Chapter 76: The Clash Between the Hacker and the Immortal!

A foreigner entered the Little Yao Pavilion—a man from overseas.

He appeared to be in his twenties, tall and powerfully built, with a narrow waist and arms like a gibbon’s. His thick, shining golden hair was immaculately combed, not a strand out of place. His features were chiseled, almost as if sculpted from stone, and remarkably attractive, especially his eyes beneath bold brows—deep and vivid blue, as beautiful as the sky itself. Every movement spoke of excellent upbringing, reminiscent of a medieval gentleman; yet when his lips curled into a slight smile, he exuded a hint of mischief, making him all the more captivating.

It must be said, wherever this man went, he was destined to be a figure adored by many.

“Good day, Mr. Jiang. I am Aiden from the United States. It is truly an honor to meet you today!” He stopped in front of Jiang An, bowed politely, and spoke in fluent Chinese.

Jiang An glanced at him—he had a solid foundation, and there was a faint, sharp aura about him, suggesting he had trained in some form of combat energy. Still, he was some distance from the level of a grandmaster.

“Please, have a seat, Mr. Aiden,” Jiang An gestured for him to sit and asked directly, “Who are you, and what business do you have with me?”

Aiden sat down to Jiang An’s side, casually placed his laptop bag on the table, and smiled. “I’m just an ordinary exchange student from America, here at East University in Lin City for a six-month program. As for my purpose today, I actually came to propose a deal with you, Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang An’s lips curled into a half-smile. “It seems you know who I am. You sound confident.”

“I did a bit of homework before coming,” Aiden replied with a slight smile, deftly opening his laptop bag and pulling out a sleek black computer. As he powered it on, he spoke: “Jiang An, twenty-seven years old. Disappeared for five years. Currently a grandmaster of martial arts in China. According to the data held by ‘The Dominion,’ you are also a practitioner of arcane arts, ranked fifth on the Heavenly List, master of the National Villa, Major General of the Eastern Military Region. Your record is illustrious. In just over a month, you single-handedly eliminated nine grandmasters, including God Eighteen, God Fifteen, and God Thirteen of The Dominion; the Cranial Surgeon of Blood Moon; the Mamba of Snake Den; the prodigy onmyoji Tsukamoto from Japan; Han Minchan from Korea; Shen San of the Shen family; and Bao Yi of Divine Medicine Mountain. You are known as ‘the Demon.’ Now residing in Lin City, you are the lord of Yumen, with your partner Song Wanshuang and your daughter Jiang Xixi. As for the rest, I haven’t managed to uncover more—yet.”

He turned the laptop’s screen toward Jiang An, revealing a photo of Jiang An walking with his wife and daughter, evidently captured by a street surveillance camera.

How could this man know so much? Jiang An’s expression remained unchanged, but a murderous intent flickered in his heart.

Aiden had been watching Jiang An’s face closely. Suddenly, he smiled. “Grandmaster Jiang, I assure you I mean no offense. As you’ve probably guessed, I am merely a hacker—ranked first on the hacker list, no less—with some skill in computers. So, you could snuff me out at any moment. Please, hear me out.”

Jiang An smiled as well. “Very well, tell me what you want.”

At this, Aiden felt a surge of pride. In this technological age, so what if you’re a grandmaster? Brawn, but not necessarily brains—aren’t you still being played in the palm of my hand?

“This woman—Mr. Jiang, you must recognize her.” Aiden clicked on the computer, and the screen displayed a radiant, springlike young woman.

How could it be her?

“I do. Tong Yi, my student,” Jiang An replied, neither warmly nor coldly.

“Good. I’ll be blunt: I like this woman—very much. From the first time I met her, I was captivated by her mysterious, distinctly Eastern beauty. After a few days of getting to know her, I’m convinced she’s the only partner I’ll ever want. Forgive my frankness, but consider it the passion of a computer geek in love!” Aiden’s sincerity was evident, and his charm was undeniable. Yet, he suddenly recalled something he’d overheard, which stirred a burning jealousy within him:

“…She belongs to Teacher Jiang. She shouldn’t think about anyone else.”

The most painful thing about loving someone is not being rejected, but being ignored. She didn’t even remember I had spoken to her! And all because of this man before me!

Aiden, burning with jealousy, gazed deeply at Jiang An, his expression tinged with sorrow and sincerity. “But, as far as I know, Tong Yi is in love with you.”

Jiang An’s expression shifted slightly, but quickly returned to normal. “That’s hardly my concern. If you like her, pursue her yourself.”

“Exactly. That’s my intention. After all, you already have a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter,” Aiden hinted, “So, the deal I propose is this: ten billion US dollars, in exchange for one promise—that you reject Tong Yi harshly and make her give up.”

Of course, Aiden would never let Jiang An know just how much Tong Yi cared for him; otherwise, it might backfire. Men, after all—even those with families—rarely resist the advances of a young, beautiful woman.

At these words, Jiang An’s expression darkened, his tone icy. “Why drag me into your affections for someone? I decline your deal.”

His feelings for Tong Yi aside, on what grounds did this man think he could command an immortal king to act according to his will?

Aiden frowned, then said, “Let me reiterate—I mean no harm, and have no intention of ordering a grandmaster around. It’s a straightforward business transaction. Not enough for you? True, your businesses are thriving these days, so perhaps you look down on such a sum. How about thirty billion US dollars? For a top hacker, money is just a string of digits on a screen. I guarantee the money will arrive in your account, perfectly legal, and untraceable. I respectfully beg you to grant a little man his wish for love.”

Aiden lowered himself humbly—this tactic had never failed him before. Thirty billion! Hundreds of billions in Chinese yuan. For any organization, it was a fortune. And his request was so simple.

“And if I still refuse?” Jiang An asked.

Aiden sighed deeply, took out his laptop, and his fingers flew over the keyboard. “Must you deny me, when all I want is a loving partner and family—just like you, with your beautiful, intelligent wife…”

On the computer screen, Song Wanshuang’s figure appeared—she was in a meeting room, talking to colleagues. The screen flickered, flashing through files: Jiang An’s, Song Wanshuang’s, Jiang Xixi’s, company documents.

“I beg you!” Aiden stood and bowed deeply, his face flushed with shame. “Please agree. In a moment of madness before coming here, I left a program on a remote terminal. If I don’t return on time, it will automatically release some unpleasant things to the world. What a fool I am! I must go back and cancel it at once!”

This was a blatant threat.

Agree, and thirty billion would fall into his lap. Refuse, and the consequences would be dire. Even if Jiang An killed him on the spot, it would be no use—Aiden had already prepared his backup plan. He’d shown enough deference, given Jiang An all the respect due to a grandmaster. What other choice was there?

Such was the terror of a super hacker.

Jiang An looked at Aiden. Though he appeared respectful, there was a glint of amusement deep in his eyes. Aiden, too, watched Jiang An, awaiting his decision.

“Very well…” Jiang An suddenly spoke.

Aiden was overjoyed, but the next sentence plunged him into despair.

“I’ve decided, Mr. Aiden, that you’ll remain here forever—so as not to trouble the world any further.”

Killing intent—so potent it cut like a blade!

Aiden’s face went pale. Oppressed by Jiang An’s aura, he staggered backward. “Mr. Jiang, think carefully—”

Before he could finish, a shadow flashed before his eyes—a vortex seemed to draw his consciousness in.

A mental technique? Sorry, but I’m not afraid of such things, either—Aiden’s last thought.

Within the sea of spirit—what Westerners call the spiritual world.

A dim space suddenly lit up with a bright flame, illuminating its surroundings. The fire surged and transformed into the figure of a man—Jiang An.

This must be Aiden’s spiritual sea.

Jiang An surveyed the space, then shot forward toward Aiden’s spiritual platform.

The scene flickered rapidly. Soon, Jiang An saw a greenish light ahead—the heart of the spiritual sea, the spirit platform, where Aiden’s soul fire would be found.

There it was!

A green flame burned atop the platform, seemingly eternal yet lonely and fragile.

But just as Jiang An approached, something extraordinary happened—a blood-red sphere shot out from nowhere, appearing beside the green fire, and exploded with a bang, transforming into a three-meter-tall three-headed hellhound.

The beast was massive, its fur like steel bristles, claws long and sharp as blades. Most unsettling were its shoulders, each bearing a snarling, toothy head—yet none had eyes, making the creature all the more eerie.

Suddenly, the center head’s forehead flashed with black light, splitting open into a pitch-black eye, which swiveled alertly and fixed on Jiang An.

“Who are you, and why have you invaded Aiden’s spiritual world? I am Kati of the American Concordia Society. Please leave at once, and you will have my gratitude.”

A crisp, female voice sounded in Jiang An’s mind. Here, in the realm of consciousness, communication was direct—there were no language barriers.

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