8 Unexpected gift

Qin Chen took a shower and dressed in casual yet practical attire, the fabric soft yet durable against his skin, suitable for a forest trip.

He held high hopes for the treasure map. The possibility of acquiring rare weapons or potions seeming closer than ever.

With that, he set off, the familiar crunch of leaves under his feet marking his way towards the Tianzhou forest.

*************

Meanwhile, Long Tian drove his car smoothly, the hum of the engine soothing as he made his way back to his villa.

Tonight, he had gotten what he wanted, the taste of satisfaction lingering on his lips.

The water indeed had numerous benefits, such as cultivation and medicine for some internal diseases. But he would not use it for such trivial things.

Instead, he knew a method that could maximize the water's efficacy, a method that required some specific ingredients he needed to acquire.

"Ah, what a good evening, I suppose I won't need to go to restaurant tonight," he smirked.

He had already told Li Yue'er to cook, and he was also quite hungry at this point.

With that, he pressed the gas pedal, the car responding with an immediate surge of speed.

*********

Within 10 minutes, he arrived at his villa. As usual, his subordinates opened the gates for him, the familiar grind of metal on metal filling the air as he parked his car in the garage.

After stepping out of the car, he swiftly entered the villa, the scent of freshly cooked food wafting into his nostrils as he entered the living room.

Upon reaching the dining room, a feast laid out on the table welcomed him. From the wisps of steam rising from the dishes, it was apparent that the meal was freshly cooked.

He picked up a stir-fried prawn and ate it. As expected, it tasted good.

Long Tian smiled. In the original plot, Li Yue'er was indeed a good cook.

"Li Yue'er, where are you?" He called out, his voice echoing in the dining room.

But there was no response from her.

Long Tian furrowed his brows and swiftly walked to the next room. It was impossible for her to escape with his subordinates around the villa.

"Oh, hello young master," a burly man bowed when he saw Long Tian.

"Do you know where Li Yue'er is?" Long Tian asked.

"She is in one of the bedrooms on the second floor, she didn't say why. Some of us approached her, but she locked the door," the burly man replied.

Long Tian frowned when he heard this. He didn't know if Li Yue'er was sulking or what, but it certainly wasn't a good thing.

"Well, I might have to see her," he said.

As he walked towards the stairs, Long Tian suddenly stopped, clutching his head.

'Meet me in the back yard, young master,' a voice whispered in his mind.

Long Tian startled. The voice... He recognized it. It was Ling Han's. This might be some sort of telepathy, but he didn't expect Ling Han to be able to do that.

He then walked towards the back yard. As he arrived, he spotted a cloaked figure standing in solitude.

"You called me, Uncle Ling?" He asked.

The cloaked man turned, revealing Ling Han's face beneath the hood.

"There are matters we need to discuss, young master," Ling Han responded, his smile shadowed beneath the cloak.

"Alright," Long Tian nodded, standing alongside Ling Han.

"Lately, you've seemed rather close to Li Yue'er. Are you in love with her?" Ling Han inquired, a curious glint in his eyes.

"Li Yue'er? No," Long Tian replied casually.

Hearing this, Ling Han looked at Long Tian's face. After a while, he smiled.

"I see, your eyes are not lying. But, why did you make her a maid?" Ling Han asked curiously.

"I have my own plans, uncle, don't worry about it," Long Tian said.

"Well, that's fine then," Ling Han nodded. "I just wanted to say that she is not ordinary. There's something interesting about her,"

Long Tian didn't respond when he heard this. He had read the novel to the end, of course he knew a lot about this world, including Li Yue'er and her secret.

"I don't know exactly what it is, do you want me to find out?" Ling Han asked.

"No, Uncle Ling, I've got this under control," Long Tian replied.

"Alright, then, young master, I just wanted to say that. Oh and one more thing," Ling Han said, pulling out something from his spatial ring.

It was a fairly large horn, and it didn't seem to be a bull or a cow's horn, its shape was a bit strange.

Long Tian's eyes widened in shock. "Uncle Ling, isn't that..." His voice trailed off, his surprise rendering him momentarily speechless.

Ling Han nodded. "Yes, it's a dragon horn. It could boost your soul power, and perhaps improve the martial spirit you'll awaken." He said as he handed over the horn to Long Tian.

Long Tian carefully took the horn, his gaze fixed on it in astonishment. He didn't expect to get it. In the original story, Ling Han never gave him the dragon horn. It was Qin Chen who got it somehow.

"Thank you, Uncle Ling," he said, gratitude filling his voice.

Ling Han waved it off. "Just remember, young master, the horn wasn't simply a gift. The elders have high expectations for you to awaken the ancient dragon martial spirit," Ling Han said.

"I won't disappoint them," Long Tian declared confidently. He was well aware of his martial spirit's potential.

"Very well, young master. I'll take my leave now," Ling Han said.

"Okay," Long Tian nodded.

With that, Ling Han disappeared with the night.

Long Tian was still standing looking at the horn. In reality, he was thinking about Ling Han's true identity instead.

He really didn't know about Ling Han. His father only mentioned that Ling Han was extremely strong.

But he was certain that Ling Han was not simple. Apart from having a different surname, Ling Han often appeared peculiar, donning ancient cultivator attire.

In the original plot, Ling Han was also not explained in detail. He was only described as disappearing after Qin Chen killed the entire Long family.

A wild thought crossed his mind that might be true: Ling Han was from the upper realm!

**********

Meanwhile...

"Pant... Pant..." Qin Chen lay on the ground, panting heavily.

He was exhausted. He was now in the Tianzhou forest, and his effort to get here was not easy, he chose to run instead of using a vehicle. Count it as physical training..

From the distance from his house to here, he needed almost an hour.

He sat up and smirked, "Heh, the treasure is right in front of me!"