Chapter 449 The Engagement
As Su Long arrived at the first floor, he directly headed for the door leading to the square behind.
There were still a lot of pedestrians on the first floor. On seeing Su Long guiding the young man with a wide smile forward, most of them were stunned.
“My gosh, it’s so rare to see Leading Cadre Su smiling!”
“Who is that handsome guy? Wow, he is obviously a big shot since Leading Cadre Su treats him so respectfully.”
“Can he be Su Mu?”
Many people present were chatting with each other. At that point, the face of the captain beside them twisted all of a sudden and he said, “Be quiet. He is not Su Mu. Su Mu is in the square behind. The man, as a real big shot, is even more powerful than Leading Cadre Su.”
“Hiss…”
Gasps were heard in succession, for they failed to figure out how a man in his 20s could be more powerful than Su Long.
Under many people’s gazes, Zhang Han and Su Long walked out through the side door.
Behind the office building lay a square with a square sand area on the left edge, about 30 meters in length and width. At that moment, Su Mu was standing at the center of the sand, facing a superior of the Spirit Group, who was at the Grand Master Early-stage.
Around them stood a dozen people.
It was apparent that the two of them had just finished fighting. A middle-aged person was on the opposite side of Su Mu, whose legs were tied by a strand made of threads of sand at that time. As the sand was constantly climbing upward, it seemed that his body would be completely tied up within six seconds.
“You’re so awesome, Childe Su. I lost.”
The middle-aged man gave a wry smile, then saluted and said, “Childe Su, you do have a good knowledge of the Earth Spells, and those several moves totally dazzled me. I thought I could fight back after defending, but I did not expect that my legs would be bound by your killing move. You’re indeed powerful.”
“That’s right. The Earth Spells that Childe Su grasps have reached a high degree of professional proficiency. We can only use our spiritual force to complete a few low-powered killing moves.”
“…”
Several people around gasped in admiration over and over again. Of course, although most of them, except for the middle-aged person, were Heaven-stage Masters and a minority of them were Earth-Stage Masters, so they could not unveil the profound mystery.
“A high degree of professional proficiency?” Su Mu shook his head slightly, then looked back and said in great admiration, “He is the true talent.”
After hearing what he said, everyone was dumbfounded and turned their heads to the right. When they saw Zhang Han, who was standing dozens of meters away, many people’s faces changed.
“Fierce Zhang!”
Everyone fell silent and particularly agreed with what Su Mu said, but they found it a little weird at the same time.
After careful calculation, they realized that Fierce Zhang was only 26 years old, which chilled them at the thought of it.
Although he was only 26 years old, they all equated him with the strong men of the older generation.
As for Su Mu, he was almost 24 years old though he was a man of really high intellect, thus he was not a patch on Grand Master Zhang, which made others sigh with emotion.
“Emperor Qing was born in the Hua nation, followed by Fierce Zhang later. It’s indeed a place with vast territory and abundant talents after all.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Su Long and Zhang Han approached them.
“Chief Su, Grand Master Zhang.”
Everyone greeted them one by one.
There was also some ordinary staff in the Spirit Group. Generally speaking, people of the martial arts world called Su Long Chief Zhang, while ordinary people would call him Leading Cadre Su. But no matter how he was t.i.tled, he was the captain of the Spirit Group.
Su Long nodded with a smile, then looked at Su Mu and said with a smile, “Xiao Mu, I specially invited Grand Master Zhang to give you some advice. If you have any questions in cultivation, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity!”
“What?”
Su Mu froze, then he was mad with joy and hurriedly said while saluting, “Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you, Master Zhang.”
“Well.”
Zhang Han stepped on the sand pile, stopping 10 meters away from Su Mu.
“Uh, I…” Realizing that Zhang Han was looking at him, Su Mu hurriedly pondered then stated his problems. “I happened to see a mudslide four years ago, whose irresistible power shocked and enlightened me all of a sudden. I made out the Earth Spells at that moment and am somewhat knowledgeable about them after several years’ research and understanding. But now, I have encountered a bottleneck, in which I cannot find a way out to change my methods of attack.”
Zhang Han waved his hand and said, “Show me your most powerful skill.”
“Okay, I’ll start, Grand Master Zhang. This movement is called Striking Snake, which took me a year to sort out.”
After finis.h.i.+ng speaking, Su Mu suddenly waved his hands as his spiritual force flew into the air. It was the spiritual force that formed a small whirlwind and winded up the sand three meters in front of him, taking the shape of a snake and moving forward fiercely.
Although the snake’s body looked very small, the several Qi Strength Masters nearby took a few steps back on account of its enormous power.
Moreover, Su Mu did not take advantage of too much spiritual force to control the sand while carrying out this movement. In fact, he used the sand, stones, and soil with high proficiency by virtue of his deep understanding of the Earth Spells.
The middle-aged man who fought against him before said, “Childe Su’s movement is very swift and fierce. If he had used it just now, I definitely wouldn’t have resisted him.”
However, as soon as he finished his words, Zhang Han waved his hand calmly.
An invisible force directly shredded the snake.
Simultaneously, Zhang Han shook his head slightly.
“It’s too fancy.”
“Swis.h.!.+”
Su Mu’s expression became stiff, as his mind was filled with mixed emotions. He was somewhat uncomfortable since the attack that took him one year to figure out was negated by someone else.
“This movement is to trap people.”
Su Mu added and suddenly extended his palm forward. At that time, the sand and stones beneath Zhang Han’s feet turned into a rope and circled upward in an instant, seemingly trying to bind Zhang Han.
At that moment, the eyes of the middle-aged person beside him brightened.
“I just was defeated by this movement and don’t know how Grand Master Zhang will resolve it!”
He knew Zhang Han was bound to resolve it.
But he had not expected that he could resolve it so fast.
The ropes made of the sand and stones just reached Zhang Han’s feet.
At that point, Zhang Han stepped down slightly.
“Bang!”
The two ropes were shattered directly.
“You don’t have enough control of this movement.”
Zhang Han shook his head again.
He sighed with emotion in his mind that they were at the ending era, without various complete spells, supernatural power, secret skills, and inheritances after all, so it was really difficult for people to make out the movements alone.
After pondering for a while, Zhang Han gave him some advice.
“Your trapping spell can be improved if you practice it more, though its power is limited. I think that you can combine the two moves, that is, the instant you move, the ground spike should appear, which will bring much greater power.”
“Bang!”
Su Mu had been a little frustrated since Zhang Han undermined his confidence, but what he said at that moment bombarded Su Mu’s mind.
A picture gradually formed in his mind. If the Striking Snake was displayed through the trapping spell and directly took shape beneath the enemy’s feet in a spear tip instead of a snake, suddenly sticking out of the ground, it’s power would indeed reach a higher level.
“I see!” Su Mu said while saluting.
After thinking for a while, he did not choose to show the last two attacking moves, for they were his stunts that he treasured for years and he thought they were definitely out of question.
He, therefore, said, “I also learned a defensive move, called Thick Soil s.h.i.+eld.”
After he finished speaking, he arched his arms and stretched them out. At that time, a series of spiritual forces formed a large s.h.i.+eld in front of him as the strands of sand spread upward.
In the meantime, Su Mu said, “This does double the defensive power of the Energy s.h.i.+eld.”
However, Zhang Han could not help smiling.
Once upon a time, he had been as naive as him and thought that spiritual force would be more effective if he added something to it. However, that was not the case.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Han waved his hand and said, “The Thick Soil s.h.i.+eld is useless. It seems that you have drowned in misdirection. Instead of understanding the skills according to the power of thick soil, you may as well figure out the movements first, then add the power of thick soil, and keep trying to fuse your own combat skills.
“The five elements reinforce each other. If you are only engaged in studying the Earth Spells, you will certainly encounter a bottleneck. Take the water for example…”
As soon as Zhang Han’s remark was made, the flood dragon card in his pocket shook all of a sudden.
The semi-transparent waves overwhelmed Su Mu, who was in a trance the instant he felt the majestic energy.
“Because the nature of heaven and earth beats the scarce, Water defeats Fire. Because refinement beats firmness, Fire defeats Metal. Because hardness beats softness, Metal defeats Wood. Because concentration beats chaos, Wood defeats Earth. Because reality beats virtuality, Earth defeats Water.
“The key point of these sentences is that there is no absolute mutual promotion and restraint. Earth restrains Water, but Water can destroy Earth. The five elements are extremely mysterious, but you are not familiar with that now. The path is still long, and you should understand it step by step in the future.”
After finished his words, Zhang Han took his energy back and said while looking at Su Mu, “If you have time, you can delve into other attributes. First and foremost, you should have a brief understanding of Water and Wood. Moreover, you can learn from those who are proficient in these fields, if possible.
“It’s getting late. I should leave.”
Zhang Han glanced at Su Long, nodded, and turned to leave.
Just after he took a few steps, Su Mu came to his senses, as his eyes were imbued with mixed feelings. He saluted Zhang Han’s back and said loudly, “Thank you so much, Grand Master Zhang!”
Zhang Han didn’t turn back, but walked straight into the office building.
Su Long stared at Zhang Han’s back and slowly shook his head.
“Grand Master Zhang is too formidable. I have seen Emperor Qing a few years ago, and I feel… he is not as unfathomable as Grand Master Zhang. As far as I am concerned, he is a rare talent who conceals his strength.”
“But Emperor Qing makes breakthroughs at an incredible speed. I am afraid that he will reach the Grand Master Late-stage in the coming years,” the middle-aged man said.
“People like them can’t be judged with common sense. However… Grand Master Zhang does win my admiration. Although he possesses such incredible skills, he actually runs a restaurant in the busy city, concealing himself in a bustling place and pursuing peace. His temperament is obviously beyond that of ordinary people.”
Su Long sighed softly.
Even him, such an old person, failed to give up pursuing martial arts, let alone a young man.
In fact, Su Long found it a bit strange.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhang Han disappeared in front of the office building.
After entering the square ahead and taking a few steps, the driver walked up to him.
“Grand Master Zhang, I’ll take you back,” the man said respectfully.
“Ok.”
Zhang Han nodded. After he got in the car, it slowly headed for the Manor of the Zi Clan.
Just after the car left the square, Zhang Han dialed Zi Yan’s number.
“Honey, have you finished your work?”
“Yes. Where are you? Are you still choosing the clothes?” Zhang Han asked.
“No, I’ve finished and bought a pink slip dress. I’m heading home now and will arrive within 20 minutes,” Zi Yan replied.
Mengmeng’s voice was faintly heard from the mobile phone: “PaPa, we’ll go back soon. You should come back quickly!”
Zhang Han laughed. “I’ll get there at about the same time. Let’s chat after going back.”
“Okay,” Zi Yan answered.
After hearing what Zhang Han said and thinking for a while, the driver kept pressing the accelerator to speed up, so that they drove into the Manor of the Zi Clan in 20 minutes. When the car pa.s.sed by the mansion, he saw Zi Yan and Mengmeng playing on the lawn at the entrance.
Zhang Han quickly got out of the car.
“PaPa!”
The little lady ran over happily.
Zhang Han hugged her in his arms.
“I missed you, PaPa.” Mengmeng kissed Zhang Han’s cheek.
With Mengmeng in his arms, Zhang Han smiled and returned to the mansion with Zi Yan.
Upon entering the mansion, they saw Zi Qiang, in high fighting spirit, sitting in front of the small tea table, the chess pieces already set.
He looked at Zhang Han composedly and said, “Han, come on, play 300 chess matches with me!”
“Uh…”
Zhang Han was a little speechless. Actually, he wanted to play with Mengmeng for a while.
Meanwhile, he was wondering if he should defeat his father-in-law.
After pondering, he decided to act as a training partner honestly.
After three matches, Zi Qiang felt really comfortable on account of successional victories and went to make dinner in delight.
By then, Zhang Han had some spare time.
He walked behind the sofa and whispered in Zi Yan’s ear, “Close your eyes.”
“Uh?” Zi Yan was somewhat stunned and rolled her eyes quickly, then obediently closed them.
At that point, both Xu Xinyu and Mengmeng looked at Zhang Han with curiosity.
He took out a necklace from his pocket and slowly put it around Zi Yan’s neck.
“Well.”
Zhang Han chuckled.
Zi Yan opened her eyes and hurriedly looked down. All she could see was the lower part of the necklace and the s.h.i.+ning Xuan Void Gold.
“Ah! You inlaid it into a necklace,” Zi Yan said in surprise.
After finis.h.i.+ng her words, she quickly got up, ran to the mirror, and looked it over three times. Then she looked at Zhang Han and pursed her lips. “It’s so beautiful.”
“You are the most beautiful.”
Zhang Han smiled. Judging by Zi Yan’s gaze, she would have kissed him if his mother-in-law had not been sitting there at that time.
“Well, how about me?” Mengmeng mumbled.
“Hahaha. You are also the most beautiful.” Zhang Han touched Mengmeng’s little head.
It was not until then the little la.s.s felt contented.
Xu Xinyu took a sip of tea and looked at Zi Yan’s necklace with a smile, saying, “It’s a very nice necklace, which is very suitable for Xiao Yan.”
“Of course, this is what he specially made for me,” Zi Yan said pleasantly.
“PaPa, I also close my eyes. I also want a surprise.”
Mengmeng looked up at Zhang Han, then quickly closed her eyes, sitting there in earnest and waiting.
Zhang Han found her both funny and annoying. After thinking for a while, a piece of toffee flew from the food bag on the side to his palm as he moved his fingers.
Xu Xinyu’s eyes were full of amazement when she saw his behavior, for she seldom saw martial artists displaying their skills, and it was the first time that she had seen telekinesis.
But when she thought that such a powerful son-in-law actually played chess with Zi Qiang all day long and lost over and over again, she burst into laughter.
“Have you finished, PaPa?”
Mengmeng could not wait to ask.
“Well, open your eyes,” Zhang Han said, placing his palms in front of Mengmeng’s head.
“Oh! Toffee!” Mengmeng’s eyes lit up and she cheered in surprise. “Wow, you’re so awesome, PaPa! I have toffee.”
Mengmeng happily picked up the toffee, removed the wrapper, then put it into her mouth and ate it.
Seeing Mengmeng’s cute look, the three of them all laughed and shook their heads.
In fact, sometimes children are easy to make satisfied because they like to be cared for and loved.
After more than 10 minutes, they began to have dinner and then took a break. At that moment, Zi Qiang’s eyes were imbued with fighting spirit again.
“Father-in-law, what if we play several chess matches?”
Fine, he’d better take initiative to ask him this time.
Zhang Han opened his mouth first.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Zi Qiang said slowly and entered the battlefield with Zhang Han again.
The matches were not over until 9:30, then everyone went to rest respectively.
However, at that time, the square of the Zi Clan was decorated with lanterns and streamers. Many people were busy setting up the layout for the engagement.
Zi Qingtian, the previous patriarch, monitored the progress in person, and at the same time, he also sent invitations to those who came over a few days ago as well as many celebrities.
Even so, some people still attended without an invitation. It was not because they neglected to send invitations to them, but they were not close to the Zi Clan. In fact, they never even knew some of them.
So…
The next day, at 11 o’clock in the morning…
The roadside on both sides of the Manor of the Zi Clan was extremely congested, tightly packed.
At that point, a bus was caught in the middle, failing to move for 10 minutes.
But at that time, the pa.s.sengers on the bus did not urge the driver, but looked around quietly. Many people even took out their mobile phones to take pictures and start recording. Their exclamations were heard from time to time.
“What the h.e.l.l is going on? Why are there so many luxury cars? Oh my G.o.d!”
“Isn’t that one of the 10 limited Ferraris in the world?”
“That one behind is also a limited Aston Martin.”
“Rolls-Royce, Maybach, extended Bentley, Bugatti… Why are there so many luxury cars? It seems that all the luxury cars in Singapore are here!”
“That is not the point. Look at their license plates! Do you see the string of sevens? That’s the car of Mr. Ling, the chairman of the Lingfa Group. Do you see the string of zeros? It’s the car of Director Hu, who has a great background! This is the scene of the century, and I don’t know what happened!”
“…”
Although the traffic was very congested, other cars were still moving forward. The bus, however, was motionless.
Some people who had something urgent finally lost patience and tried to urge them on.
“Driver, you can squeeze in and drive forward. Let’s go quickly. I’m in a hurry.”
The driver turned to look at him slowly, and said bitterly, “Brother, normally, I would push my way through. But now, if you were me, would you dare to move? I’m going to get killed if I scratch any of the cars ahead. If you are really anxious, you’d better get out. I don’t dare to move. Don’t you see that the private cars on the left also don’t dare to move? I’m sorry.”
“Uh… Alas, please open the door and I’ll get off the bus.” Eventually, he sighed helplessly.
Putting himself in the driver’s shoes, he indeed would not dare to move.
This scene astonished all the people around.
“What actually happened? Why did so many big shots in Singapore come here in person?”
“What happened to the Zi Clan?”
They never thought that it was just an engagement ceremony of the Zi Clan.
In the meantime, since many big shots were very busy, they only had to make time to come here at 11 o’clock, leading to the traffic jam.
Fortunately, the cars were still moving slowly. At about half-past 11, the cars finally entered the Manor of the Zi Clan in succession after half an hour.