After sending off the overjoyed Xue Tong, Jiang Chen headed toward the inner courtyard. He'd been in the Royal Capital for days now, and it had been far too long since he'd had a proper chat with his father, Jiang Feng.
"Chen'er, I heard you just attended the Protector Spirit King's birthday banquet in the Tiangui Kingdom?" Jiang Feng's eyes lit up the moment he saw Jiang Chen.
"That's right. What, even you've been keeping track of that?"
"Ha ha, of course I am. The Protector Spirit King — sigh, when will I, Jiang Feng, ever cultivate to that kind of realm?" A wistful look crossed his face.
"The martial path has no impossibilities." Jiang Chen smiled. He'd never realized before that his old man was actually a martial arts fanatic.
Come to think of it, it made sense. Back when Jiang Chen had been such a hopeless spendthrift, Jiang Feng — as the Marquis Jianghan — had to oversee everything big and small, playing both father and mother while managing a mountain of affairs. When had he ever had time to cultivate?
Now that he'd stepped down from the Marquis title and was an ordinary man with no rank to speak of, Jiang Feng's cultivation had actually surged forward. He was currently at the peak of the Eleven-Meridian True Qi master stage.
Seeing how obsessed his father was with martial cultivation, Jiang Chen felt a strong impulse to offer him one of the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pills.
But after a moment's thought, he held himself back. He hadn't used these pills himself yet, so there was no rush. Once he'd tested one personally and gained some experience, he could offer one to his father then. A few extra days wouldn't make a difference.
On the way back from the Grand Tutor's Villa, Jiang Chen had already made up his mind: he was going to enter seclusion, consume a Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill, and begin the push toward True Qi Transforming into Spirit, comprehend the Spirit Realm, and forge his Spirit Sea.
That process might take a very long time, or it might be surprisingly quick — even Jiang Chen couldn't say.
"Oh, right, Father, there's something I suddenly wanted to ask you." Jiang Chen thought of the strange sensation he'd just experienced with Xue Tong and spoke up.
"What is it?"
"Just now, while I was talking to Xue Tong, I suddenly sensed his bloodline — and it didn't seem to produce that familiar blood resonance with mine. Something felt off."
"Off how?" Jiang Feng's expression grew a touch unnatural.
"If Xue Tong's mother and my mother were twin sisters, then there should be a shared bloodline between us — some degree of blood resonance."
"Oh, maybe you sensed wrong. He's your aunt's son, that much is certain." Jiang Feng chuckled. "All right, Chen'er, your mother passed away more than a decade ago — let's not bring up such sad things. Your Third Uncle and Xiao Yu came all the way here to the Tiangui Kingdom with us. It's been rather lonely for them, so if you have the time, go see them."
Jiang Feng seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic and steered the conversation elsewhere.
Jiang Chen felt something was a bit odd, but seeing his father like this, he didn't press further.
"Sure, I'll go visit them. Take care of yourself, Father."
Jiang Chen left Jiang Feng's quarters and dropped in on his Third Uncle, Jiang Tong, where he spent some time chatting properly with his cousin Jiang Yu.
"Third Uncle, I think Xiao Yu has a real gift for social connections and wouldn't do badly in business. If the chance comes, I'll see if I can get him into the Duobao Dojo as a disciple or something."
What father in the world wouldn't want the best for his son? When Jiang Chen said this, Jiang Tong was overjoyed. "Chen'er, Xiao Yu just idling around like this every day really isn't working. If he could get into the Duobao Dojo, that would be absolutely wonderful."
"Deal. Next time Feng Yan comes by, I'll bring it up with him."
Speak of the devil. Jiang Chen had barely finished his conversation with Jiang Tong and his son when a servant came in to announce that Feng Yan, Deputy Steward of the Duobao Dojo, had arrived for a visit.
"Come on, Xiao Yu, let's go meet this Feng Yan together." Jiang Chen grabbed Jiang Yu by the arm and headed outside.
Feng Yan had been in spectacular spirits lately. With his promotion and rising fortune, everything in life felt wonderful, and even the sunlight seemed brighter each day.
He knew full well that the great patron behind all of this was Jiang Chen.
For this great patron, Feng Yan was exceptionally attentive — practically visiting every single day, all in an effort to draw his relationship with Jiang Chen even closer.
"Chen Shao! Haven't seen you in a few days, and you've already become the talk of the Royal Capital again! Sigh, some people are just born to be protagonists, and Chen Shao is without question one of them. It truly makes me, Feng Yan, incredibly envious."
"Brother Feng, you haven't been doing badly yourself lately." Jiang Chen laughed.
"Heh heh, my little achievements are only possible because of Chen Shao, my great patron." Feng Yan had his posture down perfectly. He no longer dared to call Jiang Chen "brother" or anything so casual — instead, he addressed him with great respect as "Chen Shao."
It was respectful, yet still warm.
"Oh, Chen Shao, I heard that at Grand Tutor Ye's birthday banquet, you presented a pot of Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine and it was crowned the highlight treasure of the whole event."
"This Royal Capital really can't keep a secret. How long have I even been home?" Jiang Chen gave a wry smile.
"The Royal Capital has always been a place where the winds of fortune converge. Any piece of news spreads fastest here. So, Chen Shao, any interest in bringing the Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine to the Duobao Dojo for auction? If our dojo could serve as the exclusive distributor for this wine, it would absolutely be a win-win situation."
Feng Yan's words actually did make Jiang Chen's heart stir. He glanced at Jiang Yu standing beside him and an idea formed in his mind. He nodded. "The ones I gave to Deputy Sect Master Shi and Grand Tutor Ye are Spirit Grade Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine. The cost of brewing it isn't low, and this wine really shouldn't be mass-distributed. If it were, Deputy Sect Master Shi probably wouldn't be too pleased."
Feng Yan considered this and agreed. Deputy Sect Master Shi was a wine connoisseur at heart — if every Tom, Dick, and Harry could buy Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine with money, could it still be called a rare and precious wine?
"I do have another recipe, though — for a Mortal Grade version of the Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine. One tier lower in quality, but still an absolutely peerless brew. That one could be promoted."
"Oh? There's such a thing? Chen Shao, if that's the case, we really do have the foundation for a partnership." Feng Yan's eyes lit up.