Jiang Chaoyang

At the doorway, one tall and one short figure stood locked in a standoff.

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

"Some of that is right, and some is wrong."

"Biologically speaking, you are my father. That is correct."

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

"No matter what..."

"There is no 'no matter what'!" Jiang Ding cut him off, frowning. "I vaguely heard that you married a wealthy woman at the Qi Refinement Realm, had new children and a new family, and that they're about the same age as me."

"Happy and fulfilled, a harmonious family—what are you doing here when everything is going so well?"

Jiang Chaoyang's tone caught.

Back then, he truly had not acted honorably. It was bad enough that he had cheated during the marriage; he had even had a child.

"Married is an exaggeration. Men and women are equal in modern society—what marriage to or marrying off is there?" Jiang Chaoyang grinned glibly. "Still, you really are heartless. You take after me a little."

"Your aptitude isn't bad either. You're already at the Inner Qi Realm, better than I was at your age."

Jiang Ding rubbed his brow. "Leave, or I'll call the police. The police won't care about your so-called blood ties."

"Impossible."

Jiang Chaoyang chuckled. "I'm only standing in the hallway outside the door. I haven't broken any law."

Jiang Ding sheathed his sword and closed his eyes without speaking.

There was no reasoning with this shameless rogue. There was no need to keep talking.

Jiang Chaoyang's gaze sharpened.

He had not spent these years for nothing. He had developed some discernment, and this swordsmanship far surpassed his own—perhaps even exceeding that of most Inner Qi Realm martial artists from the Immortal Sect, who mainly used firearms.

What a pity about the aptitude of the Jiang Family and the Lin Family...

He said nothing more. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned against the wall.

No one knew how long passed.

"Big Brother, Dad!"

Jiang Yuan's voice came from the elevator. She carried a tray of eggs in one hand and a bag containing chives, eggplants, and red peppers in the other, gazing at the two men by the door in delight.

"Oh! Little Yuan, it's been so long!"

Jiang Chaoyang immediately perked up. He went to the little girl, calling her Little Yuan again and again as he took the two bags of vegetables and asked what had happened at school that day.

He coaxed the little girl into high spirits.

Then, following her lead, he smoothly entered the front door without the slightest fear.

Jiang Ding touched his sword hilt and turned away.

He did not cook as usual, nor did he return to his room. He merely sat on the sofa, closed his eyes to rest, circulated the inner qi within the Lunar Lung Scripture, and tempered and nourished his meridians.

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

"No."

Jiang Ding answered coldly.

Out of consideration for her, Lin Wanqiu and he had never told his younger sister what Jiang Chaoyang had done, allowing her to retain a basic image of him as a father.

Furthermore, this man possessed extremely high emotional intelligence and easily won the little girl's affection.

He could not handle this matter. They would wait for Mother to return.

Jiang Yuan snapped, "You lazy bum!"

Yet there was nothing she could do. Jiang Ding had never listened to her, and she had never learned how to cook. She only knew how to buy groceries.

Jiang Chaoyang simply smiled without speaking.

Somehow, he had found one of Princess Feifei's little dresses and began playing house with Jiang Yuan, making her laugh endlessly. She even forgot about the cartoons she usually squatted in front of the television to watch at the exact hour.

Jiang Ding glanced at the two playing and sighed inwardly.

His sister was not as aloof and quiet as he was. She needed companionship.

But Mother had to work overtime every day and had no time, while he had to cultivate and had no time either.

He could feed her and keep the house clean, but beyond that, he was powerless.

At eight that evening, Lin Wanqiu returned home from work, filled with surprise.

She did not hear the clattering sounds of cartoons. Instead, Jiang Yuan's shrieks and laughter filled the entire apartment as she ran back and forth barefoot, her feet thumping against the floor.

The moment she entered the living room, her expression fell, turning icy cold.

"Wanqiu, you're back?"

Jiang Chaoyang, who was playing hide-and-seek, spoke gently, as though this were some ordinary afternoon from many years ago.

Clang!

A sword rang out from the side. Jiang Ding, who had been resting with his eyes closed, had risen at some point. Calmly, he said, "Sir, please watch your language."

"What a joke..."

Jiang Chaoyang grinned, but suddenly his heart lurched.

He saw Jiang Ding's eyes. Something incomparably dangerous and crazed brewed within them, wholly unlike the gaze a youth should possess.

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

Jiang Yuan stood there with a toy in hand, at a complete loss as she looked at the others.

Lin Wanqiu ignored him and sat beside Jiang Ding. "Tell me. What scent did you catch? What benefit do you want to get from me?"

She understood the man before her far too well.

If she had not been young back then and looked only at faces, none of what followed would have happened.

Still, fortunately.

Lin Wanqiu looked at the pair of children before her and did not regret the past all that much.

"What are you saying? There's nothing..." Jiang Chaoyang smiled awkwardly.

"If there's nothing, get out."

"Lin Wanqiu..."

"Get the hell out."

Lin Wanqiu was expressionless.

Jiang Ding's gaze began to turn dangerous.

"There is a small matter." Jiang Chaoyang's expression remained unchanged. "I heard that you recently reserved an Azureflower Foundation Elixir through the School of Dao Cultivation at Qianling University..."

Lin Wanqiu sneered. "Just as I thought. People like you never rise early without profit. You have no bottom line at all. What, didn't your wealthy Qi Refinement Realm woman buy one for you?"

"Hong Li is only a Rogue Cultivator. She has no connections at Qianling University."

Jiang Chaoyang said solemnly, "And it isn't for me. It's for Jiang Jinxian. His martial aptitude is excellent, and he has already reached major completion in the Inner Qi Realm. If he can obtain this Azureflower Foundation Elixir, he will certainly achieve Fledgling Innate! He will definitely get into the School of Dao Cultivation!"

"Heh!"

Lin Wanqiu no longer wanted to speak. She looked at him as if he were a madman and a fool.

Jiang Yuan's little face changed too. She turned to Jiang Chaoyang, anger gradually rising on her face.

Naturally, she knew perfectly well how important this Azureflower Foundation Elixir was to her brother, and she understood how much their family had paid for it. Yet now, some mere playmate wanted to take it away?

The little girl's expression became exceedingly ugly. With a cold snort, she 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 will make a promise on Jinxian's behalf. If he gets into the School of Dao Cultivation, he will exchange another Azureflower Foundation Elixir for Dingding within one year. All of this can be put into legally binding contracts—in my name, or in the names of Hong Li and Jiang Jinxian."

That damned bastard...

Lin Wanqiu's anger rose further, but she hesitated.

It was a huge sum of money. If she could obtain it, it would undoubtedly speed up her son's cultivation.

And honestly, one's own child was known best by one's own family. Although he worked extremely hard, limited by his aptitude, his chances of successfully entering a university School of Dao Cultivation through the college entrance examination were likely not great...

And he was stubborn, absolutely unwilling to give up.

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

Lastly, they had even promised to return an identical Azureflower Foundation Elixir after one year. No matter how one looked at it, they would not lose out.

"Dingding..."

Lin Wanqiu looked at Jiang Ding. "Don't act out of youthful passion. Think carefully. Consider it purely from the perspective of your cultivation and answer me: do you want to sell it?"

Back then, she had switched paths before even breaking through the Inner Qi Realm. In the end, she attended an ordinary key university and did not understand cultivation of the Young Eagle Takes Flight Formula very well.

Jiang Ding nodded.

"Lin Wanqiu, this isn't good, is it?" Jiang Chaoyang frowned. "You and I have both been through that age. What young man doesn't have youthful passion?"

"As parents, we should plan far ahead for our children, rather than act on a moment's impulse."

"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, "Purely from the standpoint of cultivation, obtaining the Azureflower Foundation Elixir now would be best for me, and its benefits would far exceed merely receiving ten times the price."

"Bullshit! Where did you get that confidence!"

Jiang Chaoyang was furious. "You've only just achieved the Inner Qi Realm, your aptitude is poor, your academic grades are poor, and your family circumstances are average. You can't afford many pills. Where do you get the confidence to break through to Fledgling Innate in less than a year?"

He tried earnestly to persuade him.

"You're still young. You don't understand how precious an opportunity is. In the future, you'll never encounter one again..."

"Get out."

Lin Wanqiu was utterly blunt. She took out her phone, showed him the 110 on its screen, and said, "If you don't want to spend the next few days in a cell, you'd better get out of my home now!"

Jiang Ding made a hard, cold gesture inviting him to leave.

"Since that's the case."

Jiang Chaoyang gave her a deep look. "Then let it be for now. If you regret it within three months, the terms will remain the same."

.