.
“Yes, Tang Yuanqin is a martial artist, a peak level Internal Force user to be precise. He was able to preside over the Jin City and had a monopoly over the marine transportation businesses.” Chen Fan said as he looked over the railing and saw a little Chinese junk boat.
Fang Qiong was taken aback by the revelation.
It was the first time she heard of this entirely different world that coexisted with her own world all the while.
She had thought that Tang Yuanqin was able to lord over Jin City because of his successful business strategies, and she would never have expected him to be a martial artist. No wonder Tang Yuanqin was able to remain in power while other powerful family lords fell like flies. Let it be assassins or criminal investigations, nothing seemed to be able to bring him down.
“So let me guess. Your name is Master Chen, and you have Divine powers. Is that how you pin those tycoons in Jiang Bei under your thumb?” Realization finally dawned upon Fang Qiong. Just like Tang Yuanqin, Chen Fan was able to claim supremacy in Jiang Bei because of the exact same reason as that of Tang Yuanqin’s success.
If martial artists were really as powerful as they were portrayed in the movies, they should be able to bring any tycoon to their heels.
“Xiao Qiong, how does your power compare to Tang Yuanqin’s?” Fang Qiong asked curiously.
“Haha. Tang Yuanqin?” Chen Fan let out a peal of laughter. “Silly girl, you think too lightly of your husband. I am considered the Greatest pride of our nation. Tang Yuanqin simply couldn’t compare. He could maybe be qualified as my butler.”
Chen Fan laughed out loud.
Fang Qiong blushed and felt that Chen Fan was laughing at her. She punched Chen Fan’s firm chest with two soft fists. Then she asked again: “So you mean Tang Yuanqin is less powerful than you?”
“Much much less powerful than me. There is no comparison.” Chen Fan extended a finger and waggled it before Fang Qiong. “You are not a martial artist, but if you were, you would now that Tang Yuanqin would have to bow to me as a disciple would to his master.”
“Really?” Fang Qiong exclaimed.
She knew Chen Fan was powerful since he was a General Major of the Cang Dragon praised highly by the nation’s leaders. However, she still had no clue as to exactly what had made Chen Fan powerful because of her lack of knowledge in Martial arts.
“Power of Martial arts came in three different stages: External Strength, Internal Force, and Transcendent State. Most martial arts amateurs practiced external strength exercises, and only the experts delved into Internal Force cultivation. Tang Yuanqin has reached the peak of the Internal Force cultivation but he is still far away from the Transcendent State. Only those who had reached Transcendent State would be considered a Grandmaster. There were only a small number of these Grandmasters in China, but each and every one of them presided over their own territory and was a force to be reckoned with. The most popular Grandmasters were Ye Nantian and Hua Yunfeng.” Chen Fan let out a smile and continued: “Hua Yunfeng had dominated Zhong Hai for decades and his family, the Hua Family was also a powerful force. You might even have heard of the Hua Family even in Wu Zhou. Meanwhile, Ye Nantian was a General Major, the Head Sergeant of the Special Law enforcement Unit, Dragon’s Fang. He was also considered the war god of China.”
“So, did Cang Dragon hire you as its Head Sergeant because you are a Martial arts Grandmaster?” Fang Qiong asked as she tried to wrap her mind around the huge amount of information dumped on her.
“Hehe, your husband is not just any Grandmaster. “Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and said: “The Heaven roll ranked all the Grandmasters in China. Hua Yunfeng ranked number four on the list while Ye Nantian ranked number two. Your husband is number one on the list. In addition, I ranked number three on the Dark Roll published globally and have the ability to stop an entire army. Otherwise, Mr. Qu wouldn’t be so friendly to me and neither would the leaders of the country praise me so unequivocally!”
“So you are trying to tell me that you are the most powerful man in the world?”
Fang Qiong finally caught the drift.
She batted her lashes as a mix of emotions filled up her eyes. There were surprise, joy and admiration. To be number one in any field was an incredible feat.
Chen Fan ranked number on the Heaven roll, even the sound of it makes one think of the badass martial artist in Movies.
All the martial artists were deeply enamored of the power backing Chen Fan’s ranking. With such power, no wonder the leaders of the nation would regard Chen Fan so highly.
The more she thought of Chen Fan’s ability, the brighter the light in her eyes grew.
“He is so… badass! Did I just chose a diamond in the rough?”
The thought filled her heart with a warm fuzzy feeling. All girls dreamed of their lover to be a mighty hero, worshipped by everyone.
“Now you know how much of a big deal your husband is, you better listen to me from now on, and do as I say. Are we clear?” Chen Fan poked the girl’s nose as he plastered on a condescending face.
Chen Fan bought out his true self only when he was with Fang Qiong. Even when he was talking to his parents, he tried to mask his motion with his usual indifferent smile.
He was the North Mystic Celestial Lord who had witnessed the world change over five hundred years. He had seen enough and nothing could pique his interest anymore.
“Humph! One day, I will catch up with you.”Fang Qiong pouted and protested, however, her eyes were lit up with joy.
Chen Fan was lighthearted by the girl’s reaction.
Fang Qiong took after Su Susu with her competitive personality, which was part of the reason that made her the manager of the Ming De Group in the future. After she and Chen Fan were taken away by Cangqin to embark on the journey of cultivation, she had always been neck and neck with Chen Fan in terms of the level of attainment. If not because of that terrible incident…
Chen Fan couldn’t bring himself to finish his thought. He cuddled the girl in his arm and rested his chin on her head.
“Xiao Qiong, I am back now. Let me protect you until the end of the time. I would go as far as to declare war against the entire universe to make sure that you are safe and happy. ”
Fang Qiong felt Chen Fan’s warm breath brushing against her ears. She blushed until her face was red as an apple. Chen Fan’s words sounded as sweet as honey and melted all of her defense. She couldn’t help but mutter yes to him.
The passersby looked at the pair of love birds and was moved by their sweet young love, Meanwhile, many young men who saw the couple felt envious of Chen Fan’s extraordinary luck. How did an ordinary-looking man get to hold such a pretty thing in his arms? That’s not fair!
The two spent a long time cuddling each other on the bridge. After a while, they walked back while holding hands with each other. Fang Qiong asked kittenishly: “Babe, can we go home now?”
“Sure thing”
“Babe, I want to learn Martial Arts, teach me will you?”
“Sure thing”
“Babe, let’s move in together.”
“… OK.”
