Chapter 233: Jiang Chuxue

Evil men are always punished by heaven...

Zheng Feng blinked slightly, a bitter self-mockery appearing on his furious face as he murmured:

Could such a thing really happen...

He had imagined countless times what the scene would be like when he met Jiang Chuxue, that cruel woman again.

But reality delivered a crushing blow.

The gap between them had grown even wider.

This gap was so vast it sent a chill through his heart, even stirring a faint, uncontrollable despair.

Jiang Ye extended his withered hand and patted Zheng Feng on the shoulder, smiling faintly:

It will happen. Believe in my judgment.

With that, he withdrew his hand, clasped his hands behind his back, and stepped onto the winding mountain path, his pace calm as if nothing had just occurred.

Let’s go. It’s time to return.

He knew the wound Jiang Chuxue had inflicted on Zheng Feng ran too deep.

Some wounds cannot be soothed by words.

He could offer Zheng Feng no further comfort.

Only when Zheng Feng witnessed with his own eyes the great mountain crushing his heart finally collapse.

Would the resentment and bitterness he had accumulated over these years have any chance of true release.

And that day would not be far off.

Elder Jiang...

Zheng Feng gazed at that still unhurried, serene back, his reddened eyes filled with deep admiration.

In his memory, Elder Jiang always looked this way—unshaken even if the heavens fell.

Even when faced with Jiang Chuxue’s just now sharp, icy pressure, his aged face never changed expression.

If he could possess such inner composure, he wouldn’t have been so furious, so humiliated upon seeing Jiang Chuxue.

He took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and followed Jiang Ye up the mountain path.

When they returned to the Tianyun Peak courtyard, night had fully fallen.

Jiang Ye sat cross-legged beside the Qingyan herb field, pulled out a bright red wedding invitation from his sleeve, and examined it under the moonlight for a moment.

On it were printed two side-by-side names—Jiang Chuxue, Zheng Lin.

Zheng Lin...

Jiang Ye fell into thought.

He had heard the name Zheng Lin more than once lately from Lu Ming.

Ranked fourth on the True Disciple List, the innate true disciple of Lingniu Peak.

The sect’s True Disciple List has an age limit—only disciples under forty may appear.

An innate martial artist under forty—such talent could dominate all of Linzhou.

No wonder he’s the prodigy the Zheng family has nurtured for nearly a century.

I wonder if this prodigy can withstand pressure.

Jiang Ye, perhaps recalling something, found his smile harder to suppress.

Moments later, he casually tucked the invitation into his sleeve, closed his eyes slowly, and began refining Earth True Gang .

Lingniu Peak.

Inside a spacious, luxurious courtyard.

Shii! Shii! Shii!

Blade light sliced through the air, a crimson longsword carving sharp arcs beneath the moonlight.

The wielder wore a luxurious martial robe; his face bore a faint resemblance to Zheng Feng but was older, with more aggressive features and a menacing aura radiating from his brow.

He was wielding the Lingniu Shaking Mountain Sword Art.

Each slash felt as heavy as dragging a mountain; where the blade passed, a series of muffled sonic booms erupted in the air.

In the courtyard’s center stood a black iron stone half a person’s height, harder than refined steel—ordinary blades couldn’t even leave a mark on it.

Zheng Lin swung one sudden slash, pouring not a single bit of true Gang into it—yet merely the blade’s momentum left a deep groove, several inches deep, on the iron stone.

At that moment,

Light, agile footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.

Lin, your swordplay has improved again.

Zheng Lin didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

He sheathed his sword, tossed it casually onto the weapon rack, smiled, and turned toward the gate.

Moments later, a graceful figure stepped into the courtyard.

The visitor was none other than Jiang Chuxue.

You’ve just become a true disciple—you’re busiest now, yet you still found time to come.

Zheng Lin gazed at the cold, exquisite face before him, his eyes flashing unhidden ardor:

Stay here tonight!

Jiang Chuxue’s sharp, beautiful face broke into an ambiguous smile, her tone carrying just the right hint of reserve:

Lin, our wedding is in three months. We’ve waited this long—why rush this one moment?

I want to give you my most perfect self, without reservation, on that day!

She was a very clear-headed woman.

Facing Zheng Lin, a playboy who had seen countless beauties, the more reserved she acted, the more she stoked his desire.

Moreover, her own talent was a formidable asset.

That’s why, despite years of thriving in the Zheng household, she remained a virgin.

As expected, Zheng Lin didn’t feel displeased by her refusal—instead, he burst into hearty laughter:

Chuxue, that’s exactly why I love you so much!

In this chaotic age, girls as pure and reserved as you are as rare as pearls...

Seeing him in high spirits, Jiang Chuxue lowered her voice slightly, sounding mysterious: Lin, I’ve prepared a special surprise for your wedding in three months!

Oh? A special surprise...

Zheng Lin raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening: Then I’m even more eager now.

Seven days later.

Tianyun Peak, East Peak.

Jiang Ye, seated cross-legged beside the Qingyan herb field, was now surrounded by a thick layer of celestial energy tinged with earthy yellow light.

The glow wasn’t blinding, but heavy and profound, making him appear like a mountain stone untouched by a thousand years of wind and rain.

Suddenly, Jiang Ye’s breathing rhythm shifted slightly.

He no longer breathed in celestial energy evenly—he compressed every ounce of it into the earth-yellow dantian, denying it any chance to exhale or renew.

This compression lasted for a full incense stick’s time.

Boom—!!!

Jiang Ye suddenly opened his eyes, ancient pupils flashing with a deep, mountain-like brilliance.

Simultaneously, the earth-yellow aura around him surged violently, bathing the entire Qingyan herb field in the glow of twilight.

A heavy, profound energy filled the air, pressing against the chest and making it feel slightly stifled.

Within his dantian, the earth dantian had fully transformed.

The previously scattered true qi light had been compressed to its limit, replaced by a dense, inwardly radiant earth-yellow true Gang , slowly swirling like magma surging deep within the earth—steady and unshakable.

Earth True Gang —achieved.

Thus, four of the Five Element True Gang had been attained.

Jiang Ye rose slowly, his heavy aura causing the entire Qingyan herb field to bow down in unison, as if an invisible hand had gently pressed down on their leaves.

He opened his left palm, and earth-yellow true Gang surged forth.

It covered his withered hand and half his forearm, dense and solid as armor forged from gold and stone—just a glance made one feel utterly powerless to break it.

His right fingertip gathered a blindingly sharp golden true qi, then thrust sharply—the golden-white qi shot forth like a blade, striking hard against the earth-yellow true Gang on his left hand.

Bang!

A soft chime.

It didn’t break through.

Jiang Ye nodded in satisfaction.

With his current physical strength, the Bear Form’s “Old Bear Embracing Simplicity,” combined with the perfected Golden Body Art and this layer of Earth True Gang , his defense likely far surpassed the imagination of ordinary Gangqijing martial artists.

Judging by the timing, it’s time to go down the mountain and retrieve my weapon!

He retracted his true Gang , straightened his robes, and walked slowly toward the courtyard gate.