I Pick up a Lost Godhood

That’s right!

Opening a Qiankun Bag required True Essence, but Master Wang had just sprinted a dozen or so meters, completely exhausting what little True Essence he had. Since he couldn’t open the Qiankun Bag, Wang Meng couldn’t pay. His only choice was to use the meal as an excuse to buy some time to meditate and recover.

The meal was set up in a small tavern next to the cattle and horse pens.

There was a whole roasted chicken, three cold platters of fruits and vegetables, three small stir-fried hot dishes, a pot of hot soup, and a warmed pot of village wine.

For the villagers, this was a lavish feast, but it only cost sixty copper coins.

It wasn’t actually that different from his previous life. In fact, Wang Meng found it more intimate. In the Small Thousand Realm, mortals and the Cultivation Realm were clearly separated, like oil and water. But here, they were integrated, which felt comfortable—it made him feel more like a person of flesh and blood.

The lower a person’s cultivation, the greater their appetite. His current body was no different from an ordinary person’s; it might even need more. ’This body is so weak. Looks like I’ll have to take good care of it.’

Before long, a wisp of True Essence was slowly generated from his Life Wheel.

Wang Meng immediately channeled the True Essence into the Qiankun Bag...

’The great Grand Master Wang, who once dominated the Small Thousand Realm, can’t even open a simple Qiankun Bag,’ Master Wang thought, his face flushing. ’Thank god no one I know is here!’

A moment later, Wang Meng carefully gathered his True Essence and channeled it into the Qiankun Bag again... This time, it finally gave him some face and opened, saving him from the awkward, incessant gaze of the merchant.

Inside the Qiankun Bag was a pile of various items. Wang Meng used that wisp of True Essence to scan them with his Heart Spirit. ’This body was born into a prestigious family, after all,’ he thought. ’And right now, Master Wang is in desperate need of good materials. Anything he’d carry in his Qiankun Bag must be top-quality stuff.’

And then, Master Wang froze.

Damn it!!!

...It was mostly filled with women’s belongings...

Some of it even looked used, which honestly made Wang Meng’s stomach turn. ’But I did take over this guy’s body, which is a kind of life-saving grace in itself, so... I guess I’ll just have to bear it.’

’Even if Wang Rencai had ten thousand lives, he’d deserve to die a million times over!’

’It’s a miracle he wasn’t ambushed and killed on the road after offending so many people!’

Wang Meng finally found a pile of silver coins in a corner at the very bottom of the bag. Beside it was a pouch of Great Zhou Gold Coins. Just as copper could be exchanged for silver, one hundred silver coins were worth one gold coin.

Once he reached the outskirts, Wang Meng looked at the lazy horse. The lazy horse looked back at Wang Meng out of the corner of its eye, its gaze clearly filled with contempt.

Wang Meng gave a wry smile and reached out to pat the horse’s head, but the sorry beast immediately turned its head away, huffing, as if telling him to keep his hands to himself.

Wang Meng laughed. "Hey, buddy. We’re both down on our luck... or, uh, something like that. Fate brought us together. Seeing as I spent money to buy you, don’t you think you should put in a little effort? Or would you rather I send you to the slaughterhouse?"

The sorry horse stared at Wang Meng, and Wang Meng stared back. This horse was clearly not "sorry" in quality, though its attitude was absolutely atrocious, showing none of the self-awareness expected of a horse. In terms of its actual nature, this fellow was something special.

The horse stared back at Wang Meng. No one had ever spoken to it before, and it didn’t want anyone to notice anything unusual about it, but...

"I get it, I get it," Wang Meng said. "Let’s make a deal. You get me to my destination, and then you’re free. Sounds like a good bargain, right? Of course, if you’re a bit more obedient, I can even take care of healing your injuries. After that, whether you stay or go is up to you."

After Wang Meng spoke, the horse seemed to ponder his words for a moment before reluctantly lowering its proud head. Master Wang clambered on without a shred of ceremony.

「Wang City.」

It was the Great Zhou’s largest city closest to the Taibai Mountain Range. Just as those by the mountains live off the mountains, and those by the sea live off the sea, Wang City prospered precisely because of its proximity to the Taibai Mountain Range, also known as the "Billion Mountains."

The Taibai Mountain Range was rich in True Essence Beasts. Those captured from the Taibai Mountain Range were born with more Spiritual Attribute than those from other regions. At the same rank, the True Essence Beasts from here were of a higher quality.

Thus, Wang City was a great city that had risen to prosperity on the back of True Essence Beasts.

Wang City was divided into an inner and outer city. The outer city was not protected by defensive walls, and nearly a hundred thousand people lived there, making a living by attaching themselves to Wang City’s great families. Aside from a few main streets, the outer city was a chaotic maze of self-built houses of all sizes, interconnected by a complex network of alleyways.

The square inner city was a stark contrast to the chaos of the outer city. It was orderly, with four city walls each stretching for fifteen li. Although there were no strict rules preventing commoners from entering, only the rich and powerful could afford a residence within the inner city.

Wang Meng’s journey was surprisingly relaxed. Although he was used to flying everywhere and found being grounded a bit strange, the sorry horse proved to be quite capable.

He arrived at the city gates just after noon. A troop of iron-clad soldiers stood ramrod straight at the entrance. The bustling crowds and varied, strange attire within the city all pointed to its importance.

Looking up at the blazing sun, Master Wang broke into a brilliant smile. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt something like this. It was special.

However, Wang Meng was an uninvited guest in Wang City. Certain interested parties learned of his arrival almost immediately. Though few had ever seen Wang Meng in person, the clothes he wore were a dead giveaway.

Of the four great families of Wang City, the Muhe Clan was foremost. They were an old, well-established family with several hundred years of history in the city, their roots running deep. Although the other three families were gradually growing stronger, they still couldn’t compare. The new leader of their generation, Muhe Landao, was a prominent figure among the youth of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and his younger sister, Muhe Xiaoyu, was a renowned genius in the Spirit Control Association.

Jiang, Zhe, and Kun were the other three great families. The overt and covert struggles among the four families had never ceased. The greatest characteristic of this world was the ability to transform Spirit Beasts, Exotic Beasts, and even Primordial Ancient Beasts into True Essence Beasts to serve as a Cultivator’s fighting force. This was a power based on the Life Wheel. In this respect, the Small Thousand Realm, which was based on Life Marks, could not truly bring the Spirit Fusion Technique to its full potential.

Guarding the treasure trove that was the Taibai Mountain Range, the four great families were all prospering. The Kun Family in particular, despite its short history in Wang City, had risen with astonishing speed, putting immense pressure on the other families.

As Wang City’s status grew, each of the great families began seeking more powerful backers. The Kun Family’s rapid rise was clearly due to their profound background.

As one rose, others fell. The Muhe Clan was certainly untouchable, but the other two families had to pay a price. The Jiang Family suffered the greatest losses, which was why they had thought of going to the capital to find a backer.

They hadn’t held out much hope, but who would have thought a prize would fall from the sky? The Haojing Royal Family had actually expressed interest. Jiang Shiqing had nearly fainted from joy and agreed immediately. However, a recent investigation had revealed a completely different story.

"Haha, Father, you’ve really outdone yourself this time! Finding such a bizarre brother-in-law for Second Sister. Tsk tsk, a hooligan since childhood, arrogant by nature, with a talent for nothing but trouble. Even the Wang Family, second only to the emperor, couldn’t stand him and had to cast him out. Haha!"

Jiang Jiehuan was laughing so hard he could have fallen off a horse.

"Third Brother, how can you be in the mood to joke at a time like this!" As the eldest brother, Jiang Jiedao had inherited his father’s calm demeanor. Unfortunately, with Wang City’s growing importance and the strengthening of other powers, being calm was not enough.

"Big Brother, I was against this marriage alliance from the start. In this day and age, strength is all that matters. This is perfect. When that wastrel arrives, let me handle him. If he dares to cling to Second Sister, I’ll make him disappear from this world!"

Jiang Biyao remained silent. She was a famous beauty in Wang City, possessing a Water Element Life Wheel and high aptitude—a true daughter of heaven. Suitors from all over Wang City pursued her, yet she never imagined she would have to marry such a person.

BANG...

Jiang Shiqing slammed his hand on the table. "Enough of this nonsense!"

Seeing Jiang Shiqing’s anger, the three siblings sat up straight. Jiang Shiqing snorted coldly. "The Kun Family must be behind this. They found out about my plan to go to the capital and pulled some strings behind my back. But what’s done is done. Whether I like it or not, I have to accept it!"

"Father, you can’t be serious about letting Sister marry that waste of space, can you? The Wang Family themselves disowned him! Even if he becomes our brother-in-law, he’s useless. The trouble he’s caused is no joke; the Wang Family’s enemies won’t just sit back and do nothing."

Jiang Jiehuan said, hitting the nail on the head.

"Father, Third Brother’s words may be crude, but he has a point," Jiang Jiedao said in a low voice. "We can stabilize the situation whether we ally with the Zhe Family or with Young Master Wu of the Pill Immortal Alliance!"

Jiang Shiqing nodded. "Biyao, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Hesitation flickered across Jiang Biyao’s beautiful face. She looked as if she wanted to speak but held back.

"Father, I don’t want to marry a person like that."

Jiang Shiqing nodded. "In that case, we’ll have to be clever about this. We can’t leave any evidence that could be used against us. We can’t drive him away, but if he decides to leave on his own, then we can’t be blamed."

Jiang Shiqing smiled, and his three children nodded. It was clear a plan had formed in their minds.

"But be careful. We absolutely cannot let anything happen to him while he’s here. Jiehuan, this matter is not to be taken lightly!"

"Don’t worry, Father. I’ll make him back down in the face of difficulties. How could a piece of trash like him possibly be worthy of Sister? Second Sister, Zhe Wulei is a good choice. He gets my vote."

Jiang Jiehuan grinned. A faint smile appeared on Jiang Biyao’s face, but her eyes held a trace of sorrow.

’A family marriage alliance is nothing unusual, but someone like Wang Rencai is absolutely out of the question. Even if I have to be sacrificed, it has to be for something of value.’

But that wasn’t what worried Jiang Biyao.

’He actually went... I only wanted him to back down in the face of hardship, but what shocks me even more is that he actually returned... alive... ’

"Come on, let’s go welcome the legendary number one wastrel of Haojing."

Jiang Jiehuan’s interest was clearly piqued. He himself was considered a minor wastrel in Wang City, but unlike the other, he was no good-for-nothing.

Jiang Shiqing and his three children met Wang Rencai, the man of legend, in the living room.

Frankly, his appearance was passable, but one look was enough to tell he was a man hollowed out by wine and women. Jiang Shiqing now completely understood why they hadn’t let him meet Wang Rencai back then. Anyone with a bit of sense could see at a glance that this kind of person was trouble you absolutely couldn’t touch. Whoever got involved with him would suffer for it. Even the great Haojing Royal Family had been forced to retreat; his small Jiang Family truly couldn’t afford to provoke this ’great Buddha’.

"Haha, my dear nephew, we’ve finally been expecting you! I was worried these past few days. I heard you went missing on the road."

Jiang Shiqing said with a laugh, though in truth, he had been hoping Wang Rencai would find Wang City too "humble" for his tastes and leave in a fit of pique.

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