As one of the senior members of the core management of Zhongzhou State, Jiang Shan was a real high-ranking and powerful figure in every aspect. He was even more deep-rooted in Beijiang Province.
However, in terms of appearance, the entire Jiang family was not influential at all.
The Jiang family’s manor was not big, covering an area of less than 30 acres. The internal villa looked like it had been built for many years, but the whole manor looked very delicate, with clear water, a small garden, and flat gra.s.s. It was not lofty, but it was very fresh.
Jiang Shan was usually busy with official business and rarely came here. Before Jiang Shangyu went to the Deep-sea Academy, in the manor, in addition to a few servants, only Jiang Shangyu, who was in poor health since childhood, stayed here for a long time.
Jiang Shan occasionally came and left in a hurry.
He didn’t feel anything wrong with it before. Only now did he realize that he did not seem to have had a good look at the place where Jiang Shangyu had grown up. Every blade of gra.s.s and every tree here, every ripple in the water, and every flower in the sunshine were familiar and yet strange to him. Jiang Shan was a little emotional. It seemed that from the moment Jiang Shangyu left for Youzhou from here, he really realized that time had pa.s.sed in a placid and yet cruel manner for so many years.
His son, whom he cared about but rarely had time to accompany, had quietly taken over his burden and led the Jiang family to another direction.
So Jiang Shan stayed in the manor.
He skipped a few meetings that were not particularly important but also couldn’t be ignored and gave several servants a few days off. Then he began to stay in the villa and waited quietly.
He was waiting for Kunlun City’s att.i.tude.
Jiang Shangyu would be in charge of the Jiang family’s future direction.
However, Jiang Shan believed that he was not a dotard and could play a big role in its future development.
Jiang Shangyu seriously injured Gu Fengbo, which meant that he completely fell out with Kunlun City.
Jiang Shan would not be surprised at whatever att.i.tude Kunlun City would show. According to their att.i.tude, Jiang Shan must respond immediately, tough or gentle.
There was not much flattery, deception, and subtle temptation here. Staying in this manor, he felt extremely calm inside. Sitting here, he was a father, a patriarch, not a councilor of Zhongzhou State.
Read more chapter on vipnovel .comThis was Jiang Shan’s att.i.tude.
Apart from Jiang Shan, there was only one gardener left in the manor.
The gardener was an old man in his fifties, surnamed Xu. He had white hair on the temples and a weather-beaten face. He was the servant who came to the Jiang family the earliest. He had been here for nearly a decade. He was a gardener and also a cook. It was said that Old Xu’s father was a very famous doctor of traditional Chinese medicine with a learned family back then. Old Xu was also quite proficient in medicine. So when it was necessary, he could also be a doctor.
Gu Fengbo had been staying here since he was seriously injured. His injury was so serious that he could not move, and the traditional Chinese medicine that he needed to heal his injury daily was decocted by Old Xu himself.
When night fell, Old Xu walked out of the villa with a bow of traditional Chinese medicine emitting a bitter smell. After pouring the decoction into the trash can, he took a broom and began to sweep the floor.
When Jiang Shan, who had been staying here all this time, saw this scene, he slightly raised his eyebrows and asked, “Did he still refuse to take it?”
Old Xu shook his head and said in a dull tone, “Maybe he doesn’t trust us?”
He thought for a moment and continued, “Maybe he’s afraid that we’ll poison him? If we poison him here, what’s the benefit of doing that?”
“There are always several kinds of strange poisons that can kill people without making them bleed in the world. It is said that there was a doctor who made a name for himself by using poison. He developed a chronic poison with an incubation period of three years. It was colorless, tasteless, and shapeless, but it could make one’s body constantly weak. Even if the person died in the end, the symptoms looked like a natural death. He should be afraid that we also have this kind of poison.”
Jiang Shan’s smile was calm. He was undoubtedly talking about the Poison Physician Yu Donglai. As one of the former sacred guards around Li Honghe, Yu Donglai’s combat capability was not outstanding. On strength, he was the worst among the sacred guards, but in terms of using poison, he was undoubtedly the best in the whole Dark World. As the Li family collapsed, some of the poisons he developed in those years were scattered in the Dark World. So far, they still played a vital role in some plots.
Old Xu replied with an “oh” and continued to sweep the floor with his head down.
Jiang Shan hesitated and said slowly, “I’ll go and have a look.”
He stepped into the villa.
The light completely dimmed.
Jiang Shan did not turn on the lights. He calmly pushed open the door of a guest room.
A faint smell of blood slowly emanated from the room and pervaded the whole room.
There were heavy breathing sounds that could not be suppressed on the bed in the bedroom. The man was like a beast that was heavily injured and was on the verge of death.
Jiang Shan stood in front of the bedroom door and looked at the struggling figure on the bed through the darkness. After a moment of silence, he said gently, “Old Gu, are you any better today?”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey…”
A burst of low and hoa.r.s.e laughter rang out, with clear anger and hatred. “I’m indebted to your concern, Councilor. Although I’m seriously injured, I won’t die. At least I can wait until someone comes to pick me up,” he spoke slowly but heavily.
He said word by word, gnashing his teeth.
Jiang Shan replied with a “Hmm” and said slowly, “Although the injury is not fatal, it’s always bad to affect your foundation. I heard that the compet.i.tion inside Kunlun City is very cruel.”
“To affect my foundation?”
Gu Fengbo gritted his teeth and sneered. “Even if I become a disabled person, it’s a sacrifice for Kunlun City. The whole Kunlun City will remember why I end up like this. Jiang Shan, if I die here, do you really think that the Jiang family will have a good ending? Kunlun City is very big, and I’m not the only capable one in it!”
“Old Gu, calm down. It’s not good for your health.”
Jiang Shan’s voice was indifferent.
“Jiang Shan, you know what you are doing. Kunlun City is the only choice for you, and it is also your last way out. Kunlun City respects you, but you don’t care about it. When the time comes, you…”
Jiang Shan took a step back and ignored Gu Fengbo’s curse. He just said blandly, “Take a rest.”
He turned around and left, closing the door behind him.
The night fell on Beijiang.
The sky in Beijiang was high and the clouds were pale. At night, the stars were even denser. Jiang Shan looked up at the starry sky, remaining silent for a very long time.
Old Xu was tr.i.m.m.i.n.g flowers in the garden.
Jiang Shan looked at his watch, walked over, and asked, “What’s for dinner tonight?”
Old Xu hesitated for a few seconds before he came to his senses and said slowly, “There are still leftovers at noon. How about I heat them up?”
Jiang Shan was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled. He really wasn’t too particular about what he ate. He didn’t put on airs, nor did he have the persistence of someone in a rich and powerful family. He was like this, so was Jiang Shangyu.
“I’m fine with that. But I’m afraid that the big shot inside can’t get used to eating the leftovers.”
He pointed to the villa where Gu Fengbo lived.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Old Xu shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that this big shot doesn’t like the taste of Beijiang. Anyway, even if we offer him something fresh instead of leftovers, he won’t eat it.”
Jiang Shan shook his head with a smile, but he didn’t say anything in the end. He just patted Old Xu on the shoulder and said, “Drop what you’re doing and have a drink with me.”
Old Xu’s ears suddenly moved, and he quietly looked at the distant sky in the night.
“I still have a bottle of Moutai, the one which can be used in the national feast. Let’s go, we…”
Jiang Shan paused.
The roars of rotors rang from the distance, the signal light was slightly flashing, and the color was blood red.
The helicopter was getting closer and closer, affecting the whole manor with its roars.
All of a sudden, a trace of faint Sword Energy appeared in the quiet manor.
More and more Sword Energy was scattered in the manor, spreading layer by layer, fierce and sharp.
The whole manor seemed to be shrouded by undisguised killing intent.
Jiang Shan narrowed his eyes and didn’t continue to talk about that topic. He just whispered, “There’s a guest coming.”
Old Xu continued tr.i.m.m.i.n.g the flowers without raising his head.
The door of the helicopter was pulled open.
A thin figure stood in front of the cabin door and landed in the face of the fierce wind.
He was dressed in white, and his long sleeve was fluttering in the wind.
The picture was not elegant, but rather pitiful.
Because the fluttering long sleeve indicated that the man in white only had one hand left at this time.
Jiang Shan looked at his broken arm and did not speak.
“The look in your eyes is very interesting.”
Gu Qianchuan, dressed in white, landed on the ground. As he looked at Jiang Shan’s eyes, his voice became low and hoa.r.s.e.
The empty cuff of his sleeve was fluttering with the sword intent.
Gu Qianchuan tilted his head and said in a cold tone, “Do you like it?”
“Sorry, Your Highness.”
Jiang Shan looked away and said slowly, “I’m sorry for my lack of manners.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Gu Qianchuan said indifferently, “Kunlun City is still able to bear a little bit of strange sight. And people in Kunlun City can also shed hot blood. Where is Fengbo?”
Jiang Shan pointed to the villa.
Gu Qianchuan’s face grew darker and darker.
He had been standing here, but Gu Fengbo did not appear, which showed that Gu Fengbo’s injury was extremely serious.
Without saying a word, he went straight over to the villa.
He didn’t get along well with Gu Xingyun. As Gu Xingyun’s confidant, Gu Fengbo naturally wasn’t close to him.
But now Kunlun City was in a special situation. Gu Fengbo was an expert in the Half-step Invincible Realm. No matter what his standpoint was, as long as their general orientation was consistent, he had no reason not to protect Gu Fengbo.
He was extremely fast, and in the night, his eye-catching white clothes left a lot of shadows behind.
The helicopter landed on the lawn.
Dressed in white, Gu Qianchuan had already rushed out of the villa with one hand carrying Gu Fengbo on his back.
The blood dyed his white clothes red, and the bloodstains looked like plum blossoms.
The killing intent in Gu Qianchuan’s eyes was undisguised. Only when he saw it with his own eyes, could he see how severe Gu Fengbo’s injury was. The muscles all over his body were torn apart, his internal organs were seriously injured, and many of his bones were crushed. In this case, it was hard to say whether Gu Fengbo could maintain the combat capability of the Half-step Invincible Realm, let alone take a step further in the Half-step Invincible Realm.
Jiang Shangyu almost disabled a Half-step Invincible Realm expert of Kunlun City!
How ridiculous did this sound?
But at this moment, it just happened.
The doctors on the helicopter put Gu Fengbo on the stretcher and carried it onto the helicopter as soon as possible to start the emergency treatment.
Gu Qianchuan’s eyes were blood red, and he was almost crazy.
The sword intent all over the manor was roaring crazily, and the killing intent was constantly soaring.
“Your Highness, are you going to attack me here?” Jiang Shan asked calmly, and at the same time, he stood in front of Old Xu.
This sentence seemed to remind Gu Qianchuan.
The killing intent in his eyes was gradually suppressed.
In any case, Jiang Shan was a senior councilor of Zhongzhou State and ranked among the core management. If he killed Jiang Shan, not to mention himself, even Kunlun City couldn’t afford it.
Even if Jiang Shan no longer had a clear intention of which group he shall support, and his standpoint was vague, Kunlun City still couldn’t afford it.
The vague stance would make him lose the support behind him.
But at the same time, his ident.i.ty was here. Without a clear standpoint, Jiang Shan would also be won over by those groups. How to survive in such an environment was a test of Jiang Shan’s wisdom.
“Good, very good.”
Gu Qianchuan took a deep breath, and his body trembled in extreme anger. “Kunlun City will remember what happened today. From today on, Kunlun City and your family will fight to the death!”
Jiang Shan looked at Gu Qianchuan with no expression on his face and said calmly, “Take care, Your Highness. I won’t see you off.”
No matter how calm his expression was, it meant extreme arrogance in Gu Qianchuan’s eyes.
He couldn’t stand it anymore and suddenly swung his empty sleeve.
The Sword Energy that covered the manor burst out in an instant.
He couldn’t kill Jiang Shan, but given his status, who could stop him from destroying this manor?
At least, it was good to give vent to his anger.
Countless streaks of Sword Energy turned into sword light and kept rising.
But the next second, the whole manor was quiet.
Gu Qianchuan widened his eyes.
Jiang Shan was also surprised.
Old Xu, who was tr.i.m.m.i.n.g the flowers, stood stiffly in the same place. He stared at the flowers in front of him, his eyes full of fear.
There was a flash of light under the cold and lonely starry sky.
The light appeared on the gra.s.s and amidst the flowers. It scattered between heaven and earth.
It was colorful.
The Sword Energy driven by Gu Qianchuan disappeared in an instant.
Only the dazzling colored light was constantly flowing in the manor.
Gu Qianchuan, Jiang Shan, and Old Xu turned around almost at the same time and looked at the gate of the manor.
A vague and ethereal figure stepped into the manor under the light. She walked in silence, like a dream and also an illusion, and her beauty was unparalleled.
Colorful rays of light surrounded her, covering her face and body and making them faintly visible.
The woman walked into the manor and saw Gu Qianchuan. She was a little surprised at it.
Her voice was cold and pleasant to the ear, like the sound of nature. “You’re just missing an arm, but your Sword Energy is so weak. The sword of Kunlun City is just so-so.”
Gu Qianchuan was not angry.
His whole body was tense as if he was facing a formidable enemy. He said in a low voice, “Qin Weibai?”
Qin Weibai did not speak.
There was no energy fluctuation in her body.
But the seven-colored sword light rotated slightly, and the shadow of a giant sword appeared for a moment.
The faintly discernible Sword Energy which was as vast as the world descended from the sky.
In an instant, blood spurted out from all over Gu Xingyun’s body.
Gu Qianchuan grew horribly frightened. He roared wildly, rose up in the air, and escaped from the manor without looking back.
There was a buzz in the air, as if a giant sword was breaking through the air.
Qin Weibai reached out and grabbed a piece of nothingness. She said calmly, “He’s merely a nonent.i.ty. It’s not worth wasting your strength.”
She didn’t look at Jiang Shan. She continued to move forward and walked to Jiang Shangyu’s villa.
A phantom-like figure blocked her in front of the villa.
He looked at the colorful light on Qin Weibai’s body with a dignified face.
“Old Xu?”
Jiang Shan took a deep breath. At that moment, he didn’t even see clearly how Old Xu appeared in front of Qin Weibai.
Qin Weibai was also looking at Old Xu.
Looking at the dull face in front of her, she raised her eyebrows gently and said, “w.a.n.g Xu? No wonder Jiang Shangyu fell out with Kunlun City. It turns out that he has had w.a.n.g Qinglei as his backup. So, the entire Jiang family has entered w.a.n.g Qinglei’s camp?”
w.a.n.g Xu’s expression changed drastically.
The colorful light undulated again for a moment.
w.a.n.g Xu’s entire body flew out and landed on the ground. His blood spurted all over the place.
When she successfully asked the sword out, Li Honghe said that it was a sword of the Invincible Realm.
To be exact, this sword itself was an expert in the Invincible Realm!
And it was at the peak of the Invincible Realm!
With the sword in hand, Qin Weibai could go anywhere she liked!
She pushed open the door of the villa, walked in, and went straight into Jiang Shangyu’s bedroom.
On the desk in the bedroom was the photo that Jiang Shangyu had kept so far.
Qin Weibai picked up the photo and looked at it carefully. She kept silent for a long time.
After G.o.ds knew how long, she slowly opened her mouth and muttered to herself, “It’s you, isn’t it?”
