Chapter 4: The Seven Great Families of Thai Minh Tran

"Chan Minh, is everything okay with you?"

Hoàng Minh stared blankly at this chubby little kid, feeling like he wanted to burst out laughing. Could there be someone so chubby in this world? Who is this kid, anyway? Truly, anything can exist in this world.

"Chan Minh, haven't you fallen and bumped your head, little one? Don't you recognize me, Vu?"

Vu, Hoang Minh pondered, trying to recall from his memory. Yes, it's true. This little kid is the childhood friend of Chan Minh, with whom he used to run around with holes in their pants. Everything about him is fine except for being too chubby, to the point where anyone who sees him can't help but laugh. But his family background is very strong; he is the eldest son of the Vu family in this Thai Minh town. Anyone who dares to laugh at him in his presence might end up with their entire family destroyed. So, people only dare to gossip behind his back.

In Thai Minh town, with over ten thousand people, there are seven prominent clans, albeit branches of super-powerful families. However, in this town, they are all formidable and renowned.

There are the Vu, Hoang, Khoi, Li, Ha, Mac, and Ngan clans!

These are the major clans in the area, along with another force known as the City Lord's Residence, a dark force known as the Black Serpent Gang.

Altogether, there are nine major powers. However, the fiercest rivalry is between the Seven Noble Families!

For hundreds of years, these powers have been restraining each other, engaging in clandestine struggles. They dare not act decisively for fear of being pressured by the remaining forces!

The more he thought about it, the more it gave Hoang Minh a headache. He held his head in his hands, laughing wryly.

The little fatty, with a worried and puzzled expression, stood there watching Hoang Minh shake his head helplessly.

"You should rest," said the little fatty, concern evident in his voice. "This afternoon, I'll come to visit you. Let me take you out to have some fun. I heard from Aunt Tran that you've been at home for three days straight!"

With that, the little fatty spoke and left, disregarding Hoang Minh. His chubby figure moved like waves as he walked, a sight that couldn't help but bring a smile to one's face.

Hoang Minh smirked and lay back down, once again attempting to log into the game to see if it was real or just an illusion.

"Link Start!"

With a bang, he appeared in the game world again. Hoang Minh was ecstatic; it was indeed true. Somehow, this game world existed within him!

He hurriedly opened his techniques manual to read. Having decided to become the number one in the world, he knew he had to start now. As he thought about transforming himself into a Super Saiyan, with eyes like Rinnegan and Sharingan, splitting into thousands of clones like Naruto, and even having Pikachu to battle alongside him, Hoang Minh couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.

Taking the heart as the guide, taking heaven and earth as the core, using all things as weapons, and using the five elements as the formation.

The Heavenly Earth Transformation Technique was the first cultivation method he practiced. He didn't know how much time had passed. Logging out of the game, he felt a sense of urgency. He always knew that.

Outside, it was already early afternoon. Hoang Minh was startled. He had been in the game for nearly 12 hours, but outside, only 6 hours had passed. It must be... time in the game was twice as fast as in reality. This was truly defying the laws of nature.

Suddenly, he felt itchy all over. It turned out that his whole body was covered in black patches, likely impurities pushed out since he started practicing the first level of the Heavenly Earth Transformation Technique. Heh. He quickly got up to take a bath. Damn, it was just like in the cultivation novels he had read before, where they had to cleanse their meridians and refine their essence. He never expected he would have a day of cleansing himself like this...

After bathing for a while, the little fatty arrived as promised in the morning to take him out to play. His mother had only advised him to pay attention to his body and not be reckless anymore. Of course, he complied. Right now, he wasn't a 10-year-old kid playing meaningless games. What he wanted was to explore and unravel the mysteries of this strange world.

The bustling streets were lined with stalls selling various goods. People bustled to and fro, resembling scenes from ancient Chinese films he used to watch. But the items they sold were quite exotic, especially the bizarre-looking animals. Cats with wings chained up, snakes with three heads looking extremely dangerous, fluffy creatures that sometimes shrank and sometimes expanded, looking adorable. Occasionally, there were groups of people wearing armor, carrying bright swords and shields, dressed like warriors from wartime. Occasionally, there were people wearing robes, carrying scepters. They must be magicians, just like what he had learned. It was truly fascinating.

As he was still looking around in wonder, he heard a voice behind him:

"Oh, isn't this Vũ young master and Hoàng young master? Where are you two headed? How about stopping by for a few rounds of gambling?"

"Li Hung, where did you learn to bark like a dog? Turns out it's you making noise," said the little fatty, covering his ears and gesturing forward as if shooing something away. A look of disdain on his face.

"Little fatty, are you looking to start trouble?"

"No, no, I was just joking. I didn't say it was you. Why are you getting so worked up?"

This little fatty had quite a sharp tongue. You wouldn't think he was only 16 or 17 years old; he seemed more like 10.

"You!"

Li Hung's eyes blazed with anger. He wasn't very bright, being young and all, only knowing how to swagger on the streets. But nobody dared to mess with him because he had the powerful Li family backing him. He could just leave home and disappear if he got into trouble.

But who was Vu the fatty? The eldest son of the Vu family. Li Hung was just a small fry in comparison. These two had a long-standing grudge, and whenever they met, there had to be some verbal sparring.

Li Hung was quite annoyed. He had planned to argue with the little fatty some more, but someone from his family whispered something in his ear. Li Hùng nodded and turned away without saying another word, leading the three family members into the crowd.

The little fatty chuckled triumphantly. He had bested his opponent, after all!

Hoang Minh just laughed. He had no interest in the petty quarrels of little kids. He was 24 this year, a young adult of the 21st century, well-educated and refined. He looked down on this kind of bickering. But if someone dared to provoke him, he wouldn't hold back. His motto was simple: if you don't bother me, I won't bother you. But if you cross me, I'll curse your whole family. That was Hoang Minh's creed. He remembered when he had once cursed his boss at his company, and with just a few choice words, the man ended up in the hospital. That achievement always made him proud.

Lost in thought, he was suddenly dragged into a restaurant by the little fatty. The restaurant looked just like those in ancient China. Sometimes Hoang Minh wondered if he had somehow traveled back to ancient China. But in ancient China, where were the warriors and magical creatures? He chuckled bitterly. This damned world was like nowhere he'd ever heard of.

Spending the whole afternoon chatting with the little fatty, Hoang Minh gathered some knowledge about this place before parting ways. His mind was now filled with confusion. He'd probably have to find some books to read to clear things up.