Chapter 22: Yu Shangchen’s Conditions

Yu Shangchen sipped his tea with a calm, indifferent air. The tea in this world lacked any spiritual essence, and he wasn’t accustomed to it. Therefore, he drank tea from his own Chaotic Purple Mansion—not the finest spiritual tea reserved for himself, but even this lower-grade leaf was rare and precious here, nourishing to the body. Yuhua Cheng didn’t stand on ceremony with Yu Shangchen; he poured himself a cup without hesitation. He didn’t know exactly what was different about his younger brother, but one thing was certain: Yu Shangchen possessed things no one else did. Take this tea, for instance—after drinking it, his previously unsettled stomach felt much better.

Yu Shangchen gave Yuhua Cheng a sidelong glance but said nothing more, merely taking another sip. “You didn’t come find me today just to talk about blueprints, did you?”

Yuhua Cheng drained his cup in one gulp. Yu Shangchen frowned slightly. “What a waste.”

“I’m not as refined as you,” Yuhua Cheng replied bluntly. “As long as it’s drinkable, that’s good enough for me.” He poured himself another cup. “The higher-ups are considering establishing a special unit to recruit exceptional talents—it’s mainly to provide backup for all industries in Dahua. They want you to take charge.”

“Me?” Yu Shangchen’s lips curled in a half-smile. “You all just can’t stand to see me idle, can you?”

Yuhua Cheng sighed. “There’s no other way. These people are truly special—some even seem to possess unusual abilities. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what you’re capable of, but you’re too mysterious for any of us to see through. Most importantly, you’ve never hidden where your things come from. Over the years, what you’ve provided has greatly improved our health. That’s how we know you’re extraordinary. Above all, we trust you—and we know only you can keep these people in check.”

People with abilities were almost always hard to handle, and that was precisely why Yu Shangchen was needed.

“You all know I’m out of the ordinary, yet you still want to use me.” Yu Shangchen’s smile was ambiguous.

“I wouldn’t call it using you,” Yuhua Cheng said directly. “We just want to make the best use of what we have. People like us were never meant to spend our lives in a single government post, and for someone as unique as you, that’s even less likely.”

“I’ll take charge—but only on my terms,” Yu Shangchen said coolly.

Yuhua Cheng’s heart lifted. It seemed possible, after all. In truth, among the entire Yu family, Yu Shangchen was not old, but his abilities were the most enigmatic, his talent seemingly boundless—he learned anything with ease. Yet for all that, he was impossible to control. Setting up this special unit was, in no small part, a way to gauge Yu Shangchen’s true intentions.

Yu Shangchen understood these people’s thoughts, but to him, he had come here by making a deal with Yu Shangchen’s counterpart. He would never harm this world. He cared little for how much power the lesser will of this world possessed; he was here to experience what made this world so beloved by Yu Shangchen’s counterpart.

That passion was what he sought to explore. He didn’t understand human emotions well, and wanted to learn more.

“Go on,” Yuhua Cheng urged.

“First,” Yu Shangchen said, “the members of this unit answer only to me. No one else has command.” He disliked meddling hands—he had come for enjoyment, not to play petty games with mortals. These unruly talents were easy for him to handle, but he had no intention of taming them only for others to swoop in and take the credit.

“Naturally,” Yuhua Cheng agreed at once. “If we set up this unit, everything within it will be led by you, as intended. The members will take orders only from you.” It was obvious this was the message from those above.

Yu Shangchen nodded slightly. “Second, don’t force me to do anything—don’t pressure me about what I research or create. If I develop something for military use, I’ll leave it at that, with just one condition: protect my data, don’t leak it. If it’s for civilian use and can be sold, I’ll set up my own company to handle production and sales. No organization or individual is to interfere with me for any reason.”

With ninety-nine lifetimes of experience, Yu Shangchen knew how to negotiate.

Yuhua Cheng considered this and nodded. “But you’ll have to pay taxes.”

“If I’m making money, I don’t mind a bit of tax. You really underestimate me.” Yu Shangchen didn’t care about taxes—doing business meant paying them, after all.

“Any other conditions?” Yuhua Cheng asked.

“One more,” Yu Shangchen said. “Stop trying to introduce girls to me. I may be young now, but even if I were older, unless I choose for myself, I have no interest in any woman. Don’t waste your time.”

It wasn’t that he looked down on the girls here—he simply didn’t believe any were worthy of him.

Yuhua Cheng instantly understood this last request was aimed at the family’s various matriarchs. He’d heard that some of them were eager to play matchmaker for Yu Shangchen, and to be honest, he himself didn’t approve of it. He smiled faintly. “Alright, I’ll let the old man know.”

Yu Shangchen waved his hand. “That’s it. Off you go.”

“Aren’t you coming back with me?” Yuhua Cheng asked curiously.

“I don’t plan to return for now,” Yu Shangchen replied. “I want to travel for a while. I’ll call you every five days—if you need anything, contact me then. As for the special talents, just let me know when you’ve gathered them all and I’ll come.”

He liked the Yu family, but the Yu matriarchs were all terribly meddlesome and obsessed with matchmaking. Yu Shangchen disliked that atmosphere and decided it was best to leave the capital for a while.

The Qijia Family in Tianhua

Since Xie Yihuang stopped attending school, she’d moved into the Qi household. At the same time, the family’s land allotment had finally been approved, and her father had drawn a plot for their own home. He paid the fee immediately, and preparations were underway for the groundbreaking and laying of the foundations. Thus, Xie Yuanfeng and Xie Yunfeng had also moved into the Qi residence.

“Ever since your uncle and aunt moved into the apartment assigned to them, this place has felt so empty. Now that you three siblings have come, it’s lively again.” Grandmother Qi was truly happy to have the three of them there.

Xie Yihuang was still quite busy every day. Besides her morning exercises and calligraphy practice, Grandfather Qi had her read in his study.

The study was filled with hundreds of books on all sorts of topics. Grandfather Qi set no restrictions—Xie Yihuang was free to read whatever she liked.