Chapter 40: He Is Not Worthy

“Interesting.”

Jiang Wang smiled.

“Are you going?” Ling He asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Jiang Wang turned to An’an and said, “Brother will take you to eat and drink recklessly. How about that?”

Jiang An’an nodded her little head very seriously.

Ling He then began straightening his clothes and casually took up his sword.

“Hey!”

Jiang Wang stopped him.

“You don’t need to come with me. It’s not like I’m going to fight.”

Meeting Ling He’s gaze, Jiang Wang added, “Don’t worry. The Fang family isn’t that stupid.”

Ling He thought about it and felt that made sense, so he put down the sword again and sat cross-legged.

For him, if there was nothing else to do, he could cultivate all day.

Cultivation contained its own world.

Cultivation was joy in itself.

…

While walking toward Moonwatch Tower, An’an suddenly looked up and asked, “Is the Fang family bad people?”

“Oh?”

Jiang Wang looked at her with interest.

“Why do you say that?”

“I saw even Brother Ling He wanted to hit them,” Jiang An’an said.

Jiang Wang laughed.

With Ling He’s personality, it truly was rare for him to show hostility toward anyone.

“Then we won’t go eat,” Jiang An’an said again.

“That won’t do. We have to go eat, and we have to eat with style and skill,” Jiang Wang deliberately said. “Eating bad people poor means we’re doing a good deed. Understand?”

Jiang An’an bit her thumb and nodded thoughtfully.

Smack!

“No biting your fingers!”

Wangjiang City had a Wangjiang Tower, grand in structure and famous far and wide.

Maple Forest City had a similarly named Moonwatch Tower, but by comparison, it was far inferior.

The building was not tall, only three floors. Yet it bore the name “Moonwatch,” which inevitably failed to match reality and only invited laughter.

However, the dishes inside the tower were rarely matched in quality. Because of that, business had always flourished in Maple Forest City.

Jiang Wang carried Jiang An’an into Moonwatch Tower and was immediately led by a Fang family servant into a private room.

A middle-aged man with a composed temperament and a refined face stood to welcome him.

“Worthy nephew!”

When his gaze fell on An’an, his smile became even more amiable.

“This must be your younger sister? How adorable.”

Jiang Wang had met Fang Zehou before.

Back when he and Fang Pengju had been close, Fang Zehou had invited them to meals more than once. At that time, Fang Zehou had appeared deeply caring toward his nephew, placing great hopes in him.

After Fang Pengju died, because his death was disgraceful, not a single member of the Fang family had been willing to come forward and bury him.

Jiang Wang had no desire to be his “worthy nephew,” so he greeted him, “Greetings, Clan Head Fang.”

“Not yet, not yet.”

Fang Zehou smiled, then beckoned. He took a string of golden beads from a servant and handed it toward Jiang An’an.

“It’s our first meeting. Uncle has a gift for you!”

Jiang An’an turned her head away and buried her little face in Jiang Wang’s arms.

In her little head, she had long since decided this was a bad person. She was not even willing to speak to him.

As Jiang Wang placed Jiang An’an properly before the table, he said, “The little girl is shy around strangers. Don’t take offense. Let’s forget the gift. Officer Fang, why don’t you speak plainly? Why did you invite me here this time?”

Fang Zehou had donated money to obtain the position of assistant magistrate, a proper official post. Calling him “Officer” was not out of place.

“No hurry, no hurry.”

Not the slightest embarrassment appeared on Fang Zehou’s face. He waved for the servant to put away the string of golden beads, then said, “First try this place’s signature dish, lotus leaf chicken.”

Jiang An’an had already made up her mind to eat the bad guy poor, and was just about to begin when Jiang Wang pressed her down with one hand.

Jiang Wang picked up his chopsticks and tasted every dish on the table one by one. After savoring them for a while, he selected several plates and placed them before An’an.

“Brother has tasted them for you. These dishes taste the best.”

Jiang An’an originally wanted to complain a little, but the fragrance of the lotus leaf chicken kept drilling into her nose. Now she had no time to complain. She reached out, tore off a chicken leg, and began gnawing on it.

Fang Zehou’s smile remained warm throughout, as though he did not notice Jiang Wang’s wariness at all.

“The bond between you siblings is truly good,” he praised.

“I’m just raising her as best I can,” Jiang Wang casually brushed it off.

Jiang An’an glared at him, but her mouth was too busy. She could only angrily bite another mouthful of chicken wing.

Jiang Wang paid it no mind and continued asking, “I wonder why Officer Fang invited me this time…”

Fang Zehou suddenly gave a long sigh, and his expression grew heavy.

“Regarding Pengju’s matter, our Fang family owes you an apology.”

Since Fang Pengju was involved, Jiang Wang could not help becoming serious.

No matter what had happened, Fang Pengju was already dead. The grudge had ended with him.

Jiang Wang did not want, nor did he need, to keep pursuing a dead man’s spirit tablet.

“It’s already in the past,” Jiang Wang said.

“Although worthy nephew says that, my Fang family cannot fail to show our sincerity.”

Fang Zehou pushed a small box across the table.

“Inside are one hundred taels of red gold, merely to express our apology.”

“Fang Pengju’s matter was already answered for by himself.”

Jiang Wang no longer had the patience to continue circling around. He did not even look at the box of gold.

“If you have something to say, say it directly.”

Fang Zehou nodded.

“Pengju was once the hope of our Fang family. His future was limitless. He died by your hand in a death duel. Although it was his own fault, my Fang family has never troubled you over it in the slightest, correct?”

“Correct.”

This was the truth. Jiang Wang had no need to deny it.

“Now, Uncle has one matter to ask of you.”

Jiang Wang looked at him, signaling him to continue.

Fang Zehou said, “After Pengju died, among the younger generation of our Fang family, only Heling could still be considered somewhat promising. I could only suppress my grief and place all the care I once had for Pengju onto Heling. He has also been very diligent, cultivating with great effort. His cultivation has even surpassed yours. But…”

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, knowing the main point was coming.

“After that battle with you, his confidence was shattered. His whole person collapsed. He shut himself in his room and drowns his sorrow in wine every day. If this goes on, I worry he may… become a cripple from this point onward.”

At this point, even an old fox like Fang Zehou had a trembling voice.

That was, after all, his only legitimate son.

“So?” Jiang Wang asked.

“These words are difficult to speak.” Fang Zehou said, “But Uncle shamelessly hopes that you can go apologize to Heling. Say that during the duel, you used… dishonorable means. Help him regain his confidence.”

Jiang Wang almost wanted to laugh.

“How am I supposed to admit to something I never did?”

“It won’t be for nothing, it won’t be for nothing!” Fang Zehou hurriedly said. “After the matter is done, in addition to this box of red gold, I will present another hundred taels of red gold! You only need to pretend to lower your head once…”

Jiang Wang tapped the box of gold with a bent finger and indeed laughed.

“The Fang family has produced cultivators before. If I recall correctly, Old Master Fang is an eighth-rank Zhou Tian Realm cultivator? What meaning do so-called gold and silver have to cultivators?”

His fingers rested on the small box and gently pushed it back.

Fang Zehou immediately pulled a small brocade box from his robes, carefully opened it, and placed it before Jiang Wang.

The fluctuation of dao essence within the brocade box instantly attracted Jiang Wang’s gaze.

“Inside is a dao essence stone. To a cultivator, I believe this has meaning.”

Fang Zehou seemed very sincere.

“As long as you lower your head slightly, it will be yours.”

This dao essence stone was, of course, meaningful!

Compared to the gold, silver, and jewels of the mortal world, dao essence stones were the true hard currency of cultivators. They could assist cultivation and could also be used to replenish consumption at any time.

Furthermore, the dao essence stone before him had never been used, its portion complete and full, containing a full one hundred dao essences.

For Jiang Wang, as long as he absorbed this dao essence stone, he could almost immediately meet the standard for foundation establishment!

Now he finally knew why Fang Heling had been able to establish his foundation so quickly, and even approach the completion of a minor heavenly circulation.

But Jiang Wang merely closed the box gently.

“Perhaps, as you say, lowering my head is not worth even a single coin.”

He pushed the brocade box back as well.

“But Fang Heling is not worthy.”

He had been the one constantly provoked.

He had been the one forced to fight.

Where was the logic in him apologizing?

If Fang Heling lost and collapsed, who could he blame?

Was weakness naturally righteous? Did being weak mean one had reason?

The dao essence stone was important.

But principles were more important.

“Even if not for yourself, you should consider your younger sister,” Fang Zehou slowly said. “She is still studying at the private school, isn’t she?”

At this moment, Jiang An’an was still using both hands, eating with her head lowered, her mouth greasy. She had no idea what the adults were discussing.

Jiang Wang’s gaze instantly tightened, and for the first time, killing intent emerged so clearly and without concealment.

Fang Zehou forced himself to look directly at him, and unexpectedly felt the urge to jump out the window and flee.

Only now did he realize that the youth before him was completely different from his son.

He was no fragile sapling raised in a greenhouse.

He was a young wild beast who had already weathered wind and rain and struggled to survive!

“Hahahaha.”

Jiang Wang suddenly laughed loudly several times, stood, and scooped Jiang An’an into his arms.

“We’re not eating anymore. Let’s go home.”

No matter what he thought inside, he would not act brave and ruthless before Jiang An’an, nor would he place Jiang An’an in danger.

“Mm… mm…”

Jiang An’an swallowed the meat in her mouth with difficulty. Her body was already in Jiang Wang’s arms, but her eyes were still fixed on the dishes on the table.

“Consider it… me begging you!”

Behind him, Fang Zehou said this.

But Jiang Wang had already carried his sister out the door without stopping.

…

(End of Chapter)