Meng Hongchen gazed at the grand facade of Treasure Pavilion, a mischievous smile curling across her delicate face.
Her Brother Wang Chen often came here to buy and sell all sorts of items. She had even given him one of her own VIP room tokens.
As long as she left letters in that room, Wang Chen would definitely find them when he next visited. In this way, they could communicate through written notes.
Meng Hongchen thought smugly: As expected of me, to come up with such a brilliant method. Hehe~
She sneaked a glance at Number Three, who followed faithfully behind her, and snickered inwardly:
"So what if you won't let us meet? I'll just communicate with him through letters. Nyeh-nyeh~"
Her mood brightened, and Meng Hongchen stepped gracefully into Treasure Pavilion.
The moment she entered, she was greeted with the highest level of service from the staff.
Outsiders might not know who stood behind Treasure Pavilion, but did its employees not know?
Their true backers were none other than several ninth-tier Soul Engineers of Mingde Hall. Among them, the most powerful, the most prestigious, and the highest in authority was none other than Jing Hongchen—Treasure Pavilion's greatest pillar.
And since Meng Hongchen was his granddaughter, her arrival here was treated with all the courtesy one might extend to a princess.
At the same time, after leaving Wang Yan's grand hall filled with rare flowers and herbs, Wang Chen returned home.
He had been snatched away halfway through breakfast by that lunatic Wang Shan, and now his stomach was rumbling.
As the saying goes, "A day's work depends on the morning." If he didn't eat properly in the morning, how could he possibly have the energy to cultivate all day?
Walking along the paths of the Wang Family compound, he passed many clansmen already busy with work or training after their meals.
Because of its large population, the Wang Family had purchased over a thousand mu of land in the cheaper outskirts of Mingdu to establish their clan estate.
With hundreds of households, the compound was always bustling.
"Yo, isn't this Little Chen? I heard you went to the Heaven Dou Empire last month to watch the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. How was it?"
"Chen-ge, you're too much! You went to see the tournament and didn't take me!"
"Brother Chen, let's go play!"
"…"
As a genius born with innate ninth-level soul power, Wang Chen was well-liked within the clan.
After all, this was someone destined to become a powerhouse. If you didn't build ties while he was still young, how could you possibly hope to curry favor once he grew strong?
The only one in the clan who showed him indifference was probably the Patriarch himself, Wang Yan.
Wang Chen greeted everyone along the way with a smile:
"It was great, really great."
"Next time, I'll bring you along to the tournament."
"Sorry, can't play today. I'm headed home to eat."
All the while, he quickened his pace. Some enthusiastic clansmen even offered to invite him to eat at their homes when they heard he hadn't eaten yet, but Wang Chen politely declined them all.
What should have been a short trip took him a full quarter hour.
The moment he stepped into his house and hadn't even sat down, his parents rushed over.
"Son, what did the Patriarch want with you?"
Not wanting to worry them, Wang Chen smiled and replied, "The Patriarch just wants me to get along with a certain young girl."
Father Wang's eyes widened: Is the Patriarch trying to introduce my son to a bride?
Mother Wang's thoughts went elsewhere: Could it be the Patriarch is planning to tie our son into a political marriage?
Wang Chen saw his parents' wild thoughts running away, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He didn't bother to explain further and simply changed the subject:
"Dad, Mom, I'm hungry. Is there still food at home?"
The moment their precious son said he was hungry, they immediately answered:
"Yes, yes! Everything's in the soul tool warming pot, still hot!"
A quarter hour later, Wang Chen had eaten his fill. After washing his bowl, he went up to his room on the second floor.
Cross-legged on his bed, he meditated, cultivating without pause for several hours—until noon.
When he finally opened his eyes, his meridians throbbed with soreness.
He knew he couldn't continue. Overtraining could damage his meridians and hinder his future cultivation.
So, he immediately went to eat lunch. Strange though it might sound, eating was vital to the growth of a soul master's cultivation.
They had to eat soul beast meat rich in nutrients, consume elixirs, heavenly herbs, and all manner of treasures.
Only by strengthening the body, nourishing blood and energy, could one advance rapidly, aiming one day to reach the pinnacle.
Otherwise, if one waited until old age when vitality declined, it would be too late to become truly strong.
As the nutritious meat delivered by the clan slid down his throat, warm currents spread through his body, soothing the soreness in his meridians. By midnight, he estimated, he'd be able to resume cultivation again.
Afternoon came.
Originally, Wang Chen planned to spend the time training his secret technique. Though he had already mastered the Ring Tempering Technique, there was still plenty of room to improve.
Currently, when he used it, he needed a brief moment of preparation—an activation delay.
That could be fatal. In a real fight, enemies would never give him time to charge up; they'd seize every chance to interrupt him.
So, he needed constant training until he could trigger it instantly—at a thought, or in the blink of an eye.
But the Patriarch's morning command—telling him to visit the Hongchen Family more often, to deepen ties with Meng Hongchen—still lingered in his mind.
This gave Wang Chen a headache. It wasn't that he disliked Meng Hongchen—on the contrary, he actually found the little rich girl quite likable.
After all, she treated him so well. He wasn't an idiot. Of course, he liked her.
But in the current situation, if he dared to visit the Hongchen Family, wouldn't Jing Hongchen break his legs?
He could almost hear the man's furious voice:
"Damn brat! At a time like this, you still dare come after my granddaughter? Watch me snap your legs!"
Wang Chen quickly dismissed the mental image.
In truth, having his legs broken might be considered merciful—only because Jing Hongchen feared that killing him outright would make his beloved granddaughter hate him.
Otherwise, a single slap ending his life wouldn't be surprising at all.
Wang Chen sighed bitterly. The task Wang Yan had given him was nearly impossible.
Maybe… I'll just fake it?
Thinking back on how Wang Yan had looked so disinterested when assigning him the job, Wang Chen decided: yes, he'd just pretend.
Better to slack off than risk his life.
And so, a curious cycle was born: Wang Chen faking it for Wang Yan, while Wang Yan faked it for the Second Prince.
Policy above, countermeasures below. Perfectly matched.