Unlike the selfish, brainless antagonists commonly found in cliché urban web novels,
Chen Beiyuan did not hide the existence of the Strange Dragon Egg.
After returning to the family estate and confirming that he was safe, he immediately informed his father, Chen Zheqing, the Patriarch of the Chen Family.
He understood one thing very clearly—
Some matters were never worth concealing. Trying to hide them would only create even greater problems.
Could the family possibly steal his treasure?
Ridiculous.
As the future Patriarch of the Chen Family, the entire family would eventually belong to him.
That fundamental fact had to be made clear first.
To put it bluntly, even if he wanted to hide it...
How long could he possibly keep it secret?
The moment the Strange Dragon Egg hatched and a Blood Dragon hatchling suddenly appeared beside the Young Master of the Chen Family, the Imperial Family would immediately realize what had happened.
No one in this world was a fool.
By then, the Chen Family would be forced to bear the pressure on his behalf anyway.
Rather than letting things reach that point,
it was far better to tell the family everything from the very beginning and prepare them in advance.
"Beiyuan, you handled this well."
"You didn't keep it from us and reported it to me immediately."
"That fellow Jiang Baiyi isn't someone to underestimate."
"He may always wear a smile and look harmless in front of you, but whenever interests are involved, he'll definitely make his moves in the shadows to test the waters."
Chen Zheqing let out a long breath.
The solemn expression on his face disappeared as he looked at his son with a warm smile.
"Dad... will this cause trouble for the Chen Family?"
Chen Beiyuan asked.
"Trouble? Bullshit."
"The moment it entered the Chen Family, it became property of our Chen Family."
"Is the Imperial Family really going to declare war on us over a single dragon egg?"
"The Blood Dragon Secret Realm has been under their control for so many years, and they never found that egg."
"That only proves they're a bunch of useless fools."
"You entered once and found it immediately."
"That simply means fate chose you."
The influential leader of the Empire didn't hesitate to curse outright, showing not the slightest respect for the Imperial Family.
"Don't worry."
"I've already spoken with your grandfather."
"He'll personally negotiate with the Imperial Family."
"The border front is a powder keg right now."
"The newly expanded territories contain countless unexplored Secret Realms filled with unknown resources."
"The old monsters from every top aristocratic family are practically ready to start killing each other over even a tiny piece of land."
"Right now, every one of them hopes to win the Chen Family's support so they can secure a larger share."
"Even the Imperial Family has to rely on your grandfather at a time like this."
"With your grandfather stepping in, the Imperial Family will just have to swallow this loss."
He paused before continuing,
"After the dragon egg hatches, tell everyone it's simply a contracted mutant Blood Dragon."
"That'll keep unnecessary attention away."
There was an enormous difference between the two identities.
One was a reborn Rank-8 ferocious beast—the Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor.
The other was merely a contracted mutant Blood Dragon.
If people discovered the former,
it might attract the covetous eyes of Rank-8 Battle Emperors.
The latter, while still extremely rare,
would normally be protected by the prestige of the Chen Family.
Very few people would dare make a move.
Watching his father repeatedly reminding him of every possible precaution,
Chen Beiyuan felt the family's undisguised love and concern.
His heart warmed.
For his sake,
the Patriarch of the Chen Family had abandoned all his responsibilities and quietly returned overnight from the Third War Zone.
Meanwhile,
his grandfather, who remained at the center of the turmoil on the border, had personally stepped in to clean up the situation.
At this point,
the hidden danger surrounding the Strange Dragon Egg had been almost completely eliminated.
Compared to secretly hiding everything,
the current situation was infinitely better.
From beginning to end,
Chen Zheqing never once blamed him for bringing trouble upon the family.
Instead,
he simply extinguished the problem before it could grow.
Sometimes...
the love of family needed no words.
Chen Beiyuan knew that the greatest way he could repay them
was to increase his strength as quickly as possible,
break through to the Rank-8 Battle Emperor realm,
and change the future destiny of the Chen Family.
"I understand, Dad."
"Now that I have the Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor..."
"We can stop asking the Bai Family to search for a beast companion."
Chen Beiyuan had been extremely cautious.
Back at Donghua Academy,
Bai Yuze had mentioned the matter himself,
yet Chen Beiyuan had deliberately refrained from asking him to stop the Bai Family's search.
He was afraid Jiang Baiyi might notice something.
He was certain that every move inside Donghua Academy was under Jiang Baiyi's watchful eyes.
That old fox was almost certainly monitoring him the entire time.
Only after returning to the Chen Family could he finally relax.
"That's for the best."
"No beast the Bai Family could find would ever compare to a reborn Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor."
"If Old Master Bai learned about this..."
"I'm afraid even he would be tempted."
"I'll have people deliver the blood essence of high-rank ferocious beasts over the next few days."
"We'll use it to nourish the dragon egg and help it hatch sooner."
Chen Zheqing stared at the crimson-glowing dragon egg for a moment before shifting his gaze back to his son.
His expression carried unmistakable amazement.
His son's fortune was almost beyond belief.
Simply bathing in dragon blood inside a Secret Realm had granted him such incredible opportunities.
Not only had his physical body become comparable to a Rank-6 Divine Weapon,
he had also obtained the reborn Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor.
Had he not witnessed everything with his own eyes,
he would have thought he was listening to some mythical legend.
The protagonists of those legends were always blessed by destiny—
born with extraordinary gifts,
protected by overwhelming fortune.
Wasn't Chen Beiyuan's current situation almost exactly the same?
The Chen Family of Donghua might truly ascend to unprecedented heights under his leadership.
Thinking of that,
Chen Zheqing's expression suddenly became serious.
Looking directly into his son's eyes, he asked,
"Beiyuan..."
"Have you truly prepared yourself?"
"There's no denying it."
"Because you've bathed in dragon blood..."
"After the egg hatches, the newborn Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor will most likely regard you as its closest family."
"It will obey you without question."
"But..."
"It is ultimately a reborn Rank-8 ferocious beast."
"Its growth will be astonishingly fast."
"It won't take long before it regains the title of Dragon Emperor..."
"...and recovers all of its memories."
"When that day comes..."
"The one standing before you will be a ruthless and savage Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor."
A Blood Calamity Dragon Emperor at its peak...
was so powerful that even the entire Donghua Empire possessed only a handful of Rank-8 Battle Emperors capable of facing it head-on.
When that time arrived...
what would Chen Beiyuan do?
Facing his father's scrutinizing gaze,
Chen Beiyuan merely smiled calmly.
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his eyes.
His voice was quiet,
yet carried supreme confidence and overwhelming dominance.
"Then I'll become an Emperor."