Returning after 10000 Years Cultivation - Chapter 69

Surrounding them stood over a dozen burly men in black, their demeanor stern and imposing—far beyond the likes of Tang Wannian or Zhou Zhenghao’s underlings.

Beside them stood an elderly man in his fifties, hands folded respectfully.

“Uncle Ye, what brings you to seek me out?” Jiang Tian stood in the hall, neither submissive nor arrogant.

Ye Gufeng’s face was cold, his gaze sharp, devoid of the refined gentility he displayed in public.

“Jiang Tian, what do you think of this sea?” Ye Gufeng asked indifferently.

Jiang Tian gazed at the boundless ocean under the moonlight and replied solemnly:

“Vast and profound. Most people would feel insignificant before such immensity.”

“Indeed. If one has only seen Linzhou’s Xiuhu Lake and never this ocean, they might mistake that pond for a great lake.”

Ye Gufeng’s tone carried a deeper meaning. “A person’s vision and experience are paramount.”

Then, he suddenly turned, locking eyes with Jiang Tian. “Just like you, Jiang Tian. In Linzhou or Jinling, you might be someone. But in the broader scope of Lingnan or all of China? You’re nothing more than a speck of dust—utterly insignificant!”

Jiang Tian smiled faintly. “Uncle Ye, what exactly are you implying?”

“My meaning is clear. Ziwei’s affection for you is merely a fleeting infatuation—born from limited exposure.”

Ye Gufeng’s voice turned icy. “I want you to stop playing these ambiguous games with her. Make her give up!”

Jiang Tian shook his head.

“Let me remind you, Uncle Ye—Ziwei’s life is hers to control. You have no right to interfere.”

“Insolence!”

Ye Gufeng’s expression darkened. “How dare you speak to me like this? Even your father, Jiang Zhixing, and your mother, Zhang Wanqing, wouldn’t dare be so disrespectful! Who do you think you are?”

“Uncle Ye, I address you with respect only because you’re an elder. I suggest you maintain some dignity.”

Jiang Tian’s eyes gleamed with pride.

In his past life, he had swept across the cosmos, slaying demons and subduing divine princes. A mere Ye Gufeng might intimidate ordinary men, but to Jiang Tian? He was nothing.

“Jiang Tian, even as a disowned son of the Jiang family, you still come from a wealthy clan. The Jiangs’ assets amount to billions.”

“And your parents once took Ziwei in. By all rights, if she wished to repay their kindness by marrying you, it would be understandable.”

Ye Gufeng smirked disdainfully. “But from tonight onward, things are different. Ye Ziwei is my daughter!”

“My daughter will never marry an incompetent good-for-nothing. You are unworthy of her!”

“Besides, you’re already engaged. How could the princess of the Ye family, the jewel of my palm, ever become your concubine?”

“Then how might I become worthy of Sister Ziwei?” Jiang Tian asked softly, his gaze distant.

“In terms of lineage? Even as a disowned son or a mere branch relative, you’d never qualify. Only the primary heir—the one destined to lead the family—would stand a chance.”

Ye Gufeng declared arrogantly:

“And a family like the Jiangs is far too weak. To be worthy, your family must have at least one or two high-ranking officials in critical positions!”

“As for capability? In business, you’d need to helm a billion-yuan enterprise before thirty. In politics or the military? You’d need to reach deputy-director rank or become a senior colonel within years.”

“But you? I see no hope in you whatsoever.” Ye Gufeng shook his head in contempt.

“You drank yourself into brain damage—your mind isn’t right. You’re violent, deranged. You once beat Director Li and Liu Wangfeng half to death. Such brutishness has no place in society. What achievements could you possibly make?”

His eyes bore into Jiang Tian as if he had already seen through him completely.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Tian suddenly chuckled.

“Uncle Ye, perhaps I’ve been presumptuous. I’ve only ever seen Ziwei as an elder sister—nothing more.”

“But you’re right about one thing—I am brutal. I disregard rules. Because I have the power to crush anything in my path!”

“With what?”

Ye Gufeng looked at him as if he were a fool. “You’re a disowned son with no backing from the Jiangs. Even if they supported you, the Jiang family is already on its last legs. What waves could you possibly make?”

“I don’t rely on the Jiang family. I rely on myself.” Jiang Tian smiled faintly.

“Yourself?”

Ye Gufeng studied him, then sighed after a pause.

“I was once like you—full of ambition, believing I could conquer the world with my own hands. But I learned too late that this world has unbreakable barriers. If you charge recklessly, you’ll only break your own head.”

“Back then, I was just a minor civil servant. Now? My father-in-law is a retired high-ranking official. Even mayors and party secretaries treat me with deference.”

“My Haihang Group controls assets worth tens of billions, along with shipping routes spanning hundreds of miles of the Yangtze and international waters.”

He pointed proudly to the elderly man beside him. “This is Elder Qiu—a martial arts master at the peak of internal energy. These are realms you can’t even fathom, boy.”

Seeing Jiang Tian remain unmoved, Ye Gufeng grew irritated.

He had stacked all his chips, yet this fool still refused to yield.

“Right now, the Pharma King Group is struggling. If you persuade Ziwei to leave the Jiangs and cut ties with you, I’ll lend you one or two billion interest-free to tide you over.”

“Hah. A mere two billion? I could obtain that with a snap of my fingers.”

Jiang Tian snorted dismissively.

“And all those things you take pride in? To me, they’re nothing more than obstacles I can shatter with a single punch!”

“Madman! Jiang Tian, you truly are insane!”

Ye Gufeng finally lost all patience. With a flick of his sleeve, he spat:

“Since you refuse to see reason, I won’t waste my breath. That two billion? Forget it. Get out!”

He waved a hand and signaled to Elder Qiu. “Escort him out.”

“Young man, you’ve thrown away twenty years of advancement.”

Elder Qiu sighed as he led Jiang Tian up the spiral staircase. “Had you agreed, Master Ye would’ve mentored you, helped you take control of the Jiang family!”

“If I’d had such an opportunity in my youth, I could’ve become a titan—not some bodyguard.”

“What you see as an opportunity, I see as worthless.” Jiang Tian’s eyes brimmed with arrogance.

“Arrogant fool!” Elder Qiu’s face paled with anger as he stormed off.

As Jiang Tian descended, he gazed at the churning dark waves below, murmuring to himself:

“To you, the Pacific is vast. But you’ve never seen the cosmos I’ve traversed. In my eyes, this blue planet is but a speck of dust.”

“If I cultivate for twenty more years, I could send gods to their graves. At my peak, one sword thrust could pierce the sun, one fist could shatter a planet. And you? You’re merely mortals—what significance do you hold?”

…

When Jiang Tian returned to the deck, the fighting ring had descended into chaos.

Zhao Xueqing, Ye Ziwei, and Zheng Li were cheering wildly from the sidelines.

“So? Any wins?” Jiang Tian approached with an amused smile.

“Husband! We’ve lost tens of thousands already without you!” Xueqing pouted, pulling him down beside her before sighing. “But it’s so exciting! These are all provincial martial arts champions and national runners-up!”

Heh…

What champions? Just mundane martial artists, Jiang Tian thought. Still, he was glad Xueqing could appreciate combat—it’d help her understand the martial world’s logic later.

“Darling, new fighters are entering. Who’ll win?” Xueqing tugged his sleeve eagerly.

With one spiritual sweep, Jiang Tian assessed both combatants. “Bet everything on Fighter Ten.”

“Done! But if you’re wrong—spankings!” She jumped up to place their wager.

“Jiang Tian… he didn’t give you trouble, did he?” Ziwei asked softly when Xueqing was gone, her eyes brimming with concern.

“No, he was perfectly civil.” No need to share the unpleasant details. Yet her protective gaze warmed his heart.

“Oh… good.”

Suddenly self-conscious—Does he know how I feel?—Ziwei turned abruptly toward the ring.

Watching her graceful silhouette, Jiang Tian’s mind flooded with memories:

—Ziwei holding an umbrella over him during rainstorms, arriving home soaked while he stayed dry.

—Their tearful embrace at the train station when she left for Beijing, her missing her train because she kept fussing over him.

—Her spending her first paycheck on the MacBook he’d coveted, while (as his mother later revealed) she survived on steamed buns and pickles for weeks.

In his past life, Ziwei had remained unmarried until the car accident, becoming a “spinster” in her thirties. Back then, he’d never understood why this unrelated sister rejected every suitor…

Now I know. It was always me.

“Matters of the heart defy logic. But since fate brought me back, I’ll ensure your happiness.”

“My foolish elder sister… You loved me selflessly in our past life. In this one, I’ll repay that love a hundredfold.” His eyes grew profound as he sighed inwardly.