I manage female characters in all the heavens.

I deeply regret it now!

Tie Xinlan turned her head and smiled slightly at him: "Lord City Lord, good morning. Have you eaten? If not, I'll take you down to eat."

City Lord: "..."

Half an hour later.

The city lord personally escorted Tie Xinlan and Jiang Yuyan to the city gate, respectfully presenting them with 10,000 taels of silver notes and a luxurious carriage lavishly decorated and pulled by four fine horses.

Tie Xinlan took the silver note, casually put it into her pocket, glanced at the carriage, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Lord City, you've gone to great lengths."

She patted the city lord on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Yunhai City will be at peace after I leave. Govern well in the future, do more good deeds, and don't be like Master Wang."

The city lord nodded repeatedly, almost to the point of breaking his head: "Yes, yes, yes! This humble official will certainly remember the young lady's teachings!"

Because the city lord sincerely admitted his mistake and flattered "Tie Xinlan," he spared his life by only accepting the 10,000 taels of silver and the luxury car that "Tie Xinlan" had offered.

Ultimately, if no one helps spread the word about your great achievements, then all your efforts will have been in vain.

It's not good if every time she shows up, nobody knows who she is, and she repeats the same old routine of a nobody acting arrogantly and then showing off.

This city lord has an important role to play in spreading her name and proving her great achievements; she must be kept.

But she didn't expect that the city lord was terrified of her and ordered his men to keep the matter a secret, without any intention of revenge, let alone publicizing her "great achievements".

No normal person would go around telling others what evil you did when they were scared by you, for fear of your retaliation.

Before the carriage curtain fell, "Tie Xinlan" took one last look in the direction of Yunhai City. There was no lingering affection in her eyes, only a faint chill.

Those who bullied Yue Lingshan have been dealt with.

Next—it's time to go to Jiangnan, to meet that Master Wang, and that famous "Great Hero of Jiangnan".

The carriage curtain was lowered, and the wheels began to turn.

The carriage sped away towards the south of the Yangtze River.

All that remained were the terrified people of Yunhai City and a bloody story that would become a legend for many years to come.

The Wang family compound, now reduced to rubble, and the city lord's mansion, now a hornet's nest, will serve as evidence for these stories.

Chapter 118 The Unparalleled Hero Jiang

At the end of the most bustling East Street in Anqing City, a three-story restaurant stands facing the street, its plaque bearing the three characters "Wangjianglou" glowing with a warm golden light in the twilight.

In a private room on the third floor, by the window, Tie Xinlan held a celadon wine cup between her fingers, her gaze passing through the carved window lattice and landing on the mansion on the street corner that occupied no more than five acres.

It was more like a wealthy family's residence than a mansion.

The gate was not large, but the two characters "Jiang Mansion" on the lintel were written with vigorous strokes, yet were by no means ostentatious.

Several old locust trees could be vaguely seen peeking out from inside the courtyard wall, which, compared to the carved beams and painted rafters of ordinary wealthy households, had a more refined and elegant feel.

Compared to Wanxiu City and Yunhai City, Anqing City is more prosperous and larger in scale, but the mansion of Jiang Biehe, a great hero of Jiangnan whose status in the martial arts world is far above that of Wang Yuanwai, is not as grand and magnificent as Wang Yuanwai's.

The entire Jiang Mansion occupies less than 5 acres, with more than half of the land occupied by a martial arts training ground, completely obscuring any carved beams and painted rafters.

"Tsk, look at their vision."

"Tie Xinlan" took a sip of wine and gestured towards Jiang Yuyan, who was sitting upright opposite her, "A dignified hero from Jiangnan, a man of immense wealth, lives in a house that's not even as grand as those nouveau riche families we wiped out on the road. What do you call that?"

Jiang Yuyan was slightly taken aback, and tentatively asked, "After all, he is a peerless hero of Jiangnan, and he has done many acts of generosity. It is understandable that he is a little short of money, right?"

"Wrong! He's broke my mind!" Tie Xinlan slammed her hand on the table, making the wine glass bounce. "You have no idea how famous the Jiangnan Hero is. Thousands of merchant caravans and escort teams traveling to and from Jiangnan can pass through without hindrance as long as they fly the Jiangnan Hero's flag."

"That alone is enough for him to count money until his hands cramp up every year!"

"Not to mention, all the martial arts sects, gangs, and families in Jiangnan all acknowledge Jiang Biehe as their leader so that they can use his name, and they all have to pay money for that."

“Look at the Wang family. They become arrogant as soon as they have a little money. They built their mansion like nouveau riche, as if they want everyone to know they are rich.”

"And look at this Master Jiang, he has many times more money than the Wang family, yet he lives like an honest and incorruptible county magistrate—why is that?"

She held up one finger, her face full of smugness: "Because he's portrayed as 'unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness'! If he lived in too much luxury, how could that highlight his noble image of treating money like dirt?"

Jiang Yuyan remained silent for a moment. Anyone who wasn't a fool would know that Lord Yingri's evaluation of Jiang Biehe was anything but positive, and his words were full of sarcasm.

"So," Tie Xinlan leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs, "the father you're considering is far more sophisticated than Master Wang. Master Wang is at best a low-level kidnapper, while this Master Jiang..."

She narrowed her eyes, her gaze meaningful. "You'd better think this through."

This was their second day in Anqing. Before that, "Tie Xinlan" had secretly gone to the Jiang residence, but Master Wang was not there. She then wandered around the city but still couldn't find Master Wang.

Fearing that a direct attack on the Jiang residence would alert the enemy, allowing Master Wang to escape, "Tie Xinlan" decided to wait until the actual start of Jiang Biehe's birthday celebration before making her move. Master Wang couldn't possibly be absent at that time.

It was about three days before Jiang Biehe's 40th birthday, and the entire Jiang residence was bustling with preparations, creating a festive atmosphere.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Yuyan was very tempted and applied to "Tie Xinlan" to sneak into the Jiang residence to try to get in touch with Jiang Biehe and see what kind of person he was.

If possible, she should acknowledge him beforehand and ask him to help deal with Master Wang. In other words, she should invite Master Wang to her home so that "Tie Xinlan" can take revenge sooner, without waiting for those three days.

This was indeed for the sake of "Tie Xinlan," but it also had her own selfish motives.

Jiang Biehe is, after all, her biological father. If possible, she doesn't want to disrupt her father's birthday celebration in three days. She'd like to resolve the matter in advance, and maybe she can even introduce Lord Yingri to her father so they can enjoy a proper birthday banquet together.

Jiang Biehe is Jiang Yuyan's only relative at present, and "Tie Xinlan" is the great hero that Jiang Yuyan admires the most and vows to follow.

Both of them are top-tier heroes in the martial arts world. If Jiang Yuyan can cultivate a good relationship with them, she can reap double the happiness. Of course, she should actively promote this.

However, it is clear that Lord Yingri has a different opinion on this.

Jiang Yuyan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Then... I must go and confirm it myself."

She looked up, her eyes reflecting the afterglow of the sunset outside the window: "If he really is a fame-seeker, then I will give up on this idea completely."

“If he… if he truly has some sincerity, I will acknowledge him as my father and beg him to help Lord Yingri summon Master Wang and kill him.”

"Then let's have a happy birthday banquet, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Looking into her bright and determined eyes, Tie Xinlan suddenly grinned, revealing a set of white teeth:

"Alright, if you're so keen, I won't stop you. I've accumulated quite a few martial arts insights these past few days that I need to digest. You go ahead with your work, and I'll go into seclusion."

The journey from Yunhai City to Anqing City, a distance of over a thousand miles, was not without its challenges.

"Tie Xinlan" also conveniently wiped out more than a dozen rampant forces that were driven by lust, greed, rudeness, robbery, and obstruction of passage. She frequently activated her Absorbing Power Technique, seeking only martial arts knowledge and experience without any internal strength, and gained a large number of fresh insights into martial arts.

I only had a brief glimpse of it on the road before, but now that I have some free time, it's time to go into seclusion and properly organize and ponder it, turning it into my own accumulation of martial arts knowledge.

Since Jiang Yuyan had her own ideas, Tie Xinlan let her do as she pleased.

Tie Xinlan did not intend to tell her what kind of person Jiang Biehe was beforehand. She agreed to her request and let her see and experience it for herself, so that she could go into seclusion in peace.

Only when she personally experiences Jiang Biehe's evil and hypocrisy, and feels genuine despair for her biological father, will she understand that "Tie Xinlan" is the only light in her life, and thus dedicate herself wholeheartedly to serving "Tie Xinlan".

For Lord Eiri's subordinates, having Lord Eiri as their sun in their hearts is enough; no one else should remain in their hearts.

Jiang Yuyan stood up and bowed deeply to Tie Xinlan: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Yingri."

"Stop with the nonsense." Tie Xinlan waved her hand and popped a peanut into her mouth. "Go on, go on, don't delay my practice."

Jiang Yuyan turned and went downstairs, her footsteps gradually fading away on the wooden stairs until they disappeared.

Tie Xinlan sat alone in the private room, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, her gaze passing through the window lattice towards the mansion that was gradually becoming blurred in the twilight.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a meaningful smile curved her lips.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuyan was already standing in front of the Jiang residence.

She took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and raised her hand to knock on the vermilion door.

The person who opened the door was a servant dressed in a short blue cloth outfit, about twenty years old, who looked quite clever.

He sized Jiang Yuyan up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on her exquisite ice crystal mask and gorgeous, expensive clothes, before immediately becoming polite: "Who are you looking for, young lady?"

Jiang Yuyan had already prepared her words: "I heard that Master Jiang will be holding his fortieth birthday banquet soon. I am passing through Anqing and have long admired Master Jiang's reputation, but I have nothing of value to express my respect."

"I would like to come to your residence to help with the setup of the banquet venue, as a token of my appreciation. I wonder if you are short of manpower?"

She spoke sincerely, and deliberately restrained the sharp temperament brought about by martial arts, appearing gentle and approachable, yet still possessing the aloof and ethereal quality of someone who cultivates the Mingyu Kung Fu.

Moreover, her clothes were luxurious and her figure was upright and strong. It was clear at a glance that she was not a woman from an ordinary family, but a martial arts expert.

The servant dared not delay and quickly said, "Please wait a moment, young lady, I will go and report to the master right away."

This is not someone he can decide whether to keep or leave, not even the steward; Jiang Biehe must make the decision himself.

Having served as a gatekeeper for the Jiang family for several years, he has a keen eye for talent.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the servant hurriedly returned, followed by a middle-aged man with a thin face, dressed in an indigo long robe.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, with three long strands of beard flowing down his chest. He was refined in demeanor, walked with composure, and had an elegant air about him; he was a handsome man indeed.

With a smile on his face and gentle, warm eyes, he cupped his hands and said to Jiang Yuyan, "I was unaware of your arrival, Miss. I, Jiang Biehe, have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

His posture, his tone, his smile—he looked exactly like a gentleman, and anyone who saw him would have to praise him as "a fine Jiangnan hero."

Jiang Yuyan quickly returned the greeting: "I apologize for disturbing you, but I hope you don't mind my abruptness, Master Jiang."

"Not at all, it's an honor for me to have you here, young lady." Jiang Biehe smiled and gestured for her to come.

"Please come in, young lady. My humble abode is simple. If you don't mind, you can stay here until after the birthday banquet."

His gaze swept lightly over Jiang Yuyan's mask, without asking any further questions, but a subtle hint of contemplation flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Biehe pretended to be overjoyed and sincerely welcomed the guests, always making sure to project the image of a humble, friendly, and unparalleled chivalrous hero from Jiangnan.

Such a performance was beyond Jiang Yuyan's comprehension; she was immediately captivated by his act.

Jiang Yuyan couldn't help but nod to herself: This father was indeed as humble, friendly, and benevolent as the rumors said.

As expected of a great hero from Jiangnan, his demeanor in dealing with people makes her, his daughter, very proud.

However, she also knew that there were too many people around and it wasn't a good time to recognize each other, so she didn't immediately express her true intentions.

She followed Jiang Biehe across the threshold and into the mansion, a hint of anticipation quietly rising in her heart.

Lord Eiri, it seems Father doesn't want you to say that.

Jiang Biehe walked ahead, his smile still gentle, but his heart was in turmoil.

The young woman, wearing an ice crystal mask, possessed a cool and noble demeanor, and her speech carried a subtle air of superiority. He also felt a strange sense of familiarity towards her…

This setup, this smell—it looks like it came straight out of the Flower Palace!