Chapter 5: Biological Parents Come Knocking; The Jiang Family of the Imperial Capital

By the time Jiang Qin returned home from the Zhenling Bureau, it was already afternoon.

Tianhua Street had been cleaned and restored to its former appearance, but the street no longer had its past tranquility—only silence remained.

Most of the residents who had originally lived on the street had already moved away; those who remained were basically those without the financial means to relocate.

After all, a Fierce Beast had attacked just yesterday—who knew whether one might strike again tomorrow?

But then again, this wasn't bad—at least it would be quieter from now on.

He tidied up the house a little; the living room and bedroom were left as they were, untouched.

After finishing these tasks, Jiang Qin walked over to the sofa, sat down cross-legged.

He poured out the three Spirit Awakening Pills from the bottle, swallowed them in one go, then closed his eyes and began absorbing the surging Spirit Energy that appeared within his body.

Normally, the Spirit Energy contained in a pill could only be absorbed at fifty percent by an ordinary Martial Artist.

A genius could absorb seventy percent.

But Jiang Qin, who possessed the 【Dao Foundation Heaven-Formed】 talent, could perfectly absorb the pure Spirit Energy contained within, without the slightest waste.

Two hours passed; evening was approaching.

When Jiang Qin opened his eyes again, he had successfully broken through to the second-stage Spirit Guidance Realm.

The Mortal Embryo Realm was only about a powerful physical body, but reaching the Spirit Guidance Realm was a qualitative change—one could already accumulate Spirit Energy within the body and use some low-tier spells.

A delightful voice sounded in his ear:

【Congratulations to the Host on breaking through to the Spirit Guidance Realm. Reward obtained: Dragon Cauldron Power.】

【Dragon Cauldron Power: Strength to Shatter Ten Thousand Jin.】

With this Dragon Cauldron Power, even without the 【Slash Domain】, he could still be invincible within the same realm!

Gurgle—

Jiang Qin patted his stomach. Before reaching the third-stage Spirit Sea Realm, Martial Artists still needed to eat.

"Knock knock…"

"Brother Qin, you there?"

Fatty Zhang Le's shout came from outside the door.

He stood up, walked to the entryway, and opened the door. Zhang Le, standing outside, immediately complained:

"Brother Qin, what's up with you? I sent you so many messages and you didn't reply to a single one. Did you awaken a good talent and decide you don't want a buddy like me anymore?"

Messages?

Jiang Qin instinctively reached into his pocket, found it empty, then said helplessly:

"Sorry, my phone broke. I haven't had a chance to buy a new one yet."

"Why are you here?"

"Of course to call you out for skewers! And to bring you some stuff while I'm at it."

Zhang Le handed over the things in his arms—a stack of award certificates.

Then he handed over a bank card.

"This card has the school's reward money for you, a total of 500,000. If you ask me, the principal's really stingy—giving such a small amount."

"Forget all that for now, let's go, let's go! Treat me to a meal!"

"Fine, what's the rush."

Jiang Qin helplessly put the things back inside the house, then took his keys and closed the door.

A luxury car that obviously cost a fortune was parked at the door; he didn't recognize the brand. He pulled open the rear door and got in.

Zhang Le said impatiently: "Bao Shu, to the barbecue place by the school gate!"

"Yes, Young Master."

Bao Shu, the driver and butler, smiled and nodded, started the car, and drove away from Tianhua Street.

That meal lasted until deep into the night.

Only then did Bao Shu drive Jiang Qin home.

Late at night, Jiang Qin lay on the bed and slowly closed his eyes…

————

The next day, Jiang Qin was woken by a knocking at the door.

When he walked to the door yawning and opened it, he found a strange middle-aged couple standing outside, extraordinary in bearing, dressed in brocade.

Powerful Martial Artist auras emanated from both of them, instantly dispelling Jiang Qin's sleepiness and putting him on guard inwardly.

But that wariness quickly vanished, because he noticed that the couple's features bore some resemblance to his own.

The middle-aged man had a face like carved stone, cold and dignified; within his deep, dark eyes, excitement was hidden.

The woman wore a golden long dress, her skin like white jade and crystal-clear, exuding noble air.

Her eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Qin's face. Even though she had imagined this scene countless times on the way here, she still couldn't help the corners of her eyes reddening, her voice choking up.

"My child, I've finally seen you!"

The woman rushed over uncontrollably, arms spread wide.

Jiang Qin hesitated, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting the woman embrace him; tears soaked through his clothes.

After a long while, the woman finally released him and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Only then did the middle-aged man speak: "Although this is very sudden, but I…"

"I know—you're my biological parents, right?" Jiang Qin interrupted in a flat tone.

There was no joy or excitement of a family reunion, no bewilderment or confusion—only calm.

After all.

Without this blood relation, these two could only count as strangers to him.

"Come in and sit."

Jiang Qin led the couple into the living room, then went to the kitchen to make tea.

Shen Shuyun's gaze was drawn to the photos on the wall — pictures of Jiang Mingrou and Jiang Qin together.

From infancy, to learning to walk, to starting school, to graduating from middle school.

The woman in the photos wore a gentle, warm smile — unbearably heartwarming.

A moment later, Jiang Qin came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of hot tea and set them before the two of them.

Jiang Yuanshan paused in thought, then began to recount the past.

"The year you were just born, enemies attacked our home and took you away. I was held back by the enemy and couldn't go save you. Afterwards, I found the body of the one who'd abducted you, but found no trace of you. All these years I've been searching for you in secret."

But Huaguo was vast, and when Jiang Mingrou adopted Jiang Qin, she had not been working in Tianyun Shi.

That was why the Jiang Family had searched for years and turned up nothing.

"…It wasn't until the day before yesterday that your grandfather sensed your bloodline talent awakening. Only then did we learn where you were, and we rushed over at the first moment."

"If you resent me, I would understand… failing to protect you was my failure as a father — that's what led to you being lost out in the world."

Once one's strength reaches the Law Realm, one can commune with heaven and earth.

Even bloodline thousands of miles away can be sensed.

The living room's atmosphere was heavy, deeply oppressive.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qin shook his head:

"I won't blame you. You did your best, didn't you."

And besides, if not for all this, he would never have met Jiang Ma, never have had these years of beautiful memories.

Even if given another chance to choose, he would still pick the life he has now.

Those words made Jiang Yuanshan secretly breathe a quiet sigh of relief inside; his tense mood eased a little.

Shen Shuyun, standing beside him, spoke with a smile:

"What about that Ms. Jiang? If possible, I'd like to thank her in person for taking care of you all these years."

Hearing this, Jiang Qin's gaze dropped slightly, and he answered honestly:

"She's dead. An Otherworld Rift appeared nearby the day before yesterday. Jiang Ma died at the hands of a Fierce Beast."

Jiang Yuanshan was greatly shocked — the moment he received news of his son, he had rushed to Tianyun Shi at once, and so did not know about this.

It was also at this moment.

That he noticed the faint aura emanating from his son had actually already reached the Spirit Drawing Realm.

To reach the Spirit Drawing Realm right upon awakening — even in Dijing, where prodigies abound — was exceedingly rare.

Sensing their concerned gazes, Jiang Qin shook his head and said:

"Don't worry about me. I only took some minor injuries."

"As for those Fierce Beasts… I've already killed every last one of them. Not a single one left."

The couple exchanged a glance, sighing softly to themselves.

No wonder — when they'd first seen their son just now, his whole bearing had radiated cold indifference. To face something like that and still be able to talk like a normal person, his temperament was already extraordinarily remarkable.