The Eleven Clans' Competition, The Whole Family's Shock

Back home, Chen Yan heard the sound of stir-frying coming from the kitchen.

Calling it a kitchen was generous—it was really just a stove built from mud and bricks against the courtyard wall, surrounded by a simple wooden shack patched together with planks.

"Brother, you're back."

A crisp, lively girl's voice rang out. A girl of about sixteen stepped out of the kitchen, wearing a white T-shirt. Her features were about sixty percent similar to Chen Yan's, her fair skin tinged with a light wheat color, and she was quite pretty. The moment she saw Chen Yan, her big eyes sparkled like scattered starlight, and she smiled brightly.

"How did a girl end up so tall?" Chen Yan teased.

His sister Chen Yu was only sixteen, but she was already a full meter seven, only half a head shorter than him. Among a crowd of girls, she stood out like a crane among chickens.

Chen Yan quickly noticed a few scrapes on Chen Yu's left wrist.

Those must be from the car accident.

Still, getting away with just that much injury from a crash was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

"Keep talking about my height, and I'm ignoring you," Chen Yu said, deliberately pulling a long face and pouting at him. But then she noticed the wounds on his body and asked with concern, "Brother, your injuries..."

Chen Yan's injuries weren't serious overall, but paired with his torn clothes, he looked pretty miserable.

"Just some accidental scratches," Chen Yan brushed it off casually, then asked, "Where's Dad?"

"Dad said he went to buy some groceries."

As Chen Yu's words fell, Chen Yan nodded and finally let out a sigh of relief. He'd have to have a good talk with Dad tonight.

For now, though, there was the matter of his sister's car accident today.

Just as he was about to speak, Chen Yu walked back into the kitchen: "Dinner's almost ready, Brother. Go change your clothes first—you're all dirty."

"I'll cook."

"Ew~"

Chen Yu's disgusted voice came from inside: "Brother, don't you have any self-awareness?"

Chen Yan pressed his lips together. What did she mean by that? Was his cooking really that bad?

He'd ask about the accident over dinner, he decided, and walked into the house.

Inside the kitchen.

Chen Yu continued stir-frying. In the wok were cured meat and cabbage; the lard was being rendered out of the meat, filling the whole kitchen with a rich, mouthwatering aroma.

Inside Chen Yu's consciousness world, a blurry figure in a red dress stood silently, speaking softly: "Your brother hasn't even awakened his Blood Qi. Compared to you, he's far too ordinary."

"I haven't awakened my Blood Qi either," Chen Yu said, pursing her lips and smiling carelessly. Though she spoke, no sound came from her in the kitchen.

"That's different. Your talent in formation diagrams is one in ten thousand. Awakening Blood Qi is neither here nor there."

The female voice sounded again in Chen Yu's mind. Chen Yu pressed her red lips together and quietly continued cooking.

"The Martial Dao has no end. You'll have to let go eventually. A bottle of Qi and Blood Drink costs five hundred, enough to buy you a basic formation etching disc, yet you used it to buy your brother a bottle of mostly useless Blood Qi Spirit Medicine."

Inside her mind, the woman let out a sigh.

"Because I can't afford the Blood Qi Spirit Medicine," Chen Yu muttered. The female voice in her mind paused noticeably.

"You need to get stronger as fast as possible. The Five Clans Competition is about to begin, and you're still at the starting stage—far too weak. That car this morning? If it weren't for me, you'd already be a corpse. They've made their move."

As the woman's voice faded, Chen Yu's hand stirring the wok froze, and anger flared in her eyes.

"Was it really them?"

"It should be them. I can't think of anyone else it would be."

The red-dressed woman spoke gently: "Your brother is still alive because he isn't strong and has no potential to become strong. But you're different. You'll be very powerful in the future. Your family will only ever see your back. Leaving them is your best choice."

Chen Yu frowned, her expression turning sour: "Teacher, what meaning is there in a path to strength like that?"

The red-dressed woman paused, said nothing more, but let out a soft, smiling sigh, as if she could already see Chen Yu's future.

"How could you only tell me now!"

Inside a two-story rural self-built house, Hu Zeyuan glared furiously at his son Hu Yuan, who was lying on the sofa.

"That little bastard hit you, and you just took it? How can you be so spineless!"

Hu Zeyuan's eyes were full of disappointment and indignation. If someone hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known that his own son had been sent flying by Chen Yan's punch.

Just now, when he lifted Hu Yuan's clothes, he indeed saw a large red mark on his chest.

The more he looked, the angrier he got. His son had always suppressed Chen Yan, and for all these years, his family had suppressed the Chen family.

Hu Zeyuan looked down on Chen Yuxu's family from the bottom of his heart.

Now, his son was weaker than Chen Yan in the Punching Strength Test, and even beaten like this by Chen Yan—how could he not be furious?

"Useless!"

Hu Zeyuan barked in a low voice, then turned and left directly.

"Dad, where are you going?"

Hu Yuan quickly stood up and asked.

"Mind your own business. Didn't you make plans with Zhang Qingsi tonight? Why aren't you leaving yet?" Hu Zeyuan strode straight out of the yard.

Inside the living room, Hu Yuan opened his mouth, but the scene of being punched flying by Chen Yan replayed in his mind, and for some reason, a chill ran through him.

But he quickly gathered his clothes, ready to head out.

His father wanted him to get close to Zhang Qingsi—that was important.

Over the past few days, he had come to understand more and more how formidable martial artists were. No matter how hard ordinary people like them tried, they couldn't even touch a single hair on a martial artist's head.

As long as he befriended Zhang Qingsi, in the future, a single word from Zhang Qingsi might change the fate of his entire family.

Chen Yuxu didn't return home until six in the evening.

He was carrying a bag of cold mixed vegetables.

In the living room, Chen Yuxu set out the dishes, obvious fatigue in his eyes.

Chen Yan sat down quietly, planning to bring out the Red-haired Ganoderma during the meal. As for Luo Puxin's promise to send someone with Qingju Snake meat, he decided not to mention it for now.

If the Qingju Snake meat was very valuable, and if Luo Puxin later regretted it, then their family would only be disappointed for nothing.

"Brother, bring the rice!"

From the kitchen came his sister's voice.

"Okay."

A pot of stir-fried cabbage with cured meat, a bowl of tofu mixed with century egg, plus the cold beef Chen Yuxu had bought.

Such a lavish meal only happened once or twice a month.

Today, Chen Yu had been in a car accident but only ended up with scrapes—that was already a blessing in the midst of misfortune.

"Where did you go? Why do you have so many injuries?"

Chen Yuxu finally noticed the scrapes on Chen Yan's body.

"I fell down."

Chen Yuxu nodded, not pressing further about Chen Yan's injuries.

"Brother, I want to give you something." Beside him, Chen Yu spoke with a mysterious smile.

"Oh?" Chen Yan was a little surprised: "I have something to show everyone too."

Chen Yuxu looked at the mysterious brother and sister, but there was no smile in his eyes. He picked up a steamed bun, dipped it in tofu, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Soon, both siblings walked into the living room carrying their backpacks.

Chen Yan was a little surprised, but seeing the joy on Chen Yu's face, his attention shifted to the backpack in his sister's arms.

Could there be another surprise?

"Brother, here."

Chen Yu took out a bottle of Qi and Blood Drink from her backpack, exactly the same as the one Wang Yang had given him earlier.

Chen Yan opened his mouth, but couldn't resist Chen Yu's excitement. He took the bottle of Qi and Blood Drink with one hand.

But a question arose in his mind.

This bottle of Qi and Blood Drink cost five hundred yuan.

Where did Chen Yu get the money?

Beside him, Chen Yuxu's gaze was drawn to the bottle of Qi and Blood Drink, and his expression gradually darkened.

"Xiao Yu, where did you get the money to buy a Qi and Blood Drink?" Chen Yuxu frowned.

"Dad, don't worry about that. Today, Brother..." Chen Yu started to say.

"I told you to go to school, not to save money!" Chen Yuxu sighed lightly: "What use is a Qi and Blood Drink? Spending five hundred on this—don't you think it's a waste of money?"

Chen Yu bit her lip, looking at Chen Yan with a hint of grievance, her eyes seeking help.

Chen Yuxu let out a soft sigh. Looking at Chen Yu, who was on the verge of tears, he really couldn't bring himself to pursue the matter of that bottle of Qi and Blood Drink any further.

"Xiao Yu, your teacher sent someone to pass a message to me this morning, saying that County No.1 High School is forming a Qi and Blood Surge Class. It's been a whole month—why didn't you tell me?"

As he spoke, Chen Yuxu took a cloth bundle from his pocket. The worn, floral fabric clearly wrapped around something.

He handed it to Chen Yu.

"Take this when you go to school tomorrow."

Chen Yu's expression shifted slightly. She didn't take the bundle.

"I'm not joining, Dad."

Chen Yuxu's face darkened.

"Your teacher says you have excellent physical fitness and might Awaken Blood Qi in your third year. You have to sign up for this class!"

"Dad!" Chen Yu tried to speak again, but Chen Yuxu waved his hand.

"Sign up for the class."

Watching his father and sister, Chen Yan spoke up.

"Dad, don't blame Xiao Yu. It's just one bottle of Qi and Blood Drink. Today, I..."

"One bottle of Qi and Blood Drink?" Chen Yuxu frowned, looking at Chen Yan with clear anger in his eyes, but the next moment, it died out.

He couldn't bring himself to scold too much.

The reason the family was like this was because he couldn't earn money.

"Xiao Yu, you drink this one. Teacher Wang Yang gave me a bottle as a reward the day before yesterday," Chen Yan said quietly, looking at Chen Yu. But when he met her pitiful, tearful eyes, he faltered and accepted the bottle of Qi and Blood Drink.

On a normal day, he wouldn't have drunk it; he might have even returned it outright.

But thinking about the Red-haired Ganoderma still in his backpack, Chen Yan found that this bottle of Qi and Blood Drink didn't seem like a big deal.

"Thank you, Xiao Yu." Chen Yan patted Chen Yu's head and smiled.

"Mm." Chen Yu's tears turned into a smile, and she nodded firmly.

Inside Chen Yu's Consciousness World, the stunningly beautiful Red-dressed Woman saw everything unfold through Chen Yu's perspective.

She was about to speak, but sensing Chen Yu's emotions, she shook her head with a faint smile.

As a third party watching this scene, the woman had never experienced anything like this in her entire life.

Yet she could clearly discern the difference between Chen Yan, Chen Yu's brother, and Chen Yuxu, their father.

Chen Yuxu's anger over Chen Yu's Qi and Blood Drink was entirely understandable.

But Chen Yan, as the older brother, only exchanged a few polite words before accepting it.

Even though Chen Yan could guess how much his sister had scrimped and saved for that bottle of Qi and Blood Drink, he still took it.

Chen Yu was young, but she could naturally think of many things.

Were children's minds simple?

Not really. Sometimes, the younger they were, the harder it was to let go of their desires.

A single bottle of Qi and Blood Drink already revealed a lot.

But the next moment, the Red-dressed Woman's eyes shifted slightly.

"Let's eat first."

Chen Yuxu said quietly, reaching for a steamed bun from the basin. But his gaze twisted slightly, catching a glimpse of something red.

It seemed to be something Chen Yan had just taken out of his backpack...

Wait a moment!

Chen Yuxu's eyes widened instantly as he stared.

"Red-haired Ganoderma!"

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