“Mr. Guo, Miss Gu, my apologies for arriving a little late!”
Yu Qiang’s heart was pounding with anxiety. He stepped forward softly, bowed his head slightly, and put on a warm smile.
“Have a seat, Xiao Guo.”
Guo Yinlin barely nodded, not even lifting his eyelids. His attitude was steeped in arrogance, showing that he didn’t think much of Yu Qiang at all.
Yet Yu Qiang showed no sign of irritation. Smiling broadly, he took a seat at the lower end of the table.
Guo Yinlin’s father held the second-highest position in the Nanjing Military Region. Yu Qiang’s father had once served under him and, thanks to his mentorship and support, had climbed the ranks steadily.
Among the many young elites in Nanjing, Guo Yinlin ranked within the top three, while Yu Qiang barely scraped into the top twenty—more of a follower than a peer. Given the long-standing ties between their families, Yu Qiang had always treated Guo Yinlin with utmost respect.
Tang Shaoze, in contrast, appeared much more approachable. Smiling politely, he remarked, “Brother Qiang, I heard Mr. Guo mention that you’re in the antique calligraphy and painting business?”
“Not at all, not at all—just call me Xiao Qiang, please. It’s a modest trade, a few billion at most. Nothing compared to you, Mr. Tang. I’d be embarrassed if you praised me too highly!”
Yu Qiang shifted forward in his seat slightly, his face beaming with humility.
“That’s already impressive. In life, we should learn to be content with what we have, don’t you think?”
Tang Shaoze smiled serenely, his expression as peaceful as a Maitreya Buddha. But after a brief pause, his face grew more serious. “Have you ever heard of Dharma artifacts?”
“Dharma artifacts?”
Yu Qiang blinked, momentarily caught off guard, then shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’ve never come across any.”
Hearing this, Tang Shaoze’s face sank with disappointment and melancholy. He let out a long sigh. “Without Dharma artifacts, how can we ever satisfy that Master Jiang?”
“Mr. Tang, I truly apologize for letting you down. I failed to get this done,” Guo Yinlin said, his tone laced with regret.
“Mr. Guo, don’t blame yourself. Truth be told, the items the other bosses brought would be priceless treasures in the eyes of ordinary people—worthy of being passed down through generations!”
Tang Shaoze sighed bitterly. “But that Master Jiang is like a celestial being descended from the heavens. If these gifts are meant for his grandfather’s birthday celebration, they’re far from adequate.”
Soon after, the two men leaned in close, exchanging hushed, secretive remarks. Fragments of conversation drifted out: “Master Jiang,” “forces north of the river,” “Empress Flower,” “cultivation resources,” “the military region places great importance on this,” and so on.
“Who exactly is this Master Jiang? Even the Guo and Tang families are going out of their way to flatter him, trying to prepare a birthday gift for his grandfather…”
Yu Qiang sat there completely baffled, unable to follow the conversation, let alone join in.
The young woman sitting nearby had her hair tied up elegantly, her bright eyes and pearly white teeth adding to her delicate beauty. Her name was Gu Siyu, and she was Guo Yinlin’s girlfriend—together they looked like a perfect match, a golden couple blessed with both charm and talent.
Gu Siyu turned her gaze toward Yu Qiang, a faint, knowing smile curving her lips. “Yu Qiang, was the traffic really that bad? Mr. Guo summoned you, and yet you still dared to be late?”
Yu Qiang tensed up. He leaned forward slightly, forcing an awkward chuckle. “Miss Gu, please don’t even mention it—what terrible luck! On the way here, I ran into Ye Ziwei at the Qishi Tang antique shop. We chatted for a bit, and then I ended up betting on rough jade with her useless brother. Lost one round, and my sports car went to him.”
He held Gu Siyu in high regard as well. Her grandfather had once served as deputy governor of Jiangsu Province, and her family was both wealthy and influential. She herself held a key position at the provincial State-Owned Assets Investment Company and was widely recognized as a formidable businesswoman in Nanjing’s commercial circles. In the city, she was nothing less than a dazzling socialite admired by all.
“Which Ye Ziwei? Jiang Zhixing’s adopted daughter? And her brother—his name is Jiang Tian, isn’t it?”
Yu Qiang had merely mentioned it in passing, never expecting Tang Shaoze to suddenly leap to his feet and exclaim in shock.
“What’s going on?” Even Guo Yinlin’s expression shifted dramatically.
“Yes, it’s him. Does Mr. Tang know him too?”
Seeing Tang Shaoze’s intense reaction, Yu Qiang looked completely bewildered.
Tang Shaoze trembled uncontrollably. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated. His gaze swept across the other antique dealers seated in the room.
Gu Siyu immediately understood. She rose gracefully and said with polished courtesy, “I apologize for troubling you all to make this trip. Let’s conclude today’s discussion here. If any Dharma artifacts come your way, please do reach out to me. Price won’t be an issue.”
“Of course, Miss Gu. Not a problem at all. Mr. Tang, Mr. Guo, we’ll take our leave now.”
The dealers bowed slightly, exchanged a few pleasantries, and quietly withdrew from the tea house alongside the three cheongsam-clad attendants.
Gu Siyu quickly closed the door behind them.
Guo Yinlin barely contained his frustration. His brows furrowed sharply as he snapped, “Are you still chasing after Ye Ziwei? And you ran into her and Jiang Tian today?”
“Yes…”
“Did you do anything inappropriate?” Guo Yinlin pressed, his voice low and tense.
“No, nothing like that. I’ve asked her out a few times, but she wouldn’t meet. I’ve had flowers delivered from the shop—roses, that sort of thing…”
Yu Qiang could sense something was off. Guo Yinlin’s gaze felt almost lethal.
“I lost my sports car to Jiang Tian, but there wasn’t any real conflict between us. Just a bit of banter back and forth…”
He had never once thought there was anything wrong with pursuing Ye Ziwei. Jiang Zhixing was nothing more than a division-level official, and Zhang Wanqing’s assets were only modest. Marrying into his family would actually be an upgrade for her.
Trying to lighten the mood with a joke, he added, “Mr. Guo, since when did you care so much about my personal life? You’ve never offered to set me up with anyone before!”
“Don’t joke around with me! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve caused? He’s Master Jiang from north of the river!” Guo Yinlin slammed his hand on the table, his voice thundering with fury.
“This is the end. Offending Master Jiang—you’ll be doomed beyond redemption!”
Tang Shaoze shook his head and sighed deeply, then quickly added, “Mr. Guo, if Master Jiang ever seeks to hold someone accountable, you’ll need to testify that I had nothing to do with this!”
“What? Jiang Tian is Master Jiang from north of the river?”
The realization struck Yu Qiang like a thunderbolt. His entire body jolted with fear, his face turning ashen. He could hardly believe it.
Having spent years in the antique and jade trade, traveling far and wide to collect rare artifacts, he was no stranger to whispers. Of course he had heard of the formidable reputation of the recently risen Master Jiang from the north.
Even in his own jade and antique shop, customers often mentioned this mysterious Master Jiang.
But to connect that legend with Jiang Tian—the very same man Nanjing had long dismissed as a useless fool—was simply beyond his grasp.
Yu Qiang had always been generous and respectful toward Gu Siyu, so now she felt inclined to speak a few words in his defense. Smiling, she said, “Yinlin, don’t scare him like that. Given your friendship, Master Jiang probably won’t hold it against him, right?”
“Yeah…”
Yu Qiang quickly composed himself and chimed in with an ingratiating smile. “I’ve heard that Master Jiang treated some mysterious illness of Old Man Tang in Linzhou, and that he’s close to Ye Ziwei’s biological father, Ye Gufeng. But as powerful as he might be, surely he’s no match for the Guo and Tang families combined?”
Guo Yinlin shook his head with a faint, self-deprecating smile. “Siyu, you give us far too much credit. Master Jiang showing us any consideration?”
His tone was tinged with sorrow and irony. “Neither Tang nor I are even worthy of polishing his shoes. And my father? Or Tang’s father? Master Jiang doesn’t owe them any face either!”
“What? He’s that powerful…”
Gu Siyu and Yu Qiang stood frozen, unable to process what they were hearing.
“He’s a martial grandmaster at the pinnacle of transformation. He’s killed several martial grandmasters before. Wei Shuofeng, the Lingnan master of esoteric arts, and the martial grandmaster Mo Haoxiong—both died by his hand…”
Tang Shaoze’s voice trailed off into a melancholic sigh. His gaze flickered with uncontrollable terror, his body trembling.
“Martial grandmaster? Master of esoteric arts? What are those…”
As the son of an official, Yu Qiang’s world had always revolved around high-ranking bureaucrats and wealthy tycoons. The power dynamics he understood were strictly conventional. Of martial arts and esoteric practices, he knew absolutely nothing.
“What are they?” Tang Shaoze’s voice trembled with fear. “They’re powers beyond human comprehension. The ability to condense energy into weapons and wound enemies from afar, to summon spirits and command deities, to end a life from a hundred miles away. They are existences we dare not offend!”
“This… this…”
Yu Qiang wanted to object, to say, “Aren’t those the kind of things you’d only find in novels?” But one look at Tang Shaoze’s deeply serious expression forced him to accept it as truth.
Gu Siyu, however, seemed less convinced. She smiled lightly and said, “No matter how strong he is, he’s still just a man of the martial world. How could he possibly stand against the full force of the police, the military, or the government?”
“Siyu, you underestimate him. He was once a martial advisor to the War Dragons and even had the opportunity to become their head instructor…”
Guo Yinlin’s voice was heavy with solemn respect as he let out a heartfelt sigh.
“War Dragons… what’s that?” Yu Qiang and Gu Siyu exchanged puzzled glances.
“The War Dragons. Directly under the General Staff. They are the absolute elite among the military’s special forces. If he had taken the position of head instructor, he would have been promoted to major general within three years. But he… politely declined.”
Guo Yinlin’s sigh was thick with admiration.
“Promoted to major general within three years? That would mean becoming a major general before the age of thirty. I’ve never heard of anything like that in China!”
Gu Siyu covered her crimson lips with her hand, her eyes nearly bulging from their sockets in disbelief.
Though her knowledge of the military was limited, she understood exactly what it meant to be a general.
Especially in a major power like China. A general carried immense prestige and influence—comparable even to a head of state in smaller nations. It was a rank that could make billionaires bow their heads and demand the utmost caution and respect from provincial governors.
“This is a unique case. Not something the general public would know about,” Guo Yinlin said with a frown.
“What… what am I supposed to do now?”
Yu Qiang was completely paralyzed by shock. Cold sweat streamed down his face like a brook, and his voice trembled as though he were about to cry.
“The reason Tang and I invited you here today wasn’t for our personal benefit. It was on behalf of the Guo and Tang families. We’ve been searching for suitable gifts to present at the birthday celebration of Jiang Tian’s grandfather, Jiang Changgeng…” Guo Yinlin spoke each word with deliberate gravity.
Gu Siyu and Yu Qiang were utterly stunned, frozen as though turned to stone.
Consider this: even at the height of its power, the Jiang family had never ranked among Nanjing’s top twenty. Compared to the Guo family, they were far behind—to say nothing of the Tang family from Guangzhou.
Yet Jiang Tian, relying solely on his own strength, had compelled both the Tang and Guo families to come pay homage and celebrate his grandfather’s birthday. What extraordinary achievement! What heaven-defying ability!
“Sigh, compared to him, what am I, priding myself on being a vice president at the provincial State-Owned Assets Investment Company, managing assets worth a few billion?”
Gu Siyu felt a deep sense of inadequacy—and genuine admiration for Jiang Tian.
“Tell us in detail. Don’t leave anything out.” Guo Yinlin pressed Yu Qiang to recount every moment of his jade gambling encounter with Jiang Tian.
