Chapter 2171: A Pleasant Time

“Jiang Wang, ah Jiang Wang!” The leader of the Door of No Return in the realm of Evil cried out, heartbroken and indignant. “You really use people when they’re useful and discard them when they’re not. A person like you deceives the world and steals fame! I want to expose your true face to the people of the world!”

The well-known and famous member of Taixu Pavilion stood with his hands behind his back. “Oh? What is my true face?”

“I want to tell the people of the world that you, Jiang Wang, are none other than the notorious Biancheng King from the Door of No Return, the one with the cruelest methods! You don't pay your debts, you're heartless when you turn your back, and you're two-faced!” Yin Guan took out a birdcage, lifted the black cloth, and let Yan Xiao show its body. “This extremely fierce and evil Yan Xiao is your pet!”

Jiang Wang chuckled, his gaze kindly fixed on this tailless swallow that represented pure evil. “Do you know me?”

Yan Xiao hesitated and opened its mouth. “Know—or maybe not know.”

“Just tell the truth!” Jiang Wang said. “Say you don't know.”

“I don't know!” Yan Xiao shouted loudly. “Don't know, don't know, don't know!”

“Dead bird!” Yin Guan kicked the birdcage away with one foot and said angrily, “It doesn't recognize you, but I do!”

“Then go out and say it,” Jiang Wang said indifferently. “See if the people of the world will believe you or me.”

“Ah, look at you now.” Yin Guan pointed a finger at him. “You’ve disappointed an old friend too much!”

Jiang Wang burst into laughter. “I’m experiencing the joy of the Mirror World Platform!”

“Don't say anything else!” Yin Guan reached out directly. “Give the money back!”

“You are too vulgar,” Jiang Wang accepted the gesture with a smile and criticized, “I’m not saying I won’t pay it back, just a few more days, ah. If you don't even have this much determination, how can you be an organization leader?”

“How many years has it been?!”

“Haven’t I been paying it back periodically?”

“You only pay back a bit of interest every year! Is that even considered paying it back?!”

“Isn't Yan Xiao working for you now?”

“Don't you know?”

“I do know!”

Yin Guan took out an account book and drew a few strokes on it. “Here, after deducting its reward, you still owe this much. Let's settle the account, Jiang-daren!”

“What! Brother Yin!” Jiang Wang didn't take the account book, his tone softening. “I don't necessarily need to draw a clear line with you. But you know, my identity is more sensitive now…”

Yin Guan snorted coldly. “Jiang Ge Lao, is it!”

“Eh! It’s best if you can understand.” Jiang Wang simply coaxed him for half a sentence, then changed the subject. “If there's nothing major, I'll leave first. I still need to go back and tutor my sister Yun in writing a chapter!”

“…Stop right there!” Yin Guan called out loudly, stopping him.

“Is there really something?” Jiang Wang withdrew his lifted foot.

“It’s been almost six years since I last went to You Guo. It’s time for me to seek further truth. I, Ji Xi, need to clarify exactly what the Jing Hai Plan is, and then decide whether or not to investigate further.” Yin Guan said seriously, “I need Biancheng King to support me.”

“Just support you?”

“Your current identity isn't suitable for making a move. But this trip is dangerous, and I need someone to help me deal with accidents.”

“Alright.” Jiang Wang only said this one word, then turned around.

“No hesitation at all?” Yin Guan's voice came from behind.

Jiang Wang didn't turn his head back and said, “Maybe I also want to know the truth.”

“Wait!” Yin Guan called out to him, and with a flourish, threw out a thin book. “This section of the *Hunyuan Zangxi Fa* can help you better conceal your cultivation. Consider it a task deposit.”

Jiang Ge Yuan casually took it, simply flipped through a few pages, and then put it into his storage box. As a member of Taixu Pavilion, with the highest authority over the Yandao Platform, as long as he had merit, he wouldn't lack any secret techniques. There was also no need to show off in front of Yin Guan – what if Yin Guan asked for the money back again?

“Wait!” Yin Guan suddenly shouted.

Jiang Wang had already walked very far by this time, but he still turned around in the air, looking helpless. “What now?”

“Happy Birthday!” Yin Guan laughed. “Tomorrow is your birthday. Jiang Ge Lao should be very busy then, so I'll wish you in advance.”

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment, then said, “Dongwang Valley isn’t too far from here.”

Yin Guan smiled slightly. “What does that mean? Is there someone in Dongwang Valley that you find it inconvenient to kill?”

“Go get treated. I think you're quite ill!” Jiang Wang turned and walked away, disappearing into the void like a faint wild goose.

The flying wild goose turned and drifted back again.

Jiang Wang drew out Long Xiang Si with a swoosh and said fiercely, “What do you mean by remembering my birthday? Are you planning to curse me?”

By the time he returned to Xingyue Plain, it was already late at night.

The wine house had closed long ago, and the waiters had all returned to their dormitories – Jiang Dong Jia had specially set up a few courtyards not far from the Baiyu Capital Wine House for the employees to live in.

Jiang Zhen Ren walked into the building without a speck of dust, and the inside was pitch black.

He rarely spread his perception in his own wine house because everyone had privacy. At this time of night, everyone should be meditating and cultivating – except for Jiang An An, that girl loved to sleep and should be working hard in the dream realm.

He stepped onto the stairs and slowly walked to the top floor.

Jiang Wang didn't immediately go back to his quiet room to cultivate, but went to the study first. Although he came back late, he still needed to check the homework.

There were three desks in the large study, one large and two small. Jiang-certain person usually sat at his own desk and supervised the children.

Jiang An An's desk was slightly messy. A large piece of Xuan paper was spread in the center of the desk. Jiang An An had copied a well-written essay on it and pressed it down with a paperweight on one side. The handwriting was neat and well-formed, far stronger than when she was fourteen.

As for the content of the essay, it was convoluted and repetitive, with the opening sentence being, “The weather is very good today…” How was she going to make that into four hundred words?!

Jiang Wang pondered whether or not to send Jiang An An to Longmen Academy for a few months, or maybe Qin Ku Academy? With Zhong Xuan's help, getting in wouldn't be a problem… but would it be too difficult?

Mugu Academy was by the Huo Shui River, so it wasn't in consideration. Qingya Academy had Xu Xiangqian, so it was even more out of the question.

His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a light pink small notebook among the pile of famous authors' works on the desk, with a small part of the cover exposed.

Jiang Zhen Ren's heart jumped – Jiang An An's diary!

He had once glanced at it, and Jiang An An had hidden it away very nervously.

“This child is too careless, she doesn’t even know how to put things away.” Jiang Wang muttered and casually pulled out the diary.

It was perfectly reasonable for an older brother to help manage things.

Uh, should he or shouldn't he…

His sister was growing up, and sometimes he really didn't understand what was going on in her little head.

He turned his head and glanced outside, confirming that there was absolutely no one outside the door. Only then did he turn his head back and slowly open the diary – how could caring about a child's spiritual world be called peeking? It was caring, ah!

He opened the first page of the diary and saw a line of large words written on it—

“If you peek at my diary, you'll be caught by me!”

Below it, an exaggerated smiley face was drawn.

Jiang Zhen Ren almost burned the diary to a crisp in a fit of anger, but he managed to control himself. He saw at the bottom of the page, a small person pushing a door was drawn, and small words were written on the door: “Flip to the next page.”

So he flipped open a page.

This page read—

“Even so, I will still forgive you.”

Below it, there was again a drawing of a small person pushing a door.

“Because you are the best brother in the world.”

“You are my only relative in the world, yet you have given me so much love.”

“I never envy others, because I am envied!”

“I am never afraid. Thinking that my brother is Jiang Wang, I can sleep very soundly.”

“After today, you will be twenty-seven years old. You have grown up… you grew up long ago, Jiang Da Xia!”

“Lend me your birthday wish, I want to make a wish for you.”

At the bottom, a small person with ten fingers clasped was drawn, and a cloud was drawn to represent the brain.

Inside the cloud was written – “I hope my brother won’t be so tired anymore!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just at this moment, fireworks went off outside the building.

The entire night sky of Xingyue Plain was covered with fire flowers at this moment.

The array patterns lit up, the stars jumped, and the lights turned on one by one. The entire Baiyu Capital Wine House suddenly became brightly lit, as bright as daytime!

Zhu Weiwo, Bai Yuxia, Lian Yuchan, Chu Yao, Ye Qingyu, Jiang An'an… as well as the happily jumping stupid gray, rushed out from various corners of the wine house, and in an instant, they all squeezed into the study.

“Happy birthday!”

“Happy, happy!”

“Go further!”

“Make lots of money!”

“May all your wishes come true!”

“Happy, happy!”

The celebratory voices merged into a clamor.

Everyone presented their prepared gifts, stuffing them over in a frenzy. Even the stupid gray bit a bone, wagged its tail, and placed it at Jiang Zhen Ren's feet.

Jiang Zhen Ren was stiff in place for a time, holding all the gifts and still holding that fake diary, unsure whether he should be happy, moved, or embarrassed.

It was as if he didn't know what role he was being surrounded and watched in at this moment – the birthday boy? A good brother? A bad parent caught peeking at his child's diary?

Who taught you all this celebration, ah!

It was simply a surprise attack and then a surrounding attack!

His birthday in the 3927th year of Daoli was the most boisterous he had experienced in his life so far.

It wasn't because he could finally stop and have a good rest day, like all normal people, celebrating the day he came into this world. It wasn't because he had relatives and friends by his side, and there was endless laughter.

But it was because many, many people he didn't even know, from all corners of the world, came bearing heavy gifts to congratulate him, crowding Tianfeng Valley.

He didn't know how this news had spread.

On Xingyue Plain, camel teams lined up, and there were congratulatory teams for Jiang Ge Lao's birthday everywhere.

Jiang Wang himself was unwilling to accept gifts, but many people just dropped off their congratulatory gifts and left, their momentum as strong as a battlefield charge, vying to be the first to plant their flag.

Forced by helplessness, Baiyu Capital had to close its doors for three days. It announced that the East owner had gone on a long journey and the wine house was not open for business.

“Oh my goodness.” A group of people were huddled in the wine house eating hotpot, and Lian Yuchan, listening to the unyielding momentum outside, clicked her tongue. “The East owner is so popular now! People have come from Xueguo to the islands near the sea. Why don't other Pavilion members see this kind of momentum?”

“Because your East owner is a person who truly climbed up step by step,” Ye Qingyu said very seriously.

“His starting point is a starting point that everyone can have; his experience is an experience that everyone can see; his existence fundamentally inspires many cultivators with ambitions for the future.”

Jiang Wang smiled. “To put it bluntly, it’s just that other people’s thresholds are too high, and the steps to send gifts aren't in place! The way you put it, it sounds like I’m more extraordinary!”

Chu Yao, busy at the hotpot, looked up. “Master, you are very extraordinary!”

“Is that so?” Jiang Wang casually used a chopstick, like a sword picking the moon, to pick up the chicken leg on his chopstick and put it into Ye Qingyu's bowl. His actions were smooth like flowing water. Without even looking at his disciple, he only said to Ye Qingyu in a warm voice, “You came so suddenly, I forgot to ask… Is Uncle Ye's illness better?”

Ye Qingyu then laughed and clipped another chicken leg for Chu Yao. “Not yet. So I need to hurry back soon.”

“When you’re old, you need to rest when you’re sick. Tell him not to push himself too hard…” Jiang Wang said and looked at Bai Yuxia. “What are you spacing out about?”

Bai Yuxia came back to his senses and blurted out, “We should raise the price!”

“You really are my good shopkeeper, ah.” Jiang Wang had no way to repay him and clipped a large piece of meat for him.

Jiang An An silently ate the meat on the side, and Zhu Weiwo silently rinsed meat for her.

The good times were quiet, and the years flowed on.

“Pork is all raising prices!”

Inside the felt tent, the man wearing the mask of King Song Emperor sat in front of the bonfire, his hands spread wide, and said with great infectiousness,

“Our treatment should also be increased a bit! What era is it now? Is it appropriate that the rewards for Yan Luo still have to be split fifty-fifty with the organization? The Door of No Return at the beginning and the Door of No Return now, can they be the same?”

He was already the fourth King Song Emperor of the Door of No Return.

His predecessor, the evil gentleman Ling Wufeng, had already followed in the footsteps of the previous two predecessors, contributing to the organization's flowing water that doesn't rot… In other words, the Ling Wufeng who received early guidance would definitely not speak so rashly.

“Alas!” Wu Guan Wang sighed hoarsely at the right time.

He echoed King Song Emperor's emotions, but didn't fully express his attitude.

King Song Emperor was not stupid. He couldn't tolerate him only fanning the flames without adding firewood. He looked at him seriously. “Wu Guan Wang, you are an old Yan Luo. You also agree with my opinion, right?”

“I don't count as old. I'm just lucky and lived a bit longer…” Wu Guan Wang wasn't a good-tempered person, but thinking of his collection, he became much more tolerant. The third King Song Emperor was still lying in his coffin. He could be a bit gentler with the fourth. “Whether we agree or not, we can discuss it further.”

Since the creation of the Door of No Return, only three Yan Luo had not been replaced: King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, and he, King Wu Guan.

King Chu Jiang mainly did rear work, layout, setting up arrays, handling intelligence… and so on. He was less involved in dangerous situations personally. King Qin Guang was not a normal person; he belonged to those whose fate was too tough for heaven to take them. No matter what he did, he wouldn't die. Only he, King Wu Guan, relied on extraordinary wisdom to escape death again and again.

This new King Song Emperor, who hadn't been here long, wanted to use him as a knife. That was truly a dream.

“We need to unite and fight for our interests. We live a life of licking blood from a knife's edge. Could it be that we still have to wrong ourselves?” The new King Song Emperor was a coup leader by origin, namely Tai Wei Kuang Yu Xin of Qu Country. The coup failed, and he fled the country alone. He became an assassin, and after half a year in the organization, he also started to try and increase his influence within the organization.

“King Equality, what do you think?”

Wu Guan Wang was slippery and couldn't be held onto. The Seventh Hall Tai Shan King and the Eighth Hall City King were both newcomers and were more cautious, so they didn't express much. In this organization, King Equality's seniority was also very deep. He wanted to win his support.

But King Equality, who was sitting alone in the corner, just poked the firewood in front of him as if he hadn't heard, without even lifting his eyes.

This is truly a group of people with no ideals… walking corpses and chopping wood knives!

“King Yan Luo, what do you think?” King Song Emperor asked again.

The Fifth Hall King Yan Luo only held up a finger. A dice on his finger spun and turned. He laughed, “Guess big or small?”

Guess your mother's leg!

King Song Emperor suppressed the urge to curse and glanced again at the Tenth Hall Zhuan Lun King who was lying on the ground sleeping soundly. He finally temporarily stopped his efforts. Although it was only a simple test, this group of people really had no spirit! They came out to be assassins one by one and almost became employees!

It was rare for all the halls to gather, and King Qin Guang and King Chu Jiang had not arrived. This great opportunity was actually not seized by anyone.

He felt sad and regretful for these people!

“I support your idea!” At this moment, a voice rang out from outside the tent.

The tent curtain was lifted open at some point, and a figure stood outside, straight and empty-handed, as if bringing in the grassland night. His shadow was pulled long by the firelight, pouncing on the tent, like a bare-fanged and brandishing-clawed giant ghost.

Everyone was in his shadow.

And on his face mask, it clearly read – Biancheng.