Outside the imperial capital.
Ying Chen looked at the broken "fishing line" and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I overlooked the dragon veins and earth energy of Yan Jing."
"A city that has been the capital for a long time, with the emperor and civil and military officials residing there, the hearts of the entire nation focused on it, and the fortune of a nation bestowing blessings, can easily give birth to a guardian dragon vein."
"And this kind of dragon vein can restrain many profound arts. This is why Xuanmen masters cannot use some witchcraft and curses to harm high-ranking officials. Because officials carry the aura of their office and are protected by dragon veins, Xuanmen masters will not only find it difficult to harm them successfully but will also suffer severe backlash."
"Anyone with a brain wouldn't do such a thing."
Ying Chen muttered to himself.
He had originally intended to use this fishing line to follow the clues and find the true mastermind.
But he didn't expect to be thwarted by the guardian dragon veins of Yan Jing.
However, it didn't matter. For Ying Chen, the entire incident had only been a minor interruption from the beginning to the end.
Even if Ying Chen hadn't intervened from the start, it wouldn't have had any impact on him.
Ying Chen only needed to take Min Ziqiong and her mother back to Jiang Hai, and he would be completely detached from all matters here.
It was simply that Ying Chen felt sorry for Elder Hu, and because Hu Quan'an was too arrogant, it led Ying Chen to help the Hu family.
Moreover, although he couldn't find out who the mastermind was or kill him.
It wasn't entirely without reward.
At least Ying Chen had managed to inscribe words on the mastermind's body at the end.
The inscribed characters contained special power. Unless the mastermind found someone stronger than Ying Chen, or could once again invoke the guardian dragon veins to manifest for him, he would absolutely not be able to erase that inscription.
The inscription would leave an exceptionally conspicuous scar, like a birthmark, that would follow the mastermind for life.
With such a conspicuous mark, Ying Chen would be able to recognize the mastermind at a glance whenever he saw him in the future.
It wouldn't be too late to deal with him then.
And if the mastermind had any sense, he should pray that he never encountered Ying Chen again in his life.
Otherwise, the day he encountered Ying Chen would be the day of his death.
"Mr. Ying, you've returned..."
As soon as Ying Chen entered the Hu family residence, he saw Elder Hu's worried expression.
Ying Chen had asked Elder Hu to rest earlier, but after the great turmoil the Hu family had experienced, Elder Hu couldn't possibly sleep.
Upon hearing Ying Chen's return, Elder Hu immediately came out.
"Don't worry, the matter has been resolved."
"The other party would never dare to trespass again."
"As for other matters... you will have to clean up the mess yourself. I won't be staying long; I'll leave at dawn."
Hearing Ying Chen's words, Elder Hu quickly said, "How dare we trouble Mr. Ying with the remaining matters?"
"Mr. Ying has already helped our Hu family tremendously. Old Li!"
Elder Hu called out.
Outside the door, the butler, who had been controlled by Ashiya Doman, entered with a tray.
He had clearly recovered his senses.
"This is the shares of our Hu family's largest company. It's not much, only 30%. I hope Mr. Ying will not refuse it; it's merely a token of our appreciation."
Elder Hu said "don't refuse" and "merely a token of our appreciation," but anyone who understood the scale of the Hu family's company would realize what an immense fortune this was!
Let alone 30% of the shares, even 3% would make many people fight to get it!
Therefore, absolutely no one would refuse this!
To his surprise, Ying Chen actually showed a look of disdain and asked, "What use is this thing?"
"Can it save your life when you are in mortal danger?"
Elder Hu was stunned for a moment and instinctively replied, "No."
"Can it be exchanged for a sect-protecting artifact or a cultivation technique?"
A look of embarrassment appeared on Elder Hu's face: "Sect-protecting artifacts and cultivation techniques are the foundation of a sect. Let alone 30% of the shares, even the entire Hu family would struggle to exchange for them..."
"Can it buy nearly extinct rare treasures?"
Elder Hu hesitated: "There's a slight hope for that, but it's hard to say. Because such things require destiny, and it's not guaranteed to be bought with money. It also depends on whether someone has found it and is willing to sell it."
Hearing Elder Hu's answer, Ying Chen's disdain became even more pronounced: "That's it then. It can't save lives, and it can't be exchanged for artifacts or great elixirs. What use is it to me?"
"Take it back! When I need your help someday, or when you encounter a rare treasure that is rarely seen in the world, buy it as your token of gratitude."
Ying Chen waved his hand, directly refusing Elder Hu's 30% shares.
The butler standing by was shocked.
Is there really someone in this world who views money as dirt?
This was the difference in perspective caused by different statuses.
A butler, as a mortal, naturally saw only worldly things like wine, women, wealth, and status.
While someone like Ying Chen, who transcended the mortal world, especially knowing that the world would undergo great changes in the next twenty years, naturally had little interest in wealth.
He was more interested in rare treasures, artifacts, and cultivation techniques.
It was like someone who knew the apocalypse was coming; would he still go to great lengths to hoard gold and jewels?
He would only start hoarding various supplies, which would be useful in the apocalypse.
Gold and jewels would only be a burden in the apocalypse, worse than dirt clods.
At least dirt clods could sometimes fill one's stomach.
"Alright then!" Elder Hu nodded and took back the share transfer letter.
He secretly vowed that he would pay more attention to news about rare treasures in the future and repay Ying Chen's favor as soon as possible.
When dealing with important figures, especially someone like Ying Chen, one must never have the mentality of taking advantage.
One must always show the greatest goodwill to receive equivalent returns.
Otherwise, the relationship would stop there, or even develop a rift.
"When I leave tomorrow, I will leave you a prescription. Take the medicine according to the prescription, and your previous chronic illness will be cured in a month."
Ying Chen said.
Upon hearing this, Elder Hu bowed and said, "Mr. Ying's kindness is unforgettable!"
Ying Chen waved his hand: "That's enough. Kindness spoken constantly loses its value."
"Go rest!"
After saying that, Ying Chen left directly, heading towards the guest room.
Elder Hu remained standing, bowing his head towards Ying Chen's departing back, showing utmost respect.
Even after the butler reminded Elder Hu several times that he could get up, Elder Hu stubbornly waited until he heard the sound of Ying Chen closing the door before straightening up.
The grace of saving a life is only truly appreciated by those who have faced death.
No amount of respect is too much for one's savior.
...
The next morning.
As soon as it was dawn, Ying Chen had already woken up Min Ziqiong and her mother, preparing to return home.
After the events of yesterday, Min Ziqiong and her mother no longer wished to stay in Yan Jing for another minute.
They immediately got into the car.
Ying Chen left the prescription for Elder Hu's cure, and under Elder Hu's watchful gaze, drove away from Yan Jing.
As for the turmoil in Yan Jing caused by last night's events, Ying Chen was too lazy to pay attention to or bother with it.
The car roared.
After several hours of bumpy travel, the car finally entered the territory of Jiang Hai.
However, just as Ying Chen and the other two were about to return to Shouyang Mountain Villa, they encountered an unexpected person.
This person stood directly in front of the car, giving the impression of either stopping or being run over.
Forcing the driver to brake hard, the car stopped just inches from the person's belly.
It was a near miss.