“Sis, why are you crying? Are you talking about Brother-in-law? Where is he?” Zhao Qianru, completely in the dark, was utterly confused.
“He’s gone, and he’s never coming back. We… we got divorced…” Zhao Xueqing choked back her sobs.
“You divorced Brother-in-law? Why? Do you know that Jiang Tian fought Zhou Zhenghao to protect me? He was surrounded by dozens of burly men with knives!”
Zhao Qianru’s face flushed with anger as she spoke:
“He protected me because of you! And you just let him leave like that? He hasn’t even received his salary yet. He’s penniless! How is he supposed to survive?”
“Auntie gave him a million. I think that should be enough for him to live on for a while, right?” Zhao Xueqing tried to calm herself down.
At that moment, Zhao Xueqing’s phone rang. It was Wei Fang calling:
“Xueqing, have you and Jiang Tian finalized the divorce? If it’s done, we’ll unfreeze that million-yuan bank card.”
“What? The bank card was frozen before?” Zhao Xueqing asked in surprise.
“Of course! What if he took the money and then refused to divorce? We’d be at a huge loss!” Wei Fang said dismissively.
“It was frozen…”
Zhao Xueqing threw her phone aside and began rummaging through Jiang Tian’s backpack.
Inside the backpack were a few pieces of jade, a carving knife, some yellow paper, and cinnabar.
Soon, she found the bank card.
Holding the card, her delicate hands trembled uncontrollably. She wished she could vanish into thin air.
Next, she found a property deed for the Times Mansion, but the owner’s name had already been changed to hers.
All this time, she had thought Jiang Tian was a greedy, materialistic man who divorced her for the million yuan.
But in reality, Jiang Tian hadn’t touched a single cent. He had even given her the house. In essence, he had given her everything.
But without any money, how had Jiang Tian been living these past few days? Where did he get the money?
“Jiang Tian, Jiang Tian, come back…”
Zhao Xueqing hugged the backpack, her body trembling. Suddenly, a few receipts fell to the ground.
She picked them up and felt her head spin. Her face turned pale, and she nearly collapsed.
There were five receipts from the riverside dock cement transport station. For each bag of cement carried, he earned one yuan. Over 2,200 bags of cement carried. There were also medical bills, including one for a broken arm and leg that required hospital treatment.
Back then, she had despised him for being stingy and greedy, but that money was earned through his blood and sweat…
“Sis, what’s wrong?” Zhao Qianru quickly supported Zhao Xueqing, her voice filled with concern.
“Ah—! Jiang Tian, come back! I don’t want the money, the house, or the bracelet. I want you!”
At that moment, Zhao Xueqing felt as if her heart had been torn to shreds. The world spun around her, and her cries were like the mournful wails of a wounded animal.
She clutched the receipts tightly, hugging Jiang Tian’s backpack as tears streamed down her face, her sobs uncontrollable.
Memories of Jiang Tian’s foolish, eager-to-please smile played like a slideshow in her mind.
So beautiful, yet so heartbreaking.
“Xueqing, you have to believe me. Just check, and you’ll understand!”
“Enough! I’m so sick of you! You’re nothing but a failure!”
He had beaten Liu Wangfeng to protect her, but she had thought he was just being crazy and had scolded him mercilessly.
“We’re getting divorced, so it’s not convenient for me to stay at home. I’ll stay at the Imperial Club. If you need anything, you can find me there.”
“Right, you’ve got a million now. You’re rich! Go enjoy yourself!”
He had left the bank card and the house to her, but she had thought he was just being greedy.
“Xueqing, don’t misunderstand. I was just helping you with your health. Look, there are even silver needles here…”
“You shameless jerk! Do you think I’d believe your lies?”
He had exhausted himself to treat her illness, even coughing up blood, but she had hit him with a baseball bat, leaving him bloodied.
“By the way, this is a protective jade talisman. You must wear it often. It will keep you safe for life.”
“I don’t want your dirty things!”
He was penniless, reduced to carrying cement bags at the dock, yet he had still bought jade to make a bracelet for her.
But she had torn the bracelet apart and thrown it into the trash, then spent the 2,000 yuan he had earned from carrying cement bags to repair her car.
…
As these memories flooded her mind, Zhao Xueqing felt as if her heart had been hollowed out. Overwhelmed with grief and regret, she wept bitterly.
Hot tears fell like broken strings, smudging the words on the cement receipts.
Just then, her phone rang again. It was Wei Fang. Zhao Qianru said, “Sis, you should answer it.”
Zhao Xueqing wiped her tears and answered the call. Wei Fang said, “Hurry up and finalize the divorce.”
“I will never divorce Jiang Tian!”
Her voice was cold and sharp, like the ring of a sword.
Zhao Xueqing had always been submissive, but now, she was more resolute than ever.
“What? Are you rebelling? You won’t listen to your parents? Jiang Tian is just a useless lunatic!” Zhao Hucheng’s angry voice came through.
“He’s not useless, and he’s not a lunatic. From now on, no one is allowed to call him that, or don’t blame me for turning my back on you!” Zhao Xueqing hung up with a slam.
Zhao Hucheng and Wei Fang had only seen her as a bargaining chip, marrying her off to Jiang Tian, a disowned playboy.
Now that they thought Jiang Tian was worthless, they wanted to sell her off again.
All these years, no one had cared about her well-being.
If it weren’t for her sister still keeping in touch, she would have forgotten she was even part of the Zhao family.
Now, she was utterly disappointed in her family. She wanted to take control of her own destiny and stand firmly by Jiang Tian’s side.
“Sis, I support you. Mom and Dad underestimated Jiang Tian. He’s not an ordinary man!” Zhao Qianru encouraged her.
She saw the change in her sister, no longer weak and easily bullied. She was delighted by her sister’s transformation.
“What exactly happened that night when you and Jiang Tian went to see Fatty Cheng?”
For the first time, Zhao Xueqing asked about Jiang Tian. She was deeply curious about the changes in him.
“Sis, you have no idea how impressive Brother-in-law was that night…” Zhao Qianru began excitedly.
As she listened, Zhao Xueqing suddenly stood up, startled. “Qianru, help me. I need to find the bracelet Jiang Tian left for me. There should be eight beads…”
…
“Mr. Jiang, you’re here!”
At the Imperial Club, Zhou Zhenghao immediately greeted Jiang Tian with a look of reverence.
He had already heard the news: Liu Wangfeng and Wu Zhaohui had been kidnapped, fallen off a cliff, and burned to ashes. Their parents had been beaten into comas.
Connecting this to Jiang Tian’s earlier inquiries about the two, he quickly deduced that Jiang Tian was behind it.
Those were the Liu and Wu families!
In Linzhou, they were second only to the Tang family, and even dared to challenge his boss, Long Wu.
Moreover, the Liu family was heavily guarded, with many armed bodyguards, yet Jiang Tian had dealt with them effortlessly.
Jiang Tian was truly extraordinary, like a legendary general who could take an enemy’s head amidst thousands of soldiers.
Zhou Zhenghao felt a chill down his spine. Thankfully, Brother Wei had intervened that day. If they had made an enemy of Jiang Tian, his fate would have been even worse than the Liu and Wu families.
“Boss Zhou, you’ve worked hard.”
Jiang Tian nodded, giving him a slight smile in recognition of his efforts.
“Not at all, it’s my duty. Please, come in…” Zhou Zhenghao, flattered, quickly bowed and gestured for Jiang Tian to enter.
Jiang Tian was a figure akin to a deity, yet he had such a down-to-earth side.
Zhou Zhenghao had prepared a feast, and as they ate, he showered Jiang Tian with compliments, calling him “Grandmaster Jiang” and treating him like a god.
But Jiang Tian seemed distracted, his gaze deep, as he pondered his next move.
Having dealt with the Liu and Wu families, Zhao Xueqing was safe for the time being.
However, the crisis with the Jiang family in Jinling was far from over.
The appearance of the conch indicated that the three major families in Jinling likely had connections to ancient martial arts forces, possibly even with masters at the Transformation Realm.
At his current level, Jiang Tian could handle internal force experts, but whether he could face Transformation Realm masters, especially grandmasters, was still a big question.
Returning to Jinling now wouldn’t help. He needed to improve his cultivation and build his own team and influence.
Halfway through the meal, Jiang Tian suddenly asked, “Boss Zhou, do you know anything about martial arts? Do you know where to find cultivation resources?”
“Martial arts are a mysterious field. I’m just a small-time gangster. How would I know real martial artists?”
Zhou Zhenghao shook his head with a bitter smile, then lowered his voice. “But I do know a good place for cultivation resources.”
“Where?”
“Snakehead Town in Myanmar. They’re preparing a small artifact exchange fair soon,” Zhou Zhenghao said.
“Myanmar? That’s so far. How do you have connections there?” Jiang Tian asked.
“Grandmaster Jiang, have you heard of Long Wu?” Zhou Zhenghao stood up and poured Jiang Tian a glass of aged Maotai, smiling.
“I’ve heard a bit…” Jiang Tian took a sip of the wine.
Long Wu, the underground emperor of Linzhou, was a formidable figure on par with the third son of the Tang family.
He owned the Longwei Group, controlling dozens of nightclubs and a mining company that monopolized the mining industry in Linzhou. With assets worth billions, he had influence in both the underworld and legitimate business.
Compared to the infamous Star Glory and Black Shark, Long Wu was like a giant among ants.
“To be honest, I’m a small-time brother under Long Wu, just a minor hall master in the Longwei Society. Back in the day, I was quite impressive.”
Zhou Zhenghao sighed. “But Long Wu made an enemy. This enemy was just an ordinary person, but somehow, he became a martial arts master, incredibly powerful.”
He shook his head. “Half a year ago, he challenged Long Wu, injuring many of our experts. Even Ah Hu had his arm broken. Long Wu, feeling threatened, fled to Snakehead Town in Myanmar to avoid the conflict. Now, the entire Longwei Society is in disgrace!”
“Snakehead Town is indeed a good place,” Jiang Tian said with a faint smile.
Snakehead Town, located at the border of China and Myanmar, was a lawless zone with chaotic security. Long Wu had likely gathered some armed forces there to protect himself.
But against a true martial arts master, what good would that do?
“That enemy is incredibly strong. He defeated Ah Hu in one move!” Zhou Zhenghao exclaimed.
“Ah Hu may not be a martial artist, but in the secular world, he’s a top fighter, capable of taking on three to five special forces soldiers. It seems this enemy is no ordinary foe.”
Jiang Tian nodded slightly, his gaze distant.
“Exactly. Long Wu has gathered many rare treasures as rewards, hoping to attract powerful figures to eliminate this enemy. That’s why this artifact exchange fair was formed.”
“So, whoever kills this enemy gets those treasures?” Jiang Tian’s interest was piqued.
