Chapter 60: The Best Among Men? A Dragon in Shallow Waters
"Young Master, please come back. Your father misses you."
The pleading voice came from an elder dressed in a bespoke black suit, his posture hunched in a display of profound respect that seemed out of place in the grimy alleyway. He was surrounded by a group of equally somber men, their hands clasped behind their backs, all looking at the young man standing before them with a complex mix of reverence, pity, and desperation.
"You are the Young Master of the Emperor Capital Han Family, a first-class aristocratic family! A noble Young Master who stands above all others! You have beautiful women, luxury cars, villas, private jets—everything you could ever want is waiting for you in the Capital!"
Butler Fu's voice trembled with emotion, his eyes pleading. "You shouldn't be a Son-in-law of the lowly Liu family, looked down upon by everyone, washing toilets and suffering insults. Your father has shed tears countless times thinking of your hardship..."
Han Qi listened to Butler Fu's pleas, his face a mask of indifference that hid a turbulent ocean of emotions. He stood in the shadows of the alleyway, the stench of garbage from a nearby overflowing dumpster mingling with the expensive, woody cologne of the butler. The contrast was stark—a reminder of the world he had left behind and the gutter he currently inhabited.
A cold wind blew through the alley, rustling the cheap fabric of Han Qi's shirt—a stark contrast to the Italian silk worn by the servant bowing before him.
"Butler Fu," Han Qi said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion, though his eyes were as cold as a frozen lake. "I know father misses me, but I cannot go back."
He took a step back, putting distance between himself and his past.
"Since I was young, I've never been good at sweet talk, and I couldn't win the favor of my grandparents and elders. They looked at me and saw a mistake. But Han Xiu... he was the golden child. He was always far more valued and pampered than me. He repeatedly suppressed and disliked me, fearing that I, this illegitimate son, would compete with him, the legitimate eldest son, for the family head's position!"
Han Qi's eyes flashed with a cold light as he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that cut through the alley's silence like a blade.
"He didn't just dislike me, Fu. He wanted me dead. Ever since my mother died in a car accident three years ago—an accident we both know was no accident—I have no attachment to the Emperor Capital Han Family. Nor do I want to compete with Han Xiu for any family property. That house is built on blood."
Butler Fu opened his mouth to protest, to defend the family honor, but Han Qi cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"Right now, I just want to quietly be a useless Son-in-law of the Liu family and stay with Liu Qingyue for the rest of our lives. She saved me when I was a dog on the street. I owe her my life."
"I just want a peaceful life now; please don't disturb me anymore! Go back to the Capital and tell that man I am dead to him."
After he finished speaking, Han Qi turned and strode away without looking back, his footsteps heavy against the damp pavement. He left Butler Fu and the bodyguards staring at his retreating back in helpless silence, the neon lights of Modu stretching out his shadow into a long, distorted shape.
But while Han Qi appeared calm and dejected on the surface, looking like a man beaten down by life and resigned to mediocrity, he was actually sneering inwardly. His heart was a furnace of rage.
Of course I will go back. But not now.
Not as a beggar pleading for scraps.
He, Han Qi, the Dragon King of the Dark World, the man who had unified the underground of the southern provinces with iron and blood, would absolutely not be a useless Son-in-law his entire life.
He would defeat his elder brother Han Xiu. He would crush that arrogant prick who thought he was born to rule. He would take control of the Emperor Capital Han Family, turning it into his own weapon.
And he would make... his most beloved wife, Liu Qingyue, the happiest woman in the world! He would place her on a pedestal so high that the women who mocked her today would have to break their necks just to look up at the soles of her shoes. She would be the object of envy and jealousy for all women in the world!
Endure!
I need to endure for now and accumulate strength!
It wouldn't be too long. The web was being spun. The pieces were moving on the chessboard. He would make Han Xiu pay the price in blood, and he would reclaim everything he deserved!
"With my current strength, I can't do anything to Han Xiu for now. He has the family's resources, the backing of the elders, and the legitimacy of birth," Han Qi thought, his gaze hardening as he walked out of the alley and onto the bustling street. "On one hand, I need to accumulate strength in the shadows, building my army. On the other, I need to win over powerful allies in the light! Allies who can challenge the authority of the Han Family."
Han Qi stopped and looked up. Looming in the distance was the Riverside Luxury Mansion, glowing like a beacon of wealth and power. It was ancient, elegant, and indescribably wealthy. The lights from the banquet spilled out like gold dust, illuminating the night sky.
This was the residence of the Yanxia Shen Family's Young Master. A being who stood at the very apex of the food chain.
This time, his father-in-law Liu Xingsheng had leveraged his connection with Liu Shiming to get into the banquet. It was a desperate attempt to cling to power. Han Qi also shamelessly tagged along as the driver, swallowing his pride, even though he was again disliked and insulted by his in-laws for being "shameful."
"If I can befriend the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family, then dealing with Han Xiu would at least increase my chances by fifty percent! Shen Anyu is the key! He is the sword I need to borrow!"
Just then, amidst the sea of luxury cars and bustling valets, Han Qi saw a gentle, elegant, and graceful young woman standing by a modest BMW. She looked out of place among the Ferraris and Rolls-Royces, like a lily blooming in a field of gold.
He quickly adjusted his expression, wiping away the cold calculation of the Dragon King and putting on his mask of the humble servant. He took small, hurried steps towards her, an apologetic, slightly foolish smile plastered on his face.
"Qingyue, father-in-law, mother-in-law, I've kept you waiting! I'm so sorry! I've already parked the car. There was no other way; finding a parking lot in the center of Modu City isn't easy, and the security wouldn't let our car in..."
Liu Qingyue's delicate brows furrowed as she looked at Han Qi, her nominal husband of three years. She saw the sweat on his forehead and the dust on his shoes. She sighed softly, a sound of weariness rather than anger.
"Han Qi, I told you, call me Liu Qingyue, don't call me Qingyue. We agreed on this."
She had no particular feelings for the man before her. Their marriage, in essence, was just an agreement—a shield against a forced marriage for her, and a shelter for him. A transaction of desperate souls.
However, Han Qi simply stayed by Liu Qingyue's side, acting as a house husband for three whole years, refusing to go out and work. He cooked, cleaned, and served, but never strove for anything more.
Initially, Liu Qingyue's parents weren't so harsh towards Han Qi. But seeing him lounging at home day after day, not even helping out at the struggling lamp factory, and acting like a useless mooch while the family finances dwindled... they grew angry. Their resentment festered. They became increasingly impolite, flaring up over even minor things like parking spots or the temperature of the tea.
"You useless good-for-nothing!" He Xuemei, his mother-in-law, screeched, breaking the silence. She pointed a manicured finger at his nose, her face twisted in a snarl. "Just looking at you makes me mad! Even parking a car takes you so long! Do you know how embarrassing it is to stand here waiting for a servant?"
"Look at Young Master Shen inside! He is a true Dragon Among Men! A god walking on earth! If you could be even one ten-thousandth of Young Master Shen, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams! Instead, I wake up to your useless face!"
Han Qi's father-in-law, Liu Xingsheng, also didn't give Han Qi a good look. He adjusted his tie, trying to look dignified, but his eyes were filled with disappointment. He was still fuming over the missed opportunity with Shen Anyu earlier—how the Young Master had ignored them the moment he heard Liu Qingyue was married.
"If only we hadn't agreed to this marriage," Liu Xingsheng muttered loud enough for Han Qi to hear, his voice dripping with regret. "Our Qingyue could have soared to the heavens with Young Master Shen. We could have been royalty! Instead, we are stuck with this anchor dragging us down to the bottom of the sea."
[Ding! Child of Destiny Han Qi is feeling somewhat aggrieved. Plundering +3 Destiny Value!]
Han Qi heard the notification in the depths of his mind—a sign of his luck fluctuating—but his expression remained unchanged. It was a testament to his supreme endurance, cultivated over years of humiliation. He looked at his in-laws and wife with a serious, almost fanatical expression.
"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, wife, rest assured," he said, his voice firm. "I, Han Qi, am not a fish in a shallow pond. I am merely resting. In the future, I will surely become a Dragon Among Men, allowing you to bask in glory and enjoy prosperity that you cannot even imagine today."
There was a silence.
Liu Xingsheng, He Xuemei, and Liu Qingyue were all speechless. They looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
Was he trying to give them false hope? Or was he delusional?
From head to toe, from top to bottom, where did Han Qi show any potential to be a Dragon Among Men? He was wearing a discount suit that didn't fit, his shoes were scuffed, and he had just run back from a parking lot three blocks away.
Wasn't he just a good-for-nothing, a mooch, a completely useless Son-in-law who washed feet for a living?
"You... you're crazy," He Xuemei spat, turning away in disgust. "Dreams don't pay the bills, Han Qi!"
Seeing her parents about to scold Han Qi again, Liu Qingyue sighed faintly and intervened, her voice tired.
"Mom and Dad, just let it go. It's... it's good that Han Qi has aspirations; don't scold him anymore. Let's just go in."
She only felt that Han Qi was somewhat pitiful. A dreamer with no ability, living in a fantasy world to escape the harsh reality of his failure.
But Han Qi's eyes lit up at her defense. He saw it as a sign of affection, ignoring the pity in her gaze. He happily said to Liu Qingyue, his voice thick with emotion:
"Wife! I will definitely make you happy, I swear! Just wait a little longer! The day is coming!"
Liu Qingyue rubbed her forehead, a headache building behind her eyes. She didn't want to speak further. She just wanted this night to be over.
...
[Location: Inside the Banquet Hall]
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Riverside Luxury Mansion was a world apart from the parking lot. The air smelled of expensive perfume, aged wine, and power.
Shen Anyu stood in the center of the room, a glass of champagne in his hand. He was gracefully responding to the greetings of various industry magnates in Modu, his smile perfect, his demeanor regal.
However, his attention was split. With his peripheral vision, enhanced by his martial arts cultivation, he kept an eye on the entrance, watching the arrival of Han Qi and Liu Qingyue.
He saw the argument. He saw the finger-pointing. He saw Han Qi's stoic acceptance of the abuse.
And then, he saw the system notification pop up in his vision.
[Ding! Plundering +3 Destiny Value!]
Shen Anyu paused mid-sip.
"Good heavens..." Shen Anyu almost laughed out loud, though he masked it as a polite chuckle at a guest's joke. "He was so openly disliked and scolded by his father-in-law and mother-in-law, humiliated in public in front of the elite of Modu... and he only leaked +3 Destiny Value?"
Shen Anyu was a bit stunned. As expected of the Dragon King Son-in-law! This mental fortitude was terrifying. How could he endure so much? His face must be made of city walls, thick enough to withstand cannon fire!
Three points of destiny value was the least amount Shen Anyu had ever gained at once. It was pocket change. It was an insult to his efforts as a villain.
Previously, by pulling the rug out from under him and directly revealing Han Qi's background to Han Xiu, he had directly plundered five hundred thousand. That was a critical hit to his future, a strike that threatened his very existence.
But these daily insults? Being called trash? Being treated like a servant? They were nothing to Han Qi. They were his daily bread.
"I thought Han Qi was a big fat sheep ready for slaughter," Shen Anyu mused, swirling his wine, watching the red liquid catch the light. "But now it seems that, unless under special circumstances, it would be truly difficult to break Han Qi's composure."
After all, Han Qi, this Dragon King Son-in-law and Child of Destiny, was a god of endurance. He could wash foot water, scrub toilets, and even have spit sprayed on his face without changing his expression! He thrived on humiliation, using it as fuel for his "face-slapping" comeback later. The more you suppressed him, the harder he would bounce back.
"He treats humiliation as cultivation. Interesting."
However, Shen Anyu was not disheartened. He didn't feel frustrated. Instead, a playful and mocking look appeared in his eyes, cold and calculating.
"Endure, endure, endure. I'll see if you're really a turtle spirit with an impenetrable shell."
"If I can't break your composure directly through insults... I'll break your sanctuary."
"I'll break the one thing that keeps you going."
"I'll break Liu Qingyue."
Shen Anyu's gaze shifted to the beautiful woman rubbing her forehead in frustration as she entered the hall. She looked tired, vulnerable, and beautiful in her distress. She was Han Qi's weakness. His "White Moonlight."
If that moonlight were to shine on another man... if that sanctuary were to be corrupted... could the Dragon King still endure?
"System," Shen Anyu commanded silently, his eyes locking onto the man walking behind her like a shadow. "Appraise Han Qi for me..."