In those days — during Dragon Nation's booming years — Feng Kang had fixed his sights on real-estate development to fuel his rapid expansion.
He resorted to violent demolitions and forced sales, doing plenty of illegal things along the way.
Later, when the "mass entrepreneurship" craze swept the country, countless people dove into startups.
His son seized the chance, offering loans to these entrepreneurs.
If they couldn't repay, the Feng family had many ways to "settle" the matter.
Feng Kang never imagined that the crimes he'd buried so many years ago would one day be dug up again.
"Who was it? Chen Cai? The Dai family?"
He roared furiously. "You all deserve to die — every last one of you!"
At the same time
In the Dai family, Dai Xuan was also staring at the breaking news.
Across from him sat a middle-aged woman, her gaze sharp as knives.
"Shouldn't we avenge Xiao Xiao's death?" she hissed.
"Of course," Dai Xuan said, nodding slightly. "I'll call our people right away and add fuel to the fire. We've known about the Feng family's crimes for years, but we never had proof. Now that evidence has surfaced, we'll make sure they're sent away."
"I don't want them sent to prison," the woman snapped. "I want them sent to hell!"
"Fine then," Dai Xuan said evenly. "To hell they go."
Meanwhile, Xu Mu sat back in his executive chair, watching the same report on the office television.
That morning, Chen Cai had called him — she'd found the incriminating material.
He hadn't bothered meeting her in person. He simply told her to hand the footage to the TV station.
He knew perfectly well that after Dai Xiao's death, the Dai family must have already learned the truth.
And once they knew, what would they do?
There was no way they'd let the matter fade away quietly — they'd want the entire nation to know.
Which meant Xu Mu didn't even have to lift a finger.
As expected, trending topics about the Feng family multiplied by the minute.
He clicked one — every major business in Yang City was publicly denouncing the Fengs.
Some were even posting with sarcastic undertones, urging the government to "thoroughly investigate" the Feng family's holdings — "to restore fairness."
Xu Mu smiled. So many corporations striking in unison… obviously, the Dai family was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"It's over."
He leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window.
Unless something miraculous happened, the Feng family was finished.
His phone buzzed, interrupting his thoughts. The caller ID read Xu Shou.
"What's up?" Xu Mu answered with a smile.
"You're at the company today, aren't you? Come to my office."
Hearing his father's tone, Xu Mu stretched lazily — most likely, this was about the Feng family.
When he arrived at the top-floor office, Xu Ningbing was already there as usual.
"The Feng family mess — you had a hand in that, didn't you?" Xu Shou asked with a grin.
"I did," Xu Mu replied, sitting down on the black leather sofa.
He didn't mention that Feng Kang had tried to have him killed.
Anything that dangerous, he wouldn't tell his family — they couldn't help, and it would only worry them.
"Hahaha! To think the Feng family, who once went toe-to-toe with us, ended up crushed by my son!" Xu Shou laughed, lighting a cigarette. "What irony."
"Dad, back then we only lost because of the Ye family's drag. Otherwise, the outcome might've been different," said Xu Ningbing.
"Doesn't matter. This time, we've won."
Xu Shou leaned back, taking a long drag and exhaling toward the window. "Our industries overlap heavily with theirs. We must seize this chance to replace them."
"But if we do, the hidden clans will set their sights on us again," Xu Ningbing said quietly, clenching her fists. "After taking the divine medicine, I've reached the Hidden Force stage, but I still don't know if I can stand against them."
Xu Mu was stunned — so the divine medicine really works that well.
Without alchemical refinement, just simple absorption had such results.
Since they were talking realms, Xu Mu decided to use the Divine Eye to check his father's status.
Name: Xu Shou
Role: Chairman of Jiang City's Xu Group
Favorability: (Maxed)
Fate Level: 3 / 10
Xu Mu frowned — why did the old man's Fate Level keep rising?
It had started at 1, and now in such a short time, it was 3.
He opened the detailed view.
Realm: Gang Qi (Mid Stage)
Physique: 290
Spirit: 99
Xu Mu drew a sharp breath. That growth speed was abnormal.
But thinking carefully — it made sense.
Xu Shou's meridians had once been damaged; perhaps this wasn't progress, but recovery — a return to his original strength.
Once he reached his former realm, the improvement would probably stop.
"Ningbing, you're still far from it." Xu Shou flicked his ash. "To become a hidden-clan family, you need at least Gang Qi level. But even among the clans, there's fierce competition. Anyone trying to claim resources with just early-stage Gang Qi will be crushed — that's how families fall."
"Then what realm is enough to stabilize a clan?" Xu Ningbing asked.
"At minimum, a hidden clan must have a late-stage Gang Qi expert to keep rivals in check," Xu Shou explained. "That's the bare minimum — most are far stronger."
"Dad, are there higher realms beyond that? You never told me," Xu Ningbing pressed, sitting beside Xu Mu.
"You can ask Xiao Mu. Judging from his look, he already knows," Xu Shou said with a teasing smile.
"Come on, Xiao Mu, tell us."
Ningbing nudged him lightly with her elbow.
Xu Mu slouched back into the sofa and began explaining:
"The so-called path of cultivation is the process of transforming one's Qi from inward to outward."
"Mhm," Ningbing nodded, listening attentively.
"Internal Force (Ming Jin) — you open your spiritual meridians and begin forming Qi. You're not much different from an ordinary person, just stronger."
"Hidden Force (An Jin) — you open more meridians and can compress Qi, releasing it explosively to inflict serious damage."
"Gang Qi — Qi increases significantly, breaking through your meridians and opening all eight extraordinary vessels, allowing Qi to burst outside your body."
Xu Mu glanced at Ningbing, explaining slowly.
She didn't interrupt, waiting for the next part.
She had heard the first three stages from Xu Shou before.
"Next is the Mystic Art Realm (Shentong) — as the name implies, once your meridians are fully connected, Qi can emanate directly from every pore of your body."
He raised his hand. "Humans align with the five elements — for example, I'm fire-aligned, so my Qi appears red. As for you…"
He trailed off suddenly.
According to the later plot, he knew Ningbing's life element was water — water-aligned.
But it was too early to reveal that.
"What about me?" she asked curiously.
"For instance, if you were wood-aligned, your Qi would be green," Xu Mu replied smoothly.
Of course, there were unique constitutions that didn't belong to the five elements — but for now, that was beyond her reach.
"In early Mystic Art, only a little Qi seeps from your pores. By mid-stage, it increases; by late-stage, the Qi can envelop your entire body."
When Xu Mu fought Lin Yang before, he had used drugs to force his cultivation higher — temporarily entering late Mystic Art Realm.
"And after that?" Ningbing asked, leaning forward expectantly.