Who said this card is outrageous?

He sighed and brought up family matters: "Brother, you don't know this, but the reason I'm in such a hurry to regain my fighting strength is because I don't want my family to be affected."

He glanced at Yin He sitting beside him, his tone tinged with bitterness: "You see, I have a family to support. If I, the head of the household, collapse, how will we survive?"

Yin He didn't say anything, but silently refilled her husband's empty wine glass.

Ma Qiyun stood up and downed his drink in one gulp, then said indignantly, "Ha, if I hadn't been so impatient, I wouldn't have been tricked by those guys again."

As he spoke, he slammed the glass down hard, splashing a few drops of the remaining wine onto the table.

After calming down a bit, he looked at Zhang Che and said, "To be honest, brother, if I hadn't happened to run into you back then, I probably would have been severely injured, even if I had survived."

Thinking of the battle he had fought against the Eclipse Rhinoceros in the Gray Rift, his already somewhat hazy eyes suddenly cleared up, and his fingers tightened around the wine glass, his knuckles turning white.

The next second, Yin He's hand reached out from under the table and firmly grasped his palm.

The two people looked at each other silently at the table, neither of them speaking, but the exchange in their eyes was enough.

After another ten seconds or so, Ma Qiyun's breathing began to calm down, and the tension he had been holding in slowly eased.

Zhang Che sat opposite him, took a sip of his wine, and looked away, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

It's true that he had a lot of experience interacting with women in his past life, but he had absolutely no experience when it came to the tacit understanding and warmth that only comes after forming a family.

This is why he ultimately chose to back down when faced with the advances of Ruan Ruoshi and Pan Tingting.

People tend to instinctively resist the unknown, especially when they are unsure whether they can shoulder the responsibility.

Fortunately, Ma Qiyun and Yin He didn't linger for long. About ten seconds later, Ma Qiyun came to her senses, turned her head and saw Zhang Che staring blankly at the painting on the wall. She immediately slapped her forehead and quickly picked up her wine glass.

Having inadvertently neglected his guest, Ma Qiyun immediately apologized: "Oh dear, look at me! I was drinking and left my brother hanging. I deserve to be punished!"

After saying that, he gulped down three glasses in a row, the liquor dripping down his chin. He wiped it haphazardly with the back of his hand, unaware that the redness on his face had spread to the base of his neck.

Once the alcohol took effect, Ma Qiyun completely let loose and started saying whatever came to mind.

For example, showing off how well his wife has raised his two children, or saying things like, "Brother Zhang Che, you are so young, handsome, and capable, don't you have any plans to find a woman to settle down with?"

Before Zhang Che could even answer, Ma Qiyun interrupted, "If you have any ideas, just tell me! I've been in the Adventurers' Guild for so many years, I know everyone. I can guarantee I'll pick out a few good ones for you—good-looking and capable. Whichever one you fancy, we'll go find them..."

He also boasted that he managed to win over his wife by acting early, so it's important to find a partner as early as possible.

Zhang Che quickly waved his hand, forcing a smile: "Brother Ma, Brother Ma, there's no rush. I'm still too young; I don't have the mind to think about these things."

Then, while changing the subject, he kept urging Ma Qiyun, who was eager to get drunk, to drink more, so that he could calm down as soon as possible.

Ma Qiyun accepted all offers without hesitation, downing each one in one gulp.

However, Zhang Che clearly underestimated Ma Qiyun's alcohol tolerance. After downing seven or eight more glasses of wine, Ma Qiyun not only didn't pass out, but became even more unrestrained.

The alcohol seemed to bring to the surface something deeper within him: "Brother, let me speak from the bottom of my heart."

"Actually, I've already figured it out. This time, being tricked into going to the Gray Nether Rift wasn't just about those few bastards! There's probably someone else behind it all. Even if they didn't personally push me, they're at least standing by and watching me suffer another big loss."

"They just want to see Ma Qiyun bow his head, accept his fate, and obediently become someone's dog."

When he said the last few words, his voice clearly sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

Yin He never pulled her hand away from his palm, silently offering her husband support.

As she spoke, Ma Qiyun's voice even trembled with emotion.

“Seriously, brother, do you know how desperate I was back then?” He looked up at Zhang Che, his eyes bloodshot. “The moment the fifth-tier Netherworld Rhinoceros appeared, all I could think about was—if I just died in there, what would happen to Ling Feng and Ling Ling? How could Yin He support this family all by herself? I was really, really…”

He couldn't continue. His head slumped down, his forehead hitting his crossed arms. His shoulders twitched, and his voice was muffled: "If you hadn't given me the Black Rhino Armor, I don't know if I would have had the courage to leave the Gray Nether Rift..."

After venting her emotions, Ma Qiyun finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.

Looking at the man whose face was flushed and who had no regard for his appearance, Zhang Che couldn't quite describe his feelings. He could only silently drink a cup of wine with him.

The private room was silent for a few seconds.

Yin He looked down at her husband's back as he slumped over the table, and reached out to clean the debris off his clothes.

Those practiced movements suggested that this wasn't the first time this scene had unfolded between the couple.

"I'm so sorry, Brother Zhang Che." She looked up at Zhang Che, her face showing some apology. "Old Zhang has been having a lot of frustration lately, and he finally had a chance to vent. I just couldn't bear to stop him."

As she spoke, her gaze returned to Ma Qiyun, and she touched the back of his cheek with the back of her hand to test his temperature before continuing her speech.

As a rare and extraordinary professional, the Divine Weapon Guardian, and having obtained top-tier equipment like the Heavenly Origin Giant Shield right from his debut, one can imagine how high Ma Qiyun's spirits were back then.

He lived a smooth and successful life for many years until he was tricked by a villain who completely destroyed his Heavenly Yuan Shield. Only then did Ma Qiyun finally feel the malice he had never experienced before.

Chapter 335 The Children of the Ma Family

One by one, the people who used to fawn over him dispersed. Some made sarcastic remarks openly or secretly, some tried to find out his background under the guise of concern, and most simply watched coldly from the sidelines.

Fortunately, Ma Qiyun did not succumb to despair, but actively sought ways to make a comeback. However, his inner pride made him unable to accept being someone's lackey, which naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of many people.

In Yin He's view, being tricked by a group in the Gray Nether Rift was an unavoidable calamity.

"To be honest, after I found out about this, I was already mentally prepared to never see him again..."

Yin He gently stroked the sleeping Ma Qiyun, her face full of tenderness.

"I know his temper all too well. Such a proud person, if he knew he had no hope of making a comeback and could only grovel before others..."

She didn't dare finish her sentence, but Zhang Che understood what the unfinished part meant.

Given Ma Qiyun's personality, once he completely accepts his fate, he is very likely to get stuck in a rut and make a decision that everyone will regret.

Zhang Che remained silent for a moment, but after hearing Ma Qiyun's heartfelt words while drunk, he had a different opinion.

"Sister-in-law, you're overthinking it. I can see that Brother Ma truly loves you and the child. Even if it's just for you two, he'll live on."

Yin He paused for a moment, then smiled with relief and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Zhang Che drank the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp, then got up to take his leave.

"Sister-in-law, I'm leaving now. Please take care of Brother Ma. We can talk about anything else after he wakes up."

With Ma Qiyun currently drunk and unconscious, leaving only the two of them, a man and a woman, it's rather inconvenient.

To avoid unnecessary rumors, Zhang Che felt it was better to take the initiative.

As for how Yin He would get Ma Qiyun home, that wasn't his concern—besides, given the size of the hotel, it would be incredibly inconsiderate of them not even offered to take a drunk guest home.

As for Zhang Che, he's a perfectly healthy person, so there's no need to worry about him.

Yin He did not insist, but simply watched Zhang Che's figure disappear completely outside the door.

Then she pulled the chair closer, sat down next to Ma Qiyun, reached out and touched his sleeping face, and whispered, "Old Ma, our family has really met a benefactor this time."

……

After their heart-to-heart talk over dinner last time—although strictly speaking, it was Zhang Che who was the one receiving the message—the two became much closer.

Ma Qiyun would invite Zhang Che every few days, sometimes just for a meal, but more often to ask him about how to use the Black Rhino Armor.

Zhang Che himself was no stranger to the Black Rhino Armor, and even felt a sense of fulfillment in his childhood memories.

So even when I first used it, I was able to use it with ease and without any obstacles.

But for Ma Qiyun, this kind of object, which requires so-called "intention" to drive perfectly, was simply too unfamiliar.

Moreover, it is precisely this instinctive unfamiliarity from the users that always causes various problems in their cooperation.

Fortunately, this problem is not difficult to solve. The main solution is to let Ma Qiyun spend more time with the [Black Rhino Armor] and increase their connection.

To express his gratitude for Zhang Che's recent help, Ma Qiyun once again invited him to his home.

Zhang Che agreed, and after hanging up the phone, he thought about it for a moment and felt that he couldn't go there empty-handed.

He flipped through his stored materials and picked out a few low-level summoning cards to make—Vulpix, Eevee, and a Togepi he had made during his previous experiment with fusion abilities—all of them were cute in appearance and gentle in personality.

At the same time, it possesses considerable combat power, making it a perfect fit for a lower-level superhuman like Yin He who lacks combat prowess.

Zhang Che had already discovered that Yin He was actually a low-level superhuman when they first met, judging from her mental strength, she was probably around the second level.

This is not surprising. After all, given Ma Qiyun's abilities at his peak, as long as Yin He wasn't completely devoid of extraordinary talent, he was capable of helping her awaken as an extraordinary being.

Although most of these superhumans who awaken through external means have little potential, Ma Qiyun certainly didn't intend for his wife to do anything. He simply wanted her to have the ability to protect herself or to become a superhuman and gain physical qualities superior to ordinary people, and that would be enough.

Now that Zhang Che has given her the cards, her safety level can be increased a bit.

Even if all else fails, summoning them to play with the children is still a good thing.

……

Two days later, Zhang Che arrived at Ma Qiyun's home as promised and met Ma Qiyun's two children: a son named Ma Lingfeng, fifteen years old, and a daughter named Ma Lingling, ten years old.

Ma Lingling, with two small braids, stood timidly behind her mother, peeking out half her head to look at Zhang Che with curiosity in her eyes.

Ma Lingfeng, on the other hand, appeared much more generous. The fifteen-year-old boy had already begun to grow taller and was not much shorter than Zhang Che, with delicate features.

The former is just an ordinary little girl—of course, at her age, even if she has any talent, it's not very obvious. At the very least, she won't be able to gradually reveal any potential talent until she's at least twelve or thirteen years old and her development is basically complete.

At first, Zhang Che didn't notice anything unusual about Ma Lingfeng, but when the kid couldn't control himself and started injecting his spiritual power into the [Six-Tailed Fox] like his mother, he actually activated the card!

This shows that Ma Lingfeng's mental strength talent is much stronger than that of his peers, which is a good thing in itself. But don't forget that he has not undergone any systematic development and training, and his output of mental strength is extremely unstable.

The moment the card was activated, a fluffy blue beast appeared above the coffee table.

But its outline had barely solidified for a moment when, due to a violent fluctuation in the supply of spiritual energy that sustained its existence, it shattered with a pop, turning into scattered specks of light.

The next second, Ma Lingfeng's face turned deathly pale, a layer of cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead, and he leaned back and fell onto the sofa.

His mind suffered a backlash; the intense stinging pain prevented him from even making a sound, and he could only instinctively cover his head and curl up into a ball.

Zhang Che reacted quickly, placing his right hand directly on Ma Lingfeng's shoulder. Pure spiritual energy surged from his palm, enveloping the boy's violently trembling mental sea like a tide.

Before long, Zhang Che adjusted the appropriate output rhythm and intensity, gradually calming down the chaotic fluctuations of mental energy in the other party.

About twenty seconds passed before Ma Lingfeng's face gradually regained some color, and his breathing became steady.

Chapter 336 Extraordinary Talent

When Zhang Che removed his hand from Ma Lingfeng, Ma Qiyun finally realized what had just happened.

But he didn't rush to intervene. Instead, he stood there calmly, watching Zhang Che skillfully handle his son's situation.

At the same time, he didn't forget to pull the bewildered Ma Lingling into his arms and gently comfort her.

The little girl was terrified when she saw her brother suddenly collapse on the sofa. Although she didn't quite understand what had happened, she clearly saw the pain on Ma Lingfeng's face and was so scared that she huddled in her father's arms, not daring to make a sound.