Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 36
Seeing that Jing Ling hadn’t responded for a while, Old Master Jiang spoke again, “What’s wrong, afraid?” His tone was light, but there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm.
“No.” Jing Ling shook his head and carefully sized up the three people before him. “I just have a question. The Song, Yang, Bai, Wang, and Li families don’t include the Jiang family, do they? And these two old gentlemen, may I ask who they are…?”
The polite wording translated loosely into: Your Jiang family isn’t even one of the five, so why are you meddling? And these two beside you didn’t even introduce themselves—do they think they’re some kind of universal currency that everyone’s supposed to recognize?
One sentence, and he’d offended all three. The room instantly became as silent as a muted television—dead quiet.
After a few seconds, the guard at the door roared, “Bastard! Is that how you talk to the commander?” As he shouted, he lunged at Jing Ling from behind.
His hand was just about to touch Jing Ling’s shoulder—one grab and he could subdue him. These elite guards never held back; as long as the target didn’t die, anything went.
Jing Ling twisted aside to evade.
Yuan Lang, having missed his grab, didn’t give up. Instinctively, he followed with a sharp elbow strike, while sweeping his leg at the back of Jing Ling’s knee. He had originally thought he could take him down in one move—he hadn’t expected his target to dodge, which surprised him. But it didn’t affect his next move. Combat was ingrained in his very bones.
And since his first attack had failed, this time he held nothing back, going full force. If that kick landed, it would undoubtedly cause a fracture. But his aim was merely to subdue the kid, so he targeted the knee pit.
This time, Jing Ling didn’t dodge, but met the blow head-on. He even looked relaxed doing so.
Yuan Lang’s competitive instinct was immediately ignited. He was about to continue his assault when Old Master Jiang spoke up.
“Yuan Lang, stand down!”
By now, several seconds had passed, and Jing Ling and Yuan Lang had already exchanged a few blows. Obedience was second nature to a soldier. Once the commander gave an order, Yuan Lang stopped without hesitation and stepped back to the door.
Jing Ling calmly brushed off his sleeve and added, “We’re all civilized people—can’t we talk things out instead of going straight to fists?”
Yuan Lang, hot-tempered and unable to hide his expressions, glared with wide, furious eyes. But he remembered his position—without orders from his superior, he didn’t move an inch. He stood there, fiercely staring at Jing Ling.
Old Master Jiang and the other two elderly men were also looking at Jing Ling. Unlike before, when they’d treated him with casual disinterest, this time, they were finally looking at him properly.
“Not bad reflexes,” Old Master Jiang complimented.
“He really does have Old Li’s temper,” the gray-robed elder grunted.
“Promising youth! Old Li taught you well. We can rest easy leaving that matter to you,” the third elder added.
After hearing them all out, Jing Ling spoke with a faint smile. “It seems you didn’t understand what I said earlier, so I’ll say it again. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of these Song, Yang, Bai, Wang, and Li families. And this is also the first time I’ve seen any of you. Saying we’re complete strangers is not an exaggeration. So where do you get the confidence that I’d agree to handle something I know absolutely nothing about?”
The room went quiet again.
This time, the three elders finally realized that this underage kid was not so easy to fool. But they still didn’t take him too seriously. Old Master Jiang didn’t show visible anger, but his expression darkened noticeably. The gray-robed elder had shown a bad temper from the start, leaving only the third elder to play mediator.
“We didn’t expect Old Li to teach you all these skills in private but not tell you the reasons behind them. That’s our oversight. Since you’ve asked, it’s time we explained the matter of the Five Families.”
The Song, Yang, Bai, Wang, and Li families had existed for over a hundred years before the founding of the country—they were true aristocratic families. Each family had its own strengths and territory. The eastern Song family specialized in killing, the southern Bai clan was known for medicine, the western Li family excelled in beast-taming, the northern Yang family was skilled in divination, and in the center, the Wang family stood guard over the heartland.
After the country was founded, the people gradually grew wealthier, and the economy developed rapidly. The Five Families gradually withdrew from the public stage and went into seclusion. However, their influence never truly faded.
On the night before New Year’s Eve twenty years ago, more than twenty members of the Li family were slaughtered in one night. Their corpses were piled up in the main hall, the scene horrific beyond description. The originally white carpet was soaked with blood, turning red with a faint black hue.
Afterward, a special government department quickly took over the case and suppressed all external information. The few who knew were ordered to remain silent. During the body count, they discovered one person was missing—Second Master Li. After investigation, it was confirmed that he had left home half a month before the incident and never returned. Thus, he became the sole survivor of the brutal massacre.
That Second Master was the nameless old man in the original host’s memories.
“Later, we identified the murderer as a remnant of a transnational drug cartel. Somehow, word got out that the Li family had helped in the case. The enemy found out and, after planning for more than two years, carried out the massacre twenty years ago.”
“Old Li probably didn’t tell you anything because he didn’t want you to get involved. These years, the authorities have been pursuing that group, but they’re too well-hidden, and progress has been slow. Earlier this year, traces of them were found in the Heduo District, but they were so alert that they fled into the district’s primeval forest before we could act.”
“That area borders five countries and has always been a sensitive zone—a paradise for criminals. We can’t send too many people in. But since you’ve learned the Li family’s skills, you’re the perfect candidate…”
A buzzing sound interrupted the old man—it was Jing Ling’s phone ringing. The caller ID showed it was Yang Xinyao.
“Sorry, I need to take this.” He gestured politely, then walked to a corner with his phone.
“Miss Yang, what’s the matter?” he got straight to the point.
“Jing Ling, Yunshu might be in some trouble. Can you come over?” Yang Xinyao was just as direct.
“Where are you? I’ll be right there,” he agreed without hesitation.
After Yang Xinyao gave him the location, she hung up.
“Apologies, I have something to take care of. As for what you just told me, I’ll think it over,” Jing Ling said to the three elders before walking toward the door. Old Master Jiang didn’t speak, and Yuan Lang, standing nearby, naturally blocked his way.
Jing Ling didn’t slow down, walking straight toward Yuan Lang and striking first. Though skilled, Yuan Lang was no ordinary opponent—it wouldn’t be easy to get past him.
“I’m warning you. Move.” Jing Ling’s voice was cold.
Tan Yunshu’s memories felt far away to him now. If not for today’s encounter, they might’ve stayed buried forever. Even though he remembered now, the details were hazy. Whether there really had been such a banquet, or what had happened during it—he couldn’t recall. But since Yang Xinyao said something was wrong, he had to go check.
He could tolerate suffering himself—but not Tan Yunshu!
Yuan Lang had been chosen as Old Master Jiang’s personal guard, so his abilities were beyond average. But even he was startled by the fierceness in the teenager’s eyes and hesitated for a split second.
Jing Ling seized the opportunity and slipped past. Once he exited the room, Yuan Lang wouldn’t be able to pursue him. No matter how those inside viewed him, he left the study, crossed the corridor and stairs, passed through the main hall, out the villa door, and followed the location Yang Xinyao had given him—arriving at a garden.
With spring arriving, everything was blooming again. The Jiang family garden was meticulously maintained, the flowers and plants trimmed with care. The air was filled with a mix of floral scents, creating an unnamed fragrance.
From a distance, Jing Ling could hear voices coming from a corner. Following the sound, he passed a row of rounded shrubs and saw Yang Xinyao and Tan Yunshu. They stood by the shrubbery—Yang Xinyao looked angry and indignant, while Tan Yunshu kept her head down, silent.
There were two others present—a man and a woman. The garden had only ground lights, which made the flowers seem even more radiant, but didn’t do much to illuminate the scene. That wasn’t a problem for Jing Ling—he could see clearly even in pitch darkness.
The two stood facing him, their appearances fully visible. The power of genetics made it easy for him to recognize them: they were once his family—his older sister Tan Yunjin and younger brother Tan Yunzhong. The three siblings’ names had all come from the same line of poetry, supposedly to commemorate their parents’ beautiful love story. As for that explanation, he’d always had just one reaction—Heh.
When Jing Ling arrived, Tan Yunzhong was in the middle of a rant.
“…What, did I say something wrong calling you an ungrateful wretch? The family fed you, clothed you, gave you the best of everything—and how did you repay that? Ignoring calls and messages, even changing your number? I thought you were never going to show your face again, but here you are rushing to attend Sijin’s birthday! You think she remembered you and sent the invite herself? If it wasn’t for Sis begging her, she wouldn’t even know you exist!”
Tan Yunzhong finished, and Tan Yunjin added, “Yunshu, you’re not a child anymore. How can you still be so immature? Mom was just thinking of you—worried that you’re always buried in your studies without any friends—so she introduced you to a few people, to help you build a network. And what did you do? Do you know how angry and heartbroken she was?”
How familiar those words were—how many years had it been since he’d heard them? If it weren’t for all this “well-meaning concern” from her so-called family, how would Tan Yunshu have ended up like that?
Now that they’d met again—it was the perfect time to settle those old scores.
Jing Ling walked over and, without a word, punched someone, Tan Yunzhong, square in the face. The force was so great that his head snapped to the side, and he immediately lost balance and crashed to the ground.
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Anazu Salted Fish
These old fogey really treat ordinary people’s lives like dirt. If Jing was just a normal teen, he would be toyed till death