Chapter 15: The Sky Is Vast for Birds to Soar

“Mr. Jiang, we are from the City Lord’s Residence of Luoyang.”

Inside the suite’s living room, Jiang Chen lounged on the sofa, one leg crossed nonchalantly over the other as he leisurely ate fruit, not sparing so much as a glance at the group of middle-aged men before him. Chu Qingcheng sat quietly beside him, not daring to make a sound. The atmosphere was strangely tense; since the moment these men had entered, both sides had maintained an odd, uneasy silence, somehow peaceful and yet fraught with undercurrents.

At last, the leader of the group could no longer restrain himself. Frowning, he fixed his gaze on Jiang Chen and said, “City Lord Qi has arranged for the ashes of your family’s three fallen heroes to be sent back to the Jiang family by private jet, and asked me to inform you that he is unwell and not receiving visitors. You will not be granted an audience.”

So, Jiang Chen’s protracted stay in Luoyang was finally deemed a liability. Qi Wanshan was intent on sending him away after all. Everyone knew Jiang Chen was a ticking time bomb; anyone who got too close would be courting disaster. Best to keep their distance. The ashes of the Jiang family’s loyal dead had been returned—what more did he want?

After a moment’s pause, the man continued, “A private jet has been arranged to return you to Jiangnan tomorrow. We will come to escort you, so please prepare in advance.” The implication was clear: you have what you wanted, now don’t linger here and make trouble.

Jiang Chen chuckled. “Qi Wanshan is quick to wash his hands of this, isn’t he? Is he trying to tell me the Jiang family’s tragedy is none of his concern?”

His expression unchanged, Jiang Chen stared thoughtfully at the assembled men, muttering, “But on the eastern front, my family lost three commanders—one of them my uncle, a grandmaster of martial arts. I find it hard to accept...”

He mused, “If the time to sweep away the powers of the Imperial Capital has not yet come, perhaps it’s no bad thing to clear out the weeds below first…”

The men’s faces changed dramatically at his words, staring at him with barely concealed alarm. “Jiang Chen, must you lose your mind? Not everyone is out to get your family. If you want revenge, you should at least choose your targets wisely!”

“Then perhaps you can tell me,” Jiang Chen said with a lazy authority, reclining further, “Who should I talk to? Or rather, who in the eastern border deserves to die?”

The men exchanged glances, but no one spoke. It was clear that the deaths of Jiang Zhenshan and the other commanders on the eastern front had been orchestrated by a coalition of domestic and foreign forces. Yet the powers within the Dragon Nation were far stronger than any one person. To name names would mean certain disaster.

“Jiang Chen, there are only two families powerful enough to have acted against yours. Why trouble us?” the leader said through gritted teeth. “All I can tell you is this: on the day your family’s commanders fell, a private jet from the Imperial Capital arrived in Luoyang, carrying several masters—some even grandmasters of martial arts. That’s all I know. Our ties to your family are not deep, and we don’t want any trouble.”

“That is all I have to say. Think it over yourself.” With that, the men bowed slightly and quickly departed.

“So, it’s either the Long family or the Li family. There are no other possibilities,” Jiang Chen murmured, his smile fading as a chilling aura filled the room, lowering the temperature. “No matter which one it is, one day I will step into the Imperial Capital and turn it upside down!”

“Don’t act rashly—they’re the most powerful forces in the nation,” Chu Qingcheng gently urged. “I believe in you. Given time, you’ll avenge your family’s loyal dead.”

At that moment, Jiang Chen’s expression was icy, his presence violent and intimidating. “Enough. We can head home tomorrow,” he said after a moment, resuming his usual indifferent calm, stretching lazily.

Chu Qingcheng was startled. “What about the other border regions? Will you just leave them be?”

“With the eastern front—the strongest region—having already surrendered the ashes, the others will follow suit,” Jiang Chen replied, rising and heading for the bedroom. “Now that I’ve recovered the ashes of our fallen, the next step is to build my own power, gather strength, and march on the Imperial Capital!”

He understood well: though he was powerful, this was still an age of advanced technology. Unless his martial prowess could truly defy hot weapons, there was always a risk of catastrophe. To return to the Imperial Capital without knowing who his true enemies were would be to walk into a trap. Revenge would be out of reach; survival itself would be uncertain.

So, he would keep his distance, gather strength, and develop his own forces. Only when he could match the power of the capital would he be able to use sheer force to bring it to its knees.

Of course, as the only cultivator, perhaps one day he really could ignore modern weaponry. For now, though, even a nuclear bomb was beyond his means to withstand.

Chu Qingcheng furrowed her brows, deep in thought. Where would Jiang Chen’s next move take him?

…

The next morning, Jiang Chen and Chu Qingcheng once again boarded a plane. This time, the destination made Chu Qingcheng pause. “Jianghai City?”

“Yes. Only here can power be nurtured to rival the top forces of the capital,” Jiang Chen replied, smiling as he gazed out the window. “Qingcheng, can you guess how many grandmasters are hidden in this city?”

His tone was elusive, arms crossed, making it impossible to discern his true intentions. “The powers here are a tangled web. If I can swallow them all, I could challenge the entire capital single-handed.”

Chu Qingcheng looked at him—so calm, yet exuding a natural authority—and felt her heart pound inexplicably. She bit her lip. “But if Jianghai City is such a prize, why hasn’t the capital’s power taken it over?”

“Oh, they’ve tried,” Jiang Chen said with a dismissive wave. “But constant infighting means they lack the ability and energy to claim the whole city. Unlike me—my family has already withdrawn from the capital and hunkered down in Jiangnan. That’s our stronghold. I have no more concerns.”

Now Chu Qingcheng understood his plan. In short, he had nothing left to lose.

By evening, they arrived at Jianghai City and checked into a familiar five-star hotel. The next morning, after breakfast, several senior loyalists of the Jiang family, long hidden in Jianghai, came to pay their respects.

“Young Master, this is an enterprise worth nearly a billion. As per your instructions, the legal ownership has been transferred to Miss Chu.”

“This is a manor on the outskirts of the city. We’ve hired staff, and the Dragon Squad has secured the property—they’ll be responsible for your safety.”

“Furthermore, the Old Master has ordered us all to withdraw from Jianghai, and left you this message: ‘The sky is vast for the bird to fly, the sea wide for the fish to leap.’”