Chapter 555: A Promise
Just as the young woman said, their Meng Family was an aristocratic family spanning military, political and business circles, with immense power and influence. Since her birth, everything she did had gone smoothly—it was always others begging her, she had never begged anyone else.
She prided herself on having seen all aspects of human life, believing that what people sought in this lifetime was nothing more than money, power, fame, and strength.
Yet this unfamiliar martial arts master before her cared nothing for any of these things.
He despised the Meng Family’s money as ill-gotten gains, so he didn’t want money.
He believed the Meng Family abused power for personal gain, so he didn’t want power.
He didn’t need the Meng Family’s publicity after curing her grandfather, so he didn’t want fame.
As for strength—a Xiantian level master meant the Meng Family wasn’t qualified to even mention “strength” in his presence.
Eighteen years of life experience were shattered into fragments within just a few short sentences by Jiang Li.
“Young sir, if I promise that after my injuries heal, I will guarantee diligent governance for the people and honest administration, would that be enough for you to take action once?” the old man tentatively asked. Having judged countless people, he believed there was no one he couldn’t see through.
Today, he had met his match.
Jiang Li was the first person he couldn’t see through.
He saw the other’s indifferent expression, eyes revealing no emotion, and had no idea what the other party actually wanted.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Li smiled and asked, “Isn’t that your duty anyway?”
“And by making such a promise, aren’t you admitting you haven’t been fulfilling this duty before?”
The old man was speechless—he truly didn’t know what Jiang Li wanted.
As if reading the old man’s thoughts, Jiang Li said, “I’m not seeking anything specific. As I said earlier, in my eyes, you’re no different from those patients in the hospital. Status and position aren’t factors that distinguish people to me.”
“Then…”
“If you can actually deliver on your promise of diligent governance for the people and honest administration, I can tell you the method to heal your injuries.”
The old man solemnly declared, “I promise.”
Jiang Li nodded. “I hope you’re a man of your word.”
“In as little as half a month, or as long as three months, you’ll receive orders from your country’s highest ruler to make contact with a mysterious organization. This organization will cure your illness.”
“What mysterious organization?” the young woman asked, confused, but the old man grabbed her hand, signaling her not to inquire further.
“Thank you for informing me of this matter, sir.” The old man bowed in gratitude to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li sighed and left with Wen Qing’er.
…
“Grandfather, that person is so strange. How could you be the same as patients in the hospital?” The young woman couldn’t understand Jiang Li’s behavior.
“We are the same.”
The old man saw things much more clearly than his granddaughter.
His eyes grew distant, as if recalling events from long ago: “He is indeed strange, but he’s someone worthy of respect. He reminds me of how I was when I first entered politics.”
“After decades of floating in official circles, I’d forgotten my original intention to be a good official who served the people wholeheartedly. It was only when relatives came seeking help that I used small privileges to give them a leg up, allowing them to reach higher positions than ordinary people, which gradually formed the current Meng Family.”
“Even now, your grandfather can’t pinpoint exactly where things went wrong.”
The old man clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the car.
“Grandfather wants some quiet time alone to remember what my original intentions were.”
The young woman fell silent, also lost in thought.
…
“Senior Jiang, you don’t seem very happy?” Jiang Li’s emotions were too obvious for Wen Qing’er to miss.
“I’m not unhappy, I’m just feeling helpless about reality.”
“The Mutual Aid Society has already begun cooperating at the national level. The Society’s headquarters is right here, and that old man is the regional administrator. If my predictions are correct, your world’s highest ruler will personally intervene to have the old man handle liaison work with the Mutual Aid Society.”
“The Mutual Aid Society will definitely do him the favor of curing his injuries—they won’t even need my intervention. I just took advantage of the situation to extract a promise from him.”
“Do you know what this indicates?”
“What?” Wen Qing’er hadn’t expected Jiang Li to be pondering such matters—this level of thinking was clearly beyond her reach.
“When you reach a certain position, benefits come to you automatically, whether you want them or not. This is the origin of privilege, and it can also be considered a manifestation of the survival-of-the-fittest rule.”
Wen Qing’er nodded with partial understanding—she felt she grasped the concept, but not as deeply as Jiang Li’s insights.
Then Jiang Li swept away his gloomy expression and said with a smile, “Looking at the bigger picture, with the Mutual Aid Society cooperating with the government, improvements will come to healthcare, social security, industry and other areas. Your country will get better and better—that old man is just the first to benefit from these dividends. I was just sharing my reflections—you can listen, but no need to think too deeply about it.”
…
When Jiang Li returned carrying youtiao, doufunao, and tea eggs, Wen Quan had just woken up.
“Practicing cultivation this early?” Wen Quan was surprised—he hadn’t expected Jiang Li to be stricter than Radiant Enlightenment Daoist.
“Of course, I’m cultivating every moment.” Jiang Li said.
Wen Quan: “…I might not have been referring to you.”
“Though you practice abstinence from grains, Fellow Daoist still eats these foods with more dregs than essence, just like mortals. This must be the embodiment of returning to simplicity—Radiant Enlightenment admires this.”
Jiang Li was unusually left speechless.
If I say I’m just craving these foods, wouldn’t that undermine Radiant Enlightenment Daoist’s dignity?
After the three finished eating, they took a taxi to the amusement park.
Wen Quan was now a billionaire—no need to take the bus anymore.
“Three people and one soul, four full tickets please.”
“Huh?” The ticket seller was momentarily stunned, not comprehending.
Wen Quan realized the issue and corrected himself: “Sorry, sorry, I miscounted—three full tickets.”
Entering the amusement park, Jiang Li headed toward the roller coaster.
“Senior Jiang, aren’t we going to the haunted house?”
“We bought full tickets after all—we should make the most of them.” Jiang Li led by example, teaching Wen Quan the principle of fully utilizing resources.
Once on the roller coaster, Jiang Li discovered it was too slow and not scary at all.
He could fly faster than this roller coaster.
Meanwhile, the Wen siblings were screaming louder than each other, and when they got off the roller coaster, Wen Qing’er could barely stand straight.
Jiang Li tried thrilling rides like bungee jumping and pirate ships one after another, but found them unsatisfying.
“The merry-go-round is more interesting after all.” Jiang Li ate his ice cream while leisurely riding the carousel.
Wen Quan and Wen Qing’er drove bumper cars, crashing into each other without holding back.
Radiant Enlightenment Daoist followed beside Jiang Li in his wandering spirit form, not really understanding the appeal of playing in amusement parks.
“Amusement parks are about excitement and leisure. I can’t provide the leisure feeling, but I can give you a taste of excitement.” Jiang Li said.
“I’d like to try.”
As soon as Radiant Enlightenment Daoist spoke, he saw Jiang Li suddenly throw a punch. In the Daoist’s eyes, this punch was lightning fast, far exceeding his reaction capability.
Radiant Enlightenment Daoist felt he would be utterly annihilated by this punch.
The fist came closer and closer, finally stopping half an inch from the Daoist’s nose.
Having narrowly escaped death, Radiant Enlightenment Daoist prostrated on the ground, gasping for breath.
“That was… actually quite fun.”
“Right?”
Jiang Li jumped off the merry-go-round, bought a stick of candied hawthorns, and led the Wen siblings toward the haunted house.