Chapter 151: Two Women

"I don't want to rest. Will you stay and chat with me?"

Tong Yi wrapped her slender, jade-like arms around Jiang An's neck, refusing to let go as she pouted playfully.

Jiang An pulled her up, gently patted her forehead, and smiled. "If you don't want to rest, then fine. Your family is still waiting outside. Go out and let them know you're safe."

Only then did Tong Yi remember. Just a moment ago she had been lively and mischievous, but now she instantly became shy and hesitant. Unsure of what was going on in her head, her face cycled through a rich variety of expressions before she suddenly clenched her petite fist in self-encouragement and declared, "Alright, let's go out!"

The two of them stood up and walked toward the door.

The sound of the door opening slowly echoed like a signal. In an instant, everyone outside focused their gazes on the doorway. The Tong family, in particular, saw a graceful and poised young girl step out. Who else could it be but Tong Yi? She was completely healed!

"Dad, Mom!"

Tong Yi suddenly felt a stinging in her nose and lunged forward into their embrace. Tong's father and mother tightly wrapped their arms around their daughter, looking her up and down in excitement as they cried out with joy. Tong Hao tried to squeeze in as well, but unluckily, he took a stray hit to the nose from his over-excited father's flailing arm. He immediately squatted down, clutching his face with an intensely aggrieved expression. "Am I adopted? Why do you treat me like this?"

On the other side, Jiang An walked over to Song Wanshang, gently taking her hand with a smile while remaining silent. Song Wanshang lightly scratched his palm, though her expression was somewhat complicated.

Soon, after the wave of excitement subsided, everyone calmed down and faced a practical question: What should they do next?

"Let's go, we're going home!"

Tong's father puffed out his chest and spoke loudly, though his eyes remained fixed squarely on Jiang An, as if waiting for him to say anything so he could immediately refute it.

"Dear, he saved Yan Yan's life. Don't use that attitude," Tong's mother said, pulling gently at his sleeve and lowering her voice.

"What attitude should I have?" Tong's father said with great dissatisfaction, still harboring plenty of resentment toward Jiang An. His precious darling daughter had suffered so much torment because of this man. Even though she was better now, she clearly looked ready to follow him anywhere. Hello? The man already had a wife and child!

Tong's father had already decided in his heart that today he would ruthlessly and coldly sever this ill-fated entanglement.

"Dad!"

Tong Yi suddenly shouted. Tong's father turned his head to see his daughter already bathed in tears, her large eyes filled with desperate pleading.

Tong's father gritted his teeth, trying to steel his heart, but Tong's mother chimed in, "Do you want your daughter to go back to being mute all day, refusing to eat or drink?"

The father's fierce momentum instantly withered away.

Jiang An knew it was time for him to step forward. He couldn't let a young girl bear all the pressure alone.

"Uncle, Auntie, Tong Yi has just recovered from a major illness and still needs observation for a couple of days. Everyone should stay here for now. We can discuss everything properly later. Old Dao, go arrange dinner."

"Understood."

Tong's father instinctively wanted to refuse, but to his surprise, Tong's mother, Tong Yi, and Tong Hao all joined forces to persuade him. He stubbornly kept his mouth shut, refusing to yield until Tong's mother finally lost her temper, prompting him to nod with extreme reluctance.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air! I don't want to look at this man!"

Feeling he had lost all his face, Tong's father petulantly stormed out of the room, and Tong's mother hurriedly followed after him.

Tong Hao, never one to mind making things more chaotic, opened his mouth to speak, but was promptly dragged away by Fan Jun and the others. In the end, only Jiang An and the two women were left in the room.

Jiang An suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had never handled a situation like this before. If the two women started fighting, whose side was he supposed to take?

At that moment, Tong Yi walked forward gracefully, suddenly looped her arm through Song Wanshang's, and called out sweetly, "Older Sister!"

Jiang An was instantly dumbfounded. What on earth was going on here?

Seeing Jiang An's rare, vacant expression of utter cluelessness, Song Wanshang gave him a sharp pinch and said, "Look at you, still clueless, aren't you? Yesterday, before you even arrived, I had a long, heartfelt talk with Tong Yi. A girl is willing to give up so much for you—if you dare to fail her, do you even have a conscience?"

As it turned out, the moment she learned about Tong Yi's situation, Song Wanshang had indeed sat down for a heart-to-heart with her. It was just that back then, Tong Yi's mental barrier had not yet been broken, leading to her eventual departure.

Jiang An blinked. This plotline felt straight out of a melodramatic soap opera. Could someone have cast some kind of illusion on them? There was no way these two one-of-a-kind women could possibly get along this harmoniously, right?

"Sigh, did you think my magnanimity was fake? Of course I'd love to have you all to myself, but I know that's impossible. I was born to my father's concubine; things like this happen all the time in high society. But that doesn't mean I'd tolerate just anyone! It's just that little sister Tong Yi has truly sacrificed a great deal for you. Putting myself in her shoes, it's better to accept her willingly so that everyone can have peace, sparing you from fighting for your life outside and stressing out at home," Song Wanshang sighed.

"Sister, I'm sorry," Tong Yi suddenly felt a wave of guilt.

Song Wanshang shook her head slightly. "Sister doesn't mean to blame you. Having another person around isn't a bad thing either. After all, once we step onto the path of immortality, we can look out for each other. Brother An told me that your aptitude is top-tier, Little Tong."

"Ah? Really?"

"Yes. From now on, we'll cultivate together. Once we grow strong, who will ever dare to bully us?"

As the two equally beautiful women chatted away, Jiang An found himself unable to wedge a single word into the conversation, left standing awkwardly to the side. Eventually, Song Wanshang shot him a glare and said, "We're talking about private matters, and you're standing there like a block of wood. Go on, go find your daughter. She hasn't seen you in forever and has been whining all day asking for her daddy."

And just like that, Jiang An was inexplicably chased out.

Well, I suppose this counts as a good thing...

Jiang An gave a somewhat wry smile. At that moment, a familiar figure sidled up to him with a cheeky grin and said, "Look at that! In the end, you really did become my brother-in-law!"

Tong Hao wore a punchable expression of 'I-knew-it-all-along' before excitedly chattering away on his own. "Brother-in-law, I only just realized you have such a massive empire! All of this belongs to you, which means you must have more money than you can ever spend. As your adorable brother-in-law, I suppose I'll just have to reluctantly help you enjoy it."

Right, he had also inherited an eccentric little brother-in-law. Jiang An's headache worsened. He reached out and grabbed Tong Hao by the collar as if picking up a chick, intending to drag him away, but his expression suddenly froze.

The heavens were being entirely too generous to the Tong family! Tong Yi having a Heavenly Spiritual Root was one thing, but this Tong Hao not only possessed spiritual roots as well, his aptitude was quite impressive—dual Earth and Fire spiritual roots, another fine seedling for cultivation.

***

At the Yu Gate banquet, Tong's father initially kept a cold face and refused to speak. However, the heads of the major clans were all experts at reading the wind and possessed exceptionally well-informed intelligence networks; they all knew that Tong Yi's relationship with Jiang An was extraordinary. Instead of looking down on him, they began to envy Tong's father for having such a wonderful daughter.

Consequently, these men lined up one by one to toast Tong's father. As an ordinary middle-class man who merely ran a small company, having the prestigious clan heads of Linchi personally toast him and shower him with flattery left him utterly flattered and overwhelmed. After a few shots of hard liquor, his guard dropped completely, and he began wildly boasting about everything under the sun, while the clan heads dutifully played along with relentless flattery. By the end of the night, even his subconscious had developed a favorable impression of Jiang An. Having a son-in-law like this didn't seem so bad after all.

That night, Tong's father retired to rest, completely dead drunk and tended to by Tong's mother, while the heads of the major clans remained full of spirit to attend the Yu Gate assembly.

Jiang An sat high in the primary seat, with his family and subordinates seated on his left and right. Through this incident, he felt that Yu Gate should break away from its previous loose structure as a business organization and ascend into a true cultivation sect.

Rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing was the absolute fundamental principle, and shared interests served as the most powerful cohesive force.

More importantly, Jiang An needed Yu Gate's assistance in the cataclysmic wars to come.

"Gu, Qiu, Zhu, Sun—the four Hall Masters!"

Jiang An suddenly called out. The heads of the four major clans immediately stood up and replied in unison, "Your subordinates are present!"

"It has been nearly a year since Yu Gate was established, and I have witnessed everyone's hard work. Since you treat Yu Gate as your home, I naturally will not treat you unfairly. Does anyone in your respective families have the potential to ascend to the Grandmaster realm? If not, select the seed with the best aptitude and send them to the sect. With proper tempering, becoming a Grandmaster should pose no problem at all."

His calm words caused the eyes of the four clan heads to light up brilliantly. The Sect Master was clearly offering a direct promotion and reward! This meant their own families would have Grandmasters holding down the fort in the future? Instantly, their complexions flushed even redder than they had from the alcohol, and they shouted, "Thank you for your immense grace, Sect Master! We are deeply moved and will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Mm," Jiang An responded indifferently before waving a hand. "Very well, the four of you may withdraw to rest for now. Discuss the specifics with Old Dao tomorrow."

A sliver of disappointment flashed across their faces; it seemed they still hadn't managed to enter the absolute core inner circle. Still, they could only bow and take their leave.

This was to be expected. Their current contributions and performance were still insufficient for Jiang An to bestow even greater treasures upon them. One had to eat a meal one bite at a time.

Only his own trusted people remained in the room.

"Cheng Yang, how are your injuries?" Jiang An asked.

Cheng Yang immediately stood up and bowed respectfully, replying, "My Lord, thank you for your concern. I am mostly recovered."

"You performed admirably this time. Let me lend you a hand to help you fully recover as quickly as possible!"

As he spoke, Jiang An made a grasping motion in the empty air. Cheng Yang's tall figure suddenly lifted off the ground, and Jiang An flicked his sleeve, sending a surge of pure spiritual energy pouring into Cheng Yang's body. Within moments, Cheng Yang's complexion returned to a healthy, ruddy glow.

This display thoroughly frightened Tong Hao, who was witnessing such a phenomenon for the first time. He was instantly overcome with ecstatic excitement, unable to sit still in his chair for even a second.

This kind of power was the ultimate pursuit of any man's life! In that instant, Tong Hao found his lifelong, supreme ideal.