Chapter 585 - 585: Bow When You Must, It's Also a Law of Survival

At that moment, the entire venue was filled with gazes of awe and admiration.

But to Jiang Xinghai, all of this was illusory.

What he truly cared about was the secret of Mirror Lake Manor!

Before, he only knew that Mirror Lake Manor was on some remote island. Only by reaching the four-star rank would he be qualified to learn its exact location and rescue his captive parents!

At this moment, he was both excited and nervous.

He was waiting for the four-star Tang Zhen to pin the four-star insignia on him!

With this, he could finally uncover the secret of Mirror Lake Manor!

"This newly promoted four-star is none other than Jiang Xinghai!"

At this, Tang Zhen smiled at the crowd, then walked toward Jiang Xinghai with several small stars in his hand.

"Elder Tang!" Jiang Xinghai said with a faint smile.

"Young Master Jiang!" Tang Zhen replied with a nod and a smile.

They addressed each other with informal titles rather than official ones, mainly to appear more cordial.

"Come, let me pin this on for you."

Tang Zhen carefully pinned the four-star insignia on Jiang Xinghai. He then took out a palm-sized red booklet and a golden, five-pointed star token, handing them to Jiang Xinghai.

"Let's give a warm welcome to Divine Doctor Jiang!"

After exchanging a look with Jiang Xinghai, Tang Zhen turned to the crowd.

Instantly, thunderous applause erupted from below the stage.

"Thank you to the higher-ups for placing such high hopes in me. I will consistently do my job to the best of my ability. I don't dare call myself a Divine Doctor, but I can indeed bring the dead back to life and mend flesh onto white bones."

As he spoke, Jiang Xinghai saluted toward the north. His acceptance speech was very brief, but it cut straight to the point.

In truth, he only had the title, not a position with actual authority.

But this was enough for him; it was exactly what he wanted.

He had no desire for a substantive role, as he still had his own affairs to sort out.

"Very well. We have all witnessed Jiang Xinghai's induction. This file will soon be transmitted to all the top leaders."

The four-star Tang Zhen kept a smile and a nod, then looked out at the audience again. "I hope all of you colleagues will support each other in the future. With that, the ceremony is concluded!"

Amidst cheerful applause, the Marshal Feng investiture ceremony came to a close.

Afterward, the various leaders from the audience came on stage one by one to shake Jiang Xinghai's hand and build connections.

Only Cao Shan and Zheng Wuji stood awkwardly to the side.

The two of them had a history of enmity with Jiang Xinghai, and now they were in a bind.

"Father-in-law, our only choice now is to bow our heads," Zheng Wuji suggested in a low voice.

Cao Shan's expression was complicated; he naturally understood this principle.

But his father was, after all, the Prince of the East, Cao Qing!

He wanted to wait for his father's return to discuss the matter before deciding whether to yield.

"Father-in-law, for Cao Can's sake, there's no shame in bowing your head once." If not for the fact that Cao Shan was his father-in-law and hadn't made his stance clear, Zheng Wuji would have already gone to curry favor with Jiang Xinghai.

After all, Jiang Xinghai had gifted him a Gathering Essence Pill just last night!

That precious pill alone made Jiang Xinghai worth befriending.

"You go first. I need to think about it more," Cao Shan said, waving his hand dismissively.

He didn't want his own problems to drag down his son-in-law's career.

Immediately, Zheng Wuji walked toward Jiang Xinghai.

Meanwhile, Cao Shan quickly dialed his father, Cao Qing, on his phone.

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line. "What is it, Shan'Er?"

Cao Shan recounted the entire matter to his father from beginning to end and asked for his opinion.

Cao Qing pondered for a moment.

Then he said, "Shan'Er, you know I'm a very proud man. But I also understand that sometimes, we must learn to set aside our dignity. Now that Jiang Xinghai has become a four-star, establishing a good relationship with him will definitely benefit our family's enterprises."

"So we choose to bow our heads to him?" Cao Shan considered this carefully. He knew his father was right, but he still wanted to hear him confirm it.

"When it's time to bow, you bow. That's a rule of survival."

Cao Qing declared in a clear voice, "I believe that if he is a once-in-a-generation talent, he will naturally accept your request to treat Can'Er. On the other hand, if he flatly refuses you, then this old man will return and face him head-on."

"Alright!" Cao Shan nodded emphatically.

"Yes, do that. Your father is about to arrive in Shanghai. No matter what happens, even if you poke a hole in the heavens, I will be your solid backing. Go ahead and do what you must, but there's no need to be overly humble." After these final instructions, Cao Qing hung up.

Cao Shan's spirits soared upon hearing this.

After all, his father had been a three-star back in the day!

And among the disciples his father had taught, two were currently four-stars!

Therefore, the title of Prince of the East was not an empty one.

His father had only stepped down voluntarily due to his advanced age.

But that didn't mean the title of Prince of the East had lost any of its luster!

After some thought, Cao Shan waited until the crowd around Jiang Xinghai began to thin before he walked over.

"Young Master Jiang, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cao Shan."

Cao Shan extended both hands, a sincere smile on his face.

"Patriarch Cao, I believe we've met before. Is this your formal self-introduction?" Jiang Xinghai said with a faint smile, looking at the man before him.

"You could say that."

Cao Shan's old face flushed slightly. "I was in the wrong before. I shouldn't have been so aggressive toward you, Young Master Jiang. I even thought of forcefully seizing the pills you had. My crimes are worthy of ten thousand deaths."

"Since you know your crime, what do you think your punishment should be?" Jiang Xinghai replied with a smile.

"Er!"

Cao Shan never imagined that he was just making a perfunctory, self-deprecating apology, but Jiang Xinghai had actually taken him at his word and was now planning to punish him!

'This is bad!'

'Jiang Xinghai still resents me!'

"Since Patriarch Cao can't decide right now, we can talk about it later." Jiang Xinghai had no time to waste here. He needed to meet with Tang Zhen and discuss the secrets of Mirror Lake Manor!

Cao Shan's expression changed slightly. He was extremely embarrassed. If he missed this chance to connect with Jiang Xinghai, it was hard to say when the next opportunity would arise.

He immediately rallied 120 percent of his focus, maintained his smile, and said with sincerity, "Young Master Jiang, I have reflected deeply on my past actions and feel extremely sorry. I know I can't erase the mistakes I've made, but I'm willing to use concrete actions to make up for my transgressions."

Jiang Xinghai's eyes brightened slightly. "Oh? And what do you plan to do?"

Cao Shan replied, "First, I can offer the full support and assistance of the Cao Family's resources to you, Young Master Jiang. Second, I will do my utmost to support your development in all aspects. Finally, I hope to invite you to the Cao Family estate for a visit, to further strengthen the relationship between our two families."

Jiang Xinghai was unmoved.

'Now that I've been exceptionally promoted to four-star, do I still need the Cao Family's power?'

"You've said so much nonsense. Your only goal is to ask me to treat someone for you, isn't it?" Jiang Xinghai said bluntly.

Cao Shan's old face reddened, and he didn't deny it. "That's right. My grandson, Cao Can, has a congenital heart defect and is in urgent need of treatment. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise, you'll go back to plotting the murder of another innocent child to get a new heart for your grandson," Jiang Xinghai interjected coldly.

Cao Shan's face froze instantly. 'Jiang Xinghai is still holding this against me!'