“Yuer, look quickly, this article was just released by the Jiangbei City Public Security Bureau.”
Wang Xia rushed into Tang Shiyu’s office holding her phone.
Tang Shiyu was sitting at her desk in a daze, lost in thought about something. Her phone was still in her hand.
Wang Xia’s sudden outburst yanked her back to reality.
“What is it?” Tang Shiyu looked at Wang Xia’s surprised expression and asked.
Wang Xia handed her the phone. After reading it, Tang Shiyu frowned deeply.
But just as she was about to finish watching the video, it suddenly disappeared—refreshed instantly.
Still, everything she needed to know was already clear.
“It really wasn’t Jiang Chengye,” Tang Shiyu whispered as she handed the phone back.
She couldn’t explain it, but it felt like something was missing from her heart.
“I knew that security guard wasn’t a good person. So it was all his setup, and he even used you as a joke? That guy’s got guts. If Jiang Chengye finds out, that security guard is dead.”
Tang Shiyu didn’t respond. She stared blankly at her computer screen.
Seeing her like this, Wang Xia teased, “So now you’re completely sure it wasn’t Jiang Chengye. Feeling a little empty inside, huh?”
Tang Shiyu didn’t pretend in front of her best friend. She nodded with a bitter smile, “Maybe a little. I guess I got used to him showing up every week to confess to me.”
“Hehe, I knew it. Even though Jiang Chengye has a bad reputation, he was genuinely good to you. He’s been chasing you since college. If it were me, I would’ve fallen for him long ago. He’s handsome, and his family background is excellent,” Wang Xia said seriously.
Tang Shiyu giggled, “Then go chase him. You’re just as attractive as I am. Plus, you’ve got those two weapons that give you a huge advantage. Jiang Chengye always looks at you like a perv.”
Wang Xia rolled her eyes, “I was joking. You’re just not used to Jiang Chengye not pestering you anymore.”
Though she complimented Jiang Chengye’s looks and background, Wang Xia knew he had a notorious playboy reputation. She didn’t want her best friend to fall into that trap.
Jiang Chengye was the type who couldn’t take his eyes off any beautiful woman.
Every time he saw Wang Xia, his gaze was filled with lewdness—especially when she and Tang Shiyu were together. Anyone could guess what was on his mind.
Tang Shiyu nodded. After Wang Xia said all that, the emptiness in her heart vanished completely.
“By the way, Old Madam Su’s birthday banquet is tonight. Come with me,” Tang Shiyu said.
Wang Xia’s face immediately turned bitter. “I’ve got social anxiety, girl. Are you seriously doing this to me?”
“Cut the nonsense. You’re coming with me, or I’ll dock your pay!” Tang Shiyu declared firmly.
Wang Xia had no choice but to surrender. After all, she worked for her.
“Fine, I’ll go! But it’s lunchtime now, and you’re treating me. I’m going to eat like a queen today!” Wang Xia said fiercely.
“Sure, eat all you want. It’s on me.” Tang Shiyu quickly agreed.
…
Jiang family villa.
Jiang Chengye had just finished getting ready. He wore a high-end, custom-tailored gray suit and had styled his hair into a classic side part.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Jiang Chengye was very satisfied.
In the past, even when he wore suits like this, he couldn’t quite pull it off.
But now, it was different. His posture and body were perfect. He could carry anything.
Once he finished and went downstairs, the dining table was already filled with food.
It was already past noon—lunchtime.
At the table, Jiang Zhenhua looked up at Jiang Chengye coming down the stairs. His phone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a loud “duang.”
The phone’s volume key was hit, and the sound blasted out.
“Thanks to Big Brother Huahua for sending 1,000 Sky-Piercing Arrows! Although the streamer never does surprise visits, today Brother Huahua was so generous that I’ve decided to make an appearance in Jiangbei tonight!”
Jiang Zhenhua hurriedly grabbed his phone and turned it off awkwardly.
“Dad, 1,000 Sky-Piercing Arrows? That’s real flair,” Jiang Chengye chuckled as he sat down at the table.
“Ahem, don’t talk nonsense. Kid, what’s going on with you? You’re suddenly showing the aura I had in my prime,” Jiang Zhenhua said, punching his chest lightly. His eyes lit up.
When had this kid’s chest gotten so solid?
And yesterday, his face was pale and gaunt, but now it was full of color.
The big dark circles under his eyes were gone too.
“Did you practice the martial technique I gave you?” Jiang Zhenhua asked excitedly.
Jiang Chengye nodded.
In this world, martial arts existed.
Every major family supported martial artists. Some were even martial clans themselves.
Martial sects were also real—like the Five Mountains Sect, Shaolin, Dragon Tiger Mountain, Shu Mountain, and more.
There were even strange figures who used Gu, or could control corpses and perform corpse herding.
Abroad, there were also people with supernatural abilities.
But all those foreign powers came from gene experiments, not real mutants.
While the system in the Dragon Nation was similar to that of Lanxing’s Xia Nation, martial artists here had special privileges.
As long as your strength was high enough, even if you killed someone, no one could touch you.
That was the cruel side of this world.
Of course, the Dragon Nation had a special organization to deal with martial artists—called the Martial Arts Administration Bureau, or simply the Martial Bureau.
The Martial Bureau was mainly composed of national agents, though some members came from major families. Letting them join was a form of training.
The Martial Bureau rarely acted, but when it did—disaster followed.
Those who didn’t and got targeted by the Bureau ended up either sewing shoes in prison or getting killed on the spot.
Though the Jiang family was one of Jiangbei’s four major families, they were nowhere near the strength of the other three.
The Jiang family had money, but the other three—Zhou, Sun, and Qin—had martial artists backing them.
The Sun family was a true martial family. They became one of the four through force alone.
Once they reached that position, wealth naturally followed.
The Qin family was a political-business hybrid. Enough said.
The Zhou family, like the Jiangs, rose through wealth. But they had martial artists too.
Only the Jiang family was rich but lacked any martial foundation.
They couldn’t even afford to hire real experts.
In terms of cultivation, martial ranks were: Beginner, Bright Force, Dark Force, Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster.
As a martial family, the Sun family had its own martial art inheritance. Most of its younger generation had reached the Bright Force stage. The strongest was the retired old patriarch, who had reached mid-stage Dark Force.
The Qin family, thanks to their influence and money, hired a Dark Force early-stage expert.
The Zhou family, though also rich, had an enshrined martial artist at late-stage Dark Force—Jiangbei’s strongest.
He was someone the Zhou patriarch had saved during his youth, and he’d stayed loyal ever since.
The Jiang family, despite being wealthier than the other three, didn’t dare provoke anyone.
If they did, someone could just send a few men to wipe them out.
There were only two in the Jiang family—Jiang Zhenhua and Jiang Chengye. If both died, the Jiang family would collapse.
It was truly a tragic setup.
Jiang Zhenhua had always been putting out notices, offering high pay to hire martial artists, but no one responded.
That was his biggest frustration.
The strongest person they had was Jiang Zhenhua’s bodyguard—a peak Bright Force expert.
The martial art Jiang Zhenhua mentioned was something he’d bought at great cost from that bodyguard.
It was a Yellow-grade martial technique: Eighteen Tan Kicks.
He’d handed it to Jiang Chengye the moment he got it. But Jiang Chengye had no interest in martial arts.
He spent all his time drinking, chasing women, and simping!
A total three-point lifestyle. While Jiang Zhenhua trained himself, his age limited him.
He’d barely reached the Beginner stage.
Still, it improved his physique enough for him to frequently have streamers show up in person!