Chapter 43: Another Dream

The problem she described was somewhat unclear to Xiao Ma, but he managed to grasp the general logic: she lacked the qualifications to be a director, yet insisted on directing herself. Without significant external intervention, her failure seemed almost inevitable.

Xiao Ma had no particular insight into these matters and suddenly felt exhausted; the inner struggle he had just experienced had drained him. He stood up and said, “Let’s talk later. I’m a bit tired and need some rest.”

Truly someone of importance.

Feng Chenchen genuinely believed that this was the way of great figures—things were never accomplished with just a few words. Although disappointed, she wasn’t resentful. She stood with a smile and said, “This is only our first discussion; there’s still plenty of time before we take action. If I can get things started in three months, it’ll be a miracle. Let me show you your room—I put a lot of thought into its arrangement.”

And so, Xiao Ma went to take a nap, and Feng Chenchen left without disturbing him, gently closing the door behind her.

Xiao Ma began to dream again:

Of the old drunkard’s three biological children, only the second son, the Great Demon King, was neglected. The Great Demon King’s real name was Ma Shihong.

After the Great Demon King’s mother died of illness, the entire family began to oppress him maliciously. Both his elder brother Ma Wen, his younger sister Ma Jiaohong, and even Huo, the youngest, had their own exclusive teams of elite tutors. Only the Great Demon King had to rely on himself, forced to attend a public school plagued by inefficiency and stupidity.

Despite this, the Great Demon King’s intelligence was extraordinary. While other children of seven or eight struggled with the multiplication tables, the three-year-old Great Demon King could instantly calculate four-digit numbers multiplied together, no hesitation required.

During those dark, difficult years, only a little girl cared for the Great Demon King—his youngest sister, Ma Jiaohong.

With her pocket money, the Great Demon King, barely four years old, began inventing things, selling them to schoolmates.

By the time he was sixteen, patents, innovations, and acquisitions followed one after another. One day, the old drunkard suddenly realized that, in both technology and finance, his control over the family’s multi-trillion-dollar empire was slipping; nearly everything had fallen into the hands of the second son, whom everyone had once despised.

The old drunkard tried to fight back, attempting to retake control of the “empire” through brute force. But at the same time, the whole family was horrified to discover that their security companies—mercenary forces numbering over three hundred thousand—now answered to a new master.

Later, the presidential candidate the old drunkard supported was utterly defeated in the US election, while puppet governments backed by his second son rose to power in the world’s leading nations. An even more ruthless campaign was launched against the family’s remaining power, attacking them politically, judicially, financially, and through criminal means.

As the old drunkard lay on his sickbed, his final words to his siblings, children, uncles, and nephews were: “No one on earth can stop him now. If you wish to keep your peace and prosperity, you must bow your heads. I didn’t want to pass the family’s leadership to him; I’ve already lost the entire empire, and there’s nothing left to give you.”

This was the family’s own “Incident at Xuanwu Gate.”

Strangely, after the old drunkard’s death, the only one in the family who wept for him was the Great Demon King.

It was the second time in his life that the Great Demon King cried. The first was when his mother died...

At this point, Xiao Ma’s nap ended and he awoke.

Reflecting on the dream, he realized he remembered more than usual this time, and the logic was less muddled. Yet the information was still too limited, as if it were just the prologue to a memoir told in flashback—lacking any real detail, and leaving behind countless questions: Who was the Great Demon King’s mother? How did she die? Why did the family target him specifically?

What were the personalities and attitudes of the other family members?

Why did the Great Demon King allow them to keep their peace and prosperity?

How exactly did the Great Demon King orchestrate his ten-year-long “Incident at Xuanwu Gate”?

All of these remained mysteries.

Fortunately, Xiao Ma’s mind was becoming more attuned to this body, and he was slowly gaining more information.

One thing was confirmed: this body definitely trusted Ma Jiaohong.

But this raised another question: Did this mean Ma Jiaohong was also the most likely to discover the “body swap”? Since she had supported and confided in this body since she was three, she must know it better than anyone else in the world.

Therefore, Ma Jiaohong should be seen as both a protector and a nuclear threat—someone he needed, but also had to avoid.

This was fortune and misfortune intertwined, the balance of yin and yang—the most stable of all structures.

Xiao Ma shook his head, unwilling to dwell on these headaches.

He also noticed a pattern: it seemed that dreams and memories were most likely to surface when he was around people this body disliked.

When living in the townhouse, dreams appeared because of Tao Zi’s presence.

Now, with Feng Chenchen, the effect was even stronger; a simple nap had yielded the most vivid dream yet.

Cultivators need abundant spiritual energy in their sanctuaries to progress quickly—could it be that the Great Demon King’s body grows stronger when provoked by hostility?

“So this is my temporary place of cultivation?” Xiao Ma muttered to himself.

Reincarnation is truly troublesome; wouldn’t it be easier to just let me enjoy a carefree life on Earth instead of setting up so many obstacles to unravel?

But considering that the Great Demon King had conquered the world step by step, perhaps this was the fate of this body.

As he mused, he unexpectedly heard Feng Chenchen’s voice outside: “Are you awake? Jiang Yaowen is here to see you.”

Since this was a referral from someone linked to cultivation, Xiao Ma decided to meet Jiang Yaowen—he would need his help in Haizhou.

Prepared for a possible rejection, Jiang, to his surprise, was told by Feng Chenchen, “He’ll be right out.”

Delighted, Jiang wanted to give Feng Chenchen a friendly slap on her ample behind, but thought better of it and instead gave her a thumbs-up in approval.

Feng Chenchen grinned, certain that if Jiang was pleased, her career change and her directorial debut were almost guaranteed success.

When Xiao Ma appeared, Jiang Yaowen immediately stood and addressed him with great respect. Yet, realizing that Xiao Ma seemed to be keeping a low profile—even Mr. Huo didn’t know his intentions—Jiang hesitated, unsure how to address him, and fell silent in embarrassment.

Xiao Ma broke the silence first. “What brings you here?”

Jiang took it as a cue to relax and treat him casually. Smiling, he sat down and said, “No big reason—just wanted to see if you’re comfortable here.”

It was a clever remark, subtly acknowledging that Xiao Ma’s stay had been arranged by him and that he was cooperating with Xiao Ma’s plans.

Xiao Ma found the place agreeable and felt at ease. Cheered, he asked, “Why do you look a little troubled? Is someone giving you a hard time?”

Feng Chenchen was also curious and watched Jiang, waiting for his reply.

Unfortunately, Jiang gave her a look that said, “You know too much,” prompting her to tactfully excuse herself. At the same time, she gloated inwardly—her instincts were right; this mysterious young man was indeed extraordinary if even Jiang sought his help.

After Feng Chenchen left, Jiang Yaowen said, “I’m troubled for two reasons. First, after what happened last time, I still feel uneasy and wanted to apologize. We didn’t talk much then out of tacit understanding—it’s hard to communicate when anger is high. Now that a few days have passed, I thought I should come and make amends.”

Ma Weimin hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly. “Go on.”