Chapter 115: A Visit

The next day, the hospital, usually rather quiet, became quite bustling. These injured Daoist disciples held extraordinary status in the secular world and were cherished by their families like precious jewels. Now that an incident had occurred, how could it be taken lightly?

Jiang Litian, Granny Yinshan, and Sima Yan'er all rushed over. Upon seeing Zhang Shouzheng wrapped in bandages from the waist up, their expressions were grim.

"Senior Brother, how is it? The great killing formation was broken, right? I destroyed one of the eye-points, and Jiu'er destroyed another."

With Jiu'er's help, Zhang Shouzheng sat up, smiling at Jiang Litian with a hint of pride.

Jiang Litian, however, looked sullen. The scar on his face twitched, and his entire body radiated a fierce aura. He snorted coldly, "You nearly lost your life; why even mention that? I couldn't care less about how many righteous disciples die in this formation, but we cannot afford any more mishaps with our Green Dragon lineage disciples. Don't forget, you are now the lineage master!"

"Fine, I know. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Besides, I don't care for this title. If you want it, I can just pass it on to you," Zhang Shouzheng said languidly, rolling his eyes and raising his hand to reveal the Green Dragon thumb ring.

"You know your Senior Brother is already stretched thin, yet you still tease me. You're asking for a beating," Jiang Litian chuckled, pretending to strike Zhang Shouzheng's head.

"Enough, stop fooling around. I have important matters to ask the boy, Shouzheng. I heard that all the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples at Dilong High School died, their bodies have vanished, and even Elder Xin Quan, who was overseeing the school, has disappeared. You know the most about this, don't you?" Granny Yinshan, wearing a black, front-buttoned short-sleeved shirt, stared at Zhang Shouzheng with a smile.

"Except for Elder Xin Quan, the other disciples did die. Granny, what do you mean by asking this?" Zhang Shouzheng asked, puzzled.

"If those Heavenly Demon Sect disciples were killed by someone else, it would be one thing. But if it involves you or Jiu'er, and word gets out, it will be disastrous. The Heavenly Demon Sect will not let us go," Granny Yinshan said, her smile fading into a grave expression.

Hearing this, Jiang Litian and Sima Yan'er also looked troubled. In Dragon Capital, their strength was not considered exceptional compared to their standing in the Heavenly Dao Sect. If the demonic sect wanted to cause trouble, they would be hard-pressed to defend against it.

"Rest assured, that old man Xin Quan wanted to seize a fragment of the Investiture of the Gods from the Jiang family. I think it is necessary for us to form an alliance with the Jiang family. Furthermore, I will mobilize the resources of my own family. If these Heavenly Demon Sect members dare to cause trouble, there is only one word for them: death!"

Zhang Shouzheng curled his lips with disdain. The actions of the Heavenly Demon Sect were disgraceful to him, and most importantly, Li Yinlin's words had acted like a shot of adrenaline, giving him great confidence. In the past, he certainly would not have done this, and his master would not have advocated it either. But not acting would be a sign of weakness, and the only result of showing weakness was to be looked down upon, suppressed, and bullied without restraint. He did not want to remain in a passive position.

"Form an alliance with our Jiang family? That is indeed a good choice. But in what capacity would you enter this covenant? How about a marriage alliance?"

A hearty voice came from the doorway. Zhang Shouzheng looked over to see an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in simple clothing, standing at the entrance. He held a dragon-headed cane. Beside him was Jiang Mingyue; the wound on her shoulder had been bandaged, though her face remained pale, likely from blood loss.

"So it is a senior from the Jiang family. We would naturally form an alliance as the Heavenly Dao Sect. Or is it that the Jiang family senior would prefer I ally as the Young Master of the Li family? A marriage alliance? What kind of marriage?"

Zhang Shouzheng looked at the old man with a cryptic smile. The old man laughed, strode in, scanned the room, and said, "I am Jiang Bufan, the current head of the Jiang family. You are quite sharp and sensible, boy. If you were to ally as a member of the Li family, I might have to reconsider."

"Naturally, because the Jiang family is in decline and doesn't want to provoke the Qian family, our hereditary enemies, right?" Zhang Shouzheng understood the situation perfectly. Although the old men of the Qian family did not show themselves, if they were determined to deal with the Jiang family before the Investiture fragments were gathered, the Jiang family would have no chance of winning.

"Heh, clever. But don't underestimate our Jiang family. We still have a Supreme Elder, Jiang Yuhuo. He is very mysterious and travels abroad year-round; he won't appear unless our family faces a life-or-death crisis. Today, I, an old man, have another reason for coming: my granddaughter, Jiang Mingyue. This foolish girl actually used the power of the Investiture to heal you, draining her own lifespan. How do you intend to settle this debt?"

"Grandfather... we agreed that we were just coming to see Shouzheng, why bring this up? Using the fragment was my own decision; it has nothing to do with him," Jiang Mingyue said, anxious, tugging at Jiang Bufan's sleeve.

Jiang Bufan laughed heartily and patted his granddaughter's head. "You little girl, I can see you have quite an affection for him. Why don't you just marry him?"

"Grandfather... you..." Jiang Mingyue's face turned crimson. She bit her lip and bowed her head, not daring to look at the others.

The people in the room were stunned, including Zhang Shouzheng. Only Jiu'er gritted her teeth, stood up, and said, "Just because you want to marry him off to her doesn't mean it's happening. Did you even ask for Senior Brother's opinion?"

"This must never happen!"

A cold voice rang out. Li Yinlin walked in from the door, staring at Jiang Bufan with eyes like ice. "Before Shouzheng cultivates the Li family's Three-Pure Qi Lotus, I suggest you abandon this thought. Otherwise, even if you gather all the Investiture fragments, you won't be able to protect your Jiang family."

"How so?" Jiang Bufan looked at the youth with a fluctuating expression. When this boy entered like a phantom, he had felt a chill run down his spine. The boy was powerful; if Jiang Bufan didn't use the Investiture fragments, he feared he would be no match for him. Moreover, the youth looked quite strange—who could possibly have long, silver-white hair?

"If one loses their virginity before cultivating the Li family's Heavenly Book, there is no hope for further progress in this lifetime, unless the Three-Pure Qi Lotus is cultivated. My minimum requirement is that he cultivates the Three-Pure Qi Lotus. Shouzheng is the only remaining bloodline of our Li family. If your Jiang family dares to scheme against him, do you believe our ancestors would hesitate to wipe out your entire clan?"

Li Yinlin's voice was not loud, but it was filled with dominance.

"The Three-Pure Qi Lotus... could it be that cultivating it is meant to gestate the Heavenly Book? Is it possible that in this world, there really is..." Jiang Bufan stared at Li Yinlin in shock. Besides him, Granny Yinshan also showed surprise. As members of the older generation, they had naturally heard the legends of the Li family. If all this were true, it meant their ancestor was the Daoist Progenitor, Li Er!

"Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Although our Li family has few members, the power held by each of us is beyond your imagination. Even if your Jiang family produced Jiang Ziya, so what? Can he compare to the Daoist Progenitor? Even this Investiture was bestowed by the Daoist Progenitor's junior brother, Yuanshi Tianzun." Li Yinlin snorted, unimpressed.

"Brother Yinlin, I understand everything you've said. Senior Brother, you should discuss the details of the alliance with Elder Jiang," Zhang Shouzheng said, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion. Beside him, Jiu'er felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of joy. She smiled sweetly and asked, "Senior Brother, what would you like to eat? I'll go get it for you."