Rare gem mistaken as coal

The next morning, Yuan Lin was frustrated because he cannot find a solution to the problem but his face does not show anything except for calmness. He opened the window and saw the first thing in the morning, a boy is standing in front of the huge tree. The boy is no other than Jiang Chen and Yuan Lin also noticed the boy father is hiding behind the wall, again.

He smiled when he heard the boy muttering in a soft tone. "I am a lightning. Not a fire. Lightning is calm yet it is destructive..."

The boy took a stance and took in a deep breath. He concentrated his energy in his left hand and hit the tree without any hesitance.

BOOM!! A loud explosive sounds in the courtyard. The guards were jolted by surprise and rushed immediately to the courtyard but were stopped by the mayor. As the boy waved off the mist, his eyes widened largely when he saw a huge hole in the tree. The tree trembled and swayed in his direction.

"Dangerous!" Jiang Li shouted and rushed toward his son but someone else was faster. Water circulating around the log held the tree in place and freeze.

Jiang Chen looked at the man in the black robe in awe and respect. He bowed and thanked the man.

"Master Shui, thank you for giving guidance to this unworthy son."

Yuan Lin looked at the boy with mirth in his eyes before he patted his head. "You did a great job. Well done." He looked at the boy in front of him and the middle-aged man that is slowly walking toward them. Suddenly a thought passed through his mind and he almost slips in a grin.

In a casual tone, he spoke. "You reminded me of my old disciple. It is a good thing that you succeed." His eyes showed a reminisce moment but his mind was thinking about the elder in the novel he read was scamming the innocent kid to be his disciple. Jiang Chen does not think anything about what the master said and just thanked him again for helping. It is not weird for a young man to have a disciple. If Jiang Chen is born a prodigy, he would also take in disciple under him but he thought that of course, it is not possible with the current strength he possessed.

Jiang Li behind his son bowed toward Yuan Lin and spoke in a solemn voice. "Master Shui, thank you for giving guidance to this subordinate's son. I cannot thank you enough."

Yuan Lin shook his head and said casually. "My words came from divine wisdom but it cannot change a person's fate. Your son is talented, therefore every result came from his own effort." He looked at the boy and smiled. "If not for the fact he has cultivated the wrong manual, he would have been a prodigy you could see one in ten thousand years."

This words struck deeply into everyone's mind. Jiang Li looked at his son that has a shocked expression on his face back forth to the master. He wished to ask what the man means but he looked at the people behind and decided not to. Thus, he invited the master to have a breakfast in the hall as an excuse to have a private conversation with his son following behind.

Yuan Lin knew that his trick is working and kept a false impression of calm composure in front of the people. Just as he waited for the meals to be presented on the table, he heard a shout coming from the outside of the hall. A steward came rushing into the hall and stuttered.

"M-master. The Golden Cloud Sect is coming over to our manor. T-they say Miss Jun is going to break the engagement!"

"What?!" The chubby man immediately stood up and looked at his son whose face already black.

Yuan Lin looked at the boy and reminded softly. "Control your emotion. You may be angry but do not show it. Use the angry as a destructive energy when the time comes." Jiang Li and his son heard the man and they immediately calmed down. Jiang Li straightened his clothes and resume a calm aura. He clasped his hand toward the master and apologized. "Please forgive this subordinate for not able to serve master comfortably."

Yuan Lin shook his head and said mildly. "It is fine. You may resume your responsibility."

The man nodded his head and gestured at his son to follow him. Afterward, as the steward said, a group of people wearing white clothes with gold lining arrived in front of their manor. An elderly person stepped forward with a kind looking girl and a fierce looking boy beside him. Yuan Lin looked into the distance with his spiritual energy concentrated in his eyes and laughed in his heart.

The man truly has an annoying looking face and a funny name. Jiao Dou. Although the tone for Jiao is Jiao4 which brings the meaning of religion, to cause, to tell. The character for the Jiao has two tones and the other tone is Jiao1 which bring the meaning to teach but also similar to the other Jiao1 that has the meaning Banana. Dou is just bean.

'Mister Banana Bean. Pfftt---'

His humor trigger is always off the point but it is easier to remember the man this way.

Clueless to what other is thinking about his name, Jiao Dou spoke with an arrogant tone. "In the past, our Miss Jun is betrothed to Young Master Jiang due to the old promise of the ancestors of the Jun family and Jiang family. However, Golden Cloud Sect is willing to compensate for any amount as long as this engagement is canceled."

Jiang Li is enraged but he was reminded of the master's word and calmed down. He looked at the girl and asked. "Does the Jun family knows about this?"

The girl looked startled and with teary eyes, she nodded.

Other people immediately mocked the Jiang. "Naturally the Jun is indignant to pair their pearl with a coal. This Jiang family must have forgotten their ground to be looking so high into the sky."

"I heard that Golden Cloud Sect has found the more suitable partner for Miss Jun. She is going to be paired with the imperial Jun's third prince. Apparently, the third prince is tutored personally by a sage. If the Jiang released the ties, this will be Miss Jun's eternal fortune."

Yuan Lin smirked when he looked at the girl. 'You are really good at acting. Such a white lotus, I am afraid that you are tainted with coal already from the day you entered the Golden Cloud Sect. What a pity to your talent...'

Although others may see the girl as pure, innocent and kind, Yuan Lin saw it differently with his discerning eyes. He knew that girl is already in a relationship with the said third prince of Jun Imperial family and the Golden Cloud Sect found out about it. It is indeed better to choose a prince than a trash of the only title as a small town mayor's son. However, if they knew that Jiang Chen is actually one in a ten thousand years prodigy, they would not think that way. They would even treat Jiang Chen as a divine treasure while the Miss Jun will actually be regarded as the coal to the ties.

Jiang Li is so enraged that his face is as black as char. Jiang Chen beside him stepped forward and sighed. "I'm afraid, the ancestor's promise is not for us to break. If Miss Jun cares about the future of the generation, even if I am a trash, we should not break this ties."

The girl's eyes widened before she looked at the ground and tears falling down. As if telling the people that she had no choice.

It was at this point that everyone around booed the Jiang family. "If the Jun ancestor knows that Jiang's descendant is a trash, they would not blame Miss Jun to break the tie! Jiang family is too much. You know that you are not fit for Miss Jun."

Yuan Lin was surprised to find the people supported the Jun so much but he soon calmed down because he found out that among the crowd there are some people from the Jun family mixed between the people. Jiang Chen is going to be his future disciple, how can the boy's master sit still when his disciple is being bullied by people?

He stepped out of the mansion and exuded his mortal king aura.

Banana Bean elder is only a peak stage mortal general level 8, therefore it is incomparable to the mortal king level 7. The elder Jiao Dou shivered in fear while the other mortals already had bubbles in their mouth.

His voice rang in a smooth yet domineering tone. "Ancestors promise are equal to a kingdom fortune. If you wish to renegade the promise of the ancestors, be sure to pay up the equal amount. If not for the ancestors, you won't be here today. We as their descendant should not decide things on a whim and forget our roots."

The banana-- Jiao Dou had a cautious look as he watches a young man walking toward their direction. "Who are you? Why are you interfering with the matter of Jun and Jiang?"

Yuan Lin smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Fellow cultivator, my titled name is Shui Yao Ren. I did not interfere with the matter of Jun and Jiang family on purpose." He looked at the crowd and smiled even gentler. "You came to the front door of Jiang manor and declared to break the promise of the ancestors. If this thing is brought into the house, I would have not minded it because it will be a private matter but you carry it in the public to gain the public favor. Therefore, I can also join the people to meddle in your matter but I am in favor of the Jiang because they respected the ancestors."

He stood beside Jiang Chen and lowered his eyes as he spoke in a casual tone. "If not for the ancestors, do you think this boy would want to marry your miss after he is humiliated by her? He may be seen as a trash in your eyes but he is still a man." As if the words echoed in the air, the crowd was silenced and timidly glanced toward the boy beside the strong cultivator.

Jiang Chen looked at Yuan Lin and smiled weakly as he felt that nothing can be hidden under the eyes of the master.

Banana Bean is so angry that he could not refute what the man said. He looked at the girl beside him and gritted his teeth.

"Since you have said so, just tell us how much you want to compensate. Jiang and Jun cannot be together!"

Facing the angry elder, Yuan Lin smiled even warmer and said in a smooth tone. "I have said it before, the ancestors promise are equal to a kingdom fortune. If you wish to renegade then pay the equal amount. If not then do not mention about declaring the matter in front of their descendants."

"You--" The elder wished to plumb the young man at this right moment but he does not have the strength to do so. He looked at the boy beside him and harrumphed coldly.

Yuan Lin saw the elder glance at the direction of the boy beside the Miss Jun and chuckled in his heart. The boy looked slightly older than Jiang Chen and Miss Jun but his cultivation level is already on the mortal king realm.

'He is a good budding but still cannot compare with Little Chen.' Innate talent 7, Intelligent 8, Determination 7, Fortune 4. In total his stat only reaches 26 while Jiang Chen is 35. Even without the fortune stat, Jiang Chen stat is more than the boy total stats.

"Today, we are only declaring the matter to the Jiang. My sect leader said that we will compensate Jiang family, ten thousand gold coins. Whether the Jiang agreed or not, Golden Cloud Sect decided that Jun Yunyun and Jiang Chen no longer has any ties."

At this point, Jiang Chen and Jiang Li's face are as dark as the obsidian. On the other hand, Yuan Lin is as calm as ever even when he heard the hidden meaning behind the boy's words.

'So what if you said that ancestors promise is equal to a kingdom fortune? The Golden Cloud Sect is the voice and we are already being generous by giving you so much money. Even if we declare to break the promise without paying, what can you do?'

The boy took out a crate full of gold coins and harrumphed as he walked away together with the group of his sect member. Yuan Lin shook his head and spoke in a soft yet confident tone. "This money will be a deposit. One day, I will bring this boy over to Golden Cloud Sect..." He looked at Jiao Dou and the people who turned their face toward him. "We will take the full amount as the compensation of today occasion. The Golden Cloud Sect better prepare for the time to come."

Jiang Chen stared at Yuan Lin with eyes full of surprise, respect, and gratitude.

He is humiliated today. His father is enraged but cannot do anything to the powerful sect and imperial power. He is forced to swallow the indignant and accept the gold coin as if they were beggars. He may be a trash but the man beside him said the truth. He is a man. A man can be killed, can be bullied but can never be humiliated!

With a grin on his face, he looked at the girl and elder of the sect. His clear voice rang and his words stunned the people. "This humiliation, I will remember it. Golden Cloud Sect better not forget to prepare the full amount when the time I come to your doorstep."

The Golden Cloud Sect and the crowds laughed immediately but when they saw the look in Yuan Lin's eyes, they swallowed it down and felt uncomfortable in their heart. The elder Jiao looked at Jiang Chen and scoffed. "Only if you have the ability."

"He does. Therefore, you better be prepared." Yuan Lin said.

Jiao Dou snorted but said nothing. He then left with the sect disciples to return to their mountain. Jiang Chen looked at the distant and closed his eyes to imprint this incident deep in his mind as motivation to thrive into stronger and stronger.