Chapter 656 - 349: Ji Meng is Truly Kind

Chapter 656: Chapter 349: Ji Meng is Truly Kind

"Since Young Master Jiang is already heavily in debt, you must have suffered a severe loss this time, right?" Ji Meng narrowed her eyes, the corners of her lips curling upward. "If I were to make you repay me now, wouldn’t that be kicking a man when he’s down?"

Deeply moved, Jiang Man said, "Miss Ji Meng is truly kind."

Ji Meng froze for a moment.

Her eyelashes fluttered twice. Then, clasping her hands behind her back, she took a few quick steps forward, her shoes skipping lightly across the bluestone path. After a few paces, she suddenly spun around, her skirt flaring in a graceful semicircle as she faced him. "But you still have to pay back your previous debts."

"It would be even better if you were just a little kinder," Jiang Man said with a smile.

"Then I’d just be a massive sucker," Ji Meng replied.

The July breeze blew down the Sect’s mountain path, carrying the fragrant scent of summer vegetation.

The two walked back along the stone path in front of the Law Enforcement Hall. The Silver Bell on Ji Meng swayed with her steps, emitting a delicate jingling sound.

Jiang Man asked about Mr. Yan’s injuries. He only felt relieved after learning that the man was fine. As for the onlookers, although some were injured, they were far enough away to avoid serious harm. However, the other Primordial Spirit cultivators were in a much more severe state. They wouldn’t be able to compete for second or third place in the exhibition; they could only try again at the end of the month.

During the courtyard lecture the next day, Qing Dai was the only Primordial Spirit cultivator present. Jiang Man was busy with his Cultivation and didn’t attend, while Ji Meng was studying Arrays and was also absent. The rest were all bedridden. Even a few Golden Core cultivators were laid up.

Leaning back in his chair, Zhuo Bufan looked at the sparsely populated courtyard and sighed. "I didn’t expect the losses from this assessment to be so severe."

Cao Cheng nodded in agreement. "It turns out watching Jiang Man fight for a spot is this dangerous. We’ll have to be more careful in the future."

An Rong rubbed her right arm, frowning as her fingers pressed on a tender spot. "My arm was almost crippled."

For them, getting injured was fatal—after all, Spiritual Sources were hard to earn. This was especially true for those like them who had to spend whatever they earned immediately. None of them could even scrape together ten thousand Spiritual Sources. In contrast, some of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were much wealthier.

Fang Yong sat in the very back row, his back straight and eyes half-closed as he quietly engaged in his Cultivation.

"You’re already dead last. Why are you still working so hard?" Lin Qingshan turned his head to look at him.

"It’s exactly because I’m dead last that I need to cultivate," Fang Yong replied without opening his eyes.

"You guys don’t know, do you? Jiang Man used to be dead last too," Wang Yan chimed in from the side.

These words drew the gazes of several people.

"Is Fang Yong trying to follow Jiang Man’s path?" Zhao Yaoyao asked.

"He can’t," Wei Ran spoke up, a rare occurrence, his voice flat.

"They’re both dead last, so why wouldn’t it work?" An Rong asked.

"You’ve been dead last too. Why can’t you do it?" Cao Cheng retorted.

"Men and women are different," An Rong rolled her eyes.

Wei Ran paused for a moment before calmly saying, "One has his brilliance fully exposed, while the other..."

"...conceals his divine light within," Lin Qingshan finished the thought.

Intrigued, Wei Beichuan looked at Wei Ran. "If Fang Yong went all out, where would he rank among the Golden Cores?"

"Yeah, surely he wouldn’t be dead last," Zhuo Bufan agreed.

An Rong chimed in, "He couldn’t possibly be stronger than me, could he?"

"Then why would he hide it?" Cao Cheng replied.

"Then it’s only a matter of time before he surpasses you," An Rong stated.

"Pay me back. I’m going to buy Elixirs right now," Cao Cheng demanded.

"Wait until I get married. I don’t have money right now," An Rong brushed him off.

Qing Dai approached Fang Yong and asked curiously, "I heard you lived in the same courtyard as our young master. What was he like back then?"

She was far too curious. That was Master Jiang’s very beginning. Judging by the timeline, he must have married her young miss during that exact period. She felt so close to the truth.

As for Fang Yong hiding his Cultivation, everyone in the courtyard knew about it. However, no one knew exactly how much he was hiding. Perhaps Mr. Ji and Mr. Tantai knew. In any case, they were both very satisfied with Fang Yong and praised his decent Comprehension. While this evaluation seemed ordinary, only three people among the Golden Cores had received it. This was a clear testament to his incredibly high Talent.

Hearing this, Fang Yong looked at Qing Dai, hesitating for a moment about whether he should answer.

"Don’t worry, we’re on the same side." Saying this, Qing Dai took out a box of tea leaves. "It’s not like I’d ever harm our young master, right?"

Fang Yong accepted the tea leaves. "This doesn’t count as a transaction?"

"How can it be a transaction between our own people?" Qing Dai immediately shook her head.

Fang Yong nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Was our young master’s Talent always this high right from the start? I heard he wasn’t very bright in the past," Qing Dai asked. Pausing for a moment, she added, "You can’t fool me with the same excuses you use to fool everyone else."

Fang Yong pondered for a long time before finally saying, "In the beginning, his mind was defective, and he had never engaged in Cultivation. Later, for some unknown reason, he regained his senses and began to cultivate.

"His Talent has never changed.

"It is unmatched throughout history."

Qing Dai pressed for details and learned that he had only started his Cultivation during his third year in the courtyard. The timeline matched perfectly, so what exactly happened back then? Wasn’t the young miss within the territory of the Immortal Sect? How did she sneak out to marry the young master? Did they get married before his mind recovered or after? Surely his foray into Cultivation wasn’t forced by the Unparalleled Celestial Pride Fate Chart?

But no matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn’t piece together the exact situation. The only clue she could think of was the Magpie Bridge. The incident at the Magpie Bridge back then really must have been the young miss’s doing!

When the lecture ended, Fang Yong left alone. Jiang Man’s rapid advancement gave him a surreal, dreamlike feeling. He used to be just an ordinary person, yet the moment he began his Cultivation, he reached the absolute pinnacle of a celestial pride. A person’s fortuitous encounters were truly beyond imagination. Now, all he could do was head back and cultivate diligently without wasting a single second.

As he was walking down the road, he suddenly spotted a middle-aged man. The man was dressed in a black robe, completely obscuring his face.

"Fang Yong?" The man looked at him and smiled. "We meet again."

"I planted the poison, and I gave you the location. You’re not going to blame me just because you guys failed, are you?" Fang Yong asked.

This was the very man who had given him one million Spiritual Sources. Now that they had failed twice, they were likely planning to make a move.

"I know this matter isn’t your fault. But I heard that you and Jiang Man have known each other since childhood. Now that he is invincible among Primordial Spirits while you are still bitterly struggling in the Early Stage of Golden Core, doesn’t such a massive gap upset you?" The Black-robed Man smiled faintly. "You were clearly the celestial pride back then, yet now you are merely his foil, at best using him to earn a few Spiritual Sources.

"You will never have the chance to catch up to him."

Fang Yong remained silent for a moment before replying, "At least I can still rely on him to earn some Spiritual Sources. What does anything else have to do with me?"

"Your Talent is exceptionally high, and your future achievements are limitless. Do you really have no desire to surpass him?" the Black-robed Man pressed.

Fang Yong stared at the man. "What does Senior want me to do?"

"Join us." The Black-robed Man held Fang Yong’s gaze. "Of course, we’ll need a show of loyalty."

Meanwhile, Jiang Man was still in his courtyard, lost in thought. When he had returned to his living quarters the previous day, he felt a lingering sense of melancholy and loss. A lot had happened in a single day. First, he was surrounded by boundless glory, and then everything was shrouded in dense clouds. The great ups and downs of life were nothing more than this.

At that moment, the Tengu came running over and asked, "Master, when are we going back to the prison cell?"

Looking at the dog, Jiang Man slowly replied, "I don’t have time lately."

He truly had no time; otherwise, he would have already gone back inside. There would be no reason to stay out here.

"You don’t have time, Master, but I do," the Tengu offered.

Hearing this, Jiang Man froze. He gave a slight shake of his head, thinking that the Tengu was unreliable, as their hearts and minds were no longer aligned.

Then, he turned to look at the Old Yellow Ox. Just like yesterday, the Old Yellow Ox showed no reaction whatsoever today. It acted like a completely ordinary ox. This could only mean one thing: the Magpie Bridge was about to open. Ting Fengyin was coming.

Sure enough, after waiting another day, Jiang Man watched as his courtyard was overwritten by a new environment. The scenery rapidly rushed toward him—rivers, grasslands, and trees continuously closing in. Finally, a stone stele came to a halt right in front of him.

Ting Fengyin had arrived.

With that, Jiang Man took a deep breath, stood up, and walked inward. After meeting Ting Fengyin this time, it would be time to go kill the Bai Family Ancestor. In addition, he needed to head to the Supreme Heart Hall to establish his Immortal Ascension Dojo. He just didn’t know if Ting Fengyin would be able to give him a little bit of help. Furthermore, he needed to ask what his odds of winning actually were.

Jiang Man soon arrived by the lake. This time, Ting Fengyin was fishing. He carried a strange aura, giving off the feeling that anyone who approached him would be completely seen through.