Chapter 14

"This..." Qin Yi thought for a moment. "Won't people think we're fighting over believers and start a divine war? You can't beat anyone in your current condition!"

He had read novels with plots like this before. The gods went to war over Faith Power, and in the end it became the twilight of the gods.

"That won't happen." Andre said unconcernedly, "Believers are free in their faith. Many believers worship several gods at once. Besides, Faith Power is only useful to low-level gods with weak divine ranks. True high-level gods improve their Divine Power through physical cultivation and comprehending the laws. Gods at that stage no longer care about Faith Power. And my spiritual power carries the aura of my Father God. My Father God is the supreme Creator God, so ordinary minor gods wouldn't dare disrespect his Divine Power. That means they won't probe my Divine Power. Besides, we only need Faith Power. We aren't heretics, so the other gods won't care too much."

He still felt uneasy. Qin Yi scratched his scalp, but there was no better option at the moment. Just as Andre had said, faith in gods had long vanished from Earth, and the worship involved in idol-chasing was far too scattered. Given Andre's demand for energy, if they truly relied on that, he would never make it home in this lifetime.

"If you're really worried, I can cut off the connection of spiritual power. They won't be able to find us anymore," Andre added after thinking for a moment.

"Fortune is found in danger. Everything comes with risks," Qin Yi said. "Since you've already decided, don't change your mind. We should think about what we want tomorrow."

"As far as I know, planes mainly composed of magical elements easily produce amethysts and gemstones. If you want some, you can mention it to Kate. Over there, amethysts and gemstones are like currency. They aren't worth much," Andre suddenly said.

Gemstones of extremely high purity? That good?

Qin Yi practically drooled as he imagined trading a single sweet potato for heaps upon heaps of precious gemstones. At that moment, he sincerely felt that being a Plane Merchant was an incredible job.

Qin Rong raised an interested eyebrow as well. If they had money, Dad Qin's company would have more room to grow! And once they had a strong economic foundation, they would have the confidence to face the Qin family even if they came looking for them.

"Once Kate reports your location to the Cosmic Bank, your location will be connected to all the planes in the universe. Then you'll be able to trade with people from other planes. Some planes specialize in technological development. Their technology is far more powerful than yours. When the time comes, trade for some large interstellar warships, conquer a few countries, and then you can develop believers," Andre continued.

This time, however, Qin Yi and Qin Rong simply ignored him.

"Wait! If it works the way you say, once we're connected, won't they be able to come here? Will Earth be in danger?" Qin Yi suddenly thought of it. Hadn't some of the movies about aliens invading Earth in his previous life depicted exactly that? If it really happened, they would become sinners against humanity.

"Of course not!" If Andre had a physical form, his face would surely have been covered in black lines. Somewhat helplessly, he explained, "Because of the laws, people from higher planes cannot travel to lower planes. And even if people from planes on the same level cross over, their physical abilities will be restricted to the standards of ordinary humans. So even if they come, it won't matter. Besides, this spiritual power fluctuation is only something I fabricated. It isn't Earth's real location at all, so don't worry. But if you want to travel to other planes, I can think of a way."

This was the advantage of having someone powerful backing you up! Qin Yi thought, and he and Qin Rong nodded in mutual understanding. Since there was no safety risk, there was no need to care. He relaxed at once. Just as Qin Yi was about to crack a joke, his heart suddenly stirred. Then he heard someone calling outside—

"Xiao Rong, Xiao Yi, are you awake?"

Author's note: Awoo.

I miss your comments.

~~~~(>_<)~~~~

Family Appears

Qin Rong and Qin Yi immediately left the space, then calmly opened the door and asked, "What is it?"

Outside the door, Mother Qin looked at them with a complicated expression. "Come out for a moment. We have guests at home."

Qin Rong and Qin Yi exchanged baffled looks, then glanced at the pitch-black night outside. What kind of guests would visit in the middle of the night?

Still, thoughts were just thoughts. The two obediently got dressed and went into the living room. The moment they entered, they were startled by the dense crowd inside.

An elderly couple with snow-white hair sat on the central sofa in the living room. When they saw Qin Yi and Qin Rong emerge, the white-haired old woman seated on the left stood up excitedly. She took two steps forward, then stopped and turned to Qin Zhenguo, who was standing awkwardly beside the sofa. "These are Xiao Rong and Xiao Yi, right?"

Before Qin Zhenguo could reply, she turned to Qin Rong and Qin Yi with an emotional expression and said, "Xiao Rong, Xiao Yi, I'm your grandmother."

Grandmother?

Qin Rong and Qin Yi nearly choked on the old woman's words. They exchanged looks, and Qin Rong spoke first. "Hello, Grandma. I'm Qin Rong."

Qin Yi quickly followed. "I'm Qin Yi."

Then the atmosphere fell cold again. Everyone in the room looked at one another awkwardly. Qin Rong and Qin Yi lowered their heads in tacit understanding.

After a long while, the old man on the sofa said, "It's been so many years. Your grandsons are already this grown, yet the two of you never thought to send us even a message. If Mark hadn't happened to run into you this time, were you planning to never have anything to do with the family until the day you died?"

Before he even finished speaking, his voice had already choked up. Mother Qin and Father Qin's eyes reddened involuntarily. Across from Father Qin, a middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to him continued, "Zhen Guo, you've always been unruly and rebellious since you were young. But your eldest brother never imagined that you would actually run away from home for so many years. You—"

"Big Brother, I'm sorry..." Qin Zhenguo looked at Qin Dingbang and muttered helplessly.

Qin Yi and Qin Rong exchanged knowing looks. So this was the fiancé whose bride had been stolen in the story. But this eldest uncle, who was supposedly nearly ten years older than Dad Qin, looked about the same age as him. Children of wealthy families really did know how to take care of themselves!

"Qin Rong, Qin Yi, come here," Grandpa Qin suddenly said from the sofa.

Qin Yi and Qin Rong looked at each other, then obediently stepped forward. Grandpa Qin first examined them with a calm expression, then nodded approvingly. "Good. Very good!"

Did that mean they had passed the interview?

Qin Yi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, only to hear Grandpa Qin ask, "How old are you this year?"

"I'm eleven, and my brother is thirteen," Qin Yi answered obediently.

"Oh, then you're both in elementary school?" Grandpa Qin carefully recalled the ages of his other grandchildren before speaking.

"We just finished taking the high school entrance exam today," Qin Yi said after glancing at Qin Rong.

"Is that so?" Grandpa Qin was moved. He gave Qin Zhenguo and his wife an approving look, then praised, "Hardworking, gifted, and ambitious. Not bad. Much better than those little devils at home."

No one else reacted much to those words, but Eldest Uncle Qin Dingbang's face reddened slightly. He shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"Since you've just finished the high school entrance exam, go to school in J City after summer vacation," Grandpa Qin said after pondering for a moment.

"Ah! But..." Qin Zhenguo immediately straightened up, looking flustered as he tried to object.

"What? You have an objection?" Grandpa Qin instantly widened his eyes. His powerful presence immediately scattered all the courage Qin Zhenguo had gathered. Qin Zhenguo unconsciously scratched his head and said, "No, I just think the children are still young. It would be inconvenient for them to study over there by themselves."

"What are you thinking? Of course you'll all go with them. What, even now you still aren't planning to return home?" Grandma Qin immediately complained.

"Us?" Qin Zhenguo widened his eyes, wanting to argue, but then he seemed to remember something. He turned and looked at Tang Manru beside Qin Yi.

"Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin, that's not it. It's just that we still have the factory here, so we can't get away right away," Tang Manru stepped forward and explained softly.

"You've already had children, yet you're still calling us Uncle and Aunt?" Grandpa Qin looked thoroughly displeased.

"...Dad, Mom!" Tang Manru froze for a moment, then changed her form of address with a flushed face.

"Yes!" Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin answered with broad smiles. Then they beckoned Qin Yi and Qin Rong to sit on the sofa and introduced everyone to them. "I'm your grandfather, that's your grandmother, this is your eldest uncle, this is your eldest aunt, this is your Uncle Mark..."

Every time Grandma Qin introduced someone, Qin Yi and Qin Rong stood and bowed. After everyone had been introduced, Grandpa Qin looked at Qin Zhenguo and Tang Manru, who were standing stiffly to one side, and said, "You've drifted around outside for so many years. It's time to come home. Find a way to deal with the business here, then come with us to J City in a couple of days. The family has such a large operation over there. Are you afraid there won't be anything for you to do?"

"This..." Qin Zhenguo and Tang Manru exchanged looks, then looked at Grandpa Qin's decisive expression, which left no room for doubt. They could only nod in agreement.

Seeing them nod, the gloom on Grandpa Qin's face gradually lifted, though the fatigue between his brows became apparent. After all, he was already over sixty. No matter how well he took care of himself, his body could not endure hardship as well as a young person's.

Qin Zhenguo and Tang Manru immediately began arranging places for everyone to rest. Qin Yi volunteered to give up the bedroom he shared with Qin Rong for Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin. Qin Dingbang said he could make do on the sofa for the night. Tang Manru took Eldest Aunt Fang Chengyue by the hand and went into the bedroom, while Qin Zhenguo followed behind. A moment later, Qin Zhenbang emerged carrying several stacks of bedding. Qin Yi and Qin Rong went over to help spread the bedding out. By June, S City was already quite hot. Even sleeping on the floor would not make them catch a chill. After all the fuss, it was nearly three in the morning.

Lying on the hard floor, Qin Yi turned his head to look at Qin Rong, who had already lain down, and pursed his lips. Actually, we could sleep in Andre's space.

After making do for the night, the noise of the crowd outside gradually became clearer by a little after five in the morning. Qin Yi, who had tossed and turned for hours, immediately got up, pulled Qin Rong outside, and entered Andre's space as soon as they found an empty corner.

Before Andre could even speak, Qin Yi said, "Hurry up and find us a bed. We didn't sleep all night. We're exhausted."

With a flicker of black mist from Andre, a luxurious king-size bed appeared before them. Without another word, Qin Yi dragged Qin Rong onto the bed. They closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

After waking up, refreshed and alert, Qin Yi climbed up and asked Andre, "The time outside hasn't changed, right?"

"No," Andre answered gloomily.

"Good!" Qin Yi patted his chest, then said to Qin Rong, who was tidying his appearance beside him, "Let's buy some soy milk and fried dough sticks before going back. If Mom and Dad ask, we'll say we went out to buy breakfast."

"Mm." Qin Rong nodded.