Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Han Family Parents Driven Mad

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Gong Huimin cast a disdainful glance at Jiang Heng. “Young Master Jiang, look at her, then look at you. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Idiot!” Jiang Heng’s retort infuriated Gong Huimin to the point of near madness. Her eyes bulged like a night owl’s, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“What’s the matter? Insulted you by calling you an idiot and still not convinced?” Jiang Heng sneered. “All those debts she owes—weren’t they all gifts from me? Oh, when I give, I’m just being generous and bold, but when that kid does it, it’s earth-shattering, right?”

“But…”

“No buts!” Jiang Heng snapped irritably, “What do you have to do with any of this? Don’t think that just because you interfered, and I broke up with Han Jingyue, you have a chance. Don’t even dream it!”

That statement utterly enraged Gong Huimin. “Me? Dream on! Even if every man in the world died, I wouldn’t look at you.”

“Then all the better!” Jiang Heng shook his head. “I always heard you badmouthing me to Han Jingyue, thought you were jealous and wanted her to dump me for you. Well, if that’s not the case, then great—I can’t want someone like you either.”

Gong Huimin, insulted beyond measure, burst into tears.

The crowd, sensing a deeper story, perked up instantly, ears straining to hear more.

Jiang Heng patted Gu Lan on the shoulder. “Get to work and earn that money! From now on, you’re carrying a huge debt. Don’t even think about skipping out—I’ll have someone watching you.”

Then, smiling, he added, “Come on, write the IOU, then you can go back to your talisman workshop.”

Gu Lan’s hand trembled as he took the pen. Jiang Heng showed him the bill: four hundred thirty-six spirit stones to be repaid over ten years.

That was a significant sum—enough to rent a small shop in a remote market district.

Gu Lan was nearly at the level of a first-rank talisman master. Within two years, he could earn his first-rank badge, either by working or opening a shop, and start his own life.

But with this debt, that goal would be delayed by at least ten years.

“Ooh, hesitating! Seems your love for Han Jingyue isn’t that strong after all!” Jiang Heng taunted.

Gu Lan glanced at Han Jingyue’s tearful eyes and steeled himself, pressing his seal onto the IOU.

Jiang Heng took the IOU, gently blew the ink dry, and solemnly put it away. “This comes with interest. The sooner you pay it off, the better, understand?”

“I understand,” Gu Lan said stiffly.

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“Alright, I won’t say more!” Jiang Heng laughed and stepped aside, “After you.”

Gu Lan’s voice turned cold. “In that case, you’d better stop bothering Jingyue from now on. Can you do that?”

“Of course!” Jiang Heng nodded. “From now on, apart from being senior brothers in the Alchemy Institute, we have no ties. But a word of advice: get your family to propose soon, or you’ll regret it.”

“That’s my business, none of your concern,” Gu Lan said, suppressing his anger.

“Yeah, yeah, my bad! Well, good luck to you,” Jiang Heng said cheerfully.

Gu Lan left, and the crowd dispersed. What a show today—it was worth it.

But many were displeased with Jiang Heng’s aggressive attitude, though he didn’t care.

At home, the Han family was worried. Han’s mother blocked Han Jingyue, asking, “What’s wrong? Where’s Young Master Jiang? Why didn’t he escort you back this time?”

Han’s father and her younger brother Han Jingning also watched her gravely.

Han Jingyue didn’t want to mention it—it was too humiliating.

“Speak up! What happened exactly?” her father demanded sternly. He was very fond of Young Master Jiang, especially since he gave a steady fifty spirit stones monthly—much better than their own meager earnings.

“I wanted to ask Brother Jiang to help me buy an alchemy furnace!” she said. She was studying forging but had no equipment of her own, relying on the shared setup in the forging institute, hardly ever getting a turn.

Having her own furnace would let her learn basic forging techniques quickly.

“Sis, did you offend Brother Jiang? Why not apologize to him? He listens to you, would he really be angry?” Han Jingning asked casually.

“Exactly, it must be your fault,” Han’s father agreed. “You’re always flirting with that Gu kid. How can Young Master Jiang not be upset?”

“I told you not to hang around that kid, but you never listen!” Han’s mother snapped, slapping her.

Han Jingyue cried in frustration. “I didn’t do anything! Jiang Heng suddenly stopped talking to me. He hasn’t spoken a word to me these past two days.”

“It’s your fault! Tomorrow at the institute, no matter what it takes, you must get him to forgive you. We can’t afford to lose someone like him, understand?”

“I won’t go!” Han Jingyue refused to humiliate herself. If Jiang Heng ignored her, she was relieved.

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“Hmph, you’ll regret this,” Han’s father scolded.

Jiang Heng returned home to find Jiang Luo had prepared his meal. She was relieved that the young master came back early these days and no longer went to escort Han Jingyue.

She had long realized that woman was no good, but the young master was infatuated beyond reason, and there was nothing she could say.

The clan gave the young master fifty spirit stones monthly and a Qi-concentrating pill every two months. If he kept those for himself, even with a third-grade spiritual root, he’d be in the late Qi Refining stage by now.

But he gave almost everything to that woman, and he was only at Qi Refining stage three.

At this rate, aiming for Foundation Establishment by thirty was a pipe dream.

Reaching Foundation Establishment before thirty was the last chance to enter the core sect of the Xuanyuan Sect. Only with more resources could one lay a solid foundation for further cultivation.

Now, it seemed the young master had woken up and would no longer let that woman’s family leech off him. There was still hope.

Since he had the resolve, she had to help protect the household.

After a night of cultivation, Jiang Heng felt the barrier at Qi Refining stage three loosen. The energy-gathering function of his spatial bracelet was powerful, comparable to constantly taking Qi-concentrating pills.

By midnight, he felt a surge of spiritual power, a meridian unblocked, and he successfully advanced to Qi Refining stage four.

No great surprise. With such conditions, failure to advance would truly mean he was useless. In his past life, he only reached Qi Refining stage seven by his fifties, despised by Han Jingyue and looked down on by his three children.

Yet he had better aptitude than Han Jingyue. If he hadn’t given all his resources to her, how could she have reached the peak of Qi Refining before thirty?

For Foundation Establishment, she had repeatedly pressured him to ask the patriarch for Foundation Establishment pills.

But the patriarch, deeply disappointed in him, flatly refused.

Looking back, if he were the patriarch, he might have wished to end him.

Foolish—truly foolish.