"No need to thank me. But are we still going to eat...?"

Chen Fei reached out to touch the still-damp traces on his face. He was about to ask when he suddenly felt his bag vibrate, followed by the sound of an incoming text message. He paused, then casually took out his phone. The moment his eyes fell on the screen, a look of shock and astonishment spread across his face as he cried out, "Master!?"

The text message was from none other than his long-missing master, Ming Daochuan. He quickly opened it, and after reading it, immediately dialed Ming Daochuan's number.

"...Hello?" After a moment, the call connected, and a familiar voice came through the receiver.

Upon hearing it, Chen Fei became excited. "Hello, Master, is that really you? Where have you been all this time? Why couldn't I reach you?"

If his martial uncle, Yama, hadn't told him that his master was fine and not to worry, he would have been searching the ends of the earth for him by now. And he definitely wouldn't have had the slightest inclination to go to Italy...

Even so, he couldn't help but wonder what on earth the old man had been doing. To disappear without a word for so long... this had to be a first, even going back to his childhood.

"It was nothing. COUGH, COUGH... Where are you right now? Italy, or back in the country?" Ming Daochuan didn't answer the question, instead coughing slightly before asking his own.

"Master, are you injured? What happened?" Chen Fei's expression changed instantly upon hearing the coughs, his face darkening uncontrollably. After all, his medical skills were unquestionable; just hearing that abnormal cough was enough for him to guess at many things.

"...You can tell?"

On the other end of the line, Ming Daochuan fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking, his tone hesitant and even a little strange. "I'm certain you didn't have such masterful medical skills as a child, nor did you have the time to learn... It seems you've changed a lot in the few years you've been away, huh?

"Anyway, I have something to discuss with you. If you're still in Italy, get your ass back here immediately. That's it, I'm hanging up now. BEEP... BEEP..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Ming Daochuan hung up. All that remained was the dial tone.

"Damn it, that old man..." Chen Fei couldn't help but complain under his breath, his face falling as his master hung up on him so abruptly. After a moment, he composed himself and turned to Gu Feishuang. "Let's go get something to eat. It looks like I'll have to leave early tomorrow morning. My master's looking for me."

"Okay. I know a really good specialty restaurant by the coast that's open until midnight. Let's go there now," Gu Feishuang immediately nodded.

What followed was some 'alone time' for our Young Master Chen, Chen Fei, and Gu Feishuang.

Early the next morning, Chen Fei boarded a flight from the coastal airport, leaving the coast and returning to Northern Mountain.

***

Around eleven in the morning, on the expressway from Northern Mountain City to Chengyang County, a Mercedes-Benz GL400—imposing in both design and horsepower—roared down the highway.

Inside the car, Chen Fei sat in the driver's seat, leisurely playing delightful classical music as he hooked a Bluetooth earpiece over his ear and dialed a number. However, his brow quickly furrowed, and he grumbled in frustration. Turned off again? What the hell has that kid been up to these last few days?

The call was not to just anyone, but to his good friend, Slickhead—Hua Zhinan!

Didn't he just get his hands on an S-grade Ability Crystal in Italy? It was the perfect thing to fulfill his brother's wish, not to mention the promise he had made as a man... The only problem was that, for some reason, he couldn't get through. The kid's phone was off.

It was really frustrating. He had no idea what that guy had been doing for the past few days.

Forget it. I'll just go find him in Northern Mountain when I have a chance.

Chen Fei didn't dwell on the minor hiccup. After murmuring to himself, he dialed another number. This time, he was calling Old Brad, the current Clan Leader of the Brad Family in Italy, because he had a few questions for him.

"Oh, respected Chen, it is an honor to receive your call." A moment later, Old Brad's exceedingly gentlemanly voice came through the phone.

Chen Fei couldn't help but smile. "Likewise, respected Old Brad. How have you been? I've already left Cyprus and returned to my homeland."

"Oh, is that so? It seems I must visit that mysterious and ancient land sometime. I remember the last time I set foot there was over forty years ago, back when I had just become a Blood Clan Duke," Old Brad said with a nostalgic smile.

For the Blood Clan, time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, more than forty years had passed.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Respected Chen, I assume you're calling me for a reason, right?" Having known him for so long, he certainly had some understanding of Chen Fei's "nature."

"Yes, I have something I'd like to ask you about. Are you familiar with the Ashford Family?" Chen Fei nodded, his tone growing slightly more serious.

"The Ashford Family?"

Hearing Chen Fei's question, Old Brad was startled. His tone and expression instinctively became much more solemn as he said slowly, "Respected Chen, you haven't gotten into some conflict with them, have you? That family is not one to be trifled with.

"Objectively speaking, they are far more powerful than the Crimson Fang and are one of the supreme dark kings of the European Continent."

Far more powerful than the Crimson Fang?

Although Chen Fei had prepared himself, knowing the Ashford Family was powerful—one of the upper echelons of Europe's dark Eleven Seats, a great Mafia family—he still couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he heard the confirmation from Old Brad himself. He murmured, "Indeed, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."

He still remembered what Stuvia had told him. The Ashford Family had once come close to 'ruling the world.' If not for their excessive greed and ambition leading to their own Waterloo, the family would likely be even more powerful today. Even so, their current standing, foundation, and strength were undeniable, a fact made all too clear by Old Brad's words.

Thinking this over, he shook his head and said into the phone with a smile, "Old Brad, rest assured, I haven't had any conflict with that family. I just wanted to ask you about someone in their family."

"Someone in their family?" Old Brad paused for a moment before asking in confusion, "Who?"

"'Black Dragon' Nemosin!" Chen Fei said slowly.

"What!?" Old Brad's face changed again. "'Black Dragon Nemosin?'" he repeated hastily. "Chen, what are you asking about him for?" It was obvious the title and name had shocked him.

Is this guy also that hard to deal with?

Seeing Old Brad's strong reaction, Chen Fei was momentarily stunned before continuing, "Yes, 'Black Dragon Nemosin.' I heard he's an elder of the Ashford Family, so you must know of him, right, Old Brad? Can you tell me about him in detail?"

"Of course, I know him, but... very well. Let me tell you about him. 'Black Dragon Nemosin' is one of the behind-the-scenes elders of the Ashford Family. He is also a great Grand Duke."

As Old Brad began to explain, Chen Fei paused. Grand Duke? Doesn't that mean...?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Old Brad continued, "Oh, respected Chen, you should be aware of our Blood Clan's hierarchy, right? A Grand Duke is equivalent to the Innate Middle Stage of you Huaxia Ancient Martial Artists! What's more, this 'Black Dragon Nemosin' is no ordinary Grand Duke, because he has Black Dragon Blood flowing in his veins!"

"Black Dragon Blood!?" Even Chen Fei's eyes widened in shock. He exclaimed, "Old Brad, you can't be joking! A Black Dragon? You mean like the mythical creatures from Western fantasy movies? How could something like that possibly exist on Earth?"

This was, of course, his instinctive reaction. After all, if a place like the Cultivation World truly existed, why would the so-called Black Dragons of the West be impossible?

"There are none left on Earth now, it's true. But there was a time in the past when such creatures did exist," Old Brad said, his tone somewhat distant before he returned to the topic. "This Nemosin was very lucky. Before he became a Duke, he found a pool of Black Dragon Blood left over from that era, and he was audacious enough to try and absorb it into his body. The most terrifying part is that he actually succeeded! Oh, respected Chen, you can surely imagine the terrifying power of Black Dragon Blood!

"So, even though he is now a great Grand Duke, the dreadful power of the Black Dragon Blood within him is still enough to support him, making his strength far exceed that of other Grand Dukes of the same rank. Chen, you should understand what this means, because it is a very frightening thing."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.