Chapter 24: Jiang He Strikes Back
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Panicking, w.a.n.g Siyu rose to her feet, ready to run home for her father’s medicine. “My father has a bad heart and a high lipid count. The doctors said that he mustn’t get too excited...”
“Don’t panic. I have an idea,” said Jiang He slowly.
Working his Nine Yang technique, he sent a True Qi-infused breath over to Chief w.a.n.g. Soon, his complexion improved and his breathing returned to normal too.
Turning to Jiang He, he asked in confusion, “What did you just do me? I could feel something warm entering me....”
Jiang He gritted his teeth. Why did it feel like Chief w.a.n.g was saying something lewd?
On the other hand, w.a.n.g Siyu looked stunned and was at a loss for words. “Neijing, true qi... Did you reach rank-four in martial arts, Jiang He?”
“Yup.” Jiang He grinned since he had nothing to hide. “I’ve just made a breakthrough today.”
“Rank-four martial artist, rank-four martial artist...” muttered w.a.n.g Siyu, before suddenly exclaiming, “You’ve just improved today! How could you be so wasteful when our true qi is so weak? My house is just nearby, I could have gone back for the medicine.”
Jiang He chuckled.
His true qi, weak? So, why did he feel like he was overflowing with true qi? In fact, forget about just one breath, he could probably pa.s.s up to fifty more breaths of true qi.
Meanwhile, Chief w.a.n.g was utterly confused, although he did manage to understand a few things.
“w.a.n.g Siyu, what are you talking about?” he yelled with a scowl. “I was saved thanks to Jiang He and his... true qi or whatever, and you call it a waste?”
That being said, his att.i.tude towards Jiang He had improved considerably.
Taking a long look at him, and then at w.a.n.g Siyu, Chief w.a.n.g barked, “You better have a good explanation when you come home later. Monsters, martial artists, superpowers, and whatnot... it’s like I’m dreaming.”
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed towards the door.
Stopping when he reached the doorway, Chief w.a.n.g pointed at Dumbo and scolded it, “You ungrateful white-eyed wolf. To think that I’ve reared you for so long.”
In response, Dumbo turned around, keeping its face towards the wall and its back to Chief w.a.n.g, who stamped his foot in frustration and stormed off. Back in the house, w.a.n.g Siyu and Jiang He remained where they were, looking at each other.
It was only after half a beat that Jiang He asked, “So, does that mean your father is giving us his approval?”
“Bleh!” spat w.a.n.g Siyu. Her expression turned serious. “What happened just now, Jiang He? I’ve been surveying the village over the last few days—why would a Feral suddenly appear here?”
“That Feral didn’t come from the village,” mused Jiang He. “The Sky Demon Sect must have sent it.”
“What!?” w.a.n.g Siyu promptly rose to her feet in concern. “The Sky Demon Sect is targeting you?” Gritting her teeth, she whipped out her phone. “I have to report this to my superiors. The only reason you ended up provoking the Sky Demon Sect is because you helped us during our mission. The bureau must come up with a solution for this.”
Jiang He didn’t stop her while she had a few words with her superiors, who soon gave a response: they would be stationing an accomplished martial artist at Jinyintan village, while also arranging for the military and police to protect the village.
The National Special Case Management Bureau would also reimburse Jiang He for all damages to his house.
w.a.n.g Siyu repeated her superiors’ words to Jiang He verbatim, then paused before adding, “Since your house collapsed, why don’t you stay at my place? I heard from my father that my brother’s project has been put on hold and he’ll be coming back in two days. When that happens, the construction team he supervises can help you build another house.”
“Stay at your place?” Jiang He chuckled. “If I do, there’ll be rumors flying around the village in less than three days.”
Such was how things were in the village. Word of anything happening in somebody’s house could spread everywhere at any given moment, unlike in the city where you could still be strangers with your neighbours, even with repeated encounters, and even if you’re separated by only a floor.
w.a.n.g Siyu blushed. “I’ll get my father to vacate one of the village committee’s room. You can stay there.”
“No need,” replied Jiang He. “I can still stay here. Even if push comes to shove, I can build a tent in the yard.”
He did not dare to leave, not even when the builders come in later. After all, there was a money-growing tree in his farm.
“By the way, w.a.n.g Siyu, when you get back, check if they would buy my corn.”
“Okay.”
After a few more exchanges between them, w.a.n.g Siyu finally left, albeit with a worried look on her face. Once she was gone, Jiang He left the room too. He stood in the yard for a long time, staring at the two collapsed houses.
“Get out here, Dumbo!” he yelled suddenly. With a swipe of his hand, he dumped the cat corpse on the ground with a long face. “Search for the place where this thing came from!”
Dumbo sprawled itself beside the corpse and sniffed before running out of the gates. Meanwhile, the Three-tails Demon Cat climbed up to Jiang He’s shoulder, mewing and acting cute.
Jiang He slapped it off with disdain. “Your whole mouth is covered in blood. You can come and be all cute again after I bathe you when I’m done with this.”
He strode out into the night, following after Dumbo, his eyes burning with flames of rage.
“Bullies! The Sky Demon Sect are all bullies! I’ve only killed a few of your rank-one Ferals, but you demolished my house and tried to kill me?”
Jiang He had read many novels of that genre, and was familiar with the warped methods of cults. Trouble would keep coming if he did not strike back. He wouldn’t be able to peacefully walk down the streets, let alone get a good night’s sleep, for fear that someone could attack him at any time.
“And that is why... So that I won’t be ambushed in the streets... So that I can have sweet dreams when I go to bed every night... I must strike back!”
Up ahead, Dumbo was sniffing left and right and, and soon arrived at the eastern end of the village. There were vast tracts of cornfields and greenhouses, and Li Fei’s breeder’s union was just a bit further away.
***
Meanwhile, in a corn field approximately one kilometer away from Jiang He.
A middle-aged man hidden beneath black robes was sitting crossed-legged on the ground. There was another man beside him, who had a small frame and was wearing a tracksuit. Measuring at just a bit over 1.6 meters, n.o.body outside the corn field would see him.
Even so, his presence was extremely fearsome, with a curved blade dangling from his hip.
“Did you fail?” he asked, speaking in a rather stiff Mandarin accent.
“I failed,” said the middle-aged man in black robes hoa.r.s.ely. “But that man is rather peculiar... He actually rears a rank-three Feral in his own house.”
“Oh? He’s a beast-tamer too? A suspected rank-three martial artist and a beast tamer at that... interesting.”
“No, if he was a beast-tamer, I would have sensed it,” said the black-robed man, before suddenly turning away.
There was a rustling sound, and soon a dog that stood as tall as a human crossed the cornfield and reached him. The black-robed man put his hand on the dog’s head and closed his eyes.
Just a moment later, he opened them again and cried out in surprise, “Not good! That man has pursued us here. Master Cordo, let’s get away from here.”
The midget’s name was as weird as his appearance. The bridge of his nose was rather high, and he had sunken eyes. He clearly looked to be someone from the Western Frontier.
Nonetheless, he drew out his blade and smiled sinisterly. “It’s just a rank-three martial artist, why run? We’ll kill him and take his head, then we’ll let you and your treasure go to the village for a nice slaughter. Chaos can only be sowed with that, and it’s a chance for our holy faith to make its way into the Northwest.”
True qi was faintly swirling over the edge of the blade.