Chapter Eight: In the Spring and Autumn, I Am King! (Please add to your collection, please recommend!)

Inside the private room, Li Hao’s eyes were bloodshot. Who could have imagined that a man who dominated his realm would kneel before a mere youth? And yet he did so willingly, with a hint of reverent awe in his gaze.

The Head Wolf was utterly lost, his mind plunged into a blank void. Yuan Tiangang stood frozen, stupefied.

“Jiang Yu, is this the trump card that makes you so fearless?”

He closed his eyes, finally understanding why Jiang Yu had been so calm earlier. It wasn’t ignorance—it was overwhelming strength. No matter how gifted, how powerful, when faced with absolute power, all else faded like mist, unable to withstand even a single blow. Across the void, the heavens and earth, nothing could be relied upon—save myself. Only my own power is trustworthy!

When he opened his eyes again and looked at Jiang Yu, that frail silhouette suddenly transformed into a towering mountain, blocking the road of Yuan Tiangang’s life.

“I believed that after shedding blood and sweat in the army, striving to excel in every detail, becoming the king among soldiers, rising through my own merit to deputy battalion rank, I could look down upon my peers.”

“In pursuit of perfection, I survived countless hardships, finally earning the chance to join Dragon Soar. Yet all I was most proud of, when faced with the Head Wolf, left me no room to advance.”

“I am only twenty-five or twenty-six. No matter how hard I try, compared to figures like the Head Wolf, famed for years, there remains a vast gap.”

“But why is it, that the one I could never hope to match, is now kneeling before a youth of eighteen or nineteen?”

Yuan Tiangang’s vision blurred. Through the years, he’d suffered in the army, striving for perfection, narrowly escaping death time and again, all for status and achievement, to stand above all his peers.

Now, the height he had so arrogantly claimed became a mockery in front of Jiang Yu. The crushing sense of disparity made him close his eyes repeatedly; his once burning fighting spirit faded to nothing.

“Why is it like this? While I became the envy of my generation, a discarded nobody from the Jiang family was already standing shoulder to shoulder with men like Li Hao? To reach this status, I’d need thirty years at least, but by then, what heights will Jiang Yu have scaled?”

For those who seek victory, it’s easy to become obsessed. At this moment, Yuan Tiangang was lost in such a spiral.

Jiang Yu stepped before Li Hao, his indifferent gaze finally showing a flicker of emotion. With a wave of his hands, an invisible force raised Li Hao gently from his knees.

“Do you remember the day I took you as my disciple? You were just a child of fifteen or sixteen, mauled by stray dogs for a single bun.”

That calm voice brought an old warmth to Li Hao’s ears. He could never forget that day—in his darkest hour, an arm reached out to him, pushing two buns into his arms.

Back then, he was eighteen, Jiang Yu appeared to be in his twenties. Now, he was fifty-eight, yet Jiang Yu still looked like a young man in his twenties.

All this time, Li Hao had treated Jiang Yu as an elder brother. Everything he had was given by Jiang Yu.

In the silent room, Li Hao wiped the corners of his eyes and performed the disciple’s salute, “Master, your disciple lost composure.”

The Head Wolf collapsed weakly to the floor, his eyes vacant, staring dumbly at the faint smile on Jiang Yu’s lips. All his rage dissolved into bewildered terror.

Li Hao was a god in the Head Wolf’s heart; his reverence for Li Hao bordered on worship. Yet now, Li Hao was kneeling before a youth, performing the disciple’s salute.

“Why is this happening? Hao, who is he? Who is he?”

The Head Wolf was emotionally shaken, unable to accept the scene before him. Why should his idol kneel before a youth? Hao, have you gone mad? Do you realize you’re humiliating me?

The Head Wolf raged inwardly, his injuries worsening quickly.

Li Hao turned to him, “A Wolf, kneel and call him Master.”

“The Indestructible Vajra Technique you practice was handed down to me by Master, and then I taught it to you. By all rights, you should call him Master.”

Unwilling, the Head Wolf closed his eyes, kowtowed and apologized, “Head Wolf… pays… respects to Master.”

Jiang Yu smiled, “Earlier you asked if I had any trump cards left. Now, you’ve seen for yourself.”

Li Hao spoke softly, “Master, spare A Wolf’s life. He’s been at my side for over a decade, but has never met you. He is blameless for his ignorance. Give him a chance.”

Jiang Yu paused—of all his disciples, Li Hao had been with him the longest. He hadn’t expected Li Hao to sense his intent to kill the Head Wolf.

Jiang Yu said, “I am deeply disappointed in him.”

Li Hao gritted his teeth, refusing to yield, looking at Jiang Yu imploringly.

After a few minutes, Jiang Yu relented, “Let there be no next time.”

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief, waved his hand, “Get up, go tend your wounds.”

He added, “Tonight’s events must not be spread. If I hear even a whisper, I’ll wipe them out completely.”

Yuan Tiangang struggled up, dejectedly leaving the room.

The other two middle-aged men, faces full of terror, hurried out.

When only Jiang Yu and Li Hao remained, Li Hao asked quietly, “Should we inform the others?”

Jiang Yu pondered, his own concerns weighing on him, then shook his head, “Don’t let this news spread for now. If tonight hadn’t been exceptional, I wouldn’t have met even you.”

“What about Feifei and Ma Tianzong?”

Li Hao gave a bitter smile, “They’re still searching for your body, alive or dead. The entire scenic area has been turned upside down. Gu Feifei hasn’t had a drop of water in three days. Master you…”

Mentioning Gu Feifei, Li Hao looked up at Jiang Yu, his expression complex.

Everyone could see Gu Feifei’s heart was set on Jiang Yu. She had rejected countless suitors over the years, all for him. Yet Jiang Yu had never truly looked at her.

Jiang Yu waved his hand, cutting Li Hao off.

For five thousand years, Jiang Yu had avoided seeking a companion, fearing the pain of separation by death. Three thousand years ago, the incident with the Qishan Skirt Master reminded him that ordinary people’s lives rarely exceed a hundred years. Once their time ends, all longing is left to him alone.

Of the eighty thousand characters in the world, only the character for ‘love’ wounds most deeply.

It’s not that he doesn’t feel affection—it’s that he dares not.

“Now that this matter is settled, I should return. Unless necessary, don’t disturb me.”

With these words, Jiang Yu left with hands clasped behind his back.

Li Hao bowed, “Safe travels, Master.”

…

At the top floor of Azure Sea Cloud Sky, in Li Hao’s office.

The Head Wolf, after a simple bandage, barely staunched his bleeding. Even now, his body ached terribly.

Li Hao sat opposite him, smoke curling around them.

“Hao, this Jiang Yu…?”

Li Hao smiled, “Master is extraordinary. I once saw him, with supreme power, slay a master of mundane martial arts at the peak of Harmonious Strength.”

The Head Wolf hesitated, “But I heard some kids say Jiang Yu is just a discarded nobody from the Jiang family. How did he suddenly become your Master?”

Li Hao’s expression grew solemn, “Because to me, Master is a living immortal.”

The Head Wolf’s eyes widened in shock, losing composure and jumping from the sofa, “Could he really surpass an Earth Immortal at the Unity Realm? He’s only eighteen or nineteen!”

As if the Head Wolf’s shock wasn’t enough, Li Hao continued, “Do you know why he didn’t kill you before? Because he knew your greatest trump card was me. He wanted you to witness how he could crush you with what you were most proud of—the most ruthless way to destroy a man’s spirit.”

The Head Wolf’s gaze changed, cold sweat beading his forehead.

Li Hao smiled, “From now on, keep an eye on the Jiang family. Just wait and see—the Jiang family will soar because of Jiang Yu. A Harmonious Strength master at eighteen or nineteen, it’s not impossible for him to reach Earth Immortal someday.”

Unity Realm, Earth Immortal!

A name found only in ancient books.

Legend says Earth Immortals live three hundred years, with power to seize the moon from the heavens, move mountains and fill seas.

Such a realm hadn’t appeared in a century. Only recently, China’s leaders, to awe neighboring nations, pooled the nation’s resources to barely forge an Earth Immortal.

Because of this solitary Unity Realm Earth Immortal, people finally had a benchmark for this level of power.

Unmatched among his peers, a star alone—only Gu Changsheng.

He once repelled three reinforced regiments from Yue country single-handedly. In China, only Gu Changsheng had such power.

After a long silence, the Head Wolf voiced the question that had long troubled him.

“Hao, is Jiang Yu really only eighteen or nineteen?”

Li Hao was stumped as well. He had never heard Jiang Yu mention his age. All guesses about him were mere speculation.

Searching his memory, Li Hao recalled a joke Jiang Yu had once made.

Li Hao frowned, “He once joked that Daji begged him in tears to take her as a servant.”

The Head Wolf shook his head with a smile, “Hao, you said it yourself—it was just a joke.”

“True, how could anyone survive from that era to now? The Shang Dynasty of 1046 AD has been over a thousand years.”