Chapter 247: Chapter 177: Jiang Shu Returns Home! Dad, Mom, Is There Food? (Seeking Monthly Votes)_2
The girl with a sketchpad in hand walked up to Jiang Shu and began speaking as if they were old friends.
She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, her youthful face bearing the simplicity of one who hadn’t yet been seasoned by the world.
"The previous social gathering was rather dull, but today, it’s not only boring but also leaves me speechless. Right from the start of the party, all I heard was my dad and a bunch of people inquiring who Martial Saint Jiang is and whether they could get an introduction. He also repeatedly emphasized that once I return to the country, I must do my best to gain admission to the Jiangnan Academy and study Martial Arts. He said that as long as I can establish a connection with Martial Saint Jiang, I’ll have nothing to worry about in the future."
"It’s all too complicated, really."
A gentle breeze brushed the girl’s forehead, lifting her bangs. She stretched lazily, taking in a deep breath as she gazed at the seamless blend of sky and sea, as if longing to immerse herself completely in this realm of freedom.
Looking at the girl’s fresh, youthful demeanor, Jiang Shu’s mind involuntarily conjured up an image of Jiang Yanyue.
He used to shuttle between Two Realms, immersed in Martial Arts, and had rarely spent time with his family. This time, he hadn’t returned for a full half year. He had no idea how his parents were doing or if they had aged from worry over him. He wondered if his Yanyue had made further progress in her Martial Arts training. If she had reached the stage of Dark Force, would she choose to descend into the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm? Back in the village, she used to run far away from even the sight of a chicken being slaughtered. Descending into the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm... she wouldn’t be scared out of her wits, would she?
Jiang Shu couldn’t help but form a smile, just as he was about to say something.
Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind.
A middle-aged man anxiously searched around, and upon spotting the girl, he strode over with vigor. Two clearly Dark Force-level bodyguards in suits followed closely behind him.
"My treasure, Yun, come back with Daddy. Don’t worry, this time, Daddy definitely won’t get drunk."
The middle-aged man bent down slightly, first exhaling a few breaths of alcohol into the air, his voice tinged with an unmistakable note of appeasement.
"Sir, thank you for looking after my daughter. Here’s my business card, thank you."
Seeing his daughter nod in agreement, the middle-aged man laughed heartily as he offered Jiang Shu his business card.
This cruise ship wasn’t accessible to just anyone. Jiang Shu’s attire seemed utterly ordinary. However, having achieved his current status, the man naturally knew better than to judge by appearances alone. Moreover, today was different from the past. After returning to the Xia Country, everything from the past might need to be settled, and making one more ally could be beneficial in the future.
"No trouble at all."
Glancing at the title "Chairman of Starlight Group" on the business card, Jiang Shu smiled but didn’t take it.
The middle-aged man didn’t mind, naturally pocketing his card again before leaving with his daughter.
"Yun, why are you hanging your head? Still angry with Daddy?"
After walking a few dozen steps, the middle-aged man couldn’t resist asking.
"No, that’s not it."
Under the sunlight, her straight legs kept swinging.
The girl’s voice was clear but soft, "I’m just wondering how that young man could look completely different before and after?"
"Different? What did he do to you just now?!"
The middle-aged man paused, his eyes flashing with an unrestrainable killing intent.
The people on this cruise ship were mostly wealthy and noble, but at the same time, none of them had clean hands. If that man had actually done something to his daughter, he would make sure the man couldn’t return to the Xia Country!
"Dad, what are you thinking? I mean, that young man’s face... it’s like he had plastic surgery in an instant! When I first saw him, he didn’t look like that," the girl said petulantly, shaking her head. She continued, "Dad, you know I study art. I might not have a photographic memory, but I usually get a good impression of faces. This shouldn’t be possible. Besides, when I was looking down earlier, I definitely remembered his original face. It was much better looking than the one he had later."
As she spoke, the girl took up her sketchpad, pulled out a pencil from her pocket, and quickly began to draw. Soon, a handsome face emerged on the paper, catching the middle-aged man’s eyes.
"Here, he looked like this at first."
Passing the sketchpad over, the girl lifted her head. Then, she saw her father—who always claimed that "Mount Tai could collapse before him without his expression changing"—his pupils constricting violently, his entire body trembling involuntarily.
His expression was an unreadable mix of joy and fear.
She had never seen such a look on his face before.
"Dad..."
"This is... Martial Saint Jiang!"
Uncharacteristically, he didn’t respond to his daughter; his voice was tinged with an uncontrollable mania.
He hastily glanced back, looking for the man who had stood on the deck before.
Gone without a trace. As if he had never existed at all.
After watching the middle-aged man search fruitlessly before finally heading helplessly to the social gathering, Jiang Shu’s figure reappeared.
He had no interest in the pleasantries of the social event. To him, any sort of networking or connections couldn’t compare to a pair of fists. The fist is power! To clench your fists is to hold power! Only the path of Martial Arts can truly place a person at the summit of the world.
The moon hung high in the sky. Perhaps because everyone was eager to return home this time, the cruise ship traveled quickly, arriving in the Xia Country by the following afternoon.
Without disturbing anyone, Jiang Shu activated his Primordial Power and left the East Sea International Cruise Terminal using Concealing Steps.
He immediately took the highway, overtaking countless speeding cars, and headed rapidly towards Ji City.
「Ji City.」
「Zhen Shui Mansion.」
"Li Zhi, what would you like to eat today? I’ll go buy it," Jiang Yongyi glanced at the somewhat stale vegetables in the kitchen and said to Xu Lizhi, who was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.
"I don’t have an appetite. Just something simple," Xu Lizhi’s voice carried an undeniable exhaustion. She glanced at the orchid on the windowsill, withered from long neglect, and lowered her gaze.
Since the Special Class Merit plaque was delivered home, all the relatives had been praising Jiang Shu for his achievements. But only she and Jiang Yongyi were having nightmares almost every night. What’s more important than her son being healthy and safe?
"You still need to eat something. Look how thin you’ve gotten this past month. When Shu was leaving, he told us both to practice Martial Arts diligently. If neither of us are even Enlightened Martial Artists when he comes back, how could we show our faces?" Jiang Yongyi tried to force a smile, walked over to the sofa, and whispered, "Yanyue recently exchanged some exotic beast meat from school, saying it nourishes qi and blood. I’ll go buy some vegetables and make a light soup. How does that sound?"
"Mm."
After a long moment, Xu Lizhi nodded.
A mother knows her daughter best. She could clearly sense that after her daughter advanced to a Dark Force Martial Artist, she seemed to know something and was deliberately keeping it from her and Old Jiang. She could guess, but she dared not ask. If she didn’t ask, there might still be some hope. Perhaps her son really was on some important mission. Maybe he would return tomorrow. She always tried to hypnotize herself this way, but when insomnia struck deep into the night and she awoke in a daze before dawn, it was still just her and Old Jiang.
"Alright, I’ll go now." Jiang Yongyi rubbed his hands; he was also distressed. But in the family, someone always had to stand firm.
He turned his head, sighing helplessly. Just as he was preparing to leave...
Outside the door, the fingerprint lock suddenly clicked. The door creaked open a sliver.
"Yanyan is back, huh? Didn’t you say yesterday that the school was holding an important event and you might be busy for a few days, possibly out of touch? Why the sudden..."
The worried frown on his face vanished instantly, his expression changing faster than a face-changing master’s.
Jiang Yongyi smiled naturally towards the door, muttering nonstop, until the face he hadn’t seen in half a year appeared before his eyes.
"Dad, Mom, you’re both here. Your son is back."
"I came in a hurry, so I didn’t bring any gifts."
Jiang Shu shook his empty hands, took off his shoes, stepped onto the soft mat, rubbed his stomach, and said, "Is there any food? I’m hungry."