“Hmm, didn’t I promise to protect you for life?”
Remembering how miserably she had been treated by that scumbag Lu Changfeng in her past life, Jiang Tian’s heart swelled with tenderness and pity. He gently ruffled the little girl’s soft hair and smiled warmly.
“You’d better keep your word! I knew my brother-in-law was the best…”
The girl’s tears turned to laughter as she clung to Jiang Tian’s waist, burying her face in the crook of his neck, acting spoiled.
Being by my brother-in-law’s side feels so nice…
There was something refreshing and comforting about his presence, almost intoxicating in a way.
Once Zhao Qianru had composed herself, Jiang Tian handed her several invitations to the master-disciple ceremony.
“Take Mom and Dad with you in a couple of days. It’ll be good for the family business—you’ll get to meet some influential people.”
Zhao Qianru beamed. “Brother-in-law, you really can pull anything off! You’re amazing!”
“Well, because I am Tang Linglong’s master,” Jiang Tian declared with a proud smirk.
“Brother-in-law, stop joking…” The girl shook her head, disbelief written all over her face. “I know Miss Tang knows you, but being her master? That’s a stretch. She’s inherited the Tang family’s true teachings!”
She didn’t take him seriously and giggled. “Yuwei’s been begging to attend this ceremony. If I take her, she’ll be over the moon!”
The Grand Event
In recent days, Jiangbei’s upper-class society had been buzzing with anticipation for the Tang family’s grand master-disciple ceremony.
On the day of the event, countless tycoons and dignitaries flocked to the venue from Jiangzhou, Haizhou, and even as far as Foshan.
The sprawling parking lot outside the Wolong Villa was packed with luxury cars—imported Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Bentleys, Cadillacs, and even a few ultra-exclusive Rolls-Royce Silver Spirits, hailed as “landborne Blenheim Palaces.”
The gathering was nothing short of a who’s who of society—so many high-profile figures and luxury cars that it could have passed for a small-scale auto show, with a combined value exceeding 200 million yuan.
“My God, what’s the occasion today? Why so many luxury cars?” A passerby gasped, snapping photos with his phone.
“And celebrities too! Isn’t that Sister Bingbing? And action star Li Long!” another onlooker exclaimed.
Chu Yuwei, walking past them, sneered inwardly.
You country bumpkins have no idea about Master Jiang’s existence! Today is the Tang family’s master-disciple ceremony!
But even she was awestruck. The sheer number of tycoons and high-ranking officials was staggering—each one a heavyweight in their own right.
“Qianru, this Master Jiang is incredible. The Tangs are going all out for him!” Chu Yuwei marveled.
Zhao Qianru could hardly believe it either.
She had just seen Zheng Guangsha enter. If even he was attending, this Master Jiang must be someone even more formidable than Zheng.
“Qianru, why are you two so slow?” Wei Fang, waiting impatiently at the entrance, stamped her foot. “Do you have any idea how rare an opportunity this is?”
She and Zhao Hucheng had dressed in their finest attire, but compared to the surrounding elites, they still looked out of place.
Zhao Qianru hurried over with Chu Yuwei in tow.
Zhao Hucheng spoke gently, “Qianru, since Lu Changfeng gave you the invitations, let’s just go with it. No need to escalate the conflict. His family isn’t one to provoke.”
“Dad, what are you talking about? These are from Brother-in-law!” Zhao Qianru fumed.
“How could he possibly get his hands on such important invitations?” Zhao Hucheng scolded. “I know you dislike Lu Changfeng, but I’m not forcing you to marry him! Just admit who really gave them to you!”
“And that villa wasn’t Jiang Tian’s either!” Wei Fang chimed in.
“Why not? He opened the door, didn’t he?” Chu Yuwei frowned in confusion.
“Sigh… Last night, we went to check. The place was empty, pitch-black—no one was living there…” Wei Fang sighed.
After some deliberation, they had concluded that Jiang Tian couldn’t possibly have won Zheng Guangsha’s favor. He must have borrowed the keys from his classmate Zheng Li and staged that whole act with the butler to impress everyone.
“Oh, so that’s what happened!” Chu Yuwei scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I knew he couldn’t be that impressive!”
“They really are from Brother-in-law…” Zhao Qianru felt wronged but didn’t know how to explain.
“Alright, let’s go in!” Too excited to press further, Wei Fang dragged Zhao Qianru inside.
Despite their millions in assets, Zhao Hucheng and Wei Fang were mere small fry here. They fawned over the tycoons, desperate to network.
As Zhao Qianru and Chu Yuwei wandered around, they were surrounded by intimidatingly powerful figures, overhearing conversations like:
“Boss Hu, I heard you secured a prime plot in Haizhou—worth billions!”
“Old Zhang, don’t sell yourself short. Your company just went public—you made billions in one go!”
“Hah, going public isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The regulators are breathing down your neck, and shareholders are never satisfied…”
Chu Yuwei wilted under the weight of such talk. “These people are on another level. I can’t even get a word in!”
“This is a gathering of the elite—the heads of major families and corporations,” Zhao Qianru said calmly. “Give us ten or twenty years, and maybe we’ll be able to mingle like this too.”
“Well, for now, let’s just enjoy the food!” Chu Yuwei pulled her toward the dessert table.
The banquet was a fusion of Eastern and Western styles. The lawn was set up with a buffet, champagne, and fruit platters for the younger crowd, while the main halls hosted formal banquets reserved for the true VIPs.
As they indulged in desserts, Chu Yuwei snapped photos for her social media, eager to flaunt the experience.
Suddenly, she gasped and pointed. “Look! Isn’t that Liu Tianle? And he’s with Lu Changfeng!”
“Oh, Liu Tianle is his cousin,” Zhao Qianru muttered, uninterested.
“Lu Changfeng has serious connections!” Chu Yuwei gushed, lowering her voice. “Maybe you should give him another chance…”
“No way!” Zhao Qianru didn’t even glance in his direction.
In her eyes, her brother-in-law was the perfect man—regardless of his actual status, he was devoted and protective of her sister.
“Oh my God, there’s more!” Chu Yuwei squealed. “Tang Jianfeng is here—the third Tang family’s son! And Du Yuan, Liu Wangfeng’s cousin! I heard his father is related to Jinling’s big shot, Du Kaige!”
Tang Jianfeng was notorious for his arrogance and cruelty—the most feared young master in Linzhou.
Du Yuan was another top-tier heir, equally unsavory. Seeing Lu Changfeng groveling beside them only deepened Zhao Qianru’s disgust.
“But the only one who can stand beside Tang Jianfeng is someone like Fu Lanjun—a true socialite,” Chu Yuwei sighed enviously, eyeing the regal woman in a red evening gown.
…
Early that morning, Jiang Tian had received a call from Tang Wannian offering to send a car.
He politely declined, opting to drive himself, and spent the morning studying the feng shui of the “King’s Villa No. 1,” planning how to set up a spirit-gathering array.
To the Tang family, this was a grand celebration. But to Jiang Tian? It was barely worth mentioning.
In his past life, he had dominated the cosmos, founded his own sect, and mentored 3,000 Great Saints and 72 Sages—including demon emperors, devil lords, and celestial monarchs. Taking on a mere mortal as a disciple now was trivial.
So it wasn’t until 11 a.m. that Jiang Tian and Zhao Xueqing lazily strolled into Wolong Villa, hand in hand.
Though the Tangs had warned him about the scale of the event, Jiang Tian was still mildly surprised.
A red carpet stretched for miles, flanked by flower arrangements. Armed police officers stood guard—even special forces had been deployed. The entire estate was locked down, ensuring no mishaps.
Luxury cars crowded the grounds, and the air buzzed with excitement. The villa was decked out like New Year’s Eve.
Jiang Tian chuckled to himself.
The Tangs are making sure the whole world knows about our connection.
Hand in hand with Zhao Xueqing, he presented his invitation and ambled inside.
“Congratulations, Jianfeng! With Old Master Tang’s approval, you and Lanjun can finally go public!” Liu Tianle raised his glass amid the group of young masters.
“When I saw Old Master Tang and Secretary Tang earlier, I nearly died of fright!” Fu Lanjun, resplendent in her glittering gown and diamond necklace, clung to Tang Jianfeng’s arm, laughing coquettishly.
She knew her background was far beneath his. Only her social savvy and impeccable reputation had earned her the Tang family’s tentative approval.
But she was still under scrutiny—engagement and marriage were distant prospects.
“Hey, where’ve Lu Biyao and Zhou Xianya been lately?” Du Tao asked with a smirk.
“Zhou Xianya offended Master Jiang and was exiled from Linzhou. No idea where she is now,” Tang Jianfeng said coldly. “As for Lu Biyao, she disrespected him too—she doesn’t even qualify to attend…”
“What? They dared offend Master Jiang?”
“Isn’t today’s ceremony for Miss Tang to become his disciple?” The group gasped in horror.
Master Jiang was the most talked-about mystic in Jiangbei, rumored to command lightning, forge weapons from qi, and strike from a hundred meters away—a veritable demon god!
How could those idiots have slighted him?
“Jianfeng, that Long Gaitian’s been acting up lately—he even dissed me the other day…” Liu Tianle complained. “His father, Long Wu, works under your dad. You’ve got to rein him in!”
“That nobody?” Tang Jianfeng scoffed. “He’s begged Master Jiang to take him as a disciple multiple times. Master Jiang won’t even look at him!”
Chin raised, he boasted, “My dad says I’ve reached the Iron Body stage. He’s taking me to meet Master Jiang today—maybe he’ll see my potential and accept me as a disciple!”
“Wow, if you become Master Jiang’s disciple, you’ll be unstoppable!”
The sycophants erupted in flattery, while Liu Tianle eyed him with envy. Lu Changfeng, meanwhile, was too insignificant to even contribute.
“Holy crap, he’s here?”
Suddenly, Lu Changfeng’s eyes lit up as he spotted Jiang Tian sauntering in, hand in hand with Zhao Xueqing.
