ATPnovel Chapter 1353: 45: Licking the Wounds (An extra update for the book friend who surpasses his peers in elegance, 3/3)
Chapter 1353: 45: Licking the Wounds (An extra update for the book friend who surpasses his peers in elegance, 3/3)
Chapter 1353: Chapter 45: Licking the Wounds (An extra update for the book friend who surpasses his peers in elegance, 3/3)Why else would Jiang Wang choose a wealthy family?
Ordinary family attics are typically connected by a single ladder, but this family’s attic had a properly built staircase.
“Whimper, whimper, whimper…”
A gray puppy whimpered as it ran up the stairs.
The staircase was slightly too tall for it, so the first thing Jiang Wang noticed was a tuft of grayish fur, followed by the puppy seemingly “rolling” its way up.
It appeared to have been beaten up somewhere, with splatters of mud on its body.
The poor little thing looked utterly bedraggled.
Once it climbed up to the attic, it stopped whining. Its little tail wobbled as it scrambled into a corner with wooden planks, curled up into a ball, and lay there licking its paws gently.
At that moment, Jiang Wang, also injured and curled up in another corner nursing his wounds, looked at the grayish puppy and felt a strange sense of shared misery.
He thought for a bit, pulled out an iron berry, and tossed it forward. Ever since Jiang Anan showed particular fondness for this fruit, whenever Jiang Wang saw Lian Que, he’d extort a few berries. He had amassed quite a collection.
The iron berry rolled to a stop in front of the gray puppy.
The gray pup jolted upright, its tail instantly sticking out. It nervously glanced left and right, and even bared its teeth fiercely, pretending to intimidate nonexistent foes.
But clearly, it couldn’t see Jiang Wang. For quite some time, it bared its fangs and claws at no target, until it eventually tired out and lay back down, totally ignoring the inconspicuous iron berry.
Jiang Wang sighed softly, flicking his fingers to send a stream of wind that nudged the iron berry ever so slightly forward.
The gray puppy seemed to finally notice the odd fruit. Perhaps deeming a single berry harmless, it lazily stretched out a paw to prod it.
It tilted its little head, as if intrigued.
Then it extended the other paw to drag the berry back toward itself.
Roll, roll, roll.
The treasured fruit rolled back and forth under the puppy’s paws.
Its eyes gleamed brightly.
Watching this simple yet oddly joyful scene, Jiang Wang felt a bit better.
Though the pup seemed somewhat foolish, as if completely unaware that the fruit was edible.
Jiang Wang decided to be a gracious benefactor. With a subtle flick of his fingers, a trace of sword qi deftly peeled the iron berry, unleashing a burst of fragrant aroma.
The gray puppy immediately shrank back, its eyes widening with an expression of terror.
It should be said that this puppy had quite the cautious instinct.
But the fragrance… was irresistibly alluring.
So it hesitantly inched forward again, first prodding at the berry with its paw, smearing mud onto the fruit flesh as it cautiously confirmed it wasn’t some dangerous creature, then finally leaning in for a sniff. Tentatively, it took a small bite…
Its tail wagged furiously!
The puppy dove in completely, pressing its little head into the iron berry, chewing and swallowing in a frenzy as if fighting itself over the fruit.
Jiang Wang curled his lips in a faint smile, then shifted his attention back to his own injuries.
“Eat up. Grow up fast, and whoever beats you, you go beat them back.” He mused idly.
With wounds all over, pain everywhere, he could only entertain himself like this to hold on.
Only now could his mind settle, reviewing the bizarre chase he’d just endured.
It began with Li Youjue.
From the start, Jiang Wang found it strange—for some reason, Li Youjue had suddenly gone to Hengyang Prefecture.
Everyone knew that Huang Yixing’s case was entirely under his direction. Emperor Qi specifically intended to use him as a model to establish the tone for this major case involving Cao Jie, attempting to quell the internal conflict between the “New” and “Old” people of Qi.
Li Youjue, as someone of his rank and from an aristocratic Green Badge family, interfering would merely divert attention and muddy the waters.
He initially stated the case was closed and assured his involvement wouldn’t affect the judgment. Then, he revealed information about remaining members of the Yang Family, leading Jiang Wang out to make arrests and resolve this case alongside the Little Bridge incident…
At the time, Jiang Wang indeed felt persuaded.
Especially since the two had developed a certain rapport following their journey to the Star Moon Plain. Add to that the secrets surrounding the four major Green Badge families and Lin Youxie… Jiang Wang’s attention was successfully drawn away.
All of it seemed conceivable at first.
But after the incident, everything became suspicious.
Then there was Yue Leng’s abrupt involvement, which also seemed inexplicable.
The renowned “God of Captures” suddenly acted like an impulsive novice eager for credit, rushing overnight to join the pursuit based on news of a Yang Family remnant.
The question was, did Yue Leng really need such paltry merits?
Of course, Yue Leng offered an explanation: he was interested in Hell Has No Door—King Qin Guang had ascended to Godly Cultivator status right under his nose and departed triumphantly, while Yin Guan’s fame continued to rise, tarnishing Yue Leng’s own reputation as the God of Captures.
The reasoning held some water.
But as with all of this, once danger was truly evident, doubts became harder to dismiss.
Especially at that mountain hollow, where two mysterious individuals fled and the two Godly Capturing Officers immediately pursued them, leaving the country’s young genius alone.
This shouldn’t have been an issue either.
Any Godly cultivator is a being transcending mortal limits, a true “As If A God Descends” existence.
It wouldn’t make sense to hover around a young genius all day, constantly acting as a shield.
Even though Jiang Wang was now a leading figure among Qi Country’s youth, such expectations weren’t realistic.
Relationships like father and son, or master and apprentice, were exceptions—royal heirs like Jiang Wuhua and Jiang Wuqi had the privilege of such protection.
Jiang Wang did not.
At most, those guarding Qi Country’s National Defense Great Formation might keep a closer eye on him, ensuring his safety within the Qi Boundary—this was already limited, since such high-tier cultivators couldn’t possibly focus entirely on Jiang Wang. Nor would Jiang Wang even want that. At best, it amounted to some alert mechanisms that allowed swift responses to emergencies concerning Jiang Wang.
Outside Qi Country, none of it mattered.
For instance, when Zhongxuan Sheng ventured out of the city to pursue Su She, Zhongxuan Chuliang promptly followed suit. For anyone else, who could expect such devotion from deadly cultivators? They also had their own cultivation priorities, aiming to ascend beyond the Eastern Region’s number one Godly cultivator toward Dongzhen-tier strength.
Thus, Li Youjue and Yue Leng splitting up to chase fleeing targets per their Green Badge mission remained reasonable.
Jiang Wang wasn’t some helpless infant unable to fend for himself.
Yet, no sooner had they left than the attack began.
That couldn’t help but feel… too coincidental.
Who exactly was suspicious?
Beyond that, the mysterious pursuer who hunted him, though only revealing a silhouette throughout, still left some clues behind.
First, despite overwhelming power over Jiang Wang, this figure concealed their tracks and changed their voice—this alone demonstrated that their true identity must be one they deeply feared exposing.
This was an extremely critical detail!
Second, the pursuit—which amounted to intentional torture—revealed the pursuer’s “hatred.”
Her almost frenzied emotions constantly exhibited a visceral hatred toward Jiang Wang.
Yet Jiang Wang reflected inwardly and couldn’t think of any enemy harboring such feelings toward him.
On his path thus far, he certainly had some formidable adversaries, such as Ji Shaoqing’s master Gu Huaixin or Zhuang Country’s monarch Zhuang Gaoxian, and their minister Du Ruhui.
But if it were them, given any opportunity, they would surely kill him outright—they wouldn’t waste time with a cruel chase.
“Unless…” Jiang Wang felt a sudden clarity in his heart: “She doesn’t hate me. She hates Qi Country’s young geniuses. She hates Qi Country!”
An epiphany flashed across his mind.
Star Moon Plain, aligned constellations, Equality Country!
That muffled gasp he heard during Master Guan Yan’s counterstrike!