Jiang Chenâs eyes lit up. His fatherâs swordsmanship skill was the best he had ever seen, not to mention that he was a Venerable.
On the other hand, the Dark Soldiers had gotten rid of their first battalion, as well. The mountain town was once again safe for a moment.
âIâll go help,â Jiang Qingyu said in the air. Then he flew out of the city.
Jiang Chen thought it was a good idea for his father to sound them out, since it was unwise to turn to the warship when they were still ignorant of the dynastyâs battle power.
Then he went to the east courtyard.
After Jiang Chen had left for the Sacred Institute, Gao Yue had come back to the Southwind Ridge from the Redcloud Peak, too.
Since Jiang Chen wasnât there, she didnât have any reason to stay at the Redcloud Peak. The east courtyard was her home.
Gao Yue was standing in the yard nervously. She had heard rumors saying the dynasty had sent troops to attack the Southwind Ridge.
âMother.â
Suddenly, an unexpected voice could be heard. Gao Yue was pleasantly surprised. She looked up and saw Jiang Chen walking over rapidly.
âSon!â
Gao Yue hugged her son emotionally.
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly. He almost couldnât breathe.
âSon, why are you back now? Do the troops out there have anything to do with you?â asked Gao Yue.
âYes.â
Jiang Chen told her the whole story, including how the Black Dragon City had been eliminated, how the Murongs and the Sus had come to their rescue, and how they intended to eliminate the Jiang Mansion with the aid of the Xia Dynastyâs emperor.
Gao Yue understood the key points and asked, âWhat about your father? Is he back, too?â
Her voice was trembling. Her beautiful eyes were full of hope.
âYes. Father is fine. Heâs fighting against the troops outside, taking the mountain people into the city to keep them safe,â said Jiang Chen.
âGreat. Thatâs great!â
Gao Yue was jumping happily like a teenage girl, waving her arms. She said, âIs your father completely recovered?â
âYeah.â
Jiang Chen was pretty confident in his medical skills.
âSo we still have a chance.â
âMother, is father very strong?â
Gao Yue nodded and said with a smile, âHeâs been on the Master List since before you were born. Then he practiced in seclusion at the Southwind Ridge. When you were four, your father was already strong enough to be ranked number one on the Master List. When you were ten, he was invincible throughout the Fire Field.â
âHeâs that great?â Jiang Chen held his breath. He had thought his father was only an average Reaching Heaven State.
âWhat about fatherâs master? He must have been a great Venerable.â
Jiang Chen was wondering how a great Venerable had died so easily.
âNo. Your father is actually stronger than Taoist Priest Skywind, but not many people knew that before he was imprisoned by the Black Dragon City. So he is thought of as weak and dependant on Taoist Priest Skywind.â
âI see.â
Jiang Chen felt proud. He was the descendent of a powerful man.
âI wouldnât have been a perfect match for your mother if I werenât that good,â Jiang Qingyuâs clear voice came from the sky.
But when Jiang Chen looked up, he saw nothing.
âYue!â
âQingyu!â
When Jiang Chen looked down again, Gao Yue and Jiang Qingyu were hugging emotionally, gazing at each other tenderly.
ââŠâ
Jiang Chen, still single, felt hurt by that scene. He coughed harshly.
Not until then did Gao Yue realize their son was still there. She pushed Jiang Qingyu away shyly.
âDonât even mention that. That woman despised the poor and sucked up to the rich. She broke up with our son after the Black Dragon City caught you,â Gao Yue complained.
âWell, you never know.â
Jiang Qingyu smiled naughtily.
Jiang Chen liked such a joyful atmosphere, but at the thought of their current situation, he said involuntarily, âFather, what about the troops?â
âTheyâve retreated,â said Jiang Qingyu.
âTheyâve retreated?â
âYeah. I cut all of their generalsâ heads off. Of course they had to retreat.â
Jiang Chen was surprised. He said, âIs that what you meant by âhelpâ?â
âYeah. What else could that have meant?â
âI thought you were going to shield the others in the mountains.â
Jiang Chen tumbled to a realization. At the same time, he felt confused. He asked, âBut father, you just mentioned we were going to fight and that youâd talked with someone. That wasnât necessary, was it?â
âI meant the fight with the dynasty. Weâll go to the capital to cut the bullsh*t emperorâs head off. What do you think?â Jiang Qingyu smiled.
âAh!â
Jiang Chen looked over. He was shocked. That was something heâd never thought about.
âThe dynasty sent Xue Jingtian to subdue me. Now theyâre sending troops here, intending to eliminate my clansmen. Son, do you think I should let that go?â Jiang Qingyu said seriously.
âDefinitely not.â
Jiang Chen suddenly came to himself and said excitedly, âFather, was the leader of the Natural Law School the one you talked with?â
âThatâs right. As long as you agree to be the next leader of the Natural Law School, theyâll be on our side and fight with us.â
Then Jiang Qingyu shifted his attention to Gao Yue again. He put his arm around her thin waist and said caringly, âYue, youâve lost more weight.â
âYou stink.â Gao Yue was embarrassed. She frowned as if she really hated the smell.
âAhem, really not my fault. The Black Dragon City didnât allow me to bathe.â
Not until then did Jiang Qingyu start to think about his appearance. He touched his messy hair and wished he could wash right away.
But he suddenly paled and grasped Gao Yueâs wrist hard. He said, âYue, why are you in the Gathering Yuan State? We agreed you would never fight again.â
Jiang Chen was full of regret. He came forward and said, âFather, itâs my fault.â
Then he told his father about the fight with Li Qin.
âIt was unexpected. There was nothing we could do to stop it from happening.â Gao Yue was quite optimistic. Among the three, she cared the least.
âI tried so hard to practice in order to take you back to the Gaos and tell them youâd made the right choice so that they could give us the antidote you needed. I didnât expectâŠâ Jiang Qingyu looked to be in pain. If Li Qin had been alive, he would have killed her and cut her dead body into thousands of pieces.
âIâm fine. My lifespan has recovered. As a Gathering Yuan State, I donât have to fight anymore. Itâs all right,â said Gao Yue.
âYue, youâre from the Gaos. Your phoenix blood is the purest. I donât want you to be ruined by my love. Thatâs the last thing I want to see. Back then, you shouldnât have taken the poison without telling me first.
âIf youâre with me, but become an average woman living in the mountains, I wonât forgive myself,â said Jiang Qingyu.
âIâm really fine,â Gao Yue said again.
âAhem. Ahem.â
Jiang Chen coughed again. Before Jiang Qingyu looked over, he hurried to take a pill out and said, âMother, father, Iâve refined the antidote. Just take it.â
Under Gao Yue and Jiang Qingyuâs surprised gazes, Jiang Chen said again, âMotherâs status deteriorated due to the poison, so I added something into the antidote. If it works as expected, motherâs strength will recover. If it doesnât, there wonât be any secondary effects, either.â
âJiang Chen, really?â
Gao Yue and Jiang Qingyu looked at the pill. They couldnât believe the thing theyâd dreamt about had appeared like this.