Chaoyang

At the doorway, two figures, one tall and one short, were at a stalemate.

"I'm a stranger?" Jiang Chaoyang's face flickered between green and white. He said coldly, "I'm your father! Your legal guardian!"

"Some of that is correct, some is wrong."

"Biological father, that is correct."

Jiang Ding said indifferently, "As for legal guardian, according to the court's ruling, my only guardian is Lin Wanqiu, my mother."

"No matter what..."

"There is no 'no matter what'!" Jiang Ding interrupted him, frowning. "I vaguely heard that you married a rich woman in the Inner Qi Realm, and have new children, a new family, and that you're around my age."

"You're happy and fulfilled, your family is harmonious. Why are you here?"

Jiang Chaoyang's tone faltered.

He had indeed been quite despicable back then. Cheating on his wife was one thing, but having another child was another.

"Married is an exaggeration. In modern society, men and women are equal, what's there to marry?" Jiang Chaoyang said with a cheeky grin. "But your heartless demeanor is quite similar to mine."

"Your aptitude is also good. You're already in the Inner Qi Realm, stronger than I was at your age."

Jiang Ding rubbed his temples. "Leave, or I'll call the police. The police won't care about your ultimate fate."

"Impossible."

Jiang Chaoyang grinned. "I'm just standing in the doorway. This doesn't violate any laws."

Jiang Ding sheathed his sword and closed his eyes, remaining silent.

There was no point in talking to this kind of rogue. Further communication was unnecessary.

Jiang Chaoyang's eyes sharpened.

He hadn't been idle all these years. His judgment had improved somewhat. This swordsmanship far surpassed his own, and even surpassed most Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists from the immortal sects who primarily used firearms.

What a pity, though. The aptitudes of the Jiang and Lin families...

He stopped talking, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall.

After an unknown amount of time.

"Brother, Dad!"

Jiang Yuan's voice came from the elevator entrance. She was carrying a carton of eggs and chives in one hand, and eggplant and red peppers in the other. She looked at the two men at the door with surprise.

"Oh! Little Yuan, long time no see!"

Jiang Chaoyang immediately perked up. He went to the young girl's side, calling her "Little Yuan'er" repeatedly. He took the two bags of vegetables and asked what had happened at school today.

He coaxed the young girl into a state of pure joy.

Then, he casually followed her into the house, showing no fear.

Jiang Ding touched the hilt of his sword and turned to leave.

He didn't cook dinner as usual, nor did he go into his room. He simply sat on the sofa, closed his eyes to rest, and circulated the Inner Qi in his Taiyin Lung Meridian to temper and nourish his meridians.

Jiang Yuan urged him, "Brother! Go cook! There's still leftover corn and tofu from yesterday in the fridge. You can make enough food for one more person."

"No."

Jiang Ding replied coldly.

Out of a desire to protect her, Lin Wanqiu and he had not told their sister about what Jiang Chaoyang had done, allowing her to maintain a basic image of having a father.

Coupled with his extremely high emotional intelligence, he easily won the young girl's favor.

He couldn't handle this situation. He would wait for his mother to come back.

Jiang Yuan exclaimed angrily, "You lazy bum!"

But she was helpless. Jiang Ding never listened to her, and she had never learned to cook. She only knew how to buy groceries.

Jiang Chaoyang smiled and said nothing.

He found Princess Feifei's little dress from somewhere and played house with Jiang Yuan. Her laughter was continuous, and she even forgot about the cartoon she usually watched precisely at the time it aired.

Jiang Ding glanced at the two playing together and sighed inwardly.

His sister wasn't like him, with his quiet and serene nature. She needed companionship.

But his mother had to work overtime every day and had no time, and he had to practice his cultivation, so he also had no time.

He could only manage her meals and keep the house clean. He was incapable of anything else.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Lin Wanqiu got off work and arrived home. A sense of surprise washed over her.

She didn't hear the usual boisterous sounds of cartoons. Instead, Jiang Yuan's screams and laughter filled the entire room, with the thudding sound of bare feet running around.

As she entered the living room, her face turned cold, icy and stern.

"Wanqiu, you're back?"

Jiang Chaoyang, who was playing hide-and-seek, said gently, as if it were just an ordinary afternoon from many years ago.

Clang!

A sword's hum sounded from the side. Jiang Ding, who had been resting with his eyes closed, stood up at some point and said calmly, "Sir, please watch your words."

"Ridiculous..."

Jiang Chaoyang grinned playfully, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He saw Jiang Ding's eyes, where something extremely dangerous and crazed was brewing, an expression utterly unlike that of a young boy.

"Lin Wanqiu, long time no see." Jiang Chaoyang's smile vanished.

Jiang Yuan, holding a toy, looked at the others helplessly.

Lin Wanqiu ignored him and sat down next to Jiang Ding on her own. "Let's talk. What scent did you pick up, and what benefits do you want from me?"

She knew the person in front of her too well.

If it weren't for their youthful ignorance back then, and if she had only judged him by his looks, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did.

But, it was fine.

Looking at her two children in front of her, Lin Wanqiu didn't have many regrets about the past.

"What are you talking about? What's going on..." Jiang Chaoyang chuckled awkwardly.

"If nothing's going on, then get out."

"Lin Wanqiu..."

"Get lost."

Lin Wanqiu's expression was blank.

Jiang Ding's gaze began to turn dangerous.

"There is a small matter," Jiang Chaoyang said, his expression unchanged. "I heard that you recently secured an Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill from the Cultivation Department at Spirit Veil University..."

Lin Wanqiu scoffed. "As expected. People like you don't stir without profit; you have no bottom line. What, didn't your Qi Refining Realm sugar mama buy it for you?"

"Hong Li is just a rogue cultivator; she doesn't have access to Spirit Veil University."

Jiang Chaoyang said solemnly, "And it's not for me, it's for Jiang Jin Xian. His martial arts aptitude is excellent; he's already at Inner Qi Great Accomplishment. If he can obtain this Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill, he will surely achieve Fledgling Eagle Innate! He'll definitely be able to get into the Cultivation Department!"

"Heh!"

Lin Wanqiu no longer wanted to speak. She looked at him as if he were a lunatic or an idiot.

Jiang Yuan's little face also changed. She turned to look at Jiang Chaoyang, her expression gradually showing anger.

Of course, she knew very well how important this Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill was to her brother, and she also understood how much their family had sacrificed for it. Now, a mere playmate wanted to take it away?

The little girl's expression was very displeased. She snorted and walked away.

"Ten times the price."

Jiang Chaoyang said seriously, "We are willing to pay two million Mortal Coins and five hundred Spirit Coins."

"Furthermore, I promise on behalf of Jin Xian that if he gets into the Cultivation Department, he will exchange another Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill for Ding Ding within a year. All of this can be signed into legally binding contracts, in my name, or in the names of Hong Li and Jiang Jin Xian."

"That damned bastard..."

Lin Wanqiu's anger intensified, but she hesitated for a moment.

This was a large sum of money. If they could obtain it, it would undoubtedly accelerate her son's cultivation progress.

And honestly, she knew her own son best. Although he was extremely diligent, his aptitude was limited, and the hope of successfully getting into the university's Cultivation Department for the college entrance examination was not high...

He was also stubborn and absolutely refused to give up.

This large sum of money could make his future cultivation path much smoother.

Finally, there was the promise to return a similar Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill in a year. No matter what, they wouldn't lose out.

"Ding Ding..."

Lin Wanqiu looked at Jiang Ding. "Don't act on impulse. Think carefully. Purely from the perspective of your cultivation, answer me: do you want to sell it?"

Back then, she had switched to cultivation without even breaking through to the Inner Qi Realm and ended up attending an ordinary key university. She didn't understand the cultivation of the Fledgling Eagle Takes Flight Art very well.

Jiang Ding nodded.

"Lin Wanqiu, this doesn't seem right," Jiang Chaoyang frowned. "You and I both went through that age. What young person doesn't act on impulse?"

"As parents, we should plan for our children's future, not act on temporary impulses."

"Shut your dog mouth!"

Lin Wanqiu said calmly, "I believe in my son."

Jiang Chaoyang was speechless, unable to understand.

"Mom, I've decided to refuse."

After several minutes of thought, Jiang Ding said seriously, "From the perspective of my cultivation path, obtaining the Azure-Flower Foundation-Nourishing Spirit Pill now is the best for me, and the benefits far exceed a mere tenfold price."

"Nonsense! Where do you get that confidence from!"

Jiang Chaoyang was furious. "You're only at the early stage of Inner Qi now, your aptitude is poor, your academic performance is also poor, and your family environment is average. You can't afford any elixirs. Where do you get the confidence to break through to Fledgling Eagle Innate in less than a year?"

He spoke earnestly.

"You're still young and don't know how precious this opportunity is. You'll never encounter something like this again..."

"Get out."

Lin Wanqiu was blunt, pulling out her phone and dialing 110. "If you don't want to spend the next few days in a jail cell, you'd better get out of my house right now!"

Jiang Ding made a cold, stiff gesture of invitation.

"Since that's the case."

Jiang Chaoyang gave her a deep look. "Then so be it for now. If you regret this within three months, the offer still stands."