Chapter Three

The person holding him from behind ignored his comment and asked coldly, "What's your relationship with the Tang family?"

Shen Wang: "..."

Shen Wang: "Actually, I'm the real young master of the Tang family, mistakenly taken as their child. I've just cut ties with them and left. Do you believe me?"

The person behind him chuckled softly, asking ambiguously, "If you're the real young master, then what is Tang Jiu?"

"If I'm the real young master, then Tang Jiu must be the false one usurping my place," Shen Wang also laughed, "It seems, big brother, you have a grudge against Tang Jiu. What a coincidence, so do I. Since we are enemies of the same enemy, we should be friends. How about we sit down for tea and discuss how to get revenge..."

As he was muttering to himself, the man spoke again, "I have a knife to your throat, aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid of someone who's seriously injured and practically incapacitated? What I'm really worried about is explaining to the cops if you die in front of me," Shen Wang thought sarcastically but said aloud, "I don't think you're the type to kill without reason, big brother. And since the knife is already at my throat, being scared won't help much, right?"

"You say you're the real young master of the Tang family, do you know who Tang Jiu is?" The man's sweet, bloody scent grew stronger, overwhelming the faint exotic fragrance, but his voice betrayed no emotion.

"Know what about him?" Shen Wang was taken aback.

He knew quite a bit about Tang Jiu, like his countless romantic entanglements, the various adventures he was destined for, the minor characters he had outsmarted, and some of his actions…

But all that was in the future, related to metaphysics, and as a non-cultivator, Shen Wang shouldn't have known these things.

After some thought, Shen Wang finally recalled something he could mention, "He can't accept the Tang family's inheritance..."

After saying this, Shen Wang quickly added, "I just overheard this. I don't know what the Tang family's inheritance actually is. Maybe it's the Tang family's company?"

Whether from shock or his severe injuries, the man's grip loosened.

Seizing the moment, Shen Wang headbutted him fiercely. Before the man could react to the sudden attack, Shen Wang swiftly pressed a knife to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Once sure the man was completely out, Shen Wang snorted, "What debt did I owe Tang Jiu in my past life? In this life, he steals my identity and now brings me danger."

Shen Wang was startled to see the man lying on the ground.

Dressed all in black, with not just black clothes but also a pure black evil spirit mask, his eyes were dark and menacing, creating an indescribably terrifying sight.

Reaching for the man's waist to search for weapons, Shen Wang felt something wet and sticky. Lifting his hand, it was covered in fresh blood.

"I thought you were a crow turned into a human, dressing in black to hide the blood," Shen Wang crouched down, examining the man, and took his pulse.

The pulse was weak and erratic, the spiritual energy running wild... Leaving him here could ruin his meridians, either stunting his cultivation forever and reducing him to an ordinary person, or costing him a lot of time and effort to repair his meridians, wasting precious years.

Shen Wang touched his own neck, still smeared with blood, "What should I do, save him or not save him?"

The man didn't respond, unable to do so.

Holding the man's wrist, Shen Wang thoughtfully observed him. The man was covered head to toe, his age indiscernible, but his hand was delicate and fair, that of a young and pampered individual.

He was still a young man.

"Forget it, I won’t trouble the Tang family, and it wouldn’t hurt to save someone, right?" Although this person was Tang Jiu's enemy, wasn't that even better?

Shen Wang helped the man up from the ground, his index and middle fingers together, quickly pressing several major acupoints to forcibly close his meridians, directing the rampaging spiritual energy through the proper channels.

The violent rush of spiritual energy was agonizing, but the man remained silent, either unconscious or just adept at enduring pain.

As an ordinary person now, Shen Wang could only help him this far. The rest was up to the man’s willpower.

"I'll take this dagger as payment for medical expenses," Shen Wang quipped, tossing the razor-sharp dagger in his hand. He patted his behind, ready to leave.

Just as he was about to stand up, he felt his hand being grabbed.

Surprised, he looked down to see the man had opened his eyes. Hidden behind the ghastly mask, the man's eyes met Shen Wang's, filled with murderous intent.

Unfazed by this paper tiger, Shen Wang cheerily pried the man's fingers open one by one: "Oh, you're awake! Good, good. Just rest up. Since this dagger wounded me, I'll take it with me."

After saying this, Shen Wang casually walked away under the man's icy glare.

Watching Shen Wang's retreating figure, the man, while struggling to regulate the chaotic energy within him, swore through gritted teeth: "Once I fully recover, Tang Jiu will be the first I kill, and you’ll be next!"

Unaware of the man's vow, Shen Wang wasn't concerned, even if he knew.

C city was vast; who knew if they would ever cross paths again.

Finally leaving the villa area, Shen Wang stood on the street, lamenting the lack of public transport – no subway, no buses, not even a taxi in sight.

With no other option, he started walking away, never once looking back at the Tang residence.

It was afternoon by the time he reached the bustling streets. He casually entered a traditional Chinese medicine store and emerged with several bags.

He continued weaving through the streets, visiting various herb shops, accumulating more bags than he could carry, and depleting his savings before contentedly heading towards his destination.

The Tang residence.

The Tang residence briefly descended into chaos when Shen Wang left, but soon returned to its usual tranquility.

In less than an hour, the ground-floor servant's room where Shen Wang had been staying was cleaned spotlessly, as if he had never lived there.

Within the entire Tang household, no trace of Shen Wang's existence could be found anymore.

Angered by Shen Wang's cunning, Tang's parents were in no mood for their usual activities; the father had no interest in work, and the mother didn't feel like going out for shopping and beauty treatments.

Tang Jiu, who seemingly should have been most eager for Shen Wang's departure, felt uneasy after he left, as if Shen Wang had taken something very important with him.

"Just a slumdog who dares to dictate terms with us," Tang's father brooded on the couch, his expression solemn, "I have a hundred ways to make him disappear without a trace."

Tang's mother glanced at her husband, suggesting, "He extorted and threatened us. Can we call the police and get him arrested? That way, we can get our money back and make him disappear too."

"Do you think I haven't thought of that?" Tang's father retorted irritably, "Once arrested, who knows what he might blurt out to the public? Do we still care about the Tang family's reputation?"

For a moment, the vast Tang household was at a loss on how to deal with a powerless, poor youngster.

"If only he wasn't our biological child..." Tang's mother mumbled, "If only Jiu was our biological child, we wouldn't have to face these complications."

This remark struck Tang Jiu like lightning. He suddenly realized what he had overlooked.

The Tang family, being a mystical clan, tested the aptitude of each child at a young age. Those with the ability to cultivate were vigorously trained to become the true core members of the Tang family.

Peripheral members, regardless of their wealth or achievements, were never privy to the deepest secrets of the Tang family.

The Tang family's enduring legacy was based on a special inheritance: only the direct bloodline could inherit this legacy.

Tang Jiu, possessing decent cultivation talent, had always struggled to receive the family's inheritance, thinking it was due to a lack of luck or fate. But now, he realized the stark truth: he wasn't of Tang blood and therefore couldn't possibly be acknowledged by the family inheritance.

The true heir of the Tang family had already left the household...

Facing his parents, Tang Jiu pondered and then asked, "Father, if Shen Wang, who can't cultivate, could still receive the family inheritance?"

Without a second thought, Tang's father responded: "Of course not."

Tang Jiu's heart raced as he understood why he felt a sense of loss. Calming his voice, he revealed, "I can't inherit because I am not your biological child."

"What if... the blood flowing in me is truly yours and mother's?"

A sharp glint flashed in Tang's father's eyes, but he remained silent.

Puzzled, Tang's mother inquired, "Can the blood in one's body be changed? How?"

A despised biological child, grown up in an orphanage, unfamiliar with anyone influential, living at the bottom of society, whose disappearance would go unnoticed... In contrast, the Tang family could overshadow the skies of C City.

Seemingly powerful and glorious, the Tang family was insignificant in the mystical realm. But now, an opportunity arose to elevate the family's status, albeit at the expense of a biological child they didn't favor.

Tang Jiu, with his eyes closed, already knew the decision his parents would make.

As expected, after a few seconds of contemplation, Tang's father stated, "If sacrificing him benefits the Tang family, it's the only useful thing he could do for us."

Tang's mother also grasped the implication of the blood exchange. She opened her mouth to speak, then merely said, "It's just a blood exchange, he might not die. If he's lucky enough to survive, we'll continue to provide for him."

Tang Jiu was indifferent to Shen Wang's fate. He had an intuition that by seizing Shen Wang's familial bloodline, he would soar to unparalleled heights, revered by all.

Imagining that scenario filled Tang Jiu with such excitement that his blood seemed to boil.