Chapter Seventeen: The Fierce Warrior Lady
In the back alley of the county office, Jiuying Lane, several prestigious families resided there.
After the sun had completely set, those noble households began preparing their evening meals. From Jiang Xu’s dimly lit room, one could catch a glimpse of a side entrance of one such household.
There were three comings and goings through that side door, each person being thoroughly checked.
After observing, he stood up and took the paper he had written earlier, which listed venomous plants like Demon Snake Vine, Ghostface Fruit, and Soul-Devouring Scorpion...
These were naturally poisonous spiritual plants.
Beneath that paper was another sheet detailing a profile of Jiang Chentian’s personal guard, Yu Ran.
Carefully folding the papers, he placed them into a small mustard seed pouch, preparing to head home.
The marketplace echoed with the clamorous calls of gamblers, while outside the Drunken Joy Pavilion, a female cultivator’s scanty attire barely concealed her pale, ample chest.
The more chaotic the world, the more prostitutes there were, their laughter and quarrels blending into an endless murmur.
Jiang Xu entered a store selling candied fruit and came out carrying a small bag filled with colorful wrapped sweets.
His home was far, and he needed to hurry back. The road was dark, and once, he had been very afraid.
When his mother locked him in a dark room as a child, he was terrified. But now, he was no longer afraid—because he had a child.
On this road, heavy with endless anger and despair, he walked on.
Love could conquer all fear; love could summon boundless strength to overcome every hardship.
Finally, he heard the loud calls of his child. Night had fallen, and even the chickens and ducks had long gone to sleep. After passing through the darkness, he returned home.
...
“Big brother, did you hide some candied fruit? I can already smell it!”
Jiang Lin looked at his silly little sister with a puzzled expression; she was definitely hungry again...
“Ah, I know! It must be Daddy coming home!”
With that, Jiang Yunyun excitedly ran to the door to open it.
She opened the door and saw her father standing not far away in the dark, walking briskly toward her, carrying a large bag.
...
Jiang Yunyun happily ran toward her father—yes, her father—chasing after the candied fruit in his hand.
Jiang Xu watched the young girl running toward him and handed her the sweets, smiling as all the anger in his heart vanished like smoke.
...
The stars rose as usual, and Jiang Haohai was once again forced to witness the daily display of affection between adults.
His mother placed a large bowl of black dragon’s gallbladder, resembling blood calluses, in front of his father.
“Husband, this is a good thing; you should eat it!”
Jiang Haohai had heard that gallbladders tasted bitter, and the dragon’s gall was probably no different.
To be honest, he was glad to have his gourd. Otherwise, he feared his mother might one day lose her mind and force him to eat it too.
Jiang Xu’s mind momentarily went blank. Though he recognized the item, he was still stunned by his wife’s boldness.
“Yao Mei, where did this dragon come from? It’s so big—it’s a bit hard to eat!”
“Well... I was just wandering outside, and this injured old dragon collapsed right in front of me...”
His mother glanced around nervously, avoiding his gaze.
Seizing the moment of discord between his parents, Jiang Haohai quickly injected immortal water into the dragon’s gallbladder, emptying the gourd’s contents once again.
Exhausted, he grew sleepy right after.
Jiang Xu stared at the bowl, struggling to accept it—it was incredibly bitter, worse than any medicinal herb.
Taking a deep breath with the resolve of a warrior about to sacrifice himself, he swallowed the entire bowl in one gulp, leaving not a drop behind.
The bitterness tore at his heart, and he hurriedly took the cup of spirit spring steeped with floral honey that Yao Mei handed him, gulping it down noisily.
After drinking, he shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
He had already seen the wounds on Yao Mei’s arms, so no matter how bitter, he had to finish it all.
He also knew Yao Mei was probably deceiving him—there was no such foolish spirit dragon that would just collapse in her path; it wasn’t some petty trap.
Moreover, Yao Mei never dared to look him directly in the eye.
...
After enduring the ordeal, Jiang Xu picked up his little daughter whom he had not held properly all day and couldn’t help but want to give her a big kiss.
Jiang Haohai watched his father trying to kiss him after just finishing the dragon’s gall, and immediately began to cry loudly, waving his arms and legs. Jiang Xu laughed heartily.
The harsh years had worn his handsome face, but at this moment, his laughter lessened the weariness, revealing traces of youthful carefree joy.
Jiang Haohai looked at his father in a daze. He rarely saw his father laugh so freely, without any bitterness.
He felt a sense of anticipation, wondering what changes the immortal water would bring to his father.
His mother, after drinking it, seemed to transform into the mightiest general in the world, her strength immense, her cultivation speed unlike before, as if soaring from Qi Refining straight to Foundation Establishment, approaching the early Golden Core stage.
He suspected the immortal water had awakened her long-suppressed spiritual energy, finally unleashing it fully toward the Golden Core.
His eldest brother, after drinking the immortal water, recovered from illness, and his cultivation speed had definitely improved—his spiritual roots must have changed too. As for other effects, he couldn’t yet tell.
As for himself, his spiritual root had surprisingly transformed into a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and his five senses as well as his mental acuity and resilience were stronger than ordinary cultivators. But since he was still young and had not undergone systematic cultivation training, he had yet to draw Qi into his body. However, he was not in a hurry.
He hoped his father’s health would improve quickly, that the lingering illness caused by the false accusations from that clan would vanish, and that he would become even stronger.
Song Liyao also hoped her husband would become healthy and robust after eating the dragon’s gall, even secretly wishing for another son!
Tonight was another painful night for Jiang Xu. He hadn’t slept all night because he nearly had to stay in the outhouse...
Jiang Haohai was vaguely aware of some things, but since he had been dreaming, he was not worried for his father’s life; he believed he would recover in a few days.
Jiang Yunyun, of course, heard nothing, as her dreams were filled with giant spirit chicken legs, huge meat buns, big candied hawthorns, rich spirit rock sheep milk porridge, and large candied fruits, all delighting her thoroughly.
Though Jiang Xu was tormented through the night, he bore no resentment. After all, his body had been weakened and chilled to the bone when his Heavenly Spiritual Root was previously extracted. He needed to adapt to any stimulating substances, so such a potent tonic would naturally provoke a strong reaction.
Moreover, Yao Mei’s intentions were good. Seeing her covered in wounds made his heart ache. He knew she kept herself tightly wrapped to avoid worrying him, but when she fell asleep, he saw many wounds through the moonlight.