Returning after 10000 Years Cultivation - Chapter 75

At this moment, she regretted her actions so deeply it felt like her intestines were twisting in remorse. Who could have imagined Jiang Tian would be this formidable? He hardly seemed human.

“Young Master Rong, why waste words on her? Just kill her!”

Xue Feiyang was consumed by despair, his tiger-like eyes brimming with tears as he glared at Lu Biyao like a madman. He pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her, snarling, “She must have set us up on purpose! After offending Grandmaster Jiang, do we even stand a chance of surviving?”

Lu Biyao turned deathly pale, her soul nearly fleeing her body in terror. She dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “Young Masters Rong and Xue, I swear I didn’t mean to trap you! I had no idea—”

“Enough! Stop this nonsense and go apologize to Grandmaster Jiang immediately—and make sure your attitude is sincere! Otherwise, no one can save you!”

Just then, Liu Zikun and Xue Mingyi strode in, their voices sharp with reprimand. “Oh, and Lu Biyao—Grandmaster Jiang specifically asked for you too. You’re coming with us!”

“W-what? Grandmaster Jiang… wants to see me?” Lu Biyao’s vision swam with dizziness, her legs too weak to stand.

If Jiang Tian decided to kill her now, who in all of Jiangbei would dare stop him?

…

When Lu Biyao entered the private room, she saw Jiang Tian sitting calmly in the center of a large sofa, idly turning over a pitch-black stone in his hand. His expression was serene, showing no trace of the ruthless conqueror who had just slaughtered his way through enemies.

Meanwhile, the powerful figures of Jiangbei—men she had once viewed as untouchable elites—stood trembling before him like schoolchildren caught misbehaving in front of a strict teacher.

Xue Feiyang wasted no time. The moment he stepped inside, he dropped to his knees, his entire body shaking.

“Grandmaster Jiang, I was blind! I offended you without realizing who you were. Please, spare my life!”

“Grandmaster Jiang, I beg for your mercy! From this day forward, I’ll follow your every command—I’ll even be your loyal dog!”

Seeing Xue Feiyang kneel so swiftly, Liu Jinrong cursed inwardly at being outmaneuvered. He promptly followed suit, kowtowing so hard his forehead slammed against the floor with audible thuds—each one genuine.

“Y-yes! I’ll also be Grandmaster Jiang’s dog!” Liu Zikun blurted, tears flying as he scrambled to declare his loyalty.

“Insignificant ants like you aren’t even fit to be dogs,” Jiang Tian remarked with a faint shake of his head, his tone dripping with disdain.

In his ten thousand years of cultivation, even the mighty Crocodile Ancestor—a sovereign who once dominated the planet Mars—or the Mad Emperor who ruled over the Sacred Yuan Continent would barely qualify as Jiang Taichu’s subordinates. How could these ordinary mortals hope to catch his eye?

Liu Jinrong and Xue Feiyang stiffened, their faces draining of color as despair filled their eyes.

Lu Biyao’s heart pounded in shock, her pretty face paling. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

These two were prominent young masters in Donghai and Jiangzhou, yet they weren’t even worthy of being Jiang Tian’s dogs!

“Hmph. You two lusted after my beloved wife and even threatened to throw me off the cruise ship. But considering your ignorance, I’ll be merciful—just break both your legs as a warning.” Jiang Tian’s voice was eerily calm.

“Thank you for your mercy, Grandmaster Jiang!” Liu Zikun and Xue Mingyi immediately knelt, their gratitude overflowing.

“If not for Grandmaster Jiang’s boundless compassion, you’d already be dead!” Ghost-Kick scowled, stepping forward to deliver two swift kicks.

A chorus of agonized howls followed as Liu Jinrong and Xue Feiyang crumpled to the ground, their legs shattered, writhing in pain.

“Grandmaster Jiang, thank you for sparing us! We submit wholeheartedly and will serve you and your lady faithfully from now on!”

Even through their suffering, they continued to thank him profusely.

“Get out,” Jiang Tian waved dismissively, as if shooing away flies.

Once the two were carried out, Jiang Tian turned his gaze to Lu Biyao, who stood trembling, her face ghostly white.

“Biyao, if I ever hear you speak of today’s events in Linzhou, I’ll exterminate your entire family. Understood?” His voice was soft but carried the weight of death.

“U-understood! I’ll never breathe a word!” She shuddered, her voice quaking.

“Good. Now leave.” Jiang Tian flicked his wrist, not bothering to spare her another glance, despite her beauty.

With matters settled, Jiang Tian had no interest in socializing. Instead of attending the banquet, he took Zhao Xueqing’s hand and strolled around the cruise ship.

The ship soon began its return journey, docking the next day. At the port, Jiang Tian bid farewell to Ye Ziwei.

“Sister Wei, take these two billion back first—it should ease the immediate crisis. But don’t speak of what happened on the ship. Keep everything low-key.” Jiang Tian smiled.

“Of course.” Ye Ziwei nodded firmly.

She now understood that her younger cousin was no longer the good-for-nothing fool he’d once been. He was a martial arts grandmaster. If word got out, the shadowy forces behind the three great families of Jinling might act recklessly out of desperation.

Hesitating, she added hopefully, “Jiang Tian… when will you return to the Jiang family?”

“I will return—but the time isn’t right yet.” A faint killing intent flickered across his face.

“When I do, Jinling will be turned upside down. Mountains will crumble, and typhoons will sweep the land!”

“The Jiang family will reign supreme in Jinling, dominating all of China! The heavens and earth will bow to my will!”

Wolong Villa, Courtyard

Old Master Tang had been restless lately.

Tang Linglong seemed to have entered a deep meditative state. For five days, she sat cross-legged in the bamboo grove without eating, drinking, or even moving a muscle.

A normal person would collapse after three days without sustenance, let alone five. Yet Tang Linglong’s complexion remained rosy, her breathing steady and even. Based on Tang Guozhu’s experience, she was undoubtedly in a state of profound enlightenment.

Still, he felt both excitement and unease.

The cultivation method Jiang Tian had taught her was nothing like conventional martial arts.

Most warriors relied on rare herbs and medicines to strengthen their bodies and seek breakthroughs. Yet Tang Linglong was now sustaining herself on wind and dew, needing neither food nor water. It was nothing short of miraculous!

“Father, what’s happening to Linglong…?”

Behind Tang Guozhu stood a middle-aged man in a white dress shirt and black slacks, his square-jawed face etched with worry.

Tang Weimin, Secretary of the Linzhou Municipal Party Committee, had just returned from a Party school training session only to witness this bizarre scene.

“Linglong is comprehending the martial path, refining her spirit. She hasn’t eaten or drunk for five days,” Tang Guozhu said, awe coloring his voice.

“What? Could something go wrong?” Tang Weimin paled.

“Go wrong? Oh, something will go wrong, all right!”

The old man’s eyes blazed with fervor as he declared, “The Tang family is about to produce a true martial arts master—perhaps even a Grandmaster! We’ll soar to unimaginable heights!”

With the Tang family’s existing influence and a Grandmaster in their ranks, they would rise to become one of China’s top-tier families, standing unshaken for centuries.

“What kind of martial art is she practicing?” Tang Weimin couldn’t believe it.

His father had once told him that the Tang family’s techniques could only take one to the peak of Iron Body, with no hope of further progress. That was why Tang Guozhu had steered him toward politics instead of martial arts.

“It was taught by a supreme martial expert—Grandmaster Jiang! Your third brother has gone to invite him. You’ll meet him soon,” Tang Guozhu said, his voice tinged with reverence.

Just then, Tang Wannian burst into the courtyard like a firecracker, his face alight with joy. “Father! Wonderful news—absolutely wonderful!”

“Third Brother, you’re over forty. Must you still act like a reckless child?”

Tang Weimin frowned in disapproval. He’d always looked down on his younger brother, whose debauchery and scheming had brought shame to the Tang family.

“Dad! Second Brother! Grandmaster Jiang won!”

Tang Wannian was practically bouncing with excitement. “He summoned a millstone-sized fist with a wave of his hand! That fist flew a hundred meters, shattered the entire spectator stand, and crushed Xing Shanhu to death—even though the man had already run two hundred meters away! Oh, and he also punched a helicopter, sending it skidding several meters!”

“Xing Shanhu? Who’s that?” Tang Guozhu’s eyes widened in shock.

“They say he was a top disciple of Lin Zhenyu, the leader of the Great Circle Gang overseas!”

Tang Wannian was practically foaming at the mouth with excitement. “That guy was terrifying! He jumped from a helicopter a hundred meters in the air and landed right on the cruise ship—good heavens, he nearly smashed the deck apart! I almost pissed myself!”

“Lin Zhenyu’s disciple?!”

Old Master Tang’s face went slack with disbelief. “Grandmaster Jiang actually defeated him? That means… he must have stepped into the realm of a Grandmaster!”

“Third Brother, what nonsense are you spouting? There’s no such martial art in this world!” Tang Weimin scoffed.

He’d never had any respect for his useless younger brother. Now, after a trip to a gambling ship, the man was babbling about people jumping from helicopters and summoning giant fists.

Was this the ranting of a sane person? Had he been drugged?

“Grandmaster Jiang is here!”

Suddenly, Tang Wannian gasped, quickly supporting the old man as they hurried toward a young man passing through the moon gate.

“This is the so-called ‘Grandmaster Jiang’?” Tang Weimin’s heart sank at the sight.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed plainly, stood with a delicate girl by his side. He entered the courtyard without so much as a greeting to the hosts, instead whispering playfully to the girl. Was this really a martial arts grandmaster?

A true master should be like the Elder Huang he’d brought—white-haired, dignified, exuding an aura of solemnity, capable of kicking down tigers and smashing boulders with his fists.

“This ‘Grandmaster Jiang’—I don’t accept him!”

Tang Weimin pointed at Jiang Tian, then turned to bow respectfully to Elder Huang. “Master Huang, what do you think is happening to my daughter?”

The elderly master, dressed in a traditional mandarin jacket, glanced at Jiang Tian with disdain. “This ‘cultivation method’ he taught Miss Tang is pure nonsense! Martial artists strengthen their bodies through herbs and medicine. What kind of fool sits around ‘absorbing spiritual energy’? That’s the realm of sorcery!”

He sneered. “Sorcery is a petty trick! Bean-sprouting soldiers, summoning wind and rain—all just myths. At best, it’s performing rituals to appease ghosts. Do you want your daughter to become a shamaness?”

His eloquent dismissal painted Jiang Tian’s Haoran Body-Tempering Art as worthless. Though his terms were esoteric, Tang Weimin nodded along, utterly convinced.

“Weimin! Grandmaster Jiang is an honored guest of the Tang family! Show some respect!”

Seeing his son’s coldness, Old Master Tang grew frantic.

“This ‘Grandmaster Jiang’ is a fraud. Get him out of here!” Tang Weimin waved a dismissive hand, not even sparing Jiang Tian a glance.

Tang Wannian blinked in bewilderment.

So Second Brother is just as clueless as I used to be, huh? Can’t recognize a true master when he sees one. Maybe I could be a Party Secretary too!