An hour later, Lin Ao sat on the sofa, his face full of guilt.
This time, he really was in the wrong. Not long ago, he'd nearly lost his life at the amusement park, then turned around and vanished on them.
But there were some things he couldn't just tell them outright. It wasn't convenient to explain them, either.
"Fine, we'll let it slide this time. But if you ever come home this late again, your mom and I are definitely having a second child!"
Lin Dong and Li Wanyu shot him an exasperated look.
"I promise it won't happen again! Also... Mom, Dad, are you Great Grandmasters?"
Lin Ao finally had the chance to ask the question that had been on his mind for so long. He'd felt something was off earlier. Otherwise, how could they have moved fast enough to kidnap someone? Come on.
Lin Dong and Li Wanyu exchanged a smile and nodded together, essentially telling Lin Ao he'd guessed right—but there was no prize.
Gu Wanqing was startled, too. Uncle Lin and Aunt Li were actually Great Grandmasters?
"Your mom and I really are Great Grandmasters. Otherwise, how do you think the Lin Family and the Li Family have managed to stand firm all these years? Business acumen isn't enough; you need strength of your own, too. If you hadn't been completely lacking in talent, you'd have been sent to train with the family from a young age."
Just as Lin Dong said, money alone couldn't keep a great family standing for all these years. If powerful people from other forces could kill you every time you stepped outside, then no matter how rich you were, it wouldn't help. And people's hearts were hard to read; the helpers you hired with money weren't necessarily reliable. Building up your own strength was the safest bet, especially for a great family like theirs, which placed even greater importance on it.
"Then why didn't you tell me? I always thought you were just ordinary businesspeople."
Lin Ao looked thoroughly frustrated. If he'd known he had two Great Grandmaster experts right beside him, he wouldn't have had to struggle on alone. At the same time, a huge question mark appeared in his mind: why hadn't they stepped in before?
Or had they stepped in, and he just hadn't known?
Lin Ao began recalling the events of the previous timeline. The first time, when Xiao Fan had interrupted his wedding to Gu Wanqing and stolen the bride, his parents had simply watched Xiao Fan leave without lifting a finger. Thinking back, apart from anger, there had been something else in their expressions—like they were wary of something.
That meant someone else had been backing Xiao Fan up after he stole the bride.
And later, whenever Lin Ao grew stronger and was about to kill them, someone behind the scenes would rescue them.
The person capable of that was probably a Ninth-Rank Great Grandmaster, or perhaps an expert in the True Martial Realm.
Otherwise, how could they have kept Lin Dong and Li Wanyu, both Great Grandmasters, in check?
The former Dragon Gate master?
After that, Lin Ao had basically never known whether his parents had stepped in. He hadn't had the chance to find out, either. He'd died too quickly.
"What would've been the point of telling you? Didn't you have the whole Lin Family protecting you? Most of them are ordinary people. Where would we get so many Martial Artists? Besides, with the Lin Family's influence in Jianghai City, who'd dare lay a hand on you? We thought we'd just let you live peacefully as a businessman.
"Then that amusement park incident happened, something none of us could've imagined.
"Dragon Gate had actually reached its hands in here, so we agreed to renovate the Manor. Who knew you'd disappear without a word, you brat? You had us worried sick."
Lin Dong looked like he was ready to pull the belt from his waist again.
"Mom, Dad, how much do you know about Dragon Gate?"
Lin Ao wanted to find out how well his parents understood Dragon Gate. They might know something he'd never heard before.
"Dragon Gate is like the claws the country keeps hidden in the dark. From time to time, it carries out missions abroad for the country, or helps catch rats within its borders. Its influence stretches across the whole nation. You could say it grew so powerful by attaching itself to the country. The former Dragon Gate master reached the Ninth-Rank Great Grandmaster level many years ago. No idea where he stands now. He was a formidable hero."
"Dragon Gate changes masters every fifty years. The new master then goes out to train for three years. As for how many old monsters the organization still has, I don't know. That's about all I've learned."
"So the fact that Dragon Gate showed up in Jianghai City and targeted you really caught us off guard. We joined forces with the Gu Family and the Liu Family to protest, but they barely paid us any mind. They certainly have the strength to do that.
"They brushed us off by saying the younger generation should settle its own affairs. If we really went into an all-out confrontation with them, the three of our families wouldn't be a match. Otherwise, do you think Xiao Fan could still be staying so comfortably with the Qin Family?"
Lin Ao thought that, as expected, there had to be a Ninth-Rank Great Grandmaster or someone even stronger behind them. He hadn't run into that person before. They probably hadn't needed to act.
But this time, things might be different.
So the younger generation should settle its own affairs, huh? Fine. Just you wait.
"Dad! I understand. I'll handle it myself. By the way, have you seen the Manor? What do you think?"
Speaking of that, Lin Ao hadn't even let Uncle Zhang finish showing him around before he'd gone off the radar.
"You brat, how'd you even come up with this? You spent over twenty billion on this place. Your mom and I had a look. I can only say that even dozens of Great Grandmasters might not be able to break in—but the True Martial Realm is another matter. That's a realm you can't judge by ordinary standards."
Lin Dong had been stunned by modern technology, too. He'd never imagined a house could be built so sturdily. The walls had dozens of layers of different protective materials, inside and out. Even a Great Grandmaster's full-force strike would do little more than make a noise.
The glass was the same. Repeated attacks could still shatter it, but every window had a mechanism. If the system determined it was about to be breached, a security door as thick as the walls would drop into place. You'd finally smash the window, only to find another turtle shell waiting behind it. Just thinking about it was enough to drive you mad.
The place was also packed with high-tech weapons, traps, and mechanisms. They'd even installed poison gas.
There was a secret passage inside the house that led to an underground Air Raid Shelter, as well as an emergency exit to the outside.
When Lin Dong and Li Wanyu first saw all the bizarre installations, they'd been completely bewildered.
Lin Ao called Uncle Zhang in and went to inspect everything himself. He was very satisfied.
The money had been well spent.
Gu Wanqing stayed at the Lin Family's home all day. Only after Lin Ao had promised her a thousand times did she reluctantly leave.
Once Gu Wanqing had gone, Li Wanyu called Lin Ao over.
"Son, about that Moon God Art—I think you could cultivate it together with Wanqing."
Li Wanyu had looked through both manuals and thought they were a dual-cultivation technique rarely seen in the world. Once one side had mastered the Yang God Art, guiding the other in the Moon God Art would be as easy as drinking water.
"Mom, I have my own plans. Don't worry!"
Lin Ao had considered it, too. He'd just decided to wait until Xiao Fan's matter was completely settled before making a decision. He did want Xia Qiange to cultivate it, but there wasn't enough time. He'd need to guide her continuously for at least seven days, then assist her with cultivation four times during the first month before she could master it. He had too much to do right now, so he'd put it off.
"Fine. Mom won't ask any more. It's your business as young people, after all. I don't know who you lost your virginity to, but I hope you won't let Wanqing down. If you're capable, marry them all."
Li Wanyu left after saying that.
Lin Ao was left sitting there, utterly dumbfounded. How had she figured that out?
Lin Ao sat on the sofa and gathered his thoughts.
He figured that now everything was ready.
Then tomorrow,
he'd start fishing!
Before you continue