Godly Stay-Home Dad

Now, the name “Zhang Hanyang” contained magic. Other people’s faces changed upon hearing it.

“Merciless Zhang?”

Many martial artists from the north didn’t seem to take him seriously and commented.

“Zhang Hanyang has just started his cultivation career half a year ago. His fighting record is far less impressive than Emperor Qing’s.”

“Yes, there must be something wrong with the rankings. I think Zhang Hanyang could be ranked third at most.”

But there were also a lot of people arguing.

“Zhang Hanyang killed Gu Donglai, who had reached the Divine Realm. A Grand Master that has killed a God State Strong? I don’t think Emperor Qing could ever do that.”

At the same time, those people from the north started to refute the rumors.

“What do you know? Gu Donglai had barely dabbled in the Divine Realm. We all know how difficult it is to control that kind of power for those who just make a breakthrough. He was barely a real God State Strong.”

“Gu Donglai was only marginally stronger than a Grand Master Peak, and Emperor Qing has killed real Grand Master Peak powerhouses before.”

“But those talents from other worldlets… I don’t think they would fall to the fifth, sixth, or seventh position. All of them could be ranked fourth. They are super powerful.”

However, most people in the martial arts world in the regions south of the Yangtze River supported this decision, especially those from Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Some of them were very excited to see what was happening.

“Merciless Zhang is from our Hong Kong. He deserves to be No. 1 in the world. He is the Invincible Grand Master, the most formidable power!”

“The era of Emperor Qing has passed. Now, it’s the era of Merciless Zhang!”

“The era of Merciless Zhang has come!”

Many people were astonished when the rankings came out.

Some people didn’t buy it. There were quite a few people whose names were on the list who felt that their positions should be higher, which meant that they did care about this ranking list.

There were quite a few people who were complacent because their family members were ranked high.

There were also some that just didn’t care.

For example, Mu Xue, who was resting in the Tai Chi Sword Sect, scoffed at the news.

“How dare they put my name on that bullsh*t list? Those idiots, at least they should put me in first place!”

Lots of people were trying to figure out the meaning behind the ranking list. They wondered why the list had come out now.

The divination master Fang Rushan in Hong Kong had also heard the news.

He stood in front of an old scholar tree in the yard of his house.

He had been standing there for half an hour.

Then he turned around and sighed to the young man behind him.

“Is my tea ready?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Let’s have some tea then,” said Fang Rushan as he walked slowly to the side room of the house. Then he entered the door.

The young man behind him could hear Fang Rushan murmuring.

“I’m afraid there will be a fight between Zhang Hanyang and Emperor Qing sooner or later.”

As for Zhang Han, he was now sitting on a sofa. Zi Yan and Mengmeng were in a spa, singing a cheerful song.

Zhang Han was playing with his cell phone in the hall on the third floor.

He had just received a few calls and was told about the astonishing ranking list. So he decided to take a look at it.

“Whose trick is this?” Zhang Han thought to himself, and then he shook his head.

The list came out with such weird timing. It first came out at six o’clock in the afternoon and went viral at eight o’clock. There had to be someone behind it.

The only people that could make the National Security Agency publicize the news were the high-level officials.

“Is it because somebody wants to see a fight between me and Emperor Qing?”

Zhang Han’s eyes squinted slightly.

He had a vague feeling that somebody ranked him first and Emperor Qing second for a purpose.

Although he thought that there was nothing wrong with the ranking list, the vague feeling still bothered him a lot.

Zhang Han had already met the three talents on the list from other worldlets. He had fought with them and looted their treasures, so all of them knew they were safe for now. Gai Xingkong had reached the Divine Realm and he was in Lin Hai to help. He had been keeping in touch with Zhang Hanyang.

Zhang Han wasn’t clear about how other people were doing. Emperor Qing had made lots of achievements in his fighting records since he started cultivation, so Zhang Han felt confused about why someone would rank him first on the list, given his short cultivation period and limited record.

Maybe that was because Zhang Han’s latest fights were very horrifying, which made him well-known to the world.

After he considered it for a while, Zhang Han was sure that someone released the ranking list on purpose.

And he was right.

At the same time, somewhere on the border of China and Russia, Ye Tianlang looked in the direction of Shang Jing. His clothes and hair looked messy. He smiled meaningfully.

“Mr. Chen, before I leave, we should have some fun.”

A while later…

In Shang Jing City…

It was the heart of Hua nation and one of the most prosperous cities.

Eight o’clock in the evening was always its busiest time. Somebody was in the corridor outside the Imperial Hall of the Ding Sheng Club.

Lin Jie, the schoolgirl from Lin Hai City, and Ma Liang were walking to the Imperial Hall. A man in his early 30s was showing them the way.

“Xiao Jie, some higher-ranking people will attend my elder brother’s birthday party today. I’m taking you here today in the hope that you can seize the opportunity, but remember not to talk too much. Listen more and talk less. Some of these people have a quite bad temper.”

The long-faced man in the front turned around and warned Lin Jie.

“I know that, Brother Qiao.”

Lin Jie was very polite to the man he was looking at because the young man was Qiao Fei, known as one of the four most influential young men in Shang Jing City.

The four were known for being powerful and keeping a low profile. They were all born into noble families.

Ordinary people simply couldn’t have their outlooks, especially in Shang Jing where social connections could be more than intertwined.

The Four Young Masters of Shang Jing, including Lin Jie and Liu Feng, were never simple-minded playboys. They thought twice before they made a move. Liu Jie was the most deep-minded and calculating one among the four.

Sometimes they could be very aggressive. That depended on the person they met with or what other people said. They kept a low profile when they should, and they could be quite presumptuous when necessary.

Now Lin Jie looked calm and cautious.

Qiao Fei was going to take him to a circle of friends that was higher than the current one Lin Jie was in. All members were of high social class.

The Qiao Clan used to be powerful because Qiao Fei had an elder brother named Qiao Zhan.

Qiao Zhan was the family’s strong support. Lin Jie once heard that Emperor Qing was a living legend in the martial arts world. His whole family counted on him. With his support, his family had grown even more potent than the Lin Clan.

Although the Lin family was also powerful, Lin Jie was still too young. He needed to accumulate social resources by meeting different people.

Being one of the Four Young Masters in Shang Jing wasn’t his ultimate goal. He wanted to be one of the core leaders of the Lin Clan. In his wildest dreams, he had even wanted to be the supreme leader of the whole clan.

However, he still needed to work hard and keep calculating. The situation he was in was as complicated as a chess game. The winner would rule the city.

“Don’t talk too much later. Listen more and talk less, just like Qiao Fen told you.”

Lin Jie warned Ma Liang before he entered the door. He turned around and looked at Ma Liang and the sexy girl standing beside him.

“Okay, Childe Lin,” the schoolgirl answered in low voice.

“I know, Brother Lin,” Ma Liang replied and nodded.

Qiao Fei took a look at them and went straight to the door. The two men standing on both sides of the door greeted him and opened the door for him.

When they walked inside, they found the room was packed with people. There were about 40 to 50 people inside, of which about 30 were men and 10 were women.

They were sitting on three round sofas. Qiao Zhan was sitting in the center, surrounded by dozens of people. They were chatting with each other.

Lin Jie checked Qiao Zhan from head to toe. The young man had a flattop haircut. His eyes were narrow and long, with one single eyelid and one double eyelid. His lips were thick and his body was in good shape, maybe about 1.8 meters tall.

Half of those people standing next to him were new to Lin Jie. Those were once-rich men who were famous in Shang Jing City a few years ago. As they grew older, they hid from the public and started their own business, just like Lin Jie.

He looked to the two sides.

It made Lin Jie feel a lot more relaxed when he saw that the other people standing on both sides were not as influential as he was.

However, when Lin Jie walked over, he was surprised to find someone sitting on the same sofa as Qiao Zhan.

“Zhang Chen is here too?”

Lin Jie narrowed his eyes slightly. Zhang Chen was the most outstanding disciple of the Zhang family. Last year, after returning from abroad, he had made a name for himself in Shang Jing. Not long ago, Liu Feng had quarreled with him, but Zhang Chen made Liu Feng suffer a big loss. Zhang Chen had indeed grown much more powerful than ever.

“Zhang Han is much weaker than him. Only a person like him can be a worthy opponent of mine.”

Lin Jie looked at Zhang Chen meaningfully.

“Big Brother, this is Lin Jie, a friend of mine,” Qiao Fei said to Qiao Zhan.

Lin Jie quickly greeted Qiao Jie with cupped hands.

Then he took out a box from his bag and handed it over, saying, “Brother Qiao Zhan, Happy Birthday. I knew it’s your birthday, but I wasn’t sure what gift you’d like. So I assumed you’d like this jade slip from the Tang Dynasty. I hope you like it.”

Other people’s attention was caught by what Lin Jie was saying.

Qiao Zhan casually picked up the gift.

“Thank you, Childe Lin. Please take a seat. Qiao Fei, be sure to serve them nicely.”

“Okay.” Qiao Fei nodded and let Lin Jie and others sit on the sofa.

A man in his 30s next to Qiao Zhan sipped a mouthful of red wine and said, “So, I checked the ranking list carefully. It’s so funny. I wonder which idiot made it.”

If Ye Tianlang could hear those words, things would’ve gone out of control.

“It exists for a reason,” Qiao Zhan said and frowned.

This made quite a few people feel a little stressful.

“However…” Qiao Zhan suddenly snorted and said, “Emperor Qing is indeed the most powerful one. When he comes out of seclusion, he will let the whole world know that the ranking list was just a joke.”

After saying that, Qiao Zhan inadvertently withdrew the pressure he just gave out. The astonishing pressure dissipated.

Obviously, he wasn’t able to accept the ranking as calmly as he appeared to be.

While Qiao Zhan was talking to them, the others listened carefully. Sometimes, the range of the subjects of their conversation could be very wide.

“By the way, Brother Zhan,” another man suddenly said, “a few days ago, I heard from my grandfather that a batch of disciples from the Wind Snow School branch of the Northern Wuyin Realm went to the Western world a few years ago, led by a supervisor. Nobody knew the exact number of their team members, but only dozens of them came back in the end. They are now coming to Shang Jing. I’m afraid their arrival will bring turbulence.”