Looking at the accumulated 5,300 merit points, Jiang Wang felt quite satisfied.
After arriving in the Yang Kingdom next and stabilizing the situation, he would probably try to challenge the rankings in the Void Illusory Realm's Tongtian Realm matching battles.
He had barely scraped into the top hundred in both the Wandering Meridian Realm and Zhou Heavenly Circulation Realm, and he really wanted to see the scenery of the top ten... or even the championship.
Not long after leaving the Void Illusory Realm, Jiang Wang sensed something and reached out to catch a cloud crane from outside the carriage window.
The letter he had sent to the Cloud Kingdom had only just arrived.
The Chongxuan family coachman was well-trained, silently driving the carriage without looking askance.
There were two letters.
Jiang Wang first opened Jiang An'an's letter.
The letter was still full of chattering about daily life and cultivation matters.
She was still in the period of strengthening her body through martial arts, but it was said that her Sister Ye Qingyu had already prepared an excellent Meridian-Illuminating Pill for her.
Jiang Wang touched the ten yuan-stones he had newly obtained, wondering if he could afford the price... wondering if Lingxiao Pavilion would accept Dao art secret techniques as compensation.
Besides that, the sentence that appeared most often in the letter was—"I miss you so much!"
Today I ate something delicious, I miss you so much. A few days ago Sister Qingyu took me to play at the Cloud River, the Cloud River is so beautiful, I miss you so much. Practicing calligraphy is so tiring. I miss you so much. No matter what she said, it always ended with "I miss you so much!"
At the end of the letter, she even wrote three sentences in a row. "I miss you so much!" "I miss you so much!" "I miss you so much!"
Jiang Wang read it with a face full of smiles, his heart warm and sweet.
But then there was also some bitterness. He still couldn't go pick up his sister yet. Jiang Wang, you must work harder.
He gently rubbed the corners of his eyes and looked down to see the signature: "Jiang Little Hero above the clouds, obedient An'an under the maple."
He was momentarily speechless and laughed.
Presumably, the little girl had pondered this signature for who knows how long, and it was quite "drawing from many strengths."
Ye Qingyu's reply was much simpler, mainly responding to the question he had previously asked in his letter about where the Cloud Kingdom got its Meridian-Illuminating Pills since the Cloud Kingdom did not raise fierce beasts.
Ye Qingyu: "We buy them with money."
Jiang Wang: ...
He had been thinking about national systems, not wanting to see this kind of invisible display of wealth as an answer.
Given the Cloud Kingdom's wealth, this was obviously not an unbearable expenditure.
But not every country was so rich.
...
The carriage entered Fengxian Commandery.
Without Jiang Wang needing to worry, the Chongxuan family coachman easily found Zhang Yong's home in Zhang Family Town.
One had to admit that prestigious families like the Chongxuan family truly had their foundations visible everywhere.
Just such a capable coachman had lived in the Chongxuan family for who knows how many generations, loyal, familiar with the geography of the Qi Kingdom, and well-mannered in dealing with people. Not just any family could cultivate such a person.
At this time, dusk was deepening, and the Zhang family's main gate was tightly closed.
Probably since Zhang Yong had returned, there had been too many visitors, and the neighbors were no longer surprised. They casually glanced at the carriage twice before turning their gazes away.
Jiang Wang had the coachman stop the carriage, then got out and went forward to personally knock on the door knocker as a sign of respect.
After waiting a while, there was no response, and not a sound came from the courtyard.
At this time, a neighbor auntie who was sweeping said: "Young man, stop knocking. Yong'er is having a hard time right now, he doesn't want to see strangers!"
Jiang Wang thanked the kind-hearted auntie.
But since the entire Zhang family had been wiped out, and he had come to Fengxian Commandery, both emotionally and logically, he couldn't just leave at the door.
Not to mention there was also the "mission" that Chongxuan Sheng had entrusted him with.
After thinking for a moment, he gathered his Dao essence and gently sent his voice into the courtyard: "Is Zhang Yong home? Jiang Wang, an old friend from the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm, has come to visit."
After waiting quietly for a moment, he heard footsteps.
Obviously, the person in the courtyard made no effort to conceal his approach. The sound of his steps was somewhat weak and feeble.
Creak~ squeak~
The courtyard gate opened.
Jiang Wang then saw a emaciated young man.
Seeing Zhang Yong again, the young man's appearance was haggard, but his eyes no longer held the youthful timidity from when they first met outside the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm.
His gaze toward Jiang Wang carried a subtle wariness.
After such a major change, Jiang Wang could completely understand his emotions.
"Brother Zhang, I'm on my way to handle matters in the Yang Kingdom and happened to pass through Fengxian. I heard about what happened to your family... please accept my condolences. Has the real killer been brought to justice yet?"
"I don't even know who the real killer is." Zhang Yong stood stunned at the courtyard gate for a while before stepping aside half his body and saying: "Come in and sit."
The courtyard was completely empty, almost dead silence.
It was said that when the Zhang family was wiped out, not a single survivor was left. Now this place was just Zhang Yong living alone.
Given his future where supernatural powers were within reach, there were naturally many factions trying to recruit him. But all were refused by Zhang Yong, who was overwhelmed with grief. He just locked himself in the courtyard every day without coming out.
These were the situations Jiang Wang had learned about beforehand.
"I won't go in," Jiang Wang said.
He realized that Zhang Yong didn't trust him, or rather, the young man had intentionally shown this distrust.
If he now proposed recruitment on behalf of Chongxuan Sheng, it would undoubtedly be refused.
"It's really that matters in the Yang Kingdom are urgent, and I can't stay too long on the way," Jiang Wang apologized, continuing: "The real killer hasn't been found yet. Is it because the authorities aren't putting effort into solving the case, or because the officials handling it aren't competent enough? When I set out, Chongxuan Sheng also asked me to convey his regards."
"After all, we all came out of the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm together, and among the fifty people, only a few of us are left, so we've shared hardships. The Chongxuan family has some cooperation with the local commandery government. Do you need us to help put in a word?"
"Thank you for your concern. However, the commandery government has already attached great importance to this matter. But the other party acted very cleanly, leaving absolutely no clues."
"Otherwise, let me have Chongxuan Sheng send a few old hands from the Chongxuan family who are experienced in criminal investigations to see if they can help with anything?"
"There's no need. Just leave it to the commandery government to handle." Zhang Yong sighed, his face dim: "They're all dead. Even if we find the real killer, what meaning would it have?"
After this incident, he seemed to have become disheartened as dead ashes.
In any case, this was Zhang Yong's private matter, and as an outsider, Jiang Wang naturally couldn't force him to do anything.
So he just said: "Please still accept my condolences."
He took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zhang Yong, saying: "This is a contact point for the Chongxuan family in Fengxian Commandery. If there's anything you need help with, feel free to contact us at any time."
Zhang Yong took the piece of paper and said softly: "Thank you."
Only at this moment did these words of thanks have some truth to them.
Jiang Wang made a special trip to Fengxian Commandery, exchanged a few words with Zhang Yong at the door, and then left in a hurry.
It wasn't that matters in the Yang Kingdom were truly so urgent that every second counted, but rather that leaving at this moment was the most appropriate distance.
Too far would be meaningless, too close would make people wary.
As one of the victors of the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm, Zhang Yong was certainly worth recruiting, but there was no need to rush.
Given Chongxuan Sheng's style, he would probably first help Zhang Yong find the killer of his family, then come to commiserate with Zhang Yong about their shared hatred. Regardless of anything, it was about investing.
But Jiang Wang's style was different.
He wasn't eager to bestow favors. He believed that in Zhang Yong's current emotional state, maintaining the existing friendship was enough.
Plant the seed of trust and leave it to time to cultivate.
It was hard to say which approach was better; it was just that everyone's actions were influenced by their own character.
The carriage drove out of Zhang Family Town, and Jiang Wang closed his eyes to enter the Void Illusory Realm.
He summoned a paper crane and wrote: If Zhang Yong comes seeking help, consider carefully.
Le Wen