Chapter 556: Chapter 555: A Promise

As the young girl had mentioned, their Meng Family was a prestigious family with significant influence spanning military, political, and commercial landscapes. She had known smooth sailing in everything she ever resolved to do since her birth. People always sought her out for assistance, but she had never found the need to ask anything of anyone.

She had seen all facets of life and believed what everyone ultimately sought was nothing more than money, power, fame, and strength.

Yet the unfamiliar martial arts master standing before her seemed to have no interest in any of these things.

He disdained the unscrupulous sources of the Meng Family’s wealth and declined their money.

He believed the Meng Family exploited their privilege for personal gains, so he refused their power.

He didn’t need the recognition the Meng Family would give him after he cured their grandfather, so he also declined their fame.

As for strength, he was a prominent martial arts expert. The Meng Family simply did not qualify to discuss “strength” in his presence.

His words shattered her 18 years of life experience into a thousand fragments.

“Young man, if I promise to govern for the people and uphold integrity after my recovery, may I request your assistance?” The old man tentatively asked. Having met numerous people throughout his life, he believed that no one was unfathomable to him.

Today, he stood corrected.

Jiang Li was the first person he found inscrutable.

Seeing his indifference and emotionless eyes, he couldn’t figure out what Jiang Li wanted.

Jiang Li, however, casually asked, “Isn’t that your duty?”

“And in making such a promise, are you admitting that you failed to fulfill this before?”

The old man was speechless. He truly didn’t know what Jiang Li wanted.

Jiang Li seemed to see through the old man’s thoughts and said, “I’m not demanding anything. As I have said before, I see no difference between you and those patients in the hospital. Status and identity are not criteria I use to differentiate people.”

“So…”

“If you can fulfill your promise of governing for the people and upholding integrity, I can tell you the method to heal your injuries.”.

The old man solemnly replied: “I promise.”

Jiang Li nodded, “I hope you are a man who keeps his words.”

“Within a month or three, you will receive an order from the supreme ruler of your nation to make contact with a mysterious organization. This organization will cure your illness.”

“What mysterious organization?” The young girl was perplexed, but the old man held her hand to signal her to ask no more.

“Thank you, sir, for letting me know,” The old man bowed, expressing his gratitude to Jiang Li.

With a sigh, Jiang Li left with Wen Qing’er.

…

“Grandpa, this man is weird. How can you be the same as the patients in the hospital?” The young girl could not comprehend Jiang Li’s actions.

“We are just the same,” The old man saw things more thoroughly than the young girl.

His eyes were distant, as if he were recalling something from the distant past: “He is a peculiar individual, but one worthy of respect. He reminds me of myself when I started my political career.”

“After decades of ups and downs in the political arena, I’d nearly forgotten my original intentions – to be a dutiful official, wholly devoted to serving the people. However, over time, when relatives sought assistance, I abused my power to help them rise above their positions. Gradually, this fostered the existence of power and privilege within the Meng Family.”

“Even now, I still cannot pinpoint where things went awry,”

The old man strolled back to his car, hands behind his back.

“I need some time alone to think about my original intentions,”

The young girl fell silent, lost in thought.

…

“Jiang, you seem unhappy?” Jiang Li’s mood was quite apparent; Wen Qing’er noticed it immediately.

“I’m not unhappy, I simply feel helpless towards our reality.”

“The Mutual Aid Association has begun to cooperate with the state at the national level. The Association’s headquarters is here, and the old man is the local governor. If I’m not mistaken, your world’s supreme ruler will personally ask the old man to facilitate their interaction with the Mutual Aid Association.”

“The Mutual Aid Association is bound to show respect to the old man and heal his injuries. There’s no need for me to get involved. I used this situation to my advantage to get a promise from him.”

“Do you know what this signifies?”

“What?” Wen Qing’er didn’t expect Jiang Li to ponder over this question. The level of thought he put into this was clearly beyond her reach.

“When you reach a certain position, benefits will automatically flow to you, whether you want them or not. This is how privilege is born and how the law of survival of the fittest manifests itself.”

Wen Qing’er faintly nodded: she thought she understood, but she didn’t connect as deeply as Jiang Li did.

Jiang Li suddenly brushed away his clouded mood, laughing as he said: “Overall, with the cooperation between the Mutual Aid Association and the government, improvements in medical care, social security, industry and other areas are expected. Your country will get better and better. The old man is simply the first one to reap the benefits. I was just expressing my feelings; you just need to listen, there’s no need to delve into it.”

…

When Jiang Li returned with fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, and tea eggs, Wen Quan just got up.

“Did you start practicing this early?” Wen Quan was surprised, he didn’t expect that Jiang Li would be even more disciplined than Huiming.

“Of course, I’m always practicing,” said Jiang Li.

Wen Quan: “…I might not be talking about you.”

“Dear Daoist friend, despite your fasting practice, you still consume these crude, less nutritious foods, just like mortals. In Huiming’s opinion, this can be perceived as a return to simplicity, for which Huiming holds in high regard.”

Jiang Li, for once, failed to find a suitable response.

If I were to admit that I’m merely indulging a craving, wouldn’t that undermine the adoration that Huiming holds for me?

After the three of them had their fill, they took a cab to the amusement park.

Now, Wen Quan was now a billionaire, and there was no need for him to take the bus anymore.

“Three people, one spirit. Four full tickets, please.”

“Huh?” The ticket seller hesitated, failing to grasp what Wen Quan meant.

Realising the mistake, Wen Quan corrected himself, “My apologies, I miscounted. Three full tickets, please.”

Upon entering the amusement park, Jiang Li headed straight for the roller coaster.

“Jiang, aren’t we going to the haunted house?”

“We’ve bought full tickets, so we might as well enjoy it to the fullest.” Jiang Li wholeheartedly embodied and imparted to Wen Quan the concept of taking full advantage of resources.

Only when they boarded the roller coaster did Jiang Li realize that it was so slow and not frightening at all.

He could even fly faster than the roller coaster.

In contrast, the yelling and screaming of the Wen siblings grew louder with each passing moment. By the time they got off the roller coaster, Wen Qing’er could barely stand straight.

Jiang Li tried bungee jumping, the pirate ship, and several other thrilling activities, but he didn’t find them ludicrous at all.

“The merry-go-round seems much more fun.” Jiang Li enjoyed his ice cream as he leisurely rode on the merry-go-round.

Wen Quan and Wen Qing’er played bumper cars, ruthlessly ramming into each other without holding back.

Huiming followed Jiang Li in his ghostly form and found it hard to comprehend the feeling of having fun in the amusement park.

“People come to amusement parks for the thrill and the leisure. I can’t simulate the feeling of leisure for you, but I can certainly give you a taste of thrill,” said Jiang Li.

“I’d like to try.”

No sooner had Huiming responded, Jiang Li threw a punch towards him, quick as lightning, well beyond Huiming’s response capability.

Huiming felt as if the punch would disperse his soul.

The fist approached closer and closer, but at the very last moment, it came to a halt, just half an inch away from Huiming’s nose.

After a narrow escape from death, Huiming collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

“It seems…quite fun.”

“Isn’t it.”

Jiang Li jumped off the merry-go-round, bought a skewer of candied hawthorn, and led the Wen siblings towards the haunted house.