Chapter 11
Zan Yunxiao stood in the middle of the bustling street with a confused expression still lingering on his face.
The mission had somehow completed instantly without him doing anything at all.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it became.
“…Just what happened?”
Unable to understand the situation, Zan Yunxiao decided to first search for Xueyun and Zan Wei.
Perhaps they had wandered somewhere nearby.
As he walked through the crowded streets of the capital, loud commotion suddenly echoed from a nearby building.
“Catch them!”
“How dare they cause trouble here?!”
Zan Yunxiao slightly frowned before lifting his gaze.
Above the entrance hung a large signboard.
Gambling Den Pavilion.
The moment he sensed a familiar aura from inside, his expression immediately changed.
Without hesitation, he entered.
The interior was chaotic.
Broken chairs scattered across the floor while several rough-looking hooligans surrounded two familiar figures near the corner of the hall.
Xueyun.
And Zan Wei.
At this moment, Zan Wei was hiding behind his mother while clutching a large bag tightly against his chest. Meanwhile, several men continuously harassed Xueyun, their eyes filled with greed and lust after seeing her extraordinary beauty.
“Little beauty, why not stay here instead?”
“You won so much money already anyway—”
Before the man could finish speaking.
Bang!
His body suddenly flew across the room.
The entire hall instantly became silent.
Zan Yunxiao stood there calmly, his expression cold.
The remaining hooligans froze briefly before rushing toward him angrily.
Unfortunately for them.
They were merely ordinary mortals.
Within moments, screams echoed throughout the hall as bodies crashed into tables and walls one after another.
No one could even touch Zan Yunxiao’s clothes.
After easily defeating the hooligans, Zan Yunxiao immediately walked toward his wife and son.
Xueyun visibly relaxed after seeing him.
“Husband…”
Meanwhile, Zan Wei looked oddly excited instead of scared.
“Dad! You came!”
However, before Zan Yunxiao could ask further.
A furious shout suddenly echoed across the hall.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
A middle-aged man angrily emerged from the upper floor.
Clearly.
The owner of the Gambling Den Pavilion.
Zan Yunxiao ignored him for the moment and first looked toward Xueyun.
“What happened?”
Xueyun sighed helplessly before explaining everything.
Apparently, Zan Wei had somehow wandered into the gambling den earlier out of curiosity.
He kept winning.
Again.
And again.
And again.
To the point where the gambling den nearly went bankrupt from paying him continuously.
Eventually, the owner refused to pay further and instead attempted to use force to keep them here.
The moment Zan Yunxiao heard this, his expression darkened slightly.
A faint fury surfaced within his eyes.
Not because of the money.
But because they dared threaten his family.
Meanwhile, the owner continued shouting angrily.
“You caused trouble in my establishment and still dare attack my people?!”
Zan Yunxiao slowly turned toward him.
He calmly walked forward.
Yet every step carried an invisible pressure that caused the owner’s confidence to gradually weaken.
“Pay,” Zan Yunxiao said coldly.
The owner instinctively stiffened before quickly regaining his composure.
“Hah!” he sneered forcefully. “Do you even know who backs this place?”
The moment those familiar words entered his ears, Zan Yunxiao’s expression became strange.
“…Why does this feel familiar?”
It was almost exactly the same situation as before.
Without wasting another word, Zan Yunxiao casually revealed his noble token once again.
The moment the owner saw it.
His face instantly turned pale.
Sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
“T-This token—!”
He naturally recognized it.
The emperor’s personally recognized benefactor.
Someone even high-ranking nobles dared not provoke lightly.
The owner immediately bowed repeatedly in panic.
“My apologies, Lord! I didn’t recognize you!”
Zan Yunxiao’s expression remained calm.
“Pay up.”
“Yes! Immediately!”
The owner hurriedly retrieved a large payment note equivalent to a massive amount of gold and handed it over respectfully with trembling hands.
Only then did Zan Yunxiao finally leave with his family.
As they returned toward Tianming’s residence, Zan Yunxiao finally turned toward Zan Wei.
Smack!
“Ow!”
Zan Wei immediately covered his head pitifully.
“Why would you enter a gambling den?” Zan Yunxiao scolded sternly. “And even cause this much trouble?”
Xueyun also nodded in agreement.
“Husband is right.”
Then she lightly smacked Zan Wei herself.
“You’re too reckless!”
Zan Wei instantly became wronged.
“But I made money!”
Smack!
Another hit landed immediately.
“Money isn’t the issue!” Xueyun scolded while dragging him along.
Meanwhile, Zan Yunxiao silently observed his youngest son.
The more he thought about it…
The stranger this entire situation became.
How exactly did this brat continuously win inside a gambling den?
From what he knew, gambling houses were always rigged. Winning once or twice was possible, but consistently winning until bankruptcy?
That was absurd.
Unless…
“…Could this child actually be a gambling genius?”
Then another thought surfaced.
Wait.
Could this also be related to the mission somehow?
Zan Yunxiao immediately called inwardly.
“System. How exactly was the mission completed?”
The mechanical voice responded calmly.
[Because the host’s offspring completed a condition related to the mission objective.]
[Whenever the host accepts a mission, actions indirectly completed by descendants may automatically fulfill the mission on behalf of the host.]
Hearing this explanation, Zan Yunxiao froze briefly.
Then his eyes slowly widened.
“…Isn’t this basically cheating?”
A dangerous thought immediately surfaced within his mind.
If his descendants could complete missions for him…
Then theoretically.
He could simply relax while his children unknowingly did all the work.
At that moment, Zan Yunxiao suddenly felt the future becoming extremely bright.
The next day, the massive payment from the Gambling Den Pavilion finally arrived at Tianming’s residence.
After settling everything, the Zan Family prepared to leave the imperial capital and return to Solhaven.
Outside the residence, Zan Tianming respectfully bid farewell to them.
“Father, Mother… travel safely.”
Xueyun gently held her eldest son’s hands.
“Take care of yourself too.”
Zan Wei waved enthusiastically.
“Big Brother, become an even bigger official next time!”
Tianming laughed helplessly.
Soon, the carriage slowly departed from the capital once more.
After several days of travel, the Zan Family safely returned to Solhaven Village once more.
The familiar rice fields swayed peacefully beneath the wind while villagers respectfully greeted them the moment the carriage entered the village. Compared to the noisy imperial capital, the atmosphere of Solhaven felt far calmer and more comfortable.
Soon, the carriage arrived before the Zan Manor.
After entering the residence, Zan Yunxiao finally sat quietly inside the courtyard while casually observing the noble token in his hand.
The golden surface reflected faintly beneath the sunlight.
Even now, he still found it somewhat unbelievable.
A single token had been enough to force back the daughter of a powerful general and even frighten the owner of the Gambling Den Pavilion into immediate submission.
At first, Zan Yunxiao truly believed the emperor merely rewarded him casually for Solhaven’s contributions.
But now.
It seemed the emperor valued that contribution far more than expected.
Zan Yunxiao leaned slightly against his chair while smiling faintly in amusement.
“Interesting…”
Without realizing it, he had somehow established a connection with the ruler of the entire empire.
A mortal emperor.
Yet not entirely mortal.
During his time wandering through the imperial capital, Zan Yunxiao had overheard several rumors regarding the emperor himself.
Apparently.
The emperor was also a cultivator.
Because of this, Zan Yunxiao naturally became somewhat curious.
What cultivation realm does the emperor possess?
In truth, within this world, cultivators hidden among mortals were not entirely uncommon. However, someone capable of ruling an empire while simultaneously cultivating was naturally far from ordinary.
For a brief moment, Zan Yunxiao even considered personally visiting the imperial palace someday.
Perhaps he could finally learn more about the cultivation world beyond his isolated life in Solhaven.
Yet after thinking carefully.
He immediately dismissed the idea.
“Too troublesome.”
If he suddenly visited the emperor, countless unnecessary complications would likely follow afterward. Nobles, officials, political struggles, imperial factions…
Just imagining it already gave him a headache.
Zan Yunxiao sighed softly before putting away the token.
He had no interest in becoming involved with imperial power struggles.
Right now.
His peaceful life in Solhaven was already enough.
As the evening breeze swept gently across the manor courtyard, Zan Yunxiao quietly closed his eyes while listening to the laughter of his family nearby.
Compared to cultivation battles and worldly ambition.
This kind of peaceful life…
Was something he cherished far more.