Return of the Celestial King

「Half Moon Bay, Villa District.」

Qin Tuo’s parents were having lunch.

As they talked, their conversation drifted to Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni.

”Sigh... Dear, do you think it’s time we found an opportunity to propose marriage to the Chen Family? Our son isn’t a kid anymore, after all.”

Luo Xianglan said.

But Qin Hongguo looked troubled.

”Dear, do you really think those two are a good match?”

At his words, Luo Xianglan slowly put down her chopsticks and frowned.

Qin Hongguo shook his head and sighed.

”Sigh... It’s not that I don’t want our son to settle down, but you’ve seen it yourself. That girl’s family is incredibly wealthy. The gap between our families is just too wide.”

At this, both of them felt a pang of disappointment.

Matching social status was an eternal theme in marriage.

Suddenly, neither of them had the appetite to eat.

Suddenly, the door opened.

”Hm? Who is it?”

The elderly couple was startled. ’Could it be Qin Tuo?’ they thought.

They turned to look and saw a strange man. He was dressed like a rich young master in a fine suit, his hair slicked back and his face powdered.

”Who are you? How do you have a key to our house?”

Luo Xianglan asked warily.

The rich young master sneered.

”What’s so strange about it? My family developed all of Half Moon Bay. I have the keys to every single villa here.”

The color drained from Qin Tuo’s parents’ faces.

Only then did they realize he was the heir to an immense fortune.

”Sir, can we help you?”

Qin Hongguo stood up and asked calmly.

The rich young master’s eyes were filled with undisguised contempt.

”I’m here to give you a warning. If you’re a toad, you should have the self-awareness to act like one. Don’t even think about eating swan meat. Understand?”

”Sir, what do you mean by that?”

Both of Qin Tuo’s parents were clearly displeased.

They had a vague idea of what this was about, and their faces grew a little pale.

The rich young master continued.

”Let me be honest with you. Your son and Manni are a terrible match. The Chen Family is one of the most powerful in all of Ming City. But your family? You’re living in a house someone else gave you. Without this place, I bet you’d be living in a dog kennel!”

”You...”

Qin Hongguo’s face flushed red with anger.

Luo Xianglan was fuming as well, but she was powerless to argue.

At the same time, a deep sense of inferiority washed over her.

Losing his patience, the rich young master spoke with imperious arrogance.

”This high-end villa district is beyond your means. You two country bumpkins don’t belong in a place like this. You should hurry up and move out!”

Qin Tuo’s parents fell into a deathly silence.

Both of them bowed their heads deeply, looking utterly humiliated.

Seeing this, the rich young master gave a triumphant sneer.

”Don’t worry. Since I’m the one making you do this, I won’t let you leave empty-handed. Take this money as a little tip!”

With that, he pulled a thick wad of cash from his briefcase and threw it heavily onto the floor.

”I bet you’ve never seen this much money in your entire lives. Take it and get the hell out!”

The elderly couple’s faces turned deathly pale, their lips trembling so much they couldn’t speak.

The rich young master added,

”And another thing. Go have a good talk with that good-for-nothing son of yours. The young miss of the Chen Family is someone he can never hope to reach. If he keeps pestering her, there will be hell to pay!”

He let out two cold laughs and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Inside the villa, a dead, oppressive silence fell.

They slowly raised their heads and looked at each other, speechless.

”I told you! Our family is no match for the Chen Family’s young miss. That boy just had to get so close to her, dragging us into this and making us suffer such humiliation!”

Qin Hongguo was consumed by shame and anger.

He had been an honest and upright man his entire life. When had he ever been insulted like this?

Luo Xianglan let out a deep sigh.

”Let’s go. He was right. How could people like us ever hope to climb into a family of such immense wealth? We need to talk to our son and convince him to give up.”

With that, the two began to pack their things, preparing to move out.

Once they were packed, they took one last, silent look at the villa, an unspeakable bitterness in their hearts.

Back in their old, run-down apartment complex, they switched on the dim lights. Neither of them spoke.

”Huh? Why are you two back?”

Just then, their neighbor, Aunt Han, returned from grocery shopping.

”I was visiting relatives the last couple of days. I heard your son moved you into a place at Half Moon Bay! A lot of the neighbors were green with envy over that!”

She was utterly astonished to see Qin Tuo’s parents had moved back in.

Luo Xianglan gave an awkward wave, trying to cover up the situation.

”Oh, Sister Han. It’s nothing. We just weren’t used to living over there. It’s more comfortable back here.”

Aunt Han didn’t think much of it. In fact, she was quite happy to see her old neighbors back.

She put down her things and helped the elderly couple tidy up the place.

The apartment was quite messy, and it took them a good while to get it in order.

Aunt Han struck up a conversation, chatting idly as they worked.

”Sister Luo, my daughter Zilin is about to graduate from college. You know, she and Qin Tuo were always close growing up. When he’s back for the holidays, how about we have him meet up with Zilin?”

Hearing this, Luo Xianglan’s eyes lit up, and she agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

She sighed to herself.

’Manni is a nice girl, but her family is prominent and powerful. We really can’t hope to match them!’

’On the other hand, there’s Zilin. She and our Qin Tuo have been close since they were little, and now they’re both of marriageable age. It would be good to try and set them up.’

”Sister Luo, it’s settled then! I’ll go talk to Zilin about it.”

Aunt Han said with a smile as she walked out the door.

Luo Xianglan nodded eagerly in response.

”Great. I’ll work on persuading Qin Tuo when he gets back.”

Qin Hongguo just sat to the side, smoking in sullen silence, not saying a word.

「Meanwhile, at the Lige Hotel, the banquet was drawing to a close.」

Ouyang Tianqi pulled Qin Tuo to sit beside him, his attitude extremely enthusiastic.

At first, he had thought Qin Tuo only knew some Feng Shui Skill. He never expected his personal combat prowess to be so formidable—even greater, it seemed, than the reclusive masters he had met before.

Thus, his admiration for Qin Tuo grew even deeper.

”Everyone, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now!”

Seeing that it was about time, Qin Tuo stood up to say his goodbyes.

But Ouyang Tianqi seemed to remember something and quickly pulled him back.

”Mr. Qin, I have a friend who is a Taoist master from Taixu Temple. His abilities are extraordinary. I think you’d be very interested.”

”Oh? A Taoist master from Taixu Temple?”

Qin Tuo nodded. He vaguely recalled hearing that name before.

Ouyang Tianqi smiled.

”However, my friend is currently away seeking medical treatment and isn’t at the temple. When he returns, I’ll introduce you to him.”

Qin Tuo didn’t refuse. If Ouyang Tianqi was making the introduction, the person couldn’t be ordinary.