Chapter 394 - 219: Returning to Lin Yuan City (Part 1)

Jiang Che returned to the Chief Courtyard to find Jiang Ling had disappeared again.

He shook his head, a sense of helplessness welling up inside him.

The Jiang Ling of today was no longer the timid, scrawny little girl who used to trail behind him.

She was an eighteen-year-old young woman now.

In this era, most women from ordinary families were married and raising children by sixteen.

Eighteen was already considered old.

It wasn’t that no matchmakers came knocking.

It’s just...

After Jiang Che topped the Hidden Dragon List and became the most dazzling prodigy in all of Cangzhou Prefecture,

his sister Jiang Ling’s standards had inevitably risen as well.

In her eyes, the average Noble Family Members and talented sect disciples paled in comparison to her brother, seeming utterly unremarkable.

They simply couldn’t catch her eye.

Moreover, because of Jiang Che’s now-transcendent status,

countless people who wanted to curry favor with him but couldn’t find a way turned their attention to his only living relative.

All at once, Jiang Ling found herself constantly surrounded by people.

The daughters of deans and granddaughters of Elders who were usually arrogant, the young ladies and matriarchs from prominent Noble Families—they all now acted as if they were her closest confidantes.

Every day, they would either drag her to the city’s best restaurants to listen to music or invite her to tea parties and poetry gatherings at their estates.

All sorts of novel trinkets, gorgeous clothes, and fine jewelry were presented to her in a seemingly endless stream.

Jiang Che could feel that his sister’s heart...

seemed to have run a little wild.

However, he didn’t interfere too much.

They had been poor when they were young and had endured too many hardships.

Later, due to the unstable situation, they had been displaced and lived in constant fear, never truly enjoying a single day of peace and prosperity.

Now that she had the chance to be happy, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

As for her safety, Jiang Che wasn’t worried.

The Shadow Iron Eagle, Xiaohei, had long since become Jiang Ling’s exclusive personal bodyguard.

Whether Jiang Ling was out for fun or within the Sect,

it would transform into an inconspicuous black shadow, circling silently high above, quietly protecting her.

Ordinary petty thieves or malicious individuals would be pounced on and carried away before they could even get close to Jiang Ling.

And if she encountered a powerful enemy that even it couldn’t handle, it could instantly send a distress signal to Jiang Che through their spiritual bond.

Afterwards, Jiang Che went to the spacious living room and brewed a pot of tea for himself.

This was the Cold Spirit Tea he had "borrowed" from his master, Xu Qingshan.

Although his master grumbled about not wanting to part with it,

he still packed a generous amount for him.

Jiang Che lifted the cup and took a light sip. A warm current flowed down his throat, and his chaotic thoughts gradually settled.

There was exactly one month left until the Celestial Strategy Guard selection.

A month wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either.

He took stock of his current situation.

In terms of Cultivation, although he was only a hair’s breadth away from the Third Layer of the True Master Realm,

without the aid of a Rejuvenation Pill, breaking through in just one month by cultivating arduously in the Spirit-level Cultivation Room was nearly impossible.

As for external threats...

Xie Songnian, the greatest threat to him, had already been dealt with by his own hands.

As for General Qin Fuhu, he probably wouldn’t cause any trouble before the Celestial Strategy Guard selection.

After all, every young Martial Artist at or above the Refining Organ Realm was now on the selection list.

Especially a "seed" candidate like him.

He was a primary focus of the higher-ups.

If something were to happen to anyone, preventing them from participating in the selection,

it would be an unacceptable loss for the Emperor, who was desperate for talent!

His Majesty would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

’In that case...’

A ripple suddenly stirred in Jiang Che’s heart.

’Maybe... I should go back to Lin Yuan City and have a look?’

Once this thought arose, memories began to flood his mind uncontrollably.

He thought of the small but cozy carpenter’s shop.

He thought of his parents’ smiling faces, blurry yet still warm.

But he also remembered being hunted by the Zhao Family, fleeing in panic like a stray dog.

’A month... that’s enough time.’

This time, he was going to the Capital City for the Celestial Strategy Guard selection, and if all went well, he would join the Myriad Phenomena Dao Sect to continue his Cultivation.

After he left, there was no telling when he would be able to return.

He decided to go back and take one more look at the hometown where everything had changed.

He would also take the opportunity to investigate the truth behind his parents’ disappearance all those years ago.

Although the possibility of them being alive was slim,

there was no definitive news of their deaths, after all.

Perhaps there was still a chance.

Besides...

he was now a top expert at the Peak of the Second Layer of the True Master Realm.

It was also time...

to find the Zhao Family that had made him flee like a stray dog and demand an explanation!

Having made up his mind, Jiang Che went to Yunhai Courtyard to find his master, Xu Qingshan.

He expressed his desire to return to his hometown of Lin Yuan City before the selection began.

Xu Qingshan mulled it over for a moment before agreeing.

He only instructed Jiang Che to be careful on his journey and not to delay too long, lest he miss the Celestial Strategy Guard selection.

Jiang Che naturally agreed at once.

The next morning, Jiang Che, along with his sister Jiang Ling who also wanted to go back and see, quietly left the Cangyun Sect.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the siblings both put on simple disguises.

Afterward, Jiang Che, under the guise of an ordinary merchant, joined a caravan heading toward Lin Yuan City, blending into the crowd as he began his journey home.