Chapter 163 One Hundred Million in Compensation

Jiang Yu folded his arms and leaned back in his seat, leisurely glancing around at the gathered crowd.

Wei Jia was frozen in place.

His mind went blank, as if short-circuited. He could not remember how many years it had been since anyone in Tianhe City dared to act this arrogant after learning he was the young master of the Wei family.

Ask anyone in Tianhe: who did not know that Han Qingyu was Young Master Wei's forbidden treasure? In his heart, she was the heavens, she was his destiny.

Yet now, right in front of the entire upper-class elite of Tianhe, Jiang Yu had declared that Han Qingyu was his girlfriend. The overbearing tone of his declaration felt so surreal to everyone present.

It seemed there were still people who refused to acknowledge Young Master Wei.

Jiang Yu said indifferently, "Did you all hear clearly? I don't like repeating myself."

Han Qingyu tilted her head and blinked. This young man possessed a breathtaking, heart-stirring arrogance. With her naturally cold and aloof temperament, she had always harbored a secret desire to be conquered by someone. Unfortunately, even someone as formidable as Young Master Wei still lacked that certain spark in front of her, falling short in charm.

Chen Yilai looked at Jiang Yu in astonishment. "Do you even know who is standing in front of you? Do you know what he represents in Tianhe?"

Jiang Yu smiled and replied, "Forget about a mere young master of the Wei family; even if Xu Daozhi, whose might shakes Zhongzhou, were here, he would not dare try to suppress me with his reputation."

With those words, he turned to look at Han Qingyu, his gaze instantly turning tender. "I once promised you a landscape as picturesque as a painting, and peace and joy for all eternity. Now, I will present you with an even greater gift. The woman of Jiang Yu deserves nothing less than the absolute best and most unique in the entire world."

Han Qingyu gazed curiously at Jiang Yu's matchless, handsome face, her heart hammering against her ribs. Today, Jiang Yu's brilliance was on full display. Like a treasured sword unsheathed, he no longer retained a single trace of ordinary appearance.

To dare utter such arrogant words—surely this young man who had suddenly burst into her life must possess formidable backing.

"Just who are you?"

Han Qingyu was consumed by curiosity.

Jiang Yu kept his hands behind his back and said calmly, "You will know soon enough."

As for Wei Jia, he was simply not qualified to catch Jiang Yu's eye. If pushed too far, he could be swatted to death with a casual wave. Only the entire Wei family was worthy of a second glance from him, though even then, they posed no real threat.

Even the Qin family, with centuries of heritage, had been crushed at the flick of Jiang Yu's finger. No matter how high the Wei family's status in Tianhe was, compared to the Qin family, which boasted a grandmaster of the Combined Qi realm, they were still nothing more than a minor household.

Everyone could sense that Jiang Yu's identity was extraordinary. To dare offend Wei Jia meant he was either a fool or ruthlessly capable. Judging by Jiang Yu's demeanor, most leaned toward the latter.

"Regardless of his background, based solely on what he said today, he has completely cut himself off from Tianhe's upper-crust circle. Outsiders really never understand what the three major surnames of Tianhe truly represent, do they?"

Chen Yilai shook his head repeatedly. Jiang Yu was being far too reckless. Youthful and hot-headed, he was squabbling with the young master of the Wei family over Han Qingyu, completely oblivious to the catastrophic disaster he had brought upon himself.

So what if he had a powerful background? Never forget that the ground beneath his feet was Tianhe territory.

The dinner party ultimately broke up in discord. Everyone would long remember the expression on Wei Jia's face as he left the Han family villa—so dark and gloomy it seemed capable of dripping water. He hadn't even bothered to speak to Han Qingyu, instead jumping into his sports car and speeding away in a cloud of dust.

...

On the villa's balcony, Han Qingyu wore a pair of sunglasses that obscured the upper half of her face, revealing only a slender, perfectly rounded chin. Holding a glass of red wine, she gazed out at the garden below.

Standing behind her was a white-haired elder dressed in a silk Tang-style tunic. With every breath, his chest heaved, and faint wisps of genuine Qi could be seen escaping his nostrils. This was the sign of someone on the verge of stepping into the Combined Qi realm. If fate allowed and he took that half-step forward, the realm of a grandmaster would be within his grasp.

"Elder Fang, compared to the Chief in Black Robes, who is superior?"

Han Qingyu asked softly.

Elder Fang stroked his beard and smiled. "The Chief in Black Robes is no match for me. Although we are both Half-Step Combined Qi, the gap in our true strength is vast. Five years ago, we fought to a draw over a hundred paces. At the ninety-ninth step, I narrowly defeated him by a hair. Five years later, if I were to defeat him, thirty steps would suffice."

Elder Fang's arrogance swallowed the heavens, his eyes radiating a gaze of supreme disdain.

A hint of joy flickered in Han Qingyu's beautiful eyes. Elder Fang was a supreme martial artist whom the Han family had invited at great expense, a favor compounded by the fact that the Han family had shown him great kindness many years ago. Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, fifteen years had passed.

"Elder Fang's boundless kindness to the Han family is something this junior will never forget."

Han Qingyu offered a slight bow. Beneath her sunglasses, her peerless beauty was faintly discernible. Even Elder Fang was momentarily dazed, wishing only that he had been born fifty years later to compete with the peers of her generation for this beauty.

"Old Man has been trapped at the Transformation Qi realm for a full fifteen years. During this time, I have perused ancient texts and read through countless Buddhist scriptures and Taoist treatises, vainly attempting to find a method to break through to the Combined Qi realm from the experiences of our predecessors. Alas, the Combined Qi realm is too arduous; I have spent half my life with nothing to show for it. Until today, I have finally managed to catch a distant glimpse of the threshold of Combined Qi."

Overjoyed, Han Qingyu abruptly turned around and exclaimed excitedly, "Elder Fang, does this mean you are about to enter the Grandmaster realm?"

Elder Fang smiled and nodded.

"Indeed. Once old man enters the Combined Qi realm and helps the Han family sweep through Tianhe, it will be considered repaying the kindness from all those years ago. We martial artists are clear in our gratitude and grudges; whatever kindness the Han family showed me, I will repay in full. But after fifteen years, even the greatest of kindnesses has been repaid, drop by drop."

After hesitating for a moment, Han Qingyu finally made a tentative decision and asked cautiously,

"Elder Fang, I would like to ask you to protect someone in secret. He is my friend, and today he offended Wei Jia. Given Wei Jia's petty nature, he will undoubtedly retaliate with fanatical madness afterward. I ask for nothing else; I only hope Elder Fang can preserve his life."

Regarding Jiang Yu, Han Qingyu felt a lingering sense of unease. Ever since she met him, that intangible feeling of familiarity had only grown stronger. Close her eyes, and it was him; dream, and it was him; open her eyes, and it was still him.

Elder Fang nodded. "Very well. With old man making a move, that little brat Wei Jia won't be able to stir up much trouble. If he refuses to behave, I will personally visit the Wei family estate and teach him some manners."

With that, Elder Fang leapt off the second-floor balcony. His figure floated down as lightly as a feather, treading on thin air and gliding more than a dozen meters away.

"Is this the strength of a Half-Step Grandmaster?"

A trace of adoration filled Han Qingyu's lovely eyes.

"Jiang Yu, this is all I can do for you. I only hope your words today weren't just empty bragging, but backed by genuine capability." Han Qingyu sighed softly in her heart, feeling considerably more at ease.

Switching scenes to Jiang Yu, he was currently at Aunt Yan's home.

Aunt Yan, wearing an apron, bustled about in the kitchen. It was Saturday, and shortly after breakfast, she had called to tell Jiang Yu to come over for dinner that evening. Yan Xiaoxiao was wearing a set of cartoon pajamas, lazily sprawled on the sofa, revealing a pair of long, fair calves.

After bustling about for over half an hour, the table was laden with delicacies: yam and ribs, stir-fried pig trotters, braised yellow croaker, and more. The ingredients weren't particularly luxurious, but the flavor was something impossible to find outside.

Yan Xiaoxiao realized she had underestimated Jiang Yu. That night, even the people from the Martial Arts Association had been frightened out of their wits. After returning home, she had considered countless possibilities, ultimately concluding that this matter must have been orchestrated behind the scenes by Xiaohou Sheng.

Regardless, Jiang Yu was his illegitimate son, and upon encountering trouble, that father of his would certainly pull out all the stops.

The Xia family of Jiangbei was somewhat renowned, and it was only natural that they had a few big-shot friends in Tianhe. Although there were many logical inconsistencies in this theory, it was the one closest to reality.

Aunt Yan enthusiastically urged Jiang Yu to take a seat.

"Xiao Yu, Aunt Yan didn't know what you liked to eat, so I just took the liberty of making a few of my signature dishes. I hope you don't mind."

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "It's fine. It's been a long time since I've had home-cooked food anyway. Aunt Yan, let me ask you something—have people from the Martial Arts Association come looking for you these past couple of days?"

At the mention of this, Aunt Yan's expression changed.

With a complex look on her face, she nodded. "They did. Last night, someone claiming to be from the Martial Arts Association came by. Without saying much, he left a bank card and turned around and left. When I went to the bank to check today, there was a hundred million yuan deposited in it. It scared me half to death."

Aunt Yan spoke in a low voice, "Xiao Yu, what is going on here? I know what kind of status the Martial Arts Association holds in Tianhe. Why would they give me a bank card with a balance of over a hundred million yuan for no reason?"

Clatter!

The chopsticks in Yan Xiaoxiao's hand dropped onto the table, her heart churning with stormy waves. "Mom, what did you just say?"

Aunt Yan took out the bank card and placed it on the table. "I didn't dare spend a single cent. We're just ordinary folks; we've never seen that much money in our entire lives."

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Aunt Yan, it's fine. Spend this money however you like. It just so happens that I know a few people in Tianhe who joined forces to pressure the Martial Arts Association, and that one hundred million is their compensation."

Ah?

Aunt Yan was thrown into a panic. Just what kind of background did this young Xiao Yu really have?