My Top-Tier Tycoon Wife

Within the Lop Nor Secret Realm, at the site of the grand Martial Way ritual.

In one of the dormitory tents, Lin Jianlong leaned back in a folding chair, holding his phone as he reported the situation to the Medic Immortal in the Capital City.

"Everything is going according to your plan. Now, we can only wait for news from him," he said. "But do you really think he can rescue Her Majesty and bring her out of a place like that?"

On the other end of the line, Lu Nianjiao's voice was calm. "If even he can't rescue Her Majesty, then no one in this world can."

"You trust him that much?" Lin Jianlong asked.

Lu Nianjiao laughed. "You could say I depend on him."

A short while later, Lin Jianlong ended the call. He picked up a cup of liquor from the table and drained it in one gulp.

Xuan Ji... I hope your choice is the right one.

"Long Shuai, are you in?" Lin Xiyue's voice suddenly called from outside the tent.

"I am. Please come in."

A moment later, Lin Xiyue walked into the tent. She looked at Lin Jianlong, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Jianlong gazed at her gently, like an elder looking fondly upon a beloved junior. "Xi Yue, you don't have to be so formal in private. Just speak your mind."

Lin Xiyue pursed her lips and asked, "I want to ask about Chen Shui... I mean, Luo Xiu. How is he?"

Lin Jianlong shook his head gently. "That's confidential. I cannot disclose anything."

A look of disappointment crossed Lin Xiyue's face. With a hint of resentment, she muttered softly, "But you just told me to speak my mind."

"That doesn't mean I have to truthfully answer everything you ask," Lin Jianlong replied.

Lin Xiyue turned to leave. "I'm going to train."

"You care about him a lot, don't you?"

Lin Xiyue stopped in her tracks. "I'm just curious. He's a teammate, after all."

"You can deceive anyone, but you can't deceive yourself," Lin Jianlong said. "In fact, I've reviewed some information about you two these past couple of days. You were married back in Sea City, weren't you? And you have a child, a girl named Lin Shanshan."

Lin Xiyue's brows furrowed slightly. "Would the dignified Long Shuai, a man in Hua Country second only to one yet above tens of thousands, truly be interested in the private affairs of little people like us?"

"I'm not interested in the private affairs of others," Lin Jianlong replied. "But you are different."

"What's so different about me?"

"Because your surname is Lin. Strictly speaking, we are family."

"There are many people in this world with the surname Lin," Lin Xiyue said.

Lin Jianlong shook his head lightly. "No. When I say family, I mean *real* family."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Jianlong's gaze grew distant as he recalled the past. "Lin Chenggong started as a humble vendor selling liquor in the Capital City. Through his savvy dealings, he earned some money and began to live a prosperous life. He had two sons. The elder was interested in business from a young age, while the younger was fascinated with wielding swords and weapons, determined to join the battlefield to protect his home and country.

"During that tumultuous period, Lin Chenggong's family was torn apart, and the two brothers went their separate ways. After the younger brother achieved great success, he heard that his older brother had gone to Sea City. Relying on the brewing skills their father had passed down, he made a living there. Eventually, his business flourished, and he settled down, establishing a modest family clan."

Lin Jianlong looked at Lin Xiyue. "The older brother's name was Lin Buwei. I think you might have heard of him."

Lin Xiyue's eyes trembled. "Lin Buwei is my great-great-grandfather. My grandfather's grandfather."

Lin Jianlong smiled. "Then you should also call me great-great-grandfather."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Then... how old are you?"

"I am already over two hundred years old," Lin Jianlong stated. "My brother never stepped onto the Martial Way; he was just an ordinary person. My original name was Lin Youwei. I renamed myself 'Jianlong'—'He Who Saw a Dragon'—because I had once seen one, despite my family's objections."

"Are dragons real?" Lin Xiyue murmured.

Lin Jianlong didn't answer the question. Instead, he said, "Xi Yue, I am very glad that our Lin lineage has produced a genius like you. Your future achievements will far surpass my own."

Lin Xiyue gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm no genius. I was just lucky enough to have eaten some elixirs that ordinary people could never get their hands on."

"That in itself is a great opportunity," Lin Jianlong said.

"So, you're really my great-great-grandfather?" Lin Xiyue asked again.

Lin Jianlong smiled. "Let's put aside our lineage for a moment. Would you be interested in taking me as your master? I intend to cultivate your talents and help you become the Chief Commander of the Three Armies. This would bring immense glory to the Lin Family."

"I'm just a merchant," she said.

"The two are not mutually exclusive. Managing a team isn't so different from managing a company. Besides, this would also help narrow the gap in status between you and Luo Xiu. I am gravely injured, and my life is hanging by a thread. I want to find someone to inherit my skills, and you, who shares my bloodline, are without a doubt the most suitable candidate."

…

「Danlong Ancient Mountain, within the Silent Sea Forest.」

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Xia Chan quickly stepped between Luo Xiu and Zhang Qiming.

"Zhang Qiming, what do you think you're doing!" she demanded, glaring at him. "Mr. Chen is an honored guest of our religion, and he is about to join us!"

Zhang Qiming sneered. "The mighty Holy Boi Religion won't notice one more or one less. Miss, why must you be so protective of him? This brat humiliated me back in Lop Nor and even destroyed my patterned avatar. That is a score that must be settled."

Xia Chan's stance was firm. "His methods in Lop Nor may have been excessive, but at the time, both sides were acting in their own interests. It was understandable to do what was necessary for self-preservation. When you went looking for trouble, did you expect him to just stand there and let you bully him?"

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Qiming suddenly threw his head back and laughed. "So, Miss, you're determined to protect him today?"

Her expression darkened. "If you want to touch him, you'll have to go through me first!"

BANG!

Before the words had even left her lips, an invisible surge of qi struck Xia Chan, sending her flying into a tree with a heavy thud.

Zhang Qiming snorted, his eyes filled with disdain. "Did you really think I wouldn't dare touch you? What nonsense about being the 'Miss' or a 'Holy Boi Religion Envoy.' You're nothing but a useless girl who's more trouble than she's worth. Chu Qingchan, since it has come to this, I'm not afraid to tell you... your father is in a desperate situation! He doesn't have long to live and is about to die at the hands of the Empress of Hua Country!

"So from now on, the Upper Nine Deities will be in charge of the Holy Boi Religion! And you... without the old master to rely on, what are you?"

Enduring the agonizing pain, Xia Chan struggled up from the ground. She wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and said in a trembling voice, "Zhang Qiming, you dare betray our religion?"

"Betrayal?" Zhang Qiming laughed. "How is this a betrayal? I, Zhang Qiming, will never defy the teachings. I just don't want to take orders from Chu Yiguan anymore. If he can welcome the Heavenly Master's descent and complete the purification plan, then why can't I? Chu Qingchan, you just wait quietly on the side. After I'm done with your little lover, I'll take my time dealing with you. I've long wanted a taste of our Young Miss."

A look of disgust crossed Xia Chan's face. She scrambled to her feet and stood in front of Luo Xiu. "Chen Shuisheng, run!"

Luo Xiu, however, remained expressionless. He strode forward, grabbed her by the shoulder, and tossed her into a spatial portal that had already opened.

"Chen Shuisheng, what are you doing?"

He glanced back at her. "Stay in there and be good. I'll come for you after I've dealt with this old fool."

Zhang Qiming looked down at Luo Xiu as if he were an ant. "Kid, you can't possibly think things will go the same way they did in Lop Nor, do you? Just because you killed one of my patterned avatars, you actually think you're something special?"

A faint light flickered in Luo Xiu's left eye as he closed the portal. He then took a step forward, and a golden Dragon Qi erupted from his body. The Dragon Origin Power within him had been unleashed.

Instantly, a sonorous dragon's cry echoed through the Void, and a magnificent phenomenon manifested as if a true dragon had appeared. His shirt burst apart, revealing toned muscles upon which golden dragon markings began to appear. Even his black hair took on a faint golden sheen under the influence of the Dragon Origin Power.

"Old bastard, why don't you come over here and find out if I'm capable or not?"

Zhang Qiming's expression tightened into a vicious sneer. "No wonder you're so confident. So you had an ace up your sleeve." As he spoke, a terrifying and bizarre aura radiated from him, and purplish-gold patterns surfaced on his skin.

Luo Xiu suddenly shot forward, shaking the very earth. His body flew like an arrow loosed from a bow, wreathed in roiling Dragon Qi.

The Dragon Origin Power depletes with use, meaning this formidable strength can only be used once. He has to end this fight quickly!

BOOM—!

As their fists collided, a deafening explosion ripped through the air, and the very space around them twisted and warped from the vibration. The ground beneath their feet cracked and collapsed, and the trees, flowers, and grass in the forest were instantly turned to ash by the terrifying shockwave.

In a matter of moments, the dense forest for several kilometers around was razed to the ground.