. For example, purple crystalline dewdrops, seven-heart corals, and pieces of the Qilin’s armor.”The names Su Han mentioned were all new to Hao Ren, but he mentally noted them down.He then thought tha...Chapter 495: Zhao Haoran's Manor

After coming out of the Imperial Building, everyone no longer felt as unfamiliar with each other as before.

"Mr. Xie, about what you said earlier regarding setting up a factory in the west, I'm quite interested. Why don't we find another place to discuss it further" Zhao Kuan smiled and spoke to Xie Ming.

"If Mr. Zhao is interested, of course, we can sit down and talk." Xie Ming readily replied.

Actually, they had already chatted for a while in Tomorrow Group's office earlier, and now outside, Zhao Kuan still wanted to continue talking with Xie Ming.

He could not return to the Dragon Palace and was determined to focus solely on being an ordinary person and pursuing his business path.

The conversation with Xie Ming made him feel that Xie Ming was a very astute businessman, not only intelligent but also highly proactive in action.

The idea of setting up a new factory in the western United States was definitely not something Xie Ming came up with on the spot; rather, it hit right at the weak point of the U.S. economy and foresaw trends in the economic restructuring of America.

Xie Ming currently lacked nothing except for funds: he had no shortage of technology, experience, or ambition.

Zhao Kuan was quite willing to offer support where funding was concerned. Tomorrow Group's expansion into overseas markets had been very smooth, and a significant portion of this success could be attributed to Zhao Kuan’s acumen and foresight.

Zhao Kuan wouldn't miss any opportunity that would help develop and strengthen Tomorrow Group; in America, where opportunities and risks were everywhere, small businesses often grew into big ones.

Compared to Zhao Guang who had the Dragon Palace behind him as a fallback option, Zhao Kuan living in the U.S. had no room for retreat—his career was tied to Tomorrow Group, as was the prosperous future of his descendants.

Zhao Kuan also noticed that Xie Yujia and Zhao Hongyu were close, so by collaborating with Xie Ming's father, he hoped to satisfy Zhao Hongyu’s expectations as well.

"Haha, since you both have business to discuss, take your time and talk it through." Sure enough, Zhao Hongyu appeared quite pleased; she looked at Hao Zhonghua and asked with a smile, "Mr. Hao, do you mind if I take Allen away for a while"

"Of course not," replied Hao Zhonghua in an open-hearted manner.

Zhao Hongyu then turned around to look at Hao Ren affectionately.

Hao Ren didn't know where Zhao Hongyu intended to take him but did not ask.

"Yujia, stay here. I'll be back soon with Allen and Purple." Zhao Hongyu informed Xie Yujia.

“Alright.” Xie Yujia nodded obediently; she would wait for Zhao Kuan and Xie Ming to finish their business talk in a café.

Zhao Hongyu led Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi towards the underground garage at the front.

Zhao Yanzhi's expression was somewhat puzzled, clearly not knowing where Zhao Hongyu intended to take them.

A red Porsche emerged from the garage.

Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzǐ looked at each other, then got into the car together.

Zhào Hóngyù didn't say a word; he drove the Porsche towards the Hudson River in New York City.

The car crossed a bridge and entered a picturesque valley. This place was completely different from Manhattan's towering skyscrapers, surrounded by small villages and farms with lush green landscapes.

Zhao Yanzǐ softly said "oh," already knowing where Zhao Hóngyù was heading.

"Where are we going" Hao Ren whispered to Zhao Yanzǐ.

“Hmph,” Zhao Yanzǐ, still upset about Hao Ren and Xie Yuji's close relationship, gave a cold snort.

Sigh... Having hit a wall with Zhao Yanzǐ, Hao Ren could only keep quiet.

He didn't know how to deal with Zhao Yanzǐ. Every time he was kind to her, she would not appreciate it. But every time he and Xie Yuji got closer, she would fiercely "jealous."

Zhào Hóngyù's Porsche arrived at the entrance of a large estate; an elegant and grand black iron gate automatically opened.

Outside this riverside estate was already full of beautiful natural scenery. Inside, it was even more scenic.

The car silently drove along the flat roads within the estate. Hao Ren roughly estimated that this luxurious estate near New York covered at least tens of thousands of acres, larger than several combined campuses of Donghai University.

Various gardens and lawns featured over a dozen buildings, as well as a large farm and private golf course. There was even a small forest and multiple natural lakes.

Zhào Hóngyù's red Porsche stopped in front of a white mansion.

This four-story house stood on high ground within the estate, offering panoramic views of everything inside.

Within this tranquil estate, one could barely feel the summer heat, creating a sense of inner peace.

"General Azure Dragon, General White Tiger, General Black Tortoise, and General Vermilion Bird, reporting to Madam."

Four robust men in suits emerged from the house and bowed towards Zhao Hóngyù.

"Thank you, Generals," Zhao Hóngyù nodded at them.

Turning around to Hao Ren who had just stepped out of the car, she said, "This is where Grandpa Ah Zi resides in New York."

Hao Ren looked around, taking in this serene landscape. Yet, his heart suddenly felt heavy.

He only met Zhao Haoran a few times, but Zhao Haoran left an indelible impression on him.

To this day, Hao Ren still had the thousand-year martial arts power that Zhao Haoran had given him in his body. From this perspective, Hao Ren owed Zhao Haoran a great debt and was also his junior; considering him as his grandfather made sense.

Zhao Hongyu led Hao Ren into the house.

The entire place was paved with marble, cool and also noble. The various decorations on the ground floor made this place not only seem like a living residence but also like an art殿堂.

Zhao Hongyu led Hao Ren to the second floor.

Four bodyguards of Zhao Haoran followed closely behind. They were all Dry-stage experts, and when Zhao Hongyu was still driving her car dozens of kilometers away from the estate, they already knew where Zhao Hongyu was.

It was because these four near-peak-Dry-stage experts guarded this area together that the Hudson River riverside estate became a taboo zone for cultivators in the New York region, not even daring to approach it.

This place thus became like several others—such as the overseas Immortal Mountains, Sea of Ten Thousand Demons, and Kunlun Mountain—regions where even the Dragon God Temple could not touch.

"This is Grandpa's training ground," Zhao Hongyu said when she reached the second floor.

The second floor had a spacious room. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the lush green golf course.

Zhao Yanzi followed behind Hao Ren, her expression somewhat tense.

"The third floor is Grandpa's living quarters," Zhao Hongyu said as she walked towards the third floor.

Hao Ren followed Zhao Hongyu up the stairs, with each step producing a resonating "thud" sound.

Old Dragon King Zhao Haoran had been a hero in his time, but hiding out in New York was actually very lonely for him. Hao Ren felt this deeply in his heart.

Thinking of Zhao Haoran made him think about his grandmother.

His grandmother lived alone in a small villa by the seaside and seemed to live well, but she was actually quite lonely.

Zhao Haoran possessed an extremely luxurious estate. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as fabulously wealthy, yet he himself was surely also very lonely.

After all, his grandmother could nudge Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang to stay in Donghai City with her and chat with some girls about this and that, but Zhao Haoran couldn't get over his pride and wasn't able to keep his children around him.

Zhao Kuo was pursuing the Heavenly Dragon realm and engrossed in cultivation; Zhao Kuang had to run Tomorrow Group and be busy with official duties; Zhao Guang managed Donghai Dragon Palace, which was a headache-inducing task.

Moreover, Zhao Haoran didn't want to disturb his three sons. He chose to live as a recluse in America so that he wouldn't affect Zhao Guang's prestige at Donghai Dragon Palace and could remotely command Tomorrow Group's overseas expansion without letting Zhao Kuang’s family visit him.

As for Zhao Kuo, he was brimming with expectations—Zhao Haoran never summoned him over to avoid hindering his cultivation.

Hao Ren looked inside the room through an open door and saw neatly arranged bedding and cleanly kept daily necessities. He suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Empty… It had once been home to a towering, upright old man.

"The fourth floor is where Grandpa worships the Dragon God," Zhao Hongyu led Hao Ren up another level.

The style above suddenly changed, filled with the classical charm of China, with intricate carvings and paintings.

In a large room, a dragon deity with outstretched claws is enshrined.

This legendary dragon god who created the world is also the common ancestor of the five-line dragon clans.

Before the dragon deity lies a small altar tablet, simply inscribed with "Zhao Haoran."

Zhao Hongyu quietly walked over, picked up an incense stick, lit it, and placed it in the censer.

Hao Ren took heavy steps and also offered three sticks of incense to the dragon deity, as well as for Zhao Haoran.

Zhao Yanzi looked at her mother, hesitated a moment, then added another three sticks of incense into the censer.

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird stood quietly on either side of the entrance. They had followed Zhao Haoran for hundreds of years and were his most trusted attendants.

When Zhao Haoran recruited them, they were still children; but under his cultivation, each one reached the Qian level.

The silent passage of time saw Zhao Hongyu watching the incense slowly burn away, seemingly in silent prayer.

Hao Ren also mourned for Zhao Haoran. He possessed the thousand-year strength given to him by Zhao Haoran and still remembered his courage when he transformed into a black dragon spear.

"I brought you here today because my grandfather once said that if Aizi has a consort, it's necessary to bring him here to show him." Zhao Hongyu suddenly said.

Hao Ren turned and looked at her.

“But from the looks of it, we've missed our chance. Afraid my grandfather wouldn't be satisfied with you, I wanted to find a better time to explain to him, hence not bringing you over here earlier. If he hadn’t returned to the Dragon Palace in the East Sea, you would never have met.” Zhao Hongyu continued.

Hao Ren's gaze turned towards that black altar tablet. He knew Zhao Hongyu was feeling guilty; one shouldn't hide things like this from Zhao Haoran.

"Wah..." Zhao Yanzi suddenly burst into tears.

When she learned in the Dragon Palace of East Sea that Zhao Haoran’s lifespan had run out, she was only stunned and didn’t have any particular thoughts. She was just a teenager; for this distant grandfather, she seemed to harbor no deep feelings.

But standing in this room now, countless memories suddenly flooded back to Zhao Yanzi.

Zhao Haoran always had a stern face and never smiled easily, but twice every summer vacation when she came here to visit him at the estate, Zhao Haoran would fulfill all her whims of food or play.

When Zhao Yanzi broke a Song dynasty porcelain in the Dragon Palace of East Sea and hid the fragments out of fear, Zhao Haoran simply walked over indifferently without scolding her.

Zhao Yanzi’s heart raced as she ran to the golf course to practice martial arts, trampling down large sections of grass. Not only did he not reprimand her but was instead enthusiastically teaching her how to cultivate...

She used to fear this stern grandfather and merely went through the motions every summer vacation just to visit him out of duty. But now she longed for him dearly.something," Hao Ren continued."What is it" Zhao Yanzi lifted her head and blinked.Her forehead hair parted to both sides, revealing the fine downy hair hidden at the temples, which fluttered slightly...