Dragon Qi

Despite his anger, Liu Chen did not actually kill his uncle's family; he only seized half of the Yu family's fortune before releasing them.

This was clearly a way of leaving room for maneuver, and they didn't want to completely offend Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao snorted coldly in his heart.

Even so, he couldn't forgive his brother-in-law, and he would definitely settle accounts with him afterward!

"Uncle, now that you have returned, please send someone to ask the Empress for a few days' leave to rest and recuperate. Do not go out again."

Jiang Chao solemnly instructed:

"Once your own luck is taken away, it will be difficult to recover in a short time. Even though you uncles are now blessed by the national fortune of the Great Liang Dynasty, you are still very likely to have bad luck. Things like choking on water or twisting your ankle while walking are all possible. Be careful in everything you do and don't be careless."

Although Yu Wenyuan didn't take it to heart, since Jiang Chao had said so, he might as well take the opportunity to rest for a few days and spend more time with his family.

All matters of the court can be handled not only in the government office, but also at home.

So he nodded in agreement.

Jiang Chao then left with peace of mind. When he returned to Qingshui Lane, where Zhuque Street was located, there were several more people in the courtyard.

It was Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er, two heroines among the five sons of Kaihong Mansion, and Shi Gandang, the mountain god who had been following Bi Sheng and his group to expand their influence throughout the world after their separation.

Upon seeing Jiang Chao, Xiao Shi Ling Shi Gan Dang slid to his knees and pounced on him.

The tiny stone figure, barely three inches tall, clung to Jiang Chao's leg and wailed loudly:

"Chao Ge'er, I've missed you so much!"

Jiang Chao was both amused and exasperated. He lifted his leg and ruthlessly flung him away, laughing:

"What's wrong, Lord Mountain God? What great injustice have you suffered that you'd resort to such desperate measures to come to me and complain?"

The little stone man, of course, had no tears. After dry sobbing for a while, seeing that Jiang Chao was unmoved, he had no choice but to stop pretending and said with a sullen face:

"Brother Chao'er, you have no idea how miserable I've been since we parted ways. Those bastards, Bi Sheng and his gang, have treated me like a beast of burden, ordering me around and making me either go find fights or do manual labor to build houses. I finally managed to recover some of my divine power, but they used it all up in no time..."

Stone spirits can absorb the power contained in the earth's veins to cultivate. Although the speed is extremely slow, the advantage is that it is inexhaustible.

After subduing this little thing, it obediently followed Jiang Chao and others. Once the Tianxia Society was initially established, Jiang Chao had it work with Bi Sheng and other key members of the Tianxia Society to manage the society together.

The reason they gave him the title of elder was because they valued the stone spirit's abilities. With the stone spirit around, it was like having half a martial arts master in charge of the World Society.

Stone Spirit's abilities are unique. Although it cannot compare to a martial arts master, it can perform various spells and supernatural powers that ordinary people cannot understand.

The simplest is the Five Elements Technique, a method that only Xuanmen sorcerers would master, which Shi Ling can use with ease.

This was also something that Jiang Chao and others discovered by chance.

As for why Shi Ling didn't use it when they were in a hostile relationship, the reason is simple: at that time, Shi Ling believed that such tricks would not be able to harm Jiang Chao.

After all, Jiang Chao had activated the power of his bloodline back then, and the sense of oppression he gave people was incomparable to that of ordinary mortals.

"Okay, okay."

Jiang Chao squatted down and looked directly at the small stone figure:

"Mountain God, I have heard about what you have done these past few days. You have worked hard. Rest assured, I will record all your deeds in the Book of Merit. When your merits are complete, I will surely reward you accordingly."

There is no such thing as a merit book. Jiang Chao is not a god in heaven, so how could he have such a thing as a merit book?

The reason for saying this is that it was a promise Jiang Chao made casually when he first subdued the other party.

It is said that as long as the little stone man does good deeds and does things that benefit all people, if Jiang Chao rises to prominence in the future, he will surely recommend him to the emperor and obtain a title for him.

An imperial edict was issued, bestowing upon it the title of a true mountain deity, allowing it to rightfully receive incense offerings from the people.

Only then did Shi Gandang willingly risk his life for him.

Today, it came with Dong Jiajia and others, seemingly to complain about its grievances, but in reality, it was clearly there to curry favor.

This little stone figure looks simple and honest, but it's actually quite shrewd!

Shaking his head, Jiang Chao's gaze fell on Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er.

The two young women had rosy complexions and were full of energy; they looked to be in good health and seemed to be doing well these past few days.

Even his demeanor was different from a month ago, clearly indicating that his martial arts cultivation had improved.

"Ladies, is there something important you wish to tell me?"

Jiang Chao smiled slightly, feigning ignorance as he asked the question.

Upon hearing this, Dong Jiajia, dressed as a capable female knight-errant, and Liu Yu'er exchanged a glance.

Dong Jiajia, dressed in a scarlet outfit, gave her a wink, signaling Liu Yu'er to take the lead as previously agreed.

Liu Yu'er, dressed in a bright green robe, secretly pouted, then looked at Jiang Chao, mustered her courage, and spoke in a clear voice:

"Brother Jiang, have you forgotten? We made a promise that once the World Society was on the right track, I would come to the capital to find you. You... you're not going to deny it, are you?"

Dong Jiajia spoke at this moment, and the woman cleared her throat and slowly said:

"Brother Jiang, Bi Sheng said that we will be given an important position by you after our trip to the capital. Is that true?"

Logically speaking, Jiang Chao was the youngest among the group of young people, but because of his special identity and outstanding strength, everyone respected him greatly. When addressing him, they either called him by his given name or added the word "brother" after his surname.

This is to express respect.

Jiang Chao smiled and said, "I will naturally keep my promise, but I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. It's a bit unexpected."

"However, since you two are here, why don't you stay? The situation in the capital is currently turbulent, and your presence will be a good opportunity to help Chu Ning and the others."

The heroine Chu and Su E are now traveling all over the capital, gathering information about the martial arts world from various places.

As the most prosperous place in the world, the capital city is bustling with merchants coming and going every day. Among these merchants are many people from the martial arts world. They gather here from all directions, bringing all kinds of news, and then spread the news they hear in the capital city by word of mouth.

In the capital, there was actually a special government agency called the Intelligence Bureau, which was responsible for collecting information about the martial arts world and reporting it to the imperial court so that the court could keep abreast of the various developments in the martial arts world.

However, due to the long existence of the Intelligence Bureau and the numerous drawbacks, it has long been defunct in name only. Now, the only agency that can truly collect intelligence is the Jidaotai, the imperial intelligence agency under the Sitianjian where Jiang Chao works.

Jiang Chao didn't want to be a headless fly in the dark. Although the spirit medium was powerful, it was not omnipotent. There were some things that the spirit medium could not do in every aspect. For example, some seemingly insignificant but crucial intelligence was easily overlooked by the spirit medium.

Chu Nüxia, Su E, Qin Shaoling, and others went to gather this intelligence.

Hearing Jiang Chao's words, and knowing that he had planned this all along and that what he did just now was just a prank to tease them, Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they were women, they harbored great ambitions and wanted to make a name for themselves in this chaotic world.

Jiang Chao's background and identity clearly provide them with a platform to showcase their talents, and they naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

"Brother Jiang, you really are..." Liu Yu'er hesitated, her expression showing a hint of unspoken unease.

Dong Jiajia quietly tugged at Liu Yu'er's sleeve, signaling her not to say anything, lest she upset the other party and ruin the mood.

Jiang Chao naturally saw through the two women's thoughts and laughed, "We've known each other for so long, you should know what kind of person I am. Don't be so formal in the future, just be yourself, no need to be polite or hold back."

Seeing his frankness and openness, Dong Jiajia finally breathed a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said:

"Brother Jiang, you may not know this, but when I first saw you, I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. For some reason, you suddenly have an inexplicable aura about you, which makes people feel intimidated and afraid to get close. That's why Yu'er and I quietly..."

Dong Jiajia, being from a distinguished background, quickly composed herself and expressed her and Liu Yu'er's concerns.

At this moment, the three-inch stone figure suddenly spoke up, "Brother Chao has a dragon aura on him, it's normal for you to be afraid of him."

Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er were both taken aback upon hearing this.

Dragon energy?

How could Jiang Chao have dragon energy on him?

Jiang Chao's expression changed slightly. How could this little thing know everything?

"Ahem, don't talk nonsense. Have you ever seen a dragon before you talk about dragon energy? Besides, this place is under the emperor's nose. I've lived here for many days, so it's normal for me to be tainted by the emperor's fortune and dragon energy, isn't it?"

As he spoke, Jiang Chao warned the little stone man telepathically that if he continued to speak recklessly, he would not be so polite.

The little stone man chuckled and, with remarkable pragmatism, added:

"I was just joking earlier. What I meant was that Brother Chao is different from you ordinary folks. He possesses the appearance of a celestial being, which is incomparable to the mortal body. Therefore, his aura is unique and different from ordinary people..."

Jiang Chao's face grew darker and darker. This little thing was better off not saying anything at all; the more he explained, the worse it got, and the more outrageous it became.

With a soft slap, Jiang Chao slapped the little stone man on the head, sending it crashing into the bluestone slabs of the courtyard.

He casually picked up a blue brick from somewhere and covered the small stone figure, then stepped forward and stood on it. Only then did Jiang Chao look at the two women again, smiling broadly.

"I have a few spare rooms left in my house. If you don't mind, you can stay here."

"Of course, if you feel it's inconvenient, you can stay at an inn, and I'll pay for the room."

Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er exchanged a glance and nodded. "Since Brother Jiang has said so, Yu'er and I will respectfully comply and stay at the inn."

The two women were not surprised by Jiang Chao's actions just now, because Shi Gandang, this little stone man, could sometimes be quite cheeky, and when he spoke, he would come up with a string of clever words, which they were already used to.

Fortunately, there are people here who can cure it!

It's good to teach it a lesson, so it won't become too arrogant and ignorant of its own limitations.

Jiang Chao was not surprised by their choices.

Because Bai Su Niang is watching from the side right now!

Although her presence was extremely low, Jiang Chao could clearly feel that she was deliberately hiding her aura. However, Dong Jiajia and Liu Yu'er were not ordinary people, so how could they not have noticed her secret gaze?

That uncomfortable gaze clearly indicated that they were not welcome.