Chapter 1

Tianfeng City, the Zuo family compound.

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

Although the old man appeared aged, the vigor of his qi and blood was rare. His hawk-like eyes were sharp and deep, full of spirit. This man was none other than the helmsman of the Zuo family in Tianfeng City, the president of the Tianfeng Nation Array Talisman Guild, and the only four-star array talisman master in Tianfeng Nation, Zuo Qiuming.

The cloaked man was Tai Long, Zuo Qiuming's most appreciated and trusted retainer.

Tai Long was originally an orphan. Zuo Qiuming adopted him and personally cultivated and trained him, pouring a great deal of effort into him.

Tai Long lived up to expectations. His cultivation was outstanding among his peers, and he was particularly skilled in stealth and assassination. He now controlled the Zuo family's intelligence department.

"Has Youren regained consciousness?" Zuo Qiuming asked expressionlessly, but his words revealed a grandfather's concern for his grandson.

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

"It's good for him to suffer a bit, or he'll never know the immensity of the heavens and the earth and will get into serious 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 appeared in his eyes.

His only grandson had been beaten and humiliated. It would be a lie to say that Zuo Qiuming, as a grandfather, wasn't angry. On the surface, he was asking Tai Long for his opinion, but this was just for show. If Tai Long couldn't give him a satisfactory answer, he would never let it go easily. This was also his way of controlling his subordinates.

Tai Long had followed Zuo Qiuming since he was a child. He knew what Zuo Qiuming was thinking, so he replied, "Chen Xiao's evil deeds deserve to be punished by peeling his skin and pulling out his tendons. However, this matter is of great importance, and I have already conveyed the Zuo 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. He clearly didn't expect Tai Long to give such an answer, and he was also furious at Tai Long's presumption.

Tai Long, looking confident, calmly explained, "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 Tai Long's words, Zuo Qiuming's emotions eased, and his gaze began to turn serious.

"Yes, I suspect that Chen Xiao has obtained the treasures from the Dragon Burial Tomb within the Chen family's forbidden area," Tai Long 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 an unadulterated good-for-nothing, possessing only a first-grade spiritual seed, and he had never been exposed to the art of array talismans. 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, with a single move, created a fourth-level array talisman. If he hadn't obtained the treasures in the Dragon Burial Tomb, how could he have done all this?"

The fact that Chen Xiao created a fourth-level enchanted array talisman in the Ghost Market had reached Zuo Qiuming's ears even before Zuo Youren could say anything.

Zuo Qiuming's current status was due to his array talisman skills, which were his foundation. Now, a rising star had suddenly appeared, whose attainments in array talismans were even comparable to his own, making him feel threatened, so he immediately sent Tai Long to investigate.

Although Zuo Qiuming warned Zuo Youren not to trouble Chen Xiao, he didn't stop Zuo Youren's series of small actions in private. He felt that it would be good for Zuo Youren to probe Chen Xiao's depth, but he didn't expect Zuo Youren to suffer a great loss as a result.

After investigating Chen Xiao's identity, Tai Long 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 groaned and remained silent for a long while before saying, "Your analysis is very reasonable, but regarding the secret of the Dragon Burial Tomb, the previous Chen family head died unexpectedly and didn't have time to tell the current family head, Chen Feng, so even Chen Feng doesn't know about it. How could a mere adopted son of his obtain the treasures inside?"

"This subordinate is incompetent. I have infiltrated the Chen family countless times but have not found the entrance to the Dragon Burial Tomb. I didn't expect this kid to get there first. Please punish me, Family Head," Tai Long said, lowering his head in apology.

"This is not your fault. Opportunity is a mysterious thing. Now that we know the treasure is on this kid, we will slowly find a way to take it back. You did well to win him over first, to make him lower his guard, to find out the whereabouts of the treasure. After the treasure is in hand, we will deal with this kid."

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

"Yes," Tai Long responded.

Then, Zuo Qiuming instructed, "A'Long, this matter is of great importance. The future of the Zuo family can be said to rest entirely on your shoulders. You must be careful and cautious. After this is accomplished, I will definitely not mistreat you. You know that I have always treated you like my own grandson. The future of the Zuo family depends entirely on you and Youren!"

Zuo Qiuming mentioned the future of the Zuo family twice, making Tai Long feel a little overwhelmed. He stood up straight and said decisively, "Tai Long will definitely not fail in his mission. My life was given to me by the Family Head, and in the future, I will assist Young Master Zuo with all my might. Please rest assured, Family Head."

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

As he spoke, Zuo Qiuming even yawned. Tai Long immediately retreated understandingly. As soon as Tai Long left, Zuo Qiuming's face immediately darkened, and there was no trace of sleepiness on his face. He said with some dissatisfaction, "He's 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 went directly to Zuo Qiuming. The person's face was bruised and battered, a ghastly sight. It was none other than the young master of the Zuo family, Zuo Youren.

He said to Zuo Qiuming with a slightly embarrassed expression, "Grandpa, you knew I was coming?"

"Hmph, with your abilities, you're trying to eavesdrop. To tell you the truth, not only did I know you were coming, but even Tai Long discovered you," Zuo Qiuming snorted. The matters he and Tai Long discussed were highly confidential. If someone else had been eavesdropping, that person would probably have lost his life by now.

"I told you to cultivate properly, but you wouldn't listen. You feel good after being beaten this time, right?" Zuo Qiuming said sarcastically, his disappointment evident.

"Grandpa, I..." Zuo Youren was immediately ashamed and annoyed. In fact, his injuries were not serious at all, but he had suffered extreme mental torment.

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