The manager lowered his head. "The Young Lord is the Young Lord. Nothing can ever change that."

Feng Qizheng exploded. "Screw you and your whole damn family... Are you people ever going to quit? Your father said he isn't, so he isn't. You've got the wrong man.

I'm warning you. Whatever you people are up to, I don't care. But if you dare hurt Ning Chen, if you dare hurt anyone close to me, your father will twist your heads right off."

The manager looked up. "If the Young Lord refuses to acknowledge who he is, why hasn't he turned us in to the Prince Who Holds the Realm?"

Feng Qizheng was beside himself. He grabbed the manager by the collar, hauled him up, and snarled low, "You think your father doesn't dare?"

The manager didn't resist. He only asked back calmly, "Does the Young Lord really dare?"

Feng Qizheng's fists clenched.

It wasn't that he didn't dare. It was that he couldn't bear to lose Ning Chen... Once he turned them in, he and Ning Chen could never walk the same road again.

"Why are you people pushing me? Your father's got a good life now... Don't ever dream of getting your father to work for you."

The manager said in a low voice, "This is the Young Lord's destiny. The blood of Prince Qi runs in your veins... The realm of the Great Xuan should have been Prince Qi's, and it should be yours, Young Lord."

Feng Qizheng said furiously, "Keep your dog's stinking wind. Who the hell is Prince Qi? What makes you so damn sure your father has his dirty blood in him?"

"You were born with superhuman strength. That's the best proof there is!"

Feng Qizheng sneered. "That's it? There are plenty of men born with superhuman strength... Don't think you can con your father. What's wrong with living quiet, honest lives? The Xuan Emperor is a good emperor. The realm is at peace, the people are prosperous — what the hell are you stirring things up for? You've just got too much time on…