Jiang Tianxin was relieved to know that Xu Zifan was really alright. When Xu Zifan said he had a surprise for her, she couldn't help but smile.
She couldn't find any trace of her former master in Xu Zifan anymore. Xu Zifan was like a different person after becoming her boyfriend. He would always make her blush with embarrassment, say sweet nothings, and surprise her endlessly. She should think about preparing a surprise for her boyfriend too.
Just as Jiang Tianxin told the people at the Taoist temple that Xu Zifan was safe, a young Taoist priest came running up breathlessly and said, "Senior Sister, Cheng Zhuang is here and insists on seeing you. We tried to stop him from coming in, but he kept making a fuss and has already disturbed the worshippers. Would you like to go and take a look?"
Jiang Tianxin frowned. Jiang Dong had already walked out. "You bastard! He actually dared to show his face again. I'll beat him to death!"
Jiang Dong's face was grim. Jiang Tianxin also felt uncomfortable when she remembered Cheng Zhuang saying he liked her that day. She followed Jiang Dong out and instructed him, "Brother, let's take care of this in the backyard. Don't scare anyone."
"Alright, go straight to the backyard, so that kid won't see you spouting nonsense." Before Jiang Dong could finish speaking, he had already disappeared. He hadn't been cultivating for nothing these past few months.
Jiang Tianxin stopped and went directly to the backyard, while Luo Chen and Mo Jiani went to the front yard to appease the worshippers, showing no concern whatsoever. Although they were merchants, they were among the top families in the country. The Cheng family's condescending attitude was due to their own arrogance, not because they were afraid of the Cheng family.
As soon as Cheng Zhuang saw Jiang Dong, he shouted angrily, "You're the one who ordered people to stop me, aren't you? I want to see Tian Xin! And that Xu Zifan, who does he think he is? How dare he covet Tian Xin?!"
Jiang Dong clenched his fist and threw a punch!
"Damn it! Shut the hell up!"
Jiang Dong's fist struck Cheng Zhuang's mouth like an iron fist, causing Cheng Zhuang to spit out two front teeth and curl up in pain!
Without pausing, Jiang Dong grabbed Cheng Zhuang by the collar, lifted him up, and strode toward the backyard.
Luo Chen smiled and fabricated a plausible explanation for the other worshippers, smoothing things over and even giving them a 10% discount because they were frightened. Everyone was happy and no longer cared about what had happened at Chengzhuang.
Cheng Zhuang only realized what had happened when he was taken to the backyard—Jiang Dong had actually beaten him up! He'd even knocked out two of his front teeth!
He struggled violently, shouting, "Get out of here! Jiang Dong! Get out of here!"
Without his front teeth, Cheng Zhuang's speech was slurred. Hearing his own voice, Cheng Zhuang's face flushed red, not from embarrassment but from anger!
Jiang Dong shoved him to the ground, pounced on him, and punched him in the stomach, gritting his teeth and saying, "I let go! What? You bastard, you dared to use my sister as a shield, you're asking for it!"
Cheng Zhuang curled up in excruciating pain. His instinct to fight back kicked in, and he grabbed Jiang Dong, trying to throw him off. But despite his strength, he couldn't budge him. He exclaimed in shock, "You...how could you...?"
Jiang Dong grabbed his neck and slammed his head hard against the ground. "My kung fu was taught to me personally by Brother Fan. Do you think I'm still that weakling who can be beaten and scolded by you and can't fight back? Cheng Zhuang, be more realistic. Don't treat us siblings like pushovers and bully us. You can't afford to mess with us."
Jiang Dong finally let go of him, stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked down at Cheng Zhuang, who had bullied him many times before. He had finally gotten revenge for what happened back then.
Feeling deeply humiliated, Cheng Zhuang still gritted his teeth and shouted, "I did not betray Tian Xun, I love her!"
Jiang Tianxin said with disgust, "Cheng Zhuang, you've been causing me trouble time and time again lately, and I'm really annoyed. I hope you'll stay away from me in the future and stop saying these nonsense, or it won't be as simple as just beating you up."
Cheng Zhuang excitedly scrambled to his feet, staggered slightly, and clutched his stomach, saying, "I've truly loved you since I was eighteen..."
Jiang Tianxin raised her hand to interrupt him, frowning as she said, "Fine, I'll assume you really like me. But let me tell you now, I've never liked you in the slightest. I have absolutely no feelings for you. Your words only annoy me. Please stay away from me from now on. I don't accept your affection. You can leave now."
Cheng Zhuang stepped forward to approach her, but Jiang Dong dodged in front of him, glaring at him with an unfriendly expression. Cheng Zhuang angrily said, "Isn't it Xu Zifan? What's so great about him? We've known each other for years, we've been childhood sweethearts, Xu Zifan is just using you, using you and your siblings, using the Jiang family..."
"Cheng Zhuang!" Jiang Tianxin said coldly, "You're so narrow-minded, and that's the only world you see. You want to know why I like Zifan? Let me tell you, we've only known each other for a short time, and he saved my brother's life, saved my whole family's life, and helped us eliminate our biggest threat. All the connections my Jiang family provided him were to repay a debt of gratitude; there was no exploitation involved."
I became his disciple, and he taught me more than any master in the world. He also gave me many treasures. I found a treasure, and even in an exchange of benefits, he was the one who lost out.
He never took advantage of me when we were together; on the contrary, I benefited greatly. In terms of social standing, I was the one who was marrying above my station.
The fact that he has fallen in love with me is the happiest thing in my life. If I can grow old with him, I am willing to give everything I have.
Jiang Tianxin walked up to Cheng Zhuang and said with utmost seriousness, "I will not allow anyone to insult or belittle him. If I hear anything like that again, I will not let you off the hook!"
Jiang Tianxin made her point clearly, personally extinguishing this unwanted romantic advance that had appeared out of nowhere.
What Cheng Zhuang said was hardly exploitation. Even if she knew that Xu Zifan wouldn't suffer if he got close to her, she never felt that Xu Zifan had exploited her. Xu Zifan took her as his disciple to get closer to her, but the master-disciple relationship was never just for show. What Xu Zifan taught her far outweighed any help she could give him. Such excellent cultivation techniques and so many magical treasures—anyone in the world would probably be eager to relieve Xu Zifan's worries.
Such trivial matters never left the slightest negative mark between them. On the contrary, she was glad that she was useful; otherwise, Xu Zifan might never have approached her, might never have stayed in the Jiang family, might never have taken her as his apprentice, and might never have had any further interaction with her. Naturally, they would not have reached such a close relationship today.
She began to understand what Xu Zifan meant by fate. In one's life, one will meet many, many people. The right person or the one you have feelings for is not necessarily someone special. But for two people to be happy together, the right time, place, and people are all indispensable.
Their unfortunate circumstances provided an opportunity for them to meet, while their individual personalities and shared experiences created a fertile ground for their budding romance.
The mutual attraction between the pure Yang and pure Yin constitutions became a catalyst for their relationship. Looking back, she realized that if they hadn't had feelings for each other back then, they would have avoided each other when they discovered that the two constitutions were attracted to each other. After all, Xu Zifan had already found a way to get rid of his bad luck and had been doing charity work with all his might. Getting rid of his bad luck was only a matter of time. There was no need for the master and disciple to be tied together all the time.
Walking through the Taoist temple she had personally overseen the reconstruction of, she suddenly felt incredibly grateful for everything. It was all of this, interconnected and interdependent, that had brought the two of them together. This was truly the happiest thing that had ever happened to her in her life, a happiness that brought a smile to her face without her even realizing it.
Jiang Tianxin's words left Cheng Zhuang in a daze. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "No... I was eighteen when I liked... I argued with my family, turned against them, and tried everything to get my dad to agree... All these years... I've done so much... Why..."
Jiang Dong said in a deep voice: "Stop being so self-righteous. If you really liked Xin Xin, you wouldn't talk about how great she is as a police officer every time you see me. If you really liked Xin Xin, you wouldn't use her as a shield in front of your blind date. If you really liked Xin Xin, you wouldn't cause trouble for her while she was handling cases, regardless of her danger. Everything you've done is just to rebel against your father and to conquer Xin Xin, who has never looked down on you."
You're the kind of person who's inherently cold-blooded and doesn't understand any emotions. Qingfeng Temple doesn't welcome you, and Xin Xin doesn't want to see you again. Get out!
Jiang Dong handed the man over to a young Taoist priest, who then escorted him out the back door. How long he sat there, when he left, and how he left was none of their concern.
Jiang Dong's transformation and Jiang Tianxin's blunt rejection dealt a huge blow to Cheng Zhuang. He never came looking for him again and soon went abroad, neglecting even his father who was still in the hospital.
Jiang Dong just scoffed when he heard this. This kind of person has been spoiled and arrogant since childhood. He can't handle setbacks that he can't change. His first reaction is to escape from this environment. How dare he say he likes Xin Xin? He doesn't deserve to say he likes her at all!
Xu Zifan spent a week wandering around, always going to crowded places, occasionally participating in any activities or games he encountered, and nothing happened to him. Not only was he unlucky, he also gained the ability to control the people he met and see their past and future!
This is all due to his innate destiny. Because of his heavy Yin energy, he possesses such a constitution and talent. Now, he has accumulated more and more merits. After destroying the immortality, he also eliminated a great scourge for the world, and his merits have increased significantly. Finally, he has gotten rid of the drawbacks of his destiny and can now relax and enjoy the benefits brought by his talent.
Xu Zifan thought about it and felt that this was also a kind of fate. If he hadn't taken the urge to inherit Qingfeng Temple when he transmigrated, he probably wouldn't have done so much to promote the temple, he probably wouldn't have been an enemy of immortality, or faced those zombies and vengeful ghosts. In that case, he wouldn't have been able to accumulate so much merit in just one year and resolve his own tribulations.
Although he faced numerous troubles upon arriving in this life, it was actually quite easy and enjoyable. He even found a suitable and beloved girlfriend, making life incredibly wonderful. With no more worries in the future, his life would only get better.
After confirming that his bad luck was over, he started buying things to decorate the courtyard house, preparing a surprise for his girlfriend before heading back. He wondered if the girl missed him.
During the honeymoon phase, it always feels like a day apart is like three autumns. Although they video chat every day, it doesn't feel like they've been apart for that long.
Xu Zifan was having a great time outside, completely unaware that the Xu family was in complete chaos. His uncle had unexpectedly run into Yu Cailan at the hospital, and their meeting quickly escalated from mutual accusations to a bitter exchange of insults and resentment. Both sides blamed the other for not killing Xu Zifan, causing their current predicament. In their hearts, Xu Zifan was undoubtedly their family's nemesis!