Knowing yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles.
Zhang Yang spent an hour secretly scouting the entire southern region of Jiangnan City.
Currently, apart from the old residential areas, everything else had been divided up by the Dragon Group, the Patrol Division, Seven Kills, and the Nangong and Baili families from the provincial capital.
They had excavated every place they determined might contain a dragon脉.
The depth was roughly the same as in the old residential areas, already reaching the rock layer.
After a round of inspection, Zhang Yang’s mood did not relax; instead, it became heavier.
The strength of these factions was immense, excessively so!
Let alone experts in the True Essence realm, they had over ten times the number of peak experts in the Hidden Essence realm.
Fortunately, the abbot of Lingtai Temple had set up an illusion.
Otherwise, if these people knew that the old residential area was the center of the dragon脉, they would likely attack him.
At that time… he would truly have no chance of winning.
Afterward, Zhang Yang returned to the excavation site in the old residential area.
Li Dabai, disguised as Zhang Yang, upon seeing Zhang Yang appear, ran behind him as if seeing a savior.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Yang frowned.
“So dangerous, so terrifying! It’s just too terrifying.”
“Too… too shameless,” Li Dabai babbled, shaking his head.
This made Zhang Yang very curious and somewhat bewildered.
The next moment, Luo Yiren rolled her eyes and said softly, “Little brother, I don’t eat people, why are you like this? It’s really boring~”
Hearing this, Zhang Yang guessed the situation. With Guan Fenghua absent and He Qiyan temporarily sent away, Li Dabai, disguised as Zhang Yang, was left alone with Luo Yiren. He probably got teased by Luo Yiren and couldn’t handle it.
“All of you, settle down,” Zhang Yang waved his hand with displeasure.
Luo Yiren was dissatisfied but said nothing.
“Uncle-Master Zhang, what do we do now?” Li Dabai asked.
“The situation is rather grim. We must seize the time, otherwise…”
Zhang Yang pondered for a moment. He had intended to tell Li Dabai about the situation outside to prepare him mentally. However, at this moment, He Qiyan suddenly returned.
“Oh,” Li Dabai exclaimed in surprise. Just as he was about to greet her, he realized something was wrong. This He Qiyan was not the He Qiyan from his home; she was a fake.
Zhang Yang, whose face was mostly covered by a cloak, frowned slightly and remained silent.
He Qiyan entered and, seeing Li Dabai disguised as Zhang Yang and Zhang Yang in a cloak, looked slightly surprised and quickly said, “Yiren, what’s going on? Why are so many people missing from the excavation site?” Luo Yiren had asked her to check the progress in other areas earlier. How come upon returning, she felt so many people were gone?
Luo Yiren blinked and said, “Oh, it’s raining, so having so many people at the site is useless. I sent them away first.”
He Qiyan nodded slightly. She felt something was amiss but didn’t ask directly. Suddenly, her gaze fell on Han Xiyao lying on the makeshift bed, and she exclaimed in surprise, “Zhang Yang, why did you bring Xiyao here too? Isn’t this too dangerous?”
Li Dabai looked at Zhang Yang. He didn’t know how to answer this question.
“Close the door,” Zhang Yang said sternly.
Li Dabai immediately got up and closed the door. This action made He Qiyan even more suspicious.
“And who is this?”
“My Uncle-Master, an expert from the Carefree Sect,” Li Dabai replied. Although he didn’t know why Zhang Yang wanted him to emphasize that his Uncle-Master was from the Carefree Sect, Li Dabai kept it in mind. Whenever someone asked, he would mention the Carefree Sect.
Carefree Sect!
The name made He Qiyan’s gaze deepen. In the depths of her eyes, there was surprise, even a hint of apprehension. In the past, He Qiyan knew that Zhang Yang pretended to have a master. She had always thought this person was fabricated by Zhang Yang himself. But now, seeing Zhang Yang’s Uncle-Master appear in person, He Qiyan was greatly shocked. It seemed… the reason for Zhang Yang’s sudden increase in strength truly had strong backing. That fake master was not unfounded.
“Is the Carefree Sect very powerful? Zhang Yang, how many helpers have you brought this time?” He Qiyan continued to inquire.
“Not many, just about two, three, four, five, six people,” Li Dabai chuckled. These were all things Zhang Yang had taught him. He was very good at playing coy, simply not telling the truth and letting others guess. This answer made He Qiyan very curious and also a bit uneasy. Why did it feel like they were all hiding something from her?
At the same time, Zhang Yang, wearing the cloak, spoke. He had asked Li Dabai to close the door earlier, not because he intended to act against He Qiyan, as that would be meaningless.
“You are He Ao’s granddaughter, aren’t you? You should know about Xiyao’s situation, right?” He Ao was Grandpa He’s real name. He Qiyan knew this. Hearing the other party directly address this name, He Qiyan nodded and replied, “Senior, what do you want to say?”
Zhang Yang stared at her, his voice clear and cold, “He Ao has told me the plan, and I have also verified the true location of the dragon脉. Currently, all the experts of my Carefree Sect have been ambushed and are in position. You can ask your grandfather when he plans to make a move.”
Upon hearing this, He Qiyan felt very excited. Finally, she would know the true location of the dragon脉! He Ao, that old man, as a former high-ranking member of the China Five Dragons, had participated in the events back then and must have known where the dragon脉 was. But He Qiyan had inquired everywhere, and he simply refused to say!
“Senior, I can contact my grandfather right now, but are you sure about the central location of the dragon脉? After so many years, could there be any deviation or misjudgment?” He Qiyan feigned ignorance.
“The central location is within the territory controlled by the Patrol Division. This has been verified and there is no mistake,” Zhang Yang said sternly. “The experts of my Carefree Sect have all arrived. Now it’s up to you.”
Within the territory controlled by the Patrol Division! Hearing this news, He Qiyan was extremely excited. However, her expression remained calm. She even secretly cursed Zhang Yang’s Uncle-Master for being brainless, revealing the central location of the dragon脉 so easily.
Then, He Qiyan made a call to Grandpa He in front of Zhang Yang.
“Grandpa, have you met Zhang Yang’s Uncle-Master? The central location of the dragon脉 is correct, it’s in the Patrol Division’s territory,” He Qiyan said, with the call on speakerphone. “He said the Carefree Sect experts are ready, and asked when you will make your move.”
Grandpa He fell silent. Wasn’t the center of the dragon脉 in the old residential area? When did it move to the territory controlled by the Patrol Division? And what was this Uncle-Master of Zhang Yang? Although puzzled, Grandpa He had a general idea of the situation. The He Qiyan in front of them now was fake. Therefore… this call from He Qiyan must be part of Zhang Yang’s counter-plan. Thinking of this, Grandpa He immediately played along.
“Girl, tell them that the China Five Dragons have acted, but it might take a little longer. I’ve encountered some unexpected issues here. Ask them to hold their positions and wait for us to arrive before jointly seizing the dragon脉.”
“Okay.”
…
Earlier, He Qiyan had put the call on speakerphone. Everyone heard Grandpa He’s words, so she didn’t repeat them.
“Hmph, truly incompetent and only good at causing trouble. Unexpected issues at such a critical moment! No wonder the China Five Dragons perished!” Zhang Yang, wearing the cloak, snorted with dissatisfaction. After complaining, Zhang Yang turned to Li Dabai and said, “Zhang Yang, do we really have to save this girl?”
“Uncle-Master, we must save her. If Xiyao has any accident, I will absolutely not return to the Carefree Sect with you,” Li Dabai said with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Zhang Yang fell silent, frowning in thought. He Qiyan observed them secretly, trying to figure things out. The room was silent except for the sound of raindrops hitting the roof. After waiting for a while, Zhang Yang, in the cloak, suddenly sighed and shook his head.
“Alas, forget it. We can’t count on the China Five Dragons. If you really want to save this girl, then wait here for my news. I will personally go to the dragon脉.”
“Oh, and don’t stop the construction and excavation here, otherwise it will attract the attention of other factions.”
“That would be tantamount to telling them that we know the true location of the dragon脉.”
With that, Zhang Yang pulled his cloak tighter, covering his face, and then turned to leave. Seeing him leave, He Qiyan also lost the desire to stay.
“Zhang Yang, I’m leaving too. I need to help Grandpa with his matters.” After speaking, He Qiyan didn’t linger and quickly left.
In the room, Luo Yiren, who had been silent all along, kept blinking her beautiful eyes. She felt something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Little brother, what’s going on? Sister feels so strange,” Luo Yiren said.
“Uh~” Li Dabai scratched his head, not knowing where to start. But if he didn’t say anything, he was afraid Luo Yiren would ‘physically’ attack him again. Fortunately, his worries did not materialize. Zhang Yang, who had just left, returned.
“Hey, old man, didn’t you leave?” Luo Yiren asked curiously.
Zhang Yang ignored her and closed the door.
“Don’t call me ‘Senior, Senior.’ I am Zhang Yang.” Zhang Yang lifted the cloak covering his face and rubbed his hands, resuming his original appearance. Luo Yiren was astonished and opened her mouth wide, pointing her finger back and forth between Li Dabai and Zhang Yang.
“You… you… what’s going on? How can there be two Zhang Yangs!” Luo Yiren couldn’t even form a complete sentence.
“This is Li Dabai, you’ve met him. For some reason, I asked him to impersonate me,” Zhang Yang said.
This!
“So he’s not you! My goodness, I was teasing him just now.” Luo Yiren was very surprised. She now understood why Li Dabai’s reaction was so strange when she teased him. Although he didn’t take advantage of her, his eyes had been lingering on her. Luo Yiren immediately patted her chest. Thankfully. If Han Xiyao hadn’t been in the room, she might have made even more outrageous teasing gestures. In that case, she would have suffered a great loss.
Li Dabai wore a bitter smile, not knowing how to respond.
“Miss Luo, I didn’t deliberately hide it. Zhang Yang didn’t allow me to say anything.”
“Fortunately, I didn’t suffer any loss, otherwise I would have cut you,” Luo Yiren snorted coldly.
Cut again? Li Dabai instinctively squeezed his legs together. Why were all the women Zhang Yang knew more fierce than the other? Guan Fenghua was like this, and so was Luo Yiren! He couldn’t help but admire Zhang Yang, wondering how he managed to subdue these two women.
“Stop fooling around. Time is pressing. Listen to me,” Zhang Yang waved his hand, his expression serious. “The fake He Qiyan has fallen for the trap. She will help us attract most of the attention and buy us some time.”
“Dabai… are you okay with this side?” Zhang Yang looked at Li Dabai, hesitating.
“Don’t worry, Zhang Yang, I have no problem on my end,” Li Dabai said with a smile. He knew what Zhang Yang meant by “no problem.” This time, he needed to replace Zhang Yang in escorting Han Xiyao to the center of the dragon脉. But before that, Li Dabai still needed to help Han Xiyao absorb the violent aura generated by the dragon脉, and then leave the purest and gentlest power of the dragon脉 for Han Xiyao. This task, according to the abbot of Lingtai Temple, was supposed to be done by Zhang Yang himself. However, after going out to scout, Zhang Yang was worried it wasn’t secure enough, so he decided to follow his own plan and have Li Dabai take his place. As for himself, he needed to intercept any potential enemies. Although the fake He Qiyan had fallen for the trap and would engage a group of people at the Patrol Division first, no one could guarantee when they would realize they had been tricked. Moreover, there was still the Dragon Group. Their strength was not to be underestimated. Zhang Yang had to keep a close eye on them. Otherwise, once he took Han Xiyao down into the dragon pit, if the situation above couldn’t be held, the dragon pit would descend into chaos.
“Alright, then let’s proceed as planned.” With that, Zhang Yang reverted to his aged appearance. Luo Yiren, who had been listening quietly, finally realized what was happening.
“Zhang Yang, you mean He Qiyan is a traitor? She betrayed us?”
“That’s right.” Zhang Yang nodded. “The real He Qiyan is recuperating at Dabai’s home.” Luo Yiren finally understood. No wonder Zhang Yang had asked her to send He Qiyan away earlier. No wonder Zhang Yang had deceived He Qiyan just now, telling her they had found the central location of the dragon脉. So that was the reason.
“Then what about me? What do I need to do?” Luo Yiren pointed to herself. Her strength had now reached the Hidden Essence realm, and she believed she could be of some help.
“I’m not sure about what will happen later. You act according to the situation, but be careful,” Zhang Yang said. Although Luo Yiren had strength, her combat experience was still lacking. Zhang Yang didn’t expect her to help much; as long as she could protect herself, it would be enough.
After giving all the instructions, Zhang Yang walked out of the house and stood under the eaves, looking at the increasingly heavy rain. For some reason, he felt a vague sense of unease. But he couldn’t pinpoint where this feeling of unease was coming from.
“The wind is picking up, and everything is about to begin,” Zhang Yang murmured, looking at the dim sky.
…
On the other side.
The departed He Qiyan immediately relayed the information she received from Zhang Yang to Tang Ruxue. At the same time, she removed her disguise and appeared with a different face. If Zhang Yang, He Qiyan, or Qin Shengnan were present at this moment, they would be extremely surprised! Because… their guesses were not wrong. The person impersonating He Qiyan was indeed from Seven Kills. But! They would never have guessed who this impersonator was. She was… Liao Zixia!