Quiet Aftermath

It was quite late when they returned back, on their vehicles. Their parents already called twice.

The black sedan's headlights disappeared into the distance as Han Chen stepped off the curb. The noise from the party still echoed in his mind. On the way back to the mansion, his cousins had talked a lot, especially about martial arts and how the transform jin warrior backed off and all. When he entered the mansion, he walked through the long corridors, his spirit sense picking up every sight in the building.

He noticed low voices coming from his parents' study. As he got closer, he could hear them more clearly. His mother was speaking, her tone serious.

"...and the Han Family's offer isn't a genuine partnership. They want unobstructed access to research? our intellectual properties, for which we get, raw material suppliers, established distribution channels, even international licensing. They claim it will help scale our new energy technology, but it comes with strings attached," she said, her voice betraying a hint of concern.

His father sighed, rubbing his temple before replying, "Our breakthrough research has already transformed our position. The company is flourishing, but without those networks, we can't go global and the internal management also is pressuring us. Still, if we allow them in, we risk losing control of what we've built."

Han Chen's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. They're offering us convenience at the cost of control. I've seen what happens when external forces slowly erode what's truly ours, he thought.

Stepping silently into the room, he picked up a small tablet on the desk. The device sprang to life, displaying a series of encrypted documents that Han Chen had gathered over weeks contracts drafted by the Han Family with clauses previously with other companies that, once activated by revenue milestones, would force an equity surrender.

"Decline the offer," he stated flatly. His voice was calm, but the underlying command left no room for debate as he showed them the information displayed in the screen. 

Both his parents looked at him, surprised at his sudden arrival. His mother's eyes widened. "How did you obtain this? .....

That's some real predatory behavior.. really everyone is after profits nowadays ." She said as she quickly skimmed over the information.

Han Chen shrugged. "I had some free time, and you mentioned the Han Family reaching out. I just looked into it." He swiped on the tablet, showing another set of documents -a counterproposal he had prepared. "I'm not great with business or law yet, but I thought I'd try. I'm going into law studies, so it's good practice." It was for any sorts of exploits they could come up with.

His mother gave him a look. "You really don't trust anyone, do you? Now I see why you keep things to yourself."

This plan, crafted from his own research and discreetly hacked and acquired market intelligence, outlined a strategy to secure independent partnerships in their field. Instead of handing over control, they would license their technology on staggered terms to a coalition of rival investors, maintaining autonomy while tapping into distribution networks.

His father studied the figures, the projected growth, and mother in the legal documents, the fine print for more than half an hour. "You're suggesting we pit the Han Family's influence against that of other independent players? We can't harm Hans like these, haven't you seen how warm they have welcomed us?"

"Precisely, I could judge people very well, there wasn't much of a kinship when we had dinner yesterday. Take it on face value." Han Chen said, his tone still casual. "It's about leveraging our strengths without falling into their trap. Our new breakthrough products are too valuable to risk dilution under their conditions. "

A moment of silence followed. After discussing with his mother for a while, finally, his father nodded. "Very well. We'll delay any final decision until we've explored these alternatives. But if we start to implement this, .... It's competing against Hans themselves, at least in some fields..."

He paused, looking at Han Chen. "If you can do this, why haven't you done anything before? You could still apply for AI or software engineering. Those fields are in demand."

" How many of your employees have the skill to do what I did? Surely there must be some of those engineers in your department for this right?" His father didn't have a response.

Later that night, Han Chen went out to the courtyard. The air was cool, and the mansion was quiet. He thought about the people who had shown ill intent toward his family and confirmed their business chains.

He took out his burner phone and initiated a secure network protocol—a series of commands designed not to cause overt chaos but to nudge the select people's carefully maintained supply chain into uncertainty. He would take action first, why play this stupid games. In fact he didn't feel play this passive stance long. Too much cunning and downplaying is affecting his spirit of cultivation.

A single command, sent into the ether, triggered a cascade of automated actions: minor delays in shipment tracking systems, brief glitches in the logistics software used by the Han Family's subsidiaries, and a discreet redirection of critical data flows. Each disturbance was calibrated to sow just enough doubt without drawing immediate attention. In the world of corporate maneuvering, such subtleties could be more damaging than any overt strike. It's best for them to get entranced in their own problems and not harbor thought of harming his family.

Let them deal with their own mess, he thought. They won't have time to bother us.

The next day, Han Chen joined his cousins for the morning martial training session. The courtyard was bustling with activity as elders, their wives, and in-laws gathered to observe. Training sessions were a daily ritual, usually presided over by the patriarch or one of the senior elders.

With the family busy hosting guests over the past few days, there hadn't been any active sessions. But now, Han Chen had been invited by the patriarch early in the morning, so he decided to attend.

The patriarch Han Tianxing was observing everyone and one instructor came to him after servants gave him robes which he just wore outside. He began by explaining the importance of martial training, emphasizing the subtleties of each realm. "Your father may have taught you the basics, but the intricacies might not be clear to you. Ming Jin realm is just the beginning. From there, you progress to..." He went on, detailing the stages up to Transform Jin.

"Han Zhenyu, come here. Train with him," the patriarch called out. Han Zhenyu, a fiery 16-year-old at the Ming Jin realm, stepped forward eagerly. Training here typically started at age 10, so it was no surprise that many of the younger members had already reached Ming Jin.

"Haha, come on!" Han Zhenyu twisted his hands excitedly, clearly confident and ready to show off. He seemed eager to prove himself, especially after Han Chen had been the center of attention for the past few days.

Han Chen, however, wasn't interested in pretending. He had always respected martial arts—it was, after all, what had helped him progress initially. But seeing the training today, he didn't feel the need to fight with kids who would blow up if he sneezed in full power. It was too much effort to pretend.

Turning to the elder, he said calmly, "I'm not at Ming Jin. I'm at Dark Jin realm. Are you sure you want me to pair with him?" As he spoke, he released a suppressed aura, revealing the unmistakable qi mechanism of someone at the pinnacle of Dark Jin.

The courtyard fell silent as heads turned toward him. Even the instructor looked surprised. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?" he asked.

Han Chen shrugged. "No one asked."

The instructing elder, was visibly impressed. "You have a solid foundation, and you're already at the peak of Dark Jin. You must have started training early. Even Zixuan is only at the mid-stage of Dark Jin. You might be the youngest Dark Jin in our family."

Patriarch Han Tianxing turned to his parents in slightly angry tone " Zhong.. don't you know this kind of thing cannot be initiated early. 10 years is the minimum... Otherwise it would only shrink ones potential"

His father wanted to complain but had some pride in discussing his sons martial talent " No, he only started to train in the last,."

"I started training when I was ten, just like everyone else." Han Chen interrupted his speech at the end with a lie, looking directly in his father's eyes. Hoping the meaning be conveyed at the very least.

His father was sometimes too straightforward. In fact if his mother didn't held him, he would go on to say " he didn't know"

His parents had stiff faces but it quickly receded thinking he gave them too many unexpected news recently. Becoming a suspect for a murder case, break up, computer skills, first in entrance exam, analytics in business, and drafting cooperation agreements just yesterday, now a dark jin warrior.

The adults exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and curiosity. Some seemed impressed, while others appeared uneasy. The children, however, looked at Han Chen with newfound respect. How does such a prodigy born into this zhong's lineage. Oh he also reached transform Jin recently. His wife's realm is unknown. We thought he is a late bloomer. Turns out something in the genes. While others had thoughts similar to if we can't keep, there no need for a future enemy.

The patriarch gestured for Han Chen to demonstrate his strength. "Punch my hand," he said, conjuring a qi block within his palm.

Han Chen circulated a tiny portion of his internal spiritual qi as per Han family's Crane style arts stance his father taught him all those years ago. He suppressed his qi from tearing away other party's shield and martial manifestation from appearing behind as intent, reduced the strength from outright blasting others body into blood mist to smaller levels of dark jin, the principle of blending hardness with softness.

Surely all those calculations happened in a tiny fraction of second. Thus he confirmed his strength to anyone. "Wonderful," the patriarch said, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I know it must have been difficult for you to train on your own. And for your father to gather the necessary resources... We'll send you a portion of beast essence monthly. Remember, you are part of the Han Family. Always." Han Chen could see behind that happy smile he could see frustration and maliciousness visible in his spirit sense. He didn't say anything further. Went to the side of his mother and sat down.

Later, as the children chatted, they casually brought up the events of the previous day. The visiting martial artist, who had been at Transform Jin, had left quietly without causing a scene. Sensing Han Chen's aura, he must have decided it wasn't worth provoking a young genius from the Han Family. The adults all had similar thoughts.

Han Meiling, one of his cousins, approached him with a smile. "Thank you, brother," she said, addressing him warmly for the first time.

After the congratulations and farewells, Han Chen's family left the Han Family grounds by lunchtime. As they drove away, Han Chen glanced back, taking in the expressions of everyone who had gathered to see them off. He noted the mix of emotions—pride, envy, curiosity, and even resentment.

...