A string of sharp, piercing soprano notes suddenly erupted from a quiet courtyard, the indignation in the voice so palpable that even a stranger could tell this woman held a significant grudge against Qin Fen.

Creeeeak...

The door of the villa in the courtyard slowly opened. Cao Rong, her face grim, switched off her phone and stepped into the villa’s great hall, her sharp features bearing the malevolence of a fairy-tale witch.

"Mother, Qin Fen is still alive?"

Liang Tao, seated in a fully automated wheelchair that responded to the slightest touch of his fingers, emerged from the corner of the hall and stared coldly at his mother.

"He's still alive..."

Seeing her son temporarily confined to a wheelchair, the smoldering hatred in Cao Rong's heart flared up anew. The bleached paleness of her face seemed to deepen. "It’s all Qin Fen’s fault, that tumor! My son is in a wheelchair because of him! And all the public funds I embezzled to hire assassins—that’s all Qin Fen’s fault too! I didn't expect, I didn't expect the ninth on the Blood List to be such a good-for-nothing!"

"Mother, I just received some news." Liang Tao gently pressed a button on his wheelchair, and a series of sounds slowly emanated from it.

'Liang Tao, have you heard? That Qin Fen who crippled you temporarily—he actually offended Song Wendong! Yes, that Song Wendong, the Earth Martial God. The hidden Emperor was provoked, saying whoever can defeat him one-on-one will be qualified to propose marriage to the Song family.'

...

The hall fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop. Liang Tao’s eyes flickered with vicious calculation.

Cao Rong looked at her son with delight. She was used to him relying solely on family influence to cause trouble, always depending on the family to step in. Now, he was finally learning to use his brain, to plot!

"Song Wendong... Song Wendong..." Cao Rong clenched a fist and repeatedly struck the palm of her other hand. "Excellent. Excellent. This is an opportunity. This truly is a fine opportunity! Not only this opportunity, but we must think of other ways to kill him before he returns to the Recruit Camp! If he dares to injure my son, he must pay with his life!"

"Cao Rong!"

A deep, resounding roar came from outside the hall. Cao Rong’s stick-thin body shuddered violently. She looked with alarm at her brother, Cao Bo, who strode in, his face a mask of rage capable of killing.

So fast? A trace of fear flashed in Cao Rong’s eyes. Such intense fury could only mean one thing... the matter had come to light...

Smack...

A crisp slap echoed in the hall. Cao Bo's right hand trembled uncontrollably, his eyes blazing with undiminished anger as he stared down at his sister, who was sprawled on the floor.

"How dare you embezzle the Federation's public funds? How could you misappropriate such a massive sum? Are you insane? The Cao family isn't just you! This is a family! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to ruin the Cao family? Where did that money go? Spit it out!"

His barrage of thunderous accusations was met only with a venomous glare from Cao Rong and a cold sneer curling the edges of her blood-red lipstick. "What did I do? I used it to hire killers to murder someone! Didn't you refuse to seek justice for my Tao Tao? Didn't you refuse to give me money? So, I embezzled public funds."

"Seek justice?" Despair flickered in Cao Bo's eyes. "What justice could I seek for you? What was Qin Fen doing? He was fighting for the honor of the East Asia Military Region! And what was your son doing? You used underhanded tactics to steal Qin Fen’s competition spot first, and you won't allow him to rightfully take it back? Now you're hiring assassins? Fine, fine! Truly excellent! You won't rest until you drag the Cao family down, will you! You must return the embezzled funds within a month, or else..."

"Don't worry, I will return it," Cao Rong finally wiped the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth where she’d been struck. Her eyes held an abnormal hysteria. "I've already spoken to Mother; the elder will help me raise the money to repay it. You don't need to worry about that."

"And Qin Fen, you must not touch him again. He is an excellent soldier. Although he hasn't truly made his mark yet, the previous Recruit Competition was a solid stepping stone for him..."

"No!" Cao Rong shrieked, a sound sharp enough to shatter glass. "I must kill him! All the glory he received in this Recruit Competition should have belonged to my son! He stole my son's honor and injured my son! I demand his death! What is the weight of a Recruit Competition champion compared to the Cao family's standing? I’m sure the Federation will make the correct calculation."

"This is murder and a crime, I will..."

"Third Brother, I will quickly help the youngest settle the money for the smaller matter; don't interfere with anything else."

Cao Bo looked up, gazing down at his eighty-year-old mother slowly descending the stairs step by step. Her snow-white silver hair, paired with the cheerful upturn of her brows, should have conveyed immense kindness.

But at this moment, an expression of ruthless coldness flickered across the old woman's face.

Cao Bo sighed inwardly, shaking his head. His sister had been spoiled rotten by their mother, speaking so casually about something as major as murder.

"Heh heh..." Cao Rong laughed triumphantly at her brother's retreating back. "Stop pretending to be filial. If you were truly filial to Mother, you would use your influence to kill Qin Fen."

Swish!

Cao Bo suddenly turned back, his slightly sunken eyes flashing with two beams of fierce light. "Killing is no small matter. Moreover, one shouldn't act against their conscience. You will truly face retribution."

"Retribution?" Cao Rong’s laughter grew hysterically wild. "What is retribution? The only one who deserves retribution is Qin Fen! He hit my son, he took my son's spot! Since Heaven hasn't taken him, I will do Heaven's job!"

Cao Bo wore an air of exhaustion. At this moment, he began to understand why his brother-in-law had preferred to bear the reputation of being an adulterer, preferring to abandon a comfortable life to live with an ordinary woman outside the family.

I've had enough! I've truly had enough! Those words Liang Aimin (his brother-in-law) had uttered that day echoed softly in Cao Bo's ears once more.

"Little sister, you go ahead too," Old Madam Diao said softly, standing in the middle of the staircase, gently waving her hand. Her prayer beads swayed slightly. "Today's young people are becoming increasingly lawless. They dare to strike my grandson? Go ahead and do it; I will bear the consequences of everything."

"I understand, Mother."

A deep, fawning smile touched Cao Rong’s eyes. With this imperial decree, even her third brother wouldn't be able to stop her.

The hall soon returned to silence, but a certain military airport in Shengjing remained quite lively.

The new recruits who had participated in the Recruit Competition had just stepped out of the military airport gate when two young men, both wearing loose martial artist uniforms, surveyed the crowd with ill intent. Their gazes finally locked onto Qin Fen.

"Are you Qin Fen?"

"I am Pang Zhifeng! I’ve come to challenge you."

Upon hearing these words, expressions of sympathy flickered across the faces of the other recruits. They had just gotten off the plane and were met by someone looking for a fight immediately. Song Wendong's words were certainly effective. If they didn't know how strong Qin Fen was... the other recruits felt they couldn't even stand this situation.

Qin Fen frowned, then cracked a smile. What was all this? Usually, whether in the Sky Combat Network or the Recruit Camp, those who wanted to challenge him had to pay a fee!

Now... Qin Fen sighed again. Facing challenges, he couldn't even ask for a challenge fee; refusing to fight meant admitting defeat, and his wife would belong to the challenger.

Seeing two Five-Star level martial artists, Qin Fen was too lazy to even lift a finger, simply saying, "I'm in a hurry. You two can come at me together."

"Together? How would that work? If one of us beats you, who actually wins?"

"Haha, that's simple," Xue Tian, ever the instigator, declared. "Then you two can fight amongst yourselves for the final victory!"

The two challengers were momentarily stunned, then nodded repeatedly, praising Xue Tian’s method. This caused the other recruits to burst into laughter.

"Very well, I’ll be the referee." Xue Tian stood between the two opponents, suddenly sweeping his hand downward. "Begin!"

Immediately afterward, the new recruits watched as the two challengers traced two rather unaesthetic parabolas in the air, sliding and rolling along the ground for a distance of over ten meters before finally stopping their backward momentum.

"Too tragic! Too tragic! I can't bear to watch..." Xue Tian covered his eyes, quickening his pace past the two challengers groaning in pain on the ground, putting on an expression of profound sympathy. The other recruits struggled to suppress their laughter; Xue Tian was truly an expert at acting.

Leaving the airport gate, the recruits followed Beardy Zhao forward. The military had specially arranged a luxury bus for transport; they only needed to make one turn to reach it...

"You are Qin Fen..."

Turning the corner, Qin Fen looked at another young man in a martial artist uniform and asked directly, "A challenger?"

"Yes..." The challenger seemed surprised. Why did the person being challenged look so impatient?

Qin Fen asked impatiently, "Are you ready? I'm in a rush."

"Ah? Yes..."

Bang... Swoosh... Thud...

The sound of a kick connecting, the sound of someone rocketing through the air, and the sound of a heavy body rolling along the ground connected in a very rhythmic sequence. The challenger clutched his lower abdomen, his body curled into the shape of a shrimp, constantly spitting white foam.

From disembarking the plane, exiting the airport, and walking toward the bus, he had encountered three groups of challengers consecutively. Even Qin Fen's great patience was severely worn thin by the fierce and frequent challenges. Since the challengers were all coming to steal his wife, he couldn't afford to be polite!

As a man, he could tolerate some things, but how could he tolerate this? If someone could still smile at those coming to steal his wife, Qin Fen doubted that person could even be called a man.

P.S.: I’m tired and want to sleep. I’ll continue tomorrow! Lastly, everyone should eat more carrots to protect your eyes! Also, don't look at the screen when all the lights in the room are off; that's very bad for your vision. Eye diseases are terrifying things. Some friends might think eye disease isn't terrible, but you can try closing your eyes and feeling how terrifying it is to see nothing. Protect your eyes! You must protect your eyes~~ Don't look at the fluorescent screen in the dark; it damages your eyes greatly. Those who can should apply a warm towel to their eyes at night; it can relieve visual fatigue, and it’s very effective. I wish everyone good health.