"Xiao Feng, don't panic either," Mother Gong Xinlan's voice, thick with unshed tears, continued, "Your younger brother almost drowned earlier, but he’s been rescued now, he’s fine."

"Drowning? Mom, what exactly happened?" Luo Feng couldn't fathom it. How could his brother get into trouble within the secure city limits? Wasn't there a nanny constantly watching him?

"Xiao Feng, it happened like this. This afternoon, the nanny took your brother, Xiao Hua, to the park nearby for an outing. You know your brother goes to the park often... This time, while at the park, he ran into the parents of his girlfriend, 'Xiao Nan.' Xiao Nan's parents invited your brother over for a private talk."

Luo Feng's brows immediately furrowed ```` ``````` His younger brother Luo Hua's relationship with his girlfriend had always been kept secret from her parents. This time, his girlfriend's parents seeking out Luo Hua clearly meant there was an issue.

"At that time, your brother asked the nanny to step aside. He spoke with Xiao Nan's parents alone for a full hour. After that, Xiao Nan's parents left." The mother's voice on the phone sounded somewhat hoarse, as if from crying, "Later, your brother said he wanted to stroll through the park alone, asking the nanny to wait for him at the park entrance."

"Nanny Qin also thought there was no danger inside the park—it was all just scenery—so she didn't think much of it. She waited for your brother right by the park gate."

"But, nobody could have imagined that your brother would push his wheelchair to the edge of the scenic lake, whose water had long since frozen over. Only a few spots had holes punched through by children playing there. Your brother actually flipped himself into the lake, falling right into one of those ice holes."

Luo Feng listened, his face turning somewhat pale. Although he knew his brother was ultimately safe, falling into a hole in the ice of a frozen lake, especially for his brother who was disabled in both legs and harbored suicidal thoughts, was almost certainly fatal.

"Fortunately, there was a martial artist from our complex named 'Qiu Yi,' a young man, present at the time. He jumped straight into the lake, smashing through the ice layers, swam beneath the surface to search for your brother, and finally found him and pulled him out! By then, your brother had stopped breathing. Luckily, that Qiu Yi knew some first aid and managed to save your brother's life. Later, the doctor from our complex said that if it had been even slightly later, or if he had been submerged any longer, he definitely would have died."

"I don't know what harsh words those parents of Xiao Nan said that forced my son to seek death. Don't they have children?" The mother's voice on the phone dissolved into uncontrollable sobs. Luo Feng also clenched his fists tightly. Because of his disability, his brother had spent most of his life alone at home, even attending school remotely via the network! This prolonged solitude had made his brother very introverted and insecure; he only appeared cheerful around family members. In terms of mental fortitude, his brother was actually quite fragile.

"Xiao Nan's parents were probably only concerned about their daughter, saying whatever harsh or severe words necessary to make my brother leave her. They clearly didn't care about what my brother could bear." In truth, people were all the same. In Luo Feng's heart, his parents and brother were the most important things. And in Xiao Nan's parents' hearts, their daughter was naturally the most important!

"Mom, how is my brother now?" Luo Feng pressed.

"The doctor at the complex said he's fine now. However, your brother's emotions are unstable. Your father and I are taking turns watching him. We're just afraid he might do something foolish," Mother Gong Xinlan shook her head. "Xiao Feng, please come back as soon as possible. Xiao Hua gets along well with you; there are many things he simply won't tell us." After all, Luo Feng and Luo Hua were of the same generation, so Luo Hua naturally felt more inclined to share things with Luo Feng.

"Mm, I can be home first thing tomorrow morning," Luo Feng nodded. After selling the dragon egg and the battle uniform, he would catch the night train back.

Hanging up the phone, Luo Feng sat on the sofa, his mood heavy. Over the years, his brother had actually been doing quite well, especially after moving into Mingyue Complex and meeting that Xiao Nan; his brother had been incredibly happy. But he never expected... that first love could bring his brother so much joy, yet also push him to the brink of suicide.

"Failure in first love, compared to ordinary people, deals a far greater blow to my brother." "Xiao Nan's parents probably objected to their daughter dating my brother because he is disabled," Luo Feng took a deep breath. "Soon, if I'm lucky enough this time, the 3 billion Huaxia needed for the 'Water of Life,' maybe this business deal will be enough to cover it!" Three billion! The dragon egg certainly wasn't worth that much; the most valuable items were the combat suit and the treasured sword. "I hope it's 'God-level.' If it truly is, I'll be set." Luo Feng himself couldn't tell; this required specialized equipment, which he lacked. Furthermore, he didn't want anyone from the HR Alliance or the Extreme Martial Arts Center examining these items.

Time ticked by. "Bang! Bang! Crack!" A knocking sound came. Luo Feng walked over and opened the door. Standing outside was a middle-aged man with a bushy V-shaped mustache, wearing leather clothing and carrying a large backpack. The moment he saw Luo Feng, he sensed the faint sharpness typical of a martial artist in Luo Feng's gaze! He immediately smiled and said, "You must be Mr. Wei?" "Wang Hou?" Luo Feng raised an eyebrow. The advertisement poster on the martial arts forum included a photo. "Precisely," Wang Hou smiled. "Please come in." After letting him inside, Luo Feng shut the door firmly. The two sat down on the sofa.

"I heard Mr. Wei mentioned that you have some good items?" Wang Hou’s smile was bright, but his gaze held the excited look of a hunter spotting prey. Luo Feng smiled slightly, directly opening the extra-large backpack he had brought. The item taking up the most space was the giant, greenish dragon egg. Luo Feng carefully lifted the egg and placed it directly onto the sofa, smiling at Wang Hou; "Wang Hou, this is a dragon egg. I assume you can tell what kind of dragon egg it is." "A dragon egg? A dragon egg worth over ten billion? Could it be the egg of the East Sea Azure Dragon?" Wang Hou jumped, startled. Luo Feng was taken aback. The East Sea Azure Dragon? That was a King-level monster, far more powerful than a Lord-level. Furthermore, in all these years, only one dragon egg from the East Sea Azure Dragon had ever surfaced. Rumor on the martial arts network suggested it sold for the astronomical price of over a billion Alliance Blades back then. "What kind of eyesight does this guy have? After doing business for so long, he still thinks he can recognize it at a glance," Luo Feng shook his head but said nothing. Luo Feng didn't realize how few dragon eggs had ever been discovered in the world in total. Wang Hou himself had only seen two. With his level of discernment, how could he possibly recognize this specific dragon egg? "No, an Azure Dragon egg is bigger than this one," Wang Hou corrected himself. "I never said it was an Azure Dragon egg. Hurry up and test it," Luo Feng couldn't help but say. He claimed his item was worth over ten billion, but he never specified that only this item reached that value. "This is the first dragon egg I've ever acquired, tsk tsk," Wang Hou’s eyes gleamed. "A dragon egg," Wang Hou quickly opened his backpack, which contained three combination lock boxes. He took out one of them, opened it, and retrieved a set of instruments. He carefully placed the spider-like probes onto the egg's surface. Instantly, a large stream of data rapidly appeared on the instrument screen. Wang Hou glanced at the data while chuckling, "Mr. Wei, you are truly formidable, to manage acquiring a dragon egg! Nowadays, any monster referred to as a 'Dragon' anywhere in the world is no easy target." "Has it been tested?" Luo Feng looked toward the screen. "Almost," Wang Hou replied with a smile, showing no hurry. "Oh." Wang Hou’s eyes lit up as he stared at the screen, then smiled at Luo Feng, "According to the database comparison, this is an Iron Armored Dragon egg! The Iron Armored Dragon ranks among the upper-middle tier among all 'Dragon' type monsters worldwide. Based on the current market price for such an egg, let's be straightforward—you be straightforward too—5 billion Huaxia!" Luo Feng had certainly checked the market rates before coming. 5 billion was indeed a very fair price; even selling it to the Alliance wouldn't fetch much more. "Straightforward enough," Luo Feng smiled. "That price works." "My reputation in business is well-known," Wang Hou chuckled. "Business relies on steady, long-term streams of income. If I fleece you badly now, you'll surely post about me on the forum later... which would lower my credibility and ruin future business. That’s why—everyone who does business with me knows my character, Wang Hou." Seeing this, Luo Feng smiled slightly. "Mr. Wei," Wang Hou couldn't help but ask, "You should have some other items, correct?" "I do." Luo Feng nodded and took out the sheathed treasured sword from his backpack. "Oh?" Wang Hou’s eyes lit up upon seeing the sword hilt, and he glanced at Luo Feng in astonishment. "This is a genuinely fine sword. The scabbard alone must be incredibly expensive. May I take a look?" "Please," Luo Feng felt a surge of anticipation. He didn't know what level this treasured sword was—at least a 'God-level (9-series),' perhaps? "Chiiing." Drawing the sword, Wang Hou examined it closely and couldn't help but nod, "A fine sword, a truly fine sword. Nine times out of ten, this was used by a War God. If I’m not mistaken, it should be a 'God-level' treasured sword. This sword is indeed quite valuable." Luo Feng was pleasantly surprised that the sword turned out to be God-level. "The price of a sword weapon also depends on its condition," Wang Hou continued with a smile. "A successfully forged sword has a condition rating of '100'. However, as martial artists battle monsters again and again, the blade suffers subtle, invisible damage. The longer the time passes, the more astonishing the damage becomes, until one day, the weapon snaps during combat." Luo Feng nodded... For example, the description for a God-level weapon stated it could engage almost all A-rank monsters head-on without damage. This implied that even such a weapon could eventually break. "The higher the condition, the higher the price. The lower the condition, the lower the price naturally." "Let me test it," Wang Hou immediately opened another box and took out another set of instruments. A faint glow shot out from the device, enveloping the treasured sword. The instrument screen rapidly collected a large amount of data, and based on the internal software database, it quickly produced a result. "Condition 100!" Wang Hou exclaimed in shock.