Sky-cracking Rider

"Come on, Little Shanzi, lead the way!"

Chen Fei, dragging his luggage, stood in front of his cousin Chen Shan, the youngest son of his uncle.

"Go on, go on, find an empty house by yourself. Can't you see I'm busy? I have no time to cater to you!"

Young Master Shan dismissed him with a wave of his hand, full of disdain.

The sight of Chen Fei always brought back childhood traumas for him, vividly remembering how he had been pinned down on the couch and pummeled by him and his brother.

Fighting like brothers, he had always envied those who had brothers; unfortunately, his father was of no help, with all four above him being his quiet, book-smart, and well-mannered sisters and not one who could fight.

Having his four sisters fight for him would be like handing the stick used for spanking straight to his dad.

After spending a summer at his fourth uncle's home, he swore he'd never go there a second time. He couldn't provoke them, could he at least not steer clear?

Even so, at several Chen Family reunions, he still couldn't avoid these siblings.

Rich third-generation, so what?

Rich third-generation doesn't get beaten?

MMP, there's absolutely no reason here.

"Chirp!"

The little bird, taken care of by his younger sister, Chen Meng, flew over and landed on Chen Fei's shoulder, cocking its head to eye Chen Shan, who was visibly annoyed.

"Hey!! You're keeping birds now, damn it, Pure Light Sparrow, magical beast. Who here is actually the prodigal?"

Chen Shan couldn't help but take a few more glances before his eyes widened. But having a magical beast as a pet was the latest high-end trend in the Capital City, wasn't it?

According to the older generation of the Chen Family, fishing impoverishes for three years, bird keeping ruins a lifetime— a sure sign of a wasteful aristocrat. Those found guilty would be punished, kneeling to copy "*Selected Works" without missing or mistaking a single character, dare you defy that?

Moreover, taking care of an intelligent magical beast was not easy at all. They weren't stupid; some could even talk. It wasn't just about having money and power. You also had to earn the beast's respect, and the simplest method was a good fight, as magical beasts naturally follow the law of the jungle. If you lost, you admitted defeat quietly.

But if you couldn't fight, you'd likely get a beating and might even lose your life.

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The alternative was to honestly acquire a young beast and spend a lot of time and effort raising it from infancy. That required a tremendous amount of effort.

The last resort was to sign a magic contract, but it had to be voluntary on both sides; otherwise, it was illegal, with severe consequences.

If today you dare to force a contract on a fellow intelligent species, tomorrow you might dare to contract with your fellow human, leading to grave consequences. Magic contracts were always regulated; each contract had a unique identification code, and reporting, application, and approval were all incredibly complex.

Chen Fei said with a grin, "Jealous? Envious? It's a second-rank rare species that knows four spells!"

After saying this, he also stretched out four fingers, rotating his wrist to show them front and back.

"Chirp!"

The little bird chirped ceremoniously, as if to echo Mr. Chen Fei's words.

The little guy was proud as could be.

"Damn!!!"

There were quite a few Pure Light Sparrows, and they were relatively easy to keep, but a second-rank one that knew four spells? He had never even heard of such a thing.

Weren't Pure Light Sparrows only supposed to be first-rank, knowing just one spell?

Rarity brought value, playing at such a high level!

Envy could twist a man, as if struck by a critical blow, Chen Shan staggered, nearly feeling like he would explode. He found himself scorned by a poor relative, damn it, but… he couldn't fight back, not at all.

Both brothers were present!

Even Chen Meng, his younger sister, he couldn't beat.

Chen Shan retorted angrily, "You're being too much, hey!"

Chen Fei, hands on hips, replied innocently, "How was I too much? If you've got what it takes, get one and show me!"

Bullying this rich young master brought him no guilt whatsoever.

This kid flaunted his wealth all day; here was a chance to show off in return and slap it right back in his face.

The thought struck him with satisfaction. Awesome!!

"Chen Fei! You, just you wait!"

The youngest son of his uncle pointed at Chen Fei, dropped his welcoming duties, and stormed off in a rage.

What else could he do?

He couldn't beat any of them in a fight!

If he tried to take this kid down, even Little Sister Chen would come over to kick him.

This rich third-generation kid was pitiful indeed, no wonder Batman works alone.

"Second Brother, you're bullying Little Shan again!"

Seeing this, his mother came out to scold him.

All part of the same Chen Family, what a spectacle to make over such commotion.

Poor relations, rich relations, nobody in Chen Family Gate really cared; the unity and cohesion of a large family were beyond what outsiders could imagine.

Chen Fei spread his hands and said helplessly, "This really isn't my fault. Who asked him to always show off his wealth in public? Just because I pretended a bit, he became so angry, such a penny-pincher without a sense of humor!"

Luckily, there aren't two Chens from the same stroke, if the Chairman Chen of the National Defense Star knew someone said his son had no sense of humor, that fellow would probably... be gone before tomorrow!

"Chirp!"

Little Bird fears neither heaven nor earth.

"Fourth Uncle, let me take you to the guest rooms first!"

The eldest son of Second Uncle, Chen Guang, came up to greet them.

Not only the youngest son of the eldest uncle was acting as a receptionist, but he along with the only child of the third uncle, Chen You.

Soon, even Chen Shi and Chen Fei, the brothers, couldn't escape; all the men of this generation from the Chen Family Gate had to stand at the entrance of the manor, welcoming guests from all directions, to let outsiders see the young talents of the Chen Family of this generation.

The older generation of fathers and the generation before of grandfathers, Chen Family Gate was always prosperous in males, but by the generation of Chen Fei, it suddenly became rich in daughters, five sons and seven daughters.

The eldest uncle had it worst. Though rich, he had four daughters one after another. Everyone in the Chen Family branches thought that the eldest uncle's family would end up having five golden flowers until finally, the youngest, Chen Shan, arrived late and now, at last, there was someone to continue the family business.

"Thanks, Brother Chen Guang!"

Chen Fei and Little Sister Chen Meng said in unison.

"I'll help you with the luggage."

Chen Guang was two years younger than Chen Shi, but two years older than Chen Fei, and was very polite, not like that unruly Chen Shan. He immediately came over to help Chen Fei's mom and sister-in-law with their luggage and led the way to the front.

Chen Fei followed behind and asked, "Brother Guang, are you still studying or working now?"

The eldest son of Second Uncle, Chen Guang turned his head back and said, "I just took the civil service exam and barely passed, so I guess I'll have to slog in a lower-ranked ecological district for a few years."

In addition to basic administrative divisions, there were also other areas divided by economic attributes, such as economic zones, planting zones, livestock zones, industrial zones, ecological zones, and marine zones, with the intent to consolidate large-scale production and management, thereby minimizing unit operating costs and maximizing efficiency.

The ecological zones had the lowest human development rate and population density, with some places being completely uninhabited. The key feature was that these lands were primarily in their natural state without any pollution.

Even in inhabited areas, the economy was maintained entirely through natural output, whether it was profitable depended on the location, like those producing precious medicinal herbs could be considered prosperous.

Overall, the ecological zones were economically less developed areas, and it was a challenge for Chen Guang to make something of himself by taking a civil service position there.

"Ecological zones are pretty good too!"

Chen Fei nodded. Compared to the Aircrew Base in the Xingdu Kush Mountain Area, the local ecological zones were practically heaven, with a terrifyingly high rate of greenery.

If there wasn't a need to reserve some land for desert creatures, even the last patch of desert would probably be leveled.

Though economically underdeveloped, the ecological zones were great for nurturing people!

Away from the hustle and bustle of other districts, the ecological zones were quiet and peaceful, with good air quality – everything was natural. Slowing down the pace of life there might even help people live longer, so besides a small amount of natural output, the business of retirement homes also took up a large part.

Both the Second Uncle and Third Uncle were from the grandpa's family, with three generations involved in politics. There must be a deeper reason behind arranging for Brother Chen Guang to accumulate experience in the ecological zone.

What resources could be available for the elderly in such a place?

Of course, connections!

As the saying goes, it's good to have someone in the bureaucracy. If you don't build connections while on public grain, then what's the point?

The ecological zone arranged for Brother Chen Guang was probably not just some poor and harsh uninhabited land.

With this in mind... Chen Fei's brain made a full circle, and he immediately figured it all out.

True to the three generations in politics, very cunning and deep in calculation.

Chen Guang led Fourth Uncle Chen Haishang and his family to the main building in the manor.

The eldest uncle had prepared a dowry for his fourth daughter—Fengzhi Manor had more than forty guest rooms, mainly for the Chen family's relatives and distinguished guests to stay, while other guests were arranged to stay in nearby upscale hotels, to be brought over collectively before the wedding started.

Otherwise, even such a large manor could not possibly accommodate three thousand guests.

Then the brothers changed into their formal attire and greeted all the uncles and aunts, elder sisters and aunts, and finally gathered at the manor's entrance with the men of the Chen family this generation to welcome guests from all directions.

"Little Shanzi, how did you end up back here?"

Seeing the youngest son of the eldest uncle, Chen Shan, still standing at the door, forcing a smile, Chen Fei still couldn't resist teasing him.

"Hmph! Don't be smug, just you wait, I'll get a more powerful Magical Beast, and definitely surpass you."

Alright then, this kid was still holding a grudge.

The thorn of being crushed by a Pure Light Sparrow couldn't be gotten over, no matter what.

Just now, the Crown Prince of the National Defense Star went to find his dad, wanting a Magical Beast to show off and turn the tables on Chen Fei, but instead he got a face full of his dad's spit and almost questioned his life.

He just couldn't accept that a poor relative could own a Second Rank Pure Light Sparrow, while he himself couldn't have a Magical Beast.

The youngest son wanting to raise wolves and tigers was no issue, but suddenly wanting to raise a Magical Beast, old man Chen Haiqing thought this naughty kid needed a spanking.

Why don't you ask for a Giant Dragon?

How about a Metallic Dragon? Old dad can get you a dozen right away, as long as you can survive 24 hours, you can raise it however you like.

Chen Shan stated he wasn't joking, and his dad, Chen Haiqing, also made it clear he wasn't joking either. One phone call, delivered in one hour, plus free shipping, truly 24K pure Gold.

Thinking of raising a Giant Metallic Dragon at home seemed pretty cool, but it seemed a bit too high-end and absolutely friendship-ending (seeing the Dragon of Slaughter and not running would be like waiting to die), so Chen Shan, looking downtrodden, was directly scolded by his old man and sent back.

Upon seeing Second Brother Chen Fei appearing at the manor entrance looking all prim and proper, his expression grew even worse.

-n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om