Capital City!
Upon hearing this sensitive term, Jiang Feng's face turned even colder!
Even though he has now reunited with Murong Qian, he never thought he would have any entanglements with the people in that cesspool again. The merciless severance of ties back then had long made him unwilling to recall or face that heartless place.
If it were his previous temper, as the Old Man said, once he gained power, he would definitely charge back to the Capital City, making those who betrayed and abandoned him back then pay.
But now, having been reborn for six hundred years, his mindset is no longer like an ordinary person's. Even the powerful families in the Capital City that ordinary people would be terrified to mention are in his eyes nothing but a bunch of ants, lower-class scum!
Back then, the two Great Practitioners Han Shan and Shi De had a very enlightening conversation: "How should one deal with the world's slander, insult, ridicule, disdain, spurning, hatred, and deception?"
Shi De answered, "Just endure him, let him, allow him, avoid him, be patient with him, respect him, ignore him, and after a few years, look at him again?"
With Jiang Feng's current strength and achievements, perhaps even the Great Enlightenment Arhat Shi De from back then would pale in comparison, making him better appreciate the meaning of this statement.
All he needs to do now is to stay humble and protect Nangong Qingcheng well.
However, Nangong Honghu's words made him realize that his self-assumed evasion over the past thirteen years had never really been far from some people's sight!
Someone in the shadows took action on his behalf to shake the Nangong Family, which Jiang Feng neither desires nor needs!
Moreover, Jiang Feng suddenly thought, since someone was able to find him and locate his whereabouts twelve years ago, could it be possible that the ones who kidnapped him and tortured him on a desolate mountain before discarding his body were also from the Capital City?
The thought of such a possibility made Jiang Feng's face turn murderous!
In an instant, the atmosphere in the quiet special care ward turned eerily still as if time had stopped.
Nangong Honghu looked at Jiang Feng's indifferent face and said bitterly, "Xiao Feng, I know you would hate me for hiding this secret from you, but it was under that person's order to not reveal it, and I couldn't bear the consequences..."
Jiang Feng's expression remained indifferent, silent.
"For these twelve years, I've had to endure the torment of my conscience. I saved you with a true heart, but after that person talked to me, it became a form of coercion, a forced transaction that became a burden to my conscience."
Nangong Honghu said sadly, "Especially seeing how you have treated my old man over the years, it's even more than my own incompetent children. I am truly grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. Therefore, I am willing to betroth Qingcheng to you as a way to repay you for your care for my old man, and as my way to repay you."
"Then, what did you mean when you said selfish motives? To use me for my Capital City background?" Jiang Feng asked coldly.
"Yes!" Nangong Honghu admitted without hesitation, crying his old tears: "You've seen the current situation of the Nangong Family with your own eyes, there's a lack of continuity, and none of my three sons and one daughter are competent. Qingcheng is the only one I have any hope for, but she is ultimately just a woman. It will be challenging for her to establish herself in Binhai and take over the Nangong Family in the future. Under these circumstances, I want a strong and reliable person to back her, someone who can lend her a hand when needed so that I can die with peace of mind."
"So you are even more convinced about me, not only because you see potential in me but also because of my extraordinary origins. You want me to help Nangong Qingcheng and carry forward the Nangong Family?" Jiang Feng hit the nail on the head.
The Old Man was right, everything he did was for the Nangong Family and his granddaughter.
His so-called utilization is nothing more than a guilty conscience, and Jiang Feng does believe that even without that mysterious figure's sudden appearance, the Old Man would still try to unite him with Nangong Qingcheng. It's just that he wouldn't have pinned such high hopes back then, only hoping for his descendants to be filial and enjoy their twilight years.
"Xiao Feng, I know how you've been living these past ten plus years. It's been hard on you, suffering ridicule and humiliation, but you truly regarded them as family, enduring disgrace and carrying burdens. Yet, those few are incorrigible, only short-sighted, and that's why I constantly feel guilty towards you. Failing to teach the child is the father's fault..."
"Old Man, don't say that, this has nothing to do with you."
Jiang Feng said coolly: "Secondly, let me tell you, no matter what happens in the future, no matter what, I will never betray Qingcheng!"
Nangong Honghu was shocked and stared at Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng sighed and then looked at Nangong Qingcheng, who was lying behind him on the bed, and continued, "You can't imagine what she means to me, or even what kind of kindness she has shown me."
"How the Nangong Family treats me, how you see me, how outsiders see me, all of this has long ceased to be important to me."
"To be the son-in-law of the Nangong Family, a spineless wimp, a parasite, and whether I am praised or criticized means nothing to me."
"I only care about one identity, and that is as Nangong Qingcheng's man!"
"Now is not yet the time, she still needs to grow. But one day, I will hold her hand and give her the whole world!"
That night, Jiang Feng didn't sleep at all.
...
Early the next morning, Nangong Qingcheng woke up to see Jiang Feng had already bought morning porridge and was feeding the Old Man breakfast.
The two acted as though nothing had happened before last night, as if it was all a dream.
Soon after, the doctor came to do rounds, and then Nangong Jinrong and his wife arrived.
Nangong Jinrong is the eldest of the second generation, and according to what was decided last night, he would be the first to take over from Nangong Qingcheng that evening for care duty.
The couple's expressions toward Jiang Feng were not pleasant at all. Having such a son-in-law, they could never hold their heads high. Jiang Feng's glory had always been his alone, leaving this pair of parents-in-law to be mere background props ridiculed by others.
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa has already had his breakfast." Nangong Qingcheng stood up and said to Nangong Jinrong and his wife.
"You should go to school. You've been skipping classes for over a week, and you must have fallen behind in your studies. The company has been completely handed over to others for management, and you wouldn't even know if they emptied it out," Wu Peixia said, not even glancing at Jiang Feng.
"You shouldn't be blinded by some people's superficial acts. You still have to rely on yourself. No matter how glorious someone else is, they haven't brought a penny home. Your father and I are still counting on you for our retirement."
"Mom..." Nangong Qingcheng frowned, not expecting her mother to throw barbs at Jiang Feng first thing in the morning.
"Just go!" Wu Peixia waved her hand impatiently.
Nangong Qingcheng, speechless, had no choice but to angrily pull Jiang Feng away.
At the same time, over at No. 9 Purple Gold Garden, Shi Guanlin, who had been on edge all night, didn't see Jiang Feng come, and he went berserk with anger, almost driven mad!
"Damn it, did that Jiang coward chicken out? Playing the turtle hiding in its shell?"
Last night, for fear of Jiang Feng seeking revenge, Shi Guanlin didn't sleep until now. His eye bags were sagging, eyes dark, all for nothing!
"Damn it, if this goes on, I'm bound to suffer a nervous breakdown. If he doesn't take action, then don't blame me for striking again!" Shi Guanlin ranted furiously!