"You still want revenge? You fucking idiot! I’ll fuck your mom!"
The younger brother was completely stunned speechless by this string of roars from his older brother.
He stood there in a daze, muttering defensively under his breath.
"We... have the same mom..."
"Shut up! The mom I’m fucking is your virtual one in the Subspace!"
The Martial Arts Hall Master was so angry he slapped him again. This time, the slap finally knocked him to his senses.
The Martial Arts Hall Master looked at his brother’s idiotic expression, fuming, but at the end of the day, this was still his own flesh and blood.
He suppressed his rage and spoke with a seriousness he had never shown before:
"Right now! Immediately! At once! Go and get a Subspace Network Pass! Then spend the money to get permanent access to the Imperial Forum! And you damn well better cram some common sense into your head! Don’t fucking think that just because you fought in some illegal boxing matches for a few years, you’re invincible! Let me tell you, people like us, in this society of interstellar martial artists, we’re the scum at the very bottom! The officials even have a name for us: ’Social Stray Martial Artists’!"
"It wasn’t easy opening this Martial Arts Hall to get a chance to turn our lives around. If you, you idiot, screw this up for me, I’ll kill you with my own two hands!"
Seeing his brother so serious, the younger man finally realized he had truly stirred up a world of trouble.
He swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "Bro... is it really that bad? Even that big shot, Director Liu from the Exotic Beast carcass processing plant in our district, has to lick his boots?"
"Yeah."
The Martial Arts Hall Master nodded grimly, his eyes full of fear. "Director Liu has to lick his boots. Understand now? You just lay low and stop causing trouble!"
"I... I get it."
The younger brother nodded hastily, cold sweat already soaking his back.
He was only now realizing he’d had a brush with death today.
He thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, "So, bro, how about I go to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall tomorrow to apologize in person?"
"Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?!"
The Martial Arts Hall Master nearly slapped him again. "A big shot like that will forget an insect like you ever existed in a few minutes. Isn’t that for the best? Why do you insist on crawling back and reminding him you exist? You’re a goddamn idiot!"
"Oh, right... good point."
It dawned on the younger brother, and he nodded again and again.
He slumped into a chair, let out a long breath, and prayed desperately in his heart.
’I hope that Qiming General Star is a magnanimous man.’
’I hope he just treats me like a fart, lets me go, and forgets all about this...’
...
「Back at Qin Feng’s home.」
Over an hour later, Qin Dahai returned home, humming an off-key tune and laden with shopping bags, completely satisfied.
He’d bought the freshest fierce beast meat, packed with the most energy, along with all sorts of vegetables and spices his son loved.
He then dove into the kitchen and got to work.
Qin Feng wanted to help, but his father just smiled and pushed him out, telling him to relax and watch TV in the living room.
An hour later, eight steaming, aromatic dishes, a feast for the senses, were served on the dining table.
Braised Griffin Leg, Steamed Dragon-Scale Fish, Stir-Fried Fire Lizard Tenderloin... Each dish was made with hearty ingredients, their fragrant aromas filling the air with the taste of home.
"Come on, son, eat up! Try your dad’s cooking, see if I’ve gotten rusty!"
Qin Dahai placed a large piece of griffin leg meat onto Qin Feng’s plate, his face beaming with happiness.
Qin Feng dug in, placing food on his father’s plate just as often as his father did for him.
The father and son ate and chatted, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
"By the way, your uncle will probably be able to take some leave and come back for a visit in a few days,"
Qin Dahai said. "Also, your two younger cousins are on summer vacation now, just running wild at home all day. When you have some free time, give them a few pointers. Being personally coached by their cousin, the Qiming General Star—that’s something they could brag about for the rest of their lives."
"Sure, no problem."
Qin Feng agreed with a smile.
"Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see our new house,"
Qin Dahai said. "The villa is in the core of the metropolitan area. The environment, the security—it’s all top-of-the-line. Really nice."
"Okay."
The two of them didn’t exchange many pleasantries. Everything that needed to be said was conveyed through the simple, honest food and their quiet conversation.
After the meal, Qin Dahai urged Qin Feng to get some rest, saying he must be tired after such a long day.
As for himself, he hummed a little tune, contentedly clearing the dishes.
Qin Feng knew his father was always like this.
’The passion and love in his heart were like magma deep beneath the earth—fiery and profound.’
’But his way of expressing it always carried a certain reservedness, a distance common among the older generation who were not good with words.’
Qin Feng didn’t say anything more and returned to his incredibly familiar bedroom.
He lay down on his bed, which was getting on in years, feeling its familiar, long-missed softness.
The scent of sun-dried sheets filled his nose.
An unprecedented feeling of peace and comfort enveloped his entire being.
At Qiming First High School, his nerves were constantly strung taut. He trained like a madman, never daring to slack off for even a moment.
But now, back in the sanctuary he called home, the tension he had carried for over a year could finally begin to ease.
He didn’t fall asleep right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his sea of consciousness.
He began practicing the Emperor Meditation Technique.
He visualized the majestic, eternal figure of the Emperor, honing his Will and calming his recently turbulent mind.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before a tide of exhaustion washed over him.
Qin Feng’s consciousness slowly faded, and he finally sank into a deep, long-awaited sleep.
He slept exceptionally well that night.