Old Master He slowly poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip.
Then he chuckled and said, "When I was young, I gave you a bite to eat, and at first, I really felt sorry for you, kid."
"You were an orphan, and after your adoptive father passed away, you were kicked out."
"But later, it wasn't just pity I felt for you, because I sensed a familiar aura from you."
"This aura, only..."
Old Master He stopped mid-sentence, looked at Zhang Yang, and smiled.
"Kid, do you know about the Five Dragons of Huaxia?"
The Five Dragons of Huaxia?
Zhang Yang frowned. "I haven't heard of it. What is it?"
Old Master He took a deep drag of his cigarette, his gaze distant with nostalgia.
"A long time ago, Huaguo didn't have the Patrol Division or the Dragon Group. These organizations were once defended and protected by the Five Dragons of Huaxia."
"The Five Dragons of Huaxia was an organization, divided into five different departments, each responsible for a different aspect, but their combat power was incredibly astonishing."
"However, due to a certain incident, eventually... some died, some were injured, and some went into hiding."
"After the destruction of the Five Dragons, Huaguo was on the brink of turmoil, so the Patrol Division and the Dragon Group were immediately established."
"These two organizations compete annually, with the aim of accelerating their growth to match the Five Dragons of Huaxia."
"But in my opinion, even if they grow, they still won't be able to compare to the Five Dragons."
"Because they are not united. If their strength is not enough now, they will scheme against each other for power and profit. How can such behavior be worthy of carrying the shoes of the Five Dragons of Huaxia?"
Zhang Yang listened silently, but felt indifferent.
In fact, he just wanted a peaceful life and didn't want to get involved in these matters.
He wasn't interested in power or anything like that.
"Grandpa He, why are you telling me this?"
Zhang Yang frowned, not understanding why Old Master He was telling him such secrets.
Old Master He continued to smile.
"Telling you this is naturally useful. I have to let you know your identity, don't I?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you should be a descendant of someone from the Azure Dragon department of the Five Dragons."
"Although I don't know who your parents are, whether they are still alive, or why they left you alone in the old residential area."
"However, we are of the same kind. That's why I gave you a bite to eat."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Old Master He beckoned He Qiyan over.
The next moment.
Old Master He's frail, elderly appearance vanished completely.
A terrifying aura surged from the depths of his body.
Instantly.
Both He Qiyan and Zhang Yang, who had just broken through, felt a scalp-tingling pressure.
In a flash, a strong wind swept through the courtyard, kicking up dust and stones.
The empty wine bottles that they had just drunk from were blown into the air.
This...
Such oppressive power!
Such formidable strength!
Zhang Yang's eyes widened. Old Master He's strength was immense.
Even after breaking through to the逍遥天境 (Xiaoyao Tianjing), he might not be able to defeat him with certainty.
"Zhang Yang, you are a descendant of the Azure Dragon department, and your grandpa here comes from the Battle Dragon department. He Qiyan is also a descendant of the Battle Dragon department."
"You are all inheritors of the bloodline of the Five Dragons of Huaxia!"
With that said.
Old Master He retracted his imposing aura, returning to his aged and weathered appearance.
Both He Qiyan and Zhang Yang stared with wide eyes.
Your grandpa is indeed your grandpa.
This was the hidden boss, wasn't it? Fang Zheng was truly blind to only seek an alchemy master.
However...
After Old Master He put on a show, Zhang Yang still didn't understand what he wanted him to do.
"Grandpa, what exactly do you want to tell me?" Zhang Yang asked.
He was very curious. With Old Master He's strength, did he still need his help?
Moreover, there was something Zhang Yang found strange.
Since Old Master He was Fang Zheng's instructor, why did Fang Zheng come seeking help and Old Master He stood by idly? Fang Zheng didn't even know about Old Master He's strength?
Could it be just as Old Master He said, he looked down on the Dragon Group and the Patrol Division?
"It's still about what Fang Zheng mentioned earlier. Regarding the turmoil in Jiangnan City, we, the Five Dragons of Huaxia, have an undeniable responsibility."
"I want you and Qiyan to take action, because it's not appropriate for Fang Zheng to fight for certain things."
"So I want..."
Ten minutes later.
After listening to Old Master He's explanation, Zhang Yang's eyes were filled with shock.
So the reconstruction of the old residential area had a hidden agenda.
It wasn't just backward urban development and replanning!
It was because this place...
"Grandpa, is what you're saying true? Are you sure it's here?" Zhang Yang frowned.
"Perhaps it wasn't certain before, but what happened in the past, combined with what I've investigated, and the fact that your parents left you here."
"Coupled with the recent movements from above regarding the old residential area, we can be basically certain it's here," Old Master He said with a serious expression.
This...
Zhang Yang fell silent.
"Grandpa, but Fang Zheng just said that with my strength, I would only be cannon fodder if I acted, and I probably couldn't help much."
Clearly, even though Zhang Yang had learned a little about his background.
However, Zhang Yang felt no sense of belonging to the Five Dragons of Huaxia.
It was completely unrealistic to expect Zhang Yang to risk his life for a responsibility.
"You brat, you're still hiding things from me?" Old Master He glared at Zhang Yang impatiently.
"You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time you came here. I'm afraid even Qiyan is no match for you now?"
What?
He Qiyan was shocked.
She wasn't Zhang Yang's match? How was that possible?
She had fought Zhang Yang to a standstill just last night, and now, after only one night, she was no match for him.
"Grandpa, are you sure you're not mistaken?" He Qiyan asked, unconvinced.
"Girl, you still don't believe it? This kid Zhang Yang is very secretive. Even I can't see through him completely."
Old Master He chuckled. "It seems his parents left him many secrets."
Zhang Yang was greatly shocked. He hadn't expected Old Master He to see through his cultivation level.
He probably discovered something the first time he treated Old Master He's leg.
However...
"Grandpa, I don't know anything about the Five Dragons of Huaxia, and even if I am a descendant of the Azure Dragon department, I still don't want to get involved."
"Because this isn't the life I want. However, I can help with the other request you just made."
Zhang Yang pondered for a moment and said.
Old Master He had made two requests earlier.
One was to help He Qiyan kill the Seven Killers when the storm arrived.
The other was...
Zhang Yang's refusal did not surprise Old Master He. He just chuckled and nodded.
"Alright, that's acceptable."
"Okay, then I'll be going now." Zhang Yang said, turning to leave.
He Qiyan watched Zhang Yang's retreating back, quite perplexed.
"Grandpa, this..."
"It's fine, I know what I'm doing. I can roughly guess who Zhang Yang's parents are, and besides..."
"With that, it's completely impossible for this sentimental Zhang Yang to stay out of it."
"..."
In the courtyard, the grandfather and granddaughter were whispering.
Outside the courtyard, the departing Zhang Yang was frowning in thought.
From Old Master He, he learned the inside story of the development of the old residential area.
The first thing Zhang Yang thought of was to inform Han Xiyao, so she could be prepared.
However.
Zhang Yang called her several times, but her phone was always switched off.
Finally.
Zhang Yang went to Han's Group, but he didn't see Han Xiyao either.
According to her secretary, Han Xiyao had gone out with them in the afternoon and hadn't returned.
"It seems she's still angry," Zhang Yang said with a wry smile and left Han's Group.
However, Zhang Yang had guessed wrong this time.
Han Xiyao wasn't angry at all; she had been controlled.
At this moment.
Han Xiyao was tied tightly to a chair.
Her eyes were closed, clearly unconscious.
The short-haired woman standing opposite Han Xiyao wore a sinister smile.
Her sect would arrive soon.
This time, she absolutely could not fail again, and not only could she not fail, but she had to accomplish two things at once!
On the other side.
Zhang Yang returned home alone and lay on the bed with a vacant stare.
For some reason, he felt a sense of unease.
He couldn't pinpoint where this feeling of unease was coming from.
Tossing and turning in bed, he felt very agitated.
During this time.
Zhang Yang called Han Xiyao twice and found her phone still switched off.
The feeling of unease intensified.
Later, Zhang Yang called Guan Fenghua, Luo Yiren, and even Shen Ling.
After a series of inquiries.
All three women told Zhang Yang that they hadn't seen Han Xiyao, and Han Xiyao hadn't contacted them either.
Gradually, Zhang Yang couldn't sit still!
Xiyao must have encountered trouble!
Zhang Yang recalled the letter left by Han Xiyao's father.
The letter mentioned that his and Han Xiyao's comas were not simply due to qi entering the body.
Moreover, both Li Jiangshan and Han Xiyao's father had instructed him to protect Han Xiyao until her birthday.
Could it be...
Han Xiyao had been kidnapped?
The more Zhang Yang thought about it, the more likely it seemed!
He quickly got out of bed and prepared to go out to find Han Xiyao.
At the same time.
He Qiyan returned. The two looked at each other, and He Qiyan said to Zhang Yang.
"I have something to tell you, regarding the people who searched your home and tried to harm you."
Zhang Yang paused, staring at He Qiyan for a moment.
If it were about anything else, Zhang Yang might not have the time to listen.
However, He Qiyan's reminder made Zhang Yang think of another possibility.
Perhaps Han Xiyao's disappearance was related to him?
"Who is it?" Zhang Yang asked.
"The one who has been targeting you recently is my junior sister, Qin Sheng Nan of the Qin family," He Qiyan replied.
"..."
Subsequently, He Qiyan told Zhang Yang everything she knew, as well as her identity.
"Qin Sheng Nan!" Zhang Yang's eyes flashed with cold light.
Hearing He Qiyan's account, Zhang Yang gradually connected the events that had happened recently.
Was the truth finally revealed?
The person who had been watching him from the shadows was Qin Sheng Nan!
No wonder the person who broke into his home earlier had the same scent as He Qiyan.
No wonder Wu De started working at Qin Feng Group after losing his job at Fenghua Group.
No wonder Han Wenkang received help from the Qin family and made a bet with him.
No wonder Huang Xin's home was also ransacked.
And the deaths of Han Wenkang, Wu De, and others, the Patrol Division arresting him and confiscating everything he had.
These matters were likely all related to Qin Sheng Nan!
...
However, there was one thing Zhang Yang didn't understand.
"Who is your junior disciple? I don't seem to know him, do I?" Zhang Yang asked.
"I don't know," He Qiyan shook her head.
Regarding this matter, she truly didn't know.
What her junior disciple wanted with the token in Zhang Yang's possession was known only to him and their master.
The others, including her senior sister, were merely following orders.
Because within the Seven Killers Sect, only the junior disciple could be considered the master's true disciple.
The seven sisters only received some guidance from their master before being told to grow on their own.
"Is it this token?"
Zhang Yang turned around and took out the token with the character 'Zhang' written on it from under the pillow, which he had hidden in Huang Xin's home.
He Qiyan peered at it, carefully recalling the description of the token she had heard.
"It should be this one. Zhang Yang, do you know what this token is for?" He Qiyan asked.
"I don't know," Zhang Yang shook his head.
"I only know that this token has always been with me."
At this moment, with the truth revealed, Zhang Yang was also very puzzled.
Vaguely.
He could tell that this might involve a bigger secret.
It should be related to his background, or the Five Dragons of Huaxia, or even something deeper.
But Zhang Yang had no mood to understand these things at the moment.
He Qiyan had just said that Qin Sheng Nan was targeting him.
Then Han Xiyao's disappearance was likely related to Qin Sheng Nan.
"I have something to do, I'm going out," Zhang Yang said in a deep voice.
With a gloomy expression, a killing intent unconsciously emanated from him.
He Qiyan didn't want to use it, and she knew what Zhang Yang intended to do, so she quickly reminded him.
"Be careful, Qin Sheng Nan's strength is also in the Yin Yuan realm, and..."
However, before He Qiyan could finish speaking, Zhang Yang had already vanished.
...
Zhang Yang, heading straight for the Qin family, floored the accelerator.
What would have taken an hour was done in half an hour.
He wrenched the steering wheel to the left, drifting the car to a stop in front of Qin Sheng Nan's villa, and kicked the door open in a rage.
"Who! How dare you trespass into the villa in the middle of the night? Stop right there!"
The commotion Zhang Yang caused by breaking in was immense.
The five Qin family guards on duty around the villa immediately shouted.
And they rushed out first, intercepting Zhang Yang.
"Get lost if you don't want to die!" Zhang Yang roared.
The true energy within him erupted completely.
A terrifying wave swept through the surroundings, directly sending the Qin family guards, all of whom were in the Outer Body Refining realm, flying.
As soon as he entered the villa, Zhang Yang encountered Liao Zixia and asked with a slight narrowing of his eyes.
"Where is Qin Sheng Nan? Make her come out and see me!"
Liao Zixia was somewhat surprised.
Zhang Yang's aggressive arrival at this late hour must mean something.
Could it be that Zhang Yang knew his sixth senior sister had been targeting him?
"My senior sister isn't here. Is there something you need her for?" Liao Zixia said.
Not here?
Zhang Yang's eyes flashed with cold light, clearly not believing Liao Zixia's words.
"You say she's not here just because you say so? Get out of the way, I'll search myself!"