Being able to take Xu Zhenlei’s place in dominating Jinling for several years without falling, Xu Ruocheng is definitely not a fool; in fact, you could say she’s very smart.
Even though all sorts of signs pointed to Jiang Tian possibly being at the Iron Body level of cultivation, she still remained cautious and careful, ensuring this operation would be foolproof and absolutely free of mistakes.
She had positioned five sniper rifles, hired at great expense from abroad, at commanding heights within a two-kilometer radius around the area. All of them were equipped with the best sniper rifles and the most powerful armor-piercing rounds.
These bullets could easily punch through walls, body armor, steel plates, and even military armored vehicles and tanks. As for a living person, they would be literally blown in half.
She believed that even martial arts grandmasters at the Qi Manifestation level like Huo Qingtian and Li Tuofeng would absolutely not be able to withstand fire from these shooters.
And this ambush site was located in a relatively flat area.
All five shooters could aim and fire, meaning Jiang Tian basically had no hope of surviving.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several muffled echoes rolled through the forest, and the five snipers fired almost simultaneously.
Jiang Tian, already on alert, reached out with his right hand and caught all five bullets effortlessly. Then he raised his hand and flicked them back, sending the bullets flying in all directions.
Bang!
A massive tree, as thick as a person could wrap their arms around, was directly blown apart by a bullet Jiang Tian had flicked back, snapping it clean in half.
Then, a few short, faint screams rang out, and the forest fell silent once more.
Dead silence.
Only the sound of rain hitting leaves and rocks, thick and fast, and Xu Ruocheng’s frantic heartbeat could be heard.
“Master Jiang, I know I was wrong!”
Xu Ruocheng, the underground queen of Jinling, famously fierce and known as “Bamboo Viper,” was completely cowed and utterly terrified of death now.
Just moments ago, she had been putting on an act, trying to deceive Jiang Tian and lull him into letting his guard down.
But now she was genuinely scared. She prostrated herself on the ground, shivering uncontrollably.
“Jiang Tian, take me in. I’m willing to be your woman! I’m willing to follow you for life!”
She tilted her tearful little face upward, begging for mercy and forgiveness.
Having slaughtered five martial arts masters at the Inner Strength level like squashing bugs, unable to be killed even by sniper rifles with armor-piercing rounds, Jiang Tian had to be a grandmaster at the pinnacle of the Transformation realm.
Even if her father came out of seclusion, he would be nothing more than an ant for Jiang Tian to crush. How could she not be afraid?
Jiang Tian looked down at her with cold, indifferent eyes. This look made Xu Ruocheng’s heart leap into her throat, her very soul seeming to flee in terror.
Unlike the look most men gave her—filled with aggressive desire, admiration, or caution—Jiang Tian’s gaze was like he was looking at a stink bug.
“I promise I’ll be loyal. I know you’re already married, and I won’t get jealous. I just want to be the woman behind you!”
“By taking me, you gain control of Jinling’s underworld without lifting a finger. I can even help you wipe out the Nie family and the other two powerful clans. The Xu family has ruled Jinling’s underworld for over twenty years. We have endless connections, immense political influence, and twenty billion in legal assets…”
At this moment, she looked like a drenched pear blossom in rain (beautiful woman weeping) , pitiful and pathetic, pleading in a soft voice, swaying her hips, revealing a tempting glimpse of plump, pale cleavage, crawling up to Jiang Tian and pressing her firm, bouncy chest against his leg.
“Heh, you ugly thing. You think you can seduce me? Go take a look at yourself in a puddle of rainwater!”
Jiang Tian kicked her aside with his foot and said with a cold laugh, “You’re not even worth a single strand of my beloved wife’s hair. Besides, you’re way too old. Who gave you the confidence to show off your brainless, shameless behavior like this?”
“Jiang Tian, you—!”
Xu Ruocheng was kicked flying more than five meters away, her head smashing heavily into a rock, leaving her forehead bloody and bruised.
Filled with shame, shock, and rage, she scrambled to her feet, flailing her arms and roaring, “Jiang Tian, do you really want to kill me and make an enemy of the Xu family? Maybe you’re not afraid of my family, but what about your own family?”
“Are you threatening me?” Jiang Tian raised his pale white palm.
Xu Ruocheng, terrified out of her wits, knew that if that palm came down, she, only at the early stage of Inner Strength cultivation, would be turned into a smear of flesh. She quickly fell to her knees again and said in a trembling voice, “I wouldn’t dare! It’s just that my family doesn’t know your true strength, and we have a lot of connections in government…”
Jiang Tian, hands clasped behind his back, stood proudly atop a rock and said mockingly:
“Are you talking about your third uncle, Xu Zhiyuan, the deputy director of the Jinling City Police Bureau? Secretary Yu is already going to take him down! Our plan is to wipe out your entire Xu family in one fell swoop!”
“What? You know Secretary Yu…” Xu Ruocheng’s heart pounded wildly; she couldn’t believe it.
“You’re very ignorant. How could you possibly know the extent of my immense power and far-reaching connections…”
Jiang Tian’s eyes flashed with contempt, his face full of sarcasm. “You only know me as Master Jiang from Lingnan, but you don’t know that I am Jiang Taichu, the one who killed Lin Zhenyu at the Martial Arts Federation Convention!”
It seemed the Xu family’s foundation wasn’t all that impressive. They couldn’t even figure out his true strength before being stirred up by the Nie family to act as cannon fodder. No wonder Xu Zhenlei had always been confined to Jinling, unable to break out.
“What… you are the number one martial arts grandmaster below the Divine Realm, Jiang Taichu…”
Xu Ruocheng was completely dumbfounded.
The fact that Jiang Tian controlled Lingnan was enough to shake people to their core. That alone surpassed the concept of an outstanding young talent; he could be called a regional hegemon and overlord.
People like Nie Mingyuan, Xia Miao, and even her, Xu Ruocheng, in Jinling counted as promising young elites, but they couldn’t yet be considered seasoned overlords. They were far from being on par with old-generation figures like Nie Changhai; that took time and accumulation.
But Jiang Tian, dominating Lingnan and already running neck and neck with old titans like Nie Changhai and Sun Lingyun, was already enough to overwhelm Xu Ruocheng, making her deeply wary and impressed.
But now, she realized she had still severely underestimated Jiang Tian’s strength.
Master Jiang from Lingnan, compared to Jiang Taichu who displayed awe-inspiring power and killed Lin Zhenyu at the Martial Arts Federation Convention, was on a completely different level.
You could say that since the latter half of last year, the name Jiang Taichu had become a taboo existence within high society in China. He was like a deity, lofty and untouchable. He could suppress martial arts giants like Huo Qingtian, Wu Yingxiong, and Ye Wudao. The only one in China who could be mentioned in the same breath as him was Ye Zhantian.
Countless powerful forces were now clamoring to pledge allegiance and attach themselves to Jiang Tian. This kind of prestige was something Xu Zhenlei couldn’t even dream of comparing to.
In fact, with just one word from Jiang Tian, the entire Chinese martial arts world could uproot the Xu family from Jinling, without him even needing to lift a finger.
Thinking of this, Xu Ruocheng’s heart was filled with bitter regret. She was so scared she felt her heart might explode on the spot. She quickly said, “Master Jiang, I am completely convinced. I am willing to serve you as a slave or a maid, following you faithfully!”
“I won’t take you. My wife probably wouldn’t be too happy with me taking on women as maids anymore,” Jiang Tian said with an indifferent shake of his head.
“This…”
Xu Ruocheng looked stunned, unable to believe her ears. “Could it be that Jiang Taichu, this figure who dominates China, is actually afraid of his wife?”
But this was a life-or-death moment; she had no time to dwell on such thoughts. She hurriedly said, “Master Jiang, I can help you eliminate the Nie family, the Chen family, and the Sun family—wipe them all out. I know you care about your reputation and don’t want to appear too vicious or ruthless, right…”
“Oh?”
Jiang Tian was slightly taken aback, then laughed. “You’re a clever little girl, aren’t you? I already have Shen Mange as my qin attendant. I was still missing a sword attendant. Alright, you can be my sword attendant!”
For a major, long-established family like the Nie family, not only had they sunk deep roots in Jinling over decades, but their connections also spread across the entire country. The most obvious example was their ties to the Wudang Sect.
Jiang Tian wasn’t afraid of semi-hidden sects like Wudang, but the problem was, he was currently busy helping Qing’er find the Empress Flower. He didn’t want to make too many enemies; instead, he needed to build good relationships and do good deeds.
Having Xu Ruocheng, a vicious dog good at biting, working for him meant he could stay behind the scenes. Plus, if the Nie family or Wudang tried to retaliate, she’d add an extra layer of defense.
“Master Jiang, don’t worry, I will be absolutely loyal…”
Xu Ruocheng was overjoyed inside and quickly promised.
“I don’t trust you.”
Jiang Tian said with a cold smile.
“You’re naturally rebellious, treacherous, and cunning. I need one hundred percent control over you!”
Suddenly, Jiang Tian raised his hand. A red glow gathered and danced on his fingertip. Then, with a flick of his hand, the red light struck Xu Ruocheng’s chest.
“This… what is this?”
Xu Ruocheng felt a warmth on her chest. Turning her back, she unbuttoned her cheongsam and was stunned speechless.
Strange, intricate patterns formed a huge red lotus flower covering her chest.
She rubbed it vigorously with her hand, but the red lotus seemed like a tattoo embedded deep in her skin; it wouldn’t come off. In the dim light, it looked eerily sinister and terrifying.
“This is called ‘Heartburst Blossom,’ a minor spell. Even from a hundred miles away, with just a thought from me, your heart will explode, and you’ll die a violent death.”
Jiang Tian said coldly.
“What? You… how dare you do this to me!” Xu Ruocheng was furious. She stood up, flailing her arms.
She was the queen of Jinling’s underworld, arrogant and unruly her whole life. Submitting to Jiang Tian was one thing, but to be controlled so utterly like this? No way.
“Talking to me like that? You’re asking to die.”
Jiang Tian gave a cold snort, pressed his fingers together in a mudra, and recited the spell.
Instantly, the curse pattern of “Heartburst Blossom” on Xu Ruocheng’s chest emitted waves of red light, enveloping her entire body.
Xu Ruocheng felt her heart swell rapidly, as if it were about to explode. Her internal organs throbbed with severe pain. Her blood flow suddenly accelerated, turning her eyes bloodshot, making all her blood vessels bulge like earthworms. Then her skin split open, and blood seeped from her seven facial orifices.
“Aah! It hurts so much! I’m dying!”
Xu Ruocheng was in so much agony she couldn’t even stand. She collapsed to the ground, writhing around, covering herself in dirt and grime.
Only then did she feel the terrifying power of “Heartburst Blossom.” It was as if a demonic claw had seized her heart, tearing and pulling it, savagely torturing it. The feeling was truly worse than death.
This area of Fulong Mountain was filled with a chilling silence, broken only by her piercing screams and the sounds of her desperate struggles on the ground.
“This guy is absolutely a demon!”
“He’s torturing Miss Ruocheng until she doesn’t even sound human anymore!”
Countless Xu family loyalists knelt on the ground, trembling in silence as they listened to Xu Ruocheng’s screams, their hearts pounding in terror.
Xu Ruocheng was a ruthless woman. She was cruel to her enemies, ruthless to her opponents, but even harsher on herself.
They had once seen her get shot during a gang fight. She had calmly used a knife to cut open the wound, dig out the bullet, and all the while continue chatting and laughing with everyone, joking and cursing freely.
Even though she looked like a delicate, alluring beauty, she was actually tougher than any man!
But this situation now… this man, this Master Jiang… just how cruel could he be?
