47-55

Jiang Xiu more or less understood the circumstances after hearing those words. The Cheng family might've told the matter about the agreement to remove the engagement to his parents. However, he still asked, "No, what happened?"

Lin Yueling said, "Your Aunt Sun called and said she wants to remove the engagement between you and Susu at all costs!"

Today, Jiang Xiu had hit the four young masters, and her Cheng family eked out a living in the Jiangnan. How could she allow her daughter to marry Jiang Xiu who had offended them all? Let alone, she didn't like Jiang Xiu from the very beginning.

She rushed back home and immediately called Lin Yueling, saying that she wants to remove the engagement. Though she didn't tell the reason for it, she revealed that Jiang Xiu had offended many officials, so her Cheng family wants to remove the engagement. She merely said that Cheng Lingsu and Jiang Xiu didn't suit each other.

"They can do whatever they want, right?"

He had already planned everything well when he signed the agreement.

"How can we allow that? You've never done anything to let Susu down, right? You just need to do your best and don't need to worry about this matter. Focus on studying."

Saying so, Lin Yueling ended the call.

In the previous timeline, Jiang Xiu had indeed persevered but how could the couple, Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling let it go so easily? A betrothal gift of 10,000 RMB during a time where it was difficult to even fill one's stomach, was a vast sum of money. Afterward, the Cheng family also made use of Jiang Yi's position to make a profit, which resulted in him going to jail. They believed that the Cheng family owed them so there was no way they'd wish to remove this engagement.

"Let it be. It's best to let nature take its course, cultivation comes first."

Jiang Xiu was a cultivation madman and possessed an uncanny interest towards cultivation. Just like how his dormmates liked to play games, he'd feel unwell if he missed a single day of cultivation.

Moreover, the newly obtained spectral energy could raise his cultivation.

He spread out his hand and then the pearl floated into the air while emitting a faint desolate light. Jiang Xiu closed his eyes and began to use a secret skill to absorb the energy inside the pearl.

"Awakening Stage's 1st Mythical Realm is too weak. Controlling thunder just once exhausted all the energy. Even a thunder art couldn't be executed completely and had to be thrown out instead."

The spectral energy was very pure. The ghost claimed that it was protecting the True Monarch Temple for the True Monarch, but it looked like the chances of that were minimal. If it happened to be the truth, then he'd be considered as the ghost servant of the True Monarch. There was no reason that he'd get sealed as ghost servants matured quite slowly and almost don't make any progress in the case they are sealed.

Whizzz!

The Qi and Blood within Jiang Xiu's body billowed, making his body emit a scarlet light. The nerves on his body kept pulsing, his bones turned as hard as iron as the bloodline revealed itself. His bloodline composition had already taken a different path from humanity and changed into something similar to that of an ancient mythical beast.

"Arrrgghhhh!"

Jiang Xiu let out a pained yet excited voice. His eyes had turned entirely black, and blood flowed from the corners, giving him an inexplicable malevolent look.

The most distinctive change was that another Divine Regalia had appeared on his arm.

Jiang Xiu didn't know what kind of Godhead he possessed. During the Awakening stage, multiple Divine Regalia would appear and the more they emerged, the stronger one was. And when a complete Divine Regalia Pattern forms, it'd give birth to a unique skill belonging to that Divinity. He really looked forward to it as the Divinities possessed various skills, and magic couldn't even compare to those.

Before he realized it, it was already bright outside.

Jiang Xiu stopped cultivating and entered the bathroom to take a shower to cool off his flaring blood. He looked at his appearance in the mirror, it had changed once again. His facial features had become firmer. What's the difference you ask? Before it was Jiang Xiu pre-PS version and now, it's Jiang Xiu post-PS version. The most distinctive change was his height, it had increased by 2-3 cms again and made him look taller.

T/N: PS - Photoshop

During lunchtime, whether it was fate playing a trick or not, he had run into Cheng Lingsu, Ouyang Qian, Li Dan and the rest of the girls at the dining hall. They felt astonished after looking at Jiang Xiu appear in school in perfect condition. Ouyang Qian said, "Why didn't the four young masters teach him a lesson?"

They were just talking about how miserably Jiang Xiu would've suffered.

Li Dan couldn't comprehend it. "Right. He beat up the four young masters, it wouldn't make sense that they let him go."

Cheng Lingsu remained silent. She had returned back home with Sun Xiaohong yesterday. The first thing Sun Xiaohong had done when she reached home was to make a call to Lin Yueling and requested to remove the engagement, but Lin Yueling didn't agree. The two of them quarreled over it on the phone. She also didn't take the agreement out as it looked like this matter wasn't so easy to handle. After all, the intentions of the Jiang family's elders were different. This made her feel jittery.

She blurted out, "Maybe the four young masters were frightened due to the supernatural event yesterday."

Ouyang Qian nodded, "This brat really got off lightly then. However, they won't forget this debt. When they realize it, they'd surely come to lesson Jiang Xiu."

Apparently, she felt very unreconciled.

At this moment, Ye Wenchen had also arrived. Their group had gathered all the beautiful girls of Second High. Ye Wenchen furrowed his brows when he saw Jiang Xiu at a distance.

"Young Master Ye, this brat looks fine!"

"Really strange."

Ouyang Qian said, "Otherwise, why don't you remind Young Master Bai about it? Even his teeth were broken, so there's no way he'd forget this matter."

Ye Wenchen nodded.

However, in the following days, Jiang Xiu lived out his days in school leisurely. Young Master Bai never came to find Jiang Xiu so Ouyang Qian and the rest couldn't endure it anymore. "Young Master Ye, why hasn't Young Master Bai taken any action?"

Ye Wenchen was also puzzled, "I've already mentioned it to Young Master Bai once. He just said 'Okay.'"

Sunday afternoon, Lin Yueling called Jiang Xiu's cell phone and asked him to return home. After reaching this timeline, he hadn't visited home even once. He missed them very much.

Jiang Xiu's home was located at a suburban district in Jiang City, it was a region called as the Cloudlake Village. In those days, Jiang Xiu's home lacked everything so they couldn't live in the city area and had to settle down in Cloudlake Village. Development occurred quite fast in this era, after almost a decade, the original Cloudlake Village had transformed into Cloudlake District. Its current appearance was far from its former rustic appearance and possessed an urban style.

However, it had after all transformed from a village, so there were many old streets. Jiang Xiu's family was lucky that they didn't have to relocate. Their entire family lived in the old street, but the influx of customers was quite stable there.

As he got down the bus and set foot on this old street, many scenes from the past flashed through his mind. He felt homesick.

At a distance, he could see his home's fruit stall.

It was tiny, only 4-5 square ft and some fruits were even arranged on the outside. A woman was conversing with his mother. Jiang Xiu remembered this woman, she was the owner of the fruit stall. It was a nightmare to Jiang Xiu because the atmosphere at home would become quite depressing whenever she appeared. His father would hide on the balcony and remain silent while his mother would do housework silently, all because of rent.

"Yueling, I know your family has it hard, but the circumstances have changed now. Rent of 800 RMB is too less. Just take a look at this street, no one rents out for such a low price."

Lin Yueling was 40-years-old, but her facial features were quite graceful. It's just that wrinkles had appeared on her face. Though she was a pretty woman, she could only endure this miserable fate. Only, even if fate tormented her, her temperament wasn't something this marketplace woman could compare with. It's just that her face was filled with the colors of agony, "Sister A'Lin, you know that it's hard to do business these days. My son has to take the college entrance exam soon."

"It's tough to support home like this. Can't you leave it like that for a year and raise the rent next year?"

Sister A'Lin's eyes opened wide, "Raise it next year? Are you kidding me? The amount I lose each month is 200, that's almost over 2000 over a year."

"Sister A'Lin…"

Sister A'Lin interrupted her, "Whose home doesn't have it hard? I'm doing business here, not charity. If you think that the rent here is expensive, then go to the street's corner. It's cheaper over there, just 500 for a month."

Fruit stalls relied on the influx of people, and the corner of the street didn't have that. Moreover, the Jiang family was barely making ends meet with this fruit stall so they wouldn't dare to change the spot. Otherwise, they'd end up in dire straits if the business doesn't go well.

Lin Yueling said, "Sister A'Lin, I request you. Just for a year, my child has to study…"

"That's enough! As far as I see, your son doesn't have any prospects. I hear he's last even in school and you think he'll change his fate after entering university? I advise you to rather save this money."

"Mother!"

A voice suddenly came through from behind. Lin Yueling turned back to look, it was none other than Jiang Xiu.

Looking at her son return, Lin Yueling squeezed out a forced smile, "Son, you've returned. Quickly greet the visitor!"

Sister A'Lin and Jiang family were interdependent. Whenever she passed by the fruit stall, she'd take fruits for free and was still treated with respect as their livelihood would crumble if they offended her.

Jiang Xiu's gaze swept over her, that aloofness in the gaze had formed over the course of 3000 years. How can he bow his head to an ordinary marketplace woman? That was akin to a joke.

Seeing her son act this way, Lin Yueling thought that he must've heard Sister A'Lin's words and so she shifted the topic, "The pressure over studying is quite large these days."

Sister A'Lin wasn't ready to take it lying down, she immediately expressed her displeasure, "Yueling, mark my words. It's better for your son to stop studying and do hard labor in a construction site or become a waiter in a hotel than going mad from studying. That's a better choice than wasting all that money on him."

Those words were really unpleasant to hear. Lin Yueling only had one son, and she treasured him very much. Receiving such humiliation caused her hairs to stand and her face to flush up.

But she still smiled, "The child is still young, they act unreasonably sometimes."

"Young? He's nearing 18, isn't he?"

"He isn't a baby!"

Her face was filled with disdain as she glanced at Jiang Xiu with a gaze full of contempt. She also had a son the same age as Jiang Xiu. She often boasted that her son was better than Jiang Xiu and will pass the entrance examinations for First High while Jiang Xiu couldn't even qualify the exam for Cloudlake High School. In the end, the Jiang family had to use their connections. Jiang Yi made a trip to the Cheng family and directly made Jiang Xiu join Jiang City's best, Second High. As for her son, he didn't even qualify for Cloudlake High School, so they had to buy a seat.

"There's no room for discussion here. The rent will rise by 300 RMB!"

Lin Yueling cried out, "Didn't you say 200 RMB just now?"

That 200 itself had already crossed the Jiang family's limits. The monthly living expenses for Jiang Xiu alone were 200 RMB, even if they didn't make extra money, they'd definitely keep the 200 RMB aside.

Sister A'Lin, "You don't like it? I'll raise it by 400 then. What? Are you gonna pay or not?"

"This old woman has no duty to help raise your child."

"Son, return home first."

Rent increment of 400 wasn't acceptable. The rent was 800 RMB for the previous month, and after a rise of 400, that'd become 1200 RMB.

Their entire family will have to go cold and hungry then.

The reason she pleaded Sister A'Lin so much was that they couldn't afford such an increment in the rent.

Jiang Xiu still remembered what happened in the previous timeline. His mother was forced to kneel by this woman. The eldest young lady of the grand Lin family, a spoiled daughter hailing from an eminent family, had to kneel down for a marketplace vixen for Jiang Xiu.

Just recalling this made Jiang Xiu feel like a thorn was stabbing into his heart.

Jiang Xiu said, "Mom, this won't work. Let's move!"

Lin Yueling's eyes opened wide. She started sweating in fear. What nonsense is this foolish son saying? Our entire household relies on the fruit stall, what would we do if we don't have any life force after moving. Won't we starve to death on the street?

Moreover, Jiang Xiu was still studying in senior high and will be joining university next year. Lin Yueling was willing to work hard but wasn't ready to risk her son's future.

Sister A'Lin said, "Good. Very good. Pack up then. It's just what I want."

Lin Yueling got anxious as cold sweat poured down her forehead due to the nervousness, "Stinky brat, what nonsense are you saying? Sister A'Lin has taken care of our family for these many years, quickly go inside the house."

Taken care of us? It was bullying and humiliation, okay?

Sister A'Lin knew that Jiang Xiu's family was poor and made out that they wouldn't dare to move at all. That's the reason the rent for such a tiny 4 square feet fruit stall had risen from 100 RMB to 800 RMB and now gone up to 1200 RMB. Even regions bigger and better than this place didn't have such a high rent.

"Mother, I have money. I'll buy a place for you."

Lin Yueling almost spewed blood out from the anxiety. What are you boasting for? You believe Sister A'Lin will get scared from this? That's impossible. If she really wants to drive us out, then we have no other choice.

"Stop saying nonsense and go inside."

His mother's tone seemed so strict as she reached out to push Jiang Xiu.

"Mother, I really have money!"

He really did have the money, and can actually be considered well-off. He had a million RMB in his pocket, owned 70% shares of the Myriad Base Conglomerate which was worth 20 billion. Deity Xiu was a bigshot worth several billion now.

"Stop speaking…"

Sister A'Lin said, "You've done well. Using such a move against this old mother. If your family is considered well-off, mine is a pigsty then. A poor brat like you is actually trying to cheat this old mother. One look at you and I can say that you'll remain poor for your entire life."

"Aren't you well-off?"

"Pack up then!"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Sister A'Lin drew everyone's attention by clapping, "Everyone, Yueling's child has grown up. Come take a look. He's going to buy a shop for his home."

Seeing such a scene play out, all the neighbors came out to enjoy watching the drama.

"Is it true? Isn't Jiang Xiu still studying?"

"Where did he get the money to buy a store? He's just boasting, right?"

"That's just impossible!"

Sister A'Lin was similar to a fighting hen. As soon as she saw that everyone had gathered in a circle, she entered a deeper zone. "Everyone, I'm not forcing Yueling at all. Her son was the one who said they didn't want to rent the place and that he'd buy a place for her. I'm not acting unjustly at all. Although this kid can't even study properly, he does have some amazing boasting skills."

"Whoever wants my store, I'm ready to lease it to them."

"I'll bear the electricity and water charges for the first three months!"

People on the side got excited. The electricity and water charges for a month came up to 200 RMB, and it caused trouble for some stores. Although it seemed like Jiang Xiu's family's fruit stall didn't make much money, it provided enough for an entire family. Many of them coveted this place!

"Sister A'Lin, you have to keep your word."

"This old mother won't go back on my words."

Lin Yueling said anxiously, "Sister A'Lin, my son acted rudely. Don't lower yourself to his level."

"Isn't it just a rise in rent? It's fine, let's raise it."

Sister A'Lin said, "What did you say? Do you believe I still want to lease the place to your family? Just see how that tone is, it almost scared me to death. He'll buy a home, he says. It's no joke. I can't afford to serve such a bigshot family like yours. What will I do in case you crush me to death with money?"

Lin Yueling said, "Sister A'Lin, calm down… cool your temper…"

"I don't dare to. You son is so fierce. I'm terrified of leasing the place to you."

"Kou Shui Yong, why don't you take my store?"

The middle-aged man who spoke before was exalted after hearing those words. "I want it. Why wouldn't I? Sister A'Lin, let's have a chat inside my house…" Saying so, Kou Shui Yong walked towards an open-faced building.

Sister A'Lin twisted her pig-like body and followed after him.

Lin Yueling truly panicked and ran after that, "Sister A'Lin, Sister A'Lin…"

"Jiang family is going to suffer miserably."

Everyone was taking joy in watching the drama.

"Yueling's son is really foolish. He actually picked a fight with the leaser. Ain't that just courting disaster?"

"He shouldn't have boasted if he didn't have the money."

Sister A'Lin and Kou Shui Yong entered the store. When A'Lin saw Lin Yueling chase after them, disdain filled her face. "Don't try to say it's all a misunderstanding. This old mother can't afford to sever a lessee like you."

Lin Yueling requested her, "Sister A'Lin, we're acquainted for over a decade now and always had good relations. Little Xiu's too young and is just anxious over the circumstances of the family. You mustn't take his words to heart."

"I'll apologize to you. Please continue renting the place to me."

Tears welled up in her eyes. No one knew how hard it was for these past years. After Jiang Yi was released from the prison, he had changed entirely and couldn't recover to his former state. Life was difficult, and Jiang Xiu was still small. The entire family was supported by her alone, but she remained obstinate and never cried. However, right now, her gaze was filled with deep imploration.

"I beg you!"

Sister A'Lin scoffed at her, "Begging me? Alright. Make that incredible son of yours kneel down and apologize to me. If not, don't hold any hope to rent this old woman's store again."

"Aah?"

Lin Yueling's pupils shrunk. Jiang Xiu was her hope. How could she allow him to experience this kind of humiliation? "Sister A'Lin, he is just a young child and possessed a strong ego. Otherwise…"

"I-I'll a-apologize to you in his stead."

Her voice trembled as she said those words and she seemed as if she had lost her soul.

Ling Yueling ah Ling Yueling, just what are you doing? She felt as if she couldn't even recognize herself. The proud princess of the Lin family was preparing to kneel towards a marketplace vixen for a location of just 5 square feet.

"Alright. Kneel down!"

Lin Yueling's complexion turned paler as she lowered her head. She didn't dare to show her face to anyone as her knees bent downwards.

As Sister A'Lin looked at Lin Yueling preparing to kneel, she had some nasty thoughts, pride and excitement creeped over her mean face. Even if you kneel, I won't necessarily lease the store to you.

However, just as Lin Yueling was about to kneel, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

The hand's grip was firm and steady, preventing her from crouching down. Lin Yueling looked back in astonishment only to see a steel-like rigid face with a bone-chilling gaze yet tranquil pupils. He gave off an incomparably cold aura, but the hand grabbing her arm was trembling, expressing the intense emotions he was currently feeling.

"This Deity said that you shall become the most respected woman in this world."

"No one can make you kneel!"

"NO ONE!"

It seemed as if his voice was originating from the heavens, each word was filled with power. It shook the core of the people present there as the sound descended to the ground.

"Son!"

Lin Yueling had never seen such a dignified look on her son. Her emotions were in a mess due to the extreme shock.

Jiang Xiu turned towards his mother, looking at her eyes with a gaze as abstruse as the abyss' depths, "Let alone kneel in front of a vulgar marketplace vixen!"

Lin Yueling shivered. She remembered how noble she once was!

Sister A'Lin began to rain curses, "Little Bast*rd! Who are you call a vixen!? You bast*rd son. This old woman was indeed blind for leasing my store to such a group of thankless wretches."

Jiang Xiu said, "You believe you've done us a favor by leasing your store to us? Stop kidding. It's not like my family hasn't given you rent. We don't owe you anything more."

"Also, don't believe that our family lives our life by relying on the fruit stall and can't afford to take risks for my studies. You think you can exploit us?"

Sister A'Lin said, "Yeah, this old woman wants to exploit you. What will you do about it?"

"You poor beggar."

Her face was filled with contempt as spittle flew across while she spoke, "This old mother is very clear about how much your fruit stall makes. You have no other choice here so stop acting tough and get the hell out of here!"

"Since it's this way, there's no need to talk anymore!"

"Admitting defeat now? Are you scared? Do you want to apologize to this old mother?"

"Apologize?"

"You're mistaken…"

He calmly took out his cell phone. The call connected in a moment as Tang Zhenshan was quite excited after receiving his phone call, "Mr. Jiang, is something the matter?"

Jiang Xiu said indifferently, "Buy the entire Cloudlake South Street for this Deity!"

Tang Zhenshan was direct, "Understood!"

To the side, Sister A'Lin couldn't help but twist her waist while laughing. Kou Shui Yong, as well as the neighbors surrounding them, chuckled as well.

What a big joke! First, you say you'll buy a store for your mother, and now, you say you'll buy the entire street? Such a braggart. You think you're God or what?

Jiang Xiu glanced towards Sister A'Lin, "No need to buy the fruit stall my family runs."

Tang Zhenshan replied, "Alright!"

Jiang Xiu said it as if it was an insignificant matter and then ended the call. Sister A'Lin spat down in contempt, "You're really shameless. You're just a d*mn fruit-seller as well as a poor sob who couldn't even afford to pay extra 400 rent for a month, yet you're trying to act like a bigshot. Haven't you pretended enough already? It really serves you right that you're so poor…"

"Stupid brat!

A sharp glint flashed through Jiang Xiu's gaze as a frightening murderous aura rushed forth.

Sister A'Lin's heart almost stopped due to the fear. She realized that she got frightened due to his gaze and got enraged, "What? Do you want to hit this old woman? You can try…"

"Come on, hit me…"

The look on her face changed as Jiang Xiu had already given her a firm slap. Deity Xiu didn't shy away even from killing others, the protection of the word 'woman' wasn't something that'd stop him. There was no reason a child couldn't beat an elder.

Slap!

The slap to Sister A'Lin's face caused her fat body to fly up and knock against the dining table, resulting in the bottles of soy sauce and vinegar of 'The Godmother' brand to break into pieces. The entire dining table was occupied by her body.

"Aaaahhh!"

The neighbors watching from the sidelines screamed. Before Lin Yueling could even react, Jiang Xiu walked over there and grabbed A'Lin's hair then gave her one savage slap after another.

"This slap is to remind you that the money my parents earned with great difficulty isn't something you can just extort. You aren't eligible to dictate my family's fate."

"This slap is to teach you that you should never forget your roots. If it weren't for my mother rebuilding the shop, the fruit stall would have remained a location to dump trash. Without the rent, you wouldn't have had such easy days!"

"This slap is for my mother, no one's allowed to humiliate her. No one!"

"This slap…"

Jiang Xiu gave one reason after another, slapping her over and over again. After more than 10 continuous slaps, Sister A'Lin's face had swollen up and blood leaked from the corners of her mouth. She shivered in fear, "Kou Shui Yong, c-call Brother Hao…"

Only then did Kou Shui Yong react, "I'll make the call right now…"

"Brat, you're dead."

One of the neighbors asked, "Who's Brother Hao?"

"The prince of the Magnificent East Conglomerate, who knew that Sister A'Lin was acquainted with such a big shot."

That neighbor asked, "Is that true? That's the Magnificent East Conglomerate! They own several bars, KTVs and parking lots in Cloudlake. Nothing happens in his family without his approval. Is Sister A'Lin really acquainted with such a person?"

"Don't you know? Sister A'Lin had worked at his home when she was young and even met him several times."

Hiss!

That neighbor drew in a cold breath. Jiang Xiu's finished this time. He's rushed straight into a calamity.

Once the call had connected, Sister A'Lin began to wail, "Little Nibbles, do you know that someone beat your Sister Lin? He slapped so many times, my face is completely ruined now. Mhm. At the Cloudlake South Street, in front of my store. Okay, I'll wait for you…"

The expression with which the surrounding neighbors looked at Jiang Xiu changed.

"Little Bast*rd, just wait!"

When Wang Hao had received the call, he was just at Cloudlake separated by only a street. He rushed over in his car. Three men got down from it. Sister A'Lin ran over there when she saw the man leading them. Though she was fat and short, she ran quite fast.

"It's really Magnificent East's Wang Hao?"

That brand new Mercedes-Benz was really eye-catching in this worn out street. The 8888 license plate displayed that the owner possessed extraordinary financial and political resources.

"He's Wang Hao?"

"Magnificent East's Wang Hao. I heard he's Grandpa Lei's subordinate, our Cloudlake's gang leader."

Lin Yueling's complexion had already gone pale. She didn't blame Little Xiu for this incident as she also didn't believe that her son had made an error. If her son had stayed indifferent while she received humiliation, she'd have felt grief but the current consequences weren't something they could bear.

"Where's that person?"

Wang Hao was around 30 years old. He had a square face, tiny eyes, and a rough face but he wore a tidy suit. He appeared vicious yet refined. This kind of person was someone commoners avoided the most.

"He's that little bast*rd!"

Sister A'Lin pointed towards Jiang Xiu.

"You're Jiang Xiu? The person who hit Sister Lin?"

"Actually, this a personal matter between you. You're just a student. I shouldn't bully you, but Sister Lin took care of me in my childhood. I almost regard her as my adoptive mother. You hit such a close person to me. Tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

Lin Yueling naturally stood out to defend her son, but Jiang Xiu pulled her back. His hands were on his back as he wore an abstruse smile, "What to do?"

"It's simple. Didn't she want my mother to kneel? Tell her to kneel in front of my mother."

"What did you say?"

Wang Hao asked while laughing, acting as if he hadn't heard him.

The surrounding neighbors went pale in fear, looking at Jiang Xiu as if they were looking at an idiot. Does he even know who's standing in front of him?

"He's gone insane, right?"

"How dare he speaks to Brother Hao in such a tone!"

Lin Yueling almost fainted due to the fear. She wanted to speak out but was instead interrupted by Wang Hao. He was interested and looked at Jiang Xiu with a gaze filled with ridicule, "Let him speak, there's no harm. I, Wang Hao am fair and reasonable."

"You better make preparations if you're planning to shield her. Get the hell out of this place before this Deity gets into the mood to kill."

Whoosh!

The neighbors were shocked. Yueling's son has indeed gone mad. How could he say such words to Brother Hao?

Wang Hao couldn't remain calm anymore, "Brat, ever since I, Wang Hao started working with Grandpa Lei, no one in Cloudlake has dared to speak to me in such a manner."

"You're really looking to die."

The bitter rage in Sister A'Lin's eyes burst forth when she saw Wang Hao become furious, "Right. Little Nibbles, this brat is insane. He doesn't even pay attention to you. Find someone to hack him to pieces!"

The rage in her tone and intensity in her expression seemed more thuggish than those who mixed with the underworld.

Those who don't know her may think she might've worked in the underworld before.

As for Lin Yueling, she almost fainted when she heard her son's words. The matter could've been settled easily but now, even if Sister A'Lin were ready to give up, Wang Hao wouldn't. The power holders cared about prestige the most. The so-called 'Pour Encourager Les Autres' to say. They intimidated the powerless. She was sure that Wang Hao would attack her son.

She felt heart-broken. Why are you enduring all this? Why don't you yield?

What will mother live for if anything happens to you?

Jiang Xiu was everything to her.

No one dared to utter a word when they saw that Wang Hao was enraged. Today's matter had become really serious. An accident might even occur. Their palms began to sweat for Jiang Xiu. They believed that Jiang Xiu would either lose an arm or leg but wouldn't get away scot free, and he'd live a miserable life as a disabled person.

But Jiang Xiu remained indifferent to all this as if it didn't matter at all.

"Little…"

At this moment, a man appeared while holding a work suitcase. It was a middle-aged man. He felt quite astonished when he saw so many people at the store and spoke to Kou Shui Yong, "A'Yong, I can't lease this store to you anymore."

Kou Shui Yong felt as if he was struck by thunder, "Why? Cheng Hai, I've always paid my rent in full. My business has gone up recently, so why don't you want to lease it to me anymore?"

"Do you want more rent now that my business is booming?"

He revealed the same stinginess Sister A'Lin had assumed before.

Cheng Hai laughed and shook his head, "Do you think I'm such a disgusting person? It isn't that I want to raise the rent but rather that I've already sold the shop off. I came over to inform it to you. As for whether you'll be able to continue leasing it, that'll depend on the new owner. That's all from me. I'm leaving."

"Sold it off?" Kou Shui Yong felt his throat go sore. If it was indeed that way, nothing could be done. He chased after him to ask, "Who did you sell it to?"

Mister Chen replied, "To Mr. Jiang."

"Mr. Jiang?"

Everyone looked at Kou Shui Yong with a gaze full of sympathy. His business was quite prosperous ever since he set up the shop here. As the customers had no place to sit, he was planning to buy the store that Jiang Xiu's family was leasing. Who could've expected that such a reversal would happen?

Soon after, another voice came through, "A'Feng, it's good that you're here!"

"Huh, Teacher Wang, how come you're here? Did anything happen?"

"A'Feng, I'm sorry. I can't lease my shop to you anymore."

"Why?"

"I sold it to Mr. Jiang."

This…

Everyone looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Sold it to Mr. Jiang again?

Wang Hao said, "Who is this Mr. Jiang? Why's he buying so many stores?"

"Does he have too much money or what?"

But this was merely the beginning as similar news kept arriving.

"A'Shui, I can't lease my store to you anymore. I've sold it to Mr. Jiang."

"So sorry, Brother Ding. I also sold my store to Mr. Jiang."

"…"

For a moment, the entire Cloudlake street was flooded with the two words 'Mr. Jiang.'

"Sold to Mr. Jiang."

"Mr. Jiang…"

Someone couldn't help but say, "Oh my god, just where did this Mr. Jiang pop out from? With the rate he's buying, is he planning to buy out the entire Cloudlake South Street?"

The news kept arriving.

"A'Bing, I've also sold my store to Mr. Jiang."

"…"

According to the information that'd arrived in succession, this Mr. Jiang had already bought 20 stores. He was engulfing everything like a tempest, crazily reaping all the stores in Cloudlake South Street.

"Everyone, hear me. You ought to know this news as soon as possible. I've heard from the neighborhood council that our entire street was bought out by Mr. Jiang."

This time, all the neighbors who had assembled both inside the shop and outside made a commotion.

"Spending so much money!"

"This is too shocking."

The stores on Cloudlake street were worth around 20,000. The total sum for all the shops combined was about 200 million. This wasn't a small amount. The economy still hadn't boomed in the year 2008. Just hearing about a millionaire was enough to rile everyone up, let alone an amount in the units of 100 million.

"It seems like the heavens of Cloudlake South Street are about to change."

"Indeed!"

"From now on, this Mr. Jiang is our owner. Everyone's fate is in his hands. I hope this Mr. Jiang is a nice person who can sympathize with our poor families."

At this moment, someone said, "That's odd. Looks like Sister A'Lin's store wasn't bought?"

"That means the entire street wasn't bought?"

Just a moment ago, Lin Yueling's foolish son had rambled that he'd buy the entire Cloudlake South Street. Just look, someone has appeared to buy the whole street.

Moreover, only Sister A'Lin's store wasn't bought.

Sister A'Lin was also astonished, but she immediately rejected that line of thinking. That's impossible. It must be a coincidence.

Are you kidding me?

That brat's a poor sob, a damn fruit seller. There's no way he'd have the money to buy the entire street.

Sister A'Lin said, "Nibbles, weren't you going to teach that brat a lesson?"

"You can't leave this matter alone."

"He even told you to get lost just now."

Wang Hao furrowed his brows. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about it.

At this moment, it became noisy in front of the building. A hunky middle-aged man, wearing reading spectacles had made his way inside in a crude manner.

Sister A'Lin said, "Who are… Aaahhhh…"

Slap!

Wang Hao slapped her already swollen face. She was utterly dumbstruck and asked timidly, "Nibbles, what happened?"

"Shut up for this Daddy."

Wang Hao wore a smile and rushed to welcome the man in a flattering tone, "Grandpa Lei, how come you're here? It's really an honor."

The residents of Cloudlake were shocked at Wang Hao's change. Just who has come? Even Wang Hao is acting so deferential.

"Grandpa Lei?"

"It's Big Lei?"

That'd explain it if that were the case. It wasn't strange that Young Master Hao is acting like this as he was under him. If it was said that half of Cloudlake's underworld belonged to Young Master Hao, then half of Jiang City's underworld belonged to Big Lei.

"What's such a big shot doing over here in a tiny place like Cloudlake?"

Big Lei only had Jiang Xiu in his gaze. He pushed Wang Hao aside and came in front of Jiang Xiu, kneeling down on the ground. He didn't say a word and started slapping himself.

Lin Yueling was stupefied after seeing this.

Jiang Xiu remained calm. Big Lei was hospitalized after that day and was released two days ago. He found out about Jiang Xiu's identity only after he was released outside.

Big Lei wanted to maintain relations with the Tang family, so he'd have to obtain Jiang Xiu's forgiveness. He learned from how Brother Dong had acted that day. As Jiang Xiu had accepted the Tang family after that, he believed this method was the best.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

His body was upright, yet he acted with sufficient respect. He slapped himself with full strength, causing his cheeks to swell up quickly. Blood leaked from his mouth but didn't even flinch his brows.

Silence. The entire place had gone deathly still.

Accurate to say, only the sounds of slapping were audible.

Everyone felt baffled as they witnessed the entire scene play out. Wang Hao's eyes almost popped out in shock. He felt the same amount of shock that Big Lei felt when he saw A'Dong kneel in front of Jiang Xiu and slap himself.

What the fuck is happening?

"Grandpa Lei, why are you…" Wang Hao's complexion went pale. Even an idiot could make out that Big Lei was kneeling in front of Jiang Xiu.

Jiang Xiu didn't say anything. He just pulled Lin Yueling along and left.

Slap! Slap! …

Big Lei didn't dare to stop slapping though.

A lot of noise could be heard from the entrance of the street. The two sides of the entire Cloudlake Southern Street was filled with men in black suits. They wore sunglasses and remained silent like a statue.

They looked just like underworld bodyguards which appeared in TV dramas.

There were around 200-300 of them.

The entire street was filled with a gloomy aura.

As soon as they saw Jiang Xiu come out, all of them bowed and yelled simultaneously, "Mr. Jiang!"

"What?"

"He's Mr. Jiang?"

All of the residents almost lost their sanity.

The entire Cloudlake South Street became deathly silent, maintaining a pin-drop silence. All of the neighbors who had seen Jiang Xiu grow up look at him with a gaze of disbelief.

Lin Yueling was all the more stupefied.

Lin Yueling felt amazed as she left the building. Although she didn't know who that man was, he must've been some incredible person to make Wang Hao tremble all over. That very person had actually knelt in front of her son. She was just about to question her son and ask him to give a clear explanation about this.

However, the sudden shout of the name 'Mr. Jiang' had taken the entire street like a bolt from the sky.

The Cloudlake South Street was entirely filled with men in black wearing sunglasses. They called out in a sonorous voice filled with energy. That intense aura was enough to shake people to the core.

"He is… Mr. Jiang?"

"Yueling's son is Mr. Jiang?!"

The expression on Sister A'Lin's face who was still inside the building turned ugly, "How is that possible? This doesn't make any sense."

"Lin Yueling's son is just a damn fruit seller."

"There's no way he is that Mr. Jiang."

The entire street was in chaos, but Jiang Xiu remained calm, his heart was tranquil. This scene was nothing to him. On the Immortal Martial Continent, he had experienced the view of several million Immortal Gods kneeling in front of him. This little play that Tang Zhenshan had scripted was nothing in his eyes.

He looked at Tang Zhenshan walked towards him with an indifferent gaze.

"T-T-Tang…"

Wang Hao felt his legs tremble. When he saw Grandpa Lei kneel in front of Jiang Xiu, alarms started going off in his head. He didn't dare to think about just what kind of person could make Grandpa Lei kneel down and slap himself, but he had no choice but to ponder. When he saw Tang Zhenshan appear, his heart had almost stopped beating, "What kind of a big shot have I offended?"

Tang Zhenshan came in front of Jiang Xiu and smiled, "I hope we haven't delayed Mr. Jiang's matters."

The financial resources as well as ability to buy the entire Cloudlake South Street in just a short thirty minutes was something only a few personages in Jiang City was capable of achieving.

Jiang Xiu said, "It wasn't delayed."

A disturbance occurred after the residents saw Jiang Xiu reply as this was equivalent to admitting he was Mr. Jiang.

"Really!"

"OMG, Lin Yueling's son is indeed Mr. Jiang."

"He wasn't talking big and really purchased the entire street."

The person who was most shocked was none other than Lin Yueling. She knew her son very well. He was an obedient child who focused on studying, went to classes on time, and prepared for the college entrance exam while neglecting both sleep and food.

When did he become this Mr. Jiang?

However, the facts were apparent here. Though Lin Yueling didn't know who the man before her son was, she could make out that he was from an influential family. Actually, this was also quite the coincidence. Tang Zhenshan had retired from the army due to his age and returned back to Jiang City a few years after the Jiang family had suffered a reversal of fortune. If the Jiang family hadn't fallen, they'd have perhaps become bureaucratic acquaintances.

The subordinates were quick with their work. They arranged chairs and a table with a white tablecloth on it in the middle of the street, making it look just like a French dining table and even opening up a bottle of 1971 Bordeaux.

A lawyer was also present there. He handed over a document, "Mr. Jiang. This is the purchase contract. Please sign over here. I'll handle the procedures after I return to the law firm."

This was a legal services contract, which gives the law firm full powers to handle stuff for him. Jiang Xiu naturally didn't have the time to sign over a 1000 deals so everything would be entrusted to the lawyer.

He held the pen and signed his name on top of it.

Jiang Xiu!

The lawyer nodded and received the document. He eyed all the leasee present on the street, "From today onwards, this entire street of Cloudlake South Street, from Cloudlake South Street H.No. 1 to H.No. 1027 will all belong to Mr. Jiang."

Although everyone realized it already, they still made a commotion after hearing it. Lin Yueling's son, Jiang Xiu, was actually such a grand personage and from now on, he had become a person who held their livelihoods in his grasp.

As for Wang Hao and Sister A'Lin, they were dragged over by a hunk and pushed into the sea of people on the road.

"Mr. Jiang. My eyes were blind!"

"Spare me! Please spare me!"

Sister A'Lin begged while kowtowing. She had already understood that this was all real. That damn fruit seller had reversed his fortune and made a grand reversal.

"Mr. Jiang, I've always looked after you as you grew up!"

"Please spare me!"

Jiang Xiu's gaze turned cold. He felt it beneath him to even deal with this kind of person. If it was the Immortal Martial Continent, just a flick of his sleeve was enough to kill such a person. It wasn't even worth dirtying one's hands over this. However, it was such a person who had abused his family in the previous timeline and also humiliated his mother.

"Yueling, we've been acquaintances for over 10 years!"

Looking at Jiang Xiu's cold manner, she knew she was done for so she crawled towards Lin Yueling.

Only now did she remember that they were acquaintances for over 10 years.

"Please forgive me."

Lin Yueling felt dazed. For a second, she felt as if she had returned to the past, returned to the time she was the princess of the Lin family. She felt as if she had regained everything.

She looked towards Jiang Xiu. Her son gave her a familiar yet strange feeling..

"Son!"

Jiang Xiu swept his gaze across Sister A'Lin, "Get lost. Don't let this Deity see you here again. From now on, you're not allowed to set even half a foot inside Cloudlake South Street."

Sister A'Lin's eyes opened wide. As Jiang Xiu had purchased the entire street except for her store, if she weren't allowed to come in then she wouldn't be able to lease out her store.

As she pondered over how to escape this calamity, Jiang Xiu turned towards Wang Hao, "You can also get lost from here. If she dares to set foot inside Cloudlake South Street again, break her legs for me."

Wang Hao acted as he had received amnesty, "Thank you, Mr. Jiang! Thank you! I won't let her set even half a foot over here!"

Sister A'Lin was left dumbstruck.

This was an inconceivably ruthless method. The patron she'd called had become her own nemesis. This was akin to digging one's own grave.

She finally understood why Jiang Xiu didn't buy her store. It was because he wanted to seize it by force, but this wasn't true as well. Her tiny store was initially a place to dump trash. After tidying it up a bit and raising a wall, it was given a face-lift. They weren't even any property rights for it, but the circumstances were such before.

Many people didn't possess the property rights. Jiang Xiu also spent money to buy their places, but he didn't give any to her and also didn't allow her to lease the store out. This was equal to him taking it over for free.

While thinking this through, she planned to make a commotion, but Wang Hao was already glaring at her with a cold gaze. She realized that the future prospects of Lin Yueling's son were something even Wang Hao couldn't dare to offend, let alone her. She felt despair as well as regret.

There was no need for Tang Zhenshan's subordinates to set out as she was thrown out of the street by Wang Hao's men. From now on, she wasn't allowed to enter the street.

Inside a small pavilion, Jiang Yi was playing chess. He was only 40 years old but already had gray hair. His body appeared thin and gaze like that of dead fish.

Even if his mind wandered somewhere, his opponent wouldn't notice anything strange. Many spectators advised on how to resist Jiang Yi.

The sounds of police cars speeding by came through. One, Two, Three…

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"Haven't you heard? A big shot has appeared in our Cloudlake South Street!"

The spectators got curious. Even Jiang Yi raised his head.

"Is that news true?"

Actually, even that person didn't know the circumstances. The entire street was blocked now, and a lot of people had surrounded the area. All of them gossiped.

"They say someone has returned home after making it big."

"They've put up a real show here."

All of them stopped playing chess as they wanted to enter the street, but the police were blocking the outside. Also, bodyguards were standing there like sculptures behind the officers as far as the eyes went. They were all clad in black, possessing giant physiques.

Jiang Yi commented, "Looks like it's really a big shot."

"Did you hear? It seems someone had purchased our entire Cloudlake South Street."

Everyone cried out in alarm. That's really something on the grand scale .

Jiang Yi was also shocked.

In the year 2008 when the economy still hadn't boomed, nouveau riche were scarce. Such an extravagant matter like buying an entire street was simply unheard of. Just hearing something like that was enough to shock people.

"Oh no!" Jiang Yi had finally realized it. If the entire street was purchased, doesn't that mean our family's fruit stall has also changed owners?

He wanted to return home to take a look, so he tried to squeeze in with all his strength.

"Mr. Policeman, let me go in. My family lives inside."

The policeman replied in an ice-cold manner, "No one is allowed to enter, even if your family lives inside. Will you be able to bear the responsibility if you offend one of the big shots?"

"Wait here obediently."

Jiang Yi could only give up helplessly.

Someone cried out at this moment, "The District Chief has come!"

They really had a keen gaze to spot Chief Qian, who had a fat head and ears. He hadn't gone inside but rather ran over towards Jiang Yi with a face filled with excitement. He gripped Jiang Yi's hand, saying, "Old Neighbor, you've got a very good son. The residents of Cloudlake ought to thank you."

Jiang Yi was stupefied.

Jiang Yi was genuinely stupefied. He couldn't fathom this situation. A local leader had suddenly run over towards him, grabbed his hand, and thanked him. Anyone would've found themselves dumbfounded, but they'd still feel enthusiastic to receive a compliment from a leader. Even if the person didn't get excited, the people surrounding him would make a commotion. Though they felt astonished, envy rose on their faces.

Jiang Yi said, "My son? Are you sure you aren't mistaken, Chief Qian?"

"My son's still studying in school!"

Chief Qian chuckled, "Haiz, Old Neighbour, there's no way I'd be mistaken. You're surnamed Jiang, right? That's good. Don't you run a fruit stall? That's also good…"

"Congratulations to you. Your son purchased the entire street."

Jiang Yi felt even more bewildered. What kind of joke are you telling me? My family's so poor that we barely make ends meet and you're saying my son has purchased the entire street?

Chief Qian pulled his hand and brought him inside, "Come, follow me. I'll accompany you back home."

Jiang Yi got led along like a marionette.

"We are his n-neighbors…"

Saying so, the people who were playing chess along with Jiang Yi managed to pass through the police cordon.

The police uncle didn't dare to block them this time. This matter had indeed become awkward. He actually blocked the father of the big shot outside of the police line and warned him of the consequences for offending an influential person. There was no reason for the father to offend his own children!

The sideways were filled with bodyguards clad in black. As soon as they saw Jiang Yi brought over by Chief Qian, they had realized that this person was Mr. Jiang's father. They naturally had to express respect and subconsciously puffed out their chest.

Along the way, Jiang Yi saw many of the small and large office-bearers of Cloudlake District. They stood in a line. He also saw Magnificent East Conglomerate's Wang Hao who mixed in with the underworld standing to the side like an honest little kid.. Going past them, he saw his son surrounded by several people who appeared to hold influential positions. Jiang Xiu stood among them with his hands on his back and his gaze filled with disdain along with an aura greater than Jiang Yi's which incurred respect.

The officials, merchants, both the white-collar world and the underworld of Cloudlake were all at his beck and call.

Papa Jiang was frightened at this scene then stupefied, followed by him entering into a dazed state and then complete insanity…

"Mr. Jiang, your esteemed father has arrived!"

Jiang Xiu took a glance back after hearing this, taking a look at him after three millenniums. He appeared old, wasted, and spiritless but was still able to walk on his feet.

Jiang Xiu didn't remember much of his childhood memories. His father got imprisoned when he was 5 years old then after he was released out, he became an introvert. The father and son began to talk less. However, he couldn't forget how his father had become disabled for a lifetime when he visited the Cheng family in the previous timeline. It was something Jiang Xiu could never forget. When he had seen his father with a paralyzed body, the pain he felt was unimaginable. It still felt like everything had happened just yesterday.

That pain was heart-wrenching.

"Father!"

This one call, 'Father' felt so heavy for him to say, But once he did, emotions rushed forth from the depths of his heart, making his throat feel sour as well as causing tears to well up at his eyes.

Perhaps, such is the bond between a father and son.

"Little Xiu!"

Jiang Yi didn't dare to move forward as he was frightened from the gallery before his eyes. Actually, he was also born of an influential family and was an official in his early years. He shouldn't have felt this way. However, after a person enters the prison and suffers an inhumane torment, that person ends up as a complete wreck.

His hair was messy, beard sloppy. He wore worn-out clothes and plastic flip-flops under his feet.

He felt timid, or to say, inferior, and hence didn't dare to move forward.

"Greet him!"

Everyone called out at the same time, "Old Father Jiang!"

The scene of several hundred people all calling out simultaneously was really something. The voices reached the skies, firing up the people and making them feel excited.

It was very awe-inspiring!

Papa Jiang stepped forward and walked towards Jiang Xiu. Though he was in dire straits and utterly useless, he had a good son. This one call, 'Old Father Jiang' was enough to explain that none of the people present here looked down on him. But he still didn't dare to believe all this, "Little Xiu, w-what's all this?"

Jiang Xiu didn't know how to explain it. There was no doubt they'd think he was insane if he said he had transmigrated.

"I'll explain it after returning home."

The neighbors who had followed behind Jiang Yi also felt dumbfounded.

"I-It was really Old Jiang's son?"

"He purchased the entire street? Also, so many big shots have gathered here!"

"Really unbelievable."

Jiang Xiu didn't need to stand on the table and use a loudspeaker to speak. His gaze swept across the neighborhood residents blocked by the bodyguards, "Neighbors, I know what all of you are anxious about. There's no need to worry. You all can continue leasing the stores with the same rent as before."

As soon as those words ended, the entire street was filled with praises.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang!"

"Thank you!"

They feared that Jiang Xiu would drive them out or raise the rent.

Jiang Xiu said, "From now on, my parents will supervise this street. You can go find them if you have any questions."

"Alright!"

The neighbors started clapping.

As for the couple, Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling, they were still feeling bewildered. It felt too unrealistic. Suddenly becoming rich overnight after passing through so many difficult days felt like a dream to them, but they felt quite excited.

"Alright then, you may disperse and return to your work."

The bodyguards left the place, and all the neighbors returned inside their stores. Tang Zhenshan said, "Mr. Jiang, this side's matter is already settled. I shall return home so that you can spend time with your family."

"Mr. Jiang Yi and Mrs. Jiang, I'll say goodbye then."

Tang Zhenshan was quite older than them so they felt a little strange when he acted so polite.

"Little Xiu, can you tell us what's the matter now?"

After returning home, the husband and wife felt impatient to know what had happened.

Jiang Xiu had already thought up an excuse. "Before, I had gone to the mountains to relieve boredom and witnessed a car accident. The car had almost fallen off the cliff. I helped them and the person inside the car none other than Old Father Tang, Tang Zhenshan. He promised to do one thing to repay me."

The couple was overjoyed after learning this.

Lin Yueling said immediately, "The Old Father has really put up an excellent show to repay the debt. You don't need to bother about such things. Sometimes, having wealth isn't necessarily a good thing. It can destroy lives."

"You should've asked for a favor in career instead of such a materialistic request."

Lin Yueling was after all a daughter of an influential family, her viewpoint was naturally on a different scale than ordinary women. If a person had money, would they try their best? The possibility was minimal. Usually, their achievements also reflected the same.

Jiang Xiu laughed, "Even he wouldn't be that magnanimous. He must be planning to give it to us for a few years and then rebuild the entire place by starting a new project. The street won't belong to us anymore then."

Giving the street to them for just a few years was already amazing. The rent of a store for a month was around 1000, and for a 1000 shops, it totaled to a million for a month. Over 10 million in a year and several million over a few years.

"Alright!"

Lin Yueling still thought that this was a bit too much.

However, this was something good for their family. Everyone wished to live their days in joy, especially so for Lin Yueling and Jiang Yi, who were once wealthy persons.

"Mother shall go get meat. Tonight, we celebrate."

Jiang Xiu felt sincerely happy after looking at the smile on his mother's face.

In his memories, his mother rarely revealed such a smile.

Afterward, she took her purse and left for the food market.

This time, the people in the food market might not dare to accept her money. This was no matter to joke about as this was the owner of the entire street.

Jiang Yi, however, didn't say anything. Although Jiang Xiu's explanation made sense, he felt that there were many doubtful points here. If it were merely to pay a debt of gratitude, they wouldn't have made such a big scene out of it. From the very beginning, Tang Zhenshan revealed respect towards Jiang Xiu. Respect that was even more than how he showed them, his parents. If it was only to repay the kindness owed then acting polite was enough. He believed there must be some other reasons that Jiang Xiu hadn't mentioned.

Jiang Xiu said, "Father. Which place do you think is better? Let's move to a new house there."

Jiang Yi shook his head, "You and your mother can decide it."

Papa Jiang's gaze was calm. Before, Jiang Xiu couldn't comprehend his father's thoughts, but it was clear to him now that he was a prideful man. He neither missed his days of glory nor coveted it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have persevered with his love. The only pain he felt was that he couldn't fulfill his ambitions. Even if mountains of gold and silver were placed in front of a person like him, he'd still feel it beneath him to accept them.

There was a matter which bothered his heart very much.

And the source for that was in the Imperial Capital!

He only had one wish, for Jiang Xiu to step foot there.

Once he had understood his father's thoughts, Deity Xiu smiled faintly. The Imperial Capital, as well as the prominent families, were nothing compared to the lifetime Deity Xiu had beheld.

The 3000 worlds were all lacking, and ordinary folk held lowly status, just like the mud on the ground.

It was this way when riches dropped in front of the door. A poor man in the crowded city had no visitor, while a wealthy man in a remote mountain area would be called on by distant relatives.

That night, several people had come to visit Jiang Xiu's home. They were residents of the neighborhood who had come bearing gifts. It was either a fruit basket or vegetables, but none of them dared to enter the house. Instead, they left after delivering the items and giving a greeting.

The Jiang family had their dinner on the balcony as there wasn't any extra space inside the house. Jiang Yi, who had become uncommunicative before, drank a lot today.

"You lose something when you gain something. I once envied the life of the wealthy, but you'll discover that they don't have much freedom in their life."

Jiang Xiu knew that his father was speaking the truth. He had experienced those ups and downs in this life and encountered too many things. Those words came from the depths of his heart. He was sincerely giving a lesson to Jiang Xiu using his life's experience.

Jiang Yi continued, "There's an old saying. Some people worry about personal gains and losses. They fear losing things which they haven't even obtained yet. For example, how a person works hard to obtain wealth and then gets anxious that he'd lose it. He marries a pretty wife with great difficulty, yet gets worried that she'd run away with someone else. Simplicity is the truth. A human only needs to have ambition and passion."

Lin Yueling's gaze softened. She hadn't seen her husband act in such a way in a long time. At this moment, it appeared as if he had returned to the previous intellectual and passionate Jiang Yi. She teased him, "You don't need to be worried that I'd run away because I'm not that pretty."

Jiang Yi made a wry face, "It isn't that you aren't pretty enough but rather that only my eyes can see your beauty."

Jiang Xiu interrupted, "Me too!"

Lin Yueling couldn't help but laugh, "You're quite smart."

Anyhow, Jiang Yi wasn't saying empty words. When Lin Yueling was younger, she was a top-class beauty. The temperament she possessed as the daughter of an influential family placed her above even Cheng Lingsu and Ye Bing.

Jiang Yi drank another cup. The warm white spirit trickled down his throat as he quickly ate the food, "This world has many temptations. Money, authority, and women. No one can guarantee that they wouldn't lose themselves in front of them. Therefore, a person must have a clear idea of what they want and walk down that path to achieve their life goals, unhindered by the external world's obstructions."

Jiang Xiu didn't have any memories of his father teaching him lessons like today during his childhood. There were no opportunities to do that after he got imprisoned. Then after he came out, he had become dispirited. At this moment, Jiang Xiu had realized that his father truly wanted to guide him.

Although these words were late by three millenniums, Jiang Xiu was already doing this. It was because he had a firm goal that he had set foot on the path to cultivation and overcome all the obstacles bravely, rising above countless experts on the Immortal Martial Continent, then finally becoming the Almighty, Deity Xiu.

Jiang Yi said, "A few days ago, Cheng Hanlin's wife called to talk about the matter between you and Cheng Lingsu. What happened?"

Lin Yueling also looked at Jiang Xiu with a face full of curiosity.

"Nothing!"

"She came to me to break off our engagement."

For some affairs, it was better to solve them sooner than later.

Jiang Yi asked, "What are your intentions then?"

"I have none."

Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling felt surprised by their son's words. Jiang Xiu was in the prime of his youth, and Cheng Lingsu was so beautiful, so they wondered how he could remain so calm and indifferent.

"This world is much more complicated than you can imagine, it's quite cruel. Sometimes, people have to learn how to protect themselves. Though you mustn't take advantage of others, you mustn't allow yourself to suffer a loss."

"Or else, they'll think it's quite easy to bully you."

From these words, Jiang Xiu could feel that his father felt resentment towards the Cheng family as Cheng Hanlin was the reason his life was destroyed. Cheng Hanlin had promised to marry his daughter to Jiang Xiu. The Jiang family had helped him a lot and even given a lot of the family assets as dowry. So how could Jiang Yi readily accept it when they wanted to just break off the engagement?

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, they were filled with resolution.

"Your father's right!"

Even Lin Yueling's expression turned extremely serious. The Cheng family was the reason she had suffered. Separated from her husband for several years, she had to undergo bitter hardship alone while raising Jiang Xiu by relying on help from others. She had suffered enough of the supercilious looks from the world. How could she not feel hatred in her heart?

Jiang Xiu realized that removing the engagement wasn't an easy matter. Even if he was unwilling to marry Cheng Lingsu, his parents might not agree with his decision. Thinking of this, he frowned slightly.

"Mother, let's go buy a house tomorrow. Where do you think we should look?"

Saying so, he handed over the card with a million loaded in it.

However, Lin Yueling said, "Let's live here for now, okay? We can buy a house after receiving rent for one or two months. Since the stores are all here, it's better to buy a suitable one nearby."

Jiang Xiu didn't persist on it after listening to her words and received the card back.

Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling had seen the different faces of the world. They didn't wish to spend all the money they had obtained to gain all they had before back. Their state of mind was calm.

However, Jiang Xiu needed a house for himself. He desired to cultivate every day, and that'd undoubtedly gather attention. Even if he did buy a house for his parents, he needed another for himself.

After dinner, Jiang Xiu called Tang Zhenshan.

"Mr. Jiang!"

Jiang Xiu said, "I want to buy a house, set it up for me." That tone was the same someone used to talk with their family. Tang Zhenshan had helped him out a lot today by spending a few 100 million. Deity Xiu naturally elevated his status in his mind.

At the Immortal Martial Continent, several people hoped to gain the favor of Deity Xiu, just like how the ministers vied for the Emperor's favor in ancient times.

Tang Zhenshan said, "I happen to have an empty villa there. I was planning to live there after retiring but got used to living in the military district as it served as a reminiscence of the time I spent in the army. How about living over there?"

"Okay!"

Soon after, Tang Wenchong came to Cloudlake South Street and handed over the villa's key to Jiang Xiu.

Going across the wetlands villa district, deeper into the wetlands' abyss, the color of the sky turned a shade darker. Fog covered the entire wetland area, making the villa look ethereal.

"This place has good Feng Shui."

He walked on the path made of pebbles towards his new home but ran into a group consisting of a man and two women. It was a middle-aged couple accompanied by a pretty girl.

This was a real coincidence!

The girl's face blushed when she saw Jiang Xiu. She didn't know whether she should call out to him or not. After hesitating for a while, she finally called out, "Jiang Xiu!"

"What are you doing here?"

The girl was none other than his classmate, Ye Bing!

"Hey, it's really a coincidence."

He looked towards the man beside Ye Bing, "This must be Uncle Ye, right? Hello, Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye."

His spoke too politely! Deity Xiu had never acted with such courtesy!

After meeting his parents today, his attitude became quite a lot humbler and earthly. If he had said 'this Deity' again, Papa Ye and Mama Ye's complexion would've turned ashen.

After Ye Yiliang had heard the rumors during the party, he'd lost the mood to keep attending the party, and this was the reason he had escaped the supernatural event that day.

Returning home, he'd talked with his wife, learned all the facts and was filled with rage.

"You're that Jiang Xiu?"

Ye Bing's pretty pupils opened wide when she realized that her father recognized who he was. Her face turned red up to the ears. Mom must've told Dad about the time when she caught us on the bed.

She couldn't bear the embarrassment and ran away.

"Bingbing!"

Mama Ye rushed after her, fearing something might happen to her darling daughter.

Jiang Xiu didn't expect that Ye Bing would feel so embarrassed and couldn't help smile. He too felt awkward and helpless about that day's matter turning out this way.

Ye Yiliang furrowed his brows when he saw the smile of Jiang Xiu's face, "I heard your family runs a fruit stall."

"Yes!"

"Your father was in prison once?"

"Yes!"

"You know who I am?"

"I know."

Ye Yiliang nodded, "You're quite calm and bold. I hear your martial arts skills are top-notch as well. You've defeated the entire Martial Arts Division of the First High and even fought off 200 underlings of Big Lei at Entertainment City."

"Everyone has things they are good at."

Ye Yiliang scoffed, "Your martial arts aren't weak, and you also have a good relationship with Young Master Tang Wenchong. It isn't excessive that you've tried to get together with a pretty girl like Bingbing."

"However, Ye Bing is different from other pretty girls."

Jiang Xiu asked, "How is she different?"

Ye Yiliang said with pride, "She's my daughter."

"You want to become her man?"

"YOU ARE U-N-Q-U-A-L-I-F-I-E-D!" His gaze was filled with endless contempt as he said those words full of self-confidence.

Jiang Xiu asked, "Oh? Really? What are those qualifications?"

"As far as family matters are concerned, a military rank of soldier, an executive authority of the municipal level. By the age of 30, the person must reach the military position of a colonel and have an executive authority of the district level."

"Your martial arts are pretty high, so you can join a famous university and become a martial arts champion, but that's your limit."

Saying this, he passed by Jiang Xiu and lightly patted Jiang Xiu's shoulders as if to console him, that reality was in truth cruel. His pat was to soothe the painful feelings of resignation Jiang Xiu felt after losing his daughter, Ye Bing.

Jiang Xiu smiled coolly then his gaze fell on Ye Yiliang's back as he spoke with a mild tone, "This De… Ye Bing and I are just classmates and nothing more."

"You're just overthinking this!"

Ye Yiliang turned back and gave a similar smile, "That's best then." He left in large strides after saying that but secretly shook his head. His evaluation of Jiang Xiu had fallen a bit. He was caught with Bingbing red-handed on the bed and was separated from her by them, the elders. If such a man lacked the courage to admit what he'd done, that meant he had already lost the foundation to achieve success.

He was actually planning to guide Jiang Xiu, make him stay as far away from his daughter as possible. But now, he already held Jiang Xiu in contempt.

A group of men revealed themselves from a hidden location. They appeared solemn and well trained as they tailed behind Ye Yiliang. They were his bodyguards, and each one of them was extraordinary.

From their appearance, they were a notch higher than Tang Zhenshan's bodyguards.

Their leader, an old man, gave his piece as he passed by Jiang Xiu, "Brat, the Young Master rarely thinks of guiding someone from the younger generation. Do you still not realize your mistake?"

"What?"

The old man lamented when he saw Jiang Xiu act so ignorant.

"Since you've asked, let me explain it to you."

He sneered at Jiang Xiu, "The Young Master isn't unreasonable. As long as you admit your relationship with the Miss, and promise to renounce it. He can grant you a future with just a single word in return. But you've missed this chance due to your ignorance and timidness."

"You could've become a person like the Young Master, but now, you'll only end up as someone like me."

He believed that with Ye Yiliang's guidance, even if Jiang Xiu isn't able to become a formidable person like Ye Yiliang or Tang Zhenshan, he'd still accomplish himself in life. But now, Jiang Xiu will end up as a thug at most. One was the Master and the other a servant. Even if he were to climb ranks, he'd only become a top-level servant.

He'll be in someone else's debt forever!

After explaining it, the old man patted Jiang Xiu's shoulders while he passed by him. As if to comfort his ignorance and frustration, as an indication that it was too late. .

He didn't even take a look back.

Jiang Xiu blinked, and then replied calmly, "That favor in your eyes is nothing but a joke in my eyes."

"What?"

The old man's face turned ice-cold when he heard that, causing him to turn back, "Egotistical, stupid brat!"

He flung his robe's sleeve and took his leave.

This old man had already reached the martial arts grandmaster stage, but in Jiang Xiu's eyes, it was nothing. Let alone him, in Jiang City, perhaps even in the entire Jiangnan province as well as whole China or even on this planet, just who could contend with Jiang Xiu?

Even if a person possessed power enough to overthrow the heavens when compared to the lifetime Deity Xiu had beheld, they'd be nothing but dirt on the road.

The old man passed through the river passage and caught up with Ye Yiliang.

Ye Yiliang was gazing at the wetlands water surface which was covered by the mist. Under the dusk, the scenery appeared like a fairyland. He asked, "Old Lin, what were you talking about with that youngster?"

Ye Yiliang was interested to hear it.

"You weren't advising him on how to handle me, right?"

A Master and servant rarely joked around like this. It just showed that they considered Jiang Xiu as insignificant.

However, he wasn't expecting the old man's face to turn gloomy. He replied in a thick and furious tone, "He's still a child who doesn't know how the world works."

Ye Yiliang felt surprised, "What happened? Did that brat offend you?"

"His ignorance is too ridiculous. He said that the Young Master's guidance is worthless, a joke in his eyes."

"What?"

Ye Yiliang couldn't believe what he heard.

"Too arrogant!"

This wasn't arrogance but more like ignorance, "Let it be, ignore him. Old Lin, we've received information that Lin Zhenbei has returned. It looks like the rumor was true. He indeed returned to take over Jiang City this time."

"He dares to have such an ambition when he's nothing."

The old man felt this matter to be very funny.

"I'll have to trouble Old Lin again this time."

Old Lin smiled faintly, "Feel relieved, Young Master. Lin Zhenbei can only dance on my palms."

"If Young Master weren't too young in those days and didn't lack in subordinates, you wouldn't have had to find Tang Zhenshan to confront Lin Zhenbei and also surrender this Jiang City to him readily. Otherwise, you'd be ruling over Jiang City by now."

Ye Yiliang said, "It was also a blessing in disguise. If I weren't forced to leave home then, my grandfather wouldn't have asked Old Lin to accompany me. It's no harm. Though delayed by 10 years, it isn't too late."

Old Lin could feel Ye Yiliang's heart steady itself, "However, if Young Master wants to take over Jiang City now, you'll have to contend with Tang Zhenshan for it. That old fellow has placed his roots deep into Jiang City these past 10 years. It won't be easy to handle him."

Ye Yiliang muttered, "Lin Zhenbei's too petty. He didn't even go all-out and only chopped one of Tang Zhenshan's arms off. It looks like the incident in the past had scared him plenty."

"Only, Tang Zhenshan's already 70 now, and he's already lost an arm. I've just arrived into my forties. I can simply wait for him to die."

…

Jiang Xiu entered the villa. It was arranged with ancient looking objects, making it look quite elegant. It was evident that Tang Zhenshan had arranged this villa with meticulous care as he was planning to use it when he retired.

After living a life of glory, one indeed desires to enjoy life after growing old.

His gaze cruised past the villa. After calculating the Feng Shui directions, he chose a master room to live in and prepared to cultivate. At this moment, he received a message on his cell phone.

Taking a look at it, it seemed to be from Ye Bing.

Ye Bing: Jiang Xiu, you scoundrel. I was punished by my mom because of you.

Jiang Xiu: How's that related to this Deity?

Ye Bing: If you hadn't come to look for me, my mother wouldn't have punished me.

Jiang Xiu: Stop kidding yourself. This Deity's new house is over here.

Ye Bing: Your house is here? Stop trying to cheat me! Scoundrel, don't appear in front of this lady at school. I'll hit you every time you do.

After sending this message, Ye Bing threw her phone on the bed. She was really furious, and for some reason, her cheeks were blushing quite fervently.

Jiang Xiu also placed his phone on the king-sized bed, "Idiot. You want to fight with this Deity? Do you think this Deity is still the same as before, without any magic force?"

"This Deity has already reached the Awakening Stage's 2nd Mythical Realm. Even Grandmasters aren't my opponent, let alone you this little silly girl. You speak such conceited nonsense that you'll hit me every time I appear in front of you? If you had said these words on the Immortal Martial Continent towards the Sect Master of the Heaven Treading Sect, that'd be equivalent to a mortal crime."

"Hmph! Stinky girl!"

He grunted and then sat cross-legged to start cultivating.

There was still some energy left from the spectral energy he had gained before. This energy was quite precious to him as the spiritual force on Earth had depleted. He naturally wanted to absorb all of it.

It was just like how a person who had eaten luxury foods would have to lick the bowl clean when it was the time of famine.

Although it sounded wretched, Deity Xiu was helpless as well.

The Divinity Cultivation Art he was cultivating was a very tyrannical cultivation art. It absorbed the outside world's forces into the body and allowed a person to increase their cultivation quickly. Therefore, their cultivation levels were a bit unstable. In case a problem occurs while cultivating or if they sustained injuries, it'd be easy for that person's cultivation to fall.

Due to this reason that although the Divine race was dominant at the Immortal Martial Continent, in case they got seriously hurt, they'd take a longer time to recover than others. However, it was possible to complement this defect by purifying the energy and consolidating the cultivation. Jiang Xiu possessed many arts to do that in his mind.

"Finally."

"Hmm?"

His eyes opened all of a sudden. He had hardly begun to purify his magic force when he felt a mysterious energy fluctuation within the house. He immediately got down the bed and narrowed his eyes, trying to find the source of that energy.

He was very excited as an energy entity was equivalent to a heavenly treasure towards his Divinity Cultivation.

After passing through the corridors in the house, he appeared in front of a wooden door. He pushed it open and discovered an ancient tea room inside. A Shrine was set up in the tea room. There was no incense burning in front of the Shrine, and the energy wasn't coming from it. It was instead coming from a mask set up above the Shrine.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Xiu took the mask down. The mask was similar to those terracotta warriors around the Sichuan region. It had enormous eyes as well as a giant mouth, making it appear somewhat malevolent. It was a crude piece of work and even had rust on it.

"This is…"

Jiang Xiu was quite shocked.

"This is Divine Force…"

The amount of shock Jiang Xiu felt wasn't small. After some thought, he realized it wasn't a strange matter. Since he was able to awaken the Divine race's bloodline in his body, it shows that humans were descendants of the Divine race. It was normal that an item belonging to the gods was left behind. He felt that it was strange for it to exist after so many years.

He turned the mask over; its back was bumpy and uneven, seeming without any pattern to it. From this, he could infer that this wasn't a mask but rather a fragment of a bronze statue.

His slender finger ran past it, making it emit a bit of energy. Jiang Xiu's index finger trembled a little as his expression turned solemn due to that. He muttered to himself, "Divine Faith."

If he hadn't guessed it wrong, this fragment belonged to a God's Sculpture.

"This form…"

Jiang Xiu had seen several Divine races. Each one of them had their own characteristics. Though he hadn't seen all of them, he knew countless. He had even learned about Divine races whose lineage had ended by referring to ancient books. Still, he had never seen one that was similar to the current form of the bronze statue.

There was one fraudulent thing about this bronze statue, which was that it wasn't possible to record the Divine race's real features on it. The believers would usually make a sculpture with a remarkable resemblance, keeping the actual face of the God obscure. Whether to mystify it or to avert blasphemy, no matter the reason, it wasn't possible to view it clearly. On top of this, it seemed like this was a crude piece of work. It was also quite tricky to identify it as the bronze statue had corroded along with the passage of time. It was also possible that the specific trait to the Divine race was on the torso or some other part.

"Such a weak Divine Faith…"

"Maybe a dead lineage?"

If the Divine Faith were still prosperous, the amount of power wouldn't be this less. This power wasn't even enough to send a sound transmission, but this gave hope to Jiang Xiu.

Even if a mosquito was small, it was still meat.

He picked up the cell phone and called Tang Zhenshan again. The Old Father had already slept, so A'Dong was the one who picked it up. Noticing that the call was from Jiang Xiu, he immediately woke the Old Father up. Although it was hard on the Old Father, he didn't dare to make any mishaps when it comes to Jiang Xiu.

He had instructed that no matter when or where, if only Mr. Jiang called, the call must be attended to immediately.

"God's sculpture?"

This bronze statue mask indeed possessed divine faith energy. Since Tang Zhenshan had placed it above the shrine as an object of worship, Jiang Xiu surmised that he'd have information about this mask or else he wouldn't have worshiped it.

"Oh, right! God's sculpture!"

Only now did Tang Zhenshan remember the shrine inside the tea room of his villa. He had learned that after setting up a God's sculpture, it's easier to enter the Zen state.

He had thought about it well when he had decorated it but forgot about this matter since he never went to live there.

"Is there something wrong with that God's sculpture?"

"Where did this mask come from? Are there more sculptures?"

"It's best if it's the complete sculpture."

This God's sculpture was a damaged product, so the power it possessed was too weak. If it were a complete sculpture, it'd contain a significant amount of energy, which can help him promote his strength a little.

"There aren't any more of it. As for its history…" Tang Zhenshan muttered to himself before saying, "Mr. Jiang, have you ever heard this phrase? It's called - Gather, Dao Soldiers; For the Immortal Gods shall open the Gate."

"I haven't heard of it before."

Jiang Xiu's knowledge and experience were very superficial in the previous timeline, he had no understanding of the supernatural and even believed that there weren't any such things like ghost and gods in the world as he had never encountered these matters.

A young woman in a pink nurse uniform placed a cushion behind Tang Zhenshan so he could lean on the bed. The Old Father arranged his thoughts and explained, "Several hundred years ago, a colossal disaster had descended in Dongzhou district which is to the south of Jiang City. An epidemic caused devastation after the calamity. The people starved and were left with no ways to make a living. During such a time of despair, a strange evil cult had suddenly popped out of nowhere, known as the Heavenly Dao Religion. Their slogan was this - Gather, Dao Soldiers; For the Immortal Gods shall open the Gate."

"If someone believed in them, they were entitled to assume the position of a Dao Soldier. They said that they'll request the Immortal Gods to open the Space-Time Gate and take them away to the World of Immortals, where they could become Immortal Gods. The people in despair felt like they had finally seen hope. It was a very terrible situation. The evil cult developed at an insane speed. Then they vanished for some reason, the same way they made a sudden appearance. Actually, it was even faster, it seemed like they had all disappeared in a night."

Jiang Xiu asked, "This mask is from the God's sculpture that Heavenly Dao Religion worshipped?"

"Yes."

"This God's sculpture doesn't belong to me but rather a strange person who lived in Jiang City before. Mr. Jiang also knows him, it's that Lin Zhenbei. This man is a fanatic, he wished to become a Dao Soldier."

"Martial Arts levels included three realms, Outer Strength, Inner Strength, and Supreme. After reaching the peak, the Supreme stage, it was followed by smashing the void and ascending. Lin Zhenbei's beliefs conformed with the creed of the Heavenly Dao Religion. In case that stage was achieved, the Immortal God would open the Gate to the World of Immortals and take them away."

Jiang Xiu was sure that those so-called three Martial Arts realms were the three realms before the Qi Refining stages on the Immortal Martial Continent and that the Dao Soldier stage was the same as the Foundation Establishment stage of Immortality Cultivation, which was the stage to establish the foundation for an Immortal Body. As for things like smashing the void and ascending, it wasn't possible to achieve that at such a level.

As for 'For the Immortal Gods shall open the Gate,' it was a dubious matter.

Tang Zhenshan continued, "The reason Lin Zhenbei has returned this time is to take revenge on me in passing, his true goal is to become a Dao Soldier."

"Mr. Jiang, do you think that it really exists… the Heavenly Dao Religion?"

Jiang Xiu replied, "When this Deity was a child, an old man once told this Deity that Immortal Gods lived inside the mountains. Everyone would believe such a thing in their childhood, but as they grow up, they would no longer believe it anymore."

"After some time, a Heavenly Dao Religion event will be held in Dongzhou to fight over the position of Dao Soldier."

Jiang Xiu was astonished, "Didn't you say that the Heavenly Dao Religion had disappeared?"

"It had indeed disappeared in those days, but someone is using the Heavenly Dao Religion's name to act now. It isn't known whether it's the same Heavenly Dao Religion from before as many years have passed and there are no written records about it."

"Only, the attraction of the Dao Soldier stage hasn't diminished even a bit."

Jiang Xiu thought about it. In case a martial artist reached the peak of the Supreme stage, he'd sense that there was an even higher stage. Therefore, he'd naturally believe the other things like smashing the void and ascending to become an Immortal.

"Mr. Jiang…"

"Lin Zhenbei was intimidated by Mr. Jiang and so didn't dare to act. But just in case this Dao Soldier thing turns out to be true, and he luckily becomes a Dao Soldier then it'll bring us huge trouble."

"Hahaha…"

Jiang Xiu laughed loudly when he heard those words.

This laugh made Tang Zhenshan feel goosebumps. He could sense the contempt Jiang Xiu held but didn't know what it was directed towards.

"It seems like fun."

If Earth indeed had remnants of the Divine race, it can be considered as a source to obtain power.

Tang Zhenshan was exalted, "Alright, I'll leave everything to Mr. Jiang."

He couldn't sleep in peace until Lin Zhenbei dies.

Jiang Xiu ended the call and then turned the mask in his hand around. A smile rose up on his face. He wanted to test whether this Heavenly Dao Religion's God still existed. Before, he thought that he'd fallen, but now, he still held some doubts. It was possible that God was still alive. The reason was simple, it was because the legend of the Dao Soldier was still disseminating. If the God had fallen, it'd be difficult for the myth to have prospered.

He placed the mask down and opened the drawer that was filled with incense sticks. He took one of them out, used a lighter to light it and then mumbled a few words.

Smoke spiraled up from the incense slowly. It was completely normal in the beginning, but along with the spell, that smoke gathered together and didn't disperse.

"Looks like they're still alive!"

Jiang Xiu had just used a spell to communicate with the God.

That smoke kept rising and assembled into a human-like shape in a speed visible to the naked eyes. A smile perked up on Jiang Xiu's face subconsciously when he saw this; his gaze turned sharper and colder.

It finally formed a vivid and lifelike image of a white-bearded old man.

"Which believer is it? Acting with such sincerity!"

The voice was boundless and seemed to appear from the horizons.

A light flashed by and that image became even more distinct. Although it was condensed from smoke, the ancient clothing, features, as well as the expression on the face were completely clear.

However, what greeted him were Jiang Xiu's ice-cold eyes filled with ridicule.

His expression morphed suddenly, "Who are you?"

He had a bad feeling from Jiang Xiu's expression and also felt a very dangerous aura. This made him feel very frightened.

In the next instant, Jiang Xiu acted.

The old man turned pale with fright.