Lin Wenqin eventually left. They had nearly finished an entire pot of tea, yet he still hadn’t received the satisfactory answer he sought from Jiang Fei.
The very fact that he asked whether Jiang Fei would marry his daughter, rather than asking when Jiang Fei would marry Lin Moli, suggested that deep down, he already had a sense of how this matter would ultimately unfold.
Still, there are some things you have to voice aloud, even when you already know the answer in your heart. You need that final confirmation.
At least by asking, it served a small purpose: it let Jiang Fei know that his daughter had family, people who cared about her. And if Jiang Fei ever treated Lin Moli poorly in the future, perhaps he’d feel a twinge of guilt?
Lin Wenqin was no ordinary citizen. In his position, within his social circles, he had witnessed far too many things that would seem unimaginable to the average person, yet to him, they were hardly surprising.
So once he understood Jiang Fei’s true identity, Lin Wenqin had mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Jiang Fei might not be exclusively devoted to his daughter. In this day and age, how many men with even a modicum of power or influence truly remained faithful or refrained from keeping mistresses on the side?
Lin Wenqin didn’t voice these thoughts aloud, of course. Before leaving, he simply said to Jiang Fei, “I don’t care what choices you make down the road, but I hope my daughter ultimately finds happiness and doesn’t suffer any grievances. If she’d chosen an ordinary man and he wronged her, as her father, I would certainly stand up for her. But with you, I’m afraid I’m powerless to do much. That said, I’ve heard you’ve treated my daughter very well—giving her a full forty percent stake in the rapidly rising Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company. So from that perspective, I can actually entrust her to you with a fair amount of peace of mind. I just hope you’ll hold onto that original intention, staying consistent from beginning to end. Don’t let things end up like it did with Moli’s mother and me—starting with happiness, only to drift so far apart we become strangers…”
Watching Lin Wenqin’s refined figure retreat, tinged with a sudden hint of loneliness, Jiang Fei couldn’t help but feel a wave of introspection.
Lin Wenqin’s subdued mood and low spirits at the end stemmed not only from the realization that Jiang Fei might not be the ideal suitor others believed him to be for his daughter. This middle-aged man, who outwardly appeared to be riding high and living the life of a winner, probably wasn’t as content as he seemed to outsiders.
At the very least, regarding his relationship with Cui Ruzhu, even though both had now seen things clearly and no longer tried to control one another, a shadow undoubtedly remained in their hearts. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. If given the chance, he likely wouldn’t have chosen for things with his first wife to reach this point.
If he could choose again, if there were any sliver of hope for reconciliation, he might have tried to salvage it. Unfortunately, things had progressed too far; there was no turning back now.
Jiang Fei murmured to himself silently, “I may not have many virtues, but ‘finding joy in the new without tiring of the old’ is definitely one of them. So it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever treat Moli poorly or end up like you and her mother.”
After finishing the last cup of tea, Jiang Fei paid the bill and left the tea house, heading back to the Cui family estate. This trip to West Capital was essentially over. Everything that needed doing was done; it was time to return to Jincheng.
Lin Moli was also more than ready—or perhaps even unable—to stay in West Capital any longer. Aside from her grandfather and the housekeeper, Wu Ma, she wasn’t particularly fond of anyone in the Cui household. The Cui family held little appeal or nostalgia for her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fled West Capital so decisively for Jincheng in the first place.
More importantly, Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company—a commercial juggernaut just beginning its voyage—had accumulated a backlog of matters that urgently required her attention as CEO. Her schedule was usually packed solid. Taking several days off without any preparation or advance planning meant she was long overdue to get back to the helm.
The person seeing Jiang Fei and Lin Moli off at the airport wasn’t the Cui family’s regular chauffeur, but Lin Moli’s mother herself.
Before they passed through security and entered the departure lounge, Cui Ruzhu pulled Lin Moli aside for a private conversation. Jiang Fei wasn’t privy to what was said, but when Lin Moli returned, her eyes weren’t red, though Jiang Fei could tell she had been crying.
Jiang Fei wasn’t upset by this; on the contrary, he felt happy for Lin Moli. It seemed there were signs of reconciliation between mother and daughter.
Back in Jincheng, Lin Moli didn’t even take a moment to rest. As soon as she stepped off the plane, her assistant whisked her away for an important meeting that couldn’t wait.
Jiang Fei didn’t accompany her. He had his own pressing matter to attend to: treating Liu Yunduo’s crippled right hand.
He had finally maxed out his medical skills to the Grandmaster level. The trip to West Capital and his future grandfather-in-law’s illness had caused a delay, but now it was time to fulfill his promise to this modern-day swordswoman and heal her arm.
Thus, before returning to Jincheng, Jiang Fei had called Liu Yunduo with the news.
Upon hearing it, Liu Yunduo was overjoyed. Without a moment’s hesitation, she immediately set off for Jincheng.
“Hero Jiang, long time no see!”
Just as Lin Moli’s car pulled away from the airport, a white BMW 6 Series stopped not far from Jiang Fei. A young man with a devil-may-care attitude and an unmistakable air of a spoiled rich kid stepped out from the driver’s seat, greeting Jiang Fei with a cheeky grin.
This was none other than Su Mengnan, nicknamed “Macho Man”—the same guy who had clashed with Jiang Fei over a parking spot at the capital’s airport, resulting in his car getting smashed and himself getting a thorough thrashing.
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Fei asked the young wastrel, unamused. “Where’s Yunduo?”
“Oh, you mean our Queen and Alliance Leader? She’s probably on the plane from Mount Lu to Jincheng right now. Her flight lands about half an hour after yours, but it’s on time, so she should be here soon.” Su Mengnan rubbed his hands together, grinning at Jiang Fei.
Despite the grin and the casual talk, the fiery admiration and reverence in Su Mengnan’s eyes for Jiang Fei were completely undisguised.
Ever since Jiang Fei had avenged Liu Yunduo by dueling and slaying Miyamoto Ichi right before his eyes, Su Mengnan had been utterly awestruck. He worshipped Jiang Fei to the point of idolatry.
If it weren’t for the fact that he knew Jiang Fei would never take him as a disciple and that Jiang Fei’s temperament wasn’t exactly mild, he’d probably have already pestered Jiang Fei relentlessly, begging to become his apprentice.
“You still call Liu Yunduo ‘Alliance Leader’? Is she still the head of your Kendo Alliance?” Jiang Fei asked, a bit surprised. He’d been preoccupied with his impending duel against Yagyu Munenori, Japan’s foremost swordsman, and hadn’t kept up with Liu Yunduo’s recent affairs.
Su Mengnan replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course! Who else but our Queen could be the Alliance Leader?”
“Why? Doesn’t your Kendo Alliance operate on a ‘survival of the fittest’ principle, where only the strongest swordsman can lead? After Miyamoto Ichi crippled Liu Yunduo’s right hand, keeping her in that position wouldn’t be doing her any favors—it would probably just make her uncomfortable,” Jiang Fei said with a frown.
For Liu Yunduo, the title of Kendo Alliance Leader wasn’t something she cherished or particularly wanted. She could take it or leave it.
But having her martial skills effectively destroyed, unable to even hold a sword steady, and then continuing to serve as Alliance Leader—that would be nothing short of ironic mockery.
Su Mengnan chuckled, his expression showing no discomfort but rather genuine happiness. “Ah, Hero Jiang, you’re a bit behind the times. After that scumbag Miyamoto Ichi severed her tendons and she couldn’t wield a sword anymore, Queen Yunduo did indeed step down from the leadership position voluntarily. We all understood how she felt and knew her pain. Forcing her to stay on would have only rubbed salt in the wound. So we just quietly left the position vacant, hoping that one day she might pick up the sword again. But what we didn’t expect was that our wish came true much sooner than we thought!”
Jiang Fei blinked, surprised. “You mean Liu Yunduo has already reclaimed the position of Alliance Leader?”
Su Mengnan nodded affirmatively, a mysterious smile plastered on his face.
Hearing this confirmation, Jiang Fei couldn’t stay calm. “So, her right hand has healed? She’s regained her strength?”
It wasn’t that Jiang Fei was unhappy to hear Liu Yunduo had recovered. He would be thrilled for her; otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed her to come to Jincheng.
The issue was that Jiang Fei knew exactly how severe the damage to her right hand was—he had examined it personally.
Miyamoto Ichi had struck with vicious intent, aiming to leave Lin Moli permanently disabled. He had damaged her in a way he believed was beyond repair.
And indeed, it was. Back when Jiang Fei’s medical skill was only Level 8, his diagnosis concluded that even he was powerless. Not even the many miraculous pills from the system store could fully restore her. Even if the legendary physician Hua Tuo himself were resurrected, it would be a near-impossible task.
Thus, without Jiang Fei personally intervening with his now-maxed-out Grandmaster medical skills, no one in this world should have been able to heal that injury. Not even his so-called master, Xuanjizi, who had reached the Innate Energy realm, could have done it.
So how had Liu Yunduo recovered? Could there be another mysterious master out there with medical skills rivaling his own current Grandmaster level?
If so, that would truly be mind-boggling to Jiang Fei.
Fortunately, after nodding, Su Mengnan then shook his head, grinning foolishly at Jiang Fei.
“Stop grinning like an idiot and tell me what’s really going on!” Jiang Fei snapped impatiently.
Su Mengnan didn’t dare joke around anymore and quickly explained. “Our Queen has recovered a significant portion of her strength. She might not be at one hundred percent of her peak form, but she’s at least at seventy or eighty percent. That’s why it’s only natural she retook the position of Alliance Leader…”
Jiang Fei nodded. He knew Liu Yunduo’s capabilities well. Even at her peak, she was slightly weaker than Miyamoto Ichi, but the gap wasn’t vast. With seventy to eighty percent of her former strength, she was still a formidable expert. Within the Kendo Alliance, no one else would be a match for her.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean her injury is healed,” Su Mengnan continued. “Her right hand is still damaged; she can’t execute sword techniques with it. But recently, Queen Yunduo had a stroke of incredible luck—a fortuitous encounter! She met a legendary, reclusive master who taught her an amazing left-handed sword technique! This technique has allowed her strength to skyrocket in just a few short months, bringing her close to her former peak combat level.” Su Mengnan spoke with deep admiration.
“A fortuitous encounter? Left-handed sword technique?” Jiang Fei’s eyes widened. It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel.
People actually had such encounters in real life? It was straight out of the story of Yang Guo!
And mastering this left-handed technique in just a few months to recover seventy to eighty percent of her power—that was incredibly uncanny. Learning to wield a sword with the non-dominant hand is extremely difficult. Even with Liu Yunduo’s strong foundation, such rapid progress seemed impossible.
If this was true and Su Mengnan wasn’t lying, then Liu Yunduo’s experience truly qualified as a miraculous encounter with an extraordinarily capable hermit master.
“Yeah! That master was incredible. I was completely in awe. I wanted to become his disciple too, but he wouldn’t even look at me. He only had eyes for Queen Yunduo.” Su Mengnan’s voice carried a hint of lingering resentment and regret.
Jiang Fei furrowed his brow, his mind racing as he processed this information. He had a nagging feeling he was overlooking something.
“Hey, Hero Jiang, let’s not just stand here. Let’s get in the car or find a place to sit nearby. Queen Yunduo won’t be off the plane for a little while yet…” Su Mengnan quickly adjusted his mood, looking at Jiang Fei with eager anticipation.
The mysterious master who taught Liu Yunduo was elusive and paid him no attention, so discipleship was out of the question. But Jiang Fei was right here in front of him! If he could curry some favor and learn even a single move or half a technique, it would benefit him immensely.
But just then, Jiang Fei’s eyes suddenly lit up. He fixed his gaze on Su Mengnan and asked, “A reclusive master? Mount Lu… Did you say Liu Yunduo is flying in from Mount Lu to Jincheng?”
