Volume 1, Chapter 7: An Exclusive Title—Old Dog!

Liu Xiong held an exquisite wooden box and followed Chen Fan into the Qian residence.

Qian Hu did not stand up to greet them. He merely glanced at them, his expression indifferent, and asked, "Family Head Liu, what wind has blown you here?"

"I'm here to deliver a gift!"

Hearing this, Qian Hu felt even more certain of his previous suspicions. Liu Xiong was afraid.

Just as Qian Hu was about to speak, his son Qian Youliang, eyes bloodshot, roared, "Dad! It's this brat! He's the one who hurt me!"

Qian Hu looked up at Chen Fan and then smiled. "Very good. Family Head Liu is still quite sensible, bringing the culprit who injured my son right to me."

Upon learning that the man accompanying Liu Xiong was the one who had harmed her son, Qian Hu's wife was furious. She pointed a finger at Chen Fan and cursed, "You little animal! How dare you hurt my son? I won't be satisfied until I've flayed you alive. You are going to die, and the Qian family will not let your family or friends escape either."

Chen Fan’s eyes grew icy, but he remained silent, choosing instead to sit down to one side. Liu Xiong stood by him like a bodyguard. This scene caused Qian Hu to knit his brows. Furthermore, Wang Biao had clearly gone to the Liu residence; why was Liu Xiong here, yet Wang Biao was nowhere to be seen?

Qian Hu's wife, a greedy woman, continued after berating Chen Fan. She turned to Liu Xiong and said, "Don't think that just because you brought a gift, you can wash your hands of this. I'm telling you, unless you marry your granddaughter to my son, this matter isn't over."

"Exactly, exactly!" Qian Youliang chimed in repeatedly. He had long admired Liu Yanran and dreamed of making her his wife.

"Why don't you look at the gift I've brought you first?" Chen Fan suggested.

"As if the Liu family could have anything worth looking at..." Despite her words, she moved quickly, impatient to open the wooden box and see what treasure was inside.

"Ah!"

The moment the lid was opened, the woman let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed onto the floor. She trembled, her face deathly pale, her eyes filled with terror as if she had seen a ghost.

The box tumbled to the ground, and a basketball-sized object rolled out. It was a human head.

"Uncle Biao... that's Uncle Biao's head..." Qian Youliang scrambled backward, his face twisted in horror.

"Liu Xiong, you are courting death!" Qian Hu slammed his hand on the table, shattering it into pieces. His eyes were bloodshot, and a murderous aura surged from him. He had never imagined that after sending Wang Biao to fetch the boy, he would end up dead, not even leaving behind a whole corpse.

"Biao, my good brother, Big Brother will not let you die in vain. I will make the entire Liu clan pay with their lives!"

A round of applause rang out, entirely out of place. "What a touching display of brotherhood. How about I send you down to join him, so he doesn't have to be lonely?"

"You little animal... I'll kill you first!"

Qian Hu was about to strike, but Liu Xiong stepped forward, his aura erupting. "If you dare show any more disrespect to the Young Master, I will cut you down myself!"

"You..." Qian Hu’s pupils constricted, his face a mask of shock. He had never imagined that Liu Xiong was also a martial artist. For so many years, no one had noticed; he had hidden it so deeply. What shocked him even more was that Liu Xiong, a head of a third-rate family, would bow down to a young man and call him "Young Master." Did this youth have some powerful background?

"You hurt my son, and then you killed my sworn brother. When has the Qian family ever offended you?" Qian Hu's expression shifted as he decided to probe for Chen Fan's identity.

"Do you truly not recognize me?" Chen Fan grinned, saying each word clearly: "Old Dog Qian?"

Qian Hu's mind roared, and his body trembled. The three simple words dragged his memories back ten years. He remembered being on the ground, barking like a dog to amuse a child. The child had laughed heartily, praising his performance for being realistic. From that day on, he had a private nickname—Old Dog. Since the fall of the Chen family, however, the name "Old Dog Qian" had become a taboo. Three years ago, someone had made a joke about it, and the next day, they were found dead in the street.

Qian Hu had never imagined that he used to take pride in that name. He used to boast to others, "I am the Old Dog by the Young Master's side, the most loyal Old Dog!"

"No... this is impossible. How could you still be alive? You should have died ten years ago."

"I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?"

Qian Hu collapsed to his knees. "For all these years, this old dog has dreamed of seeing the Young Master again. I just couldn't believe it was real..."

Qian Youliang was confused, knowing little of the events from ten years ago. But his mother knew exactly what was going on, and from their conversation, she realized Chen Fan's true identity. She roared at her husband, "The Chen family was destroyed ten years ago! It’s not their world anymore. Even if this brat is still alive, he’s nothing but a stray dog—he’s no longer any 'Young Master.' What are you afraid of?"

Qian Hu paused. She was right. Chen Fan was just a stray dog now; why was he kneeling? Why was he afraid? Thinking this, Qian Hu stood up, preparing to regain his dignity.

Of course, it was not entirely his fault. His fear was rooted in the memories etched into his bones, and kneeling had become an instinct. Even ten years could not erase it.

"Dare to be disrespectful to the Young Master, I will..." Liu Xiong’s eyes glared, ready to strike, but Chen Fan held him back.

"Grandpa An, she is right. The Chen family is long gone, and I am no longer any 'Young Master.' What do you think, Old Dog Qian?"

Qian Hu, who had just stood up, collapsed to his knees again. "This old dog's loyalty to the Young Master is witnessed by the sun and moon! You will always be my master, and I, Qian Hu, will always be the Young Master's dog!" He didn't forget to bark a few times to prove it.

"Qian, why did I marry such a spineless coward? What are you so afraid of?"

"Dad, get up! Kill this brat!"

The mother and son shrieked, unable to comprehend Qian Hu's fear. In their eyes, with the Qian family's current power, crushing Chen Fan like an ant should be effortless.

Was Qian Hu afraid of Chen Fan? No. It was because of the way Chen Fan addressed the man: "Grandpa An." In his knowledge, there was only one person Chen Fan would call that: the leader of the Chen family’s secret guards, the First Guard, who had possessed the strength of a Four-Star Warrior ten years ago. By now, he was likely a Five-Star Warrior. With such power, wouldn't crushing him be as simple as crushing an ant?

"Grandpa An, do you think his words can be trusted?"

"This old servant does not believe so."

Hearing this, Qian Hu shuddered, knowing his life hung in the balance. He banged his head against the floor like a pestle. "This old dog is loyal to the Young Master..."

"I ask you, if someone shows me disrespect, what should be done?"

"Kill them!"

"You heard what they just said." Chen Fan glanced at the mother and son. "If you aren't going to do it, what are you waiting for?"

Qian Hu looked up, shock written across his face. He never expected Chen Fan to be so ruthless, ordering him to kill his own wife and son.