Volume One, Chapter 121: The Ivory Jade Pendant

The hospital bed was raised, and Elder Jiang lay half-reclined, his complexion pale and his frame noticeably thin.

As soon as Jiang Xiaozhou entered the room and saw his grandfather’s condition, tears welled up in his eyes. “Grandpa, how are you feeling?”

Elder Jiang turned his face away. “Don’t you know why I’ve ended up like this?”

“Grandpa, I…” Jiang Xiaozhou’s voice trembled with guilt. “It’s my fault, but I didn’t do it on purpose. Those days, my soul left my body, and some wandering spirits and malicious ghosts took over.”

Uncle Jiang Hai’s temper flared instantly. “You made the mistake, and now you’re blaming ghosts?”

Zhang Ruijie, who prided herself on spoiling her son, felt embarrassed hearing this. “Xiaozhou, stop lying. Just admit your mistake and don’t do it again. Your family will forgive you.”

Jiang Xiaozhou looked even more wronged, glancing at his parents with a face full of grievance. “Mom, Dad, I’m not lying. I nearly died.”

“You…” Jiang Hai was itching to slap him.

“Wait,” Elder Jiang interrupted, fixing his gaze on Xiaozhou. “Do you swear you’re telling the truth?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Xiaozhou said, “I swear.”

Elder Jiang pondered for a moment. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

With tearful hesitation, Jiang Xiaozhou recounted everything—from waking up to find his soul had left his body, to how Chi Xingwan helped him reclaim it in the end.

It was then that Elder Jiang noticed Chi Xingwan and the others.

Chi Xingwan stepped forward to greet him. “Hello, Elder Jiang. My name is Chi Xingwan. Before the New Year, I asked Mr. Charlie Williams to arrange this meeting.”

Xiao Yue and Wei Shian also introduced themselves.

Elder Jiang said, “So it’s you. I apologize sincerely. I promised to meet but my frail health delayed everything.”

“Please don’t apologize, Elder Jiang. We’re not in a hurry. Your recovery is what matters most.”

After some polite conversation, the topic returned to Jiang Xiaozhou.

“Miss Chi, is what Xiaozhou said true?” Elder Jiang asked.

The others in the Jiang family were surprised; none expected their father or grandfather to believe Xiaozhou’s story.

Chi Xingwan confirmed, “What he said is true.”

Elder Jiang sighed deeply and beckoned Xiaozhou. “Come here, Xiaozhou.”

Jiang Xiaozhou hurried forward with small steps. The family watching felt this was the genuine, innocent Xiaozhou they remembered.

Elder Jiang looked into his grandson’s eyes and raised his hand. Xiaozhou immediately lowered his head, allowing his grandfather to touch him.

In these simple gestures, the bond between grandfather and grandson shone through—a natural, warm harmony.

This was the real Xiaozhou; not the person he had been those past few days.

After a long pause, Elder Jiang addressed Chi Xingwan and her companions. “Thank you for saving Xiaozhou.”

Xiaozhou’s eyes filled with tears as he looked up in surprise. “Grandpa, you believe me?”

Elder Jiang patted his shoulder. “Yesterday, I was too upset to think clearly. These past couple of days in the hospital, I thought a lot. I realized the Xiaozhou I saw before was not right—especially your eyes; they had completely changed.”

Xiaozhou nodded repeatedly. “Exactly. How could I suddenly turn against my family? Even if I were to go astray, it would take time. It can’t happen overnight. But Mom and Dad wouldn’t believe me.”

He felt wronged again.

Zhang Ruijie softened, touched by his tears. “Xiaozhou, did your soul really leave your body?”

Pouting, Jiang Xiaozhou insisted, “I told you it’s true. For those days, my spirit drifted around, invisible and unheard. Mom, do you know how scared I was?”

Zhang Ruijie’s heart ached. “Mom was wrong. Mom should have believed you.”

Jiang Bofeng looked at Elder Jiang. “Dad, it’s not that I don’t believe, but this is such a strange thing.”

“I believe you,” Elder Jiang said. “Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered something like this.”

Everyone looked at Elder Jiang in surprise; even his three children had never heard of this before.

Elder Jiang explained, “It’s normal you don’t know. This happened when I was young. Bofeng, you weren’t born yet.”

Apparently, Elder Jiang had experienced a supernatural event in his youth, back when he was not yet successful and shared a place with a Chinese exchange student.

The incident involved that student, who was cursed by an evil spirit and lost his life.

Elder Jiang was supposed to be the next victim, but thanks to the spiritual master association from the Land of Orchids, his life was spared.

“There are wonders in the world beyond what ordinary people know,” Elder Jiang reflected.

Uncle Jiang Hai bowed deeply to Chi Xingwan and the others. “Thank you for saving Xiaozhou. Without you, we wouldn’t even know how we lost our son.”

Zhang Ruijie followed with her thanks, and then all the Jiang family members, young and old alike, bowed to express their gratitude.

Xiao Yue’s expression darkened slightly, perhaps recalling the chaotic relations within the Xiao family.

After this, Elder Jiang asked, “Miss Chi, I heard from Mr. Williams that you’re searching for a relic of the Nalan family. Is the ivory jade pendant in my possession the one?”

Chi Xingwan replied, “I’m not sure. I need to see it with my own eyes to confirm.”

Elder Jiang turned to Jiang Bofeng. “Son, go home and get that pendant from my collection room.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Bofeng left and soon returned with a brocade box.

Elder Jiang gestured for him to hand it to Chi Xingwan, who opened the box and saw the jade pendant inside. Her heart leapt with joy.

“Yes, this is the Nalan family relic.”

Elder Jiang smiled. “That’s good. You saved Xiaozhou. I didn’t know how to repay such a great kindness, so I’ll give you this pendant as a token of gratitude.”

“That’s too valuable,” Chi Xingwan protested. Although she intended to acquire the pendant by other means, receiving it as a gift felt like a windfall.

Xiao Yue said, “This pendant is clearly a precious antique. How about I pay you its market value?”

Elder Jiang shook his head. “No, no matter how precious, it’s nothing compared to Xiaozhou’s life. Please accept it.”

Jiang Xiaozhou was deeply moved and urged, “Brother, sister, please accept it. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”

Chi Xingwan finally relented. “Alright, we’ll accept it. Thank you very much.”

After leaving the hospital room, the three returned to the parking lot, where Pang Tao and Shou Mao were staring at each other.

“This guy really knows nothing,” Pang Tao said.

Earlier, she had tried to coax information from Shou Mao through threats and persuasion, but it turned out he knew very little about the mastermind behind everything.

“What should we do then?” Pang Tao asked.

Chi Xingwan looked thoughtfully at Shou Mao.