Chapter 448: Chapter 33: Deep among the Masses

Morning of April 25, 2018

As Wang Jiu walked out of the detention center of Golden Jade City, he happened to witness the city’s world-renowned sunrise spectacle.

The gentle radiance rose slowly from the horizon, passing over the tall walls of Golden Jade City, transforming into a gold splendor. Bathed in the light, it was as if the whole person turned into golden sculpture.

Although by today’s aesthetic standards, such a blinding golden light was considered extremely vulgar, in Golden Jade City, the famous wealth capital, gold had a special meaning. This rich color was always the favorite and pride of the Golden Jadites, so no matter the amount of anger, a glance at this charming gold would calm anyone down.

Unless it was someone like Zhang Jincheng, who had a deep-rooted hatred and resentment.

"Zhao Xinyu, just wait, this isn’t over! A despicable and shameless person like you will never have a good end!"

Zhang Jincheng, a 60-year-old genius Independent Cultivator, spat black blood while cursing Wang Jiu fiercely. Beside him, Miao Yuhuai, looking gaunt, also cast a venomous glance.

These two folk heroes, driven by righteous indignation, had sought out Wang Jiu for a personal duel. Although they were fortunately saved by the patrol team of Golden Jade City before their deaths, they each had their Lifebound Magical Treasures destroyed, and Zhang Jincheng was pierced through the chest, severely injuring their vitality. After being taken for a night’s interrogation and admonition by the Golden Jade Guards, they lost more than half of their lives. Even as Cultivators, it would take three to five years to recover. For a genius Independent Cultivator, such serious injuries could directly place a ceiling on his life’s cultivation.

Wang Jiu quietly watched these two heavily injured figures supporting each other away, organizing his rescue plan in his mind once more.

So far, everything was basically going smoothly. After last night’s two simple combats, the identity of Zhao Xinyu was partially solidified. Meanwhile, in the provisional government, doubts about his identity had lessened, and most people began to reluctantly accept reality.

After all, he was a master who defeated the famous folk hero Zhang Jincheng in just a few moves. From the perspective of general Immortal Cultivation Theory, he had accomplished an impossible miracle.

Zhang Jincheng’s real strength might have been poor, but his True Essence Realm was truly at the Mountain-Overturning Realm level. Even though he couldn’t compare to Practical Cultivators from rigorous backgrounds, his massive True Essence and refined Primordial Spirit easily suppressed lower-tier opponents. Yet, in one move, his Primordial Spirit was broken by the opponent, an unbelievable outcome. The other, Miao Yuhuai, was even more renowned. Although his True Essence Realm was not as advanced as Zhang Jincheng’s due to his age, he was a true Practical Cultivator with remarkable battle achievements from numerous martial exchanges in other cities. Still, he couldn’t withstand more than a few moves from the opponent.

Zhao Xinyu’s displayed strength in this battle was comparable to those senior reclusive elders. Despite only showing True Essence Fluctuation at the Cloud Flipping Realm, he overcame his opponents as easily as if dining and drinking, something previously seen in only one other person.

Zhao Chenlu. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Therefore, recalling Zhao Xinyu’s earnest self-proclamation as Zhao Chenlu’s ex-husband... this seemingly inexplicable matter suddenly gained some credibility. At least, when Wang Jiu cooperated with his partner’s act in the detention center, he overheard some uninformed guards discussing the character setup of "Zhao Xinyu" in a reverently awe-struck tone.

Initially, people thought Zhao Xinyu was talking nonsense. How could the lofty, Fairy-like Zhao Chenlu have an ex-husband? Even if there was one, it must be a rare young talent or a respected Great Cultivator. Why would it be an unremarkable, indecent middle-aged man?

But after these two battles, people had to wonder, if not for some benefit gained from Zhao Chenlu, how could Zhao Xinyu possess such extraordinary power?

Nevertheless, these two battles alone weren’t enough to convince the entire city of his outrageous character setting. There were many possibilities for a person’s extraordinary combat prowess; receiving Zhao Chenlu’s guidance was just one of them.

Therefore, Wang Jiu now needed to strike while the iron was hot, to solidify this identity quickly, and use this process to stir public sentiment, focusing the eyes of Golden Jade City’s millions on him. Otherwise, given the nature of the Golden Jadites, they would soon move past the political upheaval and continue with their own lives.

While pondering how to strike while the iron was hot, Wang Jiu glanced aside, noticing some commotion rising in the nearby street.

"Hurry up, Old Li and the others have already reached the City Lord’s Mansion entrance!"

"Little Liu, why are you so slow?! The entire street is waiting for you. If you dawdle any longer, the good spots will be taken!"

"Old Wang, have you brought all the banners we rushed to make last night? Check them quickly, don’t leave anything out. I’ve heard that the key to protest and demonstration is momentum, and eighty percent of the momentum comes from the banners. Without them, shouting alone won’t surpass the group from the next street in prominence."

"Don’t worry, they’re all here. Twenty years ago, I was a renowned lead organizer of protests and demonstrations in Golden Jade City, organizing marches of thousands smoothly. Unfortunately, since Zhao Chenlu took office as City Lord, my skills have been neglected... Today, picking them up again, it’s a great opportunity for you young folks to witness. Alright, before the City Lord’s Mansion, let’s warm up, shout with me: Down with the rogue Zhao Xinyu!"

"Down with the rogue Zhao Xinyu!"

"Return my innocence, Golden Jade City!"

"Return my innocence, Golden Jade City!"

"Promote elegance, resist vulgarity!"

"Promote elegance, resist vulgarity!"

"Come dance with me, let’s get excited!"

As the leader quickly got into the groove, the noisy followers also began dancing gleefully, laughing and approaching the City Lord’s Mansion. Many onlookers were also eager to join in. Soon, the crowd heading to protest and demonstrate swelled like a snowball.

While these people claimed to be protesting, half of their discussions during the march were unrelated to the protest. They mostly talked about where to gather for a celebratory meal afterward, and a few young men and women arranged post-meal hookups, considering most part ways after such encounters, which subtly complemented their protest theme: former spouses.

Wang Jiu observed for a while and couldn’t help but be attracted by the unique ecology of Golden Jade City—he had only occasionally witnessed similar scenes in Qing Province during the Jiuzhou Era. Back then, Qing Province, known as the most peculiar in the Jiuzhou Continent, always managed to cultivate phenomena incomprehensible to outsiders. The people of Qing Province were called a nation that entertained itself to death, never forgetting their sense of humor even in the face of mortal enemies, mixing jest and combat.

Now, the people of Golden Jade City seemed to have a touch of the old Qing Province’s spirit. As Wang Jiu silently compared them in his mind, he quietly stepped into the crowd. At that moment, his Illusion Sword Technique made him appear as Zhao Xinyu, a middle-aged Sword Cultivator. His ordinary appearance didn’t attract much attention, and even a few young girls stepped back slightly... Only a few enthusiastic older women surrounded him to introduce the protest requirements and inquire about his job, income, and marital status.

The Celestial Divine Sword worked meticulously; since a performance was involved, the persona script had to be perfect. Zhao Xinyu, male, from Golden Jade City, 36 years old, occupation: veteran ex-husband, income mainly from asset appreciation, with a yearly net worth of about five thousand Spirit Stones, marital status: on the brink of divorce, mainly dependent on local laws and ethical views on marriage...

After Wang Jiu elaborated on his carefully crafted persona, the enthusiasm from the surroundings didn’t merely come from bored older women. Many young ladies also looked at him with bright eyes, eagerly asking about Zhao Xinyu’s methods of asset appreciation. When Wang Jiu explained that it was primarily through real estate leasing in Golden Jade City, the light in the young women’s eyes could rival the brilliance of the sun and moon.

Conversely, there were obviously malicious glances from the surrounding men.

Some sternly reprimanded, stating that everyone was involved in a serious protest and demonstration activity, and unrelated topics should not be spread in the crowd.

Others, using a professional tone, questioned the possibility of earning five thousand Spirit Stones annually through real estate leasing.

Even in Golden Jade City, where every inch of land is precious, property prices have their limits. Five thousand Spirit Stones could be the entire liquid fund of many small Cultivation Sects or the lifetime savings of many ordinary Independent Cultivators. How could this be someone’s annual rental income? Where exactly is this person’s real estate located? What’s their value?

For such professional inquiries, Wang Jiu was naturally most welcoming. When crafting the persona of Zhao Xinyu, he had fully considered these questions and made detailed settings.

"A courtyard by the Golden Lake in the North District, three commercial street shops on Bai Shui Road in the Central District, five luxury apartments in the East District. A hundred acres of Spirit Field at the Green Lotus Manor outside the city, plus one ore vein."

As he spoke, Wang Jiu extended his hand to point out a high-rise apartment not far away to the crowd.

These properties weren’t something he fabricated out of thin air but were among the countless assets under Zhao Chenlu’s name. Claiming these assets as Zhao Xinyu’s ensured Zhao Chenlu wouldn’t refute it, nor could anyone else verify or falsify it, fitting perfectly with his current ex-husband persona requirements.

So, when Wang Jiu confidently displayed his properties, many young ladies started swallowing hard, with their hormones for arousal rapidly secreting.

Until a well-informed man suddenly furrowed his brow and pointed out.

"Wait, that penthouse apartment, if I remember correctly, was purchased by the Former City Lord Zhao Chenlu three years ago. How did you acquire it?"

As he spoke, he already wore a satisfied smile of someone who unraveled the other party’s lie.

But this question was exactly what Wang Jiu hoped for.

"She is my ex-wife; the property came from post-breakup asset division."