"Who dares to look for this young master!"
A voice full of arrogance rose up in the small courtyard, instantly shattering its serene and elegant atmosphere.
"Impudent!"
Startled by Zhu Bufan's sudden loud voice, the guard was evidently shocked by the arrogance in his words. After a moment of daze, he quickly reacted, remembering his duty, and immediately shouted to block him. At the same time, Zhu's Inner Qi operated frantically, and the aura of the Martial Arts Realm at the Middle Stage of the Seventh Rank burst forth, pouring towards Zhu Bufan.
Thud, thud, thud...
Zhu Bufan's face turned pale, then quickly blushed. Pushed back by an invisible force, his forehead was covered with sweat.
"Ah! This acting is truly astonishing. The speed at which you have to switch expressions and force out sweat—if it weren't for controlling Inner Qi with precision, it would be impossible to do." Having finished this, Zhu Bufan secretly lamented in his heart.
Just as Zhu Bufan had expected, at that moment, Zhu Zichu's voice resounded from inside the room: "Retreat, Zhu Bufan, come in!"
"Yes!" The guard glared fiercely at Zhu Bufan, responded, and turned to leave.
Zhu Bufan's expression didn't change, maintaining his flamboyant look, as he walked towards the room.
"Elder Zheng, Zhu Bufan has arrived!"
Seeing Zhu Bufan step into the room, Zhu Zichu slightly bowed and whispered in the old man's ear.
"Arrived?" Upon hearing this, the old man put down the teacup in his hand and slowly raised his head.
What kind of eyes were those? Entirely black pupils, shining with an oily green light. They scanned Zhu Bufan from top to bottom.
With that first glance, just a glance, Zhu Bufan felt completely restrained; his entire body couldn't move at all. Following the old man's gaze, Zhu Bufan felt as if his body had become transparent in an instant, completely penetrated, all his secrets laid bare.
"Profoundly unfathomable! What terrifying cultivation!"
This was the first time Zhu Bufan felt so powerless facing someone, with no intention of opposing.
"Terrifying! This old man's cultivation should be ten times stronger than Zhu Yuheng's! Surpassing the peak of the Tenth Rank, could it be Innate?" Zhu Bufan speculated in his heart.
Thinking this, Zhu Bufan carefully restrained his aura, fearing his hidden Martial Arts Realm would be detected by the green-eyed elder.
"You are Zhu Bufan!" After scrutinizing for a while, the green light in the elder's eyes gradually faded, returning to the normal black pupils.
"Late Stage of the Fifth Rank, not bad!" Retracting the Eye of Detection, the elder nodded secretly, muttering to himself.
The Eye of Detection, an auxiliary Cultivation Technique of the Wood Attribute, possesses very miraculous effects. One of its most ordinary functions is to observe a martial artist's Realm; as long as the difference isn't too big, it can pierce through at a glance.
"Zhu Bufan, let me introduce you, this is the external chief elder of the family, Zheng Elder!" Zhu Zichu said with respect.
"External chief elder? Hmph, just an external branch!" Zhu Bufan muttered in an extremely low voice.
However, Zhu Bufan's exceedingly low voice, in Zhu Zichu and Elder Zheng's ears, was as clear as a loud shout.
"Presumptuous!" Zhu Yuheng shouted, his face turning pale.
He had been paying close attention to Zhu Bufan's situation all along. Initially, he thought it unfortunate, a pity for a very diligent child without cultivation talent. Following that, it was tolerance, enduring years of external insults and all sorts of oppression.
Now, there's another, which is arrogance.
Zhu Zichu felt he had completely misjudged before; this Zhu Bufan still carried the arrogance of a scion, and with some strength, this inherent trait became fully visible.
Others didn't know, but he was perfectly clear—this so-called external chief elder, though not surnamed Zhu, holds authority in the Zhu Family, ranking within the top four, excluding those who remain detached from worldly affairs. Just below the Family Head, the Transmission Elder, and the Law Enforcement Elder.
If he offended Chief Elder Zheng, his position as an external branch elder would be at an end.
Like many families, the Zhu Family is not just composed of direct and external branches but also includes guest elders, affiliated forces, and servants with their descendants.
And Chief Elder Zheng is one of the descendants of the Zhu Family's servants from previous generations.
The affiliated forces of the Zhu Family are the most trusted, and most loyal among servant descendants. Therefore, they have the most contact with the Zhu Family's core powers.
Chief Elder Zheng holds the core power of the Zhu Family. It is precisely because of this that Zhu Zichu behaves so humbly and pleasingly.
"Alright, it's no problem!" Chief Elder Zheng smiled indifferently, waving his hand carelessly. "Young Master Feng, you can just call me Elder Zheng!" Elder Zheng said softly. "Arrogance is good, the more arrogant, the easier to control!" Elder Zheng thought to himself.
"Oh, then what does Elder Zheng want from me?" Without being invited, Zhu Bufan sat down boldly, grabbed the teapot directly, and deeply inhaled from the spout.
Elder Zheng glanced at Zhu Zichu but said nothing.
"Chief Elder, I have some matters to deal with, so I'll leave first!" Zhu Zichu bowed to Elder Zheng, then glanced at Zhu Bufan with a clearly warning expression.
However, Zhu Bufan paid no attention to the warning glance, instead meeting Elder Zheng's eyes directly.
"Is it you looking for me? What's the matter?" Zhu Bufan said loudly, confusion and puzzlement clearly displayed on his face, showing no signs of subterfuge, all his thoughts fully visible on his face.
"It seems this Young Master Zhu has been suppressed for too long! Now with some power, he shows his youthful impetuous, unruly nature." Having gained a rough understanding of Zhu Bufan's past life over the recent days, Elder Zheng could only judge this way seeing his present behavior.
Elder Zheng smiled slightly, pulling out a pale golden, gold-plated envelope from the broad sleeve of his robe, its seal marked with the intricately mysterious ancient character 'Zhu', emitting a simple, noble aura.
"I've brought you a family letter!" Elder Zheng tossed the envelope in front of Zhu Bufan.
Zhu Bufan's gaze slightly contracted, feeling surprised in his heart. This gold-plated envelope is one of the Zhu Family's high-level envelopes, ranking second only to the Purple Gold Envelope. A family letter sealed in a gold-plated envelope signifies the writer holds significant status within the Zhu Family.
"Family letter? Who wrote it!" His heart stirred profoundly, Zhu Bufan's voice trembled slightly.
"Hehe, Young Master Zhu, you can simply open it and see for yourself!" Elder Zheng teased.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Bufan's heart pondered: "Could it be him?"
This 'him' was none other than Zhu Bufan's biological father, Zhu Xiaotian.
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