"Sis, I really think you should stay with Sophie and the others in Divine Medicine Valley. It's way safer there. The Provincial Capital is a total mess right now—even the Chen Family is in trouble, and who knows what kind of disaster could break out!" Ryan Ling genuinely didn't want Lily Liu to go; mostly, he was worried she'd be in danger if she came along.
Lily Liu looked a bit unhappy, but Ryan's reasoning was solid. Forget that the Provincial Capital is Azure Dragon Society turf—the Heavenly Fiend Alliance, who dared to go after the Chen Family, are seriously dangerous. Ryan felt there was more behind them than just a bunch of thugs; some bigger force had to be backing them.
The Provincial Capital isn't like other cities—it's not just the Azure Dragon Society running things. And according to Angie Chen's memories, the attack on the Chen Family probably started because her dad, Jinbiao Chen, found some kind of treasure in the South Sea a few months back. Lots of people offered crazy money for it, including Japan’s Mitsui Corporation, but Jinbiao refused to sell.
So yeah, this whole situation is probably way more complicated than it looks.
But before Ryan could finish, Sophie Su suddenly piped up, "Ryan, just let Lily go. She can keep an eye on you, and honestly, she's gotten the best results from training with your methods. Let her come along!"
"Exactly! Let me go. Didn't I take care of you when you were little?" With Sophie backing her up, Lily Liu thickened her skin and hopped right into the car.
Ryan was speechless. Ever since things got real between him and Lily, she’d totally dropped her old reserve. All those years of pent-up feelings were blazing now, and honestly, her boldness could rival Angie Chen’s. Angie, though, had calmed down a lot thanks to her family crisis—she just stared blankly out the window.
Trying to keep Angie from overthinking, Ryan threw out a question: "So, you said your dad found some kind of treasure. What was it, exactly? Can you tell me more?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I only saw it once—it was a weird scale. I didn’t notice anything special, but my dad and uncle treated it like it was priceless." Angie steadied herself and replied.
"A scale? What kind of scale?" Ryan was surprised. How could a single scale be enough to put a whole family at risk of extermination?
"I think I took a picture—here, check my phone!" Angie Chen said, quickly pulling out her phone and opening up her photo album.
"Whoa, that scale is huge! Is it snake scale? Ryan, do snake demons have scales that big?" Lily Liu leaned over and asked.
"No way that's a snake scale! Unless..." Ryan's senses were way sharper now, and just a glance at the scale told him it was something special.
"Ryan, you're spot on. That's an extremely rare Dragon Scale—can't believe the Chen Family actually found one!" The System popped up, staring at the scale and sighing. "Getting a Dragon Scale can make a family prosper, but if they don't have the luck to handle it, it'll just bring disaster. Honestly, you should be the one to keep it. Only in your hands will it reach its full potential!"
"A Dragon Scale? If there's a real Dragon Scale, does that mean there are actual dragons in the South Sea?" Ryan wasn't just thinking about the scale anymore—he was picturing something much bigger. If he could ride a dragon one day, who in the world would dare mess with him?
"If that happens, you'd be even more badass than your old man!" The System chuckled, then reminded Ryan to make sure he got his hands on the Dragon Scale—no matter who else got it, it'd just spell trouble.
The group kept chatting idly like that as the car slowly rolled into the Provincial Capital.
The Provincial Capital’s prosperity was on a whole other level—Harbor City and Dragonridge City couldn’t compare. Shops lined every street, the whole place buzzing with life. At the highway entrance, cars were backed up in a long queue before Ryan and his crew finally got in.
Heading north, their car cruised along the elevated road, skyscrapers rising on both sides. The city’s energy made Ryan and Lily feel like country folk visiting the big city. Angie, though, was totally out of it—she leaned against the window, clutching her phone, her face blank. For all her ‘little demoness’ reputation, Angie was ruthless only to bullies and crooks; when it came to her family, she was all heart. She’d even swapped her phone’s case for a Chen Family portrait.
"Driver, can you go any faster?" The closer they got to the Chen estate, the more anxious Angie became.
"Angie, don't worry. It'll be fine!" Ryan quickly reassured her.
"Yeah, I believe my family's going to be okay too!" Angie nodded. The Heavenly Fiend Alliance only grabbed her to use as a hostage, so now that she was safe, things at home probably weren't too dangerous. Still, her heart was tight with worry she couldn't shake.
The driver sped up, but nobody paid any attention to the city’s scenery—they just wanted to get to the Chen estate ASAP and make sure everyone was safe.
"Almost there—just off the overpass, around the corner and we're home!" As they neared their destination, Angie couldn't help but shout.
The driver braked gently and rolled off the overpass. There weren't many cars on this stretch, but every vehicle was a luxury ride—clearly, they'd entered the city’s rich district.
The Chen Family was famous for their wealth. Jinbiao Chen ran businesses in real estate, heavy industry, tourism, forestry, chemicals, even military manufacturing. In East River State, people called it the Chen Family Industrial Kingdom. He’d always focused on real industries and cared about people’s livelihoods, so his reputation was huge—not just in the Provincial Capital, but across the entire province. That’s why he also served as president of the city’s business association.
As their car headed deeper in, rows of Chen Family factories came into view—but the whole street was shut down, sealed up tight. Burly guys stood guard at every gate, each one wearing a belt with the Heavenly Fiend Alliance logo stitched on.
"Those bastards actually shut down our factories!" Angie gritted her teeth at the sight.
"Don’t get worked up—wait till we’re home." Ryan said, surveying the scene. The Heavenly Fiend Alliance had clearly sent a lot of men, but these goons were just cannon fodder. Wiping them out wouldn’t mean much.
If you want to take down the enemy, you have to go for their leader first!
"Miss Angie, you're back! Thank goodness you're safe!" As their car approached, an old servant suddenly called out.
"Stop the car!" Angie shouted as soon as she saw the old man.
She hurried out and ran over to him.
"Uncle Fu, how did you end up here?" Angie rushed to help the old man up—he was disheveled and lying on the ground.
"Forget about me—the bandits are about to break into the house! Rose is holding them off alone. You have to come with me, now!" Uncle Fu gasped.
"Just Rose is fighting them off? What about my dad, my second uncle, and the other family guards?" Angie asked anxiously. She knew things were bad, but had no idea how serious it was.
"No time to explain—just come with me! Rose said if you made it back safe, you need to leave right away. You're the Chen Family's only hope, so you have to stay safe!" Uncle Fu tried to pull Angie away.
"I'm not leaving! I have to go home and fight those bandits!" Angie clenched her fists, refusing to back down.
"Listen to me—you can't beat them. Don't make things worse, just go!" Uncle Fu was stubborn too, refusing to let go of Angie.
"It's okay, Uncle Fu. I brought an expert with me—he's my best friend now, and he can handle this. He’ll get us out of this mess!" Angie said, pulling Ryan over.
"Your friend? Miss Angie, you finally found yourself a boyfriend—he looks like a good kid! Your parents would be so happy. But those Heavenly Fiend Alliance bastards are seriously tough. You're no match for them, don't throw your life away, kid!" Uncle Fu grabbed Ryan, trying to pull both of them to safety.
But the situation at the Chen estate was already dire—sounds of fighting echoed from afar, and even a woman’s desperate cries could be heard.
"It’s Rose—she’s in danger!" Angie shouted. She broke free from Uncle Fu and raced toward the house. The Chen estate was a battlefield now, but she refused to back down.