Ding Yan clenched his fists fiercely, yet he was helpless. "Brother Jiang, that door of yours isn't made of gold and silver. Asking me for one hundred thousand is a bit much, don't you think?"
Jiang Lang replied, "Wrong, dead wrong. While this door isn't made of gold and silver, it stood right here, sheltering my wife and me from wind and rain, guarding our home and looking after our courtyard without a single complaint. My wife and I have long since regarded it as a friend.
"And you—you could have just walked in, yet you chose to kick it flying. It never provoked you, yet it suffered a catastrophic disaster through no fault of its own. Doesn't your conscience hurt? Asking you for one hundred thousand is not excessive at all."
Ding Yan was left speechless.
He had never seen anyone able to phrase extortion with such refreshing refinement.
It was utterly shameless!
*Doesn't your conscience hurt?*
Yet now he was the fish on the chopping block, and Jiang Lang held the knife. He had no choice but to take the loss.
After coughing up the one hundred thousand, Ding Yan left in the company of Sun Jiye.
With a beaming smile, Jiang Lang called out, "Many thanks, Cousin, for the wedding gift!"
Ding Yan was so angry his lungs felt fit to burst, but he dared not show the slightest bit of it. Inwardly, however, he swore a silent oath: *Jiang Lang, just you wait! If you manage to get married smoothly on your wedding day, I, Ding Yan, will stand on my head and eat shit!*
Watching the retreating figures of the two men, Lin Qingrou wore a trace of worry in the depths of her eyes. "I'm afraid Ding Yan won't let this go. I'm worried he'll make a huge scene at our wedding."
Jiang Lang smiled indifferently. "I told you, this was the first time and also the last. I've already given him his chance; whether he chooses to cherish it is his own affair. If he dares to come and provoke me again..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but the flash of chilling murderous intent in his eyes said everything.
Lin Qingrou remained silent.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Lang asked.
Lowering her head, Lin Qingrou sighed softly, saying with profound self-deprecation, "This face of mine... it's bound to humiliate you, isn't it?"
Jiang Lang cupped her chin in his hand and said with absolute confidence, "I said I can cure you, and I can cure you. Rest assured, on our wedding day, you will undoubtedly be the most beautiful bride in this world."
Lin Qingrou's eyes filled with emotion.
Yet, she held no real hope.
After all, she had tried countless times before, and every single attempt had ended in failure. Deep down inside, she had long since despaired.
She had already made up her mind: if her face truly could not be healed, she would simply cover it with a veil and serve Jiang Lang with every ounce of her strength to make up for it.
At this thought, the skin beneath her gauze blushed slightly.
At that moment, Jiang Lang spoke. "Wife, I need to head out for a bit."
Lin Qingrou blinked in surprise. "Where to?"
"Your face still requires one special medicinal primer, and I need to go look for it," Jiang Lang said. "Besides, in just a few days we'll be holding our wedding. How can I not have a betrothal gift worthy of you? I need to think of a way to get some money."
"Didn't we already get one hundred thousand?" Lin Qingrou asked.
Jiang Lang grinned broadly. "How could one hundred thousand be enough?"
In astonishment, Lin Qingrou asked, "One hundred thousand isn't enough?"
Jiang Lang smiled. "Naturally not. You are Jiang Lang's woman; when I marry you, how could I ever let you suffer even the slightest grievance? Don't worry, I'll be right back."
After a brief moment of thought, Lin Qingrou asked, "H-Husband, we only have three days left. Where are you going to get money?"
Pausing slightly as a thought seemed to strike her, she gasped out, "You aren't planning to... rob a money house, are you?"
Jiang Lang looked startled. "How did you know?"
Panic instantly washed over Lin Qingrou. "You absolutely must not!"
Jiang Lang grinned broadly. "I'm just teasing you, silly."
Lin Qingrou let out a sigh of relief. Jiang Lang leaned in to kiss her cheek through the veil, then turned and left.
Treating Lin Qingrou's face still required a rare Precious Beast Blood.
Xingbao Pavilion naturally had Precious Beast Blood in stock, but Jiang Lang felt his conscience pricking him over constantly freeloading off them, so he decided to obtain it himself.
The Taicang Mountains.
A vast mountain range just outside Lieyong City.
Deep within the mountains, ferocious beasts roamed, and danger lurked everywhere.
Jiang Lang arrived at the location before long.
"This medicinal primer requires the Precious Beast Blood of at least a tier-five beast, and in the Taicang Mountains, only the Crocodile Tiger fits that description." With his target clearly set, Jiang Lang headed straight for the Crocodile Tiger's territory.
The Crocodile Tiger was an ancient species, a hybrid between the deadly river crocodile and the wind-wing tiger. Not only could it travel through both water and air, but its skin was as thick and sturdy as a suit of armor, granting it astonishing defense and fierce power.
Because of this, its Precious Beast Blood was exceedingly rare, belonging to the ranks of supreme treasures.
By now, Jiang Lang had already entered a dense forest.
For dozens of miles around, not a single bird or beast was to be seen, because this was the domain of the Crocodile Tiger, where ordinary beasts dared not set foot.
Rumble—
Not far away, a waterfall plunged like a ribbon of white silk from a towering mountain peak, crashing into the cold pool below with a deafening roar in a truly magnificent spectacle.
A bloody beastly aura surged from the cold pool into the sky, shrouding the entire peak.
Clearly, the Crocodile Tiger was inside the cold pool.
At that moment, the cold pool was far from calm. The entire surface churned violently like boiling water, as if a fierce battle were raging underneath.
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, a column of water dozens of yards high erupted from the cold pool, actually forcing the waterfall back upstream.
The very next second.
A human figure shot up into the sky out of the cold pool.
Roar—
The moment the figure emerged, the Crocodile Tiger followed closely behind, bursting out right after.
Splash—
Rain rained down across the heavens!
Only then did Jiang Lang see clearly that the figure was a remarkably heroic-looking young woman. She wielded a long spear, wore soft silver armor, and had her slender, willow-like waist bound with a jade belt. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail flowing behind her, giving her a dashing, vigorous, and full-of-life appearance.
As for the Crocodile Tiger, its massive body was as large as a mountain. While its general shape resembled a tiger, it lacked a single hair on its body, covered instead in a layer of hard, armored hide that looked bizarre and terrifying.
The human and the beast burst out of the cold pool almost simultaneously, though the woman was somewhat faster. Seeing the Crocodile Tiger closing in fast behind her in relentless pursuit, she suddenly let out a sharp cry, twisted her body, and thrust her spear backward at the pursuing beast.
Boom—
The entire spear was instantly ignited, roaring outward like a fire dragon!
The Crocodile Tiger showed not the slightest fear, directly swatting at it with a massive paw!
Bang—
The two forces collided, erupting into a terrifyingly destructive wave of energy that rippled outward in layer upon layer!
Crash!
The Crocodile Tiger was instantly blasted back dozens of yards by the blow. Before it could even steady itself, the woman flicked her spear and attacked once more.
Swoosh—
The spear tore through the void, shattering even space in its wake and leaving an arc of fiery afterglow in the air—a truly terrifying sight.
Seeing this, Jiang Lang's eyes flashed with appreciation. "This chick's spear technique isn't bad."
No sooner had his voice fallen than the woman's spear was already upon the Crocodile Tiger.
Bang-boom!
The sky instantly exploded, and violent waves of air surged wildly!
The next second.
The Crocodile Tiger's massive body was flipped completely over, slamming heavily into the side of a mountain, its eyes filled with deep terror.
It let out a few muttering, incoherent grunts; though it was unclear what it was saying, it was evidently cursing foully.
The woman took a step forward, preparing to press her advantage.
Yet at that very moment, for reasons unknown, a look of pain crossed her face. Clutching her stomach, she retreated two steps, then lightly tapped her toes and shot away from the area entirely.
Both the Crocodile Tiger and Jiang Lang were left utterly dumbfounded.
What on earth was going on?!
How could she just leave like that? What kind of emergency could she possibly have?
While both human and beast were in a state of confusion, the woman suddenly plummeted straight down from mid-air, her face deathly pale.
The Crocodile Tiger had originally intended to flee, but upon seeing this scene, a ferocious glint flashed in its eyes. With a roar, it charged toward the woman.
The woman could only force herself to her feet to meet the enemy.
At that very moment, her combat prowess suddenly plummeted drastically. Whereas she had previously been able to thrash the Crocodile Tiger effortlessly, she was now driven into mortal peril by the beast, her face turning paler and paler while her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
Just as she was about to become the Crocodile Tiger's meal, a righteous-sounding voice rang out: "Fiend! Release that girl!"