210-219

Jiang Xiu's deified appearance slowly began to disappear, and his eyes became normal again along with his hair returning to its short form. His facial features weren't that perfect anymore and resembled the former Jiang Xiu's appearance.

But this didn't lessen the fear felt by the members of the Jiang family. The fear they felt increased as Jiang Xiu returned to his formed appearance as this meant that Jiang Xiu was really Jiang Luoxia.

He walked in front of Jiang Yishan and gazed at him. Elder Jiang didn't have the same aggressiveness as before now. "Jiang Yishan, I've killed your strongest reliance. What else do you have?"

Elder Jiang gazed at Jiang Xiu with great billows surging in his heart. His fingernails pricked deep into his palms. Jiang Xiu had hidden quite deeply, and Elder Jiang never expected this to be his trump card. He slowly closed his eyes and revealed a bitter smile, "Jiang Xiu, were you always plotting to take revenge on my Jiang family?"

"That's right! You were the reason my father had to spend the prime of his life in prison and also the reason my mother wasted herself all those years. I suffered from ridicule and humiliation all my childhood due to this. I wanted to take revenge for all this hatred."

His tone was terrifyingly emotionless. Elder Jiang could no longer keep calm. Jiang Xiu currently had the strength to crush the Jiang family.

An ice-cold killing intent rushed out Jiang Xiu's eyes, "If someone opposes me, I never take one life for another. That's what I, Jiang Luoxia, said. I will make your entire Jiang family disappear from this world."

"Aaah!"

The members of the Jiang family cried out in alarm. Jiang Xiu's words made them tremble all over, making them feel a chill on their backs. It was as if they were facing the final trial and sentenced to the death penalty.

"Hmph!"

Elder Jiang grunted, "You believe you aren't a member of the Jiang family?"

The Jiang family members were already wallowing in despair, but a slight hope emerged in their hearts after hearing this. He was also a member of the Jiang family. They believed there was a chance he wouldn't act completely heartless as they were relatives.

Jiang Xiu almost laughed out and couldn't help but shake his head. "Jiang Yishan, do you even consider us a part of your Jiang family? The way you treated us was 100 times worse than the way you treat your enemies. Don't delude yourself into thinking I'll suddenly find my conscience like how my parents hoped you will. That won't ever happen."

"Little Xiu. Grandfather was in the wrong before. Please forgive Grandfather, okay? I'll use all my power to compensate for the grievances your family suffered."

"Hahahaha…"

Jiang Xiu sniggered. This person was too shameless. "Alright. It's quite simple for you to make up for it. For all the pain your Jiang family has made my family suffer, and for my father-in-law lying in the hospital, all you have to do is die and get buried."

He suddenly raised his hand up.

Bang!

Jiang Hao gave out an alarmed scream. He got sliced into two halves up in the air, causing blood to rain down. The surrounding people also began to scream.

"AAAAAHHHH…."

They were scared shitless. One of them suddenly cried out, "Don't kill me! I have no relations to the Jiang family."

It was actually Jiang Hao's wife.

"I'm also the same. This Daddy wanted this old fart to croak as well." The one who said this was the husband of a woman from the Jiang family. He was the person who was suppressed at the position of a Director due to saying the wrong words.

"I hate the Jiang family as well!"

One of the grandsons of the family spoke up.

Elder Jiang roared madly, "What are you doing? My Jiang family hasn't met its end yet. You thankless wretches. My Jiang family raised you up for so many years, and you actually dare to betray me?"

"Old bastard. Man pays for his sins sooner or later. We've suffered enough humiliation at your side. Our lives were the same as dogs, getting hit and scolded frequently. I've had enough of it already."

"You're a conscienceless monster. People say that even beasts take care of their children, but you're even worse than a beast for harming your own child."

These people only revered Jiang Yishan's authority. This family never had affection and only had eyes for benefits. Now that those benefits are gone, all the grievances that had accumulated over the years had erupted out.

Power, wealth and greed had muddled their eyes.

Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling said nothing.

"Jiang Yishan, do you have anything else to say?"

Elder Jiang had a dead look on his face as if he were a walking corpse. He raised his head to look towards Jiang Xiu. Several emotions flashed through his eyes, anger, doubt, loss… all of it finally condensed into deep remorse.

"I…"

He couldn't say anything at all. He knew that the Jiang family was finished.

Jiang Xiu turned around to leave in large strides. "Father, Mother… let's go!"

After they left, the courtyard door was closed by someone.

"LET US GO! NOOOO!"

On this night of the Mid-autumn festival, the full moon hung up high in the sky. There seemed to be faint blood-colored layer overlapping the moon's surface.

The closing of the doors of the prominent Jiang family's home indicated that this family was no more. Similar to the thunderous rainy day when Lin Yueling had knelt in front of this gate along with the then 5-year old Jiang Xiu, these firmly shut doors would never open.

Jiang Xiu and his parents descended along the mountain road. The people on the Donglu Mountain were descending similarly. There was no other go as some parts of the road were blocked due to the giant rocks which had fallen from the Reddrop Peak as a result of the Demigod battle. That's why the vehicles were currently unable to pass through.

Lin Yueling was utterly stunned seeing the 1-2 m tall rocks. This had all happened due to the fight her son had with the other person. She was quite excited. Her son had grown up and had such unimaginable abilities.

"Father, Mother, let's go celebrate the Mid-autumn festival!"

"Together with Hanlin's family!"

"How about we go to the hospital now?"

Jiang Xiu asked, "Father, you don't blame Uncle Cheng?"

Jiang Yi shook his head, "To tell the truth, he was also a victim back then. He was forced to betray me. It must've been hard for him to endure it all along. And now, he has even…"

Lin Yueling added in, "Actually, he was implicated into this due to our family. We are the ones who truly let him down."

Jiang Xiu nodded.

If Cheng Hanlin weren't Jiang Yi's close brother, the Jiang family would've never approached him. Jiang Yi said, "Little Xiu, The Cheng Conglomerate was painstakingly created by your Uncle Cheng. Since everything is finished now, return it to your Uncle Cheng, okay?"

Although some unpleasant things had happened in the previous life, following Jiang Xiu's own words, humans were unable to endure trials. Moreover, Cheng Hanlin was already in the hospital bed now, so it was time to end everything. "Okay!"

…

It was pretty busy inside the hospital. Cheng Hanlin cried out in pain as the doctor injected him with a painkiller. Tears welled up in Sun Xiaohong and Cheng Lingran's eyes due to the worry.

"Hanlin!" Jiang Yi came beside Cheng Hanlin with concern.

"Brother Yi!"

This was the first time Jiang Yi had called his name after the matter from 12 years ago. Even though he felt pain, he still called back to him. It felt as if this one address had removed all the grievances between them, making it seem as if they had returned back to the past.

"You've endured a lot!"

The wounds still hurt after the operation, especially since it had happened only a day ago. Some might've even fainted due to the pain.

"Little Xiu has already taken revenge for you. The Jiang family has already fallen. Everything is over now. I know you were also forced back then… Let's just end that matter with this."

"What do you say?"

Tears fell from Cheng Hanlin's eyes, perhaps it was due to the pain or due to Jiang Yi's words. He nodded with all strength.

"Also, Little Xiu will return the Cheng Conglomerate to you. You must get better soon. The Cheng Conglomerate is waiting for you."

Cheng Hanlin's eyes shone, "R-Really?"

"Of course. That's something you built up. Since the matter is clear now, it'll naturally go back you. Us brothers can be like before, I'll walk on the official path and you on the business path…"

"Mhm, Okay…"

Sun Xiaohong cried while covering her mouth too. She could finally return to being a madame of a wealthy family.

The mood in the ward became quite harmonious.

The sky seemed to have cleared up finally.

Only one person was confused, which was Cheng Lingran, Jiang Xiu's wife in the previous life. She pulled Jiang Xiu's sleeves, hinting him to come out.

"Sis, why did you call me out?"

Jiang Xiu felt a bit worried as he faced Cheng Lingran. She had become pallid over these two days. It seemed like Cheng Hanlin's matter had affected her much.

"What is all this? Revenge? Cheng Conglomerate?"

"Oh! Your Cheng Conglomerate went bankrupt, right? It was actually acquired by a person with evil intentions. My father and I regained it back, so it's under my name now. I'll return it to your father tomorrow."

"It's that simple?" Cheng Lingran asked doubtfully.

"It's that simple!"

Cheng Lingran looked at Jiang Xiu with doubt while that guy revealed an entirely genuine smile. His gaze was uncannily serene, so much that even he had almost believed his own words. The beauty, Cheng Lingran, naturally couldn't find a flaw in his words. She had actually asked the question without thinking it through, and right now, she was in fact very fatigued and just didn't have the energy to think about these things.

From yesterday till now, 40 hours had already passed by, keeping aside the fear and worry, she hadn't even caught a wink and thus couldn't help but yawn while covering her mouth.

Jiang Xiu asked, "You haven't slept yet?"

Cheng Lingran nodded, "It's fine. I can endure it since I'm young. I'm more worried about my mother. She hasn't slept as well."

"This won't do. Wait here for me while I go grab something to eat. Take a nap once you've eaten. It will take time for your father's condition to improve. If you don't take care of your health, how will you take care of him?"

Cheng Lingran slumped down on the hospital's chair. "Don't go too far. Just get cup noodles from the hospital's snack counter."

Jiang Xiu did precisely what she asked and came back after buying cup noodles from the snack counter. However, when he returned, he discovered that Cheng Lingran had fallen asleep on the seat. She was a girl who liked cleanliness, and if it weren't for being too fatigued, she would've never fallen asleep in such a dirty, germ-filled area of the hospital.

Since it would be pretty uncomfortable for her to sleep this way, Jiang Xiu sat beside her with the intentions to give her a pillow lap but wasn't expecting Cheng Lingran to wake up in vigil due to the fragrance of the noodles. "So hungry…"

She sat up, took the cup then started eating.

"You'll gain pimples if you eat noodles."

Cheng Lingsu didn't care. She ate a few bites then said eloquently, "You and your crow's beak. You're done for if I really get pimples."

"Okay!"

The inner core still laid on Cheng Lingran's neck. Its detoxification ability was pretty strong. Cheng Lingran's skin had become full of life and prettier due to it. Eating cup noodles naturally wouldn't bring rise to pimples on her face. Jiang Xiu was merely reminding her that it wasn't good to eat this thing too much.

"Give me two bites as well!"

Jiang Xiu had fought a fierce battle with Ji Wudao today. If it weren't for him taking a risk to refine the saber pill, he might have fallen under Ji Wudao's hands. He had used up a lot of energy over the course of the battle.

"Do you even have a conscience? You're fighting me over this single cup of noodles."

"Can't you just go buy another cup?"

Cheng Lingran said meanly. She was really too hungry and thought this little amount wasn't even enough for her, let alone him. Jiang Xiu was left speechless. "Sis, it seems like I'm the one who paid for this cup noodles."

It was indeed so. Cheng Lingran realized that she was acting too overbearing. She reluctantly forked the noodles, that too a tiny portion and fed it to him. Jiang Xiu didn't avoid it. The fragrance of noodles was indeed very appealing to a person with an empty belly.

A pretty silhouette appeared at the corridor right now. She was carrying a plastic bag in her hands which had a few packets inside. From its shape, it seemed to be takeout. She had accidentally witnessed this scene. Astonishment flashed through her beautiful eyes, followed by sadness. Cheng Lingran had also noticed her from the corner of her eyes and just like a thief caught red-handed, she withdrew back in fear. "Susu!"

Cheng Lingsu walked over towards them. "Why are you eating cup noodles? I bought fish, meat and also rice. Come, let's eat!"

Cheng Lingran's face blushed a little. "Little Xiu, you're hungry, right? Quickly eat it." She took the takeout bag from her sister's hands and took out the take boxes from inside.

Cheng Lingsu gave Jiang Xiu a deep glance. His face was the same as before, indifferent. She believed their relationship would change after tonight, but it seemed like nothing changed.

He acted the same to her as he did before.

Cheng Lingsu realized her blunder. From the beginning, the reason for Jiang Xiu's behavior wasn't due to the grievances of their elders. It was possible the reason for it was the three years of senior high when she had treated him as a stranger.

"How is Dad?"

"They just gave him a painkiller, so he feels a bit better now. You can go in to take a look. Give this one to mother. Right! Uncle Jiang and Aunt Lin must be hungry too, take two more with you."

Cheng Lingsu responded with an 'oh' and went inside along with the boxes.

"Uncle, Aunt, you're here!"

"Have some late-night snacks!"

Lin Yueling smiled at her. "Little child, unless you want your gift money packets to reduce, you better call us mom and dad."

Cheng Lingsu blushed fully.

"Dad, Mom!"

The happiness of both families reconciling gradually lifted the haze on Cheng Hanlin's mind, making him reveal a smile on his face. He felt it was worth it for him to get injured if both the families were able to reconcile as a result.

"It smells so appetizing. I also want to eat it!"

Cheng Hanlin laughed.

"Looks like you're already craving for it, huh? Right! I wonder if there's wine…" Jiang Yi commented.

Cheng Hanlin whined, "Brother Yi, is there a need to torment me so much?"

Jiang Yi replied, "Today's the Mid-autumn festival, and our families rarely gather together, so we naturally have to drink two cups. Susu, go tell that stinky brat outside to buy two bottles of wine."

"Alright!"

Cheng Lingsu left the room and saw her sister and Jiang Xiu were in the middle of eating. She thought it wouldn't be appropriate to send a big shot like Jiang Xiu to go buy wine and thus planned to go buy it herself, but on second thought, she felt that even if he was terrific, he was still Uncle Jiang's son, and it was proper for a son to buy wine for the father. Why should I get used to you? You don't even acknowledge me and also have a temper to boot.

"Jiang Xiu. Dad wants you to go buy wine!"

Jiang Xiu simply didn't dare believe what he heard. What did you say? You want me to go buy wine? Shouldn't you have realized you should be doing it?

His gaze swept past her. Cheng Lingsu became a little scared. If a gaze could've killed someone, Cheng Lingsu believed her heart would've been pierced by Jiang Xiu already.

She was terrified in the next second. "Never mind. I'll go!"

She couldn't believe she had failed so miserably.

Cheng Lingran said, "Susu, wait a minute. It'll be inconvenient for a girl like you to go out alone so late. Little Xiu, accompany her, okay?" She glared Jiang Xiu, "Why can't I see even a little enthusiasm in your eyes?"

Though Jiang Xiu was very unwilling, he still got up obediently.

The two of them walked outside, but as the snack store didn't have wine, they had to go out to buy it from the supermarket. Jiang Xiu didn't say a word at all. He felt his head hurt when he recalled the fact that Cheng Lingsu beside him was his legal wife.

Since the two families had now reconciled, it would become even more impossible for him and Cheng Lingsu to separate. As for his wife of from the previous life, Cheng Lingran, from the nervous appearance she displayed when Cheng Lingsu saw her feed Jiang Xiu, he knew she will drift further away from him.

Cheng Lingsu was the first to open her mouth, "I forgot to congratulate you. You won!"

"It was just a useless trash. There's no joy in such a victory."

His tone was quite dull, but Cheng Lingsu had witnessed that shocking battle so she could all the more feel the arrogance in his heart. Indeed, a crazy guy.

"What's your future plan?" Jiang Xiu asked her.

"Plan? Nothing special. To take care of Father and focus on studying."

The supermarket was right opposite the hospital.

"Looks like you've forgotten my words. We will divorce once this matter is settled."

As the dusky street light shone on Cheng Lingsu's face, her expression wasn't clear yet eyelashes had clearly trembled. "Okay, do as you please."

Cheng Lingsu believed she never liked him so it would be better to get as further away as possible from him, but she couldn't control her tears from falling.

"How about tomorrow noon then?"

"Okay!"

She quickly entered the supermarket, only leaving behind silent tears. She was surprised why she was crying. She believed it was because she had been wronged. From start to finish, she had always acted passively regarding this matter. She got married because his Jiang family wanted them to get married and now all her classmates knew she was married. If she divorced him, her life would be ruined.

After buying the wine, Cheng Lingsu returned back to the room, "Unc… Dad, your wine!" Calling out the word 'Dad' gave her a lot of stress, it had almost exhausted all her strength.

Jiang Yi took it into his hands, "Not bad!"

After the wine bottle's cork was opened, the entire room was pervaded by the wine's fragrance. Even Cheng Hanlin couldn't help but comment on it. "Really nice."

"Hahahaha…"

Jiang Yi laughed heartily, "Right! Yueling, as the mothers, you must prepare. Their marriage certificate is already fixed. We must hold the wedding for this young couple as soon as possible. Otherwise, Hanlin will think I treated his daughter unfairly."

Lin Yueling smiled, "You're right."

"Susu, where's your marriage certificate?"

Cheng Lingsu was stunned, "I-In my purse."

"Give it to me!"

Cheng Lingsu looked towards Jiang Xiu only to see his mouth twitch unnaturally.

So, should I give it or not?

Mr. Jiang…

Cheng Lingsu clenched her teeth, soliloquizing to herself. Why should I listen to you? Why should I let you dominate my fate?

Our Second Lady Cheng also had a temper. She ignored the ugly expression which had crept up on his face and took out the marriage certificate from her purse. She had hardly taken it out when Lin Yueling took it away from her hands.

Cheng Lingsu noticed the sour expression on Jiang Xiu's face. This little lass even assumed an innocent, helpless expression which seemed to tell – the marriage certificate was taken away by your mother, my hands are tied as well. But it looks like there's no need to go the civil administration office tomorrow as the divorce procedures require the marriage certificate.

Sun Xiaohong and Cheng Lingran still hadn't seen their marriage certificate, so they huddled up to look at it as well. Lin Yueling passed a comment from the side, "Little Xiu's looks pretty bad in this photograph."

This too was no wonder as he appeared pretty reluctant in the photo.

Jiang Yi said, "Alright. Don't dally here. You and Little Xiu should return home. I'll stay with Hanlin and look after him. We brothers haven't got together in over a decade. There's a lot to talk…"

Sun Xiaohong and Cheng Lingran were already fatigued, so they didn't comment much after hearing this. They left the room and booked a cab back to the house in the Imperial Capital.

Cheng Lingsu changed into a new pair of clothes here and handed over a set to her elder sister as well. There wasn't much of a difference in the figure between the sisters, it was just that Cheng Lingran had a little more sex appeal than Cheng Lingsu. After freshening up, everyone went to sleep.

Jiang Xiu and Cheng Lingsu were naturally in the same room.

Cheng Lingsu dried her wet hair with a towel then said, "Shall I sleep on the bed today too?" No matter from which angle, these words sounded pompous. According to how things were developing currently, both of them would have to remain married.

After saying such words, Cheng Lingsu instantly buried herself under the blanket.

Jiang Xiu didn't say a word, but his thoughts were something else entirely. Cheng Lingsu, since when did you start being so obedient. What happened to the girl who did her utmost and even forced me to remove the engagement.

He suspected that Cheng Lingsu had intentionally taken out the marriage certificate.

Wang Xintong's home was right opposite to the window. He could see a woman holding a glass of wine in front of the opposite window. She humbly toasted towards Jiang Xiu, possibly to congratulate him for winning the battle today then gulped the entire class down. She picked up her cell phone and called Jiang Xiu after that.

Jiang Xiu looked at Cheng Lingsu who was on the bed but still decided to answer it. Wang Xintong's voice came from the other end, she appeared a little excited. "My father and I came to watch today."

After all, this battle was the decisive factor for their survival.

"It was quite shocking. Everyone is trying to guess your cultivation level. Even the Demigod Ranking has changed overnight. You rose up to 3rd rank and are now the No. 1 Demigod in China."

"As your spokesperson, my phone kept ringing off the hook tonight. Many martial arts families from China wish to meet you, and many big shots wish to send their children to pay respects to you and become your disciples."

"Tell me about the important things!" Jiang Xiu replied.

"No one expected the Jiang family would fall. At the moment this colossal monster was subjugated by you, our industries in Jiangnan, as well as the Imperial Capital, have resumed normal operation. Moreover, since a huge deficiency was left in Jiangnan's market due to the disappearance of many officials and big shots, Mayor Gu has received orders from the Diaoyutai to act on it. We also need to consolidate everything and do it fast, so I'm planning to leave for there tomorrow."

All of this had happened because Jiang Xiu won the battle. If he had lost, the Jiang family would've survived, and the void in Jiangnan's market would've all fallen into Jiang family's hands.

The winners take it all and the losers get nothing, such has been the case since ancient times.

"I can't accompany you!"

Wang Xintong's tone lacked luster. The upcoming days would keep her very busy.

"The important things!" Jiang Xiu said again.

Wang Xintong got angry because of this. To her, this was an important thing. It was like this every time. Whenever she tried to get close to him, he pushes her away. She too felt helpless about this. "How do you plan to handle the Ji family?"

"I'll personally go visit the Ji family."

"Okay!"

After hanging the call, Jiang Xiu began to ponder. There was no doubt Ji Wudao was a God. As for the secret to how he achieved this was something that would unravel after he visited the Ji family, but it was also possible Ju Wudao took that secret with him to his grave.

However, Jiang Xiu didn't have any other choice except to kill him. It was pretty strenuous for a Demigod to control the saber knife which was a godly weapon. It had exhausted all his divine force. If he had left Ji Wudao alive, the question wasn't whether he could pry out the secret from the other party's mouth but rather that he couldn't attack like before again. For his own safety, he decided to kill Ji Wudao in the end.

Moreover, he was also confident that since Ji Wudao could do it, he too could find a way to become God. He had absolute faith in that.

When he turned back, he discovered Cheng Lingsu gazing at him with her bright pupils under the darkness of the night. She immediately turned to the other side when he discovered her.

Jiang Xiu was displeased, "I never knew you also had the habit of eavesdropping on people's phone calls."

Cheng Lingsu ignored him. This room is only so big. How can someone go to sleep if you are speaking on a call in such a place? I didn't even say anything to you so why are you blaming me for eavesdropping?

Jiang Xiu got up and took a pair of clothes to change then entered the bathroom.

A night passed by silently.

On the morning of the next day, Sun Xiaohong got up pretty early. She initially had a pretty lethargic nature, but after becoming bankrupt, she became very diligent and also understood the value of her work. She bought breakfast early in the morning and arranged it in a box for Jiang Yi who was at the hospital.

As Jiang Yi was Annan's Mayor, he wouldn't tarry here at the Imperial Capital for long and would at most remain here for another day before returning back along with Lin Yueling. Her daughters would also go back to university sooner or later so the work would all fall into her hands then.

"You're up so early!"

"Yes. Sister-in-law, you're also up pretty early."

Sun Xiaohong noticed that Lin Yueling didn't look that well, so she inquired about it, "Sister-in-law, you weren't able to rest properly? Why don't you go take another nap? I'll handle things here."

After returning back yesterday night, Lin Yueling couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning around restlessly. It wasn't because she was having difficulties sleeping in a new place but rather because she was worried. She really didn't know what do about this matter. She and Jiang Yi knew that Jiang Xiu had done that with Nangong Kou'er due to falling into a trap, and they naturally wouldn't reveal this, but the issue was the victim, i.e., Nangong Kou'er.

"Morning!"

Cheng Lingsu also woke up and came down from upstairs. Youths were different. They recover their liveliness again just after a night. Lin Yueling revealed a smile towards her, "You're up. Come have breakfast."

Lin Yueling became worried again after seeing Cheng Lingsu. She wondered how Cheng Lingsu would react after knowing after that matter. If she wrote it off with magnanimity, that would be good, if not… that would be a headache.

"Ranran isn't up yet?"

"Ranran!"

Soon after, Cheng Lingran also came down. All of them had breakfast together. Song Xiaohong said, "I'll stay with your father so both of you can return to school with ease. You can come to visit after classes end. If my hands get full, I'll call for the nurses' help."

Her daughters nodded cleverly.

"Susu, where's that stinky brat?"

After waking up, Cheng Lingsu had discovered that Jiang Xiu had fallen asleep beside her. She guessed that he couldn't sleep well on the sofa and got on the bed as he was too tired due to the battle yesterday.

"Maybe it's better to let him sleep longer."

As she said this, Jiang Xiu also came down from upstairs with his usual cold face. He didn't sit beside Cheng Lingsu but rather sat beside Cheng Lingran then said, "Sis, what time are your classes today?"

"At 7:30 AM. I need to hurry or else I might be late. I can't miss this class."

"Let's go together then."

Back then, Lin Yueling was forcing Jiang Xiu to transfer to a university in Jiangnan as she was worried the Jiang family would destroy Jiang Xiu but now, the Jiang family had instead fallen, so there was no need to transfer at all.

"Why are you in a hurry? Let Ranran go first. Aren't most of your Archaeology Dept. classes on hold anyways?" Lin Yueling commented.

Cheng Lingran was running out of time so took a steamed bun with her and prepared to leave. Susu also got up after that, "Sis, let's leave together." She also took a bun with her and got up.

Soon after, Sun Xiaohong also packed things and left for the hospital, leaving Jiang Xiu and his mother behind.

"Mother, isn't everything settled already? Why did you tell me to stay behind?"

"Settled? You really have the nerve to say that. Did you forget what you did? The Jiang family's issue is settled, but what about the Nangong family? We're in the wrong this time."

Jiang Xiu finally understood the reason. His mother was worried about Nangong Kou'er's matter. "Mother, that… I am innocent."

"I don't care whether you are innocent. Handle it properly, got it? Don't let Susu know about it."

"Okay, can I go to class now?"

"Go!"Jiang Xiu had also thought about it. This was indeed a problem. After he got on the cab, he planned to call Nangong Kou'er to sound out her attitude towards his matter.

Just as Lin Yueling said, the Nangong family also cared about their face. Moreover, since everyone from the Jiang family was dead, if only Nangong Kou'er didn't reveal the matter, no one else would know about it, and the chances of her doing so were close to nil.

He took his cell phone out and called her number. Perhaps because it was too early or maybe he remembered it wrong, the other side didn't pick up the call.

That's that then.

But just as the cab was about to arrive at the campus, Jiang Xiu received an SMS from Nangong Kou'er's number - Let's bury the secret between us forever!

Jiang Xiu raised his brows up. Nangong Kou'er was quite calm even though they had done something very intimate. Though she had lost her purity, she didn't lose her sanity and instead choose the best choice.

He deleted this number from his phonebook.

Let bygones be gone!

After arriving at the campus, Jiang Xiu went to his classroom. A professor was lecturing on the dais while students were taking down notes. Due to the accident which happened during the expedition, the administration had prohibited any archaeological activities this semester. This had affected the freshers' passion for studying significantly and caused them to protest, but the administration took a determined stance against it.

Zhou Jin, Zhang Yiwen, and a few others were playing games on their smartphones under the table and not paying attention to the teacher's lecture at all. On the contrary, Zheng Lun engaged in an idle chat with Jiang Xiu.

A student in the row in front of Jiang Xiu was browsing the net in his notebook, looking at images of historic ruins. This was a true archaeology lover.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiu patted his shoulders, "Friend, could you pull up the previous image?"

That person got frightened by Jiang Xiu and cursed out instinctively. "Fudge! Scared the heck out of me!" Only, he still browsed to the previous page. There was a goose-egg sized stone with a glyph on it depicted in the image. From its shape, it appeared the same as the Longevity Stone.

"Friend, where is this thing located at?"

That person replied, "This is a forum. Someone from Europe uploaded it, it's been up for quite some time…"

"Can I take a look?"

That student passed his notebook to Jiang Xiu who then carefully looked at the stone in the image. There was no doubt that this was one of the six Longevity Stones.

The two which he had were refined into the saber pill. To strengthen it, cultivating it played one part, while it also required refinement using unique materials. This Longevity Stone could enable him to increase his strength considerably.

"Europe? Ancient Castle? Auction?"

Things like these were usually put on auctions which were then followed by creating hype for it. Like how an antique gets sold at a high price of around 100 million RMB, and the biggest reason for that is due to the hype.

Jiang Xiu saw the auction price, it was 70.5 Million Euros which were around hundreds of millions in RMB. It was featured piece of the season. With such a price tag on it, whoever planned to buy this stone definitely knew his tools of the trade.

"How did this thing reach outside the country?"

Zheng Lun asked, "This belongs to our country?"

Jiang Xiu muttered to himself. This thing belonged to the Western Regions and couldn't be considered as China's, but though the Western Regions wasn't a part of China, it was a nation which was deeply involved with China, i.e., a bordering country. It wasn't odd that things drifted into China from the Western Regions over the period of history. However, China was humiliated for over a hundred years, and many antiques had flowed out from here. "You can't say that's the case, but this thing shouldn't be in the hands of Europeans."

After classes ended, Jiang Xiu took out his cell phone and called Wang Xintong, "You got the pic?"

"An antique worth several hundred million." Wang Xintong had looked it up.

"Immediately send someone to Europe to discuss with the owner. No matter how high the cost, I want you to buy it." If money could handle the issue, there no problem at all.

"Alright, I'll send someone as soon as possible."

Many buyers tried to inquire about the identity of the seller from the auction house, but it was usually kept confidential to avoid trouble. However, it was only an issue of money to find out the identity of the owner.

The real problem was whether the other party was willing to sell it!

If the other party had discovered the stone's secret or if the stone had led to some change in their body, then that person wouldn't sell it no matter how high the price.

For a person who was selling something worth millions, money wasn't a problem.

"Handle the visa procedures for me properly!"

"Understood!"

If his people couldn't handle it, Jiang Xiu planned to go over personally. Keeping aside the fact that the stone had a mysterious origin, just the simple fact that it could raise his cultivation was enough for him to not let it slip by.

"Jiang Xiu, what are you doing? Come faster." Zheng Lun urged Jiang Xiu who was on the call.

"Come quick!"

"We'll be late otherwise!" Zhou Jin said impatiently.

"What for?"

Zheng Lun laughed mischievously, "What else? To look at the goddess. This is a true goddess from the 3rd year seniors, who is publicly known as the No. 2 of Imperial University."

Even if there were two beauties at home, and he possessed a higher immunity than these brutes, this was a place brimming with youth, a hormone-crazy campus. Campus Divas were always the hottest topic.

"Even our department's Qiu Yinru lacks in comparison to her."

"Qiu Yinru is the department diva, and the other party is the campus diva!"

"They are on totally different levels!"

Jiang Xiu followed behind these brutes and reached the lawn beside the dining hall. Zheng Lun passed down his veteran experience, "Today, the 2nd ranked campus diva has her main course so she'll definitely pass through his path to the dining hall after class ends."

"All this just to look at her?" Jiang Xiu was speechless.

Zhou Jin's mood became sour, "It takes 500 glances from the previous life to exchange for a fleeting encounter in this life. Brothers, you must utilize this chance."

Zhang Yiwen assumed an expression as if he were a love guru and matched accordingly, "Then, how many glances must I use now to be able to enter your heart?"

The classroom at a distance suddenly became noisy, and the seniors started coming out from inside. The sunshine on the noon after the Mid-autumn festival was pretty warm and a chilly autumn wind breezed by. The girls held books in hands and wore charming cheongsams which emphasized their scholarly aura. The entire campus turned lively along with their cheerful talking and laughing.

"She's here!"

"So pretty!"

After hearing their reactions, Jiang Xiu also looked over there curiously. It was a girl around 1.7 m tall who wore a white top paired with her white skirt, along with a belt of the same color at her waist. Due to her height, she appeared like a spotless lily floating in the crowd, free from the vulgarity of the human world.

Her elegant beauty slowly infected a man's eyes and sunk deep into their hearts.

"You're shocked, right?"

As the girl was in the crowd, it was only possible to catch a glimpse of her.

On the side, Zheng Lun mocked him, "You act cool usually but haven't you also turned into a pig after seeing a beauty? But, don't make any plans on this beauty. Her level isn't something we can hope to reach."

Pain flashed through his eyes as Jiang Xiu gazed at that girl. You're so near yet so far away. Even if I have the entire world in this life, without you, I won't feel happy.

"Oi! Wake up already!"

Jiang Xiu saw a hand way in front of him, obstructing his line of sight. He turned back to look. It was Zheng Lun who did it. Zhou Jin and Zhang Yiwen on the side wore looks of loathing as well.

"You said she's the No.2 of Imperial University, right?"

"Who is No. 1?"

That girl was none other than Cheng Lingran. Jiang Xiu didn't believe any woman in this world could be prettier than her. Naturally, this was an individual preference. In Jiang Xiu's eyes, Cheng Lingran was the most beautiful.

"The No.1 girl is Long Shuqing. I also don't think she's prettier, but she has a pretty huge background as she's from the Long family. Do you know how the campus divas are chosen? Not only their appearance, but their family matters are also considered into it." Zheng Lun explained.

"No one is pursuing her?" Jiang Xiu asked.

Zheng Lun replied, "You must be kidding? How can a campus diva not have pursuers? There's plenty of them, but so far, none have been able to get close to her. However, I did hear that a young master has set his eyes on her recently."

It was pretty regular for someone to set their eyes on a beautiful girl. Moreover, such a pursuer definitely wouldn't be the only one. When he was with Cheng Lingsu in the cab back then, he had seen a few boys pester her, but Cheng Lingran had dealt with them appropriately. Since she also had a treasure like the inner core on her, there wouldn't be any danger to her, so Jiang Xiu wasn't worried about that.

"Brothers! Bless me with some valor so I can exchange the 500 glances from my previous life for a fleeting encounter in this life."

Jiang Xiu got up to go over, but the brutes beside him were already a step ahead of him. Their expressions were the same as those heroes who left in the desolate, chilly winds to gain glory, never to come back.

What's funnier was that these three brutes even fought over each other for this single fleeting encounter, but they were instead stupefied when they saw that Cheng Lingran was surrounded by girls left and right, so there was no leeway for them to have that fleeting encounter.

They could only watch in a daze as Cheng Lingran, and her classmates walked past them.

Being able to look at the goddess in such a close range could also be considered an encounter. Truthfully, they had never got so close to such a pretty goddess over their entire life. Their gazes were fixed on her, right until she walked far away.

But in the next instant, their eyes became wide open.

"Fudge! What's that guy doing?"

They saw Jiang Xiu directly walk over towards Cheng Lingran.

"Oh my God! He's going for a direct encounter!"

"Amazing!"

These brutes never thought Jiang Xiu was actually so brave.

"Eh, how come you're here?" Cheng Lingran noticed Jiang Xiu coming over. Jiang Xiu had joined the university for over a month yet this was their first meeting on-campus. She revealed a warm smile on her face.

"To see the campus diva!"

"You must be craving for a beating, right?" Cheng Lingran actually didn't like the title of campus diva. Let alone, the second-ranked campus diva. She sent him an angry glance, "You've come at the right time. See? One, two and three. Go bring three meals."

Jiang Xiu became gloomy. Of course, you'd make me your delivery boy.

Those brutes were stupefied.

Brother Xiu, you're terrific! You're chatting with the campus diva and even made her smile at you. Goddamn it! What's the relationship between you two? You hid so deeply.

"Ranran, who is he?"

The two classmates beside her were very curious.

"A fresher of the Archaeology Dept., Jiang Xiu." Cheng Lingran knew very well what kind of people her companions were. They were toppers of Imperial University, elites of influential families. They rejected outsiders very much, and unless one was on the same level as them, they'd be pushed aside. That's why Cheng Lingran didn't say much. "Let's give the duty of getting lunch to him today."

The two sisters treated Jiang Xiu entirely different. Cheng Lingsu wanted Jiang Xiu to act as if he didn't know her for the 3 years of high school and Cheng Lingran was anxious Jiang Xiu would be outcasted by others and thus protected him. This too wasn't something unimaginable. After all, Cheng Lingsu had abandoned him in his previous life while Cheng Lingran sacrificed her life to make it up to Jiang Xiu.

"Okay!"

The two girls sized up Jiang Xiu. His looks were pretty good, but there weren't any peculiar aspects. These so-called peculiar aspects referred to the fact that his clothes were quite common, which meant he wasn't a wealthy young master. They were surprised at how favorably Cheng Lingran treated him.

"This is Fang Yi, and this is Bai Fei…"

Fan Yi was a tall girl with somewhat tanned skin while Bai Fei was a fair oval-faced maiden.

"I'll trouble you today then."

Jiang Xiu waved his hands. It was just bringing food, that's all. He walked over towards the dining hall. Many people lined up during lunchtime. The brutes had already rushed over towards him. "Fudge! Jiang Xiu, you know the goddess?"

"Are you going to have lunch together?"

"What's your relationship with her?"

Each one of them almost drowned him with a question.

"Go grab three sets if you want to know."

"Okay!"

The party went over to the dining hall. Zhou Jin didn't have any thoughts of picking up the goddess, he only wishes to get a partner. Two girls were accompanying the goddess, and he wasn't picky. Thereupon, he made a serious face and said to Jiang Xiu, "I don't reject a May-December relationship."

Zhang Yiwen agreed, "Me too!"

One couldn't deny that they craved for it too.

Zheng Lun immediately poured a bucket of cold water on them, "Don't even think about it. Cheng Lingran is studying Finance, and the girls beside her have quite the background. Birds of a feather flock together. That group isn't something we can enter."

"Just be satisfied that you were able to grab food for them once."

Cheng Lingsu and her best friends had already taken seats. As she saw Jiang Xiu come over with the food, she raised her slender, lily-white hand to wave at him. "Little Xiu, over here…"

Those brutes took a seat at the neighboring table. They only dared to look from afar and didn't dare go near. They had an enviously look on their face when they saw Jiang Xiu sit beside Cheng Lingran. They could only sigh endlessly.

Bai Fei asked, "Jiang Xiu, you've entered the uni for over a month, how come you didn't find Ranran to have lunch together?" This question was pretty odd and seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"I was busy!"

Fang Yi stated, "You aren't Ranran's temporary shield, right?"

Jiang Xiu placed the tomatoes from his plate into Cheng Lingran's. She liked to eat this bittersweet thing a lot. As her husband in the previous life, he knew very well about what she loved. He then looked at Fang Yi, "Shield? What for?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense." Cheng Lingran added in.

Fang Yi continued, "I'm not saying nonsense. Who doesn't know that Long Tingwei has set his eyes on you? It's possible for you to look for a person to act like your boyfriend."

Cheng Lingran was dazed. She hadn't thought about this problem much and got reminded of it by Fang Yi.

"What? Someone's trying to woo you?"

Cheng Lingran waved her hands in a rush. She seemed a little nervous. It was unclear whether she was faking a nervous expression or whether she was indeed a little nervous. In short, this behavior was to make it clear to Fang Yi and Bai Fei that she cared about Jiang Xiu a lot. "No. Don't I already have you? I wouldn't dare to associate with anyone else."

Jiang Xiu didn't expect to learn of such a surprising thing today. It seemed like someone was really harassing Cheng Lingran.

Cheng Lingran took a bite into the tomatoes which Jiang Xiu had passed into her plate without any misgivings. It was difficult to judge the relationship between people as there was always a distance between them. This was evident when two people sat beside each other. The closer they sit, the better their relationship. 50 cm was a safe distance for regular interaction, and 30 cm meant they had a good relationship, but right now, Cheng Lingran and Jiang Xiu were so close that their shoulders even brushed past each other occasionally.

Only close people did that.

"Could he really be her boyfriend?"

Fang Yi and Bai Fei looked at each other, thinking that if that was indeed the case, Long Tingwei would go crazy.

Just as they were chatting, a commotion rose up in the dining hall. Everyone looked towards the source and saw a girl enter the dining hall. She wore crimson clothes and had tied her long hair. Her skin was fair and brows dark as well as curvy at the edges. Her pretty eyes were ice-cold, similar to a spring which had frozen an eternity ago. She had a celestial nose paired with tiny crimson lips. From the shape of her face, it was clear that she was born beautiful, but there was no gentleness on her face nor the zeal of youth, only a desolate, indifferent look.

Her crimson clothes were quite hot and sexy but paired together with her fair skin and the desolate, indifferent look, it instead gave an unusual chill to others.

"Long Yingqing!"

"The No.1 diva of the campus!"

"How come she's here?"

According to the rumors, among the four campus divas, only Cheng Lingran ate in the dining hall. The other three had never appeared in the dining hall. Jiang Xiu's side also looked towards Long Yingqing and saw her come over towards them.

She came right in front of Cheng Lingran!

Long Yingqing ran her gaze over Cheng Lingran's face then said, "You think you're qualified to be a campus diva with just your looks?"

Cheng Lingran smiled, "I have never thought that was the case."

"Nowadays, some people like to seek fame. What beauty and campus diva? It's all to get a wealthy husband. To say it frankly, it's selling themselves."

She purposely emphasized the word 'selling' to imply something.

Cheng Lingran's expression turned ugly.

"I feel quite conflicted towards the voting because there's always some or the other green tea bitch who manages to slip in…"

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Xiu raised the bowl of hot Nori Tamago Soup and splashed it across her face. As Long Yingqing's attention was entirely on Cheng Lingran, she was unable to guard in time, resulting in the soup getting all over her face.

Everyone was stupefied.

Whoa!

All of them cried out in surprise.

"Oh my God!"

"He splashed the soup across Long Yingqing's face…" Jiang Xiu's dormmates were stunned as well.

Fudge! Deity Xiu, you've really done it.

You've really laid your hands on the hot frying pan.Long Yingqing was stupefied. Her fair face was covered in nori and egg flakes while the soup drenched her entire face, sliding down along it. She blinked her eyes in disbelief, her mouth turning completely round. She couldn't believe what just happened, but the warmth on her face was proof that this person before had really done it.

She fumed like a volcano, pointing towards Jiang Xiu in anger, wishing she could chop him into pieces. "You…"

After creating an uproar, the crowd became silent.

Shit just happened!

Is this guy blind? Goddamn it! How could you splash soup over her face? That's Long Yingqing! The No. 1 campus diva! You've really laid hands on the hot frying pan.

Cheng Lingran was also stunned, her eyes turning entirely round in surprise. Her best friends were also stupefied.

Bang!

Jiang Xiu placed the empty bowl on the table, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. "If you dare to speak rudely to Cheng Lingran again, it won't be soup but rather boiled water I'll splash on you."

"Y-You…"

Jiang Xiu wasn't that fond of this ice beauty. To him, though a girl's appearance was important, her character was even more important. Moreover, this girl had spoken offensive words targeting Cheng Lingran.

There was no way he would allow that.

"What? You want me to splash your face again?"

Long Yingqing was enraged, "You actually found another flower protection emissary. Cheng Lingran, you're really something. First, you seduced Tang Yimiao then my elder brother, and now you're conning this idiot."

A voice came through from the dining hall's entrance at this moment, "Who dares to bully Yingqing? Do you want to die?"

A youth sprinted over and saw Long Yingqing face which was covered in nori and egg flakes. She appeared pretty bad, and it was no riddle that someone had splashed soup across her face. The youth's expression morphed immediately.

"It's this buffoon!"

The youth's gaze turned murderous as he came over, but Jiang Xiu had already picked up the plate of yuxiang stir-fried pork strips in a lightning fast speed and smashed it on top of that youth's head. Deity Xiu's attack was pretty ruthless, it had made the youth dizzy, causing him to stagger to the ground. Since Jiang Xiu had already acted, he naturally wouldn't stop with that. He went over and gave him a hard kick as a service.

From the moment Jiang Xiu had splashed soup across Long Yingqing's face, Cheng Lingran had realized that this matter will blow up. Since that was the case, she didn't stop him and let him do as he pleased. She was just worried that he would suffer later.

As expected, the youth was only the scout, a few more rushed in after that.

Jiang Xiu looked at them and kicked the youth another two times then pulled Cheng Lingran to run. After all, this was still the campus, so it was sensible to flee the scene after hitting someone to avoid trouble.

The two of them escaped the dining hall and ran far away in a single breath.

"I can't run anymore! I'm on the verge of dying!"

"Can't we stop now? Do you want to run to the other end of the world along with me or what?"

Jiang Xiu saw that Cheng Lingran was out of breath and couldn't run anymore, so he stopped then cursed out. "Fuckers! They think they can bully us just because they win in numbers!"

"You!" Cheng Lingran said helplessly, "Although hitting him would've led to some trouble, it'll blow up now that you hit him that much. This matter could've been solved in a better way."

Jiang Xiu said, "A person needs to take responsibility for their actions. Since I was the one who hit him, I'll take responsibility for it. It's unrelated to you!"

Cheng Lingran glanced at him unhappily, "You think I want to share this tribulation together with you?"

"As if I'll be able to push away the responsibility!"

Though these words seemed like she was complaining, she didn't appear angry at all and instead had a smile on her face. At this moment, she recalled the fights from her childhood time. It was always Jiang Xiu who fought while she and her little sister cheered him from the sidelines.

Jiang Xiu did her best back then for the two little beauties and displayed his spirit as a little man.

Jiang Xiu commented, "If we weren't on campus, I'd have taught them all a lesson. They actually dared to scold you. I definitely can't allow that."

"I won't let myself suffer losses!" Cheng Lingran whispered.

Jiang Xiu replied, "I won't let you suffer losses!"

Cheng Lingran felt her heart warm up, feeling endless joy. Jiang Xiu's words moved her a lot, causing her eyelashes to flicker as she replied in a low voice, "Thank you!"

They had run all the way to the Sciences Block, and since it was lunchtime, there wasn't a single person here, so the two of them sat down on the lawn. The lawns of Imperial University were pretty clean, so many students liked to sit here and study or play guitar during noon time. Cheng Lingran was really tired after running, and the physical abilities of girls were pretty bad inherently. Moreover, Cheng Lingran had low blood sugar and missed a meal, so she just leaned against Jiang Xiu's back.

"Why did that woman come to annoy you?" Jiang Xiu asked.

Cheng Lingran turned her face to the side, "I have a rough idea, but I'm not clear about the reason as well. It might be because she didn't like the campus diva voting result. Someone said that the reason she won was that she hired people to vote for her. Moreover, her brother comes to pester me a lot, so I don't have a good relationship with him too."

"Little Xiu, do I attract that much hate?"

Jiang Xiu shook his head. Since the ancient times, many battles were fought for beauties. Those who hold power viewed beauties as spoils of war. The prettier the woman, the harder they tried to vie for her. This was natural. Even a woman couldn't stop this from happening.

In the Heaven Trading Sect, there was a girl with beauty unmatched in her generation. When Jiang Xiu had run into her, she was still a tender, cute newbie to cultivation. The person who she loved had weak strength, but the expert who coveted her was overwhelmingly strong and had forced her to the brink. But this beauty was an eccentric as well. She finally chose to scar her pretty face with a dagger using her own hands and destroyed that mien which had shocked her entire generation.

The expert felt deeply regretful after seeing that she lost her mien and lost interest in her. In this way, that beauty was able to get together with her lover.

Everyone believed that they would stay together to their last days, but one day, she found her beloved having a tryst with another person. He betrayed her. She couldn't believe it, but the facts were right before her eyes. When she asked for the reason, the man didn't say anything. She looked at her lover's tryst partner's pretty appearance and immediately realized that her lover was the same as the person who coveted her peerless beauty. But since she had already lost her good looks, what else could she use to move her beloved man's heart? She was left all alone after the man abandoned her.

It was a pretty ironical story yet it had happened right nearby to Jiang Xiu. Since then, her nature began to change. Her cultivation speed soared up due to the rancor and hate in her heart, allowing her to become an Immortal Monarch.

This person was Immortal Martial Continent's well-known Empress of White Moon Domain, Nuya.

"I understand!" Jiang Xiu said.

Cheng Lingran looked at him with astonishment, "You don't think I'm a bad woman?"

Jiang Xiu laughed instinctively, "If you're a bad woman, there wouldn't be a good woman in this world…" His gaze fell on Cheng Lingran's pretty face and discovered the helplessness in her eyes.

Cheng Lingran said, "Actually, I would've preferred to look ordinary…"

"I don't wish to create so much trouble!"

Jiang Xiu said, "If you looked ordinary, then whenever you look at those pretty campus divas, you'd feel that it would've been nice if you were prettier like them."

Such was human nature!

Cheng Lingran was just about to retort when her phone began to ring. She took it out and discovered that it was an unfamiliar number, so she hesitated a bit before picking it up.

"Hello?"

A somewhat unfamiliar voice came through from the other end of the call, "Cheng Lingran, where are you? Who is that boy with you? He splashed soup on Yingqing and even hit people."

"Long Yingqing humiliated me first." Cheng Lingran replied.

"No matter what, this matter must be settled. Anyone who has offended my little sister hasn't had a good end. I don't care what your relationship is with that boy. Tell him to come to the gym or else it won't end well for him."

Cheng Lingran still wanted to say something, but Jiang Xiu took the phone from her hands, "The gym, right? At 1:30? I'll be there on time."

After hearing Jiang Xiu's voice, the other side paused for a moment then said, "Okay!"

He didn't say any superfluous words to Jiang Xiu and hung the call right after that.

Cheng Lingran was worried, "Why did you agree? They are all children of rich families who act recklessly. It's dangerous for you to go."

"Believe me, it'll be fine." Jiang Xiu consoled her.

"Isn't it just a fight? Not like I've never done it before."

Cheng Lingran gritted her teeth with a solemn expression on her face, "Let's go together. I'll accompany you. If they really do something to you, we'll stake it all with them."

Jiang Xiu said, "Alright, we'll stake it all with them, but before that, how about we go have lunch lest we won't have any strength to fight when the moment arrives."

"You still have the mood to joke."

t didn't make sense to go to the dining hall again, so Jiang Xiu and Cheng Lingran left the campus. There was never a lack of restaurants near a university's entrance. Almost the entire street was full of them.

The two of them chose a random one and entered inside. Cheng Lingran took a seat and let Jiang Xiu go order dishes. He mainly picked the stuff she liked to eat while she conjectured on how Long Tingwei would handle this matter.

Cheng Lingran knew Long Tingwei was trying to woo her and she understood how to make use of this advantage. She believed Long Tingwei wouldn't hurt Jiang Xiu much as he wanted to woo her. If he took drastic measures, it would make her hate him, and his chances of wooing her successfully would drop to the bottom. Long Yingqing was the biggest problem.

She had never interacted with this ice-cold beauty. No one dared to provoke this pretty girl due to her background, and there were no bad rumors about her. She had only heard that Long Tingwei was a moody person with a wild personality.

"Food has arrived. Let's eat quickly." Jiang Xiu interrupted her thoughts.

Cheng Lingsu said, "Wow, so much stuff… Can the both of us finish this? Don't order so much next time lest it goes to waste."

After the Cheng Conglomerate went bankrupt, Cheng Lingran had also passed through days where she was hard-pressed for money and would act frugally.

Jiang Xiu laughed, "We'll be able to finish it. Aren't I here?"

On the Immortal Martial Continent, food was eaten merely just to satisfy one's taste buds, only for pure enjoyment. Food couldn't help them replenish the energy used up by their body, so they all ate fasting pills or some other medicinal pills. Jiang Xiu's appetite was a bit huge right now, and he didn't have any medicinal pills to eat so he could only gorge himself.

Cheng Lingran passed a block of meat to him, "Obediently follow my lead later."

"Follow your lead?" Jiang Xiu asked.

Cheng Lingran nodded solemnly, "Mhm. I believe they won't act too excessively. They would at most hit you once to vent their anger. If it is worse, I'll nurse you beside your bed."

"I won't disagree with you nursing me beside my bed, but I don't think it'll be that worse!"

Cheng Lingran continued, "Long Tingwei isn't a problem, but his little sister is. It won't be easy to deal with her. I understand a woman's mind better than you, so it's better for you to follow my lead. Wait for my signal."

Jiang Xiu smiled at her, "Okay!"

…

Jiang Xiu and Cheng Lingran arrived at the gym on time. They pushed open the door and walked in. The other side was lying in wait with many men, at least 30-40 men.

It was a gallery vicious enough to shock anyone.

Long Yingqing who had now changed into a cyan sports jacket stood at the front. With that group of fierce men behind her, she looked like a big sis of a gang. Paired with her outstanding facial features, it gave her an alluring charm.

"You've come!"

Long Yingqing gazed at the two with a playful look on her pretty face.

"You're quite punctual."

Jiang Xiu said, "I arrived on time as we agreed!"

An elegant youth donned in a white suit stood behind her, it was none other than Long Tingwei. His eyes ran up and down Jiang Xiu, disdain flashing through his eyes, after which he looked at Cheng Lingran. "Lingran, I tried my best."

"Thank you!"

The one who called them here was Long Tingwei, yet he was now standing behind Long Yingqing. This was quite unusual. The only thing possible was that he had tried to mediate, but Long Yingqing had rejected it. This also meant that Long Yingqing's position in their family was higher than Long Tingwei's.

In the elite families, the position wasn't decided by age but rather skill and influence.

Cheng Lingran grabbed Jiang Xiu's hand nervously. Her face was full of worry. What they had consulted before was of no use as Long Tingwei simply didn't help at all.

"Little Xiu, looks like we're in trouble this time!"

Looking at the circumstances, it seemed like Long Yingqing was planning to act heavily.

"It's fine!"

Jiang Xiu smiled coolly then turned towards Long Yingqing, "What do you want to do?"

"Since you came, don't think of leaving."

"Close the door!"

Bang! The gym's door was closed with force, resulting in a loud echo resounding inside the sealed room.

"What? You want to bully us since you have more people?"

A youth came out from behind her. He was 1.9 m high and a full half-head taller than Jiang Xiu. He had a fierce look in his eyes, and each of his movements wasted little to no amount of energy. One look was clear to determine he had extraordinary skills.

Long Yingqing said, "I don't act so low-class like you who lays hands on a woman."

"One by one?" Jiang Xiu shook his head with a smile, "This is indeed just and honorable. Looks like you're planning for a rotation duel instead of a group duel. It doesn't matter to me since it's all the same."

"Hmph!"

Long Yingqing actually removed the cyan sports jacket she was wearing and handed it over to that burly youth, revealing the white sportswear underneath.

Long Tingwei explained from the side, "Yingqing stayed in Korea and learned Taekwondo for the three years she stayed there. She's a real Taekwondo expert."

"Though she doesn't have a ranked belt, she's not at all weak!"

He was pretty confident about Long Yingqing. Her learning skills were better than ordinary people. She also knew swimming, horse riding, fencing and other stuff. He really envied her genes.

"You sure you want to fight with me?" Jiang Xiu inquired.

He didn't make out that this lass was a practitioner. It was no wonder that she had a fierce temperament. However, she paid attention to her image very much. Though he had splashed soup over her face, she hadn't acted in public and endured it. Like the adage went - one's appearance is born of the heart. She was a person who was cold on the outside yet passionate on the inside.

"What? Are you scared?"

Jiang Xiu couldn't help but laugh, disdain flashing through his eyes. Long Yingqing observed all of this then said, "My strength is equal to a 5th dan black belt practitioner. Though it isn't comparable to a true expert, it's enough to deal with 10 of ordinary people like you."

"Anyone can boast like that!" Jiang Xiu replied.

"Bring it here!"

A boy brought a wooden bucket over while pinching his nose. Everyone could smell the stink even though they were at a distance from it. Even Cheng Lingran pinched her nose.

There was no need to explain what was inside.

This ice-beauty actually thought up of such a vulgar game. She continued speaking with an indifferent expression, "Don't you like splashing soup at people? Whoever loses this duel will have their face splashed with this!"

Jiang Xiu seemed to smile at her yet not, "You sure?"

"What? Scared?" Long Yingqing questioned him.

"If you're scared, there's no need to fight, but you won't escape getting splashed by this bucket…"

Jiang Xiu said, "I fear you'll cry later on…"

"Enough chatter!"

Long Yingqing shouted at him and revealed an imposing manner. Taekwondo relied on this a lot. Before attacking, a practitioner would definitely yell to increase their momentum. However, a pretty woman like Long Yingqing shouting left an entirely different taste.

She assumed the standard Taekwondo posture and displayed a flying roundhouse kick, making her look very fierce. Though this little lass had a cold expression on her face, she was a smart girl. She had done this intentionally to scare Jiang Xiu!

"Just fancy skills, that's all!"

Long Yingqing's expression turned colder, "You're courting death!"

She suddenly closed in towards Jiang Xiu from the side with shocking, explosive speed. Compared to an ordinary person, it was indeed fiercer. After all, a black belt wasn't something easy to get hold of. Her kick was enough to send a person flying back 3-4 m.

It was indeed a pity!

She had chosen the wrong opponent today.

Jiang Xiu kicked out lightly right at the back of her foot, which was followed by a snapping sound. Long Yingqing's face twisted in pain as she fell to the ground while screaming.

"It's over?"

Everyone believed Jiang Xiu would get beaten up but never expected Long Yingqing would fall to the ground with just a single kick. She held her foot with a painful expression on her face.

Her face was pale and drenched in sweat.

Cheng Lingran shouted in surprise, "A win!"

This outcome was too shocking.

"Tsk tsk tsk…"

Jiang Xiu clicked his mouth weirdly, "Can you still fight? If you can't, then this bucket…"

Long Yingqing's face lost all color. She made a great effort to stand up yet her lips trembled in pain at the moment she placed her foot on the ground. She couldn't even stand.

"You can't stand?"

Long Yingqing glared at Jiang Xiu, wishing she could mince him into pieces yet she was grumbling in her mind about the fact that she had dug her own grave. She had thought of many methods to take revenge against Jiang Xiu for splashing soup on her face but couldn't decide on anything. Her dormmate had accidentally mentioned it, and even she felt it was nauseating, so she accepted the suggestion.

But who could've imagined that…

"Do you admit defeat?"

Long Yingqing's face turned pale as she held her foot while grimacing. However, even this pain was nothing compared to what she was about to go through. Just thinking of it made her heart collapse. Even a manly man wouldn't be able to go through it, let alone a pretty, spoiled girl like her.

Long Tingwei furrowed his brows and ran towards his little sister to inspect the injury. He was enraged after seeing her tear up and howled at Jiang Xiu, "We're all fellow students. Was there a need to act so heavily?"

Jiang Xiu replied, "Leave that aside, this duel was proposed by her, and there's that matter about the bucket too…"

"What do you think would've happened if a black belt expert kicked an ordinary person?"

"You think I should've just let her kick me?"

Long Tingwei knew that they were in the wrong and thus made an embarrassed face.

Long Yingqing's roundhouse sidekick could even break through 8 wooden boards, so the consequences of such a kick landing on someone's head was too horrible to even imagine.

Seeing that he was left speechless, Jiang Xiu looked at Long Yingqing, "Long Whatever? Time to accept what we agreed on…"

Long Yingqing's face went green before he could even finish speaking. Her heart had almost collapsed. "You already injured me, and now you even want to splash that thing on me? You must be dreaming…"

"You're planning to go back on your word then?"

"What if I am?"

Long Yingqing would rather break the promise than let him splash it on her, she couldn't live on anymore if that happened.

"Why are guys standing in a daze? Go beat him up!"

The dozen or so men who were standing behind weren't just for show. They screamed as they pounced towards Jiang Xiu like a flood once they received the lady's order.

Cheng Lingran's face turned ugly. She shouted at him, "Little Xiu, quickly escape…" But then she remembered that the gym's door was locked. Long Yingqing had done that so they couldn't escape.

Jiang Xiu said softly, "Stand behind me!"

As Cheng Lingran had the inner core, ordinary people couldn't injure her, but Jiang Xiu had forgotten this amidst all the chaos. He gazed at the 1.9 m tall man coming over towards him and punched towards his throat. Just the wind arising from the movements were enough to tell that the punch contained quite the pack.

With just a single attack from Jiang Xiu, that man got sent flying and slid back several meters on the gym's floor.

Whoosh!

The 2nd man came over with a kick…

Whoosh!

The 3rd one…

Whoosh!

The group rushing towards Jiang Xiu parted to the sides while Jiang Xiu stood in-between, not even moving an inch from his position. Those men seemed to fly out on their own then land on the floor violently, accompanied by never-ending screams. Each one of them was more miserable than the other.

Within just a few minutes, those 30 men were all left lying on the ground after being beaten up by Jiang Xiu. None of them could stand up, each one wailing in pain.

They were thoroughly stupefied.

Long Yingqing's eyes almost popped out. Oh my god, isn't this guy too good at fighting?Actually, Jiang Xiu had held back a lot and didn't attack too ruthlessly as this was the campus and it'd have resulted in a horrible scene if he hadn't done that.

After being stunned for a moment, Long Yingqing suddenly realized that she was in a dangerous position right now. She somehow stood up and wobbled towards the exit while jumping with her uninjured leg. She would've done the same even if she had only one leg.

This time, they had kicked the iron panel.

But the situation was something which made her want to cry, the door was locked. It was closed by her men, and she had even instructed them to remove the key to prevent Jiang Xiu from escaping. And now, it had instead become her grave.

Jiang Xiu's voice came through from behind, "Long Whatever?"

"Are you ready?"

Long Yingqing turned back with a wonderful expression on her face, "Student, we are all from the same university. There's no need to be so ruthless. How about we stop at this point today?"

A cold glint flashed through Jiang Xiu's eyes, "If I was defeated by your men, would you have stopped?"

Long Yingqing had an ice-cold temper and never placed anyone in her eyes. She had never submitted to anyone and had for the first time lowered her stance, but this bastard was still unwilling to let it go.

"Hehe, that, I was just kidding about that."

Looking at the bucket filled with that, Long Yingqing didn't dare imagine how disastrous it would be if that thing were splashed on her.

"Student, can't you let it go, okay?"

That pretty face of hers was already pale. She assumed a very flattering expression, but it was a pity that was it looked somewhat comical instead as she was too used to acting cold and felt as if she were acting cute.

She was ready to do anything to escape from this catastrophic calamity.

Pride was just a transient thing after all.

"You think I'll do that?" Jiang Xiu replied.

"It's not like there's not anything good about it. I hear you can lose weight."

Long Yingqing was shocked, "Lose weight?"

"After getting splashed by this thing, you definitely won't be able to do anything. You'll keep vomiting when you see food. Especially brownish things, you'll recall that smell when you see them and feel your stomach churn. Since you won't be able to eat things anymore, you'll naturally lose weight."

Long Yingqing's expression turned lifeless.

"Can't you just let it go?"

She was almost begging now.

Jiang Xiu shook her head.

"Surnamed Jiang, don't act too excessively. Do you know who I am?" Since playing soft didn't work, she decided to do it the hard way.

"If you dare to do it, my Long family won't let you go scot-free."

Jiang Xiu smiled at her.

All of a sudden, Long Yingqing reached out to open the door. Actually, the reason she was leaning on the door for so long was to open the door and was trying to delay him with her words. Just as she was about to escape, she heard a noise from behind. That bucket was flying over towards her.

Under everyone's stupefied gaze, the bucket streaked across with a graceful arc, and naturally, the yellowish-brown thing inside spilled out from it along the way.

At the instant she saw that bucket flying over towards her, the ice beauty's heart collapsed thoroughly. It was too sudden. That wooden bucket perfectly landed on top of her, resulting in those yellowish-brown things dumping all over her.

Aaah!

It was too brutal!

It left a dark shadow in her mind.

"Young Lady!"

"Yingqing!"

Those fallen on the ground as well as Long Tingwei looked at her with dumbstruck gazes, watching her stand there rigidly as if someone had sealed her movements.

Ruined!

Her life as the campus diva was utterly damned!

As for these hateful underlings, none of them came up to help her.

No one remained in a 10 m range surrounding her.

"You go!"

"No, you go!"

No one tried to rescue her!

If Long Yingqing had a dagger in her hand, she would've stabbed her heart as death was better than the situation she was in. Finally, she took the wooden bucket off her head herself, probably because she couldn't bear being inside anymore.

There was a lump of that thing on her head. Her face was full of it as well, and so was her body…

Her expression wasn't ice-cold like a glacier now but instead had a look on her face which seemed to say there was no point in living anymore. Her mouth twitched before she turned around to run towards the nearby river.

"Yingqing!"

They wanted to chase after her, but the floor near the entrance was a disaster so they could only look for another exit. After exiting the gym, they made for the river bank and hear a plunging sound. Long Yingqing had jumped into the river.

"Q-Quickly go bring shampoo and shower gel for the young lady!"

Jiang Xiu commented from aside, "It's useless, she won't be able to wash it off!"

This gave another blow to Long Yingqing.

"Imperial University's No.1 campus diva got drenched all over in that thing. I wonder how many will still think you're a campus diva. As for those shut-ins, I wonder whether they would think your fair skin stinks."

Long Yingqing buried her head in the water and washed her head with all her strength.

Jiang Xiu sneered, "Those who humiliate others get humiliated by others."

"You believe you can humiliate anyone you want just because you look pretty? Let's see how you do it now… Right! Did you run into anyone while running over here? Did anyone take pics of you?"

"If someone took a pic and uploaded it to the campus forum, then…"

There was no need for Jiang Xiu to say the rest. Long Yingqing understood it well. Her reputation would be utterly ruined. At this moment, no matter how cold she was, or how prideful she was, she couldn't stop her tears from falling down.

She had never cried ever since she was 3 years old and today, Jiang Xiu had made her cry miserably.

"Surnamed Jiang…"

She had never met such an abominable person in her entire life. She hated him so much that she wished she could eat his flesh and drink his blood.

"WE'RE NOT DONE!"

After leaving the river bank, when Cheng Lingran's sight met with Jiang Xiu's, she revealed a smile in her seemingly amorous, lovely eyes. She was unable to hold her laughter, "You… I guess Long Yingqing will hate you all her life."

"Serves her right. As they say, a wicked person gets bedeviled by another wicked person." Jiang Xiu replied.

Cheng Lingran said, "Yes, yes. You're indeed an evil person. Whatever you say is right. Everyone says people from Dongzhou are good at martial arts. Looks like you've picked up some skills there. However, don't overdo it. Long Yingqing isn't someone easy to deal with."

"I guess she won't be able to muster up the courage to come looking for me anytime soon after today's lesson."

Cheng Lingran couldn't help but giggle after recalling Long Yingqing's miserable appearance, but she felt it wasn't right to look down on others when they suffer, so she covered her mouth immediately. However, her eyes which had almost become crescent moons had sold her out.

The Cheng Lingran before Jiang Xiu's eyes was akin to a blooming flower which blossomed silently, as much as it liked, freely expressing its charm.

"You baddie!"

"Enough fun for now. I'm going to class."

Cheng Lingran took short steps, yet her elegance and grace showed itself in her gait subconsciously. From the smile across her face, it could be made out that she felt unprecedently happy spending time with Jiang Xiu.

This side was in high spirits, but it was quite a disaster on the other side. No matter how much Long Yingqing tried to wash it off, she felt as if it hadn't come off her. Moreover, she was a girl so she couldn't strip off her clothes. Anyway, she felt as if she stank all over and felt like vomiting.

Long Tingwei offered his hand to pull her up when he saw her swim towards the shore, but he got berated by Long Yingqing instead, "I don't need your fake kindness."

She was soaking wet and even limp while stinking all over as she made for the university's entrance.

She ran into many people along the way who gesticulated at her. She couldn't hear what they were saying, and she didn't feel the need to know as she knew they were all speaking nothing good.

Her image as the campus diva was destroyed in an instant!

In an instant!

Just thinking of how she, Long Yingqing, a noble, arrogant, princess-like, no, queen-like existence had to suffer such humiliation. That thing was poured on her head… Ugh. She ran to the curb and vomited again, even spewing bile out.

"Surnamed Jiang, I won't let you get away…"

"Gguhg…"

After vomiting for a while, she couldn't vomit anything anymore. Her stomach felt completely empty, making her feel unwell. The more she thought about it, the more grieved she became and felt like crying again.

She made someone drive her back home and rushed into her bathroom as soon as she reached there then stripped her clothes off, throwing them outside the window immediately. The servant picked them up while pinching their nose and disposed of them away.

She shut herself inside for over an hour and still hadn't come out. She had used up a full bottle of shower gel and sprayed perfume all over the bathroom to get rid of the odor, but no matter what she did, she could still feel an overwhelming stench covering her.

That smell wasn't something she could forget anytime soon.

Right now, she was anxious about one thing. It was whether any students had taken pics of her tragic appearance and uploaded them to the university's forum. She put on her bathrobe and came in front of her computer.

What she feared had come to pass.

The forum had already gone crazy.

There was a huge title - No.1 Campus Diva, Long Yingqing got sullied by that.

Her heart had dropped to the rock bottom at this moment and the rancor she felt for Jiang Xiu increased further. She clicked the link, and the first thing she saw was a pic. It was taken when she had left the gym and was covered in that all over. One look at this pic was…

"Gughh!"

Long Yingqing's face turned green again as she rushed towards the bathroom while covering her mouth.

"SURNAMED JIANG!"

The Long family's home resounded with a rage-filled roar, making the entire house tremble.

"I, Long Yingqing, vow that only one of us shall live!"

"Ughg…"

Just as Jiang Xiu had said, Long Yingqing couldn't smell anything. Whenever she tried, she would recall that thing and immediately start vomiting again. She also couldn't bear to see anything yellowish or brownish, as that caused her to vomit as well.

The situation became so worse that she had to be given an IV drip.

Looking at her appearance which seemed to say she had given up on living, the Long family's elders became extremely worried.

"How is Yingqing?"

"Still the same. We'll have to wait for the psychologist's diagnosis."

"She's out!"

A pretty woman came out from Long Yingqing's room and sat down in the lobby. A scholarly middle-aged man was also present here. They were Long Yingqing's parents.

"The psychologist said that she can't go to university. It's best to let her move elsewhere, far away from the place where the incident happened. It's better to send her on a trip abroad."

Long Xiaozheng said, "How about Europe then? She can also handle the business over there."

"Lin Yao!"

A short old man in the nook answered, "This one is ready to serve!"

"Accompany the young lady to Europe, got it?"

"Understood." He nodded. "I'll leave for Europe along with the young lady tomorrow then."

…

Today night, Cheng Lingsu was staying at the hospital so Jiang Xiu could cultivate in peace. Jiang Xiu's cultivation had come to a standstill. The divine regalia was already complete, and according to reason, he should have become a God already, but he was suppressed by this world, and before he found a method to solve that, cultivating was a vain thing to do.

However, he had one kind of obsession towards cultivation. It was just like playing a game, even though a person is aware they can't level up anymore, they still feel the kick in playing it.

Since there was no means to breakthrough, he could only change his approach and purify the divine force.

"Why is this world preventing me from becoming a God?"

Jiang Xiu really couldn't this matter. His situation wasn't that different from Ji Wudao's. One had cultivated to a God, and the other had become a God over time, no matter what the method, the end target was the same, becoming a God.

Since Ji Wudao was permitted to become a God, Jiang Xiu should've also been allowed to become one. He wondered whether the heavens were being picky.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Jiang Xiu's expression morphed. He felt pretty abnormal. His body showed signs of making a breakthrough. The last time this happened, he was suppressed by the power of heaven's wrath and vomited blood. His heart tensed up, thinking that the same was about to happen again, yet the outcome was different this time.

"What's happening?"

Jiang Xiu's mind flew to the skies, rising towards the void unceasingly. The farther his thoughts wandered, the farther he reached. He then suddenly felt a faint pressure.

"Just what is happening?"

From a region within the void, one kind of a mysterious, archaic existence seemed to be calling out to him.

"Is this perhaps…"

Last time, he had suffered through heaven's wrath, but he didn't this time. This wasn't without rhyme or reason. There was only one explanation. This world's divine mandates were completely filled already, but since the God Ji Wudao got killed, a divine mandate became free. Therefore, heaven's wrath hadn't descended this time.

And right now, it was possible that this world was in a state where it was possible for someone to become a God!

As he thought of this, he began to fly up against the pressure.

He saw lots of flickering lights in the pitch-black void.

"This is…"

Jiang Xiu approached the light nearest to him and was left dumbfounded. The light he saw was the same as the three Godhood Halos inside his body.

"Godhood Halo!"

The void was full of many Godhood Halos. The vast starry skies of the nine heavens were incomparably splendid. If Jiang Xiu had guessed it right, after obtaining a Godhood Halo, it should be possible to become the relevant God. All these Godhood Halos had their differences, and their effects were naturally different as well. It was just that he didn't have a person to guide him, so he didn't know which one was weaker or stronger.

"This is a skull?"

A skull could be vaguely seen inside one of the Godhood Halos. He wasn't interested in this demonic thing.

"This is a flame?"

This made Jiang Xiu recall the Fire God's curse within the Ancient Desert City.

"This one is black and full of a dense aura of ruin."

As he flew higher, Jiang Xiu had to spend more effort and felt it difficult to proceed further.

"What's this one? Its greenish tint looks similar to the one of the Heavenly Dao Religion's God." Jiang Xiu muttered to himself. "I wonder if their effects would superimpose if they are the same."

He planned to take a look further and floated higher!

"This should be the Divine Faith Godhood Halo."

After a while, he encountered a Godhood Halo similar to Ming Lun's.

The pressure became stronger the higher his divine intent floated. Jiang Xiu felt his head hurt more, feeling it difficult to endure it and felt as if his head was about to explode.

From his cultivation experience, he judged that the farther the halo was located, the stronger it was.

Thereupon, he gritted his teeth and made for the highest location.

"AAAAHHHH…"

Jiang Xiu's nose, eyes, mouth, and ears began to bleed, giving him a terrifying appearance, but he ignored all of it and floated towards the highest location. When he saw the strongest halo there, he didn't bother about which kind it was and planned to research it after merging it with his soul.