It took only an afternoon for Jiang Tian to pass on all the cultivation techniques to the three of them. Finally, he offered some words of guidance:
“The path of cultivation is like sailing against the current—if you don’t advance, you fall back. You must have a resolute mindset, willing to search high and low, far and wide, no matter how long the road ahead. Train diligently every day and never let a single day go to waste.”
Watching the three of them nod obediently like elementary school students, Jiang Tian couldn’t help but want to laugh.
He had been back for over a year now, and he was growing more and more accustomed to this world. His feelings for his family were gradually reviving, that deep blood connection rekindling.
That feeling…
It was as if his ten-thousand-year cultivation journey had been nothing but a dream, as though he had merely just woken up from an illness.
Just three years ago, he was still the worthless, good-for-nothing playboy in the eyes of his grandfather, father, and mother. But in the blink of an eye, he had become the pillar and hope of the Jiang family in their eyes—even a mystical master and esteemed elder…
That evening, Jiang Tian had dinner with the old patriarch at Jiang Manor.
To his surprise, quite a few members of the Jiang family had all returned at the same time, as if they had planned it.
“Sister-in-law, have you heard? The Nie, Chen, and Sun families—those three big clans that were eyeing our Jiang family like hungry tigers—they’re all finished!”
The youngest aunt grabbed Zhang Wanqing’s arm to chat, but her sidelong glances kept drifting toward Jiang Tian, who was teasing Jiang Wan’er with a lollipop.
“No kidding! I heard that the publicly traded companies controlled by those three families were all secretly taken over by an offshore private equity fund!” the eldest aunt chimed in excitedly.
“And I also heard that the heads of those three families were trying to flee, but they got caught all together and burned to ashes—not a single survivor left…”
The eldest uncle’s wife spoke in a hushed, mysterious tone: “Sister-in-law, I heard this was all Xiao Tian’s doing. Is that true or not?”
“Yeah, I also heard that no one even came to put out the fire—it just burned all night long. Was it Senior Cao and those big-shot officials helping Jiang Tian out?”
They crowded around Zhang Wanqing, firing off questions one after another, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
There was no denying it—the downfall of those three families was incredible news for the Jiang family. Everyone was both shocked and overjoyed.
Just over half a month ago, the Jiang family had been hanging by a thread, trapped between fire and water, crushed under the combined weight of Jinling’s three great families, the Tianwei Pharmaceutical Group from the capital, and the White Knight Fund from Hong Kong.
Who could have imagined that in just half a month, the Jiang family would stage such a stunning comeback?
The three great families of Jinling were completely wiped out, White Knight had retreated back to Hong Kong, and even the Chen family of the capital had lost half their strength, too busy licking their own wounds to bother anyone else.
“What? The three families were annihilated?”
Jiang Banxia stared at Jiang Tian’s back, covering her small mouth, not daring to speak, cold sweat pouring down her back.
She had participated in the financial assault on the three families, but she had no idea that a bloody massacre had followed right after.
Jiang Chao, on the other hand, looked at Jiang Tian as if he were a god, his eyes filled with terror and awe, his heart racing with lingering fear.
This useless cousin of his—this good-for-nothing—had silently wiped out three entire families, stirred up a massive storm, and walked away scot-free. His ability was simply too overwhelming—he truly was like a deity among men.
“All of you, stop spreading these rumors! They are utter nonsense!”
Suddenly, the old patriarch stepped out, swept his gaze across the room, and barked angrily: “If anyone dares to utter a single word about this outside, you will face family punishment!”
Everyone fell silent like frightened cicadas, not daring to even breathe loudly, let alone ask any more questions.
Some still didn’t understand, but the sharper ones had already caught on—this major event was indeed Jiang Tian’s doing. But it had been carried out with such ruthlessness that spreading the word would do no good for either the Jiang family or Jiang Tian himself.
…
Three days later, an explosive piece of news swept through the vast city of Jinling like a hurricane.
Jiang Zhixing was appointed chairman of Jiangsu Provincial State-Owned Investment Group—a position ranked at the main-division level.
For a time, public opinion erupted in shock.
It was clear that the higher-ups had gone to great lengths to promote Jiang Zhixing, bypassing the strict promotion timelines and seniority requirements of the official bureaucracy, and letting him break through via the state-owned enterprise track instead.
The provincial state investment group was a main-division-level entity. Generally speaking, after serving there for three years, one could be promoted to a vice-provincial-level position.
Everyone understood—
The higher-ups had already rendered their final verdict on this war. The Jiang family had won completely, and won beautifully.
Everyone could sense that a dazzling, powerful new family was rising in Jinling.
The name Master Jiang thundered across the entire city, shocking everyone to the core.
…
That night, when Jiang Tian showed up at Bajiao Club, Mu Yunqing, Chu Mengyao, and Tang Bao’er—all children of the wealthy elite—stared at him in utter disbelief.
A while back, when the three great families had joined forces with various other powers to strike at the Jiang family, everyone thought the Jiangs were done for.
But no one expected the Jiang family to stage such a stunning turnaround—winning completely and beautifully.
The three families were finished, while the Yao Wang Group’s market value had swelled to a hundred-billion-scale enterprise, making it the number one company in China’s traditional Chinese medicine industry.
The Jiang family held 51% of the shares, which amounted to a staggering fifty billion in assets. The Jiang family was now at its peak, and in terms of wealth, they could easily rank in the top three.
And Jiang Tian? He was once again the young crown prince of the Jiang family.
Chu Mengyao and Mu Yunqing regretted it so much their guts turned green.
If they had been given another chance, they would never have let Jiang Tian slip through their fingers.
“Jiang Tian, how on earth did you pull this off?”
Chu Mengyao stepped forward with a fawning smile, asking in a soft, honeyed voice.
The season was approaching early autumn. Chu Mengyao wore black silk cropped slim-leg pants, with a white pinstriped blouse tucked into her waistband, making her waist look slender and her legs long and straight.
Between the hem of her trousers and her creamy white pointed-toe heels, a sliver of fair, smooth skin was revealed—so radiant it was almost breathtaking.
It had been a while since they’d last met. She’d gotten a wavy perm and wore flawless makeup, looking more mature than before—every inch the chic, sophisticated urban career woman.
“Brother Jiang, Yao Wang Group has been killing it lately! You’ll have to look out for our little businesses from now on, okay~”
Tang Bao’er also summoned her courage and walked up, latching onto Jiang Tian’s arm and whining playfully.
Her silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders. She had a pure, innocent face, skin as delicate as a porcelain doll’s—but her figure was surprisingly voluptuous. Even her V-neck couldn’t quite contain her plump, creamy cleavage.
On top of that, she gave off an intoxicating fragrance, and her voice was as soft and warm as a lover’s whisper—utterly tantalizing.
There was no doubt about it—any man who laid eyes on this pair of enticing sisters would be utterly defenseless, forced to drop his guard and surrender on the spot.
Beside them, Mu Yunqing watched with red-rimmed eyes.
These two girls were way too forward and shameless—just plastering themselves all over him like that.
Too bad she herself hadn’t been ruthless enough or bold enough—they’d beaten her to the punch.
“What are you two even talking about? I don’t hold any position at Yao Wang Group. How could I possibly look out for your businesses?”
Jiang Tian gently pulled his arm free, his expression cold and detached.
In other people’s eyes, these big-chested, empty-headed heiresses were heavenly beauties, absolute stunners—prized treasures to be cradled in one’s palm for fear of dropping them, held in one’s mouth for fear of melting them.
But in Jiang Tian’s eyes, they were nothing more than common beauties, pink-skulled skeletons—beneath his notice, not even worth a passing glance.
“Don’t go, Tian Ge!”
Seeing that he was about to leave, Tang Bao’er grabbed his arm with her soft little hand, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered:
“Jiang Tian Gege, come play with us! Why don’t you and Mengyao Jiejie make up? It’s a two-for-one deal!”
“Bao’er! What are you even saying…”
Chu Mengyao’s face flushed pink. Her crystalline eyes shimmered with shyness and timidity, adding to her radiant beauty. She stamped her foot in playful protest.
As she stamped, her full chest bounced a few times, sending ripples of dazzling whiteness through the air—making the few young masters nearby stare with wide, fixated eyes.
She and Tang Bao’er had grown up together as best friends and sworn sisters, vowing never to part. They had even made a childhood promise to marry the same man. But that was just a silly joke from when they were kids—how could she possibly say that out loud?
Still, she did have some improper thoughts about Jiang Tian now.
Even though he was already married, what would be so wrong with being his mistress? A man this exceptional shouldn’t he have multiple wives and concubines?
This was a man who had subdued Xu Ruocheng and crushed someone as powerful as Nie Mingyuan!
With her looks, she should be able to make Jiang Tian like her, right? Surely she qualified to be at least a side piece?
“Disgusting! Get lost!”
Jiang Tian gave his arm a light flick, sending Tang Bao’er tumbling onto her backside. She looked up with a pitiful face, nearly bursting into tears.
Jiang Tian was thoroughly annoyed. He wanted to maintain some gentlemanly composure, but these two women were simply too irritating.
Everyone else was dumbfounded. Was Jiang Tian’s standard really that high? He wouldn’t even give these two gorgeous sisters a second glance?
Jiang Tian avoided them like snakes and scorpions, stomping up the stairs. When he saw Xu Ruocheng coming toward him, he immediately tore into her without mercy: “What kind of trash are you letting in here? You call this a high-end club? A bunch of wild chickens wandering in!”
“Master Jiang, please calm down!”
Xu Ruocheng trembled under his scolding, shrinking her neck and bowing repeatedly in apology.
“Don’t let me see them again!” Jiang Tian waved his hand and strode into a tea room.
Chu Mengyao and Tang Bao’er looked at Xu Ruocheng with cowering, aggrieved expressions:
“Sister Ruocheng, we were just joking with Jiang Tian. We didn’t mean to provoke him…”
“Get out!”
After hearing a report from one of her managers, Xu Ruocheng understood what had happened. She shook with rage, pointed a slender finger at the door, and snapped.
Jiang Tian was a dragon among men—the number one grandmaster on the Divine List. What kind of figure was that?
She herself was the queen of Jinling’s underground world, and she could only serve as his maid. And these little brats wanted to climb into Master Jiang’s bed? What utter delusion! Who gave them that kind of confidence?
“Sister Ruocheng, please don’t be mad…”
Tang Bao’er still didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation and tried to act cute and wheedle her way out.
Smack!
Xu Ruocheng slapped her right across the face and roared: “Get the hell out! Didn’t you hear me?!”
Tang Bao’er stood there dumbfounded, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, not even sure whether she should cry.
“Throw them both out!”
Xu Ruocheng shouted sharply: “From this moment on, they are banned from Bajiao Club for life! If they ever dare to offend Master Jiang again, I’ll have them killed!”
Under Xu Ruocheng’s fierce authority, Chu Mengyao and Tang Bao’er trembled like withered leaves in a winter gale, their faces pale with terror.
“No, Sister Ruocheng, please!”
“Sister Ruocheng, Jiang Tian—give us one more chance!”
Amid their pleas and struggles, several bodyguards stepped forward, grabbed them by the arms and legs, and tossed them right out the door.
Off to the side, Ye Ziwei sipped her tea, let out a cold snort, and muttered disdainfully: “Serves them right—those snobs who looked down on Jiang Tian time and time again. Now they want to come crawling back to curry favor? Isn’t it a little too late?”
To Jiang Tian, the advances and sycophancy of these two women were nothing but trivial trifles.
The real reason Jiang Tian had come to Bajiao Club that night was to meet with figures from the Lingnan mystical arts circle to discuss the formation of Fulong Mountain.
