Returning after 10000 Years Cultivation - Chapter 128

Exiting the hospital room, Tang Shaoze’s face was a mask of cold laughter.

“Jiang Tian, oh Jiang Tian, this time I won’t even need to lift a finger. All these powerful families in Yangcheng will tear you to pieces!”

He turned to his attendant and asked, “By the way, where is Yunpeng? How is he doing?”

“He was transferred to the military general hospital. He keeps muttering something about the ‘Tang family’s chief guest official,’ a ‘grandmaster of martial arts,’ and other such mystical nonsense! He said he needed to return to the Tiger Base first!” the attendant reported, utterly baffled.

“Oh, let him be. Maybe he has some urgent mission…” Tang Shaoze didn’t pay it much mind. His focus was primarily on the official channels and the Wei family. Using them to deal with Jiang Tian would be more than enough.

Meanwhile, Jiang Tian, who was at the eye of the storm, was calmer than anyone else. He spent his time playing his zither for his beloved wife, reading scriptures, savoring fine tea, enjoying the scent of sandalwood alongside the fragrance of green plums—a picture of perfect contentment and leisurely ease.

“Husband, why can you play such beautiful music on this White Ape Bone Zither, but I can’t?” Zhao Xueqing asked, stroving the tough strings of the zither on the table by the hotel window, her fingers aching painfully without producing even the slightest sound.

Yet she had seen Jiang Tian play this bone zither herself. The music was enchanting and melodious, sometimes like a babbling clear spring flowing over rocks in a pine forest, other times like clashing armor and warhorses, filled with a chilling solemnity. She had even seen Jiang Tian press the strings and release bursts of energy blades that shattered massive stones to dust.

“Qing’er, you’ll only be able to play this zither after you begin cultivating,” Jiang Tian said, setting down a copy of the Huangting Scripture. He looked at her with deep affection and offered a faint smile.

“Cultivation… it seems so tedious. I’ve seen you sit cross-legged for days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, neither sleeping nor resting!” Zhao Xueqing frowned slightly and shook her head, coquettishly complaining, “I think I’m better suited to being a small businesswoman!”

“Alright then!” Jiang Tian chuckled softly, picking up his scripture and taking a sip of tea. “I just want you to follow your heart, carefree and without worries, forever simple and pure like a sixteen-year-old girl!”

Whether Qing’er cultivated or not, Jiang Tian was indifferent. Cultivation had its benefits and its drawbacks.

The benefit was naturally that she could become powerful, even achieve immortality, becoming a deity. The drawback was that once she set foot on the path of cultivation, it was a path of thorns, stained with blood, inevitably involving struggle and conflict.

Having returned from ten thousand years of cultivation, Jiang Tian’s state of mind was far beyond ordinary people. In his view, a happy and stable life, free from turmoil and hardship, even if brief, held more meaning than eternal life.

…

The day passed quickly.

Late the next night, around 1 a.m., Tang Shaoze arrived at a luxurious estate atop Tingchao Mountain.

This estate, situated at the mountain’s peak, faced Hong Kong across the sea, overlooking Victoria Harbour—a location with exceptional feng shui.

The inner banquet of the Feast of Bliss was being held here, low-key and discreet.

Entering the opulently decorated hall, Tang Shaoze saw that Tie Minghuang, Bai Choufei, and other top-tier young masters of Yangcheng had all gathered. The cream of the younger generation’s talent was well-represented; the room was filled with distinguished guests.

Not just them—even the family heads of the Tie and Bai families, powerful figures of the older generation, were notably present.

These major families and tycoons all had assets in the tens of billions. Additionally, there were many high-ranking government officials, even a Vice-Chairman of the CPPCC.

Furthermore, there were many renowned figures from the Southern Sect of mystical arts: Master Hongye, Xu Wenjie, Tao Fangshi, and so on.

These individuals excelled in various areas—some in finding dragon veins and locating acupoints, some in physiognomy and reading auras, some in feng shui and geomancy, some skilled in Plum Blossom Numerology… each had their achievements, possessing unfathomable, almost supernatural abilities. They were honored guests of the rich and powerful, holding esteemed positions.

But they had all received guidance from Wei Shuofeng and held the Venerable Wei in great respect and gratitude. Today, they had come to the banquet to collectively wish the Venerable Wei Immortal abundant blessings and longevity.

On a raised platform against the north wall sat an elderly man dressed in a traditional white long gown, radiating an immortal aura. He appeared to be around seventy, but his face was ruddy, his hair white like crane’s feathers, his complexion youthful, and his spirit vigorous.

He exuded a faint yet palpable pressure that could even suppress a martial arts grandmaster like Mo Haoxiong.

Behind him was a pile of congratulatory gifts: precious antiques, jewelry, jade artifacts, villa keys, bank cards, and checks. Combined, their value was likely in the hundreds of millions.

In a place like this, Tang Shaoze’s seniority and status were relatively inconspicuous. After bowing respectfully to the Venerable Wei Immortal, he quietly took a seat next to Tie Minghuang.

“Minghuang, what is the Venerable Wei Immortal discussing?” Tang Shaoze asked in a low voice.

“The Jiangbei alliance,” Tie Minghuang replied, a trace of gravity flashing across his face. “A certain ‘Master Jiang’ has appeared, uniting all the heroes there into a single force. They’re discussing this matter now!”

At that moment, the head of the Bai family was speaking:
“According to the confidential report I received, this Master Jiang from Jiangbei killed the great circle tycoon Xing Shanhu on Ye Gufeng’s gambling ship, saving Jiangbei from a crisis. That’s how he gained everyone’s support!”

The head of the Tie family looked solemn, his eyes flickering. He said heavily, “This alliance is no small matter. Even the Tang family, which has always stayed out of Jianghu affairs, has joined! They honor Master Jiang as a esteemed guest!”

“Even the Tang family has been won over by him? What kind of ability does he possess?” Hearing this, even Tang Shaoze was slightly moved.

Then, Mo Haoxiong dropped a bombshell. He sighed, “I heard this Master Jiang even killed Hong Tianzhao, the great tycoon of Hubei Province! His cultivation level is probably already at the peak of the Transformation Stage!”

“Jiangbei actually produced a Martial Arts Grandmaster!”
“Hong Tianzhao was ranked among the top twenty grandmasters in the world. If this Master Jiang is so powerful, it’s truly troublesome!”
“A Martial Arts Grandmaster is a dragon among men. If he pushes south into Jiangnan, who can stop him?”

Upon hearing this, everyone paled, their expressions filled with dread.

Something they didn’t say aloud was that Hong Tianzhao’s strength had surpassed even Mo Haoxiong’s. If this Master Jiang pushed south, even Mo Haoxiong might not be able to stop him.

Many of the tycoons anxiously urged, “Venerable Wei Immortal, if Jiangbei unites, their next step will likely be to move against our Jiangnan territory! You must come up with a plan!”

Over the years, there had been many clashes between the north and south sides of the Pearl River, their relationship adversarial. Even Tang Shaoze had engaged in fierce business wars with Ye Gufeng.

Relying on Wei Shuofeng as their backer, everyone present had extended their commercial reach into Jiangbei over the years, achieving significant gains but also creating grudges with the forces there.

If they allowed Jiangbei to grow stronger unchecked, the northern forces would likely march south, swallowing Jiangnan’s territory and launching a bloody retaliation against everyone present.

“Is this Master Jiang really that fearsome?” Tang Shaoze’s face turned pale, his heart filled with unease.

This was the power of a Martial Arts Grandmaster!

For decades, when had the heroes of Jiangnan ever feared the three cities of Jiangbei? They had always viewed them as country bumpkins, like straw dogs.

But just because Jiangbei had produced one Master Jiang, the situation reversed instantly, leaving everyone anxious and uneasy.

Tie Minghuang broke out in a cold sweat too. He whispered, “Shaoze, according to my father, the reason for convening this Feast of Bliss is to discuss how to respond to the rise of Master Jiang and the formation of the Jiangbei Alliance…”

While everyone was in a panic, only Wei Shuofeng remained perfectly calm, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Below Wei Shuofeng, a young man with delicate features stood up. He swept his gaze over the crowd and said calmly, “Everyone, there’s no need for alarm. In fact, my grandfather learned of Jiangbei’s movements well before any of you.”

A cold light flashed in his eyes as he stated indifferently, “Moreover, he has already taken action!”

“Young Master Wei, what did you say? The Wei family has already made a move?” The crowd was overjoyed, exchanging glances of disbelief.

This person was Wei Peng, Wei Shuofeng’s grandson. His talent was astonishing, verging on monstrous. He had already reached the minor achievement stage in the Mysterious Realm, excelling in mystical arts, physiognomy, feng shui geomancy, and the study of celestial phenomena. In Jiangnan, he was known as the “Little True Master.”

The Ji brothers, Zhuo Fan and the other, were his junior disciples; their mastery of mystical arts paled in comparison to his.

He ranked first among the Four Young Masters of Yangcheng, outshining Tang Shaoze, Bai Choufei, and Tie Minghuang.

“My grandfather’s foresight is divine. By observing the celestial phenomena at night, he long ago detected an anomaly between heaven and earth—a dragon has emerged in Jiangbei!” Wei Peng’s expression was ice-cold. He snorted, “Under these circumstances, of course we must eliminate this dragon while it is still young, nipping it in the bud!”

“That’s absolutely right! This is exactly what the Venerable Immortal should do! Strike first, as they say!” Various family heads and tycoons exclaimed in praise.

“The Feast of Bliss was convened, and our Wei family invited this Master Jiang to attend,” Wei Peng said, smiling like a young Zhuge Liang confident of victory.

“And just tonight, twenty-eight disciples of the Wei family, all at the Entry or Mysterious Realm levels, set out together. They crossed the Pearl River, their swords pointed at Jiangbei. Their targets are Ye Gufeng, Xue Mingyi, Zheng Guangsha, Long Wu, Zhou Zhenghao, Liu Zikun, and Zhao Hucheng!”

“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” The crowd burst into applause and cheers, celebrating in advance.

The head of the Bai family, a shrewd strategist, commented, “No matter how great this Master Jiang’s abilities are, he surely can’t be in multiple places at once! With so many simultaneous strikes, divided forces attacking different routes, he’ll be stretched thin. The Wei family is bound to round up all the Jiangbei heroes in one fell swoop!”

“Patriarch Bai, you are mistaken,” Wei Peng said with a cold laugh. “That Master Jiang from Jiangbei actually came. He’s in Yangcheng right now. It’s not that he can’t be in multiple places at once; it’s that he’s simply too far away to be of any help!”

“He actually dared to come? Isn’t he afraid the Venerable Wei Immortal will crush him with a finger?”
“Indeed, his meager skills are like trash compared to our Venerable Wei Immortal!” The crowd erupted in scorn.

“Haha, the fact that he came is even better!” someone shouted, slapping his thigh in wild laughter. “What ‘Jiangbei heroes’? Without that Master Jiang protecting them, they’re just ants! More like ‘Jiangbei pieces of trash’!”

“Venerable Wei Immortal, you are wise! So wise!”
“After this operation, Jiangbei will be ours for the taking!”
“This time, the Venerable Wei Immortal will finally unify Lingnan, achieving a great undertaking that will last for ages!”

Everyone bowed and cupped their hands towards Wei Shuofeng, a tide of flattery washing over him, paying him the highest respects.

Wei Shuofeng sat on the high platform, motionless as a piece of wood, his eyes deep and unreadable, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

However, everyone was used to this and continued their flattery regardless. Wei Shuofeng had the demeanor of an transcendent; he was always eccentric, reclusive, and taciturn. Previously, even bestowing treasures during the feast had been handled by his grandson, Wei Peng.

Wei Peng took out an antique pocket watch, glanced at it, and said lazily, “Judging by the time, they should have reached Jiangbei and begun their operation! Let’s all await the good news!”

“If we take Jiangbei, I want to acquire Ye Gufeng’s shipping group…”
“Patriarch Tang, how about we join forces to take down that fellow Zheng Guangsha’s real estate company?”
…

Feeling assured of victory, everyone relaxed, becoming smug and complacent. They whispered amongst themselves, already discussing how to carve up Jiangbei’s territory.