CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 154: SPECIAL MERIT! JIANG FAMILY PRODUCES A DRAGON! DAN JIN! DAN JIN!_2

"In the future, wars between nations will be hard to erupt. What will erupt are contests of population, contests of genius!"

"In this incident, if Jiang Shu had not gone, our Xia Country would still have had to send someone to Fusang to assassinate those three Martial Artists. The death of Martial Artists is something we cannot simply watch from the sidelines, letting them become disheartened! Think about it, if our Xia Country were to carry out such a plan, how many soldiers would die?"

"Jiang Shu had a boundless future. He could have just focused on his own Cultivation, yet he insisted on going to Tokyo to stake his life in combat. This battle not only established the martial arts beliefs of our Xia Country’s Martial Artists but also prominently showcased the formidable reputation of our Xia Country’s Martial Arts on the world stage! Such a great accomplishment, and I still think ’Exceptional Merit’ is too small a recognition for it!"

"This Merit must be given."

"If not, how will those Martial Artists view us?"

The crowd fell silent. The leader made a decisive decision. Subsequently, it was passed unanimously! The news quickly spread.

「Ji City.」

Jiang Yongyi drove towards Qingjiang Garden. While waiting for the red light, he couldn’t help but speak, "How strange. Why would the village committee call us all back for no reason? They even said that the leaders from above would come, making it all secretive."

Qingjiang Garden was developed from the village’s resettlement, so the village committee was always retained. Though called a residential community, it was still essentially a village, and its residents were basically all from the original village. This notification was extremely important. Some villagers from other provinces were strongly requested to return. Some tried to use busy work as an excuse, but within a few minutes, a video call would pop up showing their elder’s face.

"I don’t know. Could it be Jiang Shu has done something again?"

In the back seat of the car, Jiang Yanyue was browsing her phone. "Maybe he’s brought glory to our country. Look, the domestic tournaments now only feature Clear Strength Martial Artists. Those Dark Force Martial Artists and Hua Jing Masters must have all gone abroad."

"Those kinds of tournaments are definitely unregulated, with life and death being quite common, so they won’t let the general public know."

"Jiang Shu is so strong now, he might have defeated every opponent abroad."

Jiang Yanyue, with her own set of logic, boldly speculated.

"So irreverent. And you still want to attend Jiangnan Academy? Will you still call your brother just ’Jiang Shu’ once you’re enrolled?" Xu Lizhi spoke in annoyance. Her daughter was good in every aspect, except that she had grown up playing with Jiang Shu and, unless it was something important, she rarely called him ’brother’.

"Pfft. So what if he’s first on the Grandmaster list? In the future, your daughter might get one too! Two Grandmasters in the Jiang Family! Mom, you don’t understand Martial Arts; among Grandmasters, addressing each other by name is very normal!"

"Very normal, is it? So I don’t understand Martial Arts, right?"

"Ah, Mom, don’t twist my ear! It hurts, it hurts!" Jiang Yanyue tilted her head, grimacing and begging for mercy.

In the driver’s seat, Jiang Yongyi smirked. Ever since his son had taken up Martial Arts, their family’s situation had significantly improved. He and his wife didn’t need to work as hard as before, and his daughter was also directly guaranteed a place at Jiangnan Academy. Even if his son made no further progress in Martial Arts, their Jiang Family could still live a very, very good life. Supporting his son in learning Martial Arts was indeed the right decision!

Proudly contemplating, Jiang Yongyi was making a right turn, crossing over the bridge and drawing closer to Qingjiang Garden, when he saw cars parked all along the roadside. Some traffic police were there maintaining order, seemingly checking for some kind of permit.

"Hello, are you a villager from Qingjiang Village?"

"Yes, yes, yes. What’s the matter?" Seeing the traffic police stop him, Jiang Yongyi rolled down his window and asked.

"There might not be any parking spaces ahead. You can park here and walk to Qingjiang Garden."

Confused, Jiang Yongyi parked his car. He, his wife, and daughter walked towards Qingjiang Garden. Along the way, they occasionally greeted familiar villagers; confusion was evident on everyone’s faces. Many of them, in their fifties or sixties, had never experienced such a spectacle.

At the front of Qingjiang Garden, the village secretary and the village head stood at the entrance like doormen. At this moment, all the high officials of Ji City had gathered here.

Seeing Jiang Yongyi approaching, Zheng Yanbo smiled and said, "Secretary Zhao, Mayor Han, this is Grandmaster Jiang’s father, Jiang Yongyi."

"Old Jiang, come over here, come here."

Because of Jiang Shu, Zheng Yanbo had met Jiang Yongyi a few times and even gone fishing together, making him one of the officials most familiar with the Jiang Family. He took a few steps forward, bringing Jiang Yongyi over and introducing him to the various officials, big and small.

Amidst a series of handshakes, Jiang Yongyi’s confusion grew. By now, he was almost certain that this summons by the village committee and the arrival of city officials were because of his son, Jiang Shu. But even if he had achieved a great Merit, it didn’t need to be like this. Everyone is quite busy nowadays, and it’s especially hard for those studying or working out of the province.

At the entrance, the village head was calling out names; almost all the villagers had returned. Just when everyone was starting to feel a bit impatient, fireworks suddenly erupted in the distance. Drums and gongs sounded, and firecrackers were lit. A series of neat marching sounds came from ahead.

A few soldiers appeared, dressed in military uniforms. The four leading them carried a huge plaque. Behind them, a troop of soldiers held a banner: "Learn from Grandmaster Jiang, Salute!"

Majestically and in perfect order, they approached.

Who was Grandmaster Jiang? Was he Old Jiang’s son? The villagers of Qingjiang Village knew that Jiang Yongyi’s son had been admitted to Jiangnan Academy and had won the championship in the university Martial Arts genius competition, but the title "Grandmaster Jiang" was hardly known to anyone. Everyone was secretly guessing.

The military procession drew closer, and a black sedan slowly stopped at the garden gate. An elderly man in military uniform, with salt-and-pepper hair and clearly in his sixties, stepped out of the car. He stood under the spring sun. An entire troop of soldiers halted before him.

In front of all the long-waiting villagers of Qingjiang Village, the elder unveiled the red cloth on the plaque.

Upon it were only six large characters:

"Home of the Recipient of Exceptional Merit."

Then, he stepped forward, grasped the hand of the completely stunned Jiang Yongyi at the gate, and said, "Mr. Jiang, hello. Grandmaster Jiang has made great contributions to the country this time..."

"My son... where is he..." Before the elder could finish speaking, Jiang Yongyi’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Ignoring the surrounding gazes, he directly interrupted. Being a Recipient of Exceptional Merit, however wonderful, was nothing compared to his own son in his eyes! As a citizen of Xia Country, he knew the significance of such Merit and, more importantly, the sacrifices required to earn it!

"Mr. Jiang, there’s no need to worry," the elder said calmly, reassuring him. "Grandmaster Jiang is not in any life-threatening danger. He is currently on an important mission and temporarily cannot contact his family."

He spoke with Jiang Yongyi about Jiang Shu.

Behind Jiang Yongyi, all the villagers’ eyes widened in shock, their bodies trembling. They couldn’t hear what Jiang Yongyi and the commander were discussing, but they knew what "Recipient of Exceptional Merit" represented! In the entire Xia Country, since its founding, how many Recipients of Exceptional Merit had there been! What exactly had Jiang Shu done?

No wonder. No wonder the village committee was so anxious, calling everyone to return so hurriedly. No wonder the officials of Ji City were all gathered in front of this small Qingjiang Garden. This honor was no longer just for one individual! The Jiang Family had produced a dragon. Qingjiang Village had produced a dragon! The news of the Exceptional Merit swept across the internet at this moment. Countless people from Ji City were stunned by the day’s news, feeling a shared sense of pride and honor.

「Meanwhile,」

「In the Da Jing Dynasty, Yongning County.」

In the courtyard, Jiang Shu, whom the people of Ji City had made a trending topic online, sat cross-legged. One by one, precious Elixirs obtained from the Danxia Chamber of Commerce entered his stomach. His injuries gradually healed.

In his mind, the peak battle with Ikenotani Seishun constantly replayed. His body and Spirit had reached a high level of unity. The Four Symbols True Strength within him intertwined continuously.

Refining marrow like frost, refining blood like mercury.

Having lived two lives, his soul was actually stronger than that of ordinary people. But it also had a downside: the two souls had caused some cognitive dissonance. This dissonance made it more difficult for him than for other Martial Artists to step into Pill Strength.

Until he traveled to Fusang and won that battle. At that moment, his essence, energy, and Spirit were honed to their limits. His past and present lives completely unified.

He was Jiang Shu. He was Jiang Shu of Xia Country!

When the tide from the Qiantang River arrives, only today do I truly understand who I am.

Containing the Spirit inwardly.

Embracing the elixir, seated firmly.

Pill Strength!

Achieved!