“Damn it, Jiang Tian, who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty!”
Hou Tianlai was instantly furious. He stood up, pointing at Jiang Tian with a cold sneer. “You’re not the young master of the Jiang family anymore. Don’t think we don’t know your situation. You were dumped, kicked out of your family, and now you’re worse off than a beggar! How dare you disrespect Hao Ge? Do you believe I can end you right now?”
“Come on, Hou, let it go. After all, we’re classmates. Don’t stoop to his level.”
“Yeah, arguing with him will only lower your standards.”
Zhao Dan and a few other girls pretended to mediate, but their words were laced with disdain for Jiang Tian.
“Haha, Jiang Tian, you’re really something, huh? You don’t even respect Hao Ge. Do you know who he is? How much money he has?”
“Seriously, it’s been years since graduation, and you’re still so naive. You have no idea how the world works!”
Yuan Yuan, Zheng Li, and a few others joined in, mocking Jiang Tian relentlessly.
“Sigh, Jiang Tian is too stubborn. He doesn’t understand the importance of connections…” Even Liu Yating sighed inwardly, shaking her head.
“If it weren’t for the fact that we’re classmates, I would’ve beaten you to a pulp already!” Hou Tianlai grumbled angrily.
Just then, the door swung open.
A middle-aged man with an imposing presence walked in, flanked by a few burly bodyguards. He smiled and said, “Monkey, you’ve worked hard. Come, let me toast you and your classmates!”
“Boss Zhou, what brings you here?”
Hou Tianlai was both surprised and delighted, his face flushing with excitement. He bent over like a loyal dog seeing its master.
“Call me Hao Ge!” Zhou Zhenghao laughed heartily. “I heard you managed to find a century-old wild ginseng. That’s quite an achievement. Of course, I had to come and thank you personally!”
“Boss Zhou…”
“Hao Ge…”
As Zhou Zhenghao walked in to offer a toast, everyone in the private room stood up, visibly excited.
These young graduates, fresh out of college, didn’t know much about Zhou Zhenghao’s rise to power. All they knew was that he was a renowned entrepreneur in Linzhou, with assets worth billions. He was someone who could sit at the same table as district mayors and party secretaries.
Only Jiang Tian remained seated, unmoved.
“Hao Ge…”
Long Ge, who was standing behind Zhou Zhenghao, tugged at his sleeve and gestured subtly toward Jiang Tian.
When Zhou Zhenghao entered, everyone had greeted him, their attention focused entirely on him. No one had noticed Jiang Tian.
But when they saw Zhou Zhenghao’s smile freeze, they turned to look and were shocked to see Jiang Tian sitting there calmly, completely unfazed.
Everyone was baffled. Was this guy out of his mind? A PR guy with such low emotional intelligence? He didn’t even stand up to greet Hao Ge?
“Hey, Jiang Tian,” Yuan Yuan sneered, glancing at him. “Did you glue your butt to the chair? Hao Ge is here to toast, and you can’t even stand up?”
Seeing Zhou Zhenghao’s stiff smile, Yuan Yuan assumed Jiang Tian’s lack of courtesy had upset him and decided to pile on.
“Jiang, Jiang, Jiang…”
When Zhou Zhenghao saw Jiang Tian, it was as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen, his face pale, his mouth agape. The words “Master” stuck in his throat.
For days, Zhou Zhenghao had been trying to curry favor with Jiang Tian, following Dongdong’s advice. From Xiao Wei, he had learned that Jiang Tian had cured Old Tang’s mysterious illness, proving he was a medical genius. Moreover, Jiang Tian’s martial arts skills were otherworldly, suggesting he was a cultivator.
Zhou Zhenghao knew that such a master wouldn’t care about worldly wealth. Instead, he would value rare herbs and medicinal plants. So, he had ordered his men to scour the region for such treasures.
He had almost finished gathering the items and was planning to visit Jiang Tian soon. Little did he expect to run into him here.
“Hao Ge, don’t be angry. This guy has been disrespectful to you from the start. I was just about to teach him a lesson! Let me call some people!”
Seeing Zhou Zhenghao’s strange expression, Hou Tianlai pulled out his phone, ready to call in reinforcements to deal with Jiang Tian. He had always disliked Jiang Tian, and now he had the perfect excuse.
Slap!
Zhou Zhenghao suddenly turned and delivered a resounding slap across Hou Tianlai’s face.
“Hao Ge!” Hou Tianlai clutched his cheek, stunned and confused.
Slap!
Zhou Zhenghao then slapped Yuan Yuan, his face darkening. “You have the guts to disrespect Master Jiang? If you want to live, both of you, kneel before him!”
“Master Jiang? Who?”
“It can’t be Jiang Tian, right?”
Everyone was dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening. They couldn’t understand why Zhou Zhenghao had suddenly turned on them.
Zhou Zhenghao quickly walked over to Jiang Tian, bending so low he was almost prostrating himself. In the most respectful tone he could muster, he said, “Little Zhou pays his respects to Master Jiang. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me!”
Jiang Tian picked a grape from the fruit platter, leisurely peeling it. Only after removing the skin did he look up and respond with a casual, “Hmm.”
“He called Jiang Tian ‘Master Jiang’ and referred to himself as ‘Little Zhou’…”
Everyone in the room stared in shock at Zhou Zhenghao, the influential tycoon of Linzhou, bowing and scraping before Jiang Tian like a student before a teacher.
Liu Yating was utterly confused.
Wasn’t he just a PR guy at Zhao’s Pharmaceuticals? How had he become “Master Jiang”? And why was Zhou Zhenghao treating him with such reverence? He wouldn’t even act this way around his own father!
Hou Tianlai was equally baffled. He frowned and whispered, “Hao Ge, you must be mistaken. He’s my classmate, a nobody. He works in PR now!”
Zhou Zhenghao finally noticed that Hou Tianlai and Liu Yating were still standing. He turned and delivered two more slaps, roaring like an angry lion, “Are you blind? This is Master Jiang! Those herbs I’ve been collecting are for him!”
“What? He… he’s Master Jiang?”
Hou Tianlai’s face turned ghostly pale, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
Rumors had it that Master Jiang could command spirits and ghosts, possessed incredible combat skills, and held a lofty status, even having connections with the Tang family. But he never imagined that the legendary Master Jiang would be this down-and-out classmate of his, who didn’t even own a phone or a car.
“Hao Ge, we really didn’t know…”
Yuan Yuan also fell to her knees, trembling and crying in fear.
While others might not know, she was aware that Zhou Zhenghao was a powerful figure with connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world. He had blood on his hands.
“Get them out of here. I don’t want to see them in Linzhou again,” Jiang Tian said calmly, still eating his grapes.
“Get up!” Long Ge and a few bodyguards dragged the two out.
Hou Tianlai, still unwilling to accept his fate, struggled and pleaded, “Jiang Tian, give me another chance. Please ask Hao Ge to forgive me…”
“Shut up! How dare you address Master Jiang by his name?”
The sharp-eyed Long Ge punched Hou Tianlai in the stomach, cutting off his plea. He coldly hissed, “If you want to die, don’t drag our boss into it. The fact that Master Jiang hasn’t ordered your death is already an act of mercy!”
After the two were dragged out, the room fell into an uneasy silence.
Jiang Tian remained silent, Zhou Zhenghao didn’t know how to break the tension, and Liu Yating, Zhao Dan, Zheng Li, and the others were too afraid to speak.
The bodyguards who had come with Zhou Zhenghao were trembling like leaves, as if they were in the presence of a deity.
Finally, Zhou Zhenghao broke the silence. Bowing deeply, he said with a flattering smile, “Master Jiang, I’ve recently gathered some medicinal herbs. I wonder if they might be of use to you…”
Jiang Tian had initially wanted nothing to do with Zhou Zhenghao, a man of the underworld, and was about to leave. But upon hearing this, his interest was piqued.
He was currently penniless, and the spiritual herbs he needed for his cultivation were exorbitantly expensive and hard to come by.
“Let me take a look,” Jiang Tian nodded slightly.
“Of course, of course! I’ll have them brought over right away!” Zhou Zhenghao was overjoyed and immediately ordered his men to fetch the herbs.
“Master Jiang, I apologize for not being informed of your arrival earlier. Please forgive my lack of preparation!”
A moment later, Dongdong entered, accompanied by several young women, each holding an ornate box.
Dongdong, a seasoned socialite who had entertained mayors and district leaders, managed to maintain her composure. However, her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner fear and nervousness.
“Is that wild ginseng? It must be over a hundred years old!”
“Is that nine-curved polygonatum? It’s shaped like a dragon, as if it’s soaring through the sky!”
“That’s a human-shaped fleeceflower root! Such a large one must be worth millions!”
As the boxes were opened one by one, the room was filled with gasps of amazement. Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.
These herbs were not only incredibly rare but also exorbitantly expensive. Anyone who obtained one would treasure it as a family heirloom. Yet, Zhou Zhenghao was giving them all to Jiang Tian!
Though Jiang Tian’s expression remained calm, he was inwardly thrilled.
These herbs were of excellent quality and age, perfect for refining a Peiyuan Pill, which would help him break through to the Qi Refining stage.
“Not bad,” Jiang Tian said with a faint smile. “They’ll be useful to me. I’ll take them all. I owe you a favor, and I’ll repay it in due time.”
Zhou Zhenghao wiped the sweat from his forehead, relieved that his efforts over the past few days had paid off. He had practically turned Linzhou upside down to gather these herbs.
But when he heard Jiang Tian’s last words, Zhou Zhenghao shuddered. In the underworld, he knew all too well that a great favor could turn into a great debt.
Zhou Zhenghao quickly put on a fawning smile and said, “Master Jiang, you’re too kind. This is just a small token of my respect. Being able to serve you is an honor beyond measure. I don’t expect anything in return! Master Jiang, why don’t we move to a private room upstairs and continue our conversation?”
“This guy knows his place. No wonder he rose from nothing to build such an empire,” Jiang Tian thought with a faint smile.
He gathered all the herbs into one box, stood up gracefully, and said, “Alright, I should get going. If I’m home too late, Xueqing will worry.”
“Of course, Master Jiang. Please visit us again soon!” Zhou Zhenghao hurriedly followed him like a loyal servant.
“No need to see me out,” Jiang Tian waved his hand. “Oh, and my classmate Liu Yating is having some financial difficulties. Lend her some money.”
“Consider it done! Interest-free, no, I’ll just give it to her!” Zhou Zhenghao was so excited he was almost incoherent.
After Jiang Tian left, the room remained silent for a long time. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unable to process what had just happened.
With a single word, Jiang Tian had decided Hou Tianlai’s fate.
Zhou Zhenghao treated him like a god, offering herbs worth millions. Just who was he?
