"I'm going to explode with rage! Absolutely explode with rage!"
In the Lanyun Empire, within the imperial capital of Yunge City, inside the estate of the First-Class Duke of the Realm, Cheng Xiaotian, a towering man was flying into a thunderous rage, looking like an infuriated giant bear.
"Is that little bastard determined to anger me to death before he's satisfied? To think he actually did such a disgraceful thing—attempted rape, and the motherfucker didn't even succeed!"
The man flying into a rage was the current patriarch of the Cheng family, known as the "Violent Bear," Second-Class Earl Cheng Yufei. As for the "little bastard" he spoke of, it was none other than his only son—the most notorious playboy in Yunge City, a prodigal son, and the leader of the Imperial Capital's Four Great Pests: Eldest Young Master Cheng Gong.
The more Cheng Yufei spoke, the angrier he became. He paced back and forth in the main hall like an enraged primeval giant bear. With his massive, bear-like physique, the ground trembled beneath his feet, and the floor tiles shattered one after another wherever he stepped.
Although he cursed the little bastard with his mouth, his eyes, as they turned toward the bedroom in the inner courtyard, were filled with deep anxiety. Ever since his son had returned just moments ago, his condition had been extremely unstable.
"M-Master, the Old Master told me to pass a message to you... to... to get your ass over there immediately."
Just then, a servant rushed in frantically, his voice arriving before he did, terrified that a moment's delay would result in Cheng Yufei kicking him into the sky.
"Get your ass over here," and "immediately" at that—in the entire Lanyun Empire, only one person dared to speak to him like this. Cheng Yufei, who had just been in a towering rage, instantly changed expression. Not daring to delay in the slightest, he strode quickly toward the inner courtyard. Ever since he was a child, Cheng Yufei had been raised under Cheng Xiaotian's strict military discipline. Though he, the Violent Bear, feared neither heaven nor earth, he dared not hesitate for a second upon hearing his father's command.
In the inner courtyard of the Cheng family estate, amidst layers of formations, Duke of the Realm Cheng Xiaotian stood quietly on the surface of a lake. Beneath his feet was only a finger-thick branch, with fish constantly swimming around beneath him. This lake did not resemble a man-made, stagnant pond at all; it brimmed with vibrant life. Cheng Xiaotian wore a loose, flowing robe. Although he was past seventy, his hair and beard were pitch-black, making him look not even fifty. Having spent his entire life in battle as the Grand Marshal of the Lanyun Empire's military, commanding millions of soldiers, he carried an aura of majestic, murderous intent. In his youth, he had led by example, sweeping across the world.
Standing there at this moment, he was using the environment to dissolve the excessive killing intent accumulated during his youth. Today, Cheng Xiaotian had not led troops for many years, and his mind was focused on how to break through his current realm of cultivation.
Cheng Xiaotian himself was one of the few people in the Lanyun Empire to have reached the sixth layer of the Mortal Shedding Stage. Having fought on the battlefield in his youth and commanded millions of troops in his middle age, fighting for his country, he had been unable to devote himself fully to cultivation despite his extraordinary talent. Now that he was advanced in years, Cheng Xiaotian had still not given up. As a Grand Marshal who could command millions of soldiers, he feared nothing in any of his endeavors. Today, both of his sons had become Grand Generals, and the nation was no longer embroiled in major wars, allowing him to finally focus on his cultivation with peace of mind.
"That little bastard is definitely going to get a tongue-lashing from the Old Master this time. Why can't you learn a thing or two from Cheng Lan? You're dragging your old man down with you. How am I supposed to explain this to the Old Master in a moment..."
At this moment, Cheng Yufei was walking along the corridor, muttering softly to himself.
This was the Great General of Valor, who had once dared to lead a thousand-man force ten thousand miles deep into enemy territory, fighting across five provinces, executing hundreds of officials, and plundering over ten thousand wealthy households. He had commanded thirty thousand troops against an enemy of two hundred thousand and still emerged victorious against overwhelming odds. Yet right now, his brow was furrowed, his face a mask of misery as he muttered to himself, racking his brain for a way to face his father.
*Boom!*
Cheng Xiaotian stood on a branch. The branch beneath his feet suddenly plunged deep into the lake as his aura erupted outward. Below, the schools of fish scattered in a frenzy; some were knocked unconscious by the sheer force of his aura, floating limply to the surface of the water.
An expression of immense fury instantly washed over Cheng Xiaotian's majestic face. Channeling a surge of powerful origin qi through his feet, the pressure forced the water beneath him to sink, forming a depression nearly two meters deep. In the next instant, Old Master Cheng shot forward, covering the distance of over ten meters in a flash, appearing right in front of Cheng Yufei.
"What—? Father—"
Cheng Yufei felt someone rushing toward him, and the power within his body instantly surged. As the Great General of Valor, famously known as the empire's "Violent Bear," his combat prowess was naturally formidable. He had reached the eighth layer of the Transcendent Realm before the age of forty, and his years of battlefield experience allowed him to react and unleash his full power at a moment's notice. Transcendent—once a cultivator in the Meridian Cleansing Realm took this step and entered the Transcendent Realm, they entered an entirely new world where their power underwent a fundamental transformation.
Although claims of moving mountains and draining seas were still somewhat exaggerated at this level, possessing transcendent power meant one was no longer bound by ordinary human limitations.
Yet, just as his power erupted and before he could even register what was happening, he was sent flying by a swift kick. His body crashed through several corridors. In the next instant, Cheng Xiaotian closed the distance and rained down a flurry of punches.
"If he's a little bastard, then what does that make you? And what does that make your old man?!"
Cheng Xiaotian completely lost the serene composure he had maintained during his meditation. His explosive temper erupted fully as he gave his son a thorough thrashing.
"Fine... I knew I was in for it..."
Having been kicked flying by the Old Master, Cheng Yufei immediately realized what was happening. Drawing on his ample experience, he covered his head and took the beating without trying to dodge or fight back—quite a formidable display of endurance. *This is all that little bastard's fault. If he weren't already injured, I'd show him what's what!*
Aside from using a bit of origin qi on the very first kick, Cheng Xiaotian refrained from using it for the rest of the beating. After landing a few punches, his anger subsided significantly. Though the Old Master appeared as calm as an ancient well when commanding a million-strong army—unshakable, composed, and masterfully strategic—his old brothers-in-arms and the members of the Cheng family knew better. If the Old Master truly lost his temper, his wrath was absolutely terrifying.
"Stop playing dead. You're already at the eighth layer of the Transcendent Realm. With how thick-skinned and tough you are, a few punches aren't going to do anything to you."
Having vented his frustration, the Old Master felt much better. Seeing Cheng Yufei putting on such a miserable show of agony, he was almost provoked to laughter.
Cheng Yufei immediately stood up straight upon hearing this. Having grown up in a military family, standing like a pine, sitting like a bell, and walking like the wind were the most basic of habits. Yet, that little bastard of his, known as the imperial capital's number one dandy and the leader of the four great pests, was a complete black sheep. He really couldn't understand what had happened to the old man's parenting experience from when he raised him and his younger brother. If the old man had disciplined that little bastard the way he had disciplined them back then, the boy probably wouldn't have turned out like this. And in the end, the blame was still pinned on him. How miserable!
"Hmph."
Seeing Cheng Yufei lost in thought, Cheng Xiaotian snorted coldly, "Do you know why I beat you?"
"Your son failed to educate his child properly, allowing that little bas... that brat to disgrace the family's reputation, so..."
"Bullshit!"
Before Cheng Yufei could finish, Cheng Xiaotian interrupted him in a rage, "I, Cheng Xiaotian, joined the army at fifteen, became a general at nineteen, led a hundred thousand troops to suppress a rebellion at twenty-two, and led a million-strong army to expand the empire's territory at twenty-five, increasing the empire's provinces from twenty-six to thirty-nine today. At thirty-two, I was appointed Grand Marshal, commanding all the military forces under heaven. At forty-one, I was enfeoffed as the Duke of Zhenguo. At fifty-five, I led you brothers to hold off the allied forces of five nations. At sixty, rising from a commoner to the Grand Marshal commanding the realm's armies and the Duke of Zhenguo, how much criticism and injustice have I faced? Even now, the imperial nobility does not recognize our Cheng family as having noble blood, viewing us as mere brutes. So what? Family reputation? Bullshit! Our Cheng family's reputation was carved out with our fists and earned through military merit. What do those worthless rumors even matter?"
When I was a child, if I beat someone up or caused the slightest trouble, the old man would discipline me. When I wasn't paying attention, he'd say I disgraced the family reputation. Why has it completely reversed now? Why is the treatment between people so different? But if it isn't because of this, why is the old man so angry?
"Still don't understand? What kind of father are you? Your son was beaten like that, and you didn't even let out a fart!"
Seeing Cheng Yufei looking at him with a dazed and confused expression, Cheng Xiaotian really felt the urge to hit him again.
"Ah!"
Cheng Yufei immediately wore a bitter face upon hearing this. "But that... that brat tried to rape the princess. We are in the wrong..."
"In the wrong? What does that even mean? When you were a kid, did you beat up few children of the nobility? You even beat up the current Emperor back then! Were you in the right then? Which of those times did your old man not take the blows for you?"
Seeing that Cheng Yufei still looked somewhat defiant, Cheng Xiaotian said, "How I discipline you when we get home is a family matter. Attempting to rape the princess—didn't he fail? It's only rape if he succeeded. Since he didn't succeed, it means he didn't do a damn thing! Today, I want to ask you: how did you raise your son? He couldn't even manage to rape a single princess! Do you remember what your old man told you in the past? If you beat someone up outside, even if the sky falls, your old man will hold it up for you. But if you get beaten by others, your old man will beat you to death when you get back! Look at how I raised my son, and look at how you raise yours. You can't even protect your own child. Get lost!"
Having said his piece, Cheng Xiaotian kicked out once more, sending the Great General of Valor flying straight out of the room.
However, the force used this time was incredibly precise. After flying over ten yards, Cheng Yufei flipped in midair and landed on his feet, rubbing his stomach. He then scratched his head, wondering what the old man had meant just now. Could it be that because his son had failed to rape the princess and ended up heavily injured, the old man wanted him to go demand justice from His Majesty? Or was the old man displeased that his son wasn't bold enough to cook the raw rice into rice? Yes, that must be it. Recalling the old man's words, the "Violent Bear" Cheng Yufei puffed out his chest. No, this matter couldn't just be swept under the rug. Who said he couldn't protect his own son?
"You little bastard, being your father is really no easy task," Cheng Xiaotian muttered to himself as he watched his son stomp off in a huff.
Then, his expression darkened. "Investigate this for me. Find out exactly what happened. The fact that my Cheng family doesn't go looking for trouble with others means they should be burning incense at home in gratitude. Now, someone actually dares to touch my Cheng family's grandson? Do they really think a tiger that doesn't show its might is just a harmless cat?"
"Yes."
As soon as Cheng Xiaotian finished speaking, a voice echoed from the corridor, yet the corridor remained empty, with no one in sight.
…
The fusion of two different souls was filled with agonizing pain. Memories were torn into countless fragments, swallowing and merging with one another. At times, even Cheng Gong himself could hardly distinguish whether he was Cheng Gong, one of the Ten Great Alchemy Masters of the Nine Provinces, or Cheng Gong, the number one prodigal son of the imperial capital and leader of the Four Great Pests...
"This kid is truly a piece of work..."
Even with Cheng Gong's vast experience and knowledge, after fully digesting the memories of this "Cheng Gong," he couldn't help but take a deep breath. If those memories were written down, they could easily fill hundreds of banned novels.
"Oh? Something is fishy..."
The scene of the attempted rape flashed through his mind. When Cheng Gong first looked at this memory, he hadn't paid much attention, but now he suddenly frowned. The situation back then seemed a bit off...
Judging by the situation at the time, it seemed this kid wanted to tear off the woman's clothes, while she desperately crossed her arms over her chest to resist Cheng Gong's assault. Everything appeared perfectly logical. However, looking back at it again, Cheng Gong suddenly realized that the woman's eyes seemed too calm. Yes, "calm" was indeed the only word to describe them...
"This... this is too fake, isn't it?"
After Cheng Gong woke up, he stood dumbfounded in front of the mirror. His expression and demeanor didn't look like someone looking at a mirror at all; it was more like he was observing an ant trying to rape an elephant.
But Cheng Gong couldn't really be blamed for his astonishment...
If it were anyone else who found themselves turned into another person, they would probably be just as dumbfounded as Cheng Gong.
This wasn't just fake... this was fucking too fake!
This was truly even more unimaginable than an ant trying to rape an elephant...
The most fatal part was that, up until now, Cheng Gong's only clue was a jumbled mess of memory fragments deep within his sea of consciousness.
Cheng Gong had no choice but to awkwardly admit that he had likely taken over the body of some unlucky bastard—the legendary soul possession...
Fortunately, a jumbled mess of chaotic memories in his sea of consciousness allowed Cheng Gong to find a few clues. From that chaotic mess, it seemed he had taken over someone else's body. Speaking of this unlucky fellow, it was actually quite interesting; who would have thought his name was also Cheng Gong...
Only, he was not Cheng Gong, one of the ten great Alchemy Masters of Jiuzhou, but rather Cheng Gong, the grandson of the State-Defending Duke Cheng Xiaotian and the son of the Valiant Martial General Cheng Yufei.