201-209

Someone at the doorway shouted. The entire manor turned silent all of a sudden. The sound of music and even the wind seemed to have frozen. That demon… had finally arrived!

Everyone's heartbeat sped up. Those sitting couldn't help but stand up. No matter how much authority they had, no matter how many assets they had, no matter how senior they were, all of them stood up and looked towards the entrance.

Cheng Lingsu's mind was abuzz as well. She had a bad feeling. Crown Prince is plotting to handle you, and you actually walked right into it? What are you thinking? She wanted to shout loudly and warn Jiang Xiu so that he could escape, but she didn't do it in the end and merely gazed at the entrance nervously.

The stream of people entering through the doorway parted to the sides as a figure walked in. The vast, pitch-black night sky lied behind him. It seemed as if he was melting together with the sky. The night seemed to encroach the land along with each of his step. Everyone's breath turned rushed as they found it difficult to breathe. The person's figure became clearer when he entered the area, and everyone stopped breathing for a moment.

There was no sound at all. It became deathly silent.

Jiang Luoxia had arrived!

This man had half of Jiangnan under him. The Tang family and the Jin family who had offended him were eradicated, their entire families put to death, not even a single one was left alive. None of the formidable characters which appeared in Jiangnan in the past were so awful.

This man caused everyone to panic.

"M-Mr. Jiang…"

The entire West Lake Manor was on alert as if they were facing a huge enemy.

This consisted of Crown Prince Ao, the Ji family, the Dong family, the Li family, comprising all the wealthy businessmen, and the other elite families who had long ago formed a powerful alliance. The power this group held was enough to turn over Jiangnan completely. The civil and military power they held was enough to match up to a medium-sized country in Southeast Asia.

These members were the framework of Jiangnan's future over the next decade.

All the big powers of Jiangnan didn't dare to resist due to the backing Crown Prince possessed. Almost all of Jiangnan had paid allegiance to him except for a few families who still supported Jiang Luoxia. The difference was too apparent. If it weren't so, why wouldn't Jiang Luoxia appear for three days?

"Crown Prince Ao has already risen to power!"

An old man standing at a distance sighed deeply.

"If Mr. Jiang had appeared on the first day and made a counterattack, the experts of Jiangnan wouldn't have taken Crown Prince Ao's side. But because Mr. Jiang didn't appear, they believed he was scared of fighting, and Crown Prince Ao used this opportunity to suppress Jiangnan."

"We can't blame Mr. Jiang as well since Ji Wudao's prestige is well-established."

"It's too late now."

Actually, everyone didn't revere Demigods that much as in the modern times, wars were something of the past. Almost everyone had forgotten what's called a massacre. Only when Mr. Jiang appeared did they realized what a Demigod signified. They believed Mr. Jiang was afraid of Ji Wudao and there was even the colossal Imperial City's Jiang family to consider as well.

"Jiang Luoxia is still young in the end. One careless move is enough to lose the game. Since he had endured it till now, he should've kept enduring…"

Li Chengfeng saw Jiang Xiu come over and said, "You…"

Before he could finish, Jiang Xiu's gaze swept across him. He suddenly raised his hand. The air seemed to twist under the lighting as a ripple of energy traveled across the sky. By the time everyone understood what happened, they were already crying out in fear.

Puchi!

Li Chengfeng's head got chopped off.

"H-He murdered him?"

The officials of Jiangnan were stunned. All of them cried out in fear as if the party had suffered a terrorist attack.

"CHENGFENG! CHENGFENG"

Li Muteng screamed, losing control of his emotions after seeing his son die so tragically. He gazed at Jiang Xiu with shock and hate.

"Shut up!"

Jiang Xiu didn't even glance at him and just moved his hand. Li Muteng was cut into pieces as if he were a block of wood put into the dicing machine, getting killed at the scene.

"OH MY GOD!"

Everyone was utterly shocked!

The Li father and son pair were the 2nd most significant pieces of Crown Prince Ao at Jiangnan, yet they were slaughtered like chickens. Crown Prince Ao had already risen in power and suppressed Jiangnan, yet Jiang Luoxia still dared to provoke him by murdering right in front on him.

Does he want to use brute force to solve this?

Crown Prince Ao remained calm after seeing this. It's just that an ominous glint similar to electric sparks flashed inside his eyes.

"You're quite brave!"One of the Ji family's member couldn't restrain his anger, "You dare to kill people from the Li family in front of Crown Prince Ao? What do you take our Ji family for? Do you think we don't dare to kill people?"

The entire West Lake Manor turned silent.

"Brother Chong, bring him over."

All the young masters and ladies stood there, trembling in fear, fearing they, the ordinary people, would become casualties in this fight between immortals.

"Okay!"

Ji Chong walked over towards Jiang Xiu.

"Please come over, Jiang Luoxia!"

Ji Chong made a gesture, indicating Jiang Xiu can pass. This was a clever trick by Jiang Ao to undermine Jiang Luoxia's position and a commonly seen trick. When two leaders meet each other, the difference in who went over to meet and who waited for the person revealed a lot. The one with the upper hand waited for the other person. Ji Chong's actions clearly indicated that Jiang Ao's identity held the upper hand.

"Hmph!"

Jiang Xiu sneered. In a face-off against a real expert, only power mattered. All these dirty tricks were psychological warfare played in politics. He didn't care about it at all.

He walked at his own pace as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

Descend, the nine mythical arts, cleanse the heavens, a thousand years of karma, an artless heart yet romantic. A real expert killed formlessly while chatting, coming and going as one wished in a free, unconstrained manner. Such was the aura exuded by the Demigod ranked as No. 11 of the Demigod Ranking, Jiang Luoxia!

Two old men who stood far away exclaimed in admiration!

It was indeed extraordinary!

Everyone watched Jiang Luoxia with rapt attention.

"Since Jiang Luoxia has arrived, it'll be hard for Ji Yicong and Crown Prince Ao to withstand him unless Ji Wudao shows up."

The old man wore a look of wisdom.

Only those who belonged to his category knew the true meaning of the word, Demigod, and knew how awful Jiang Xiu truly was. It wasn't possible to resist a Demigod rampaging in this world just by relying on family background.

"You're Jiang Luoxia?"

Ji Yicong could feel Jiang Xiu's power, he was definitely an absolute expert. The breath on Jiang Xiu's body vaguely reminded him of his ancestor. When he listened carefully, he could even sense Jiang Xiu's inner breath rumble like thunder.

"This question would've been fine if it was Ji Wudao asking it. You aren't qualified to ask it!" On that day, Jiang Xiu had returned to the Wang family's old residence, which was now the Jiang Mansion, and decided to cultivate as the environment there was quite suitable. He had spent three days cultivating there when he got a call from Lin Shu from his high school. He told him that Cheng Lingsu got captured by Crown Prince Ao. The reason he had come here wasn't that he cared about Cheng Lingsu's life or death, but rather because he wouldn't be able to account it to his mother.

The reason Ji Yicong could sense Jiang Xiu's inner breath was that he was cultivating. If it were during an ordinary situation, it wouldn't have been easy to detect it.

"Audacious!"

Ji Yicong continued, "You believe you're qualified to…"

Jiang Xiu waved his hand before Ji Yicong finished speaking, releasing a bright energy pulse towards him. It traveled a distance of a few meters in the blink of an eye.

Ji Yicong's expression changed immediately. He planned to use his cultivation to block it. He was an outstanding talent of the Ji family, an expert of the Supreme Stage and only a step away from the Demigod Stage, but he never expected that just a casual wave from Jiang Xiu would be so powerful.

He only saw the white light flash across his eyes after which everything went dark. His consciousness had already disappeared. Just like the Li father and son pair, he too got beheaded.

The members of the Ji family were no different from ordinary people to Mr. Jiang.

"Who do you think you are? Even if Ji Wudao stood in front of this Deity, he wouldn't dare to speak like that to me."

"Uncle Co…" Jiang Ao, who believed victory was in his grasp, felt his voice get jammed in his throat. He couldn't remain calm anymore and stood up. His eyes became red and cheeks twitched as he saw his future uncle, Ji Yicong's dead body on the ground.

As for Jiang Xiu, he had already walked past him and took a seat with jazz.

Crown Prince Ao was standing right now and Jiang Xiu sitting. The positions had interchanged.

All the high-up attitude Crown Prince Ao had built up just now had collapsed with only a single hit from Jiang Xiu. Not even trace of it remained. There was even a trace of powerlessness on his face right now.

All the family heads of the influential families of Jiangnan, the elders, the young masters, the young ladies, kept quiet out of fear and bowed their head one after another, not daring to utter a word.

Mr. Jiang was too terrifying!

He had killed 3 people so casually. This made them panic.

"V-Very good."

Crown Prince Ao trembled all over.

At this moment, everyone was frightened. A chill passed through their heart. They never expected that Mr. Jiang would counterattack so crudely yet also target the crucial factors involved.

No matter how much you scheme, I'll break through it using force.

That's what his actions seemed to convey.

In front of absolute power, schemes and tricks were nothing. They couldn't even withstand a single hit from him. He had killed the core people Crown Prince Ao relied on with a wave of his hand and the Ji family's representative with another. His ruthlessness had made them piss in their pants. Crown Prince Ao's face was dyed in fear right now.

Entire Jiangnan was shocked at this moment.

Jiang Luoxia hadn't appeared for 3 days and gave a false impression to everyone that he was afraid of battling and withdrawing from Jiangnan. They believed he was scared of Ji Wudao.

However, Jiang Luoxia had returned answered everyone with a big, loud slap to their face.

Slap!

Everyone was left stupefied by this slap.

This slap might be even accompanied by Jiang Luoxia's retaliation.

Dong family's family head who stood behind Crown Prince Ao began to shiver, losing strength in his legs. He was almost about to lose consciousness and fall to the ground anytime. Those elite families who supported Crown Prince Ao made ugly, dumbfounded faces right now. If Mr. Jiang didn't fall, the only end that would await them is the same as the Tang family and the Jin family.

Crown Prince Ao said, "Do you know who you killed just now?"

"Who?"

Crown Prince Ao's eyes were filled with fury, "It's Ji Wudao's great-grandson, the youngest one."

"And?"

Crown Prince Ao continued, "Y-You really want to make an enemy out of my Jiang family and Ji family?"

Jiang Xiu smiled coldly and couldn't help but want to ask whether he is dumb, "Your Jiang family closed down by industries in the Imperial Capital as well as in Jiangnan. Since you dared to do that, you have to face the consequences for it."

Crown Prince Ao said, "Jiang Luoxia, don't forget that though you're a Demigod, the Ji family also has a Demigod. Moreover, the Ji family has close relations with many martial arts families. The Demigod of the Ji family also has many friends as well. The influence, background, strength they possess far exceeds your imagination. Follow my advice. A wise man must submit to the circumstances."

"You can't afford to ever offend some families and people."

"You're talking about your Jiang family?" Jiang Xiu questioned.

His gaze gradually turned cold.

"I really want to know what you'll do. However, I think your Jiang family can't do anything. I crippled all of Jiang Hang's limbs, yet they only sent an ordinary small character like you to deal with me."

"Crown Prince Ao, do you think you're qualified to possess the title of 'Crown Prince'?"

"Absolutely shameless!"

The fear in Crown Prince Ao's eyes turned denser because he could sense the killing intent oozing out of Jiang Xiu almost take form in the real world, "Y-You're thinking of killing me…"

"I'm the Jiang…"

Jiang Xiu's gaze turned ice-cold and his killing intent as hard as steel, his determination unwavering. Jiang Xiu swung the butcher's knife under everyone's alarmed gazes.

The two elders who were sitting at a distance couldn't remain seated anymore. They stood up while crying out, "Jiang Luoxia isn't thinking of killing Old Jiang's grandson, right?"

"Wouldn't that lead to a blood feud?"

"No. Jiang Luoxia won't dare to do it. That's Old Jiang's oldest grandson…"

"He definitely won't dare!!!"

Crown Prince Ao's eyes were full of fear. Everyone's heart had almost leaped up to their throats. They couldn't believe that Crown Prince Ao's descent on Jiangnan would end in such a way. Jiang Ao screamed madly, "I'm from the Jiang family. Do you dare to attack me?"

Jiang Xiu said, "Don't worry. I, Jiang Luoxia never take someone's life for another. I would rather make your entire family disappear from this world."

Puchi!

Blood flew across the sky, splashing above the flowers far away while the tree leaves gently swayed due to the wind.

Crown Prince Ao laid in between a pool of blood.

Hiss!

Everyone drew in a cold breath.

The Dong family's family head couldn't remain standing anymore. His trembling legs couldn't bear his fat body, making him drop on his buttocks. His eyes almost popped out from his head.

"H-He's dead…"

"Crown Prince Ao is dead!"

The entire area became silent again. A deathly silence loomed over everyone.

Jiang Xiu looked towards Ji Chong. He was utterly stupefied right now. Do you have no qualms over murdering someone? Don't you fear the consequences? Such were the thoughts passing through his head. The Ji family had a Demigod, and the Jiang family had Old Jiang yet it appeared that Jiang Xiu was fearless of retaliation from them and hell-bent on becoming their enemies.

"Return and tell Ji Wudao that Jiang Luoxia is waiting to take him on anytime. If he doesn't dare to appear, I'll kill the entire Ji family. I always slaughter the entire families of anyone who offends me."

His voice echoed in the quiet night sky like a sudden clap of thunder, shocking the entire world, scattering away after a long time.

Ji Chong nodded mechanically.

The fact that Mr. Jiang had killed Crown Prince Ao for acting against him and closing down his businesses was already irreversible. Everything depended on the battle now. The question was who will win? Jiang Luoxia or Ji Wudao?

"I-I'll pass it on!"

Jiang Xiu didn't give him another glance and turned towards Cheng Lingsu.

"You keep creating trouble for me!"

Cheng Lingsu was excited right now. Jiang Xiu coming here had made her worried, but she hadn't expected that he would kill use such an overbearing method to kill 4 people right in front of everyone and oppress them like a monarch. Her blood began to race after witnessing all of it, feeling her heartbeat rise up to max, and also felt a sense of pride well up inside her.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Jiang Xiu grunted then looked towards Ouyang Qian and Li Dan. Their faces had lost all color of blood right now. They immediately knelt on the ground when their gazes met Jiang Xiu's gaze. "Susu, we beg you. Please forgive us."

"We didn't do it intentionally."

Lin Shu had hesitated a lot before he made the call to Jiang Xiu. Though he too had broken contact with Cheng Lingsu, after all, they were classmates for 3 years so he couldn't bear to keep watching and revealed everything to Jiang Xiu.

Jiang Xiu all the details about the matter.

"Don't let me see you again."

The two women acted as if they were granted amnesty and rushed to escape from this place.

However, when they reached the doorway, they were blocked by people from the Tang family. Tang Wenchong said, "Did Mr. Jiang say you can leave?"

"Dump them inside West Lake!"

"Yes!"

Jiang Xiu swept his cold gaze across Cheng Lingsu. He hadn't let this woman get habituated to borrowing his power, but she believed she was the wife of the young master of the house and could act in matters related to the family.

He taught a lesson to those two women because they didn't revere him, Jiang Luoxia, and also because they revealed Cheng Lingsu's identity as Jiang Luoxia's wife.

"D-Don't!"

"Mr. Jiang, spare our life!"

The two women yelled sorrowfully.

"Susu, please save us. We are good sisters, right? Please consider our friendship over the three years of high school…" They knew it was useless to beg Jiang Xiu. Therefore, they begged Cheng Lingsu. However, Cheng Lingsu didn't dare to say anything as she too was guilty in this entire incident, so she lowered her head.

Jiang Xiu turned around to leave. Cheng Lingsu followed after him.

All the wealthy people, as well as influential officials, present here called out one after another, "Please take care, Mr. Jiang…"

Crown Prince Ao had made his descent on Jiangnan with fame and power yet Jiang Luoxia had destroyed everything with a single bloodbath. This news had traveled to all corners of Jiangnan like a hurricane.

Deputy Mayor Dong picked up his phone while trembling and called the Jiang family's number, "J-Jiang… Crown Prince Ao got… killed by Jiang Luoxia!"

The tranquil Jiang family exploded in a moment as if it had suffered an air raid.

Jiang Ao got killed.

Elder Jiang raged within the house. The entire house was full of anguish, wails resounding throughout it.

The news that Crown Prince Ao met with a violent death spread across the martial arts circle. The No. 11 ranked Demigod, had invited Ji Wudao for a battle and the Ji family had replied that the outcome of the battle will be decided on the night of Mid-autumn festival in the Capital.

A battle between Demigods hadn't occurred for over half-a-century. It led to various discussions on the martial arts forums online. Many martial artists traveled to the Imperial Capital. Even a few martial arts fans had entered China's Capital from the surrounding nations.

Dark clouds loomed over the Imperial Capital.

By contrast, Jiangnan was peaceful. No changes had occurred over there as everyone was waiting for the outcome of the battle between Jiang Luoxia and Ji Wudao. If Jiang Luoxia won, then he would control all of Jiangnan, and if Ji Wudao won, Jiangnan wouldn't have a Jiang Luoxia anymore.

On that day, after returning home with Jiang Xiu, Cheng Lingsu didn't utter a word as if she were a child who made a mistake. Jiang Xiu didn't even give her a chance to explain or did he want to listen to her explanation. "Return to the Imperial Capital. The matters of the Jiang family are related to you. Don't meddle in it."

"Also, after this matter ends, we'll get divorced. I'll give you whatever you desire at that time. You can sleep in that room tonight. It's empty."

"Divorce?" Cheng Lingsu raised her head, looking at Jiang Xiu with astonishment. She immediately lowered her head sadly, "Mhm!"

Cheng Lingsu wasn't in the mood to sleep, so she took a stroll alone in the yard, going through the beautiful scenery of Jiang Xiu's house, or to more accurately say, appreciating the beautiful scenery of her house. Jiang Xiu was the master, and she was the mistress. She had heard that these gardens belonged to the Wang family before. It was a marvelous place with an excellent Fengshui and better than any of the tourist attractions.

She approached a stone and sat down on it, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the lake ahead of her. The moonlight reflecting on the water surface made it glisten during the night.

Jiang Xiu had spoken of divorce just now. Cheng Lingsu knew that he didn't marry him willingly, but she was unwilling to divorce him.

Didn't I just make a single mistake? Is there a need to reject me so cruelly?

As the Second Young Lady of the Cheng family, she was highly intelligent from her childhood and rarely made such a mistake as she had today. She always believed she was a fortunate girl and possessed beautiful features, that no matter where she went, people would always dote on her, that she could do whatever wanted to. But ever since she ran into Jiang Xiu, misfortune kept visiting her again and again.

She picked up a stone and threw it into the moon reflected in the water, resulting in the moon's reflection rippling along with the waves.

Do you think I'll also ignore you because you ignore me?

I've never acted selfishly ever since I encountered you.

You wicked scoundrel.

She turned her head towards Jiang Xiu's room. Many people had come over tonight. All of them were from Jiang City. She recognized some of them. Jiang City's Tang family and the Zhong family had also arrived. The lights were still on inside the old house. It looked like they were still discussing matters.

She guessed that it was about the duel with that powerful person from the Ji family on the full moon night of the Mid-autumn festival.

He's so powerful. He wouldn't lose, right?

A voice suddenly came through from aside, "Young Lady!"

It was midnight right now, but the lamps were all lit inside the gardens. The light rays were only enough to let people see the road and the other regions were covered in darkness. She was really scared when a voice suddenly appeared.

"My mother!"

Our Second Young Lady Cheng didn't even have the mind to uphold a lady-like image. She cried out and almost fell down into the lake due to the getting scared.

She turned around and saw a 30-year-old woman had arrived beside her. She had a wooden basin with clothes inside them in her hand.

"You want to scare me to my death?"

The woman apologized with a smile, "I'm sorry for scaring you. Mr. Jiang has instructed to tell you to wash these clothes."

"Laundry clothes?"

Cheng Lingsu's eyes grew wide in anger. Jiang Xiu, you're really something. "Why? There are so many people at home. Why should I wash them?"

The woman smiled at her, "Those were mister's instructions."

Are you kidding me?

"Isn't it just putting them in the washing machine?" Cheng Lingsu asked.

The woman replied, "Mister said to tell you to hand wash them. There's a pool over there at the lower reaches. The water is quite pure. After you're done washing them, he told that you have to dry them with a dryer and iron them. Mister will wear the clothes tomorrow."

"What?!"

Cheng Lingsu understood clearly that he wanted to torment her, just like how he had done so in Jiang City. Torment her till she finally can't bear it and honestly divorced him.

She turned back towards the room and scolded ferociously, "You're indeed a scoundrel!"

She revealed a stubborn look on her face then took the wooden basin.

"Okay. I'll do it."

This night was foreordained to be a restless night. A special visitor had come to the Jiang Mansion. He was from a reclusive elite family of Jiangnan, the Nie family.

The person who came called himself Old Nie!

Jiang Xiu accompanied him for a walk in the Jiang Gardens and walked over towards a pavilion situated on a hill. The platform ahead looked just like a mountain peak. The Jiang Gardens had woods as hills and a lake. It was an exceptional land where wind and water gathered. During the Song Dynasty Era, this place was once the Emperor's vacation land.

Standing on the tallest hill in the mansion, a full view of the city ablaze with lights came into view. The impressive mansion stood at a distance from those lights. "Old Nie, please take a seat."

Old Nie gestured back at Jiang Xiu then sat in front of him. He didn't dare to act ostentatiously and sat at the same time as Jiang Xiu. He sighed, "This old man had once come here with my father."

"Oh?"

Old Nie mocked himself, "My father wanted me to pay allegiance to the Wang family so that I can turn from a fish into a dragon, but Wang Jianzhi asserted that I won't achieve much in my life, so he refused to meet me."

"Old Nie, please have some tea!"

Wang Xintong came into the pavilion along with a tray and placed it on the circular stone table inside. She then poured a small cup of tea and set it in front of Old Nie. The night wind carried its delicate fragrance along with it.

"Lady Xintong, I don't dare to accept your tea."

Wang Xintong smiled sweetly, "Elder Nie, it's an honor for Xintong to pour you tea. Please don't think of me as a clueless, little girl. Others might not know of Gold Dragon's name, but I've heard my elders mention it to me."

Old Nie shook his head, assuming a helpless appearance. "Everyone speaks of me too highly."

Jiang Xiu finally became aware of this old man's identity.

"So, it's Gold Dragon, Nie Yin."

Jiang Xiu noticed him only due to his profound cultivation. It could be considered top-notch in this world. Since he dared to appear at a Demigod's house and set foot into the Jiang Mansion, addressing Jiang Xiu as Mr. Jiang, he naturally wasn't an ordinary person.

Jiang Xiu said, "I wonder why Old Nie has paid a visit so late into the night?"

A solemn expression appeared on Old Nie's face. "Mr. Jiang, you acted too heavily tonight. The Li family isn't anything, so is the Dong family. Even Ji Yicong whom you killed is nothing, but Jiang Ao is different. He's Old Jiang's eldest grandson and the rope tying the Jiang family and the Ji family. Old Jiang and that person from the Ji family care about him very much as he's quite important to both families."

"Hehe!"

Jiang Xiu sneered, "Jiang family and the Ji family joined hands and sent Crown Prince Ao to Jiangnan to seize my foundation at Jiangnan. They even closed down all my industries so openly. If I didn't kill him, anyone would come to take advantage of me. Even you would've looked down on me, right?"

"An insignificant Jiang family's member died. So what? I definitely won't let the Jiang family and the Ji family off."

He played it down with his words to hide his true intentions.

Old Nie said, "If the information gathered by my Nie family is correct. Mr. Jiang has killed three Demigods. Wang Jiangzhi, Jin Mu Sen, and another person."

Jiang Xiu remained calm, but he was amazed inwardly.

"Ji Wudao is different from all of them."

"The Ji family was established around 4-500 years ago. Each family experiences unrest in the wake of the modern era and either drop or rise in position. The Ji family is no exception to it. It has experienced three significant events. The first time was during the reign of the Ming Emperor, the family was in dire straits, but a person called Ji Yong saved the family and brought it to a peak. The second time was after over a hundred years since the first event happened, during the peaceful reign of the Qing Emperor. The family had suffered another huge crisis, and a person called Ji Depei appeared to kill the powerful enemy. The third time was during WW1, Ji Wudao appeared then."

It was inevitable for a family to go through ups and downs of fortune, so Jiang Xiu didn't find anything wrong with it.

Old Nie continued, "However, according to the data gathered by my Nie family, we reached an astonishing conclusion. In fact, Ji Yong, Ji Depei, and Ji Wudao are all the same person."

Bang!

The tray in Wang Xintong's hand fell to the ground.

The matters which Old Nie had revealed were secret information from centuries ago. There weren't many who knew of them. "Wang Jianzhi, Jin Mu Sen, and the other Demigod had only lived for 200 years, but according to the information my Nie family gathered, Ji Wudao has lived for over 400 years and perhaps even longer."

Even Jiang Xiu couldn't remain calm after hearing this.

500 years, an Earth Immortal.

No matter how, if only a human lived for 500 years, a qualitative change would occur in that human. An ordinary human would become an Immortal, an animal would become a Spirit. It was possible that the ancestor of this Ji family had already become an Immortal or perhaps even a God.

"Sixty years ago, when China was invaded by invaders, the entire land was full of flames. A Japanese organization known as the Black Dragon Organization who were well versed in the Yin-Yang Arts had oppressed the martial artists of China, making them lower their heads. Ji Wudao had a bitter fight at the Pinghai shore and defeated the leader of the Black Dragon Organization, making him return home and take an oath that he would never enter China as long as Ji Wudao is alive."

"Do you know any details of the battle?" Jiang Xiu asked.

Old Nie shook his head, "It's unknown, but everyone knows the outcome."

"There were many battles like these during WW2. Huaxia had suffered humiliation back then, and many despots rose up. The entire country was enveloped in the flames of war, and this dazzling battle stood out among the country's resistance against the invaders, being passed on as an ode by many people."

Jiang Xiu muttered to himself. He couldn't help but tone down his pride. From all the information there was a high possibility that Ji Wudao might be a God. This wasn't similar to the immature Golden Guardian of the desert city. If Ji Wudao really lived for over 500 years, that meant he had indeed reached the divine stage. Even if Jiang Xiu had several magical skills, they can't complement the difference in power.

"Therefore, I've made this trip to advise Mr. Jiang. You're just 20 years old and have a long future ahead of you. Use this opportunity to escape."

Jiang Xiu stood up and walked towards the railing of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, gazing towards the starry skies. "I understand your intentions in coming to persuade me, but although you found out how scary Ji Wudao is, you couldn't figure out kind of existence this Deity is."

Old Nie looked towards his back and felt as if Jiang Xiu was blending with the world at this moment. It was as if he were swallowing everything. His clothes fluttered, and his hair waved due to the wind, slowly resulting in a transformation of his appearance. It seemed as if he were a Deity far above the secular world. Although Old Nie was shocked, he still shook his head.

The 2nd Form of Deification is indeed incredible. It isn't like you aren't strong. You're already powerful enough, but your opponent is much, much stronger than you.

Jiang Xiu said, "Since Old Nie believes that Ji Wudao's cultivation is higher than mine, why did you come visit me then? Aren't you scared that Ji Wudao will come to find you later?"

Old Nie said, "It's because you're only 20 years old and the first Demigod to appear after WW2."

Jiang Xiu laughed loudly, "Does Old Nie cherish talents?"

Old Nie said, "Cherishing talents is just one reason. The other reason is that Mr. Jiang is like a rare commodity worth investing in. The Nie family had no choice but to act. If Mr. Jiang has some accomplishments in the future, I hope you'll remember that I rushed to inform you tonight and grace us with your favor."

Jiang Xiu felt that this old man was really frank. He liked people like these and disliked those hypocrites. Those people obviously come over with an aim in mind but act as if they were a saint here to help.

"I won't leave!" Jiang Xiu stated.

Old Nie became anxious. The Nie family had waited for a Demigod for a long time, almost a century. "Mr. Jiang, is it worth the trouble? Are you going to fight Ji Wudao for upholding face?"

"That's just a barbarian act!"

Jiang Xiu answered calmly, "Even if Ji Wudao is a God, he might not be able to do anything to me."

Old Nie said, "Having confidence is a good thing, but… let it be. Since Mr. Jiang is determined on doing it, this old man will drop the matter." Saying so, he got up.

He thought - Very few people have really become Gods over China's history of 6 millenniums, but no proof has ever been recorded. However, the only thing which was clearly written was that Gods must not be offended. If Ji Wudao is indeed a God, then even if all the Demigods of the world gathered together, they won't be able to do anything to him.

"I'll say goodbye then!"

It was apparent that he didn't believe Jiang Xiu's words.

After leaving the Jiang Mansion, he couldn't help but take a glance back. This old garden was full of historic charm. He sighed deeply and shook his head. His heart was filled with disappointment.

Feeling that it was a pity for the Nie family and even greater pity for Jiang Xiu.

Wang Xintong was worried, "Old Nie is knowns as the Gold Dragon, Nie Yin. This person has studied each family's history right from his childhood and traveled all over the world. His knowledge towards matters is pretty unusual. He even found out the secrets of Ji Wudao. Wouldn't it be better to listen to his advice and lay low abroad?"

"Money can be earned easily."

"You're still quite young, so it won't be too late if you return after Ji Wudao passes away."

Wang Xintong said, "I'll always follow you."

Jiang Xiu smiled at her, "If Old Nie's inference is correct, it's possible Ji Wudao has lived for over 500 years."

"Isn't that good then? Since he has lived for 500 years, he definitely won't live longer. Who knows what might happen after a few years?"

"A deer which lives for 500 years becomes a White Deer, if it lives for another 500 years, it becomes a Mystic Deer. When Han became Emperor, the people of Zhongshan caught a Mystic Deer and cooked it. Its bones were black in color and suitable for an ingredient for creating a potion of immortality. The food created from the Mystic Deer increased the lifespan by 2000 years."

Wang Xintong was bewildered.

Jiang Xiu said, "Live for 500 years, and you become an Earth Immortal. If Ji Wudao has indeed lived for over 500 years, he's already become an Earth Immortal and can live up to 2000 years. You want me to live longer than him?"

"Aaah?"

Wang Xintong's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Live for 2000 years?"

A dynasty lasted over 200 years, and history was quite long already. If a person could live for 2000 years, he was no different from an Immortal.

It was no wonder they were called Earth Immortals.

"Then why are you…"

Since Ji Wudao was so powerful, she believed it was best to avoid him. She couldn't understand why he insisted on persevering. Earth was quite big, and all it would require was to live incognito or undergo plastic surgery. Ji Wudao wouldn't be able to find him even if he wanted to.

Jiang Xiu smiled coolly then walked over towards his room.

"The list of all those from Jiangnan who must be killed is already prepared. Notify Bodhi Gene to act. Since the Jiang family has dared to step here, they must pay the price for it."

"Kill all of them?" Wang Xintong asked.

Her complexion turned pale as she shivered. The list contained over 1000 people and involved over 20 families. Moreover, these people were all influential officials of Jiangnan.

She didn't dare imagine what kind of chaos it would lead Jiangnan to if all of them were killed.

"Kill them!"

Jiang Xiu's tone didn't have the slightest amount of hesitation.

The people of Jiangnan had no idea that the butcher's knife had fallen over the peaceful night. The full moon in the sky was covered by black clouds at some time.

"Hmm?"

Cheng Lingsu was at the pool, doing laundry when it started raining. She raised her head to welcome a drop of rain on her face. In an instant, it turned into a massive downpour. She covered her head with her hands and ran towards the distant corridor.

"How come it started raining all of a sudden?"

Rumble!

Lightning streaked across the pitch-black sky. A dozen ghost-like shadows quietly invaded a mansion in Hang City, blood sprayed across the sky along with heads tumbling down.

In another manor at Hang City, mournful screams resounded all over the place. A person crawled out of the house drenched in blood all over, but the butcher's knife jabbed into his back heartlessly.

Ninghai, Xianshan, as well as Jiang City, were shrouded under this heavy rain. Every moment thunder flashed across the skies, scarlet blood mixed along with the water flowing on the ground.

Everyone knew who did it, but there was no evidence. The people at the Imperial Capital knew the reason it had happened. Crown Prince Ao had acted high-profile when he descended to Jiangnan, and Jiang Xiu acted even more high-profile than him. It was as if he was provoking Jiang Yishan, asking him whether he can face this kind of consequence.

This matter would lead to chaos in Jiangnan, and inevitably provoke Diaoyutai's ire.

Wang Xintong was constantly worried about it, so she called Gu Dezhi before dawn. Gu Dezhi lost all his drowsiness after hearing about it. If Wang Xintong hadn't called him, the sight of Jiangnan in the morning after he woke up would've been something else entirely. He immediately used the army to handle the aftermath so that those dead bodies aren't exposed.

Around the dawn of the morrow, those soldiers donned in raincoats settled everything. Luckily, it was raining quite heavily or else it would've been difficult to conceal the scent of blood drifting in the air.

The Jiang family was full of hate due to Jiang Ao getting killed, and no one had slept the entire night as everyone was suffering from anguish. They were waiting for the body to arrive so that they could see him one last time before handing the posthumous matters.

Ye Mi anxiously rushed inside at this moment, "Elder, something huge has happened."

Elder Jiang waved his hand, "Don't say it. My grandson's body is going to arrive. I don't want to hear about anything else right now…" Jiang Ao was his greatest hope, someone he was planning to make his successor. But now…

The most painful thing in this world is for a gray-haired person to send off a black-haired person.

Ye Mi said anxiously, "T-This matter is critical."

The other members of the Jiang family looked at Ye Mi with disgust. Can't you see where you are? This is the mourning hall. Everyone's wearing mourning garments, and the lady has almost lost consciousness due to crying. Has your sight become so worse that you can't see all this?

Ye Mi furrowed his brows, "The big shots, as well as the officials from over 20 families, nearly a 1000 people who had supported Jiang Ao, were all slaughtered today at daybreak. None of them escaped alive."

Whoosh!

Elder Jiang's expression became blank. His eyes grew wide as an unprecedented sense of panic flashed through them, "What did you say?"

The expressions of his sons, as well as sons-in-law standing there, also changed.

They knew what kind of consequences this would lead to.

Elder Jiang couldn't believe it, "Tell me again!"

"Elder, that Jiang Luoxia was really too ruthless…" Secretary Ye shivered all over and felt his hands and feet go cold. Jiangnan was about to collapse, and the origin for all of this was the Jiang family sending Jiang Ao to Jiangnan.

"Elder!"

Elder Jiang lost all strength in his body and felt his vision go white. He couldn't keep standing anymore and collapsed.

Right now, Jiang Xiu had already entered into closed-door cultivation. The no. of divine regalia he possessed had already reached up to 69. The divine regalia pattern was almost finished, and the lowermost strokes had already combined. He believed that the 69th one would be the final stroke, but that wasn't the case.

He held one Longevity Stone in each hand and sat cross-legged inside the room. The qi and blood inside his body surged with power and began to simmer like boiling water. Whenever he cultivated now, thunder rumbled within his body, giving rise to sounds like that of a thunderstorm over the sea.

An alternating red and blue luster covered the surface of his body, making the room warm up then cool down in turn.

Boom!

The frequency of the alternating red-blue became higher, and when it reached the max, it led to an explosion, causing the red-blue luster to break down like a crystal and shoot out in all direction. All of it then got sucked into Jiang Xiu's body as if space-time flowed backward. Jiang Xiu's eyes suddenly opened, revealing an intense light inside them.

70th Awakening! This was the so-called 70th Form of Deification on Earth.

However, besides the change in the aura, Jiang Xiu hadn't experienced any other changes.

"Hmm? It still isn't done?"

Jiang Xiu looked at the divine regalia pattern on his arm. Another stroke had appeared in between the character. There was a total of 70 divine regalia, and it was only a little far from becoming complete.

Again!

Boom!

71st divine regalia.

Boom!

72nd divine regalia.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Along with his arduous cultivation day and night, the no. of divine regalia on his arm reached a total of 80. The divine regalia pattern was already pretty clear, and the power in his body rose rapidly, but the divine regalia still wasn't complete. He couldn't transform his energy into divinity and was thus unable to become a real god.

The divine regalia on his arm appeared completely different depending on the angle he looked at it from. This was also natural. Even an ordinary portrait looked different from various angles, but the divine regalia wasn't identified based on the direction. Its genuine essence lied in its charm. Each divine regalia pattern released an intense mystical intent which took form into a substance-like formidable power.

But unless the divine regalia became complete, it wasn't possible to awaken the note and thus impossible to utilize the magic power inside the divine regalia character.

Boom!

Jiang Xiu awakened once again, and different from the previous attempts, he sensed some kind of dominant suppression suppress him baselessly during this awakening. His eyes grew wide open.

"This power is…"

Jiang Xiu was utterly shocked. He never expected such a situation to occur. He raised his arm and took a look at the divine regalia on it. There were 81 divine regalia on it. 9 times 9 gives rise to 81, which implied infinity. There was no place left in the divine regalia pattern for another stroke.

"How is this possible?"

When the divine regalia forms completely, it should've erupted with intense power and awakened him thoroughly, thus evolving him to a true divinity and completed the evolution process.

But Jiang Xiu didn't evolve after the divine regalia got completed.

"Is this world preventing me from becoming a God?"

Jiang Xiu felt unreconciled and cultivated again. He wanted to force through it, but that dominant suppression appeared once again. Puchi! He threw up a mouthful of blood.

Heavenly Retribution!

It was Heavenly Retribution for defying the heavens.

"WHY? WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BECOME A GOD?"

Jiang Xiu's mouth was full of blood, and an ominous glint flashed in his eyes while he spoke the words one after other in an unswerving manner. He couldn't understand why this had happened or what the problem was.

As Jiang Xiu couldn't find the reason it had happened using his three millenniums of cultivation experience, there was only one explanation. There was a difference between Earth where he was currently on and the Immortal Martial Continent. He was limited by this world's constraints.

He couldn't think of a method to settle to this issue right now, and the Mid-autumn festival's appointment was approaching near. Even he didn't have much grasp in fighting a God while still in the Demigod stage.

He pondered on it over several times and finally decided to either cultivate the sword or the saber to increase his fighting strength.

In his previous life, Jiang Xiu had cultivated the sword and a well-known sword cultivator on the Immortal Martial Continent. However, he always felt there was a defect in his sword and that he wasn't perfectly compatible with the sword.

He had once specially set out to investigate his compatibility with the sword which was revealed to be 99.9%.

It was very high. This news had shocked the entire Immortal Martial World back then. Surpassing 90% was already considered as having top-notch talent with the sword. 99% compatibility meant he was a genius within geniuses.

This was revealed by the speed at which his sword cultivation progressed.

But he always felt something was wrong.

This sensation was quite subtle and also very mysterious. Like the common phrase - Only after drinking water can a person can tell whether the water is warm or cold. Each person has a different conception of warmness and coldness which can only be determined by their judgment.

Therefore, this time, he planned to test the saber.

The Heaven Treading Sect hadn't focused on saber cultivation, so Jiang Xiu never dabbled in it and walked the path of sword cultivation and never thought of it, but it was different now as he was starting from scratch all over.

No matter whether it was sword cultivation or saber cultivation, the first step was to form the pill, which was the saber pill in this case and also called the saber embryo.

The next step is to gather exotic, heavenly materials as the quality of the materials would significantly influence the might of the saber cultivation. Right now, the only heavenly materials Jiang Xiu had on hand were the two Longevity Stones with him.

He could only refine these Longevity Stones.

Jiang Xiu sat cross-legged again and calmed his heart, slowly bringing his thoughts to nihility. Jiang Xiu was a cultivation devil. His obsession with cultivation was the same as an otaku's obsession towards games. Just an encounter with it was enough to fascinate him and single-mindedly devote himself to it, making him progress faster than ordinary people.

At the divinity source, the divine forced surged continuously amidst the vast sea. Not matter whether it was the inner strength of martial artists or divine force of Demigods, they were all intrinsic energies so they would inevitably get exhausted at some period of time as they were limited in quantity. Only by becoming a God could one extract power from the void to use it and gain the abilities to transform nature or fly in the sky.

It was quite difficult for Jiang Xiu to refine the Longevity Stones before evolving to a God.

A divine light enveloped the Longevity Stones, which then gradually transformed into fragmented energy particles.

Jiang Xiu didn't know what of matter the Longevity Stones were made from and also didn't know whether they could be refined. However, Deity Xiu's sixth sense told him that this object could be refined. In his cognition, any matter in this world could be refined, the question was whether you can do it or not.

The characters on the stone flickered then dimmed, but the difference from before was clearly visible. The energy particles slowly separated from its surface. The speed wasn't that fast so the process could be seen with the naked eye.

The next process was pretty delicate. At one side, the Longevity Stone must be refined using the divine light while the energy particles from the Longevity Stones must be absorbed into the divinity source simultaneously.

Before long, a sparkling energy ball floated inside Jiang Xiu's divinity source.

After some time, both the Longevity Stones transformed into condensed energy particles in his hands.

This revealed the refining rate was faster than the absorption rate.

Jiang Xiu's cultivation speed began to rise slowly.

The bright light ball began to rotate and absorb more energy particles. It's increasing speed was noticeable through the naked eye.

Such hue Longevity Stones only gave rise a tiny light ball after undergoing refinement.

However, the sense of magnitude at the boundless divinity source wasn't regular and was a kind of visual perception, but this perception wasn't baseless. The Longevity Stones had condensed during the process of refinement.

This created another difficult problem to Jiang Xiu.

Suddenly, the silvery rotating light ball began to unfold little by little and become similar to a thread.

Xiu!

This light thread flew out of the divinity source, driven by his divine intent, it seemed to pass through the vast universe and rush out from the Yin Palace on his forehead, leaving behind a needle-sized blood drop at the Yin Palace.

The silvery light thread flew out and grew larger in size.

It transformed into a 3-inch-long saber knife which floated before in between the space of Jiang Xiu's eyebrows.

"Saber Pill."

It was finally done.

It was created using a heaven-defying refinement technique and didn't differentiate between friend and foe inside the body. Jiang Xiu's Godhead, especially his divinity source was extraordinarily frail, and it could injure the divinity source if he weren't careful. The consequences of that would be devastating. Therefore, it was in the pill form when kept at the divinity source. Only when he becomes a genuine God could he truly refine the saber pill. Therefore, he had to act prudently until then.

He controlled the saber knife and made it orbit on top of his head once.

"Go!"

Along with his command, the saber knife appeared in front of the sword placed on the display and cut it into two pieces, making it fall to the ground.

Refining the saber pill was the first step of saber cultivation. This was an immortal art. There were many saber users on Earth, but they only used the rudimentary appearance and tried to display the highest power they could by holding a saber, whereas, in true saber cultivation, spells are used to drive the saber. The relative superiority between both was evident. The saber pill remained at the divinity source and keeps growing. When it achieves grand success, it leads to a variation of the saber spirit depending on the compatibility between the mind and the saber spirit. This was an extremely high realm, and if it were achieved, nothing could block the saber intent's path.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Along with Jiang Xiu using the seals, the 3-inch saber knife made rounds in the room, leaving a glittering saber light in its wake. After nearly two hours of practice, the saber knife began to shudder and cried out for the first time.

This completed the first step.

Whether it was sword cultivation or saber cultivation, both required a lot of money. On the Immortal Martial Continent, many weren't slow with their cultivation due to lacking talent but instead restrained due to the lack of money.

Without materials, the saber core couldn't evolve and this restricted a person's cultivation.

Jiang Xiu was also facing this problem right now.

There were four more Longevity Stones. If he could find them, he could strengthen his saber pill further.

"Withdraw!"

The saber knife appeared in front of Jiang Xiu's Yin Palace, and its saber appearance slowly vanished as it transformed into a thread then entered inside his Yin Palace. The thread shrunk into a ball at his divinity source.

He stood up and prepared to come out of closed-door cultivation!

It was calm outside the room with only sounds of wind and rain coming through. The wooden shutters swayed lightly from the slightly cold early autumn wind passing through the house. The sky was dark, so Jiang Xiu didn't know whether it was morning or evening.

"Mister…"

A maid placed at the loft took notice of Jiang Xiu and called out with astonishment.

"Quickly go inform the lady."

Sounds of footsteps came through soon after that. There was a cage with a black-naped oriole placed in it at the corner of the loft. The oriole began to chirp loudly due to being disturbed. The bird wasn't there initially, but as it too quiet here, Wang Xintong placed one at this location. Jiang Xiu picked the cage up.

"You're done?"

Jiang Xiu didn't turn back and opened the birdcage, holding the oriole in his palm. He gave it a slight push and the oriole flew away into the sky. However, as it was raining quite heavily outside, it might not be able to survive for long.

"Cheng Lingsu?"

Wang Xintong replied, "She washed two days of clothes and left for the Imperial Capital as you instructed after seeing that you didn't come out. However, the Imperial Capital is currently…"

Jiang Xiu interrupted her, "How long did I cultivate?"

Wang Xintong looked at Jiang Xiu. He wore skinny clothes as the weather hadn't become so cold when he went into closed-door cultivation. She held a pair of clothes with the intentions to drape it over his shoulders, but he grabbed them from her hands and put them on himself. Wang Xintong said helplessly, "11 days. The outside world has been a mess ever since you went into closed-door cultivation."

"Since around 1000 bigwigs of Jiangnan were killed, it was equivalent to more than half of the people at the top of Jiangnan's power structure disappearing. Jiangnan's economy sank into a turmoil and society became unstable."

Jiang Xiu said, "Tell me the important things."

"According to what Mayor Gu said, many esteemed personages at the Diaoyutai were dissatisfied with the Jiang family as the trigger for this vile incident was them sending Crown Prince Ao to Jiangnan. Elder Jiang was suspended from many posts and made to return a lot of authority over. As for whether he would be dismissed, it will depend on the decision made during the next meeting."

"Oh?"

The result was better than he expected.

Wang Xintong continued, "However, the Diaoyutai is even more resentful towards Mr. Jiang. I heard that many people slammed the table during the meeting and cursed out."

Jiang Xiu hung the birdcage back in its original position, "I'm not suitable for an official position, and it's not like I covet their power. It isn't worth it for them."

"Also…"

Wang Xintong hesitated a bit.

"What is it?"

Wang Xintong revealed a worried expression on her face, "A few days after you went into closed-door cultivation, a man with a greenish spot on his face called Zhu Shengding appeared and issued challenges towards many experts of the martial arts world."

"On 27th September, Zhu Shengding defeated Liu Yunhai, the Copper Trigram Sect's Demigod."

"On 30th September, Zhu Shengding arrived at Southern China to challenge Master of the Spirit Fist."

"On 2nd October, Zhu Shengding arrived at Southwest China and decimated Dunhuang."

"On 5th October…"

"This man took down a few suspected Demigods in a short span of 11 days and became well-known across the entire nation and scaled up to the Demigod Ranking just like you. Just as everyone was speculating his origin, he revealed that his master is… Ji Wudao."

The entire martial arts world of China was abuzz after learning this news. Since Ji Wudao's disciple was a Demigod, this revealed what kind of frightening level his strength had reached.

A noise came from outside the loft. Jiang Xiu took a look over there. They were his former subordinates from the Tang family as well as Boss Zhong and the others from the Jiang City. They appeared quite angry.

"Bullshit!" Wen Zuolin cursed out. "They say Mr. Jiang is scared of out his wits and believe having a Demigod apprentice is very incredible."

"They are already proclaiming that Ji Wudao is the No. 1 Demigod of China and the strongest expert. His limelight has even overshadowed Si Wuxie's name. No one even utters the name 'Mr. Jiang' now nor do they show support. The name 'Mr. Jiang' has already become an object of ridicule outside."

There was a reason for their resentment. Since Jiang Luoxia had come from Jiang City, they could be considered from the same line as Jiang Luoxia. Since Jiang Luoxia hadn't appeared, they had become the target of ridicule in the martial arts world. They had their fill of anger just now and came over to ask whether Mr. Jiang has come out or not.

"The rumors outside are becoming more unpleasant to hear. They say Mr. Jiang has already escaped."

Any kind of rumors can spread if a person disappeared for over 10 days.

"This isn't good to talk about."

It was unclear how many people were ridiculing him secretly.

Old Father Tang said, "Don't gossip here. Did you forget where you are?"

"Even if we don't say it, will that make those people outside from running off their mouths? Honestly speaking, even we know the odds of Mr. Jiang winning are low. I'm afraid he can't even defeat Ji Wudao's apprentice."

Tang Wenchong interjected, "Since Boss Zhong believes he can't win, why did you come here to the Jiang Gardens? You can go back. No one forced you to come over here at gunpoint."

Boss Zhong laughed, feeling embarrassed after hearing this. He spread out his arms while being seated on the chair, "I didn't say these words, those outsiders did."

…

Jiang Xiu furrowed his brows, "Do they come over frequently?"

From the fact that these people dared to speak so loudly here and from their leisurely manner, Jiang Xiu had already concluded that these people came over here frequently and gradually started to act presumptuously after getting used to being here.

Wang Xintong nodded, "They come every day and sometimes come many times in a single day. They come to ask whether you have come out or not each time. I saw that they were your subordinates from Jiang City and thus called out to them."

"You think I'll meet anyone just because they want to?" Jiang Xiu questioned her.

Wang Xintong had always acted appropriately on this aspect but messed up this time. She evaded his gaze slightly. Jiang Xiu's keen perception had already inferred that those who didn't have confidence in him weren't just these outsiders but included Wang Xintong as well. On the day Old Nie had come over, she had also persuaded him to leave China.

Whether it was pain, happiness or worry, it would turn dull if it were shared. The reason she had allowed these people to come in was to seek some kind of spiritual comfort.

Jiang Xiu said, "I never care about whether they are loyal or disloyal, good or bad. They are just small characters, that's all. However, Old Father Tang has some influence and his son, Tang Wenchong also followed me everywhere."

"Mhm. Tang Zhenshan is indeed popular in several circles." Wang Xintong stated.

"I'll send them away."

Since Jiang Xiu had already come out, she too didn't need these people to share her worry. In fact, except for Old Father Tang, she didn't have a good opinion of the rest of them. They were all boors of Jianghu and reeked of it. She didn't like associating with them as she was a lady from an influential family who was well-versed in etiquette and had graduated from a famous university.

After taking a few steps, Wang Xintong stopped suddenly, "Oh, right! The Madame… No, your mother called you many times and sent several messages. See whether they are about asking you to return."

Since Lin Yueling and Jiang Yi had withdrawn to a small region like Annan, they naturally wouldn't know of the incidents occurring in the upper-circle of Jiangnan as well as the martial arts world. More so because they weren't interested in it so they wouldn't know about his duel. Jiang Xiu guessed that his mother must be thinking of forcing him to go abroad.

"Give me the phone!"

Jiang Xiu called home. Lin Yueling picked up the phone, "Stinky brat, you're finally willing to call back. Mother thought you were hiding."

"No. I ran out of charge."

Lin Yueling didn't nag at him and sighed, "The Mid-autumn festival is arriving soon. Our family should be enjoying the full moon day but…"

"A call came over from the Imperial Capital. They want your father to return to the Capital to celebrate the Mid-autumn festival. Your father already hasn't slept properly for 3-4 nights."

Jiang Xiu's expression turned gloomy.

Jiang Xiu sneered inwardly. If he weren't privy to the details, he too would've believed Jiang Yishan had finally regained his conscience, relinquished his prejudice and wished to welcome back his son whom he had driven away.

It was quite unfortunate, but that man only had eyes for power and no place for affection in his heart. His situation was quite terrible right now and required the Nangong family's support to make it through this crisis, but Jiang Xiu and his parents were unwilling, so that old man could only lay down his indifference and play this trick to appease them.

"How is father now?" Jiang Xiu asked her.

Lin Yueling replied in a worried tone, "He got drunk that night and keeps smoking all day long, not even saying a word…" She paused for a moment, "Son… never mind…"

Jiang Xiu knew what was going on in Lin Yueling's mind right now. In fact, Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling understood it pretty well. The condition for returning was that Jiang Xiu must marry Nangong Kou'er.

As for whether Jiang Yi wished to return to that family, Jiang Xiu believed that he wanted to, though the Jiang family had done nothing when he fell from his position. He didn't wish to return because he coveted the Jiang family's power, else he wouldn't have had the courage to leave home back in those days. He felt a burden in his heart, an emotion hidden deep under the already scabbed injury on his heart.

Jiang Xiu said flatly, "Don't hold too much hope."

In the previous timeline, he had wailed in front of Jiang Yishan while holding his father's ashes, yet only a look full of contempt and disdain answered his pleas. In the end, even his father's ashes hadn't returned to the Jiang family, never getting the chance to enter the memorial hall.

Could such a person answer someone's expectations?

Lin Yueling said, "Mhm. Mother knows that. Well… Since you and Susu are at the Imperial University and have hardly got married, it would be inconvenient to make a round trip. How about this? I'll call the in-laws and we shall celebrate the Mid-autumn festival at the Imperial Capital, okay?"

These words were empty and just a pretense with other intentions hidden behind them.

He was already at Jiangnan, so were they and Cheng Lingsu's parents, only Lingsu was at the Imperial Capital. This was just a weak excuse.

Billows welled up in Jiang Xiu's heart when he heard these words. He could make out how much his mother cared about his father from them. As a son, he couldn't retort her, "Alright."

He was also planning to return to the Imperial Capital.

Lin Yueling's voice turned cheerful, "If you feel it's okay, it's settled then. We shouldn't delay. I'll leave for Hang City along with your father. You can arrange the plane. Right! Send a car to get Cheng Hanlin and his wife from Jiang City as well."

She hung the call after saying this.

Jiang Xiu looked at the hazy, rainy weather outside, embracing the cool of the autumn hitting his face. "It's time to bring everything with the Jiang family to an end."

The noise outside the loft turned lower. Soon after, Wang Xintong's footsteps came through. She stated quietly, "They have already left. I also instructed to send anyone except for Old Father Tang away if they come to report anything."

Jiang Xiu nodded. The Heaven Treading Sect Master wasn't someone whoever could meet. On the Immortal Martial Continent, many people used to rack their brains all day long to think of a way to get an audience with the Heaven Treading Sect Master. "My mother wants to celebrate the Mid-autumn festival at the Imperial Capital. Plan for that. Send someone to get Cheng Hanlin and his wife from Jiang City as well and arrange a plane…"

"Understood."

"By the way, what are your plans for the Mid-autumn festival?" Jiang Xiu asked her.

Wang Xintong looked at Jiang Xiu helplessly. The battle between you and Ji Wudao is during the Mid-autumn festival's night. Your life or death is directly tied to mine. You think I have the mood to celebrate the festival?

Looking at his easy-going appearance, Wang Xintong really admired his ability to remain calm, "The talks for the extraction equipment and technology are completed already. My father will return from Europe before the Mid-autumn festival."

…

Cheng Hanlin was currently working as a small-time office worker at a firm with a salary of 3000 RMB/month while Sun Xiaohong sold clothes at a shopping mall. Though she didn't know much, she had a good understanding of clothes as she was accustomed to them due to living lavishly.

"Mr. Jiang wants us to come to the Imperial Capital?" Cheng Hanlin was a bit stupefied. Jiang Xiu didn't have a good impression towards them, so he felt it was unexpected that they were invited to celebrate the Mid-autumn festival at the Imperial Capital.

On the other hand, Sun Xiaohong seemed quite happy. "Hanlin, what are you dazing around for? My son-in-law sent a car. Quickly pack. We can't make him wait."

Cheng Hanlin's expression became somewhat unnatural, "Would it be proper for us to go?"

"Why won't it be good? Even if Jiang Xiu has a heart of stone, our daughter will melt his heart. The matter has passed already. The Jiang family has grown so much, and Jiang Xiu has even become Mr. Jiang."

Cheng Hanlin's face was filled with worry, and his eyes seemed somewhat listless.

"Maybe we shouldn't go."

"I'll go even if you don't. Don't act foolishly, Hanlin. Don't waste such a good opportunity to fix the relationship with our son-in-law. Do you want to spend your life serving tea and printing documents at a company?"

Cheng Hanlin hesitated a bit but finally nodded.

"That's right. You and Jiang Yi were good brothers before and even wore the same pants. Everything's in the open right now, and we've already confessed everything in front of them. It's time to lay down all the prejudice."

Nowadays, no one wished to go through hard times.

…

The sky was still covered by a haze, and there were no signs of the rain stopping at all. It didn't take much time to travel from Jiang City to Hang City. Three hours were enough at high speed. The Jiang couple still hadn't arrived by the time they had.

"T-This is Jiang Xiu's house?"

Cheng Hanlin was stupefied when he saw the Jiang Gardens. It was more of a holiday resort than a house. A classic flavor hit their face when they saw it, seemingly manifesting its historical essence as well as an unsurpassable regal aura.

"What Jiang Xiu's house. This is our daughter's house."

Since Jiang Xiu had married Cheng Lingsu, it meant that they shared everything. She believed that once her daughter gave birth to Jiang Xiu's son or daughter, everything would become more secure.

"Even a billion RMB isn't enough to purchase a manor like this." Since Cheng Hanlin had specialized in real estate before, he knew the value of this manor. In fact, it was priceless on the market.

But after they went in, they were doused by a bucket of cold water. Only a servant greeted them. Jiang Xiu never appeared before them. Though the reception was quite exotic, it had already cooled off their excited hearts. They could feel Jiang Xiu's apathy towards them. He still hadn't laid down the matters of the past yet.

Around 8 PM, the Jiang couple arrived from Annan. Only then did Jiang Xiu show his face. The plane was already ready, but since it was raining, it wasn't possible to take off, so they had to spend the night at the Jiang Gardens.

The dinner feast was preponed as well.

Jiang Xiu didn't say anything, and neither did Jiang Yi. Lin Yueling spoke a few words occasionally while Cheng Hanlin felt ashamed to say anything. Only Sun Xiaohong kept chirping continuously.

Wang Xintong knew how to entertain people well. She had invited famous cooks from each country to the Jiang Gardens. The standard of foods and drinks was even better than a five-star hotel's.

After the awkward feast ended, everyone went to their rooms and waited for the weather to clear up on the next day.

Cheng Hanlin stood near the railing, gazing at the faraway horizon. He hoped Jiang Yi would come out to the balcony on the opposite side. He wanted to sincerely apologize to him, but never got the opportunity to do this, neither did he have the courage to do it.

Beside him, Sun Xiaohong sighed, "I asked the servants just now. There are more than 500 rooms here which can easily accommodate around 1000 people. There are 23 servants excluding the guards and the professionals hired to handle the vegetation and other special house needs."

"How much money do you think Jiang Xiu has now? I think even the wealthiest person in Jiangnan can't afford such expenses, right?"

She spoke for a long time yet discovered that Cheng Hanlin wasn't paying attention at all.

"Hanlin, don't ponder on it much. It's already quite good that we were able to have a meal at the same table. Why are you so worried?"

Cheng Hanlin sighed, "You don't understand!"

"Tell me what it is then." Sun Xiaohong told him.

Cheng Hanlin hesitated a bit, "Actually, what happened back then wasn't like how the Tang family said."

"You were accused wrongly?"

Cheng Hanlin shook his head.

"What is it then?"

"Brother Yi's history isn't that simple… I promised to never reveal it to anyone and never to set foot on the Imperial Capital. If I go to the Imperial Capital this time, I'm afraid…"

Sun Xiaohong was baffled, "Wait a minute. What are you saying? What's up with Brother Yi? Whom did you promise not to set foot on the Imperial Capital? I'm so confused. Just what are you hiding?"

Cheng Hanlin said, "In those days, it wasn't the Tang family who made me betray Brother Yi but rather someone else… it's a powerful family of the Imperial Capital. Brother Yi was born in that family."

"Why did they make you harm Brother Yi then?"

"I guess it's due to a family dispute. The imperial households are affectionless. The waters of the rich and powerful families are quite murky and as deep as the sea."

Cheng Hanlin gazed towards the room ahead at a distance with a sad expression. He continued, "People were quite simple in that era. Everyone was poor, so no one felt like they were poor. Moreover, Tang Zhengping was Brother Yi's enemy. Why would I betray my brother to help an enemy?"

Pain flashed through Cheng Hanlin's eyes, "It was the Jiang family, their people forced me. I was helpless as well. Even your life was in their hands. They made me help them destroy Brother Yi's career."

Cheng Hanlin's hands grabbed the wooden railing tightly. His eyes were blood-shot while his body trembled, "I saw it with my own eyes. A car sped towards you and Susu at the kindergarten doorway. If it had deviated even a little, you both would have…"

Sun Xiaohong seemed to have remembered something, her eyes growing wide open in surprise, "You mean that time!" Cars were rarities back then. Only leaders or those living in the big cities had cars.

"They warned me that if I don't do what they say, they will create a crash next time. I had no other choice!"

Sun Xiaohong said, "Then why didn't you reveal it to Brother Yi or Jiang Xiu? Are you planning to carry this burden for your entire life?"

Cheng Hanlin said bitterly, "No matter what, I did betray Brother Yi in the end and caused him to go to prison. Moreover, the Jiang family is even more powerful than back then. It's Old Jiang, Jiang Yishan's family."

Sun Xiaohong covered her mouth in shock, "Old Jiang!"

"If I reveal what happened back then, we won't even have anything to scrape by and become beggars."

Sun Xiaohong was truly afraid this time.

She hadn't expected that such a giant hand was controlling everything from behind.

Cheng Hanlin stood there for a long time, waiting for Jiang Yi to appear, but he never did.

The sky had cleared up on the next day. The bird's chirping was clearly audible across the gardens. The sun shone brightly up in the sky. Wang Xintong had arranged the earliest flight for them.

Sun Xiaohong sighed once again after sitting on the private plane.

Even if they hadn't gone bankrupt, compared to the current Jiang Xiu, they were trash. She hated Jiang Xiu a lot before but liked him very much now. She didn't even express anything regarding his indifference towards her.

The Imperial Capital was quite chaotic right now. Many martial artists had all gathered here.

The news of the plane taking off from Jiangnan was like dropping a bomb amidst this chaos. It resulted in lots of waves across the martial arts world.

"Jiang Luoxia has entered the Capital!"

The decisive battle was set on the full moon night of the Mid-autumn festival at the Imperial Capital.

Entire China's martial arts world was abuzz!

…

The National University was established long ago and brimmed with a cultural resplendence, giving rise to several famous elders of the past generations. Cheng Lingsu was donned in a fresh and cool aesthetic shirt paired with jeans and wore a coffee colored windbreaker on the outside. Her long hair trailed over her shoulders and waved along with the breeze, making several men raise their brows. Her features drew people to her, especially boys, they just couldn't take away their gazes off her.

It was just that Cheng Lingsu was a bit depressed right now. With a life-or-death duel ahead, she couldn't feel happy at all.

"Quickly look, it's Cheng Lingsu!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Indeed, a pretty gal. There's no fault no matter which direction you look from."

Cheng Lingsu became more beautiful and alluring ever since she got married. According to what her dorm sisters said, it's due to soaking in romance. However, our Second Young Lady Cheng wished to say - What bullshit 'soaking in romance'? All I did was do the laundry, so much that I even became a woman with a grudge. If my bitterness could be turned into a poem or a portrait, it would even have a bit of sentimental artistic sense to it.

"I heard Cheng Lingsu is being kept by a man."

"Is it true?"

Some of the boys whispered. Many boys revealed a bitter and hateful look. High ranking officials often snat- no, received a woman as a concubine. Come, come, come. Let this brother be your hero and grant you freedom. Such were the thoughts going through their minds.

"Her figure's pretty good."

"Stop saying nonsense. Isn't Song Ronghao pursuing her?"

"I heard she got married."

It had only been a month since Cheng Lingsu started her term in the university, but she had already become the woman of the moment here. It wasn't like she actively took part in activities. Just her brilliant appearance was enough to make the boys excited.

She had already become one of the top four campus queens of National University. They say that she had taken the place of the 3rd-year senior. She even had more votes than the 2nd and 3rd ranked girls for the beauty voting on the university forum.

In the eyes of the masses, Cheng Lingsu appeared prettier, but to Jiang Xiu, Cheng Lingran attracted him more. Although the two sisters looked similar, it just resembled each other in appearance, there was a considerable difference between them. Cheng Lingran didn't have so much of a following at the Imperial University. According to Jiang Xiu's inference, younger men liked Cheng Lingsu more while mature, older men liked Cheng Lingsu.

"Susu, what's up? Do you miss your husband?" Miao Xiaolin teased her.

"As if! Who misses him."

Cheng Lingsu explained to her, "Didn't I tell you before too? We were engaged in our childhood and had to get married because there was no other choice. In fact, there are no feelings between us. It's impossible for me to like him too."

"You're just reluctant to admit it!" A northern girl who was a head taller than Cheng Lingsu said to her, "You just had to not get married if you weren't willing. If it were me, I would've never gotten married, even if someone held a knife at my neck."

Cheng Lingsu sighed, "If only things were so simple."

"Only, your husband is indeed something. He hasn't come to see you even once over these 10 days. Even more, he didn't even call or message you a single time." Miao Xiaolin stated.

As Cheng Lingsu lived together with them, they naturally knew he hadn't contacted her.

Cheng Lingsu explained powerlessly, "He's quite busy."

"Didn't you say he's studying at the Imperial Capital? The term has just begun, so the classes are quite busy…" The northern girl added, "I say, we should go over to his place and catch him."

Cheng Lingsu was startled and waved her hands in a rush, "Absolutely don't do that. You'll create huge trouble." If you do that and anger that guy, god knows how he'll lesson me.

She didn't know what her feelings towards Jiang Xiu were. Perhaps it was hatred, jealousy or even defiance. Either way, it absolutely wasn't happiness or love.

"Susu…"

A man came over with a bouquet of roses. This man had an elegant appearance and an extraordinary bearing. It was none other than Song Ronghao.

"These flowers are for you."

Cheng Lingsu looked at her surroundings awkwardly. There were many people here. She waved her hands, "I don't want it, Ronghao. Don't give me things again. It's impossible for us to get together."

Song Ronghao said, "Why? Weren't we pretty good together? Why did…"

"Forgive me."

It was quite difficult for a boy to accept losing love. Especially so for a prideful boy. It was difficult for someone like that to admit defeat. Song Ronghao said, "Susu, give me one last chance. I'll take you to see a duel during the Mid-autumn festival. Your perception of the world will change once you witness it and you'll definitely change your mind."

Before Cheng Lingsu could reply to him, Miao Xiaolin asked him, "What duel?"

"A battle between Demigods!" Song Ronghao said.

The Song family wasn't just the wealthiest family in Shanghai, its history in martial arts was quite deep too. After all, a family is bound to require the protection of military force once it amasses enough wealth.

Cheng Lingsu's eyes glowed with excitation, "You know the location of the duel?"

Song Ronghao said, "I heard it's at Donglu Mountain. The specifics are still unclear, but I have contacts on the inside. I'll take you along at that time." The news outside was that Ji Wudao was at the Donglu Mountain right now.

"Donglu Mountain?"

Cheng Lingsu was quite worried about this matter these past few days. She knew Jiang Xiu wouldn't take her along to the place. Finally, she had found a way.

"Ronghao, thank you!"

This was the first time Song Ronghao heard Cheng Lingsu thank him, so he was a little overjoyed. "This is nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to know about this Demigod battle as well."

The northern girl, Xiao Fangfang, standing to the side asked, "What the heck is this Demigod battle?"

Song Ronghao said, "It's a duel between ultimate martial artists."

"Freestyle fighting? Ring boxing?" The girl asked.

Miao Xiaolin stated, "Those things are pretty meh."

Song Ronghao shook his head helplessly. These people obviously didn't know what a Demigod battle represented or how much it would influence the nation. Martial artists from all corners of the country had flocked to the Imperial Capital for this reason.

…

Right now, Jiang Xiu's party had just reached his house at the Imperial Capital. The house wasn't small and just enough to accommodate all of them.

A little later after they reached here, an Audi appeared at the villa area. There was only a single person inside the car. He arranged the collars of his suit and looked at the villas here gloomily. "To think an insignificant Annan City Mayor bought a villa here after taking office for a short time."

This person was none other than Jiang Yishan's second son, the person Jiang Yi called Second Brother.

Jiang Hao got down from the car and went inside unwillingly. The Jiang family was in a huge mess right now. The situation was quite unstable, but he had to come here to play nice with the son the family had abandoned. What's worse was that he even had an argument with this abandoned son a few months ago over the phone.

His secretary stood behind him, carrying a gift in his hand. He never expected such a day would ever arrive. However, in the end, they were brothers. Since he hadn't met him for so many years, it was etiquette to bring along a gift.

It was a newly constructed villa located in the high-end community zone. The villas were built quite luxuriously, and even the standard of the nearby districts was very high. This made Jiang Hao feel increasingly unwell. He's able to live so well?

He arrived in front of the villa and pressed the doorbell. The people inside had reached here just a while ago. Jiang Yi was currently at the back pool. Cheng Hanlin wanted to go over and speak privately, thinking he might be able to apologize if they were alone. As for Sun Xiaohong, she was busy in the kitchen along with Lin Yueling, calling her sister-in-law over and over again. It was as if they had returned back to how they were more than a decade ago.

Ding-Dong!

The sudden sound of the doorbell caused Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling to tense up. If it were Susu, she wouldn't have pressed the doorbell as she had the key. They had a premonition that those people had come.

Their expressions changed subconsciously as they gathered in the living room. As for Jiang Xiu who was upstairs, he too became slightly edgy after hearing the bell. Sun Xiaohong went to open the door.

"Excuse me, is this Jiang Yi's…"

Needless to say, Sun Xiaohong welcomed the person cordially, "Yes. Please come in."

Jiang Hao took the gift from the secretary's hand and told him to withdraw. Sun Xiaohong felt that this person must be a big shot since he even had someone to carry things for him. Jiang Hao entered the villa along with the gift.

He saw Jiang Yi as well as Lin Yueling inside, "Little Yi, it's been a long time."

Jiang Yi said, "Not that long. We talked on the phone a few months ago."

Back then, he called this second brother of his in desperation and even bowed his head, but his brother did nothing, and there was no sincerity in his words. Jiang Yi could only wallow in despair, worried for his son who had become the target of execution. His brother had acted cold-heartedly as if he were a stranger.

And now, this person had dropped in with a gift.

Jiang Yi's mood was quite complicated right now. He was also quite astonished. He knew that his father hadn't woken up all of a sudden and remembered that he had a son. That would be similar to an ordinary man fantasizing of winning the lottery.

Jiang Hao revealed a smile on his face, "You won't blame second brother, right? You also know our father's character. Without a good opportunity, the matter wouldn't end and might even turn worse."

"Isn't it a good chance now? The sky is clear after the rain. Father told me to bring you back home for the Mid-autumn festival…" He raised his hand to show the gift, "It's Fei Maotai which you like the most."

"Let us brothers' reminiscence about the old times tonight."

Jiang Yi looked at him doubtfully.

The change in attitude was too much. A few months ago, this man hadn't even shown respect in his words and talked impatiently, without any hints of brotherhood, and now here he was, saying he wants to reminiscence about the old times.

"Let's go to the backyard, okay?"

Jiang Yi didn't wish for Sun Xiaohong, this blabbermouth to hear too much. Cheng Hanlin was currently just at the back pool. When he heard footsteps, Cheng Hanlin turned back and was dazed when he saw Jiang Hao, his expression changing suddenly. Jiang Hao was also dazed when he saw Cheng Hanlin.

"Looks like Brother Yi has a guest. I'll go inside. You both can chat…" Cheng Hanlin was quite nervous. His face turned pale, and hands trembled. He held a bit of hope while coming to the Imperial Capital but wasn't expecting the other side to drop in so fast.

At the moment they brushed past each other, Jiang Hao's petrifying gaze wandered over him, making Cheng Hanlin shiver all over and feel like he was suffocating.

His face had lost all color by the time he entered the house.

"Sister-in-law, since a visitor has come home, we'll go get Susu and Ranran. We haven't seen met them for a long time." Saying so, he pulled Sun Xiaohong outside.

"Okay. Return quickly."

After leaving the villa, Sun Xiaohong immediately noticed something was wrong, "What happened?"

"I saw him just now." Cheng Hanlin said nervously.

"Who?"

"The person who forced me back then."

"You mean…" Sun Xiaohong's expression changed as well as she cried out, "You aren't mistaken, right?"

They talked at the doorway, utterly unaware that Jiang Xiu was just standing at the balcony which was above them right now. Their voices were clearly audible to him thanks to his superior hearing ability.

"Over a decade has passed by, you didn't mistake the person, right?"

"His expression when he made me betray Brother Yi was the same as what I saw just now, just like a vicious wolf preying on the prey closely. I'd recognize him even if I were ashes."

Sun Xiaohong was scared. "H-He wouldn't do anything, right?"

Cheng Hanlin's face was filled with worry when he recalled that terrifying expression just now.

"Let's stop thinking about it for now and go find our daughters."

The couple rushed out after that while Jiang Xiu was left in shock. Was father going to prison a plot of the Jiang family?

Just as the couple reached the road intersection in the area, the Audi car which brought Jiang Hao began to move as well. The driver laid the cell phone down and drove slowly, following behind the couple.

The couple stopped a cab, "Driver, to the National University!"

The black Audi followed behind the cab closely as it drove to the National University. The Audi's driver was pretty calm and acted as if he was on a casual drive.

There weren't many restrictions placed in the Imperial Capital in 2008 so people could drive cars merrily.

The National University wasn't that far from the villa area. The journey took around 20 minutes. Cheng Hanlin and Sun Xiaohong calmed down a lot from their previously panicked state. However, for some reason, Cheng Hanlin was in a vigilant state.

"Look! It's Susu!"

Cheng Lingsu was pretty happy after receiving her dad and mom's call. She believed it would just be her and her sister as it wasn't possible to return to Jiangnan for the Mid-autumn festival due to university. She wasn't excepting her parents to come over to celebrate the festival with them, that too together with Jiang Xiu's family.

"Driver, pull up!"

The couple hadn't met their daughter for a long time. They weren't that worried for their daughters before but ever since they became bankrupt, they cherished this affection a lot. Moreover, Susu had experienced the most critical event in life, marriage. Although the wedding ceremony wasn't done yet, they already felt like they had married off their daughter, that too to Jiang Xiu. Cheng Lingsu was the apple of their eyes right now.

"Dad, Mom…"

Cheng Lingsu raised her arm and waved at them happily. She had a lot to say in her heart about the grievances she had experienced after getting married.

The Audi's driver lowered the door glass and puffed a few shots from the cigarette then threw it outside, his gaze turning ice-cold.

Cheng Lingsu's eyes grew wide open in alarm all of a sudden. She saw the Audi suddenly go out of control. Its speed almost reached 130 MPH, issuing a terrible rumble from the engine. It ruthlessly dashed towards the helpless Cheng couple.

"DAD! MOM!"

Cheng Lingsu screamed so loudly that she felt as if her heart had leaped up to her throat, losing all color from her face. She had never felt such fear in her entire life.

Cheng Hanlin and Sun Xiaohong were entirely oblivious to the situation. The Death God's scythe was about to fall on their necks as they looked at their daughter happily.

"NOOOO!"

Cheng Lingsu screamed.

However, that ice-cold machine didn't slow down and sped up even more. Cheng Hanlin and Sun Xiaohong had also realized something was wrong and turned back to look at the car speed over towards them. Their souls almost left their bodies as they instinctively dodged sideways.

That car was just like a prehistoric beast, chasing towards the direction they had moved.

The couple understood immediately that the car wasn't out of control at all, but this was instead premeditated murder. Just like how it had happened back then. It was a warning last time, but this time, they had come for their life.

At this moment of crisis, Cheng Lingsu pushed Sun Xiaohong aside. The car knocked against him, causing him to fly 10 m high in the air and drop to the ground.

"DAD!

"HANLIN!"

The mother-daughter pair's heart collapsed as they ran towards Cheng Hanlin who laid in a pool of blood right now.