Li Zhenwei and Ghost-Kick toiled tirelessly, serving Jiang Tian like devoted disciples—helping him process the white ape’s remains, inscribe talismans, and refine elixirs.
“I can’t let their efforts go unrewarded.”
Jiang Tian had grown somewhat fond of the two. Using the ape’s ribs, he forged a pair of bone daggers for Li Zhenwei, and from its spine, he crafted a bone whip for Ghost-Kick.
Jiang Tian’s craftsmanship was nothing short of masterful.
These weapons carried an innate offensive enhancement, making them nothing less than divine artifacts.
“Grandmaster Jiang’s kindness is immeasurable! We will never forget this debt!”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, the two men dropped to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly as if Jiang Tian were their master.
…
Meanwhile, in Linzhou…
While Jiang Tian remained secluded in White Ape Valley, cultivating in solitude, a black Mercedes SUV pulled up in front of a modest villa in the “Era Heights” neighborhood.
Tang Wannian, his brow furrowed with worry, glanced around and remarked, “This is Grandmaster Jiang’s residence? It’s… rather humble, isn’t it?”
Though technically a villa, the “Era Heights” property was in a less developed area, far from luxurious.
“Yes, this is the place,” Tang Linglong confirmed.
“Do you think he’s home? Without him, I’m finished! I should’ve listened to him sooner!” Tang Wannian fidgeted nervously.
“Regretting it now won’t help!”
Tang Linglong shot her uncle a disdainful look. “You were the one who disrespected him!”
She stepped out of the car, shielding herself from the sun with a parasol—only to freeze at the sight before her.
A graceful, ethereal woman was rummaging through a foul-smelling garbage pile under the scorching sun.
“Linglong, what are you staring at?”
Tang Wannian followed her gaze and chuckled. “Is she insane? Digging through trash in this heat? But she’s well-dressed… doesn’t look like a beggar. Strange—”
“That’s Jiang Tian’s wife, Zhao Xueqing,” Tang Linglong snapped.
“Good heavens!”
Tang Wannian’s jaw dropped. Tang Linglong strode forward in her heels. “Ms. Zhao, is Jiang Tian home?”
Zhao Xueqing’s face was slick with sweat, her clothes smeared with grime. She straightened up, her hollow gaze landing on Tang Linglong. “You’re looking for Jiang Tian…”
Then, without warning, her vision darkened.
She collapsed backward like a felled tree.
“Ms. Zhao! What’s wrong?!”
Tang Linglong rushed forward, catching her just in time.
“Heatstroke. Let’s get her inside, cool her down, and get her some medicine!”
Tang Wannian fished out the villa keys from Zhao Xueqing’s purse. Together, they carried her into the living room.
After administering herbal medicine, ensuring proper ventilation, and calling a doctor, it took a full half-hour before Zhao Xueqing finally stirred.
“Ms. Zhao, are you alright? I’m Tang Linglong—we’ve met before!”
But Zhao Xueqing ignored her. Instead, she bolted upright—“My beads!”—and sprinted outside, barefoot.
When she saw that the garbage pile was gone, she sank to the ground and burst into tears.
“The trash… it’s gone…”
“What were you looking for?” Tang Linglong asked, bewildered.
“A bracelet Jiang Tian gave me. Eight beads in total. I found seven… the last one had to be in that pile!”
Zhao Xueqing’s voice trembled, tears streaming down her face. “It was from him… and I lost it!”
“The garbage here is collected regularly. It’s probably already buried or incinerated,” Tang Wannian said grimly.
“Please… take me to the landfill!”
Zhao Xueqing dropped to her knees, pleading desperately. “I can’t lose that bead!”
“Ms. Zhao, please—get up!”
Tang Wannian panicked. This was Grandmaster Jiang’s wife! If word got out that she’d kneeled to him, he’d be a dead man.
He helped her up, puffing out his chest. “Leave it to me. I’ll find it for you!”
“Thank you!”
Zhao Xueqing showed him the bracelet. “It looks like this.”
Tang Wannian immediately called the sanitation department to track the garbage’s destination. He then snapped a photo and sent it to his subordinates with strict orders:
“Grandmaster Jiang’s property is missing. Drop everything and find it. Sift through the landfill if you have to!”
After hanging up, he reassured her, “Ms. Zhao, let’s go back inside. My men will handle this faster than we ever could.”
Back in the villa, Zhao Xueqing studied them carefully. Their expensive clothes and imported Mercedes marked them as anything but ordinary.
“And you are…?”
“Ah, I’m Tang Wannian, owner of the Crouching Dragon Resort. This is my niece, Tang Linglong.”
He handed her a business card with both hands, oozing deference.
“Wait—Tang Guozhu is your father?” Zhao Xueqing’s eyes widened.
“Indeed!”
Tang Wannian nodded. “We’re here to see Grandmaster Jiang.”
“He’s gone… not home…” Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Gone where?” Tang Linglong’s stomach dropped.
“I don’t know. I can’t find him…” Zhao Xueqing covered her face, shoulders shaking.
Tang Linglong nearly exploded. “You’re his wife! How do you not know where he is?”
But Tang Wannian silenced her with a warning glance.
An hour later, his phone rang. “Ms. Zhao! We found it! They’re bringing it now!”
“Really?! Oh, thank goodness!”
Zhao Xueqing’s entire being lit up, trembling with joy.
Soon, one of Tang Wannian’s men delivered the missing bead.
With painstaking care, Zhao Xueqing restrung the bracelet—all eight beads, finally reunited.
She then converted it into a necklace, pressing it to her chest as if to keep Jiang Tian close to her heart, and wept anew.
“Ms. Zhao, we’ll take our leave now. If Jiang Tian returns, please notify me!”
Tang Wannian bowed regretfully.
“Wait—why were you looking for him?”
Moved by their kindness, Zhao Xueqing softened.
“Ah… well…”
Tang Wannian scratched his head, embarrassed. “Grandmaster Jiang once warned me that my resort was haunted. At the time, I didn’t believe him—even mocked him. But now…”
His face paled. “The place is overrun with ghosts. People are dying. I need his help!”
“What? He… he can exorcise ghosts?”
Zhao Xueqing stared in disbelief. Since when did Jiang Tian possess such abilities? And since when did ghosts even exist?
“Absolutely. I saw him swallow a vengeful spirit with my own eyes,” Tang Linglong said gravely.
“But he’s gone…”
Zhao Xueqing clutched the necklace, her voice breaking.
“You can’t contact him?”
“He doesn’t have a phone…”
The realization that she might never see him again hit her like a tidal wave.
Just as Tang Wannian and Tang Linglong prepared to leave, the doorbell rang.
Zhao Xueqing opened it to reveal—
“Long Wu? What are you doing here?” Tang Wannian blurted.
“Third Master Tang? Miss Tang?”
The newcomers—Long Wu and Zhou Zhenghao—looked equally surprised.
Long Wu and Tang Wannian were old allies, their businesses deeply intertwined.
But Long Wu ignored Tang Wannian, instead bowing deeply to Zhao Xueqing.
“I’m Long Wu, chairman of Longwei Group. A humble follower of Grandmaster Jiang.”
He presented his card with both hands. “If you ever need anything in Linzhou, just say the word. I’m at your service!”
“You know where Grandmaster Jiang is?!”
Tang Wannian and Tang Linglong shouted in unison.
“Is he… okay?”
Zhao Xueqing’s tears fell freely, but a fragile smile bloomed on her lips. “He still remembers me… he still cares…”
“No need to worry,” Long Wu reassured her. “Grandmaster Jiang is currently meditating in the depths of Yunnan’s mountains.”
“As long as he’s safe… that’s all that matters…”
Zhao Xueqing crumpled onto the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably.
Tang Wannian yanked Long Wu aside, hissing, “You know Grandmaster Jiang? Why didn’t you tell me?! You’ve doomed me!”
“I only met him recently! What do you need him for?”
“Take me to him. Now!“
Tang Wannian was frantic. “My resort is a nightmare. Only he can fix this!”
…
Meanwhile, in White Ape Valley…
With the ape’s remains fully processed, Jiang Tian plunged into deep cultivation.
The valley, shaped by millennia of geological shifts, had birthed the Frost Crystal—a treasure brimming with glacial spiritual energy.
Though too faint for ordinary martial artists to harness, it was more than enough for Jiang Tian.
Under his orders, Li Zhenwei and his disciples scurried to deliver premium jade and rare herbs, transforming the ape’s cave into a proper cultivation site.
Jiang Tian arranged the jade into a miniature spirit-gathering array, refining the Frost Crystal’s energy into a form suitable for absorption.
Next, he spent days refining the Divine Soul Herb into a single, potent pellet—the Divine Soul Pill.
“At last… time to forge my divine sense!”
Seated cross-legged in the cave, Jiang Tian activated the Soul-Forging Art, swallowed the pill—
And his mind exploded.
Agony lanced through his skull. His vision twisted. The world dissolved into chaos.
