Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

The little ones had already been taken into Lan Jian's sleeve. Xu Lingguang was the first to emerge from the carriage and was immediately stunned by the magnificent architectural complex in front of him.

A dark red and gold carpet stretched forward from beneath one's feet, ending at a magnificent nine-story tower with red pillars, yellow tiles, and octagonal eaves. The highest spire disappeared into the clouds, but one could vaguely see a giant, jet-black dragon coiled on it, its enormous body emerging from the clouds and circling the tower layer by layer downwards, displaying a ferocious posture of crouching and roaring.

Beneath the dragon's claws at the very front stands a black plaque with gold lacquer, inscribed with the three large characters "Qianjinlou" in equally arrogant cursive script.

In addition to the central nine-story tower, several auxiliary buildings extend symmetrically to the left and right sides. The buildings are connected by suspended corridors. On the eaves at the corners, you can see ferocious bronze beasts, some with outstretched wings and some crouching, all lifelike, as if they are living creatures staring at people.

Xu Lingguang stared in amazement at the enormous dragon head that had bent down for a while, then turned to Lan Jian and said, "The Qianjin Tower in Fufeng City is so much more magnificent than the branches in other cities. The dragon and those bronze beasts look like they're alive."

Before Lan Jian could speak, Zhuang Shun and Lin Wen, who were lined up on both sides to greet him, twitched their lips and couldn't help but secretly look up at the young man who was speaking.

Judging from his tone and demeanor, he should be quite young. Judging from the aura he exudes, his cultivation level is only at the Divine Realm. He is also surrounded by the fragrance of pills, so he should be an alchemist. However, it is unknown how skilled he is at refining pills.

Zhuang Shun secretly winked at Lin Wen: Could this be the master's descendant?

Aside from Young Master Youyu, this was the first time they had ever seen anyone accompanying their master.

Lin Wen glanced at the young man's expression, then recalled the tone of his voice when he spoke to his master, and shook her head: He doesn't seem like it.

From his observation, the two didn't seem like an elder and a junior, but rather like peers interacting.

same generation?

Upon receiving Lin Wen's gaze, Zhuang Shun began to ponder: how could a young cultivator at the Divine Treasure Realm be on equal footing with his master, a powerful figure comparable to the Human Emperor?

Putting aside the difference in cultivation level and perspective, just the fact that when the two were together, if their master accidentally revealed a bit of his aura, this young man would probably be trembling with fear.

It's impossible no matter how you look at it.

While the two were exchanging glances, Xu Lingguang was still discussing with Lan Jian the black dragon perched atop the Qianjin Tower.

Xu Lingguang was marveling at how lifelike the dragon was when he saw the black dragon suddenly open its mouth and yawn. It moved so fast that it returned to its original state in the blink of an eye, as if it were all just Xu Lingguang's illusion.

Xu Lingguang: ? ? ?

No, isn't this a sculpture?

The black dragon, motionless again, made him wonder if he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes hard and turned to look at Lan Jian: "That dragon seemed to move a little just now, and even yawned. Did you see that?"

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

Lan Jian stared at him, a slight smile curving her lips, and said, "You're not seeing things. The dragon on the top of the tower, and those bronze beasts, are not inanimate objects."

"Try walking forward."

It was actually alive!

Following his instructions, Xu Lingguang took two steps forward with some skepticism, then stopped warily and looked back at Lan Jian.

Lan Jian gave him a faint smile: "Look back."

Xu Lingguang felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck. He turned around and met a huge pair of eyes.

The black dragon had silently appeared behind him at some point, tilting its head and staring at him with one of its yellow dragon eyes.

If there hadn't been outsiders present, Xu Lingguang would have jumped three feet high.

Fortunately, he still had some pride, so he stared at the dragon with wide eyes and didn't move.

The dragon stared at him for a while, then slowly coiled back up, remaining motionless like a sculpture.

Xu Lingguang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and took the opportunity to retreat to Lan Jian's side, asking in a low voice, "Was that a real dragon?"

Since the story was passed down, he had seen the Qilin, the Chenghuang, and the mirage dragon that Bai Xiang had transformed into, but this was the first time he had seen a dragon that matched his imagination and was truly real.

Lan Jian explained, "It's just a remnant soul within the formation; it has no consciousness."

"This dragon, along with all the bronze beasts, is part of the defensive formation."

Xu Lingguang's gaze swept back and forth between the black dragon and the countless bronze beasts as he followed his words, and finally he couldn't help but whisper in his ear: "You are richer than I thought."

The branch buildings in other cities were still within Xu Lingguang's imagination, but the main building of Qianjin Tower in front of him, just like when he first saw Fufeng City, completely exceeded his expectations.

Lan Jian stood beside him and said, "It's nothing special, shall we go in and take a look?"

Xu Lingguang nodded and walked inside alongside him.

As they got closer, the overwhelming aura of the black dragon became increasingly impossible to ignore. Xu Lingguang clenched his hands, which were hanging in his sleeves, and subconsciously wanted to grab something, but unfortunately, the little ones had all been taken into Lan Jian's sleeve.

As Xu Lingguang was looking around, Lan Jian suddenly reached out and grabbed the quail that was flying around, and casually put it into Xu Lingguang's arms so that he could hold it.

He also warned Qitu: "There are many formations in the building, so don't wander around."

As he finished speaking, the black dragon directly above his head rolled its eyes and stared at the quail in Xu Lingguang's arms.

Qitu, seeing the world for the first time, obediently squatted in Xu Lingguang's arms.

The two men stepped inside, followed closely by two stewards and others.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhuang Shun quietly nudged the deputy steward with his elbow and mouthed: Don't you think... the way the master looked at that young man was a little strange?

Zhuang Shun was a single man who had lived for hundreds of years without ever being in a relationship. He had devoted all his energy to cultivation. As he watched the two people in front of him whispering to each other as they went inside, he felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Lin Wen, who was already married, was much more experienced than him.

The way his master looked at the young cultivator was just like how he looked at his wife before they were even married.

Lin Wen said with certainty: Our master must have taken a fancy to that young male cultivator.

He sized up Xu Lingguang and felt that this person was not only outstanding in appearance, but also had a particularly special temperament. Even in Fufeng City, where beauties were as numerous as fish in the river, he would not be overshadowed in the slightest. He certainly had the qualities to catch the master's eye.

Zhuang Shun, however, looked left and right, up and down, and felt that Lin Wen's guess was a bit far-fetched.

Although this male cultivator was indeed good-looking, and there were quite a few men who preferred male-male relationships these days, his master did not seem like an ordinary mortal who would care about love and romance.

Over the years, countless forces in Fufeng City have tried to get close to Qianjin Tower, and countless handsome men and beautiful women have tried to climb into the master's bed, but none of them have fared well.

Moreover, this young man looks very young, while his master has lived for many years. The difference in all aspects is too great, isn't it?

Lin Wen snorted: Just you wait and see!