“You’re pretty good at fighting, kid, but no matter how skilled you are, you can’t beat a blade. Let’s see how you handle this!”
The long-haired thug’s face twisted into a vicious sneer as he pulled out a gleaming, razor-sharp machete. With a roar, he leaped into the air, bringing the blade down like a mountain crashing onto Jiang Tian’s head.
This strike was his pride and joy, a move with the force of ten thousand pounds. The blade whistled through the air, its cold steel reflecting his menacing grin.
He could almost see the blade slicing through flesh, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere.
“Jiang Tian, get out of the way!”
Xiao Wei, hiding in the bushes and watching the scene, screamed in panic, his face pale. He reached for his gun, but it was too late. The thug was too fast.
Jiang Tian didn’t move. He stood there like a wooden post, completely still.
Clang!
To everyone’s shock, when the blade struck Jiang Tian’s head, it made a metallic clanging sound, as if it had hit solid steel.
The long-haired thug felt an overwhelming force reverberate through the blade, sending it flying backward. His hands went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the weapon.
“First level of Body Tempering—immune to blades and spears,” Jiang Tian murmured, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes as he sighed softly.
“My God!” Xiao Wei gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“What the hell…”
The long-haired thug stumbled backward, his hands trembling. He looked down and saw that his palms were split open, blood streaming down. The machete, forged from 67 layers of Damascus steel, was now chipped and bent.
“Haha, did you skip breakfast or something? That felt like a gentle scratch from a lady,” Jiang Tian said with a mocking smile, casually rubbing his unharmed head.
The first level of Body Tempering only made him immune to cold weapons, which wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. At the peak of Body Tempering, even machine gun fire wouldn’t faze him. And once he reached the Qi Condensation stage, he could crush bombs with his bare hands and walk away unscathed.
“Golden Bell Armor? Iron Shirt? The Thirteen Grandmasters’ Invincible Technique?”
The long-haired thug stared at Jiang Tian’s head, his mind racing through a list of martial arts legends. He had no way to explain what he had just witnessed. To him, Jiang Tian seemed like a demon god.
“Who sent you? If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you,” Jiang Tian said calmly, his hands behind his back as he strolled forward like he was taking a leisurely walk in the park.
“Grandmaster Jiang, spare me! It was… it was Wu Zhaohui who hired me to kill you!” the thug stammered, his voice trembling.
“Oh, so it’s him…” A sharp glint of killing intent flashed in Jiang Tian’s eyes, and the air around him turned icy.
“Grandpa, please don’t kill me! I was just doing a job for money. Please, have mercy and spare my worthless life!” The thug broke down, sobbing and begging for his life.
“Grandpa, from now on, you’re my real grandpa! Grandpa Jiang, I swear I’ll never dare to cross you again! I’ll serve you faithfully! Please, just let me go like I’m nothing but a fart!”
Thud!
The long-haired thug couldn’t hold back his fear any longer. His body shook violently, and he lost control of his bladder, collapsing to his knees and kowtowing furiously.
He had always thought of himself as a ruthless killer, but facing someone like Jiang Tian made him realize he was nothing more than an insect that could be crushed with a flick of a finger. When death stared him in the face, even he felt fear and begged for mercy.
“Forget it. You’re just an ant. Killing you would only bring unnecessary trouble,” Jiang Tian said with a faint smile. He didn’t care about the thug. His real target was Wu Zhaohui, the mastermind behind this.
“Thank you, Grandpa, for sparing my life!” The thug kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with each bow.
“But cutting people is bad. What if you scare the kids?”
Jiang Tian suddenly raised his foot and stomped on the thug’s right hand, applying just enough force.
Crack!
“Ahhh! It hurts!”
The thug’s right hand was reduced to a bloody mess, the bones completely shattered. The pain was so intense that he convulsed and passed out on the spot.
As for the bald thug, he was already a vegetable with severe brain damage. Jiang Tian didn’t bother punishing him further. He simply shrugged and walked down the mountain path.
“Mr. Jiang, I’m Xiao Wei, Elder Tang’s bodyguard. We’ve met before. Let me drive you back to the city,” Xiao Wei said, his voice trembling slightly.
He couldn’t figure out Jiang Tian’s true strength, but he was certain that Jiang Tian’s abilities went far beyond ordinary martial arts. With such insane medical skills and combat prowess, Jiang Tian was like a god among men.
“Sure,” Jiang Tian replied indifferently. Walking down the mountain would take too much time anyway.
Xiao Wei’s vehicle was a black Jeep Wrangler, spacious and with excellent visibility.
Xiao Wei was a skilled driver, and he made sure to drive smoothly, especially on the winding mountain roads, to avoid jostling Jiang Tian.
Jiang Tian sat in the passenger seat, silent and with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.
“Mr. Jiang… Elder Tang was worried that Wu Zhaohui might try to harm you, so he sent me to follow you,” Xiao Wei ventured cautiously, noticing that Jiang Tian wasn’t asleep.
“Looks like his concerns were justified. Should I report this to Elder Tang…?”
“No need,” Jiang Tian said simply, his eyes still closed.
“Mr. Jiang, you’re truly magnanimous,” Xiao Wei said, admiration in his voice.
“Haha, dealing with them doesn’t require Elder Tang’s intervention. Killing them would be as easy as slaughtering chickens,” Jiang Tian said, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. A cold, murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
“But killing them outright would be too merciful. Wu Zhaohui, Liu Wangfeng, and the three major families of Jinling—I’ll play with them like a cat toying with a mouse. I’ll make them suffer, lose everything, and plunge them into despair. They’ll beg for death, but I won’t grant it.”
—
Jiang Tian returned to the Times Mansion.
The sky was already bright.
Although Jiang Tian was a bit of a playboy and had mediocre talents, his parents doted on him and had bought him a villa as a wedding gift.
The villa was mid-range, located in the development zone, and not particularly expensive due to the lack of surrounding facilities.
“I’m back!”
As Jiang Tian walked into the living room, he saw Zhao Xueqing and her father, Zhao Hucheng, sitting on the sofa, seemingly waiting for him. This surprised him a little.
Zhao Xueqing’s feelings toward him were complicated—part sympathy, but mostly fear and disgust.
The thin thread of marital affection that once existed had long been destroyed by his own actions.
Her decision to stay by his side was likely out of a sense of duty as a wife, nothing more.
“You finally decided to come back! Where were you last night?” Zhao Xueqing snapped, her eyes red and puffy with dark circles underneath. She hadn’t slept all night.
After work yesterday, she had noticed Jiang Tian wasn’t home. It suddenly dawned on her that she had left the hospital in such a hurry that she hadn’t given him money for a taxi. Panicked, she wondered if he had gotten lost.
She went to the police station to report him missing, but since it hadn’t been 24 hours yet, the police refused to take action.
Zhao Xueqing drove from the hospital all the way home, calling out for him until her voice was hoarse, but there was no sign of him.
Even though Jiang Tian had never treated her well, in her eyes, he was still her husband. As long as they were married, she couldn’t just abandon him.
Now, seeing Jiang Tian stroll in casually, she couldn’t help but glare at him, clearly annoyed.
“Xueqing, Jiang Tian has his own life too. Don’t interfere too much,” Zhao Hucheng said with a gentle smile, though Jiang Tian could sense the hidden disdain in his eyes.
Jiang Tian saw through it all. Zhao Hucheng had already sensed the crisis brewing within the Jiang family and was likely regretting his decision to marry his daughter to Jiang Tian.
Zhao Hucheng was the director of the Development Zone Government Office, and his second wife was a successful businesswoman who ran a pharmaceutical company.
He had two daughters—Zhao Xueqing, his eldest from his late wife, and a younger daughter from his current marriage.
Zhao Xueqing had lost her mother at a young age and had never received much affection from her family. That’s why Zhao Hucheng had married her off to Jiang Tian, a useless playboy, hoping to gain some benefits from the Jiang family.
Little did he know that the Jiang family and the Medicine King Group were now mired in crises, unable to help his business. Zhao Hucheng had gambled and lost, and now he looked at Jiang Tian with nothing but contempt.