Ling Jing had always enjoyed scrolling through netizen comments for a bit of fun.
However, after browsing enthusiastically for just two or three minutes, the main social media platform in Hua Country crashed completely. She felt a little annoyed and said via Communicator, “Even our local Jia Platform back home can hold out for ten or fifteen minutes in a situation like this.” Then she laughed at herself, “How could some entertainment industry gossip hope to compare to our short video?”
Qin Jingzhou chuckled, “I’ve already made everything so clear. If they still can’t respond the right way, I’d rather pay a little compensation for breach of contract and just walk away.”
Ling Jing cackled, “Right, there’s a saying, ‘Even a Buddha can’t save an utter fool.’”
The two of them exchanged a look and laughed, while the phones lying on the table in front of them had long since powered off.
Having seen firsthand how the black technology flying sword was made, the assistants and all their colleagues were now so busy they couldn’t even lift their heads. Most of them already knew that after the boss and boss’s wife posted the short video, inquiries were bound to skyrocket exponentially, but with the promise of a raise and a black tech flying sword for every staff member, they threw themselves into their work with zero complaints or regrets.
It was just that, though they truly tried their best and worked themselves to exhaustion, they still couldn’t get through on the phone to the officials responsible for cultivator affairs or tech-related departments. All other communication failed as well. After all, ever since Qin Jingzhou released the short video, several major social media platforms all crashed simultaneously.
After a quick discussion, the officials in charge made a swift decision to come in person.
In the middle of dinner, after being passed along through several contacts, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing finally welcomed the arriving officials at their door.
The arriving officials weren’t low rank. Besides the two in charge of cultivator affairs, the tech-related seniors were all regular faces on government news broadcasts.
The man in front, after a brief greeting, said sincerely, “That statement from Mr. Zhang—‘Whether it’s cultivating or advancing technology, we all have a bright future’—is truly inspiring.”
Ling Jing was clutching Qin Jingzhou’s hand, chin propped on her other hand. “Who wants to be crushed under a mountain for no reason? The vast majority in this world are ordinary people who can’t cultivate, and yet now the situation is, cultivators wield the cleavers, mere mortals are the meat.”
Though her words held double meaning, they hit home for the guests.
The lead official nodded, exchanged glances with his colleagues, and asked, “You two… are both high-level cultivators, aren’t you?”
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing both believed the officials had done their research before coming—the clubhouse owner was surely being questioned as well—so they smiled and openly admitted it.
The official took a deep breath. “As high-level cultivators, it seems you’re leading ordinary people down a path of technological enhancement. Why is that?”
Qin Jingzhou answered simply, “To maintain balance.” He had no intention of explaining further.
The officials seemed to be deep in thought. In fact, they’d started discussing the possibility that these two had been taken over by some other being since yesterday. But now it looked even if they had, they held no ill will toward ordinary people.
Qin Jingzhou pretty much guessed what was on their minds, so he gave them some time to digest, then took them to personally test out the black tech flying sword.
Men will always be boys at heart. Watching these usually dignified men in their forties and fifties, straddling, sitting on, and hugging the black tech flying sword as they maneuvered through the air—cheering one moment, shouting the next—Qin Jingzhou grabbed Ling Jing to go have lunch.
An hour and a half later, the officials finally got their fill, reluctantly handed back the flying swords, and asked earnestly, “How much do they cost?”
The only truly precious part of the black tech flying sword, inside and out, was the spiritual stone battery.
Qin Jingzhou would not teach the battery technology. At the current level of the Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering, they’d manage to invent a similar product themselves within three years.
So he replied, “You get all the permits issued quickly, let me set up a joint venture factory and put the flying sword on the market. As for this little trick… I’ll just give it to you.”
The official’s face broke into a wide grin, though he was still polite enough to double-check, “Is that really appropriate?”
Ling Jing approached, coffee cup in hand. “The spiritual stone battery isn’t that valuable, but it saves you a lot of time.”
Right in front of them, Qin Jingzhou conjured a spiritual stone battery sample with his bare hands and handed it over for them to take away.
By evening, the assistant came by to say, “Boss, we’ve received the approval documents—including product registration and the full set of documents for opening the factory.” He hesitated, then added a reminder, “Our black tech flying sword is registered as a general aviation aircraft.”
Qin Jingzhou grinned, “They have high hopes for me.”
Once you check the definition of general aviation aircraft, you’d know that means private planes and business jets all count under this category. In other words, the flying sword was officially considered an aircraft.
Ling Jing laughed, “That’s a totally reasonable call. Flying swords really aren’t suited for absolutely everyone.”
Qin Jingzhou immediately delegated a new task to the assistant. “Put out a notice that the flying sword counts as a general aviation aircraft. If you want to buy one, pass the license test first. Five days is enough, there’s no need to keep everyone working overtime.”
Even with a fresh task, the assistant showed no sign of worry or stress.
As soon as the assistant left the study, the housekeeper knocked, coming in to say that young master Zhang Qingxing had woken up.
Before Qin Jingzhou had brought back the original host’s son Zhang Qingxing, the boy’s mental state had already been off.
After returning, the housekeeper had tried hard to comfort him, and Zhang Qingxing had calmed down some—at least enough to stop curling into a ball with his arms around his knees, shivering uncontrollably.
But he still didn’t have the courage to face his biological father.
The housekeeper had consulted Qin Jingzhou for advice and even called in a family doctor… but the moment Zhang Qingxing saw the doctor, he began trembling violently.
The doctor could only do some simple checks, then prescribed a few medications based on his previous records.
Once the doctor left, Zhang Qingxing stared at the pill bottles on his desk for a long while. After struggling inside, he decided to take the medicine, hoping maybe he could sleep. Maybe today’s ordeal was just some horrible nightmare…
And so, he slept all the way until now… In fact, he could have kept on sleeping, except his stomach refused to cooperate.
He was so hungry that he felt faint.
For what it was worth, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing had never forgotten this poor kid. Every so often, they swept him with divine sense to make sure he was fine before deciding not to wake him.
Now, sizing up the son who had to finally leave his room for “hungry, food,” Ling Jing commented first, “No matter how you look at it, his condition doesn’t seem right.”
Qin Jingzhou nodded. “Anyway, he’s not going to die any time soon.”
Having been through such trauma yesterday, Zhang Qingxing immediately burst into tears. “Why are you treating me like this?” he sobbed, “Isn’t it enough to just say it’s all my fault?”
Qingxing hadn’t even finished junior high; even at his best he struggled to express himself, and now he could barely voice his feelings—he was reduced to sobbing miserably.
And for a son who could hardly get his words out, let alone speak logically, this was a first for Qin Jingzhou as well. But since his predecessor had never demanded much, all he could do was try his best. “What’s the matter?”
Zhang Qingxing stammered between sobs, “They took me out to the Qin Family banquet, pushed me, cursed at me, everything went dark, acting all weird, chanting stuff—it hurt all over, you flew up, I tried to speak…”
Ling Jing tilted her head, “You’re rambling, but I more or less get it. He Qingya and the others took you out to a Qin Family banquet. Something was off about it? You got badly bullied? And yesterday, after seeing your dad go full beast mode—even He Qingya was terrified—so only then did you dare to complain?”
Zhang Qingxing nodded frantically.
Ling Jing deliberately omitted the crucial parts, not wanting to traumatize Zhang Qingxing further—after all, this real young master still had decent qualities and was worth saving.
Qin Jingzhou checked the time, “Let’s eat first. Afterward, you take me to that place where the banquet was held. I’ll help you stand up for yourself.”
Zhang Qingxing’s eyes widened, and his stomach answered in his place with a loud rumble.
He Huisheng’s mistress—Zhang Qingxing’s stepmother—had known all along he wasn’t her biological son, so she’d abused and manipulated him ever since childhood. Now twenty years old, Zhang Qingxing was over 1.8 meters tall but weighed less than 130 pounds.
Still, despite his sickly leanness, his appetite matched his height, and now, with his father vowing to help him get justice, he ate even faster and with less restraint than usual.
But Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing never mocked or looked down on this unlucky child. When he finished eating and had digested for a few minutes, they had the driver take them to the Qin house.
For the wealthy, knowing the addresses of their peers was hardly a secret. Most of them lived in the same gated communities anyway.
After a thirty-minute drive, they arrived at the Qin home.
Assistant had already given advance notice, so when the security guard saw them approach, he immediately opened the gates.
A couple of days ago, the Qin Family could still afford to ignore Zhang Jingzhou on account of He Qingya. But now, things had changed.
Not only was there the soon-to-be coveted flying sword, but even more, news had come back from their own family members. The Qin Family lined up in their courtyard to greet them.
As for the two Qin family heirs who had bullied and humiliated Zhang Qingxing at the banquet to flatter He Qingya, they were now kneeling obediently on the stone path. Don’t be fooled by those young masters’ usual arrogance—they were often far more attuned to the times than ordinary people.
Zhang Qingxing had never witnessed a scene like this, and he looked completely lost.
Qin Jingzhou reached out to ruffle the hair of his “cheap son”—who didn’t shrink away this time, perhaps because he was too stunned to react. For the original host, even getting close had been difficult, so this was definite progress.
He glanced at the Qin family, who seemed full of sincerity. “You people aren’t being honest. Where’s that weirdo who tried to use my son as a sacrifice?”
Everyone in the Qin Family visibly blanched.
A moment later, the family head stepped forward and explained, wryly, “I knew we couldn’t hide it from you… The Taiyi Sect took such a big loss this time and didn’t even dare say a word. But of course, things like this are hard for us to initiate. At times like these, it’s hard to explain anything clearly.”
His younger brother chimed in, “Our third brother has a bit of talent and kept applying for sect assistance…”
Qin Jingzhou waved him off. “That’s enough. Take us there.”
The Qin family could only obey.
The head of the Qin family walked ahead, guiding them while explaining, “Once you get near this little building, you start hearing all sorts of strange noises in your ears. Luckily, ever since that child… he’s stayed in the basement tinkering around, so we just locked him in here.”
They stopped in front of a three-story building, every window dark and unlit.
With trembling hands, the Qin family head unlocked the door on the first floor, and Qin Jingzhou strode right in, Ling Jing pulling a phone from her bag. She quickly set up a tripod, tapped her screen several times, and launched a livestream she’d long prepared.
The title for the stream: Scientific Livestream.
Netizens, seeing the live push notification from Zhang Jingzhou’s social media account, swarmed in droves once again.
But this time, all the platforms were ready. Tens of millions flooded in at once. There was only some slight lag, which didn’t really affect the stream.
Viewers saw on the livestream: a pitch-dark corridor lit only by flickering candles. At the end of the corridor… there was obviously an altar, and on the walls, deep red and disturbing patterns. Just looking at them for a while made you dizzy.
Suddenly, a man appeared next to the altar, raising his hands high and shouting, “Praise my lord! Please accept the humble gift of your servant!”
Netizens were startled out of their wits: …Is this seriously what you call a scientific livestream?