Xu Zifan's spatial storage was enormous, about the size of the Capital Gymnasium. He filled it with everything he wanted to take and it was still more than half empty. However, he didn't trust things that could be stolen, so he put his valuables and important mementos into his own space before heading out to find a lawyer.
Xu Yuanming finally calmed down and ordered someone to tidy up the study. He then called Xu Zifan over, only to be told by the servant that Xu Zifan had gone out again, which infuriated him!
He immediately dialed Xu Zifan's AI communication. Xu Zifan glanced at it from the lawyer's office, hung up casually, and calmly said, "Attorney Sel, I wish to transfer all of my mother's estate to my name as soon as possible."
Attorney Sail, who was the same lawyer who helped Xu's mother make her will, smiled and said, "No problem, all the documents are ready. Now we just need to verify your identity and sign a few agreements. Please follow me."
Xu Zifan muted the AI communication and followed lawyer Sair to another office for blood and facial recognition verification. The agreements were all signed by scanning his face on a virtual screen after connecting to the AI, and his fingerprints were also collected.
Although the process was somewhat complicated, since he was the person in question and the inheritance did not involve anyone else, the process was quite fast. In just half an hour, he inherited a large sum of money from his mother.
The Xu family was a middle-to-upper-class family in the empire. Xu Yuanming was a high-ranking official in the capital star, and his mother, Madam Xu, was quite wealthy. Combined with her dowry, their fortune rivaled that of a small family. This is why Xu Yuanming had his eye on this inheritance; the Xu family was declining, and this inheritance was very important to them.
Similarly, the heir's aptitude is also crucial. Poor aptitude means insufficient physical strength, energy, and lifespan; even memory may be inferior, making them significantly weaker overall than those with outstanding aptitude. Therefore, given the choice between an illegitimate child with double A aptitude and a legitimate child with double F aptitude that cannot be reversed, the family unhesitatingly chose the illegitimate child, covering up all the scandals for him.
The original owner might have a chance to win against Xu Zhikai alone, but against an entire family, he would only be crushed. No matter the era, a privileged class will always exist; a commoner can never defeat a powerful official.
However, the reason why officials dare to bully someone is that they can guarantee that the matter will not be exposed. Otherwise, once that fig leaf is torn off, the officials will still be in deep trouble.
Therefore, Xu Zifan took the initiative and quickly transferred his mother's inheritance to his own name, giving him absolute control and not giving Xu Yuanming any chance to make any more moves.
After inheriting the estate, Xu Zifan shook hands with Sair and said with a smile, "Soon, I may need to ask you to help me sue the people who harmed me. Thank you for your help."
Sel smiled and said, "No trouble at all. Your mother and I are alumni, and I'm happy to help you. I hope you won't lose your confidence in life because of your health."
"Thank you, I will definitely live a good life." Xu Zifan's smile was full of confidence. This was an era in which he could soar freely, and of course he would not wrong himself.
Xu Zifan returned to his car and logged onto the StarNet to list all eight of his properties for sale. The prices were slightly lower than market value, and all were in prime locations. Inquiries started immediately after listing them. He handed the sales center over to them for full agency; he only needed to confirm the final transaction on his smart device, without even showing his face – extremely convenient.
Then he went to the black market and bought a small spaceship and a brand-new model mech. The black market is anonymous and will not be displayed in the Imperial system, but the price is doubled, and half of his wealth was spent at once.
This is such a bargain for Xu Zifan, considering it's a spaceship!
In other worlds, even if he became the richest man, he wouldn't be able to just buy a spaceship and go adventuring in space. But now it's different. He can go wherever he wants and explore different planets without the risk of weightlessness or hypergravity. It's simply amazing. What he wants to do most right now is to travel around the stars.
He placed the spaceships and mechs into his space, filling it to the brim. If he hadn't used various magical artifacts as supports to hold them in mid-air, his medicinal herb fields would have been crushed.
He made thorough preparations and finally returned to the Xu family. Xu Yuanming was on the verge of exploding with rage after not being able to find him all afternoon. He ordered his contracted beast, the gray wolf, to wait at the door and escort him to the study as soon as it saw him.
Xu Zifan quickly concealed the surprise in his eyes as he looked at the gray wolf that was growling fiercely at him. Although the original owner had all the information about contracted beasts in his memories, seeing them in person was still quite astonishing.
Only those with A-level mental strength can have contracted beasts. The type of beast a person is willing to contract is related to their personality. From this gray wolf, one can see some of Xu Yuanming's less desirable traits. Of course, Xu Yuanming would never admit it; he would only acknowledge that the gray wolf's good side was the same as his.
Xu Zhikai doesn't have a contracted beast because only one hyena was willing to contract with him before. He thought it was shameful to have a hyena as a contracted beast, so he refused and is still waiting for a powerful and mighty contracted beast.
The original owner's contracted beast was a black panther. Xu Zhikai killed the panther, injured the original owner, and then drugged him, causing him to drop in level. Unfortunately, there was no evidence, and the original owner only learned the truth much later, by which time it was too late to say anything.
Xu Zifan followed Gray Wolf into the study. Inside were not only Xu Yuanming, but also Xu Zhikai and Xu Yuanming's two younger brothers. Was this a joint trial?
He cleared his mind of all the jumbled thoughts and looked at Xu Yuanming opposite him.
Xu Yuanming's face darkened, and he stared at him unhappily. "Where did you go?"
Xu Zifan answered truthfully: "I inherited my mother's estate."
Xu Yuanming's expression changed slightly. "Are you on guard against me?"
"Better safe than sorry." Xu Zifan sat down by himself. "After all, I'm a useless person in your eyes, so all I have left are the things my mother left me."
Xu Zhikai had rushed back long ago, waiting to kick someone when they were down. Seeing this, he quickly said, "Brother, don't be angry with Father. He's doing this for your own good and because he's worried about you."
Xu Zifan ignored him, making Xu Zhikai instantly feel awkward.
Uncle Xu said in a deep voice, "I heard from your father that you don't want to go to Huangsha Star? You should know that you are currently burdened with a scandal. As long as you stay on the capital star, the Xu family will carry this disgrace. The Xu family's development is already difficult, and we can't make things worse. Huangsha Star is under the jurisdiction of your third uncle, and you won't suffer."
Uncle Xu San chimed in, "Yes, once you get to Huangsha Star, you can enjoy life as you please, and no one will cause you any trouble. Don't blame your father either; my daughter and your second uncle's daughter are both going to be married off. The Xu family only has Zhikai who can pursue a career in government right now, so we have no other choice." He winked at Xu Zhikai, "You'll take good care of your eldest brother in the future, right?"
Xu Zhikai obediently replied, "Of course, I will make sure my elder brother has no worries about food and clothing."
Xu Zifan clapped his hands and said, "What a loving family! They only care about profit and have no feelings for their relatives. How come I never noticed the stench emanating from this family before?"
The group's expressions changed instantly. Xu Yuanming slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Xu Zifan, stop barking and yelling like a mad dog! Show some respect!"
The gray wolf beside Xu Yuanming bristled, lowered its body, and growled at Xu Zifan.
Xu Zifan glanced at it with interest, and the gray wolf felt a chill run down its spine. Xu Zifan had already looked away. He smiled calmly and said, "I won't leave, and you can't send me away. I've already asked a friend to tell me that if I don't send him a message to let him know I'm safe, he will expose your crimes of protecting your illegitimate child and abusing your power. Whether there's evidence or not doesn't matter. I still have one or two influential friends, so I'm not afraid no one will believe me. I don't know if the Xu family will have a future then."
He was lying to them. If the original owner had reliable help, how could he have ended up in such a miserable state? But the problem was that the original owner was the most outstanding student in the academy before. They couldn't be sure if he had any high-status friends in the academy. After hearing what he said, they all became hesitant.
Xu Zhikai frowned slightly, carefully recalling whether there were any special people around Xu Zifan in his previous life, but he couldn't be sure. In his previous life, Xu Zifan entered the military as a top graduate, made outstanding contributions in the war against the Zerg, rose through the ranks, and soon became a high-ranking officer. Naturally, he knew many people of high status.
Since Xu Zifan was already ruined, he decided to keep quiet to avoid being blamed for any mistakes. Xu Yuanming already knew that he had coerced and bribed the hospital staff to give false reports, so he had to keep a low profile for the time being.
Xu Yuanming suppressed his anger and said, "What exactly do you want? If you stay on the capital planet, you will inevitably suffer from rumors and be despised by everyone. The people on Huangsha Star are simple and honest, and there are not many people with high qualifications. You will live a very comfortable life there."
"In a place filled with yellow sand, harsh weather, and scarce resources, I can't imagine how I could feel good living. I'll say it again, I'm not leaving. Either you publicly sever ties with me, or you leave me alone." Xu Zifan finished speaking, stood up, and prepared to go back to his room.
At that moment, the intelligent robot knocked on the door and reported, "Master, the Feng family has come to visit. Should we receive them?"
The three Xu brothers exchanged glances and immediately understood that the Feng family had come to annul the engagement, and their expressions turned somewhat unpleasant. Although the Feng family was not as well-off as the Xu family, they had been gaining momentum in the past two years and were about to surpass the Xu family. They had previously been glad that they had chosen this marriage well, but who knew that before they could even reap the benefits, the relationship would be severed, so naturally they also disliked Xu Zifan.
Xu Yuanming said coldly, "We'll talk about your matter later. Don't say anything reckless later, and don't embarrass the Xu family."
Xu Zifan agreed indifferently, put his hands in his pockets, and followed them to the reception room.
In the living room sat the Feng couple and the original owner's fiancée, Feng Ya Hui. Feng Ya Hui sat there dignified and graceful, with a beautiful face and elegant demeanor, like a gentle young lady from a wealthy family. In the original owner's memories, she was full of love for the original owner, but now, when she saw Xu Zifan, her eyes contained contempt, and there was no longer any affection.
Xu Zifan glanced at her without lingering, then casually sat down next to Xu Yuanming and listened to their insincere pleasantries.
Having broken off the engagement and severed ties with his family, no one could restrain him from venturing out into the wider world.