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Jiang Xiu laughed, "I thought that the highly intelligent Young Lady Nangong would be able to think up of something easily and save me from my predicament."

"You finally said some human words." Young Lady Nangong was actually scolding our Deity Xiu indirectly by saying he isn't human!

Jiang Xiu pondered on it. What had happened that day was out of their hands, but some things happened since they were meant to happen. Due to what happened, Young Lady Nangong's purity was tainted by Jiang Xiu, and it was impossible for her to not feel grieved due to it. Though she blamed Jiang Xiu, he too was wronged that day.

"How about this? Find someone there, and I'll top up his card with money. You can return if you have money, right?"

"Alright!"

This could indeed solve the problem. There wasn't anything that money couldn't settle in this world. However, Jiang Xiu had really underestimated the remoteness of his location. He asked around, but no one had a bank card here. They all had passbooks which were issued by the rural credit union.

Nangong Kou'er tone worsened, "How did you end up in such a remote region?"

Jiang Xiu replied quite helplessly, "I wasn't expecting this!"

"What now?"

Deity Xiu stuck to his principle. The principle of 'Since you're smart, you think of something.' Our pitiful Young Lady Nangong had been crowned as highly intelligent by him and thus racked her brain to solve his problem even though she had no relation to this matter.

"Why don't you come here?" Jiang Xiu suggested.

"What?"

Although Young Lady Nangong had a comparatively calm nature, after hearing such an unreasonable request, she couldn't help but get angry. "Jiang Xiu, we aren't that close. You really dare to ask such a thing?"

"Indeed, we aren't that close, but regarding closeness, we both already understand each other completely."

"Bah!"

Young Lady Nangong spat on the other end then blushed. Bastard, you really dared to say it out. Damn it all. You took advantage of me and now even flaunt it, you scum.

You should really take up the occupation of a male prostitute.

"See how I break your teeth if you keep speaking such nonsense…" Although her words were vicious, her voice was weak, probably due to feeling embarrassed.

"Hehe. Just this one time. We won't see each other again after this."

A girl's heart was always softer compared to men. Especially so since both of them had that kind of relationship once. It was the prime example of the phrase - A day together as husband and wife means endless devotion for the rest of one's life. Nangong Kou'er said, "Well then, wait over there. I'll only help you this time. Don't come to look for me next time, I won't help you after this."

"Mhm. I promise."

The girl asked him impatiently, "Where in Liaodong are you?" After asking the address, she hung the call. She promised to come to receive Jiang Xiu.

Liaodong wasn't that far from the Imperial Capital. It'd require her to book a flight ticket, go to the airport, sit on the plane to Liaodong, then book a cab to reach his location after she landed in Liaodong… It really wasn't easy to make a trip here and even our Deity Xiu felt it was a bit troublesome, so it was indeed lucky that Nangong Kou'er had really promised to come.

Sigh. That girl hasn't fallen for me, right? I have sinned!

After the call ended, he looked at the uncle then said, "A friend is coming to pick me up, but it'll take a night for them to come over from the Imperial Capital. I'll have to trouble you for lodging at your home for a night."

The uncle replied to him quite cordially, "No problem."

After hearing that the old man had saved someone, the villagers all dropped in to take a look. After seeing Jiang Xiu, they all came to the same conclusion. He looks handsome.

After all, Jiang Xiu's current appearance was that of Deity Xiu.

They had never seen such a handsome person, not even on television. His face seemed to be carved out of jade and left behind an impression of him being extraordinaire in people's heart.

He was so handsome that he couldn't be an ordinary person.

They all clicked their tongues in wonder.

Jiang Xiu thought to himself that if he had placed a signboard at the door saying '10 RMB for a glance,' he'd have already collected the money required to return to the Imperial Capital.

On the night of that day, Jiang Xiu lied down on the unfamiliar bed and didn't feel like sleeping. He had one kind of faint premonition, and this was the reason he wasn't able to sleep. He wondered whether Nangong Kou'er had reached Liaodong.

Not having a phone was really inconvenient.

Around 2 AM in the morning, this premonition grew stronger. Among the three Godhood Halos in his body, there was a white Godhood Halo which seemed to have given him the ability to obtain an understanding of the future and derive the future from it.

He suddenly got up then woke his clothes in a hurry, after which he knocked on the door of the old couple's room, "Uncle, Aunt, quickly wake up. An earthquake is going to occur here."

Inside, the uncle was still snoring, but the aunt was woken up by the noise. She pushed her husband then said, "It looks like that young man is at our door. Maybe he needs something?"

The uncle got up in a daze and wore his outer garment then opened the door. The chilly wind blew in from outside and made his mind a bit clearer. "What is it?"

"An earthquake is going to occur here."

"Earthquake?"

Jiang Xiu nodded. "Quickly wake up the villagers…"

"Young man, you aren't sleep-walking, right? Why will an earthquake occur here without reason? Our Liaodong has never had any earthquakes. Moreover, how do you know an earthquake will occur here? Maybe you feel like this due to watching too much news regarding earthquakes in the morning?"

"Just hurry up and prepare yourself."

There was no need for him to explain this matter as facts acted as proof quite quickly.

Roughly after 3-4 minutes, the land began to tremble slightly. The uncle's expression warped immediately, following which he heard the sounds of the water splashing out of the cup placed on the table.

"Aiyah. It's really an earthquake!"

"Wifey, quickly wake up."

The uncle dressed up quickly then ran out and hit the bell, shouting all the while running. "It's an earthquake. Quickly come out!"

Jiang Xiu looked at a faraway town. Before, it was glowing with beautiful lights but had now turned dark due to electricity line breaking. He closed his eyes, following which a tiny spark flew out of his forehead towards that town. When he opened his eyes, they glowed with a white light similar to that of that spark. When his gazes fell on that spark, he saw a panoramic view of the entire place where that spark was located.

He saw that the town was in chaos right now. The land had split open, and buildings had collapsed. Several people were awoken from their dreams and wailed.

The most dreadful thing was that the electricity line had broken after the earthquake started. It was quite late into the night, so it was utterly dark and felt like the end of times had arrived. Some of them had prepared flashlights while others used their cell phones but it was of no use.

The light flew across, and through it, Jiang Xiu saw the land crack open with increasing power, directly splitting open a massive hole in the ground which seemed to have no end to its depth. Many houses fell inside, and those who were unable to escape fell inside as well.

And right now, at Liaodong's Ha City, Nangong Kou'er who was still sleeping in the hotel was roused up. It was already chaos outside. She quickly wore her clothes then went out with her luggage. The hotel was already a mess as well. Someone shouted, "Don't take the elevator. Go for the stairs."

Sounds of sirens kept resounding outside without pause.

"Is it an earthquake?"

Nangong Kou'er asked in a panic.

"Yes. Quickly escape downstairs and leave the building…"

Screams followed after that. The hotel began to sway slightly as if it were rising up slowly. This made them panic as they'd no doubt die if the hotel collapsed.

The land where the hotel stood had begun to rise, and this caused the hotel to totter. It was already raised up by 50-60 m, and people were escaping out from there crazily.

The places surrounding the hotel were in a similar state as well. The land kept rising up, followed by explosive sounds of earth cracking open. Fortunately, the hotel didn't collapse until now.

By the time Nangong Kou'er had escaped from the hotel, the surroundings were still familiar. There were no roads left, only rocky hills with trees and shrubs growing all over. The place was similar to a mountaintop. Even the land she walked on felt warm.

Initially, she was near the entrance of a convenience store at the foot of a mountain which was 500 m away from her, but that 24 hours open store suddenly went dark, followed by the entire town going dark. The electricity line was broken.

Darkness descended over the entire place.

Nangong Kou'er didn't dare to wander around. She didn't join with the others and group up together but instead found a smooth mountain rock and sat there foolishly. Her heart was pounding with anxiety. She could only pray for the earthquake to end quickly and also cursed Jiang Xiu in her heart. It's all because of you, bastard. I wouldn't have run into this earthquake if it weren't for you.

"Bastard. If anything happens to this lady, I won't forgive you even I become a ghost…"

The earthquake lasted quite long and screams never-ending. In the beginning, sirens could be heard, but later on, even the sirens went dead. The roads were destroyed entirely so vehicles couldn't move at all and darkness loomed over the entire city. Moreover, the moon wasn't visible tonight, so it really seemed like the end of the world had arrived. People huddled in places they believed to be safe, listening to the frightened screams of others coming from all directions.

Nangong Kou'er was a sports girl, so she was more courageous than ordinary schoolgirls, but even she too was scared and hid in a corner under a mountain rock as she felt extremely weak due to becoming dizzy from the earthquake.

The earthquake's epicenter slowly traveled further, as if it were stopping for a rest. Nangong Kou'er also relaxed a bit then took out her phone to call her home, but although it had enough charge, there was no signal.

"Damn it!"

Nangong Kou'er's face was utterly pale.

Right now, the only thing she could do was to wait for dawn then hope that the rescue team arrives quickly. This time's earthquake was too severe. She could see fissures all over Ha City within the darkness, the roads were severely damaged. Even if the rescue team arrived, it'd take them quite the trouble to save her. Fortunately, she was able to survive without getting injured.

If only the earthquake stopped, she could leave from here safely after dawn.

Time passed by slowly, and the earthquake finally stopped. She could sense a lot of people nearby. Some were discussing in a small voice. It seemed like someone was injured and bleeding continuously. Knowing that there were others gave her mind inner peace. After spending the entire night with worry, she dozed off subconsciously.

After dawn, light passed through the sky and descended on the land. Someone shouted excitedly, "I have signal!"

Nangong Kou'er was woken up by this. She immediately took out her phone and saw that it really had a signal. She called her home. Her parents were already drowned in worry and hadn't slept at all, so they were glad she called, "Kou'er, are you alright?"

Their daughter had gone to Liaodong which just happened to encounter an earthquake so it really scared them.

After hearing her mother's voice, the usually strong-willed Nangong Kou'er who was on the verge of crying bawled like a child, "Mom!" Her voice had a sobbing tone to it.

"Good daughter, you're okay, right? Don't scare your mother!"

Nangong Kou'er shook her head, but her mother naturally couldn't see her. After a few moments, she said, "I-I'm fine and uninjured, just a little scared."

"That's good. Your father and I were worried all night."

Nangong Kou'er slowly steadied her mood, "The earthquake has stopped already so there won't be any danger. Don't worry."

Her mother said in a panic, "The news reported that this time's earthquake is very fierce and has a huge amplitude. Earth's crust seemed to have moved significantly, and a massive fissure has opened up between Ha City and Yangde City, completely separating both the cities. Water kept rushing out from underground and formed a river bigger than Jiangnan's canal."

After the day had brightened, Nangong Kou'er could finally see where she was. She was on a high mountain whose height was at least several hundred meters high above the sea level. She could see the entire Ha City from her location and felt as if she were dreaming, but that hotel was still standing intact at the peak of a hill. It painted a really exotic landscape which couldn't be created artificially.

After seeing this scene, she felt that she was really fortunate to have survived this earthquake without any injuries.

Papa Nangong's voice came through from the other side, "Kou'er, where are you right now? Dad will send the local military's helicopter to receive you."

More than half of Ha City was destroyed, so it wasn't possible for the rescue team to enter through the roads, the only way to rescue people was to use a helicopter.

Nangong Kou'er muttered to herself. Ha City wasn't that far from the place where Jiang Xiu was. She wondered whether he too had encountered an earthquake. If I leave, what about him? Do I abandon him? She came to an unfathomable conclusion, "I also don't know the location of the props so you can send for the helicopter once I'm certain of it."

She planned to stay behind to look for Jiang Xiu so they could return together.

"Take care of yourself then."

"Be safe."

"Keep in touch."

The sky cleared up gradually, and the people who had holed up inside began to come out. Someone appeared out in the streets, but the roads were bumpy and even had several meters deep holes everywhere. Even the medical personnel in the hospital had escaped, so the hospital was empty. The injured went there not knowing about this, and those who wanted to leave the city were isolated by the river which had popped up overnight.

Inside a shopping mall's huge screen, the news was being broadcast. There were also a few regions where there was a phone signal. The news was just reporting about the earthquake at Ha City. The rescue workers were making a supreme effort to create a blockade, and even the army had appeared. They were several kinds of speedboats coursing against the river's current with the intention to press on towards Ha City.

Looking at the full view of Ha City on the news, the people in the plaza panicked.

"The damage is so severe!"

More and more people were gathering in the plaza. Everyone seemed to have lost their senses after watching the screen. Their family and houses were gone, and the city was utterly devastated. They hoped for the government to rush over quickly and save them from this abyss of suffering.

Those at the base of the mountain began to walk down. The mountain didn't seem as if it had come up from underground at all. It was covered in trees and plants, there were even some rare species of plants here. Moreover, there was no path down the mountain so they could only climb downwards.

Taking advantage of her youth and quick reaction time due to playing sports, Nangong Kou'er also took the initiative to climb down. She planned to enter the city and look for a place to eat then go look for Jiang Xiu.

And right now, Jiang Xiu had gathered at an elementary school's entrance along with the villagers. Though the earthquake hadn't affected the village as severely as Ha City, many of their houses had collapsed. Last night, he had witnessed the destruction of Ha City from the viewpoint of his saber knife. Right now, several fissured had opened up in Ha City, many places had uplifted lands. Many small rivers had formed, and there was even a huge river. A lot of mountains seemed to have popped up around the city as well.

Earth had never experienced such a huge change in recent times. Moreover, he also felt as if some kind of change had occurred to this world. King Alex's words might have indeed come true. This world was really changing.

"Whoa!"

Looking at the photo of the Ha City in the news, the villagers all cried out in alarm. The destruction was too devastating and similar to those movies where the end of the world arrives.

It wasn't possible to evaluate the casualties right now, but it was definite that it'd be an awful number.

"My child is working part-time at the city."

"He must be fine, right?"

The early morning sunshine fell over the city, giving the people a bit of warmth. Jiang Xiu suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. His gaze swept across the area and discovered a pair of frightening eyes glowing in the darkness of a collapsed house. Sounds of breathing were audible as well. The voice sounded like that of a beast. This scene made Jiang Xiu recall the beasts he encountered in the ancient city, those strange organisms which weren't' from this world.

"O'Mother!"

A woman had just noticed it as well and cried out in fear.

That strange organism's build was quite huge and it looked very frightening inside the darkness of the house.

"What is that?"

"Is it a bear?"

There were bears in the mountains of Liaodong.

"Why would a bear come out of the mountain?"

Someone shouted, "What are you standing around in a daze for? Grab a gun quickly. Didn't that guy's house have a hunting gun? Go bring it quickly."

Everyone seemed to have woken up from their stupor.

The monster gave out a deep and low beastly roar from its throat, but it didn't dare to rashly leave the darkness of the house.

Is it afraid of the sunshine? Jiang Xiu pondered.

The natives of Liaodong were brave. After grabbing the gun, they pressed towards the monster with the intentions to see what it was. However, this act seemed to have thoroughly infuriated that monster.

It suddenly opened its mouth and roared, resulting in a sound wave rippling outwards. The villagers screamed as they were thrown backward due to it as if they were blown back by a hurricane.

That hunter got afraid and recklessly shot at the monster. It wasn't clear whether he had hit or miss, but the shadow exited the darkness and leapt 5-6 m in a single jump with extremely high speed.

Jiang Xiu's eyes opened wide. He finally saw the monster's appearance clearly.

It had a ferocious looking apppearance and had the figure of a lion with a scaled armor all over it.

"Lion Demon!"

The lion demon opened its mouth wide, revealing its terrifying jagged teeth as it bit towards the villager. Keeping aside its offensive power, just the strength in its jaws could allow it to bite off a huge tree, let alone a person's neck. That person screamed in fear.

Whoosh!

A stone whizzed out of the crowd at a terrible speed, and just like a bullet, it accurately hit the lion demon's head, piercing inside without any obstruction.

The lion demon suddenly twisted its head in pain due to the attack, followed by a roar as its body dropped down from mid-air then slid out a few meters due to the inertial force.

It dropped dead!

"What kind of monster is this?"

The villagers looked at the lion demon on the ground with fear. Its body slowly turned into black smoke, dissipating quite quickly and within half-a-breath, only its body's outline remained before it completely vanished.

"This is…"

The villagers all looked at each other in shock.

"A monster?"

An old man said, "It's possible. I heard that whenever a calamity happens, there are monsters creating trouble. This should be a monster. Was it killed by the bullet? I can see a hole in its head."

The hunter was stupefied. He had indeed fired the gun, but it was before the lion demon had pounced out.

Of course, the bullet hadn't killed it, it was Jiang Xiu who acted.

At this moment, Jiang Xiu was also feeling astonished about where this monster had come from. He wondered whether it had left the mountain due to the earthquake. This place was close to the mountains, and there were often unknown organisms such as mountain demons inside the mountains which had unique appearances that looked like a beast or a demon and were thus collectively known as monsters.

Mountain demons had a corporeal body while the lion demons didn't. They were part of the demon category who were afraid of sunshine.

"It really scared me."

This matter spread across the entire village. That a monster had appeared and got killed by a hunter. Since they couldn't do anything about the earthquake and as it had already passed, the villagers bragged about the matter with spittle splashing and ran their mouth like a torrent. This was one quirk of Chinese people, they were the first to run over and wherever the crowds went.

Jiang Xiu saw the store's boss, a woman called Aunt Cui there, "Lady boss, is the phone at your place still working?"

Aunt Cui replied, "It's working, go there and use it."

She didn't mind it as they were in the same village. Usually, she kept her store's door open, but no one stole anything.

Jiang Xiu came to the store then called Nangong Kou'er's number. This time, she picked up the call faster and immediately snarled at him, "You still have the face to call me? I almost got killed because of you."

"Aren't you still alive?"

"Bastard, you even have the nerve to speak sarcastically. Do you know a terrible earthquake hit Ha City yesterday? I almost lost my life. If it weren't for you, would I have come to Ha City? Would I have run into an earthquake?"

Jiang Xiu laughed, "It was exciting, right?"

After hearing her curse so much, he guessed she was fine.

Nangong Kou'er was genuinely infuriated by this guy's heartlessness. "I was the one who looked for trouble. Jiang Xiu, I can't come to find you. Think of some means yourself, okay?"

"Don't lie…"

Jiang Xiu said, "Ha City is completely paralyzed right now, so it's impossible to return to the Imperial Capital. You can only go north out of Ha City, and although there's a path to return from there, you'll have to pass through my side."

"I'll treat you to a bowl of bloated noodles at most."

Although Nangong Kou'er had said those words in a moment of anger, in fact, she was already on the road going towards the north and on the way towards Jiang Xiu's location on a jeep she rented at a small town.

"You want to dupe me into acting just for a single bowl of bloated noodles? Do you think I'm a little girl who is inexperienced with the ways of the world?"

"Two bowls then!"

"Jiang Xiu, you're really something. I came to this remote place from the Imperial Capital and even experienced an earthquake mid-way, and all I get for this is bloated noodles?"

"An extra egg as well!"

"Shut up!"

As Nangong Kou'er traveled north, she saw ambulances whistling on the roadside. Planes were flying across the skies towards Ha City. After asking directions from people, she finally reached Qinghe Town.

It was already noon now, and she had begun her journey in the morning. She was quite tired, so she stopped at the town to eat something then asked directions once again. The village Jiang Xiu was in was 1-2 hours away.

Before setting out, she purchased some medicine for the villagers who had helped Jiang Xiu. She wasn't doing this for Jiang Xiu, it was just that as the girl was born of a prestigious house, so she knew how the world worked.

When the car entered the village, it drew the gazes of everyone. She got down the car and came to the store. "Excuse me, is there someone called Jiang Xiu here…"

Aunt Cui was astonished by Nangong Kou'er's appearance, "He's here. You people from the Imperial Capital look quite pretty. That young man was handsome, and you look like a fairy as well."

I can accept it if you praise that I'm pretty, but that guy is just so-so, right? But she held these thoughts back and thanked her. "Where is he?"

"I'll take you there!"

Although the earthquake hadn't affected this place much, many old houses had collapsed, and the villagers were currently repairing them. They had got together and cooked up a big rice pan for everyone. Jiang Xiu had also gathered there to eat.

From a distance, Nangong Kou'er saw a man donned in a fashionable British windbreaker inside the crowd. He indeed looked out of the ordinary. She felt an indescribable feeling when she saw him. "Jiang Xiu!"

Jiang Xiu turned back to look who it was and welcomed her excitedly after seeing it was Young Lady Nangong. She wore a black fur coat which was tied at the waist with a similar colored belt and emphasized her waist's slimness. Her black boots seemed to bring out her leg's slenderness while her pretty face was hidden under the scarf of alternating white and red colors. She looked just like a lily enduring the colds winds. At the moment she appeared in this shabby place, the entire village seemed to brighten up and look like beautiful scenery.

Nangong Kou'er went over with an angry look on her face. Her pace carried a rhythm to itself as she walked over towards him yet he only kept gazing her. She couldn't help but glare at him, "Why are you looking at me so much? It's not like you haven't seen me before."

"I've seen you without clothes before, but this time…"

There were so many people in the surroundings, but this guy really dared to say it out. Nangong Kou'er's face blushed immediately. She was really infuriated and thought she shouldn't have acted softheartedly and come here to help him. "Bah! A filthy mouth like yours indeed can't say anything decent."

Young Lady Nangong also began to counterattack bluntly.

However, the Jiang Xiu before her indeed gave her a dazzling feel. Jiang Xiu was still the same Jiang Xiu, it was just that his face was so pretty that it made others gasp in amazement, just like the face of those legendary gods from the myths, it was a perfect face void of any blemishes.

Was this guy so handsome?

How come I didn't notice it before?!

"Jiang Xiu, is she your girlfriend?" the uncle came over and asked.

Nangong Kou'er rushed to explain, "Uncle, you're mistaken. We're just common friends. No, we're not even friends."

The uncle laughed. If you aren't even a friend, would you come here to pick him up?

"Uncle, these things are for you…"

They are medicine and weren't that expensive, so the uncle accepted them gladly. He didn't ask for anything when he saved Jiang Xiu, but since the other party wanted to repay him, he couldn't refuse as well.

"There's also this 10,000 RMB to thank you for…"

However, the couple refused it.

"Aunt, make two bowls of bloated noodles and add an extra egg in each…" Before Jiang Xiu could even finish speaking, Nangong Kou'er kicked him. This guy was really doing what he said.

"I'll prepare it for you!"

Nangong Kou'er had eaten something just a while ago, but the weather was pretty cold, and she felt hungry again, so she followed behind Jiang Xiu to the couple's home.

The uncle and aunt narrated the events of them saving Jiang Xiu from the river. Nangong Kou'er's eyes grew wide open after hearing this. She hadn't known about it till now.

It grew dark fast in winter, and since Ha City was paralyzed, the couple persuaded Nangong Kou'er to be their guest today.

It was all fine in the beginning, but the problem came when the time to sleep arrived.

The couple's home had two rooms, and since they believed that Jiang Xiu and Nangong Kou'er were a couple, they arranged the same room for both of them, leaving behind both of them with eyes wide open.

Nangong Kou'er turned vigilant, "Sleep on the ground!"

"Do you want me to freeze to death?!" Jiang Xiu retorted.

He occupied the left portion of the heatable brick bed.

Nangong Kou'er felt wronged. How can you act so shamelessly and think of taking advantage? But it was quite cold, and it really wasn't justified to make him sleep on the ground. The brick bed was warm as it retained the heat and she saw that it was huge enough for two people to sleep on it without any problem.

It'll be fine! She thought.

Nangong Kou'er slept sideways on the brick bed with her beautiful back towards Jiang Xiu. Her pretty eyes were wide open, and she was on guard.

However, Jiang Xiu had done nothing even after some time had passed. It seemed like he had fallen asleep, so she relaxed her breath and also felt a little disappointed. She felt a little hot and discovered that she was still fully dressed. Since it was pitch-dark, she decided to get rid of her coat, exposing the woolen garment inside, but she didn't dare to remove that as well. However, she couldn't bear the heat, so she removed that woolen garment as well.

In the darkness, Jiang Xiu whom she believed to have already fallen asleep was watching her lovely body, gazing at the curves of her plump butt. He gulped down, making a great effort to get rid of those thoughts which he shouldn't think of and even used a cultivation technique to bring tranquility to his mind, but the scene of both of them going wild in the room back in the past kept appearing in his mind.

Deity Xiu lamented. This is persecution to her or to me?!

Suddenly, Nangong Kou'er woke up from her sleep and sat up, sobbing in a low tone. Jiang Xiu also opened his eyes and saw she that her face was sweaty all over and eyes full of tears. "I'm scared…"

Jiang Xiu heard from her that she had woken up in the middle of the earthquake and it left a shadow in her heart. He guessed that she might've had a nightmare. How could our Deity Xiu miss such a chance to take advantage of her plight? He reached out to embrace her into his hug, but Young Lady Nangong pushed him away. Jiang Xiu was caught off guard and thrown off from the brick bed, falling on his back with arms reaching upwards.

Nangong Kou'er couldn't help but chuckle after seeing his sorry figure.

"Are you crazy?" Deity Xiu asked furiously.

"Who asked you to make a move on me?!" she retorted.

Jiang Xiu knew he was in the wrong and didn't want to argue with her. He wore a deadpan expression on his face after crawling back on the bed. Nangong Kou'er wanted to laugh but heard him say, "I was trying to comfort you… Do you really want a shadow to remain in your heart? I'd have committed a huge sin if I allowed that."

"Looks like you still have a conscience."

"This lady will allow you come nearer and speak to me…"

Jiang Xiu said, "Actually, there are several ways to alleviate mental pressure and fear. Not that I'm insisting on it, but we can do something else instead which will heighten your emotions."

"Don't make me despise you!" Nangong Kou'er replied.

"I don't mind it even if you despise me, I'm just afraid you'll call me someone worse than a beast when the moment comes."

Nangong Kou'er's eyes opened wide, "Acting immoral must be your second nature, right?"

Jiang Xiu said, "If someone acts immorally with you, you should be feeling happy as that means you're charming enough to make them act like that."

"Enough of your ridiculous reasonings!"

After a moment, she said in a soft tone, "Haven't I suffered enough already?"

Jiang Xiu said, "Come over here. I'll tell you a secret."

"What is it?"

"Come closer, how will I say it if you're so far…"

Nangong Kou'er's heart began to pound rapidly. She gathered her courage and went closer to Jiang Xiu, her eyes meeting with his glistening pupils in the darkness. She found it difficult to move her gaze away, and Jiang Xiu's throat became dry as well. He could notice the allure in her eyes clearly. He went closer to her, and this time, Young Lady Nangong didn't push him down the bed.

There was an unbloomed pistil on the outskirts which tried its best to bloom despite feeling shy, expressing its passion through blossoming. The wind blew quickly, making the leaves on the branches sway continuously amidst those pounding sounds which seemed to ravage a tender thing.

After a long time, Nangong Kou'er's gaze was fuzzy, filled with pain and madness. A sparkling drop of sweat fell on her eyelashes, and her forehead was completely sweaty. She felt hollow and couldn't even move a finger, yet her heart was 99% satisfied.

Young Lady Nangong felt as if she had a crazy dream.

She believed that she didn't like him, yes, she indeed didn't like him. Though reluctant, she could even admit that she didn't hate him, and all this was due to the ill-fated relationship they had on that afternoon. She believed it was just a physiological reaction, after all, she hadn't seen Jiang Xiu after that.

If nothing had happened to the Jiang family, the Nangong family would've married her to him to consolidate the political marriage between the families sooner or later. Actually, living together with him after marrying him would've been okay.

But now, the Jiang family had fallen already, and although the Nangong family was a big boat, it was too dangerous to wander the seas without having a dock to settle in, so it'd sooner or later look for another dock. When that moment comes, they might set another engagement for her. Since we can't be husband and wife, if I wish to look for an extramarital lover in the future, you won't mind becoming my lover, right?

Jiang Xiu was unaware that Nangong Kou'er was currently having such ridiculous thoughts. In fact, things like these were pretty common in elite families. The political marriages were for benefits, and after getting married, each had their own fun.

Nangong Kou'er called out to him softly, "Hey!"

Her weak voice expressed the limp and numbness she felt to the core right now.

"What is it?" Jiang Xiu asked her.

"We're just friends, and nothing more than this can happens between us. Got it?"

Jiang Xiu didn't catch on the meaning of her words instantly but understood what she was talking about soon. He felt this to be quite funny. However, this was the problem of Nangong Kou'er's reality. This girl knew she had to act with reason and stay calm, but acted on her emotions at the core moment. She was the one who suffered from this.

As for what went wrong, it was all due to that afternoon, the day this ill-fated relationship between them began.

Nangong Kou'er believed Jiang Xiu was angry since he hadn't replied to her, so she changed into a gentler tone, "Okay. If you run into trouble again, I'll help you…"

Light dawned inside from outside at this moment. It was almost dawn now. Nangong Kou'er didn't know whether to cry or laugh. If she didn't sleep now, she wouldn't get any sleep, so she closed her eyes and allowed the fatigue to lull her into sleep.

On the next day, around 10 AM, Nangong Kou'er came out of the room with high spirits. She wore a smile like that of a lily blooming under the blazing sun.

Only Jiang Xiu was there outside in the courtyard. He called out to her when she came out, "Good morning!"

Nangong Kou'er greeted him as well then asked, "Where's uncle and aunt?"

"They went to the town to buy vegetables. I guess they want to cook something tasty for you."

"Oh! But we can't stay here to eat lunch. We can't tarry at this unpeaceful place much longer. Leaving sooner is better."

Jiang Xiu nodded in approval.

Thereupon, they left the 10,000 RMB Nangong Kou'er had brought for the couple behind and left the village on the jeep.

"Where are we going?"

"Let's return to Ha City first…"

Jiang Xiu was astonished, "Wouldn't going there be inconvenient?"

Jiang Xiu naturally didn't know that Nangong Kou'er had to return to Ha City as she hadn't told her family that the reason for her trip this time was for this conscienceless guy. If she appeared together with this guy in such a remote location, her family would doubt her.

"Shouldn't you be the one listening to me?"

Jiang Xiu replied, "Since you listened to me last night, I'll listen to you in the morning."

"Bah!"

Nangong Kou'er's face blushed to her ears. She glanced at Jiang Xiu once, the amor in her eyes possessing a soul-shaking power.

Jiang Xiu said, "Stop at a region ahead for a while."

Nangong Kou'er said, "I'm not going to accompany you on your crazy antics, you shameless thing." She paused for a moment, "Right. Don't forget that money was mine."

"We two are who and who?" asked Jiang Xiu.

Nangong Kou'er couldn't suppress her laugh, "You are you, and I am me. Though my family is well-off, don't forget I'm still a student and not that wealthy. If you really want to repay me, you better take up the job of what you did last night."

"Hey, why do those words sound so displeasing?" Jiang Xiu said.

"It'd kill me to gather that much money. Shall I really take up that job then?"

Nangong Kou'er giggled at him.

"All's good if you understand that!"

Ha City was currently bustling with noise. Goods were being delivered frantically, and every part of the world was displaying its ample humanitarian spirit. After the two of them reached nearby to Ha City on the jeep, Nangong Kou'er called her home. The Nangong family immediately sent a helicopter from the Imperial Capital towards Ha City. It'd reach the city in 3-4 hours.

Jiang Xiu made her take him to the mountain which had emerged under the hotel which she was staying in. Most of the people on the mountain had already descended.

From a distance, the mountaintop seemed to reach the skies, and it was covered all over in flowers and plants as well as high-reaching trees of a species which had never appeared on Earth before. That five-star hotel stood on the tallest peak and painted a marvelous scene on the mountain.

Jiang Xiu looked at the mountain in front of him and pondered while furrowing his brows, trying to deduce the mountain's history. "Just where did this mountain pop out of?"

The mountain wasn't this tall when Nangong Kou'er had left. She commented without thinking much about it, "It came from underground. I was in the hotel then and felt as if the place was rising up to the skies. Maybe it went underground several years ago and emerged out due to the earthquake."

This is was what Nangong Kou'er felt after experiencing it personally and also the explanation the news media was giving.

After all, humanity had a short history, and although science and technology had developed a lot recently, nothing like this had ever happened in this world, and it'd be difficult for even a specialized archaeologist to prove this theory.

Dark clouds cluttered in the sky, lightning flashing across the horizon.

Jiang Xiu raised his head and looked at the sky with a sharp gaze. The dark clouds kept multiplying in number and darkness covered the sky. It seemed like a storm was brewing.

And this high mountain looked very odd under the thunder and lightning. The hotel on the mountaintop seemed to represent humanity's stand against the oppression of heavens. This gave a premonition of the arrival of turbulent times to Jiang Xiu.

Nangong Kou'er said, "Cursed weather! It's going to rain!"

If rain fell, it'd raise the difficulty for the rescue teams' operation, and helicopters would also be restricted as well. Especially so during a thunderstorm, helicopters were prohibited from flying during that such weather.

The clouds seemed to only gather above this mountain, and the sky was clear for the rest of the city.

Jiang Xiu became even more doubtful, "Just what is happening?"

Nangong Kou'er pulled Jiang Xiu along to run, "Walk faster. It's going to pour down heavily here. If you don't want to get sopping wet in the rain, better look for a place to hide from the rain."

The two of them sprinted quite far and arrived at a discarded supermarket. When they turned back to look, they saw that the dark clouds had already come quite low and within the darkness, the mountain appeared as if it had existed from the ancient times till now, displaying its sinister power to the extreme.

Rumble! Rumble!

Countless lightning bolts hacked down on top of the mountain. The mountain rocks got ruptured due to it, and the huge trees broke off at the midsection.

"Oh my God!"

Nangong Kou'er covered her mouth. She had never seen such terrifying lightning.

Rumble! Rumble!

Thunder kept resounding, and lightning kept falling, flashing across the skies before it dropped from the sky onto the mountain. The lighting formed an endless lightning net in the sky as it wreaked havoc as much as it wished.

"So terrifying!"

The ancient mountain remained unyielding, and firmly made its stand against the endless lightning.

"Why's there only lightning and no rain?"

Jiang Xiu didn't answer her question. He wore a grim expression on his face right now. After a few minutes, the lightning stopped, and the dark clouds covering the mountain dissipated, and not even a single drop of rain fell during all of this.

"This is too strange. Has the world gone crazy? The skies were covered with clouds and lightning kept falling, but there was no rain at all. This isn't scientific." Lady Nangong Kou'er was stupefied.

Jiang Xiu, however, smiled lightly in response. "It is scientific!"

This mountain wasn't allowed to exist in this world, and thus the heavens wanted to exterminate it, that's all.

"Is what those scientists say correct?"

"What did they say?"

"They say that the world is undergoing a change right now, that humans might evolve due to it and that this could even lead to the 3rd extinction of humanity." The information Nangong Kou'er had was inside news gathered by her family. The outer world still didn't have access to this, but many scientists around the world had come to a similar conclusion as unexplainable things were happening all over the world.

Dead trees were growing again, and some already extinct organisms were appearing in the world again.

"Hmm?"

After the lightning attacked the mountain, multicolored sunlight covered the mountain with a layer of resplendence. A haze formed of white mist covered the entire mountain and gave off an extraordinary immortal breath as if the whole place were a fairyland.

"There's spiritual energy…"

Nangong Kou'er couldn't help but praise, "It looks very pretty."

However, that immortal breath was just like the multicolored sunlight, it slowly scattered away. The mountain returned to becoming an ordinary mountain after that, or more accurate to say, it became a devastated mountain.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Xiu knew he hadn't mistaken what he saw. In that instant, the feeling he got was the same as that of an immortal land. Due to the divine punishment, this mountain had come to gain such potential. That is to say, this world was really undergoing a huge change.

Whoooom!

This was the sound of a propeller. Nangong Kou'er raised her head to look and revealed an excited expression on her face. "Jiang Xiu, our ride has arrived."

Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, but his gaze was fixed on that faraway mountain. By observing its terrain, it indeed felt a bit like an immortal land, but it couldn't be compared to the current state of the mountain.

The helicopter landed at a nearby vacant land.

The surrounding people watched the helicopter with rapt attention, sending an imploring gaze. They wished for help as they had nothing left, their city was destroyed, livelihood gone and didn't even have a house anymore.

A middle-aged man got down from the helicopter and ran towards Nangong Kou'er. "Miss, are you okay?"

Nangong Kou'er shook her head, "Third Uncle, I'm fine."

Her uncle saw that she was uninjured and her face was radiating with a glow so he relaxed his breath, "It's all well if you're fine."

"This is my friend whom I met on the way. Can we take him along as well?" She wasn't planning to introduce Jiang Xiu as his identity was a little sensitive.

Her uncle didn't ask about him as anyone she might've met on the way would be an ordinary person. He didn't even spare a glance towards Jiang Xiu. Ha City was in chaos right now, and they couldn't waste much time. The reason he was able to make this trip was due to the Nangong family using their influence and the time he had was limited.

"Quickly get on the heli. The situation here is quite bad."

"Mhm!"

After the three of them got on the helicopter, it took off immediately as if it were escaping from this place of calamity.

"Miss, the world isn't safe recently. Once we return to the Imperial Capital, please don't travel anywhere outside." Everyone wore headphones on the helicopter, and her uncle was seated in the front.

Her uncle said, "A secret document came over from the Genetics Division. Once you return home, the family will arrange a full-body inspection."

If they did a full-body inspection, the fact that she wasn't a virgin would be revealed. This was too embarrassing. Nangong Kou'er blushed then peeked towards Jiang Xiu. This perp was actually looking at the Ha City's scenery outside the window with a look on his face which seemed to say this matter was unrelated to him. She really wanted to throw him off the helicopter in a fit of fury. "There's no need for that. I'm not injured."

Her uncle replied, "It isn't due to a problem with your health. The full-body inspection is to determine whether they are any defects in the genes and confirm whether some people still have the ability to cultivate."

"Martial Cultivation? Didn't I already say I don't like it?"

Her uncle wore a solemn look, "It's different this time. It's genetic evolution and also a method to regain our ancestral form. It's possible to become a demigod or even a god!"

Jiang Xiu, who was looking outside turned back after hearing this.

"Demigod? God? What are you talking about?"

Her uncle finally recalled that there was another person on the helicopter, so he stopped talking about this topic. "We'll talk about it after returning home, okay? It isn't possible to explain it in such a short time. Anyways, you must follow the family's plans after returning home. A brand new era is about to begin. If our family wants to preserve our wealth and honor, we have to be a step ahead of everyone else."

Genuine elite families all possessed strong farsightedness, especially in such a turbulent era filled with opportunities. The determination, as well as the will to initiate, was the deciding factor of whether a family would prosper in the future, and as the children of the family, they were obliged to give their all for the family. Nangong Kou'er clearly understood this.

After the helicopter flew out of Ha City, it was as if they had returned to the human world from hell which was full of suffering. The blue sky was filled with white clouds and cities bustling with noise under it. Everything had returned to normal.

After 2 hours, the helicopter arrived at the Imperial Capital and descened in the Nangong family's home.

"Third Uncle, arrange a car to deliver my friend back home…"

Nangong Kou'er had no intentions to receive him as a visitor. She wished for Jiang Xiu to leave as quickly as possible lest her parents saw him. Her face was full of worry right now.

"Understood!"

Her third uncle had some kind of standing in the family, so he called a number and arranged for a car.

Jiang Xiu thanked Nangong Kou'er then left in the car. After covering some distance, Jiang Xiu made the driver stop and got down the car. He was worried that the Nangong family might research him and wanted to avoid this trouble.

After returning home, when he pushed the door and went inside, he found Lin Yueling waiting there.

He called out to her in surprise, "Mother, how come you're here at the Imperial Capital?"

Seeing her son return safe and sound after two months of no contact, Lin Yueling finally calmed down and laid down the worry in her heart. "Stinky brat, where did you run away for so long?"

"I went to Europe to do archaeology for student work."

"Why couldn't I reach your phone?"

Jiang Xiu took out his phone and placed it on the sofa, after which he too buried himself into the sofa as if he were very exhausted, "The phone fell into a river."

The most important thing was that her son had returned safely, so Lin Yueling spoke in a kinder tone, "Are you hungry? Shall I make something for you?"

Jiang Xiu nodded then asked, "Mother, you came to the Imperial Capital to look for me?"

Lin Yueling entered the kitchen, "Do you think your mother is so idle that I'd visit here for a stinky brat like you? I came for some other reason…"

Jiang Xiu didn't respond to her and began to speculate. Lin Yueling left the capital 20 years ago and didn't have anyone she was acquainted with in the capital now. He wondered why she had come over to the capital.

Jiang Yi needed her to take care of his life so she wouldn't have come here for anything trivial.

Lin Yueling turned back to glance at Jiang Xiu and saw that he didn't respond to her words, so she was forced to reveal the reason. "Your grandfather sent a group to Annan. Mayor Gu is already on his last stand and your second uncle wants the throne of the border region's governor position…"

"Grandfather?" Jiang Xiu's eyes narrowed. "The Lin family?"

The Lin family was an elite family of the Imperial Capital which was of the same grade as the Jiang family. The two families saw each other as archenemies and were political enemies. Therefore, both the families had opposed Jiang Yi and Lin Yueling's marriage.

The Lin family viewed Lin Yueling as a traitor.

When his mother had passed away in the previous life, Jiang Xiu had gone to the Lin family to announce her death and met his so-called maternal grandfather, uncles, aunts as well as a few cousins. Those people weren't the least bit sad after hearing the news of his mother's death. Someone even said that it's good she was dead and that she was already dead for them. They mocked and ridiculed Jiang Xiu severely. He could never forget that day; their apathy had given him the shivers.

None of the Lin family elders had come for his mother's funeral except for one of his cousin sisters.

"Why are they pestering us if they want to vie for the border region's governor position?" A cold sneer rose up on Jiang Xiu's face. Does the Lin family know I'm Mr. Jiang and are trying to forge a good relationship?

Jiang Xiu knew that these elite families had their eyes on all big shots. He wondered if they placed Mr. Jiang's name into their eyes.

Lin Yueling explained, "They know your father's case was redressed by Mayor Gu and that he got promoted thrice due to his assistance, so they think we have a good relationship with Mayor Gu. They want your father to reach out to Mayor Gu and work under him."

Jiang Xiu smiled coldly. So that's their angle.

The governor had a lot of authority regarding the successor, almost 30-40%. When the Diaoyutai is indecisive, and all the other parties vie too excessively, the words of the standing governor carried a lot of weight. Right now, it was precisely that kind of intense competitive time and the reason why the Lin family had set their eyes on Gu Dezhi.

Naturally, if the Jiang family didn't perish, the Lin family wouldn't have contacted Lin Yueling. Currently, the couple had no roots and facing such tremendous benefits, the Lin family was ready to use everything at their disposal. Lin family's traitor and all was nothing but a joke.

"What do you think?" Lin Yueling asked him.

"What do I think? How will the noble Mayor Gu be willing to listen to me!" Though the Jiang couple knew Jiang Xiu was Jiangnan's Mr. Jiang, they didn't know how much power he possessed.

His parents were after all children of elite families, so they didn't place much importance on underworld powers. Even if such powers had influence, it was limited to the underworld. At best, someone like that could use the capital they had to somehow rise up to the secondary official level, that's all. As for the Jiang family's fall, they didn't believe the reason for it was Jiang Xiu alone. The Jiang family had several political enemies and Crown Prince Ao's descent on Jiangnan was the tipping point while what Jiang Xiu had done was akin to the rat pulling out the radish.

Lin Yueling sighed, "They have put a lot of expectations on us."

The water began to boil at this moment.

She took out the noddle pack but accidentally dropped it down, so she crouched down to pick them up, "They want us to return for this year's spring festival as the Jiang family is no more. You father didn't oppose it as well, so we wished to know your intentions. If you don't want to go, I'll say we can't come there during the Spring Festival…"

After being driven out of the Lin family, 20 years had passed in an instant, so she naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to return. After all, it was her family. Jiang Xiu had observed all of this and shook his head internally. Lin Yueling had never really understood the mindset of these elite families, or it was possible that she had realized it but decided to turn a blind eye to it.

The reason she got driven away from the Lin family back then wasn't due to some betrayal or anything but rather because her actions had hurt the family's interests. To protect the family's interests, as well as to avoid the powers they were cooperating with from thinking she had sold the family's interests to the Jiang family, they had resolutely exiled her from the family to declare their position regarding this matter. The Jiang family also did the same to protect their own interests.

Affection was nothing in their eyes, yet Lin Yueling was using emotions to evaluate them. There was no doubt she'd get hurt again sooner or later.

"Alright. It's been 20 years since you returned anyways."

Since his father had decided to accept the olive branch offered by the Lin family towards him, though it went against his own aspiration, to complement the grief his wife had felt over these years, he had decided to accept it. As their son, he even more so couldn't deny his mother's wish.

Lin Yueling revealed a happy expression on her face, "It's decided then."

"It looks like the noodles aren't enough. Mother will add another egg for you!"

Jiang Xiu became speechless. It wasn't a question of whether there was egg or not. Looking at his mother act so happy, he didn't really wish to pour a bucket of cold water over her head. In case their family isn't able to be of use for the contest over the border region's governor position, the entire matter would turn ugly.

Lin Yueling sat in front of Jiang Xiu, "Right, I forgot to tell you one good news! Your father-in-law is already able to walk now. His recovery is going well."

This was within Jiang Xiu's expectations.

"Did you forget what you promised?"

Jiang Xiu asked in astonishment, "What are you talking about?"

"Hey! You stinky brat…" Lin Yueling's eyes opened wide, "You promised to return the Cheng Conglomerate back to your father-in-law. You can't go back on your words. Your father is good friends with him again, and there's also the relationship between you and Susu. You don't want our families to still have this issue parting us, right?"

"Isn't it just a lousy conglomerate? It isn't even worth going back on my word for it."

Lin Yueling scolded him with a smile, "Stinky brat, your tone is really quite big. Lousy conglomerate you say? The Cheng Estates has several companies in Jiang City, it's something your father-in-law spent his entire life to create."

"Alright." Jiang Xiu replied.

The Cheng Conglomerate had a net value of 3 billion. The Wang family's assets which he had in his hands was over 100 billion, and there was also the Golden Brocade Group, the Jiang family's money bank which he had annexed. In addition to this, he had also taken over 50% of Jiangnan's market, and although the movable assets he possessed weren't as high as 500 billion, they surpassed 300 billion. The two pieces of jewelry he purchased didn't even amount to much compared to this.

Recalling the jewelry he had bought, he wondered whether the Wang family had brought them back.

"Do it quickly. Sun Xiaohong came over to find me several times. Since you were unreachable, she believed you ran away."

"Do I even need to do that?"

"My cell phone is dead. I'll settle the issue once I get a new phone…" Wang Xintong's number was inside the phone. All he had to do was call her and make her transfer the equity shares she held, it was a simple matter. Once Cheng Hanlin took over the company and gathered his former subordinates, it wouldn't be much difficult for the Cheng Conglomerate to get back on track.

Lin Yueling was quite hyperactive, "Mother will help you get it repaired."

Saying so, she left Jiang Xiu who was eating noodles and ran out with the phone to get it repaired at a phone service shop.

After Jiang Xiu finished eating, he came to the poolside to take a walk and saw a beautiful woman stare at him grudgingly from the other side. The two of them were separated by 30 m with a rock garden and tall trees between them, but that couldn't stop her passionate gaze from reaching him, "You're back. Why didn't you call me?"

After handling Jiangnan's matters, Wang Xintong wasn't able to contact Jiang Xiu, so she returned to her villa and waited for Jiang Xiu. She almost felt like she was becoming a fossil.

"I just came back!

Wang Xintong made a gesture indicating him to call her, but Jiang Xiu stepped on the pool's surface and walked over towards her.

Walking on water was nothing to Jiang Xiu. He entered Wang Xintong's courtyard and casually sat on the rattan chair as if it were his own house. Wang Xintong pouted playfully, "Do you want me to tell you the important events again?"

She sat down opposite to Jiang Xiu then said, "Jiangnan's annexure is already done. We've already taken over 70% of the businesses owned by the people who died. The total profit is over 600 billion. Jiangnan's economy is soaring up rapidly and this affair didn't bring any slump in the economy. After annexing, I already resold some heavy industry factories as those assets were too huge…"

Jiang Xiu waved his hand, "Tell me what I want to hear."

"The Long family came looking for you. They want to seek shelter under your name. Ever since Heaven's Gate was destroyed, the Long family hasn't had an easy time in China and received a lot of suppression."

Jiang Xiu shook his head, "I don't care about the Long family's matters."

"Tell me something interesting."

"When you went missing, a prophet in U.S. claimed that this world is going to experience a huge change, that it was showing signs of returning to its primordial state. Naturally, this wasn't due to a fallback in science and technology but rather because humans are regaining their ancestral form. The world's primordial state has been expressed in the Holy Bible, the Dao Scriptures as well as the Buddhist Scriptures."

"Some time ago, an American Indian experienced a variation. He gained the ability to fly in the sky. He was just the first. After that, several people began to gain supernatural abilities. They can easily do what martial artists have spent their entire lifetime to achieve. Europe and America believed that this was due to them regaining their ancestral form and that humans are descendants of God. Therefore, they believe these people who appeared are divinity users."

Jiang Xiu recalled King Alex's words. A world of neither Yin nor Yang. He also recalled the mountain which had baselessly appeared from underground in Ha City. The fishes in the pool were jumping in and out of the water cheerfully while the sunlight passed through the tree leaves, making the water surface shine with a resplendent glow. He sighed, "In other words, the entire world is doing what Li Bodhi had done?"

It's just that back then, what Li Bodhi had done went against the will of heavens, but now, what the world was doing conformed with the heavenly law.

Wang Xintong couldn't make sense of his words, "Eh? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Continue speaking…"

"After this divinity user appeared, a few demigods of U.S. went to find him and understand the situation but they suffered a fierce resistance. They had fought the American Indian together but were defeated by him easily. This really shocked the entire world. After this, another divinity user appeared in Europe, but was easily defeated by a European demigod. It seems like there's a difference in power between these divinity users and a huge gap exists between some of them."

"The U.S. began to research regarding this immediately and some European financial groups have also started investing into such research. Soon after, our army was also reformed and a revision was made in the areas which need protection. All the elite races of China have also begun to pour funds into genetic research so they can gain their ancestral form again."

Jiang Xiu interrupted her, "Take the Long family in and annex them into your Wang family's martial artists. Also, notify Bodhi Gene to change their name into Heaven Treading Palace and admit divinity users into the palace then proceed with genetic research."

Wang Xintong's expression warped, "So a new age is really arriving?"

"Maybe! Did a girl called Xie Ting or someone called Xie Sanxian comes to find me?" His eyes flickered with a tranquil gleam. If a new world was indeed arriving, it'd be the world of the Holy Woman of the desert city, she was the origin of all this. She'd also have the answer behind their Fire God's sudden disappearance because the world they were located in back then wasn't their original world.

The person whom Jiang Xiu had saved from the river wasn't Xie Ting but rather the Holy Woman which was described in their writings. He felt it was strange that Xie Ting was calling him Big Brother Jiang Xiu all of a sudden.

Did she know me before?

Of course, it's also possible that she might've inherited Xie Ting's memory and that she held him as a big brother in the depths of her heart.

Wang Xintong said, "I'll go check the visitors' record. After the battle with Heaven's Gate, many people came to look for you so I made my secretary record all their details. You can take a look at it and decide yourself about whom to meet."

Jiang Xiu nodded then said, "Right. Transfer the Cheng Conglomerate back to Cheng Hanlin. Some things should be returned back."

"Okay. It's just a small estate company anyways. In fact, even that Myriad Base project is a small-scale project with low profits but they actually created so much trouble over it."

"Is there anything else?"

Wang Xintong revealed an alluring expression in her eyes, "In the time you were gone, I learned a new type of dance. Shall I dance for you?"

Jiang Xiu wore his usual indifferent face when he heard this, but a rush of blood had gone up to his head, making a bit excited. "How about later? My mother went to get my phone repaired so she'll be returning soon."

"Oh!"

Wang Xintong bit her lips, making a disappointed face.

Jiang Xiu got up to leave. Wang Xintong's gaze was fixed on his back, she felt a little grieved, but he actually stopped walking then extended his hand towards her, "Let me feel your pulse."

Wang Xintong didn't understand why he was asking her to do it, but she stretched her hand towards him, "You know medicine?"

Jiang Xiu didn't say anything and checked her pulse.

He naturally wasn't checking her condition but was instead checking if she possessed spiritual vessels. Those so-called divinity users were bound to have some kind of divine artifact on them or have spiritual vessels or might even possess some special divine race characteristics.

"How is it?"

Wang Xintong blinked her eyes, looking at Jiang Xiu with expectation.

"Mhm!"

Jiang Xiu mummed then turned back without explaining anything to her. He walked on the water surface and returned back to his home, leaving behind a confused Wang Xintong.

"Did it go well?"

Lin Yueling returned back after 30 minutes. It wasn't feasible to repair the cell phone, so the service shop had transferred the data into a new phone which she bought for Jiang Xiu.

"The matter is already settled. The documents will reach Cheng Hanlin today."

"That's good then." Lin Yueling was satisfied with her son's actions. "Right. Your grandfather will send someone here soon, they just called me."

"Will you call Mayor Gu?" Lin Yueling asked.

He held over 600 billion of Jiangnan's economy in hands right now. Just a single year's GDP of Jiangnan was 2 trillion, so this amount was pretty considerable. His words held no lesser weight than Mayor Gu's towards the Diaoyutai.

If he wanted to help, he could do it pretty easily, but Jiang Xiu had no intentions to support the Lin family. If he had to make a choice, he'd choose to help Gu Dezhi.

The doorbell rung just at this time.

"Uncle Xian must've come." Lin Yueling said happily. She went to answer the door and discovered a man with a smile on his face there. Jiang Xiu had seen this man in his previous life but didn't remember his name.

"Yueling!"

Uncle Xian's hair was a little grey, and he had bags hanging under his eyes, but he had a healthy figure. He was Old Man Lin's personal secretary and acted as the Lin family's manager right now. After staying at the Lin family all his life, he had become half-a-member of the Lin family and also considered himself as a part of the Lin family.

"This must be your child, right? He has grown up."

He sized up Jiang Xiu and frowned when he saw the apathetic expression on his face. He couldn't be considered as just a servant of the Lin family. He was akin to a 3rd ranked court minister, an amazing person who wouldn't just act for anything.

"Uncle Xian, please take a seat!"

He understood Lin Yueling's circumstances. In her early years, Jiang Yi had suffered through misfortune, and she had gone through bitter days. He wasn't expecting her to make a comeback in her life at this point. She even had such a lavish villa, and her son was studying at the Imperial University.

"Why did Father send you over? Did he want you to tell me something?"

Lin Yueling acted quite politely towards her elder.

"Nothing much. He just sent me to see how you are. You've come to the Imperial Capital after so many years but still haven't returned to the family, so the old father, as well as the lady, are both worried."

He targeted the softness in Lin Yueling's heart with just a few words, making tears well up in her eyes.

"Are they healthy?"

"They are."

Jiang Xiu sneered at this act. He already understood what angle the Lin family was going to play. If Jiang Yi hadn't made a comeback or didn't have any ties to Mayor Gu, the Lin family would've never even spared a glance to their family. And now, they were hypocritically saying they are worried about her and what not as if they had deep emotions for her, making Lin Yueling bawl.

Jiang Xiu had some understanding of the Lin family. In fact, 10 years ago, after Old Man Lin withdrew from the scene, the Lin family was unable to match the Jiang family and as there weren't any remarkable talents in the next generation, their standing slowly dropped among the elite families.

Letting a member of the Ling family nab the position of the border region's governor would allow the Ling family to overturn their decline over the past decade. This was a rare opportunity, and the Lin family wasn't in a situation where they could wait any longer. Old Man Lin was growing old, and once he passes away, if there weren't anyone from the family in a high position, the Lin family would become the next Gu family. No, they wouldn't even be equal to the Gu family then as the Gu family still had the governor, Gu Dezhi as well as a big shot in the army, Gu Dekang.

Uncle Xian said, "I hear Jiang Yi is going to take the helm at Jiang City?"

Lin Yueling smiled, "Yes!"

Even Jiang Xiu didn't know about this. His father was being promoted at a very high speed. Lin Yueling explained the reason for it, "That's also due to Mayor Gu's help. Before the second-tier retirement, Jiang Yi got promoted again and obtained the post of Jiang City's Deputy Mayor."

After getting promoted with kind of rocket-like speed, Jiang Yi had already boarded the last train for his age. In the future, it'd be hard for him to take another step forward when considering his age as no opportunities would present themselves. Gu Dezhi even disregarded the second-tier retirement status and put a lot of effort into getting Jiang Yi promoted.

If seen from another perspective, it was clear that Gu Dezhi had bet his Gu family's future on Jiang Xiu.

Uncle Xian sighed, "Mayor Gu really shows great concern for Jiang Yi!"

This kind of promotion speed was rarely seen, and it wasn't like Gu Dezhi was a huge tree which covered the heavens. His political life had gained an enormous risk due to these actions, and from this, it could be made out that Gu Dezhi and Jiang Yi don't have an ordinary relationship.

Everyone in Jiangnan's officialdom knew Mayor Gu showed a lot of concern for Jiang Yi, this fact was as clear as a monk's bald head. The Lin family had also realized this, and this dropped at their door.

Lin Yueling laughed, "Indeed!"

She glanced at Jiang Xiu. The reason Mayor Gu regarded Jiang Yi as important was due to Jiang Xiu. Her son was the genuinely crucial person. It all depended on him whether Mayor Gu will give face to the Lin family and help them.

Only, there was no point in revealing this matter.

Uncle Xian sat down and chatted with Lin Yueling for a while. He often mentioned exciting stories from the past and would inadvertently mention how concerned the old master, as well as the old lady, were about her. He even said that her room was the same as always, nothing had been moved from there, but when Jiang Xiu had visited the family in his previous life, it had been turned into a storeroom for broken furniture.

An hour passed by as they chatted, "Yueling, Little Xiu. Many people in the Lin family are against the old master's decision to let you return to the family. After all, our family has a deep hatred for the Jiang family and Jiang Yi is, in the end, a member of that family. Little Xiu also took the surname Jiang as well. If something awkward happens, please don't take it to heart. If someone causes trouble for you, come to find Uncle Xian. I'll teach them a lesson."

Lin Yueling nodded with a complicated expression on her face, "Thank you, Uncle Xian."

"I'll be leaving then. I look forward to your arrival."

Just as he was about to leave, a sound came from the entrance. Cheng Lingsu had returned back after class. Usually, she didn't come here except for weekends, but since Lin Yueling was at home, she took time to accompany her mother-in-law and acted quite cleverly and lovably in front of her, spending a great time together.

"Mother!"

Uncle Xian was astonished. Ling Yueling had a daughter?

"This is?"

Lin Yueling smiled, "This is my daughter-in-law. Little Xiu is already married. She's called Cheng Lingsu, a lovely obedient child."

"Susu, this is Uncle Xian. Call him Great Uncle Xian, okay?"

Cheng Lingsu called him 'Great Uncle Xian' cleverly.

A strange expression rose up on Uncle Xian's face. Back then, the Lin family had also set down an engagement for Jiang Xiu to counter the Jiang family's proclamation. Now that the Jiang family was no more, he believed this would fall in the Lin family's lap, that Jiang Xiu would marry the daughter-in-law they had chosen. He never thought Jiang Xiu had got married while he was still studying in university. This was just…

Though he didn't say anything, Lin Yueling had made out the change in his expression. However, this was one thing she would persist with and never back down, so she had to mention it.

After Uncle Xian left, Cheng Lingsu noticed Jiang Xiu sitting in the living room. Astonishment filled her eyes. "You're back?"

"Mhm!"

Jiang Xiu gave an indifferent reply.

"Stinky brat, Susu's been thinking of you every day, and you reply in such a way to her? Treat her properly else I'll teach you a lesson." As the mother-in-law who stood on the daughter-in-law's side, she berated Jiang Xiu.

This made Jiang Xiu gloomy.

Cheng Lingsu hadn't seen him for a long time, so she wanted to see if his attitude towards her had changed, but she saw blatant provocation inside his eyes and this infuriated her a little.

"I'm going upstairs to take a bath!"

Saying so, he ignored them and got up to go upstairs to his room. Lin Yueing asked, "Only Susu can bear such an enigma like you. Did you bring any gifts for Susu from Europe?"

He had bought gifts, but there was nothing for Cheng Lingsu.

After taking a bath, Jiang Xiu went to Wang Xintong's place. The jewelry pieces had been brought back and were currently in her home. He watched her dance in passing then returned home with the jewelry.

After dancing, Wang Xintong laid down on the ground in a completely exhausted state, letting the warm colored lighting reflect on the sparkling sweat on her lovely body. Her mind was occupied by the gaze with which Jiang Xiu had looked at her. She reached out towards the ceiling with a silly smile on her face, "Baddie!"

…

Jiang Xiu knocked on Lin Yueling's door. She was currently going through an old photo album while sitting on the bed. She saw Jiang Xiu come in and said, "I was going over my old student album. What is it?"

She hoped he had come to talk to her about the matter regarding Mayor Gu.

Jiang Xiu took out the crown pendant he had bought for 100 million euros. This piece wasn't suitable for younger people. Articles like these were usually worn by the elders, and this piece was a perfect match for Lin Yueling.

"For you!"

This was the first time Jiang Xiu had given her a present, comprising both his previous and current life. Lin Yueling was really happy by his gift, feeling endlessly gratified yet also equally rueful. "Son, you've grown up."

Well, well. A gift alone had caused her to say he'd grown up.

"So pretty. It looks a bit European…"

"It is a European piece, an ornament belonging to the Royal family of Eastern Europe. Only, nowadays, the clothes all are a little European, so this piece suits those clothes well. I'll buy you a Chinese ornament later on."

"There's no need for that. I was just babbling without thinking. I'm quite happy that you bought a gift for me. Is this thing quite expensive?"

"Nope, it's just 100 million euros!"

Fudge! Our old madame almost fell down from the bed.

"100 million euros?"

Jiang Xiu nodded, making a disapproving expression as if 100 million euros was nothing. "I said I'll make you the most respected woman in this world."

Lin Yueling recalled the first time she had heard these words, it was back then when she was still selling fruits under the blazing sun. Her eyes teared up, "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Jiang Xiu made a serious face, "Continue looking at the student photo album. I'll be leaving now. Don't stay up too late."

Lin Yueling placed the pendant in a safe place, thinking that such a thing must be stored safely. In case they had to return to the way they lived before due to a stroke of misfortune, this piece would show its usefulness then.

However, our Empress Dowager's next words almost made Deity Xiu lose his footing and slip, "Susu is really bringing prosperity to her husband. Ever since she has married into my family, my son's prospects are growing more and more."

No matter how indifferent our Deity Xiu was, he really wanted to shout out - In what damn way is this related to Cheng Lingsu?

This was simply being unreasonable and almost akin to using the knee to think instead of the brain. According to logic, Cheng Lingsu had no contribution towards the money he had obtained till now.

He pushed the door to his room open and discovered Cheng Lingsu lying on the bed after taking a warm, fragrant bath. She even had a book in her hand and was reading it diligently. She had left one half of the bed for him as she knew he wasn't able to sleep properly before. One day, she had even discovered him outside the quilt when she woke up. "Did you have fun in Europe?"

"I didn't go there to have fun."

"I've never gone to Europe. I planned to do so after graduating from high school but…" She didn't say the rest as her home had gone bankrupt after that, causing her to drop this plan.

Jiang Xiu also didn't want to suffer on the sofa, so he laid down on his side of the bed. The quilt was full of Cheng Lingsu's body fragrance which gave a relaxing feel. Cheng Lingsu stopped reading and turned off the lights. As for Jiang Xiu, maybe it was due to the carnal act he had committed with Nangong Kou'er or due to watching Wang Xintong dance, he wasn't able to sleep.

"Will you come to participate in my university's event tomorrow?" Cheng Lingsu asked quietly in the darkness.

"I'm not interested!"

Cheng Lingsu didn't mention it again. As the campus diva, it was quite a troubling thing that a flower protector wasn't willing to come.

In the darkness, her pupils glowed with a silver gleam which was exceptionally pure and holy.

It's a pity that as Jiang Xiu was ignoring Cheng Lingsu from his innermost core, he didn't notice this at all.