Chapter 56: Paying Respect to Brother Long

After getting off the plane, four burly men dressed in black Zhongshan suits approached Ye Feng and the others, taking their luggage and protecting them in the middle.
This unusual group undoubtedly attracted many stares at the airport, and the staff wisely did not interfere. They made their way to the airport exit, where the four bodyguards loaded all the luggage into the car. Two of them got into the first car with Long Yue and Zhuge Ling’er, while the other two gestured for Ye Feng and Lu Zhan to get into the second car. Ye Feng and Lu Zhan obediently boarded.
The atmosphere in the two cars was completely different. In the first car, the two women chattered nonstop, causing the two bodyguards to frown but not dare say anything.
The second car was silent; no one spoke throughout the journey. Lu Zhan was rather reserved. Though honest, he had never learned how to strike up conversations with others. Ye Feng, on the other hand, was entirely different. He kept thinking about what to say when he met Brother Long, even though Brother Long could no longer hear him. He had no interest in interacting with those around him at that moment.
After about three hours of driving, Ye Feng and the others finally arrived at their destination. Ye Feng never expected there to be such a magnificent Chinese-style building deep in the mountains.
At first glance, the walls seemed endless. The vermilion gate was nearly five meters tall, with a rather peculiar design—layer upon layer, totaling ten levels. The smallest layer was almost two meters high, with additional layers added every thirty centimeters or so.
Ye Feng frowned, wondering what the gate was for. Long Yue stepped forward and pushed it open. Ye Feng clearly saw a crack appear at the eighth layer, then the four-meter-high gate swung open. After Long Yue entered, she let go, and the gate closed tightly again.
Seeing this, the four bodyguards showed clear admiration on their faces.
Zhuge Ling’er, however, looked reluctant, muttering, “I hate your family’s gate the most. What’s the use of having strength? It’s the 21st century!”
Though she said that, she still pushed the gate open. The fourth layer opened, and Zhuge Ling’er entered unhappily, after which the gate closed again.

“Brother Lu, you go first!” As soon as Ye Feng heard Zhuge Ling’er say that, he immediately realized that this door was meant to test strength. He knew the strength levels of the others: Long Yue had a strength of over 800, but could only push open the eighth layer of the door; Zhuge Ling’er had a strength of over 400 and managed to push open the fourth layer. As for Lu Zhan, if nothing went wrong, he should be able to push open the seventh layer.

Seeing Ye Feng yield, Lu Zhan nodded and, to Ye Feng’s surprise, pushed open the seventh layer of the door.

Ye Feng glanced at the four bodyguards who seemed to be expecting something from him, took a deep breath, and reluctantly pushed hard on the door—the second layer opened immediately. After entering, Ye Feng let out a long sigh and thought to himself, “Damn, it’s good I practiced briefly yesterday and increased my strength by 200; otherwise, I would have really embarrassed myself.”

“Haha, Ye Feng, I didn’t expect your strength to be even weaker than mine…” Zhuge Ling’er’s eyes curved into crescents as if she had discovered something new.

Ye Feng awkwardly touched his nose and didn’t respond.

Lu Zhan gave Ye Feng a puzzled look but said nothing.

Only Long Yue seemed unimpressed at all, her expression remaining calm, as if she had already known this would happen.

“This door is used to test strength. Friends from outside who cannot push open the first layer are not qualified to enter our Long family’s gates. No matter how famous they are on Earth, this rule will never change,” Long Yue explained. “If someone can push open all ten layers, our Long family will welcome them as guests and maintain a long-term relationship with them.”

“At the same time, this is also a standard for the members of our family. Those who cannot push open the first layer, unless expelled, are not allowed to leave. If someone can push open all ten layers, they can leave anytime they want, anywhere they wish, without being bound by our family’s rules. Of course, this doesn’t apply to those who hold positions as family heads or elders,” Long Yue added.

“Those who can push open all ten layers must be those who have broken through the Innate realm!” Ye Feng said with a smile, shaking his head.

Long Yue merely glanced at him and didn’t reply.

“I’ll take you to my brother first!” Long Yue forced a smile. “I know you have a lot to say to him…”

“Don’t we need to greet my uncle first?” Ye Feng found it odd.

“Father is with my brother,” Long Yue said, looking up at a pavilion in the distance. “We can go straight there.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she led the way toward the direction indicated, with Ye Feng and the others silently following behind her. Upon entering the attic, Ye Feng saw memorial tablets for the deceased placed all around, stacked in dense layers. In the center of the attic stood a transparent crystal coffin, and a middle-aged man stood there quietly, staring blankly at the person inside the coffin. Noticing the arrival of Ye Feng and the others, the man concealed the sadness on his face, turned around, glanced at them briefly, and then paused his gaze on Ye Feng for a moment. He then said to Long Yue, “Ling’er and Lu Zhan have also come. Who is this?”
“Dad, this is Ye Feng, the person I told you about. He’s my brother’s friend. He came specifically to see my brother,” Long Yue said, stepping aside and turning to look at Ye Feng.
“Hello, uncle!” Ye Feng felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing Long Chen and didn’t know how to greet him properly, so he simply bowed awkwardly.
Long Chen was a tall and imposing man. Long Tian’s build and appearance clearly inherited his father’s robustness and good looks. However, now in middle age, Long Chen’s face showed more signs of weariness, less of the youthful recklessness, more of his fatherly kindness, and less of that fiery intensity…
Seeing Ye Feng’s awkward expression, Long Chen nodded at him with a faint smile. “Hmm, you two talk properly… I’ll be going now…”
Long Chen slowly left. Long Yue glanced at Ye Feng and then took Zhuge Ling’er and Lu Zhan away as well.
“Sis Yue, why did you pull us out? I want to pay my respects to Brother Long Tian too…” Zhuge Ling’er said indignantly.
“Let them be alone for a while. He only has this one friend…” Long Yue closed the door to the attic. “If you want to pay your respects, wait until Ye Feng leaves.”
“Oh…” Seeing that Long Yue had said so, Zhuge Ling’er could only nod in agreement.
“Brother Long, I came to see you…” Ye Feng quietly stared at his brother’s face, which seemed to be in a deep sleep. “We destroyed Pearl’s stronghold… I originally planned to kill her to avenge you, but later I found out she was just forced to do it, so I let her go… I’m not sure if what I did was right. I just think retaliation isn’t the best way to solve problems…”

“As for my abilities, I didn’t give you answers despite your repeated questions that day because I had promised someone not to reveal them. I’ve never deceived you. Now that you can no longer hear me, I stand before you to tell you the truth. By resolving the doubts in your heart, I’m not breaking my promise.”
“Do you remember the gold coin Liu Boss gave me on the day he left? He said that unlocking its secret would bring endless wealth and power. I’ve done it, though only partially…” Ye Feng slowly turned around. “I should go. I don’t know when we’ll meet again. You… good luck on your journey…”
Pushing open the door to the attic, Ye Feng put on his sunglasses and turned back to take one last look at Brother Long, but a translucent dialogue box appeared before his eyes.
Total Combat Value: 1
Strength: 0
Speed: 0
Mental Strength: 1
Innate Internal Energy: 0
…