While I'm at the martial arts academy, my wife is cultivating while I enjoy life.

Zhou Family Compound.

Grandmaster Zhao Lie hurriedly landed in the middle of the lake, knocked on the mechanism door, and fell into the castle at the bottom of the lake.

He walked in without a word, sat on the sofa, picked up a cigar, and took a deep drag.

Seeing his dejected look, Zhou Liren asked, "Fang Jing didn't succeed in killing him?"

"That old bastard is protecting them and trying to wear me down. How am I supposed to kill him?"

"What do you mean? Is Sun Changqing alright?"

"That's all."

"What's gone?"

"It's all burned up. I warned him and reminded him, but he wouldn't listen at all. Do you expect me, a grandmaster, to kneel down and beg him?"

Zhou Liren jumped up abruptly, "Sun Changqing is dead?"

"Dead!"

"You son of a bitch!" Zhou Liren cursed, pointing at Zhao Lie.

"You're over a hundred years old, how can you still be so impulsive? Our descendants are all serving in the northern border, and they could be seriously injured at any time. Without Sun Changqing, who will treat them?"

Zhao Lie was also very annoyed and remained silent.

He was also in a fit of anger at the time.

A dignified Grandmaster of Fire, the second lord of Jiangling City, always decisive in killing, yet he can't handle a mere wife and child? Wouldn't that be a laughing stock?

"Also, Sun Changqing was the chief medical officer during the Cataclysmic War, saving hundreds of experts. He must have saved you too, right?"

"His influence even surpasses yours and mine. If word gets out that you, Zhao Lie, are repaying kindness with enmity by killing your own brother, where will you put your face?"

Zhao Lie was getting a little impatient.

"Enough! If you're so good at reasoning, why don't you talk to that old bastard? He stays in this godforsaken place all day and never goes out to see the world. I told you to kill Yang Ding, and you cowered like a coward, afraid that the Queen will come after you."

"Weren't all those students from Donghai City, Beijing City, and Xiyu City who were paired with genius girls killed?"

"Yang Ding is different."

"What's the difference?"

Seeing that the temperature was starting to rise, Zhou Liren had no choice but to adjust his attitude.

In this enclosed space, he might not be a match for Zhao Lie; he might even melt down Zhao Lie's 800 billion yuan Black Gold Castle.

He took out a fine Cabernet Sauvignon and poured Zhao Lie a glass, his tone softening.

"Hundreds of young warriors die every day in the North. We can not only enjoy the fruits of their hunts, but also imported cigars, Western Region red wine, and specially supplied Wagyu beef. What a wonderful life! We should cherish it, because good days won't last long."

"Even if you don't rebel, the Queen will still take you down."

"We don't know which of the four city-states the queen and those eight old men will deal with first. Let's not be the ones to be taken advantage of."

This is Zhou Liren's strategy.

Jiangling City has a good climate, which is suitable for agricultural development, but it is not rich in resources.

The northern border has abundant cultivation resources, as well as 20 million elite soldiers from the Jinglong Kingdom.

The Western Regions City possesses the largest black gold mine on Earth, coveted by the entire world.

In the vast ocean of Donghai City, there are cultivation resources necessary to become a Grandmaster of the Water System.

If we can survive until the Queen attacks other city-states first, we might even be able to snag Emperor Jinglong.

After the cataclysmic war, of the five great empires of Blue Star, only the Jinglong Kingdom had no one claiming the title of emperor.

The Queen kept the throne in place, and when a Grandmaster pressed her for the reason, she replied with four words: "I am not a true dragon."

This made the grandmasters extremely envious. Could it be that they were the true dragons?

Now, eighteen years have passed, and the true dragon has still not appeared.

"Sun Changqing is the president of Jiangling University. He was personally appointed by the Queen. Now that he's dead, the Empire will definitely send a Grandmaster-level figure to investigate. We just need to gloss over it and not get angry again."

"I know, I know."

Zhou Liren still didn't trust Zhao Lie. Taking action in Jiangling City was incredibly foolish. He smashed his own territory to pieces. What's the point of being a city lord without any power?

He pointed to a beautiful calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall, which read: "Grandmaster = Nuclear bomb with a yield of 100 million tons".

"This is Zeng Qian's handwriting, used to warn us that fighting between Grandmasters is equivalent to triggering a self-destruct program. I think it makes a lot of sense. Take it back and hang it in your study. Grandmasters must have the composure of a Grandmaster and not panic in the face of adversity."

"Okay, take it down."

Ye Rou's mother, Zeng Qian, and the current queen are both Grandmaster Goddesses from the Great Cataclysm era, and all the Grandmasters want to get their hands on them.

Even after Ye Jian's death, and despite Zeng Qian being a mother of two, Zhou Liren and Zhao Lie still fawned over her like lapdogs.

But she would rather die for love at the Wall in the North than accept the two men.

As for Queen Jinglong, she is even more bizarre. She looks down on all men and still doesn't know who Murong Wan'er's biological father is.

Zhou Liren took down the banner and was about to hand it to Zhao Lie when he heard Qin Xiangyu's voice coming from the walkie-talkie.

"Dad, Ruoxi has been kidnapped."

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Zhou Ruoxi ran away with Yang Ding."

Zhou Liren disagreed, "Why would she run off with Yang Ding? They have no connection."

"The law enforcement officers said she disappeared from her office out of thin air, and Yang Ding also disappeared from my place out of thin air. Fang Jing must have taken her away."

"Her computer is still on. She submitted Yang Ding's championship spot to the Empire System, and it has just been approved."

Zhou Liren's scalp tightened, and he roared, "Where's Molly? Tell her to come see me."

"Molly doesn't know, she might have been kidnapped too."

Enraged, Zhou Liren slammed the banner to the ground and rushed towards the exit, cursing under his breath.

"Yang Ding, I'm going to tear you to pieces."

"Old Zhou, don't get angry," Zhao Lie shouted. "Remember what you just told me."

"Screw you!"

After Zhou Liren finished cursing, he rushed out of the ladder shaft in a great hurry.

Zhou Ruoxi was the second person in the Zhou family who could potentially become a Grandmaster, and she was just snatched away by that blond guy. Can you imagine how anxious he must be?

……

Jiangling City, outside Dongwei City.

Yang Ding led Zhou Ruoxi through nine escape routes before arriving, taking a short break in between. His current mental strength allows him to escape for about 10 kilometers each time.

"Where did you agree to meet?" Zhou Ruoxi asked.

Yang Ding pointed to a rusty cargo ship on the riverbank, "It's right here. Zhang Peng brought his wife and children here to stake out the place last night."

"Is Zhang Peng really a member of the Imperial Guard?"

"Yes, he used to be a major general, but he'll be your husband's sidekick from now on."

"Look how smug you are."

Zhang Peng's wife is an A+ level wood-type ability user, making her an essential asset for forming a team.

Bringing these two talents under his command is indeed a great boost to Yang Ding's abilities.

Zhang Peng, holding a short sword, stepped out from the abandoned shipping container behind the two men, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Governor Zhou."

As the local security chief, Zhou Ruoxi's position was not as high as Zhang Peng's, so she clasped her hands in greeting and said, "You flatter me, Instructor Zhang. From now on, I will be a homeless woman, not some governor."

"Please come in, they are in the cabin."

As soon as the three entered the cabin, they heard the city lord Zhou Liren's deep shouts coming from the air.

"Xiao Qi, you traitor, come back to see me right now!"

"I'm doomed, my dad is furious, now the whole of Jiangling knows that you've kidnapped me."

Yang Ding quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Second wife, quickly activate the spatial escape. Let's escape to a place 300 kilometers away first, so that Lord Zhou can't catch up with us."