Unforeseen Event

Just as Jiang Tian reached his front door, his enhanced hearing caught the sound of hushed whispers coming from the courtyard through the wooden panels.

It was his older brother, back home!

Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow and shoved the courtyard gate open.

However, the pungent, overwhelming scent of medicinal herbs rushed out to meet him, causing his heart to sink to the bottom of his chest.

His expression tightened, and he lifted his feet to head toward the east room.

He stepped inside.

What met his eyes was the pale face of his brother, Jiang Minghai, whose lips were devoid of color, as if every drop of blood had been drained from his body.

He was wrapped in layers of white bandages, and fresh blood was continuously seeping through the gauze over his chest, staining it a jarring, vivid red.

His sister-in-law, Bai Zhiruo, was kneeling by the bedside changing his dressings; her eyes were rimmed with red and her fingers trembled slightly, yet she bit her lip and remained silent.

Nearby, his niece, Jiang Yuexi, stood in the corner with a tense little face, quiet and well-behaved, though her jewel-like black eyes were filled with terror.

Jiang Tian lifted his gaze, and the status panel above his brother's head flickered into view.

[Name: Jiang Minghai]

[Realm: Manifest Energy (Hidden Energy)]

[Traits: Gifted Intelligence (Green), Excellent Bone Structure (Blue)]

The moment he saw the "Realm" field, Jiang Tian's brows knit together.

Logically, he shouldn't be able to see his brother's trait field while he was at the Hidden Energy realm, unless... his eyes fell on the small parentheses, and his heart plummeted.

His brother had suffered such severe injuries that his cultivation had regressed!

He had fallen from Manifest Energy to Hidden Energy.

"Big Brother!" Jiang Tian called out, his voice laced with worry.

Upon seeing Jiang Tian, a smile tugged at Jiang Minghai's pale face, his voice as thin and fragile as a spiderweb in the wind: "You're back?"

He scanned his brother carefully; Jiang Tian's frame was much sturdier than before, and as he stood there with his back straight, he exuded a sharp, formidable aura, as if he were a completely different person.

Could this be... Body Tempering?

Jiang Tian hadn't made a move, and Jiang Minghai, relying only on his senses, naturally assumed his brother was still in the Body Tempering Realm.

"Good, good, good!" A relieved smile appeared on Jiang Minghai's face as he repeated the word three times. "How many days has it been? And you've already reached Body Tempering! Good, good, good! You're much better than your brother!"

Perhaps due to his excitement, a sickly flush rose to his cheeks, followed immediately by a fit of violent coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The coughing sounded as if it would tear his lungs apart, shaking his chest so hard that new blood began to seep through his bandages.

Bai Zhiruo hurriedly stroked Jiang Minghai's back, her eyes reddening as she said, "Alright, just rest now, don't talk anymore."

"Big Brother, what exactly... happened? Was it the Poison Wolf Gang?"

"Mm." Jiang Minghai nodded, seemingly unwilling to worry his brother further. He waved a hand, a feigned, relaxed smile on his face. "It's fine, my injuries aren't that serious. I'll recover in a few days. Don't worry about me, just focus on your fist training."

"And don't worry about the money; I was injured in the line of duty, the magistrate won't ignore it."

Jiang Tian opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't press the issue, turning to walk back out.

Not serious?

He had regressed in his cultivation; how could these injuries not be serious?

The magistrate...

His eyes flickered constantly, a heavy weight pressing down on his heart.

Just as he returned to the west room, a hurried and impatient shout rang out from the courtyard gate.

"Jiang Minghai! Jiang Minghai!"

"Coming, coming."

Jiang Tian moved to the side, hiding behind the door frame, and peered through the narrow gap to observe the commotion in the courtyard.

The visitor was a young man in a brocade robe with fair skin and features that bore a seven or eight-part resemblance to someone else... Li Batian!

Jiang Tian quickly compared the faces in his mind; if he guessed correctly, this must be Li Batian's older brother.

There was no status panel above his head... which meant he was at least a master of the Manifest Energy realm.

"Li Kun, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Minghai stood under the eaves, leaning against the door frame, his face even paler than before.

Li Kun acted as if he hadn't heard the question, his eyes lighting up as he leered at Bai Zhiruo, who had followed behind, before slowly shifting his gaze back to Jiang Minghai with a hypocritical smile.

"I heard you were injured, so I specifically brought you some medicinal pills for your recovery."

He pulled a small celadon bottle from his sleeve and tossed it lightly in his hand.

Jiang Minghai frowned and gestured for Bai Zhiruo to leave. She bit her lip and retreated back into the room.

Once her silhouette vanished behind the curtain, Jiang Minghai looked at Li Kun with a furrowed brow, his tone cold and hard: "I appreciate the gesture, but you can take your pills back."

"Hmm?" Li Kun raised an eyebrow, the smile on his face fading slightly.

He paused, stuffed the porcelain bottle back into his sleeve, and shifted his tone: "I won't beat around the bush with you then."

"To celebrate our great victory in the bandit suppression, I've decided to host a banquet at the Drunken Wind Pavilion in five days. Make sure you're there."

Jiang Minghai replied in a deep voice: "No problem."

Inside, however, he was sneering. A great victory? Could this bandit suppression even be called a victory?

If the magistrate hadn't personally invited the masters of several local Martial Arts Halls to assist, they would have suffered heavy casualties.

"Oh, right!" Li Kun added, his tone airy as if he had just remembered something, "Bring your sister-in-law along too."

At these words, Jiang Minghai's expression shifted instantly.

His temples throbbed, veins bulged on his neck, and his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. He growled, his voice sounding as if it were being squeezed from the depths of his throat: "Li Kun, what do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?" Li Kun tilted his head with a grin, "Isn't it obvious enough?"

"Hmph!" Jiang Minghai snorted, his expression looking ghastly, "Li Kun, do you think your Li Family is the sky over Blackwater County?"

"In this Blackwater County, the magistrate is the sky!"

"Fool." Li Kun laughed mockingly, his expression filled with condescending disdain, "Jiang Minghai, can't you see the situation yet?"

He held up a finger and counted slowly.

"Do you have any idea how many men your City Patrol Division lost in this suppression? Use your brain—why do you think you were even brought along?"

"How many men did the City Patrol Division lose, and how many died under Commander Liu outside the city?"

At this, he paused, his expression suddenly softening as if he had swapped masks, his tone turning gentle with a nauseating sense of "goodwill":

"If you let your sister-in-law come to me, given the prestige of my Li Family and my position as a centurion, it wouldn't be impossible for me to arrange a good post for you among the garrison troops. I could even hire someone to heal those injuries of yours."

"Get out!"

Only two words served as his response.

Jiang Minghai's chest heaved violently: "Li Kun, I, Jiang Minghai, may not have much talent, but I am not so low as to sell my wife for status! Get out of here!"

"Heh."

Li Kun wasn't angered; instead, his smile grew even more smug.

He straightened his collar, turned around cheerfully, and threw a parting remark over his shoulder: "Alright, I'll be waiting for you at the Drunken Wind Pavilion in five days."

With that, he walked away.

Behind the door crack, Jiang Tian's eyes were filled with killing intent.

Over these past days, he had long since come to view Jiang Minghai and Bai Zhiruo as his own family.

Five days, is it?

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

That should be enough.

Early the next morning, Jiang Tian left the house.

He went to the pharmacy first, spending almost every cent he had. Over a thousand taels went toward Blood Vitality Pill and medicinal pills for his brother's recovery, filling a large bag.

Returning home, he delivered the medicine to his brother's bedside.

"This..." Jiang Minghai looked at the high-quality pills, his brows furrowed, "Xiao Tian, where did you get so much silver?"

"The Martial Arts Hall gave it to me," Jiang Tian had his excuse ready, "The master said I have great talent and rewarded me."

Jiang Minghai looked at him skeptically for a long time, but in the end, he didn't press further.

Upon arriving at the Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Tian didn't exchange pleasantries with anyone.

He trained.

He trained without stopping.

[Ding! You have Innate Martial Bone and superb comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]

[Ding! You have Innate Martial Bone and superb comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]

[Ding! You have Innate Martial Bone and superb comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]

He threw punch after punch, like a tireless machine, his sweat pooling into a small puddle at his feet.

Passing by Yuan Long's study, he noticed the door was locked tight, with the faint scent of herbs drifting through the gaps.

Was Yuan Long injured too?

Jiang Tian frowned, but didn't dwell on it.

At lunch, Li Batian approached him with a food box again.

"Junior Brother Jiang, here is today's meal."

Jiang Tian wanted to refuse, but thinking of Li Kun from the day before, he forced himself to stay and chat.

After they had talked for a while, he probed: "Batian, is Li Kun your older brother?"

The smile on Li Batian's face stiffened slightly.