The morning sunlight filtered through the hospital curtains, brightening the otherwise dim room.
Although Jiang Feng’s room was a private one, sounds from outside occasionally drifted in as the doctors began their rounds. The originally quiet space gradually became a bit more lively, infusing the somewhat cold hospital with some energy.
On the bed, Jiang Feng slowly exhaled a deep breath, his tightly shut eyes suddenly opening wide. A flash of piercing light gleamed in his eyes, and with a swift motion, he threw a punch, creating a faint whooshing sound in the air.
“First layer of body refinement, it’s done!”
He took a deep breath and, with a hint of joy, jumped down from the bed. After a week’s time, he had finally made some progress. Though his body still appeared weak and fragile, his strength was now incomparable to before.
“Still too slow, still too weak!” Jiang Feng sighed to himself.
In his mind, there were at least a hundred ways to quickly enhance his power, but Earth was very different from the cultivation world. The spiritual energy here was so thin it was almost undetectable.
Furthermore, his original body had been shattered by a tribulation thunderstrike. After his soul seized a new body and was reborn, only the strongest remnants of his soul remained. His primordial dantian had been destroyed, and his strength had plummeted to the lowest point. Everything had to start from scratch, beginning with basic body refinement.
Of course, if his original body had not been broken and his spiritual energy intact, he could have directly practiced higher-level techniques, refining his body and qi with his primordial power. That would allow him to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment quickly and proceed with true cultivation. However, this body had long since lost its innocence years ago, and such an approach was now out of his reach.
The initial breakdown of his cultivation had been hard for Jiang Feng to accept. Although he prided himself on being a genius in the cultivation world, he knew well enough that he was far from the true prodigies like the saints and holy maidens. His strongest trait wasn’t talent, but his unwavering will as a powerful individual.
“Since I’m here, I’ll make the best of it,” Jiang Feng thought confidently. He believed he could overcome his current difficulties. Plus, he knew alchemy and talisman crafting. Both pills and talismans could greatly make up for the lack of spiritual energy and quickly boost his strength.
However, his current power was still too weak. He needed at least the Foundation Establishment stage to craft even the simplest of pills. Additionally, his understanding of this world was still lacking, and whether he could find spiritual herbs and an appropriate alchemy furnace was uncertain. As for talismans, they were impossible to make at this stage. Even the most basic talisman required him to be in the early stages of Qi Refining.
Luckily, Jiang Feng wasn’t too concerned. He had his own unique understanding of cultivation. All he needed to do was start over and cultivate again from scratch. As long as there were no obstacles in his cultivation methods, he was confident he could solve any problem that arose.
Around 8:30 a.m., after finishing breakfast, Jiang Feng heard a knock on the door.
A well-dressed middle-aged man entered and respectfully said, “Young Master Feng, the old master sent me to bring you back.”
Jiang Feng nodded lightly. “Let’s go.”
The black Mercedes-Benz slowly entered the Jiang family’s villa complex and stopped in front of the large iron gates of the main villa.
The middle-aged man got out of the car, opened the door, and greeted Jiang Feng to get out.
“Young Master Feng, the old master and others are inside. Please follow me,” the man said.
Jiang Feng walked inside with large strides. As he entered the gates, a young man stopped him. With a smile, the young man said, “Oh, isn’t this the famous Young Master Jiang? How come you didn’t give us a heads-up after you got out of the hospital? I could have gone to pick you up.”
The young man, slightly older than Jiang Feng, smiled, but his eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.
“No need, I can return on my own,” Jiang Feng said flatly.
“You can return on your own? You really have the nerve to say that? If I were you, I wouldn’t have the face to come back,” a sharp voice sounded from behind as another young man approached.
The two men looked strikingly similar, clearly brothers. The one who spoke first was named Jiang Hao, and the one who spoke second was Jiang Ping. Jiang Feng recognized them after a moment’s thought—they were the sons of his Uncle Jiang Jingyun.
Jiang Feng was used to their attitude. After all, they had often mocked, ridiculed, and bullied him in the past. Even in his memories, he had been filled with deep fear of these two.
Jiang Feng couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Despite his current miserable situation, he still found time to flaunt their wealth and chase after women. No wonder people called him an idiot and a waste of space. Even he himself couldn’t help but feel frustrated by his own situation.
But that was the past. Now was the present. He smiled indifferently and said, “Oh, really? Then tell me, why do I not have the face to come back?”
Jiang Ping grinned, raising his phone. “Young Master Jiang, don’t you know you’ve made a name for yourself? Riding horses at Huadian Racecourse, chasing after the number one beauty in Yanjing, Ye Qingxuan? Your boldness was truly eye-opening.”
He dragged out the words, his tone dripping with mockery. What he said wasn’t admiration; it was clearly sarcasm.
“You’re talking about Ye Qingxuan, the number one beauty in Yanjing? I did chase after her. What, do you want to chase after her too? It’s not enough just to think about it; you need to take action. But looking at you two, it seems like you don’t have the guts,” Jiang Feng retorted sharply.
Jiang Hao and Jiang Ping’s faces changed simultaneously. They stared at Jiang Feng in disbelief, never expecting him to speak like this.
In the past, they had bullied Jiang Feng as much as they wanted, but now, this waste actually dared to fight back?
“Heh, I heard Young Master Jiang has guts, shouting in the racetrack that you want to marry Ye Qingxuan. I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems you really do have the courage. Don’t tell me you’ve gone mad after staying in the hospital for a few days?” Jiang Ping sneered.
“Get lost!” Jiang Feng replied impatiently.
“What did you say?” Jiang Hao pointed a finger at Jiang Feng’s forehead and shouted angrily.
“I said, get lost!” Jiang Feng repeated the same words, his tone unwavering.
“Haha—” Both Jiang Hao and Jiang Ping laughed loudly. But before their laughter even faded, Jiang Hao suddenly raised his hand and slapped Jiang Feng across the face.
In the younger generation of the Jiang family, he was the absolute authority. No one dared to challenge him, and this waste certainly wasn’t going to get away with it.
The sharp slap echoed in the air, and Jiang Ping grinned widely, imagining the perfect scene of Jiang Feng being slapped.
However, before he could enjoy the moment, his expression changed drastically. The slap didn’t land on Jiang Feng’s face, but on Jiang Hao’s!
In an instant, Jiang Feng had countered. His hand flew out, slapping Jiang Hao’s face with a loud crack, leaving behind five bright red fingerprints. Jiang Hao’s face turned crimson with rage, while Jiang Ping stood there stunned.
“You dare to hit me?” Jiang Hao couldn’t believe that this waste actually slapped him. He was furious and immediately swung more than ten punches at Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng didn’t dodge. Instead, he kicked Jiang Hao to the ground with a single motion. As he walked away, he called out, “Next time I tell you to get lost, you’d better stay far away. Don’t provoke me, or I’ll make you regret it!”
“Chi!”
Jiang Ping inhaled sharply, his eyes wide in disbelief as he watched Jiang Feng walk away. He was completely stunned. When had this useless, weakling turned into such a formidable person?
Moreover, he even dared to strike someone—was he planning to defy everyone?
Jiang Feng had no intention of defying anyone. His principles in life were simple: if anyone dared to touch a single hair on him, he wouldn’t hesitate to take that person’s life.
As soon as he stepped into the villa’s hall, Jiang Feng felt a cold chill hit him. Looking up, he realized the living room was full of people. At the center sat Grandfather Jiang, surrounded by his eldest uncle, father, and third uncle, along with some female relatives and younger members. The entire direct family of the Jiang clan was present.
Grandfather Jiang sat in the center, his face contorted with anger. His father looked solemn, while the eldest and third uncles glared at him with fury. Jiang Feng couldn’t help but smile wryly. This was quite the spectacle!
Grandfather Jiang, with his silver hair and age spots covering his face, still appeared energetic. Seeing Jiang Feng, he didn’t wait for him to ask any questions before yelling, “Unfilial grandson, kneel!”
Jiang Feng strode forward, standing tall and proud in front of his grandfather. His posture was straight as a spear, and he coldly responded, “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I kneel?”
“You’re still making excuses?” Grandfather Jiang’s beard and hair stood on end, furious as he shouted, “Do you even realize the trouble your foolish actions have caused our Jiang family?”
“Xiao Feng, you’re getting too full of yourself now that you’re stronger. You don’t even consider the consequences of your actions, do you?” The sarcastic tone came from Jiang Feng’s eldest uncle, Jiang Jingyun, who had always been displeased with him. Whenever there was a chance to lecture him, he never let it pass. “You’re almost twenty now! Can’t you use your brain a little more when you act? Have you ever thought about the consequences? The things you did at the Huadian Racecourse—what rational person would do those things? I’m so disappointed in you!”
“Xiao Feng, you act too rashly. Do you even know what kind of person Ye Qingxuan is, or what kind of family the Ye family is? What do you expect by shamelessly pestering her? You only make us seem weak, as if we can’t even educate our own children properly.”
Jiang Mingfei, the third uncle, spoke with a heavy tone. He was always the peacemaker in the family, calm and unflappable, never taking sides.
But Jiang Feng could easily see that compared to Jiang Jingyun’s open hostility, Jiang Mingfei’s gentle but manipulative tactics were the most dangerous and difficult to deal with. Though Jiang Mingfei held no real power in the family, he controlled the economic affairs of the Jiang family, and his influence should never be underestimated.
Jiang Feng’s pursuit of Ye Qingxuan was certainly driven by his admiration for her beauty, a spur of the moment decision, but it was also his desire to achieve something and earn respect.
In contrast, Jiang Feng’s father, Jiang Hanyu, was the most mediocre of the three. For years, he had held a trivial position in a government department with no sign of promotion. He seemed content with this, spending his days drinking tea and watching birds.
Because of Jiang Hanyu’s eccentric personality, Jiang Feng had always been close to his grandfather. Grandfather Jiang had once placed great hopes on him and trained him carefully, but Jiang Feng’s repeated failures and trouble-making had disappointed him. As a result, they had grown distant. This time, without a word, his grandfather had ordered him to kneel—this was clearly serious.
“Uncle, third uncle, you don’t know the full truth of the matter, so please stop speaking.” Jiang Feng said calmly.
“What?” Jiang Jingyun was furious. He slammed the table and shouted, “What do you mean we don’t know the truth? We know all about the foolish things you’ve done! Do you really think you can hide it from us?”
Jiang Mingfei’s anger also flared. He thought about the rumors he had heard and raised his hand to throw the teacup at Jiang Feng’s feet, saying, “Xiao Feng, you really disappoint me. Look at yourself—do you talk to your elders like that?”
Jiang Jingyun and Jiang Mingfei, one fanning the flames, the other adding fuel to the fire, were only making the situation worse. Grandfather Jiang was shaking with fury, shouting, “I told you to kneel! Are you deaf, or is my word no longer valid?”
Jiang Feng shrugged indifferently and said, “I won’t kneel. If anyone likes to kneel, they can do it themselves.”
“You’re a disgrace! Kneel when I tell you to!” Jiang Jingyun’s anger surged to its peak.
Jiang Feng furrowed his brows, slowly and firmly shaking his head. “I won’t kneel!”
“Good! You have some backbone. No wonder you’re a Jiang! Let’s see just how strong that backbone of yours is!” Jiang Jingyun stepped forward, pressing his hand on Jiang Feng’s shoulder. He growled, “Kneel!”
Jiang Feng remained motionless, giving him a grin. His hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Jiang Jingyun’s wrist, twisting it sharply, and with a swift kick to his knee, Jiang Feng sent him crashing to the floor.
Thud!
Jiang Jingyun dropped to his knees.
“If you like kneeling so much, then go ahead and kneel,” Jiang Feng said coldly.
Boom!
The villa’s living room erupted in an uproar!
“He’s defying us!”
“Jiang Feng, how dare you strike your uncle! You’re an unfilial son!”
“Jiang Feng, how could you do such an unthinkable thing? Kneel down and apologize to your uncle right now!”
Jiang Feng listened to these remarks, his eyes scanning the room before he sneered coldly, completely unfazed. He wouldn’t kneel to anyone, not even to heaven or earth. No matter who demanded it, even the king of heaven wouldn’t make him kneel!
Jiang Jingyun was from a special forces background. Though he was over fifty, he was still in top physical shape. Usually, three or four men couldn’t even get close to him, let alone someone like Jiang Feng, who was nothing but a waste of space.
He had expected that a simple press would be enough to force Jiang Feng to kneel, but he never anticipated this turn of events. Before he could even react, Jiang Feng had grabbed his wrist, disarmed him, and kicked him to the ground.
Humiliated and enraged, Jiang Jingyun roared and swung his other hand at Jiang Feng’s arm.
Jiang Feng scoffed and, with a flick of his arm, easily tossed him outside the door.
A dull thud echoed from the distance.
The entire room fell silent, everyone taking sharp breaths, shocked by the arrogance and recklessness of it all!