Don't be fooled by Xu Nan's young age; she had been roaming the streets from an early age, what hadn't she seen? Now terrified, she cried loudly, begging the other to spare her. But the more she acted like this, the more interested the opposition became, relishing the situation like a cat playing with a mouse, step by step closing in on her.

Xu Nan was completely desperate; she had even considered suicide!

It was at that time that the old drunkard suddenly appeared, and no one knew how he had materialized. That powerful young man... hadn't even noticed him! It was for this reason, and another incident, that Xu Nan always believed that old dad was no ordinary man.

After the old drunkard appeared, he coughed a few times and said to the young man, "Young man, reign in your wicked thoughts. Why stoop to the level of such a small child?"

Xu Nan remembered very clearly that the young man had also been startled by the appearance of the old drunkard, staring at him for a long while, then without a word, clasping his fists, turned around and walked away.

Afterwards, she never saw that young man again. She had been scared for a long time, but that young man never reappeared.

Another thing that made her believe old dad was extraordinary was that, after the incident, she went to visit him and got scolded. He told her that at her young age, if she didn't learn properly, she would end up killed someday.

Brother Nan, who never cried, cried terribly that time. She told old dad about her experience, and from his cloudy eyes, she saw a hint of pity. Then, that night, a tired and teary Xu Nan didn't leave the ramshackle house.

The next day when she woke up, she found out she could enter a strange new world.

Xu Nan always believed that it must be something old dad had done.

It wasn't until she was able to enter that world that Xu Nan began her cultivation, but with no one to guide her, she didn't dare to show any abnormality in Phantom God City. As a result, it took her three years to reach the Innate Realm.

But this was actually a tremendous accomplishment.

The underground organization fell into chaos for a period of time after that year's incident, with the absence of its leader. A few people attempted to claim the position. Later, they were suppressed by the City Lord.

Following that, Xu Nan became the head of the underground organization.

In her heart, Xu Nan understood that the City Lord had allowed her to sit in that position because she was easier to control than others. With no desires, no ambitions, all she wanted was to take good care of old dad and have enough food for herself.

So now, twelve-year-old Xu Nan, who appeared to Chu Mo as a mere sprout, was actually a big shot in the Ninth City.

Even if she was a puppet, it wasn't a role just anyone could fill.

Over these three years, Xu Nan visited old dad whenever she had the time. Although he never showed her a nice face, she remained steadfast.

No one knew how fearful and desperate she was in that dark and secluded alley three summers ago. Old dad's arrival was like a ray of sunshine piercing into her heart. Brother Nan, who had always been an orphan, felt a sense of kinship for the first time. She considered the old drunkard her father, calling him old dad, wishing she could become his daughter and take care of him for the rest of her life.

"By the way, old dad, I met someone today," Xu Nan said.

The old drunkard leaned back in his chair, half asleep and half awake, not uttering a word, but Xu Nan knew he was listening.

"That person was very strange. I guess he must be very powerful!" Xu Nan didn't wait for a response from old dad and continued talking to herself, "I felt the same sensation from him that I did three years ago. Without any movement at all, my subordinates lost themselves, waking up without any recollection. With a simple wave of his hand... even the flies in the air stood still! Time seemed to have completely stopped."

The old drunkard remained unresponsive, sitting there in a drunken state.

Xu Nan went on, "He asked me if I wanted to follow him to cultivate. To prove his truthfulness, he made it so everyone on the street couldn't move. He also knows about the Phantom God Realm. Hmm... he was as formidable as the great cultivators in the legends of the Phantom God Realm, appearing very frightening."

The old drunkard's eyelids drooped, looking as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

Xu Nan sighed lightly and said, "In the Phantom God Realm, I dare not make contact with anyone. In the Ninth City, apart from the City Lord, I haven't seen any powerful cultivators. Except for that time three years ago..."

As she spoke, Xu Nan looked at the old drunkard and said, "Old dad, are you a peerless master? Would you teach me cultivation? I, I also want to be like those powerful people, able to ascend to the heavens, possessing terrifying divine abilities."

At this moment, the old drunkard suddenly muttered, "And then?"

"Then..." Xu Nan, probably not expecting the old drunkard to suddenly join the conversation, was momentarily excited and began to fantasize, "Then... then..."

"Then you'll unite all of the Ninth City's underworld forces, no longer playing this puppet, perhaps even overthrow the City Lord and simply become the City Lord yourself. Henceforth, you'll live a happy and blissful life?" the old drunkard mumbled on.

As he spoke, Xu Nan's eyes grew brighter, but as she listened more closely, it didn't seem quite right. In the end, her face fell, and with a pout, she looked at the old drunkard, "Old dad..."

She coquettishly pouted, "Dad, isn't this better? Why should I be manipulated by others? Why should I become someone else's puppet? Now... on the surface, I'm the boss of the Ninth City's underworld, looking glorious, and those Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators seem like my underlings, but in reality, who among them truly takes me seriously? They call me 'Brother Nan' to my face, but deep down, they all look down on me."

Xu Nan's voice was tinged with sadness, "I've been an orphan since I was little, growing up in the trash piles, dining at many tables, wearing clothes from many homes. I never touch those who have helped me, because I remember their kindness. I'm a girl, I want to wear dresses too, I want to dress up... But aside from these things, what else can I do? If I don't take that position, someone else will. But then, it'll be like it used to be, and I don't want to go back to those days, nor do I want Dad to suffer because of me. Now, they all know I have someone I care about, and they feel quite safe around me..."

"Why don't you go with that young man, then? Go practice cultivation? Since you can see he's very powerful, following him might bring you a bright future," said the old drunkard nonchalantly. "As for me, this old drunkard, who would give me a second glance? What danger could I possibly face?"

"I can't bear to leave you, Dad," Xu Nan whispered, her eyes rimmed with redness. "I know you don't like me doing this, and I don't want to either, but what else could I do?"

"The world outside is vast," the old drunkard said indifferently, glancing at Xu Nan, yet a faint ripple stirred in his heart. The young girl's words had touched a chord.

An orphan from a young age, eating and dressing from the charity of others... My son, although not as pitiful, but his experiences over the years are far from pleasant.

Thinking this, the old drunkard couldn't help but sigh deeply. Waving his hand at Xu Nan, he said, "I don't know any Immortal Techniques or anything about cultivation. Do whatever you want, just be happy."

"Dad..." Xu Nan drew out the word, knowing that he was trying to shoo her away again.

"Go on, stop hovering around this miserable old man," the old drunkard muttered, drunk, then leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to snore.

"Then, I'll come to see you again in a few days," Xu Nan said. She bowed to the old drunkard and then walked toward the house exit.

Reaching the gateway, Xu Nan suddenly leapt up like a cat who had its tail stepped on, her fur standing on end, glaring at the young man standing in the doorway. Her voice shrill, she said, "What are you doing here? What, what do you want to do? I warn you... if you dare threaten me, I, I'll die just to show you!"

Chu Mo looked at the young tomboy with a complex expression. He had not eavesdropped on their conversation, and his arrival here was not a coincidence.

In the city, he had sent out several avatars to various taverns to gather news about the local drunkards. The Ninth City was home to many, at least several hundred. But the most famous was the one in that dilapidated little house.

During his investigation, Chu Mo was surprised to learn that the bean sprout-like tomboy was actually the famous "Brother Nan" of the Ninth City, the leader of the entire city's underworld forces!

Upon hearing this news, Chu Mo's first reaction was disbelief.

How could a congenital-level tomboy possibly be the leader of a group of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators?

However, based on further information, Chu Mo roughly surmised that this "bean sprout" was probably just a puppet boss.

In the course of his investigation, a tavern owner vividly described to Chu Mo the story of Brother Nan's "benefactor," the old drunkard.

"That old drunkard is just lucky. A dirty drunkard who looks like a beggar, how could he possibly scare away a real, powerful cultivator? But Brother Nan is loyal; she insists on seeing it that way and even considers that old drunkard as her godfather. Heh, that old drunkard just lives in a broken house in the city center, and now, no one dares to touch him. Luck's on his side."

Unlike the skeptical tavern owner, Chu Mo's heart surged with turmoil after hearing the story. He could almost accurately reconstruct the scene in his mind!

An old drunkard who was drunk all day long suddenly appeared before a little girl of eight or nine in distress. Then the well-cultivated young cultivator was instantly scared stupid, supposedly leaving right then and there, although he might have been so frightened that his soul left his body, and whether that young man was still alive remained unknown.

In the words of the tavern owner, that young man had merely had a crisis of conscience and had not wanted to kill a mere "bean sprout," unwilling to attack a child.

But Chu Mo could tell that the young man had definitely been scared away!

Otherwise, how could a cultivator, who could kill three people with a flick of his finger, be of a benevolent nature? A cultivator who would kill at the slightest disagreement would have spared the lives of the tomboy and the old drunkard? That was nonsense!

Although Chu Mo did not know why that young man did not kill the bean sprout-like tomboy on the spot, one could tell from her respect for the old drunkard afterward, even recognizing him as her godfather, that she must have been in great danger at the time!

Otherwise, how could a tomboy, involved in underground organizations, poisoning and stealing, and with a scheming nature, have such filial piety?

So, at that moment, Chu Mo developed a strong interest in that old drunkard. He even had a premonition that the old drunkard might be the person referred to by the elder of the Long Family!

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Four chapters explosion!

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