Chapter 1: When the father suffers humiliation, the son must avenge him

  The sky was shrouded in a gloomy gray cloud, with an atmosphere that was somewhat oppressive. Gradually, the clouds in the east turned redder and redder, until they were burning fiercely like flames. A ray of morning sunlight finally pierced through the darkness, slanting down and casting a red glow over the entire landscape.

  In the midst of these surrounding mountains, there was a small village with only thirty or forty households, struggling to survive on the meager land that occasionally appeared between the peaks. At the moment when the sun rose and shed its morning light, the young man in the room opened his eyes at the same time, and after a brief confusion, his face showed a calmness that far surpassed that of his peers.

  He hastily got out of bed, washed his face, and Xiao Chen hurriedly went out. Today is the day to enter the city in early spring to receive the seeds needed for a year, but he needs to hurry up, bring some dry food and leave early, so as not to be unable to return home at night.

  However, after stepping out of the house, what he saw in front of him made him pause for a moment, and then he smiled and said: "Father, mother, why did you get up so early? Don't worry, I remember that today is the day to collect seeds, and I won't be late."

  Xiao Fu Xiao Wenshan looked at his son with hidden expectations, and upon hearing the words, he waved his hand and said: "Change your clothes, today I will go into the city with you."

  Xiao Chen was taken aback by the words, and only then did he notice that his father had put on the most solemn family attire today. Normally, he would only wear such formal clothes on the day of the ancestral worship ceremony. Although he didn't understand what was going on, he still nodded slightly, and after returning to his room, he took out a cyan long shirt with Jinshui embroidery from the bottom layer of his only old trunk and put it on.

  Breakfast passed in silence, with a hint of worry in Mrs. Xiao's eyes, and several times she opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Mr. Xiao's stern gaze.

  "Let's go."

  As he walked out of the hospital gate, looking at the cyan carriage parked outside, Xiao Chen felt that today's events were somewhat suspicious.

  "Mr. Xiao has arrived, let's get on the carriage quickly and set off." Old Wu lived in a village to the west, relying on this horse-drawn carriage to support his family's livelihood, enduring wind and sun every day. Although he was only in his early forties, he looked like an old man already.

  Xiao Fu nodded and ignored Xiao Chen's puzzled gaze, lifted the curtain and got in.

  "Hey, isn't the day for sowing seeds postponed? The Xiao family father and son hired Old Wu's horse cart, what are they preparing to do?"

  "Who knows? The Xiao family is always mysterious and doesn't really socialize with us, but looking at the clothes they're wearing, maybe they're going to propose a marriage for Xiao Chen's child."

  "It's possible that Xiao Chen is a good kid, he looks delicate and refined. If it weren't for his weak physique which doesn't seem like he'll live long, I'd even want to marry my own daughter off to him."

  The horse carriage went out of the village along the only main street, listening to the murmurs coming from outside the window, Xiao Chen's heart was startled, could it be that he was really going to be taken to a blind date?

  "Don't think wildly, take good care of your spirit, today... today you may have a chance to leap into the dragon's gate. Don't ask too much, when the time comes, you will know." Xiao Fu waved his hand, looking at Xiao Chen, with a few complicated colors flashing across his face.

  Xiao Chen nodded and immediately closed his eyes to meditate.

  Xiao Fu looked at his son's slightly thin face, and his eyes gradually became more determined. He muttered to himself: "Today, even if I have to humble myself in front of him, what can be done? I still cannot delay this child's life... Alas..."

  After a sigh, the carriage fell silent once again.

  "Mr. Xiao, we've arrived at Xiao City." The voice of Old Wu came from outside the carriage, respectful and cautious.

  Xiao Chen, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, immediately opened them upon hearing the words and found that his father's face, which rarely showed any distraction, had a few hints of being lost in thought.

  "Oh... has it come to this?" Xiao Fu muttered to himself, a complex expression flashing across his face, before he pulled open the curtain and walked out.

  "Lao Wu, you can go back first, no need to wait here." Xiao's father said gently.

  "Yes." Watching Old Wu drive the horse carriage far away, Xiao Fu stood in front of the huge city gate of Xiao City, looking at the two huge characters "Xiao City", with a complex look in his eyes. After a long time, he finally spoke: "Follow me." As soon as he finished speaking, he led the way into the city.

  Xiao Chen looked at his father's slightly aged back, feeling somewhat puzzled. Why did he come in person today? Thinking about the events of the day, he became increasingly perplexed.

  Half a time later, the father and son found a simple small shop to stay in, rested for a while, Xiao Fu told Xiao Chen not to go out privately, and then walked out with a complex expression.

  Xiao Chen's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes. He quietly followed behind, heading outwards. Today, Father's behavior was too strange, there must be some hidden reason behind it.

  All the way, Xiao Chen followed far behind, watching as his father entered a wine house.

  "Could it be that Father has come to visit a friend?" Xiao Chen slightly furrowed his brow, stepped inside, and scanned the first floor hall with his eyes, but didn't see his father's figure. He directly headed towards the second floor's elegant room. Although he was slender and pale, his demeanor was extraordinary, and the clothes on his body were not ordinary goods. The waiter in the wine house hesitated for a moment, and ultimately didn't dare to stop him.

  As he entered the second floor, the noise around him suddenly subsided. Xiaochen slowed down his pace and walked slowly in the corridor, slightly tilting his head to listen carefully.

  "Father is here!" Xiao Chen looked at the Tianzi No. 1 private room in front of him, and a sense of doubt arose in his heart. Because his family was poor and his father had always been frugal, it was already strange that he hired Old Wu to drive today, and now he came to this expensive wine tower's elegant room to meet friends, which was completely contrary to his father's character.

  Xiao Chen stood at the door, his eyes scanning around the private room, and then his eyes lit up slightly. This private room had a ventilation window on the side close to the street, through which one could see what was happening inside. His eyes scanned the corridor, seeing that there was no one around, he held his breath and walked quietly over, tiptoeing to look inside.

  The wine house's elegant room is decorated with an ancient charm, a pear wood round table, four green large chairs, a black ink landscape painting on the wall, and a lush potted plant in the corner, simple yet full of flavor.

  At this moment, on the large blue chair, three middle-aged men with pale faces and wearing brocade robes sat stably, their faces carrying a faint coldness, although they had not spoken, but the aura naturally emitted from their bodies made people's hearts sink unknowingly, obviously being those who have been in high positions for a long time.

  But what surprised Xiao Chen the most was his father's behavior at this moment. He sat opposite the three of them, although his face looked a bit complicated, but under the pressure of the three people's momentum, he didn't show any signs of unease, and instead seemed calm and composed.

  "Heh heh, I have many things to attend to in the Xiao household. Today's message called me here for what reason? If it's not made clear soon, we won't be staying." The middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader among the three slightly raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery faintly revealed as he spoke while taking a sip of clear tea.

  By his side, the other two men did not speak, but their faces also showed a cold smile.

  Xiao Chen heard this and was slightly stunned, Xiao family?

  In this Xiao City, people with the surname Xiao only have the Xiao family, could it be that these three are actually in charge of the Xiao household? No wonder they have such an air about them. But immediately after, his brow furrowed slightly, what kind of affair did Father get entangled with to know such characters, and previously he had never heard him mention it, moreover from the performance of the three people, their relationship with Father seems somewhat improper.

  Xiao Chen's mind was filled with countless thoughts, but before he could even react, his father's words shocked him to the point where he almost fell to the ground.

  "Big brother, why must you be so heartless? Although I have left the Xiao family, we are still brothers by blood." Xiao's father said with a complex expression, looking at the three people in front of him.

  Xiao Wenting's eyebrows slightly raised upon hearing this, and he immediately sneered: "Brother? Since you were driven out of the house twenty years ago, did you only remember now that we are blood brothers?"

  "Or are you now unable to make a living outside and have come running here, hoping we'll give you some charity?"

  His tone was cold and his words were full of sarcasm.

  "Big brother, why bother with this person? Tomorrow, the immortal master will arrive and we should return early to prepare for things." said Xiao family's second master, Xiao Weng Qing coldly.

  The three of them cast a cold glance at Xiao's father and were about to stand up and leave.

  "Wait!" Xiao's father suddenly shouted in a low voice, and then trembled as he reached deep into his sleeve to pull out a jade lion seal the size of a thumb.

  "Big brother, although you took the position of head of the household with the help of our elder mother back then, this seal representing the symbol of the head of the household was passed down to me by father early on. I suppose you've also spent a lot of thought on this matter over the years."

  "If big brother agrees to my request, I will hand over this seal to you."

  Seeing the seal in Xiao Fu's hand, Xiao Wenting stopped his movements, and a few sparks of heat flashed at the bottom of his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before saying: "What is it that you seek today?"

  Xiao Fu heard this and looked at him for a moment, shaking his head: "Big brother, why ask what you already know? I came here today, naturally it's about letting my son participate in the Treading Immortal Gate."

  Xiao Wenting's eyes flickered slightly, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, clearly weighing the pros and cons of this matter.

  "Big brother, absolutely cannot be like this, what if that little kid gets lucky and is favored by the immortal master, wouldn't we be in great trouble!"

  "It is indeed so, elder brother, think thrice!"

  Xiao Wenting waved his hand, indicating that the two of them didn't need to speak. His sharp gaze fell on Xiao's father as he said in a cold voice, "You once insulted my mother."

  Xiao Fu's face turned even more complex, and he suddenly flipped over and knelt down, performing three kneels, six knocks, and nine bows in the direction of the Xiao family ancestral hall. He said, "In the past, I was young and ignorant and offended my mother-in-law, please forgive me, Mother!" As soon as he finished speaking, his entire body seemed to lose a lot of energy, and his eyes dimmed instantly.

  Xiao Wenting seemed oblivious to this and calmly said: "In those days you were disrespectful to me and my brothers."

  "In my younger years, I was arrogant and didn't know when to stop. Please forgive me, seniors, don't take me seriously."

  Xiao Fu's aging became more apparent, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

  "You once hurt me back then." Xiao Wenting's face turned even colder, and he suddenly pulled up his left sleeve to reveal a hideous scar that snaked out from his chest like a giant ugly centipede.

  Xiao Fu heard this and his body trembled slightly, but he turned his hand without hesitation and directly slammed it down on his left arm.

  "Crack!"

  A crisp cracking sound echoed, Xiao Fu's face turned extremely pale, and his lips trembled slightly due to the intense pain.

  "Brother, is this enough?"

  Xiao Wenting's face was expressionless, his eyes fell on Xiao Fu's disheveled figure, and after a moment, he coldly said: "Don't say I didn't give you a chance to turn back, tomorrow bring your son to my Xiao family!" After speaking, he put the jade lion seal in his pocket, turned around and left with the two of them!

  After the three men left, Xiao's father suddenly swayed slightly and fell to the ground, half a moment later he burst into loud sobs.

  "Mother, forgive me for being unfilial. For the sake of Chen Er, I have no choice but to do this! Even if I suffer humiliation, I want to give him a chance to soar to great heights! Mother, please forgive me!"

  Xiao's father was overcome with grief, his voice hoarse as if he were crying blood.

  Outside the private room, Xiao Chen covered her mouth and fell softly to the ground!

  As a son, he watched his father being humiliated and couldn't do anything about it. A deep sense of sorrow was born in his heart! He clenched his fists tightly, and his inner self roared wildly: "Father is humiliated, son will revenge! One day, I, Xiao Chen, will make you pay a sufficient price for today's affair!"