The Wild Doctor and the Fair Beauty

"Lao Deng, Bai, Zhi, I hope to see you all again."

Jiang Xinghai cupped his fists and bowed to the three of them.

"Young Master Jiang, you mustn’t!"

Lao Deng rushed to help Jiang Xinghai to his feet. "Honestly, Young Master Jiang, assisting you is my duty, but I was also glad to do it. After all, wiping out the Qiao Family of the Gu Clan was a meritorious deed. I should be the one thanking you for your efforts."

"Take care, Young Master Jiang."

"If we get the chance, we’d like to serve you again, Young Master Jiang."

Bai and Zhi were somewhat taken aback, their eyes fixed on Jiang Xinghai.

Though they had only known him for a day, both women had been deeply struck by his power.

Now that they were suddenly parting, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness.

"The world is a small place. For now, let’s part ways."

If Jiang Xinghai didn’t have so much to do, he might have actually stayed for a proper vacation.

But time didn’t permit such idleness.

He needed to turn his attention to the matter of the Sun and Wei Families of Shanhe Province, as well as the Shen Family from Jizhou moving into the province.

Of course, the most important thing was the whereabouts of his parents.

Based on the secrets the Arhat revealed before his death, Jiang Xinghai knew he had to find Mirror Lake Manor as soon as possible.

Whether it was actually in Shanghai remained to be seen.

He could only hope that Nightingale, who had gone to Shanghai to investigate for him, would find some valuable clues.

Soon after, Jiang Xinghai boarded a flight to Shanhe Province.

「Shanhe Province.」

「Eleven o’clock at night. The Sun Family estate.」

For the past six days, a pall of gloom had hung over the Sun Family, ever since their heir, Sun Jiaping, was killed at the Gathering Talent Tower.

They had raised the bounty on the killer’s head from one hundred million to a billion, yet still had no concrete leads.

Of course, the Sun Family was not entirely composed of reckless fools.

They had summoned the dozen or so security guards who had witnessed Sun Jiaping’s murder at the Gathering Talent Tower. From their descriptions, a composite sketch was made, and they concluded that the man looked vaguely familiar.

Jiang Xinghai!

Based on the sketch, they tentatively identified the man as Jiang Xinghai from Jizhou.

However, this was merely a suspicion.

They didn’t act rashly, instead opting to secretly investigate and gather evidence in Jizhou and Central State.

Ultimately, they learned that Jiang Xinghai was gone.

On Patriarch Sun Shihai’s orders, the Sun Family dispatched two teams: one to keep watch in Jizhou, and the other in Central State.

This way, they could immediately begin tracking Jiang Xinghai regardless of where he was spotted.

Over the past few days, Sun Shihai had also been investigating the woman who had suddenly appeared on the wall of the Sun Family’s own courtyard.

The woman who had slaughtered seven members of his direct family line on the spot over a mere disagreement.

The composite sketch revealed her to be a member of the Black Cloak—a taboo organization whose very name struck fear into the hearts of men!

And so, the Sun Family fell silent.

If it were only Jiang Xinghai, they would have mobilized their entire clan and spared no cost to hunt him down and kill him.

But they dared not make a move against Leng Ning, a member of the Black Cloak.

In the Dragon Country, any clan with the power and status of a first-class clan in a provincial city knew of a certain martial arts secret: the Hidden Dragon List.

The Hidden Dragon List ranked only one hundred individuals.

This meant that only those at or above the Celestial Destiny Realm were qualified to be on it!

As for the three core members of the Black Cloak organization, one of them was ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon List!

The other two were ranked seventeenth and twenty-sixth!

This was why, ever since its founding, the mere mention of the Black Cloak caused clans to pale with fear.

Aside from a few reclusive old masters and some super-powered martial arts clans, no one could stand against them.

The Sun Family of Shanhe Province, despite being a first-class martial arts clan, had only one member on the Martial Arts Hidden Dragon List.

That person was the Sun Family’s ancestor, Sun Zhen, ranked fifty-fourth on the Martial Arts Hidden Dragon List!

Therefore, Sun Shihai had already made the decision to leave Leng Ning out of his plans.

Killing Jiang Xinghai would be enough.

「Just after midnight.」

A tall, thin, bald old man suddenly landed atop the decorative rockery by the fountain in the Sun Family’s main courtyard.

An instant later, a middle-aged man in his forties arrived as well.

"Father, I’ll have the servants prepare food and wine at once." This was Sun Shijie, who had just returned from Taiyin Mountain.

To conceal their movements, the two had traveled by night without notifying the rest of the clan.

"No need to rush."

Sun Zhen stood tall atop the rockery, a sharp glint in his eyes. He waved a hand. "Where are my clansmen?!"

His voice was like rolling thunder, continuous and powerful.

In the main hall, Sun Shihai and the other clan members heard the voice, and their hearts leaped into their throats.

"Father is back!"

Sun Shihai was the first to rush out, the hair on his balding head flying wildly as he sprinted forward.

"The Old Master has finally returned after years of arduous training!"

"This is wonderful! With the Old Master back in charge, I don’t care what kind of monsters we’re up against—he’ll crush them all underfoot!"

"The blood debt for the young master’s murder can finally be repaid! Our Sun Family can hold its head high again!"

Numerous clan members rushed outside.

"We respectfully welcome the Ancestor home!"

As Sun Shihai knelt and called out, all the other clan members dropped to their knees in reverence.

"Useless! You’re all completely useless!"

Sun Zhen’s gaze was piercing as he looked down on his clansmen, his disappointment palpable and his anger boundless.