Chapter 1 The Left Family

Tianfeng City, the Left Family compound.

An energetic old man sat in the hall. Beside him, a man cloaked in a cape stood respectfully, his body slightly bowed, the deep brim of his hat obscuring half of his face.

Although the old man appeared quite old, his vitality was remarkably vigorous. His eyes, like those of a falcon, were sharp, deep, and full of life. This man was none other than Zuo Qiuming, the helmsman of the Left Family in Tianfeng City, the president of the Tianfeng Country Array Symbol Master Guild, and the only four-star Array Symbol Master in Tianfeng Country.

The man in the cloak was Tailong, Zuo Qiuming's most admired and trusted retainer.

Tailong was originally an orphan, adopted and personally cultivated by Zuo Qiuming, who invested a great deal of effort in him.

Tailong lived up to expectations, his cultivation far surpassing his peers. He was especially skilled in stealth and assassination, and now managed the Left Family's intelligence department.

"Is Youren awake?" Zuo Qiuming asked expressionlessly, though his words revealed a grandfather's concern for his grandson.

"Young Master has regained consciousness and is now asleep," Tailong replied.

"It's good for him to suffer a little; otherwise, he'll never know the immensity of the world and will cause big trouble sooner or later. But what do you plan to do with that Chen Xiao?" Zuo Qiuming's tone remained calm, but a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

His only grandson had been beaten and humiliated. It was impossible for a grandfather not to be angry. Zuo Qiuming appeared to be asking for Tailong's opinion, but it was merely a formality. If Tailong could not give him a satisfactory answer, he would not let the matter rest easily. This was his way of managing subordinates.

Tailong had followed Zuo Qiuming since childhood and knew his thoughts well. He replied, "Chen Xiao's evil deeds deserve him to be skinned alive, but this matter is of great importance. I have already conveyed the Left Family's goodwill to him on behalf of the family head."

"What did you say? What do you mean 'of great importance'? And convey goodwill? When did I make such a decision?" Zuo Qiuming slammed the table, clearly not expecting such an answer from Tailong, and angered by Tailong's presumption.

Tailong remained calm and unhurried, explaining, "Family Head, please hear me out. This Chen Xiao is from the Chen Family of Qingyuan City, and his abilities are highly suspicious."

"You mean...?" Hearing Tailong's words, Zuo Qiuming's mood eased, and his gaze became solemn.

"Yes, I suspect Chen Xiao has obtained treasures from the Dragon Burial Tomb within the Chen Family's forbidden grounds," Tailong replied.

"What makes you say that?" Zuo Qiuming's pupils contracted sharply.

"This Chen Xiao was originally the adopted son of Chen Feng, the Chen Family head. From childhood, he was a good-for-nothing, possessing only a first-grade spirit seed and never having been exposed to Array Symbol techniques. But just a few days ago, not only did his strength suddenly increase greatly, crippling one of Chen Feng's biological son's hands, but he also came to the capital and created a fourth-level Array Symbol with ease. If he hadn't obtained the treasures from the Dragon Burial Tomb, how could he have done all this?"

The news of Chen Xiao creating a fourth-level enchanted Array Symbol in the Ghost Market had reached Zuo Qiuming's ears even before Zuo Youren could mention it.

Zuo Qiuming owed his current position to his Array Symbol skills. Now, the sudden appearance of such a rising star, whose proficiency in Array Symbols might even surpass his own, made him feel threatened. Therefore, he immediately sent Tailong to investigate.

Although Zuo Qiuming had warned Zuo Youren not to cause trouble for Chen Xiao, he did not stop Zuo Youren's series of small actions in secret. He thought it would be good to let Zuo Youren test Chen Xiao's depth, but he did not expect Zuo Youren to suffer such a great loss as a result.

After investigating Chen Xiao's identity, Tailong heard about Zuo Youren's plan to assassinate Chen Xiao. He immediately rushed over, rescued Zuo Youren from Chen Xiao's hands, and only now had the opportunity to report his findings to Zuo Qiuming.

"Hmm." Zuo Qiuming grunted, and after a long silence, he said, "Your analysis makes sense, but regarding the secrets of the Dragon Burial Tomb, the previous Chen Family head died an unnatural death, and didn't have time to tell the current head, Chen Feng. So even Chen Feng doesn't know. How could his mere adopted son obtain the treasures inside?"

"Your subordinate is incompetent. I have infiltrated the Chen Family countless times without finding the entrance to the Dragon Burial Tomb, but I didn't expect this kid to get there first. Please punish me, Family Head," Tailong lowered his head and asked for punishment.

"This is not your fault. Opportunity is a wonderful thing. Now that we know the treasure is on this kid, we'll slowly find a way to take it back. You did well to try to win him over and make him lower his guard, to find out where the treasure is. Once we get the treasure, we can deal with this kid."

"I'll leave this matter entirely in your hands. Everyone else, including myself, will fully cooperate with you," Zuo Qiuming said, patting Tailong's shoulder.

"Yes," Tailong responded.

Then Zuo Qiuming instructed, "Tailong, this matter is of great importance. The Left Family's future can be said to depend entirely on you. You must be careful and prudent. After it's done, I will definitely not mistreat you. You know I've always treated you like my own grandson. The Left Family's future depends on you and Youren!"

Zuo Qiuming mentioned the Left Family's future twice, making Tailong feel flattered. He straightened his body and said decisively, "Tailong will certainly not fail his mission. My life was given to me by the Family Head, and in the future, I will swear to assist Young Master Zuo until death. Please rest assured, Family Head."

Only then did a satisfied smile appear on Zuo Qiuming's face, and he said, "I knew I, Old Zuo, didn't misjudge you. You may leave now. I'm old, and I start getting sleepy as soon as it gets dark."

As he spoke, Zuo Qiuming even yawned. Tailong immediately understood and withdrew. As soon as Tailong left, Zuo Qiuming's face darkened, and there was no trace of sleepiness on his face. He said with slight dissatisfaction, "He's already gone, aren't you coming out yet?!"

As soon as Zuo Qiuming's voice fell, a person suddenly walked in from the side door and came directly in front of Zuo Qiuming. The person's face was bruised and battered beyond recognition. It was none other than the Left Family's young master, Zuo Youren.

He said to Zuo Qiuming somewhat awkwardly, "Grandfather, you knew I was coming?"

"Hmph, with your skills, you're trying to eavesdrop? To tell you the truth, not only did I know you were coming, but Tailong also detected you." Zuo Qiuming grunted. The matters he and Tailong discussed were highly confidential. If someone else had been eavesdropping, that person would probably have lost their life by now.

"I told you to cultivate properly, but you wouldn't listen. Did it feel good to get beaten this time?" Zuo Qiuming said sarcastically, disappointed in him.

"Grandfather, I..." Zuo Youren was immediately ashamed and annoyed. In fact, his injuries were not serious at all, but his heart had suffered extreme devastation.

Although Zuo Youren usually acted arrogantly and rampantly, he would never dare to be presumptuous in front of his grandfather. He rolled his eyes and changed the subject, asking, "Grandfather, what is this Dragon Burial Tomb you were talking about?"