Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  “Nah, I was only here to help. I have no interest in playing basketball long term,” Hao Ren said upfront as he wiped his forehead with a white towel.

  Although Xie Wanjun wanted to persuade him, he gave the thought up after some consideration. “Alright, we all have our passions. But with your talent, I’m sure you can succeed in anything.”

  He had been the Captain of the Basketball Team for a few years. Therefore, he had excellent leadership skills and sharp eyes for seeing people’s potentials. From what he could tell, Hao Ren’s outstanding abilities would never keep him inside a little basketball court.

  He certainly considered for his sister as well. Although a basketball player might seem cool on the court, their lives were usually filled with training. Basketball players were always seen sweaty, smelly and exhausted. Xie Wanjun didn’t want his sister’s boyfriend to be like that; he wished that Hao Ren could be able to spend more time with her.

  Then Xie Wanjun said, “I think you are a good guy. If you do like Yujia, I will do my best to help!”

  Zhao Jiayi and the rest of the team were both surprised at how straightforward he was. Zhao Jiayi was surprised because Xie Yujia was the Class President, and the others were astonished because they knew Xie Wanjun was very protective of his charming little sister and never let any of them get in touch with her.

  “Hao Ren must have excellent character and ability to make Xie Wanjun fond of him,” they thought.

  Hao Ren laughed quietly, and Xie Wanjun waved at the guys again. “Come on, I’m paying!”

  Hao Ren walked to the side and picked up his phone. There were several missed calls; they were from his dad, his mom, Zhao Hongyu, Xie Yujia, Zhao Yanzi, Lu Qing…

  At this moment, Lu Qing walked in between aisles with Lu Linlin and Lu Lili. He said, “The team did very well this time!”

  The players were all surprised at the Vice Principal’s praise. In the past, he didn’t even show up when they won the championship in the National College Basketball League.

  At the same time, Zhao Yanzi’s family, Hao Ren’s family, Xie Yujia and Xie Ming came over from both sides.

  They gathered in the resting area.

  Zhao Yanzi’s face twisted a little when she saw Grandma holding Xie Yujia by the arm.

  Xie Yujia sensed the hostility in Zhao Yanzi’s eyes, but she still thought that Zhao Yanzi was Su Han’s cousin, and she was defensive on behalf of Su Han. Therefore, she didn’t care much about her and turned to Xie Wanjun. “Great job this time, Brother!”

  “It’s all thanks to Ren!” Xie Wanjun took advantage of this opportunity to praise Hao Ren.

  He noticed Xie Ming and greeted, “Uncle.”

  “Wanjun, you are getting better and better!” Xie Ming smiled.

  Seeing all those pretty girls coming to them, Zhao Jiayi suddenly recognized Zhao Yanzi, who caused the big scene at school last time, and Zhao Hongyu, who came to pick Hao Ren up in her Ferrari. However, he didn’t recognize Yue Yang under her peak cap and Hao Zhonghua in his sweatshirt. Zhao Jiayi never paid attention to the news and never thought these world-class scientists would appear here.

  Xie Wanjun didn’t want to stay there after seeing that all these people were coming for Hao Ren. He said to Xie Ming, “Uncle, I’m going out with the team for dinner. Are you coming to stay at my place tonight?”

  “I’m staying with an old friend of mine tonight and will be going over to your place tomorrow. I’m not staying here very long; I probably will head back the day after tomorrow,” Xie Ming said.

  “Ok,” Xie Wanjun nodded and turned to Lu Qing, “Vice Principal, I’m taking them out for dinner then.”

  “Go ahead,” Lu Qing smiled and waved.

  Xie Wanjun knew that Hao Ren wouldn’t be able to leave, so he didn’t insist. He took Zhao Jiayi and the other guys to the locker room.

  After that, Hao Ren was only left with the three groups of people.

  They surrounded Hao Ren, formed in a triangle.

  They looked at each other as they wondered what the relationship was between each other. All of them were too cautious to say something first. Even Grandma sensed the strange atmosphere and kept her mouth shut.

  “Auntie, who is this?” Zhao Hongyu looked at Xie Yujia and asked after a few seconds.

  “Oh, this is little Yujia. She has been a friend of Ren’s since they were little,” Grandma said.

  Then, she continued, “This is Xie Ming, Zhonghua’s university classmate, and Yujia’s father.”

  “Hello,” Xie Ming smiled lightly at Zhao Hongyu.

  “Hello,” Zhao Hongyu smiled back politely.

  Then, everyone started to introduce themselves in harmony. Of course, everyone learned that Lu Qing was the Vice Principal.

  Grandma wanted Zi to be her granddaughter-in-law. However, she wouldn’t introduce her that way in front of everyone. Therefore, Zhao Yanzi’s family was introduced to Xie Ming as Hao Ren’s family’s good friends in East Ocean City.

  Xie Yujia felt strange when the Vice Principal stayed with them with his two granddaughters.

  “Does he have a relationship with Hao Ren as well?” she thought.

  “Xie Ming just came back from the States today, and Zhonghua is going to have dinner with his old friend. Now that you all know each other; would you like to go together?” Grandma asked Zhao Hongyu’s family.

  “Hehe, that’s alright. It’s been a long time since you saw each other. You should spend more time together,” Zhao Hongyu said.

  She glimpsed at Xie Yujia as she spoke and thought to herself, “This girl is really pretty. Her temperament isn’t weak at all even though she has never cultivated.”

  She was a world-class architect and was extremely good at appreciating beauty. Even if Lin Li were to stand in front of her with a lot of makeup, she would think that Lin Li was just an ordinary looking girl.

  Then, she turned to Lu Qing, “Vice Principal Lu, I would like to talk to you in private. Is that ok?”

  Lu Qing said with profound respect, “Sure, sure, Mrs. Zhao. After you.”

  A few minutes later, Lu Qing and Zhao Hongyu came back from a few meters away. Then, Yue Yang suddenly said, “Vice Principal Lu, may I borrow a few minutes to talk to you as well?”

  Lu Qing looked at Yue Yang.

  He sure didn’t want to reject her either. “Of course, of course…”

  In a few minutes, Lu Qing followed Yue Yang back as he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

  Hao Ren looked at Xie Yujia, trying to guess what was going on. Hao Ren assumed that she had already learned about him being her ‘Little Older Brother’. However, he had no idea what she thought about this. Just like him, Xie Yujia was wondering what Hao Ren’s thoughts were on it as well. They were both lost and confused.

  Zhao Yanzi rolled her big eyes around, trying to analyze the situation. She knew that something was going on between them, yet she didn’t know where exactly the problem was.

  She felt a bit jealous, but she didn’t want to admit it. Zhao Yanzi still felt like she didn’t like this ‘Uncle’. However, it made her uncomfortable seeing him talking to other girls.

  “I still need to tutor Zi today, so I’ll pass on the dinner,” Hao Ren said abruptly.

  Everyone including Hao Zhonghua and Grandma was surprised at Hao Ren’s decision.

  “You haven’t seen Little Carrot for so long, Ren. Don’t you want to catch up with her?” Grandma asked.

  “She is my Class President, and I have lots of time to catch up with her,” Hao Ren answered.

  Grandma and Xie Ming were both surprised at Hao Ren’s words. However, they could tell from Xie Yujia’s facial expression that he was telling the truth.”

  “In that case, I guess Ren is coming with us. Principal Lu, come along with your granddaughters. It’s my treat,” Zhao Guang said.

  Hao Zhonghua didn’t want to fight over Hao Ren with Zhao Guang. He nodded and said to Hao Ren, “Ok, your Uncle Zhao’s family came to watc
h your game today, so you should spend some time with them tonight. You can eat with Uncle Xie tomorrow.”

  When the two groups of people were about to leave, Zhao Yanzi, who stood beside Zhao Hongyu, finally opened her mouth after being silent. “Big Sister, I would like to talk with you for a bit as well.”

  It was to Xie Yujia’s surprise, but she still nodded.

  The two of them walked a few meters away from the crowd. Zhao Yanzi was much shorter than Xie Yujia, and they talked facing each other with no emotions what so ever.

  The two girls came back after a little while, and Zhao Yanzi said to Zhao Guang, “Come on, Dad. Let’s go for dinner.”

  Xie Ming looked at Xie Yujia with confusion, but she only smiled lightly and said to Hao Zhonghua, “Let’s go for dinner too, Uncle.”

  “Um, yes,” Hao Zhonghua nodded and waved goodbye to Zhao Guang and the others.

  The two groups of people left through two aisles. Hao Ren was beside Zhao Yanzi, and he wanted to ask what she said to Xie Yujia. However, he tried his best to hold it back.

  Lu Qing and Zhao Guang both parked on the other side of the stadium, and they started their cars and left the campus in tandem. Lu Qing had Lu Linlin and Lu Lili in his car while Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi were in Zhao Guang’s car.

  Zhao Yanzi kept her little mouth shut on the way to the restaurant. Her bright eyes reflected the brilliantly illuminated city, and no one could tell what was on her mind.

  Zhao Hongyu smiled at Hao Ren in comfort. When she turned her head back, her eyebrows twisted in worries.

  The restaurant was in the core of downtown, and the seven of them sat around a table. This time, instead of sitting on both sides of Hao Ren, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili sat on one side of him while Zhao Yanzi sat on his other side.

  The topic was mostly about the sisters. Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu asked about their lives and if they had adapted to the new environment. Hao Ren could sense that Zhao Guang was paying a lot of attention to the sisters; this dinner was also a welcome dinner for them.

  After dinner, Lu Qing took the sisters to Zhao Guang’s house; they seemed to have more important issues to discuss.

  After arriving, Zhao Guang and Lu Qing went up to the attic on the third floor, and they even put up a soundproof array formation.

  Hao Ren noticed the seriousness in their looks, and he knew that there must have been some tension in the situation lately. However, instead of asking, he went to Zhao Yanzi’s room to help her with her homework questions.

  As usual, the Lu sisters were happy as long as they could be by Hao Ren’s sides, so they went to the room beside Zhao Yanzi’s room to rest.

  An hour later, Lu Qing and Zhao Guang’s secret meeting came to an end. Lu Qing went downstairs with a serious look, and he called over the sisters and prepared to head back home.

  Hao Ren took advantage of this opportunity to finish up his lesson, and he walked out of Zhao Yanzi’s room.

  “Come back with me, Hao Ren. You can stay at my place, and I can give you a ride to school tomorrow. Let’s not bother the Dragon King,” Lu Qing said to Hao Ren.

  “Ok,” Hao Ren nodded in agreement.

  “Um, stay with Elder Lu tonight. I need to do some decoration to my place,” Zhao Guang said.

  Hao Ren nodded. “Take care, Uncle.”

  Zhao Guang laughed and patted Hao Ren on his shoulder. “We are fine. Just go with Elder Lu.” Then, he stopped and said to Lu Qing, “Can Zi stay with you tonight as well?”

  “Sure; not a problem. I will take good care of Ms. Zi,” Lu Qing said immediately.

  Zhao Guang went into Zhao Yanzi’s room and talked to her for a bit. Then, she walked out of her room, pouting. She had her school bag and a toiletries bag in her hands.

  “Let’s go,” Lu Qing walked downstairs and drove away with the four of them.

  There were city lights in the night, and they seemed like floating lanterns through the car window.

  Lu Linlin and Lu Lili sat on each side of Hao Ren as they looked to their side of the window.

  The light reflected on their faces through the window as the car passed by, and they looked very beautiful and elegant under them; the sisters’ beauty was beyond words. No wonder the guys would always shout and yell in surprise when they saw them.

  Zhao Yanzi, however, was still in her blue school uniform. She sat in the passenger seat with her hands holding onto her school bag, falling asleep.

  “Elder Lu, is something going to happen soon?” Hao Ren finally couldn’t hold it back anymore and asked.

  “No need to worry. It’s just that we have heard that some big characters from West Ocean are coming here. Hence, we need to do some preparations,” Lu Qing answered as he gazed into the traffic flow ahead.

  137 Sword Cultivation? Lightning Cultivation?

  About half an hour later, the vehicle entered a residential area named Flower City. It was a top-tier residential area with high-rise apartment buildings in the high-tech district of East Ocean City.

  When they drove into the underground garage, Lu Qing woke Zhao Yanzi up, who was soundly asleep with her bag in her arms. Then, the five of them took the elevator up to his apartment.

  There were two apartments on each floor. Although it was not as quiet as Zhao Yanzi’s house, it was still a pretty decent place.

  Lu Qing opened the door and guided them inside. Hao Ren noticed the exquisite interior design of the apartment; there was even a water miniascape at the entrance which brought a very elegant sensation.

  The living room was clean and tidy. Three large couches and a giant flat-panel TV were placed nicely in the spacious area. There were three independent bedrooms, a small balcony, an open study area, a kitchen, and a large modern bathroom. It was very luxurious for Lu Qing to live here alone.

  It must have been very comfy for Lu Linlin and Lu Lili to stay here too.

  “This is my room, Linlin and Lili are sharing that room, and you and Ms. Zi can stay in this one,” Lu Qing said as he pointed at each room.

  Zhao Yanzi was still a little drowsy with the bag in her arms, but she immediately blushed when she heard Lu Qing’s words. “I’m not sleeping in the same room as him!”

  Lu Qing laughed. “Then, Gongzi Hao will probably have to stay on the couch.”

  “No problem.” Hao Ren nodded.

  The couches in Lu Qing’s living room were even bigger than the ones at Zhao Yanzi’s place, so there was definitely enough space for him to sleep on.

  “Ms. Zi, you must be tired. Please take a shower and go to bed,” Lu Qing said to Zhao Yanzi.

  “Um…” She threw her backpack into the room and took her other bag with toiletries and pajamas into the bathroom.

  “Linlin, Lili, and Hao Ren; You guys should rest too after you shower.” Lu Qing said before going back to his room to work on some other things.

  “Go rest now. You guys don’t have to keep me company,” Hao Ren said to the twins.

  “Ok…” the sisters answered in their clear and melodious voices at the same time before they went back to their room hand in hand. Their heads were close together as they were busy talking to each other.

  “They are so close…” Hao Ren sighed as he watched them leave. Then, he sat on the couch with his legs crossed and started to cultivate the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll.

  Hao Ren felt more Nature Essence in here than the outside. All the five elements were abundant, especially the water element.

  He opened his eyes to check out the decor of the room. The more he looked, the more ingenious it appeared to him. Every single thing in the room was there for a reason. The miniascape at the entrance, in particular, functioned as the core of the water element. From there, the water elements gathered in the living room through the structure of the apartment.

  The array formation here was more substantial than the one at Zhao Yanzi’s house. The couch and the tea table were all of the enormous sizes; it looked like it was a usual meeting place for the Elders.r />
  Hao Ren wasn’t able to figure out the profound theory of the array formation after some thinking, so he closed his eyes again and started to absorb the five elements in the room.

  The key to cultivating the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll was to gather all five elements at the same time. Any imbalance would cause failure in leveling up. Because of this, if the elements were to be absorbed at the same time with the same speed, Hao Ren’s realm would be very stable.

  The five elements could benefit and counter one another at the same time. The advantage of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll was that other techniques wouldn’t be able to counter it in the later stages of cultivation, but it was able to counter other techniques.

  However, a technique like this was extremely difficult to cultivate. Some might say that it was an ‘idealized technique’ which could never be adequately cultivated. The initial stages of it were unbearably slow. Therefore, most cultivators would have given up on it long before the benefits could be realized.

  However, in Zhao Guang and the others’ opinion, this technique could help Hao Ren build up his foundation. Even if he had to switch to another one in the future, it would still benefit him.

  Hao Ren lost track of time, and he suddenly heard the door to the bathroom opening; it could have been half an hour or an hour. Hao Ren opened his eyes at the sound and saw Zhao Yanzi in her pink pajamas. Her hair was dripping with water as she walked across the living room into her room with her bag.

  She didn’t even look at Hao Ren, who was on the couch, as if he didn’t exist.

  Hao Ren felt ignored again and smiled bitterly. He stretched his arms and went into the bathroom for a shower as well.

  It still smelled nice from Zhao Yanzi’s shower gel, and there were her small footprints on the tile floor and one or two strands of hair in the sink.

  “She had made up her mind not to let me get near her, and I am only able to get closer when I tutored her. She still treats me as an enemy most of the times…” Hao Ren looked in the mirror and shook his head.

  He picked up a brushing cup and noticed there were two toothbrushes in it; a red one and a green one.