Deep Bond Between Master and Servant

Within the courtyard, the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Rat Prodigy bared its fangs and grimaced, Wang Yuan lowered his head without a word, while Jiang Chen slowly sipped his tea, as though pondering something.

Seeing Wang Yuan play blind and show no reaction, Rat Prodigy itched to give him a whip. But with Jiang Chen right there, it did not dare. It was then that Jiang Chen finally spoke.

"Fine. Since you have made up your mind, let Rat Prodigy accompany you on this trip."

"As for what you want, if there is truly a gain this time, I will give you an opportunity."

His voice was calm as Jiang Chen made his decision.

Hearing this, Rat Prodigy shot Wang Yuan a fierce glare before finally withdrawing its gaze and lowering its head to gnaw on the roast chicken again. Yet though it was still the same chicken, it suddenly no longer tasted good.

At Jiang Chen's words, Wang Yuan's mind trembled. He had served Jiang Chen with all his heart, even risking his own life—was this not the very sentence he had been waiting for?

"Thank you, sir."

Forcibly suppressing the boiling emotions within him, Wang Yuan did his best not to lose his composure.

Jiang Chen paid it no mind. There was no real bond between him and Wang Yuan. If the man was willing to risk his life for him, then naturally, he sought something in return.

"Go with him. Do not worry about whether there will be any gains; just protect his safety as much as possible. Of course, your little mouse life is the most important thing."

Seeing Rat Prodigy's small sulk, Jiang Chen soothed it with a few words. Perhaps because it had been by his side for so long, Rat Prodigy had grown increasingly humanlike.

Upon hearing this, Rat Prodigy, which had been keeping its head down and gnawing on roast chicken, finally raised its head.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Patting its chest, Rat Prodigy made its promise. It would certainly carry out the task Jiang Chen had assigned it well.

Seeing this, Wang Yuan hurriedly bowed and extended both palms, inviting Rat Prodigy to take its seat.

Rat Prodigy merely gave him a disdainful look. Him, holding it? Only Jiang Chen could hold it, though Jiang Chen had never held it before.

With a whoosh, its body shrank further. With a leap, Rat Prodigy jumped straight onto Wang Yuan's head, treating Wang Yuan as its mount.

Wang Yuan was not angered by this. After bowing to Jiang Chen once more, he left the small courtyard with Rat Prodigy.

The moment he stepped out through the courtyard gate, he looked at the ray of sunlight streaming through a crack in the dark clouds, his heart filled with excitement. So long as this succeeded, his future would be completely different.

"I will climb higher!"

His eyes full of determination, Wang Yuan headed down South Slope.

When Qian Wen had been captured, Wang Yuan had tortured him in every possible way, wanting to avenge his wife. Yet Qian Wen had told him a cruel truth: it had not been Qian Wen who violated his wife. Rather, after seeing that Qian Wen had gained power and influence, his wife had taken the initiative to seduce him.

At the time, Qian Wen had been riding high on success and failed to withstand the temptation. The two thus became entangled. But as time passed, Wang Yuan's wife became unwilling to remain forever without name or status. She planned to lay everything bare before Wang Yuan and have Qian Wen marry her.

Naturally, Qian Wen was unwilling. Wang Yuan had shown him kindness, and he did not want to truly fall out with Wang Yuan. Besides, he had never intended to marry Wang Yuan's wife. Having tasted the flavor of power, he felt he could find someone better.

Thus, the two came into conflict. To stop Wang Yuan's wife from going mad, Qian Wen lost control for a moment and accidentally killed her.

After learning the truth, Wang Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Qian Wen's mockery before his death lingered endlessly in his ears. It was then that he made up his mind: he would climb upward and gain power far greater than Qian Wen's.

That was also why he served Jiang Chen with such wholehearted devotion. He knew his own talent for cultivation was ordinary. If he wanted to climb higher, the best way was to become a vine and find a great tree to cling to. In Jiang Chen, he saw a brilliant and resplendent future—something even Ironman Tu could not give him. After all, no matter how powerful Ironman Tu was, he was still only a mortal, not an immortal.

Three days later, in the early morning, a thin mist rose over the Clear Source River as a merchant ship flying the banner of Virtue Cloth House approached Soul Bewitchment Bend.

Virtue Cloth House was a major trading house in Clear Source Commandery. Its business was vast, and it had ties with every faction. Even the commandery governor's wife favored its fabrics. For this reason, its merchant ships often traveled back and forth along the Clear Source River.

At this moment, in one of the ship's rooms, a pale-faced young man in white robes sat cross-legged in cultivation. His lips were exceedingly thin, and he appeared to be in his twenties. He was An Yuxuan, the remaining remnant of the An Family.

A moment later, An Yuxuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of clotted blood.

Hearing the sound, a woman who had been waiting outside hurried in with a copper basin. She too appeared to be in her twenties. She wore a rose-red short jacket with narrow sleeves, an apricot-colored silk sash around her waist, and a pomegranate skirt below. Her oval face was fair and smooth as jade, and her entire body exuded a gentle air. She was An Yuxuan's maid, Red Jade.

"Young master, the ship is about to pass Qinghe County. Once we pass Qinghe County, Joy Mountain Commandery lies to the south."

Speaking softly, Red Jade wiped the blood from An Yuxuan's lips as she explained their current situation.

An Yuxuan nodded at this. The An Family had possessed some foundations after all. Though it had collapsed overnight, there were still many withered branches and fallen leaves left behind. That was why he had been able to hide for so long under the pursuit of many factions and successfully board a Virtue Cloth House ship. The ship's captain was a covert agent the An Family had planted within Virtue Cloth House, and also a loyalist who would die for the An Family.

"Once I reach Joy Mountain Commandery and have a relatively stable environment and resources, I will definitely break through to Qi Refinement within ten years. When that time comes, I will return here and restore the An Family. I will not let anyone who acted against my An Family off easily."

His emotions surged, and a flush immediately rose on An Yuxuan's pale face.

Upon hearing this, especially the words "break through to Qi Refinement," Red Jade's expression changed subtly. However, she concealed it well and did not let An Yuxuan notice anything amiss.

"Young master, you are injured. You should not let yourself become angry."

Red Jade comforted him attentively, urging An Yuxuan to calm down.

Looking at Red Jade like this, An Yuxuan nodded. Red Jade truly was considerate and never gave him cause for concern in handling matters. If she had not been a cultivation furnace the family had carefully raised for him, he would have been willing to give her a proper status and let her remain by his side as his concubine.

"Do not worry, Red Jade. I will take good care of myself."

His expression softened as An Yuxuan looked at Red Jade with gentle eyes. Their gazes met, and for a moment, master and servant were deeply devoted to one another.

But at that very moment, three bandit ships that had waited for a long time quietly approached the ship of Virtue Cloth House. They advanced under cover of the mist like hunters in the darkness. For some reason, the fog was even thicker than usual today.