Ultimately, Chen Fei didn't linger in Capital City or enjoy himself for a few more days; instead, he left alone by plane early the next morning, returning to Tongzhou City of Jiangnan Province.

First, he didn't have many friends in Capital City. Although he got along with the elder, staying at the Xuu Family Courtyard for an extended period would inevitably arouse the suspicions of interested parties and draw attention from certain individuals, which naturally was not what he wanted.

Second, he was genuinely curious about the meaning behind the words the elder had shared with him the previous night. Just as he decided to call his master Ming Daochuan, he unexpectedly found that the other's phone was inexplicably shut off, and it remained unreachable even until the morning of the second day, which was the present time.

This deepened his confusion and led him to decide to return to his hometown in Chengyang County to seek answers.

Because he indeed wanted to unravel the doubts in his heart.

As for Chen Fei's decision, the elder wasn't happy, but ultimately didn't force him to stay and had his grandson, Xuu Ji, personally escort Chen Fei to the airport for his departure. Before leaving the courtyard, Chen Fei took special care to arrange a new Formation he had researched at the old Xuu Family residence.

The old Xuu Family Courtyard still looked ancient and unadorned from the outside, but stepping inside the gate, one would notice a slight difference from the exterior. A comforting aura was warmly welcoming and would greatly benefit those who lived there over the years.

Meanwhile, at the Dragon Tiger Mountain Sanatorium in Capital City.

As a special retreat for injured and ailing veterans of the Capital, this place held an exceptional status, with access limited to influential figures retired from the military and political spheres; these were the true elites. It's likely that even an Innate Expert would find it difficult to make any waves here, which speaks volumes about its significance.

The Dragon Tiger Mountain Sanatorium in Capital City covered an extensive area of over ten acres, with ancient and exquisite buildings amidst the mountains and waters.

At this moment, before a scenic pavilion and rockery, an old, emaciated man sat trembling in a wheelchair. He seemed extremely aged, with sparse hair and profound lines of time etched upon his face...

Yet, despite his venerable age, there was a calmness on his face, serene as a still well, with only his eyes, deep as the ocean, hinting at restrained power and authority; they commanded a respectful restraint from others.

This elderly man was none other than the Pillar of the Sky of the Chen Family in Capital City, Elder Master Chen Huatian, one of the last remaining elders of the Republic.

Next to him sat another elderly man, aged and frail in his gray robe, his face deeply wrinkled and his eyes cloudy; however, the presence that occasionally gleamed in his gaze was still heart-stopping, indicating his extraordinary nature.

This man was none other than Chen Bingzhang, whom Old Master Xu had referred to as Elder Brother Chen—the grandfather of Chen Zhenjun, and also the current Family Head of the Old Chen Family.

Side by side, the two elderly men sat together in a lengthy silence, a heavy atmosphere filling the air.

"Dad."

After an uncertain span of time, Old Master Chen Bingzhang slowly set down his teacup and spoke, "It seems the boy has already returned to Jiangnan. He didn't stay long in Capital City."

"Hmm."

Elder Master Chen gave a slight, hoarse nod and said indifferently, "How's your grandson doing now?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Bingzhang paused slightly, then replied slowly, "It seems he's no longer in trouble. According to the boy, resting at home for a year or two should suffice for his recovery."

"Hmm."

Once again, Elder Master Chen nodded slightly, his face as wrinkled as a withered tree and his voice hoarse, "Your grandson is not bad, capable and spirited. If he is nurtured well, he might be able to take on some of the responsibilities of our Chen Family in the future."

At that, Old Master Chen Bingzhang slightly shook his head, and a glint passed fleetingly through his murky eyes as he said slowly, "To those whom great tasks are given, their spirit must first be sharpened, their muscles worked hard... Little Lin enduring such an ordeal and surviving may not be a bad thing. But..."

He paused for a moment before adding, "However, he is still too young now, unable to bear great responsibilities. He needs a few more years of tempering."

"What about Zhenjun? Is everything going smoothly?" asked Elder Master Chen, nodding thoughtfully and then inquiring abruptly.

"It's hard to say at the moment. Zhenjun is aiming higher, as is the son of Old Three. Even though our Chen Family is large and prosperous, those above us are unlikely to let both of them climb to higher positions in this round, so a choice will probably be made," Old Master Chen Bingzhang said with a twinkling in his eyes.

After all, the Chen Family was not the only power in Capital City, and the higher one climbed, the fewer positions there were, coveted by many.

Therefore, it was already determined that the third generation of the Chen Family, the two great tigers—Chen Zhenjun and Chen Zhenguo—would face a choice, both from the higher ranks and within the Chen Family itself.

"Zhenguo, this child, is very obedient and sensible, has never done anything to upset me in all these years, and his abilities, his grasp of the bigger picture, they're not bad either...," Elder Master Chen drifted onto another topic, his voice hoarse as he slowly continued. Upon hearing this, Old Master Chen, Chen Bingzhang, his eyes flickered slightly, but he did not join the conversation.

"It's just that..."

But just then, the elder suddenly shifted the subject, as if with a sense of regret, he finally revealed a second emotion beyond the calm and unaffected demeanor he usually showed.

"Sigh, it's just that now I truly wish he hadn't listened to me back then, had stuck to his guns a little longer; then we wouldn't have the problems we have today. In this aspect, Zhenjun really did better than him, he's more suited to take on heavy responsibilities," he actually let out a light sigh, speaking with some despair.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Chen, Chen Bingzhang, was slightly stunned, but then he quickly grasped the meaning behind the elder's words, shook his head gently, and spoke lightly, "Dad, do we want to just bring him back directly?"

"It's not so simple. Whether it's Old Man Ming or that little girl, both have too deep a hostility towards our Old Chen Family," the elder once again resumed his unaffected tone, speaking indifferently.

"But that young man might still be in the dark, just like Zhenguo," Old Master Chen, Chen Bingzhang, chimed in.

At that, the elder glanced at his eldest son, his murky eyes flickering slightly as he responded indifferently, "Eldest, do you truly think that Zhenguo doesn't know about his son's situation?" Old Master Chen, Chen Bingzhang, was taken aback, and then, he seemed somewhat speechless.

Yes, indeed, this was not something they could keep under wraps. Considering the young man's status in his family, along with his position in Capital City's political scene, how could he possibly not know?

"Sigh..."

But the thought made him suddenly sigh, filled with contemplation.

Zhenguo was different from his son Zhenjun. His desire for fame and gain was too strong; it overwhelmed everything else.

As Old Master Chen, Chen Bingzhang, let out this sigh at the Dragon Tiger Mountain Sanatorium in Capital City, Chen Fei had already arrived at Tongzhou City Airport in Jiangnan Province. But just as he was about to leave and return to Northern Mountain City, he suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar aura in the airport's arrival hall.

And the aura seemed somewhat chaotic.

"Isn't that..." Chen Fei frowned slightly, his steps unconsciously moving in that direction.

In an inconspicuous alleyway of the arrival hall at the airport, Chu Yan, wearing a flight attendant's uniform, was huddled in a corner with a young girl dressed in sexy casual clothes - a tank top and denim shorts, with rather heavy makeup - both appearing panicked.

And in front of the two of them, several burly men in suits, each leering at the two women's sexy, tall figures with lustful eyes, were swallowing their saliva.

One of the men, who looked to be the leader and was in his thirties or forties, had an exaggerated tattoo on his right arm, which was rolled up in his suit sleeve. He pushed the girl in the tank top and denim shorts against the wall, cursing menacingly, "Damn it, you little slut, you think you can run? Do you really think that we, your brothers, are vegetarians, that we can't look after you?"

"Where, where... Brother Dao, you've got it all wrong, let's talk this out nicely..." Pushed against the wall, the girl in the tank top turned pale but still forced a smile at the tattooed man in the suit.

"Talk it out nicely? Talk nicely, my ass!"

But Brother Dao, the man in the suit, rudely interrupted her, becoming irritated as he pressed forward, speaking in a cold tone, "Enough with the nonsense. Pay back the 600,000 now or don't blame us brothers for not being polite...jeez, your face is so-so, but this body...damn, it's pretty impressive, we're in need of someone like you for our place," he lasciviously grinned, reaching out and firmly squeezing the girl's partially exposed chest.

"What are you doing!? Let go..." Instantly, the girl in the tank top flushed red, stepping back in a panic.

Seeing her friend Wang Qin being taken advantage of, Miss Chu Yan, though truly frightened inside, still gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and scolded the man, "Hey, what are you doing? Let go of Aqin right now, or I'll go tell security you're harassing us."

"Harassing you?"

Brother Dao laughed disdainfully and replied coldly, "Go ahead, call them. Better yet, bring all the leaders of this airport with you. Damn, you're acting like a big shot, not paying back money you owe? Touching her is no big deal, I'd like to see what your leaders are going to say when they arrive!"

"Please, Brother Dao, please don't. Little Yan, I'm fine, don't call them, I'm begging you," the girl known as Wang Qin panicked, rushing to bow and flatter Brother Dao, while signaling with her eyes to her sister.

Clearly, she knew all too well that if the high-profile incident of her debt getting out in the airport was known to the management, she would surely lose her hard-earned and treasured job as a flight attendant.

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