Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

As he spoke, Zhou Zihan suddenly asked, "Why did you suddenly come to the Central State without Auntie letting us know? I wasn’t prepared at all."

Zhou Ziheng waved his hands repeatedly and said nonchalantly, "I just came to deliver something to Uncle for my mother. I deliberately asked her not to send a message so I could surprise Uncle and you, Cousin."

Zhou Zihan’s face lit up. He knew his aunt was extremely capable. She wasn’t just a Sixth-grade Platinum Cauldron Master; the man she married was the Sect Master of the Demon Dragon Sect, one of the Peak Sects of the Flame Dragon Dynasty. His own family had only been able to establish a firm foothold here in this Border City on the edge of the Central State thanks to the help of his aunt and uncle. ’There’s no way anything they send would be subpar!’

At this thought, Zhou Zihan’s spirits lifted. He clapped Zhou Ziheng on the shoulder and said, "You clever little rascal. But I just saw a crowd gathered around the restaurant. What happened?"

As soon as the words were out, an indescribable awkwardness appeared on Zhou Ziheng’s face. Someone had stepped on him, but they’d apologized. It would be unseemly to press the issue. Yet, the sight of such a beautiful woman had made his heart itch. He’d seen plenty of beauties in the Flame Dragon Dynasty, but they were all just ugly runts compared to her.

While the two were talking, Mu Chen and Chu Aoqing had already entered the restaurant. Watching the two figures outside, Chu Aoqing didn’t seem to mind at all. Mu Chen, however, frowned slightly before calling over a waiter.

"A question for you."

Mu Chen casually tossed a bag of Purple Elemental Crystals into the waiter’s hand. The waiter was a bit reluctant at first, but when he felt the weight of the Elemental Crystal Bag, his face broke into a wide grin. He bowed and scraped, saying, "Ask away, sir."

With a faint smile, Mu Chen glanced outside and asked the waiter, "Do you know who that person is?"

The waiter looked puzzled. Following Mu Chen’s gaze, he turned his head and said with dawning realization, "You must be from out of town, right?"

Mu Chen feigned surprise and smiled. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

The waiter puffed out his chest, looking smug. "Because of your question, of course. Young Master Zhou Zihan is the young master of our Border City Zhou Family, the heir to the Clan Leader position. A prominent figure like him is famous even in the towns surrounding Border City."

"The Zhou Family?" Mu Chen pressed. "What kind of power are they?"

The waiter grinned. "Well, you said you had one question, and I’ve already answered it. Normally, you’d have to pay more for another. You should know, I work here every day, see all sorts of people, and hear all sorts of things. There’s almost nothing I don’t know about this Border City. But seeing as you’re so generous, sir, I’ll answer two more questions for free. We won’t count the last one. This one will be the first."

As he spoke, the waiter glanced at Zhou Zihan outside, his expression turning serious. In a low voice, he said, "The Zhou Family is the number one family in our Border City. In other words, apart from the City Lord, they are the greatest power here—at least on the surface. But, I’ve heard whispers that the City Lord has an extremely close relationship with the Zhou Family, and that they secretly control the entire city. All the residents here know one thing: in Border City, the Zhou Family is the heavens, its members are the emperors, and its word is the law. If the Zhou Family wants a family gone, they will be annihilated that very day. So, you can afford to offend anyone in Border City except the Zhou Family."

After hearing the waiter’s explanation, Mu Chen nodded silently. He finally understood why the people on the street had reacted so dramatically upon seeing the man in brocade.

"I see. In that case, I’ll ask my last question," Mu Chen said, placing another bag of Purple Elemental Crystals on the table. He added calmly, "If you can answer it, this bag is yours too."

The waiter’s eyes lit up instantly. He swallowed hard and nodded eagerly. "Sir! Ask away! I promise to tell you everything I know!"

"You make the Zhou Family sound so powerful. What’s that based on? I’ve heard you people love to exaggerate."

Hearing Mu Chen’s question, Chu Aoqing was secretly amazed. ’That question might be short, but it’s incredibly clever. If he had just bluntly asked, "How powerful is the Zhou Family?" it would have definitely made the waiter suspicious and resentful. But Mu Chen’s phrasing cleverly avoided that. Instead, he challenged the waiter’s words, making it sound like he was just an out-of-towner who couldn’t believe the Zhou Family was that strong.’

Sure enough, hearing Mu Chen’s disbelief, the waiter became indignant and huffed, "I, Wang Xiao’Er, swear to the heavens that not a single word I’ve said is false! Unless the story was a lie when I heard it, may I die a horrible death!"

Without waiting for Mu Chen to press further, and as if to prove himself right, the waiter immediately lowered his voice. "The Zhou Family is so dominant not only because they’re powerful in their own right, with ten Venerable Realm Elders and a Saint Realm Ancestor watching over them, but also because of a certain relative."

"A relative?" Mu Chen gave the waiter a strange look. ’It seems restaurants are hotbeds for gossip no matter where you go,’ he thought. ’He even dug up dirt on their relatives.’

The waiter, seemingly oblivious to Mu Chen’s look, nodded. "That’s right. This relative supposedly isn’t in the Central State, but he possesses the strength to contend with one of its Low-level Sects."

"A Low-level Sect?"

Mu Chen found that strange; it didn’t sound like much of a compliment. But Chu Aoqing suddenly frowned and said, "In that case, that sect must be one of the Peak Sects from one of the Dynasties."

"Yes, yes! The Fairy is absolutely right! It’s the Demon Dragon Sect, one of the Peak Sects of the Flame Dragon Dynasty." The waiter looked at Mu Chen with envy. Truth be told, the most enjoyable part of his job was getting to see all kinds of beautiful women every day. But after so many years of looking, Chu Aoqing was the most beautiful he had ever seen, bar none.

Understanding dawned on Mu Chen. He suddenly remembered this was the Central State, where it was rumored that even a mid- or low-level sect had the power to destroy an entire Dynasty. It seemed the Zhou Family’s influence was truly significant.

Noticing the waiter’s expression becoming dazed, Mu Chen coughed twice to snap him out of it. "All right, your answers were satisfactory. Take this bag of Purple Elemental Crystals."

The waiter didn’t linger. He’d seen the beauty and gotten the money—enough to cover ten years of his wages at this restaurant. ’Never thought I’d strike it rich,’ he thought to himself, humming a little tune as he walked away from Mu Chen’s table.

"Why did you ask him all that?" Chu Aoqing asked, looking at Mu Chen with a puzzled, chiding expression.

Mu Chen shook his head helplessly. "You think I wanted to? The guy whose foot you stepped on is clearly not the type to let things go. And now we know he’s related to the young master of the Border City Zhou Family. He’s bound to come looking for trouble. With your status, you obviously wouldn’t give him a second thought, but we can’t have your family intervene over something so trivial. That would be beneath you."

"Then what do you plan to do? They have ten Venerable Realm Elders and a Saint Realm Ancestor, you know." Chu Aoqing put down her chopsticks and looked at Mu Chen with excitement. To be honest, she was quite looking forward to seeing him do something. Ever since he had advanced to Fourth-Ring Martial Emperor, she hadn’t seen him use his full strength even once. She even had a faint feeling that his power was now enough to contend with a Two-Ring Martial Venerable.

Mu Chen chuckled. "It’s not like I’m facing his Elders or his Ancestor right now. If he doesn’t come looking for trouble, fine. But if he insists on making a nuisance of himself..."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Then I suppose I could do his family a favor and teach him how to conduct himself."