"The Flower Brother Quehou Planted Has Bloomed!"

Only after the elders withdrew did the Chen Family Head sit alone in the council hall. In just a few short days, he had aged considerably, temples graying and eyes heavy with exhaustion, yet he kept his spine ramrod-straight like a lion's. Decades ago, while traveling abroad, he had met Chen Fan's mother—an unaffiliated Level 4 architect. Back then, the Chen family's original architect had died of old age, leaving the family stranded without one. He had immediately pursued her with burning passion, marrying her into the Chen family, and she gave birth to Chen Fan. After their marriage, he had held her in the palm of his hand. He had never dared neglect her. Yet... after a severe illness, she had died young. The Chen family was once again plunged into the predicament of having no architect. At that point, the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce offered to marry their daughter to him, with a Level 5 architect as her dowry. He knew full well what the chamber had in mind. The Pingtian Chamber of Commerce might have had an architect, but having an architect alone wasn't enough to build up a power. He had his eye on their architect. They had their eyes on his Chen family. He believed they were no match for him in the long run; as soon as he found a replacement architect, he could destroy the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce at any moment. And during these past ten-plus years of sparring and maneuvering, he had no time to pay attention to Chen Fan. His primary duty was to expand the Chen family, not play the gentle father. Until... Chen Fan was dispatched to the wasteland and became an architect. It made all his efforts over the years look utterly absurd. It had even led him to doubt himself for a time. Yet he had pulled himself together. If Chen Fan could survive the rainy season, he would go in person to have an all-night conversation with him. If the boy was willing to serve the Chen family wholeheartedly, he could wipe out the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce immediately and throw all his support behind Chen Fan. But if Chen Fan harbored resentment over years of neglect and refused to return to the Chen family, then that hidden danger would need to be snuffed out as early as possible. "..." There were no outsiders left in the council hall, yet he still refused to let his ramrod-straight spine bend. He didn't believe he had done anything wrong. He was just... unlucky, that was all. ... Inside the Chen Manor, after leaving the council hall, the elders exchanged glances before the Great Elder croaked in a raspy voice, "The family head is getting old. The future of the Chen family needs a new hand at the helm. If Chen Fan survives this rainy season, what would you say to... welcoming Chen Fan back as the family head?" "Agreed." The other elders offered little debate, merely nodding through the rain. No one mentioned Chen Quan. In terms of lineage, Chen Fan was the eldest son of their primary line. In terms of strength, if Chen Fan could survive the rainy season, he would be several times stronger than Chen Quan, who relied entirely on his mother's clan. In terms of temperament and fortitude, Chen Fan had endured for years only to break free at the first sign of rain; Chen Quan's childish schemes couldn't compare in the slightest. So long as Chen Fan truly survived the rainy season— and was willing to take charge of the Chen family. ... Several hundred years ago, the Eternal Night invaded. The world underwent earth-shaking upheavals. Those changes reshaped the world entirely. People had even forgotten what the land was originally called, knowing it only as the "Eternal Night Continent." Dawn broke. As the Eternal Night receded, another night came to an end. "..." Standing atop the wall, Chen Fan finally let out a sigh of relief. There had been no ghost tide last night—only dozens of ghost creatures charging into the outpost from time to time, leaving behind a ground strewn with ghost stones and corpses. At dawn, he began taking inventory of the outpost's assets as usual. Yet when he walked past the ghost fire, he paused, taken aback. Why were there only 45 ghost stones left inside the ghost fire? He had clearly topped it up to 50 stones yesterday. Under normal circumstances, maintaining the ghost fire overnight consumed only one stone, and the arrow towers had barely fired—there was no way it could have consumed 4 ghost stones. Not to mention, the ghost fire's second upgrade reduced the energy consumption of defensive structures when attacking. After a moment, realization struck him. It had to be that ten-thousand-meter road. Yesterday, he had laid down ten thousand meters of copper pipe across the wilderness, intending to use it after the rainy season as a highway connecting Jiangbei City and Pingcheng. The ghost fire flowed through the copper pipes, creating a safe zone within a one-meter radius around them. The ghost fire coursing back and forth over such a vast distance had accelerated the consumption of ghost stones. Once he realized this, he immediately severed the connection between the outpost and the road. The copper pipes were merely laid down and not yet in service, so burning ghost stones on them now was pure waste. There hadn't been many ghost creatures last night. The few that had appeared looked as if they were fleeing for their lives, scrambling blindly into the outpost. From this, one could infer that the wilderness must have been far from peaceful last night. At the outpost's edge. "Stay safe out there." Chen Fan stood outside the outpost, looking toward Zhou Mo at the handles of the tricycle and a dark-skinned youth beside him. This young man had originally followed Wang Mazi, but Chen Fan had now assigned him to ride with Zhou Mo. The tricycle's performance had been thoroughly tested. It wouldn't collapse. Upgraded to Level 4, the arrow fort was significantly lighter than an arrow tower. Mounted on the tricycle alongside the ghost fire, it reduced speed somewhat, but not drastically. It was now ready to travel to more distant, abandoned outposts to salvage their resources. "Understood." Zhou Mo responded with a resolute nod, devoid of his usual exuberance. His brother's death yesterday had taught him that even in broad daylight, the wilderness during the rainy season was by no means entirely safe. After seeing Zhou Mo off, Chen Fan glanced at the people bustling about, preparing to head back to his wooden cabin to sleep. Just then— "Stationmaster!" Qi Chong's voice called out from by the farmland. "It bloomed! The flower Brother Quehou planted has bloomed!" "Oh?" Chen Fan paused, only then remembering the matter. He walked over to the farmland with a smile to take a look. When clearing this plot of farmland, Quehou had retrieved a seed from the cabin and buried it in the dirt. Later, the seed had actually sprouted and grown into a bud; Quehou had even built a crude little wooden hut over the blossom. "Quite pretty," Chen Fan remarked with a smile, standing at the edge of the farmland and gazing at the flower rising from the corner of the field. Its stem was translucent and jade-white, while its peony-like petals were vivid crimson, as if freshly dyed in vermilion. Yet... his smile soon froze. Why was there... an information panel floating beside this flower? - [Exotic Treasure Name]: Human Blood Ghost Flower [Exotic Treasure Grade]: Green [Exotic Treasure Effect]: Mature. Can serve as a special forging material. - After a long silence, he reached into his robes and silently pulled out a piece of ghost skin—the drop from the female ghost he had slain. On the panel of that blank sheet of ghost skin, a line of text was clearly visible: *Must be watered with a 'Human Blood Ghost Flower' to reveal its contents.* He had had no idea where to find a Human Blood Ghost Flower. He never expected it to be right under his nose the entire time. Yet if the seed Quehou had picked up back then was a seed-type exotic treasure, why hadn't an information panel appeared when Chen Fan saw the seed originally? "Stationmaster," Qi Chong said excitedly, "I've never seen a flower like this before. It looks like a rare and precious bloom. Once the rainy season ends, we might be able to trade it at the Jiangbei Market for a good number of ghost stones. It definitely looks extraordinary!" "It certainly is extraordinary." Chen Fan paused for a moment, then chuckled. "When food is served later, give Quehou an extra drumstick." "Give yourself one too."