"You don't need to do anything, just manage Jiangnan City well."
"Actually, this is also the King's will. As for whether the King has other requirements in the future, I dare not speculate." Xiao Zhan chuckled.
What?!
The King's will?
Zhang Yang was extremely shocked and stood up directly from his seat.
On Huo Zhu's side, he remained seated without any reaction.
It was as if he had already guessed that the order for the Dragon Group and the Patrol Division to withdraw from Jiangnan City was issued by the King.
"It just means that you don't need to do anything for now, but it doesn't mean there won't be anything in the future, right?" Zhang Yang frowned.
"That's exactly the meaning. As for what happens later, I can't guarantee it." Xiao Zhan said with a smile.
Hearing this, Zhang Yang fell silent.
Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king.
Even if the Dragon Group and the Patrol Division had not withdrawn from Jiangnan City, if they were to rebuild the Five Dragons of Huaxia in Jiangnan City.
Then if the King issued instructions to them, they would have no reason to refuse.
After all, imperial decrees could not be defied.
It seemed that this matter was definitely not that simple. Whether to agree now or not was no longer important.
Zhang Yang's mood became heavy, and he felt a sense of oppression.
"General Xiao, please convey to the King that the Five Dragons of Huaxia remember this favor. If there is anything we can do for you in the future, we will not shirk our responsibilities."
While Zhang Yang was silent, Huo Zhu took the initiative to step forward and said.
"Heh, I will convey it to the King truthfully." Xiao Zhan nodded with a smile.
Then, without further conversation with Zhang Yang and the others, he turned and took his leave.
Zhang Yang and the others also precisely timed their departure and boarded the flight back to Jiangnan City.
An hour later.
Zhang Yang and the others arrived at the airport.
They got into the car arranged by the Luo family and returned to Han Xiyao's villa.
Along the way, Zhang Yang remained silent.
Huo Zhu knew what the other party was thinking.
However, there were too many people on the plane, so he couldn't say much.
It was not until they got into the Luo family's car that Huo Zhu took the initiative to ask.
"Zhang Yang, do you feel like something is wrong?"
Zhang Yang nodded upon hearing this and expressed his doubts.
"Elder, the Five Dragons of Huaxia were once a force recognized by the King. Then why did the King remain indifferent to the fact that the Five Dragons of Huaxia were attacked by enemies and subsequently destroyed?"
"But now that we have accumulated some strength and intend to rebuild the Five Dragons of Huaxia, why did the King send Xiao Zhan to appear?"
"This question is actually not that complicated. Let me tell you a guess of my own, and you might find it even harder to accept." Huo Zhu chuckled and continued.
"If I told you that the King and his people were involved in the destruction of the Five Dragons of Huaxia, would you believe me?"
This!
As soon as these words were spoken.
Zhang Yang could no longer sit still, and his doubts grew even heavier.
"The Five Dragons of Huaxia were destroyed at the King's behest? If that's the case, why is he helping us now? This is clearly contradictory."
Huo Zhu shook his head, his deep eyes flashing with brilliance, and slowly explained.
"It's not that the King ordered the destruction of the Five Dragons of Huaxia, but that the King's people were involved. To be precise, the King's descendants were the ones who caused trouble."
"The position of Crown Prince in Huaguo has always been vacant. The King's six sons are all eager to become the next King."
"And at that time, the Five Dragons of Huaxia were dominant in Huaguo. Although there were forces that could rival them, they were all nominal. In reality, the Five Dragons of Huaxia were the most powerful."
"And precisely because of this, all six princes wanted to win us over. They all came to throw us an olive branch, but how could we become pawns in these princes' power struggles? So we refused them all."
"But not long after we refused, the Five Dragons of Huaxia were attacked by a powerful and mysterious enemy, and in the end, some were injured, some fled, and some died."
"After that, those forces that relied on the Five Dragons of Huaxia for survival, or depended on them, or feared them, all became uncontrollable and began to develop wildly."
"According to the intelligence I investigated later, I learned that all these forces were courted and divided by the King's six princes."
"The only ones left now are Xiao Zhan's Patrol Division and the Dragon Group, as well as our Five Dragons of Huaxia."
"..."
So that's how it is.
After listening to Huo Zhu's narration, Zhang Yang finally understood why no force had come to help the Five Dragons of Huaxia when they were destroyed.
It turned out that all of this was premeditated.
Or was it a case of being too powerful and provoking jealousy?
When the six princes saw that the Five Dragons of Huaxia could not be won over, they decided to make them disappear.
It was also possible that the six princes were just a facade, and the King himself was the one who wanted to act.
"What about now? What does the King mean by this?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Checks and balances." Huo Zhu uttered two words indifferently.
Currently, although Huaguo appeared to be peaceful and prosperous, it was not united.
As long as the position of Crown Prince remained vacant, disputes would never cease.
Just like the five great families in the capital, the Zhao family and the Sun family were the people of the Third Prince, while the other three great families were the people of the Second Prince.
Although the princes had not shown themselves during their trip to the capital.
It did not mean they did not know what had happened in the capital.
Or, if they had known in advance, they would not have intervened.
After all, this was a competition among subordinates.
As long as it did not harm the fundamental interests of the princes, they would regard it as normal competition.
This situation was not only encountered by Zhang Yang in the capital but also occurred frequently in other places.
If this situation were to continue, it would definitely deplete Huaguo's inherent combat strength.
And Zhang Yang's strong intervention in the capital seemed to give the King hope for checks and balances.
That was why he asked Xiao Zhan to wait for them at the airport to inform them of this matter.
Of course.
These were all Huo Zhu's speculations. No one knew the exact truth.
After all, the Emperor's heart is as deep as the abyss.
And Zhang Yang, guided by Huo Zhu's words, reached the same conclusion as Huo Zhu.
"So, instead of being restricted, our rebuilding of the Five Dragons of Huaxia will be supported by the King?" Zhang Yang asked.
Huo Zhu shook his head and said with a wry smile.
"Don't think of things too simply. The King is like giving you a piece of land; whether it yields a good harvest depends on ourselves."
"At the same time, just because the King doesn't act against us doesn't mean the other six princes have no intentions towards us."
This~
Zhang Yang thought about it carefully, and it was indeed the case.
However, he didn't care. The Five Dragons of Huaxia must be rebuilt.
Whoever dared to cause trouble would have to be prepared to pay a heavy price!
"Then we'll meet force with force and block the water with earth!" Zhang Yang said domineeringly.
"Heh, that's right. We'll fight enemies and welcome friends!" Huo Zhu chuckled in agreement.
...
Upon arriving at the villa where Han Xiyao lived.
Huo Zhu, He Ao, and the others did not follow Zhang Yang inside.
Since the Dragon Group and the Patrol Division had withdrawn from Jiangnan City.
They had to seize the opportunity to establish the stronghold of the Five Dragons of Huaxia as soon as possible.
This point.
Luo Yiren could clearly help them, and she led them away directly.
As for Zhang Yang, he entered Han Xiyao's villa alone.
Han Xiyao's parents, upon learning of Zhang Yang's return, had already been waiting for a long time.
Han Qingxuan and Ning Xiang were very happy to see Zhang Yang.
"Zhang Yang, you're back! Did you encounter any danger during your trip to the capital?" Han Qingxuan asked.
As soon as Han Qingxuan finished speaking, Ning Xiang directly tapped his head.
"If you don't know what to say, say less. Xiao Zhang is back, why are you still asking if he encountered danger?"
Ning Xiang glared at Han Qingxuan, making him smile sheepishly, not daring to retort.
"Xiao Zhang, sit down quickly, have a cup of water first." Ning Xiang handed Zhang Yang a cup of water.
"Thank you, Auntie." Zhang Yang smiled and greeted the woman in front of him, who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Han Xiyao.
"Why are you being so polite with me?" Ning Xiang shook her head.
"I'm the one who should really thank you. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to open my eyes again."
Ning Xiang was very emotional.
She thought she was going to die, but unexpectedly, she came back to life.
When she woke up and learned that Zhang Yang had sacrificed his chance to save Han Xiyao to revive her.
Ning Xiang felt extremely guilty and even scolded Han Qingxuan, not speaking to him for three days.
Fortunately, after learning that Zhang Yang was going to the capital to find the Dragon Transformation Water to save Han Xiyao, she looked forward to it every day.
Now that Zhang Yang was back, Ning Xiang was the happiest person.
Zhang Yang drank the water in his cup and said directly.
"Auntie, I'll go see Xiyao first."
"Okay, okay, okay." Ning Xiang nodded.
Although she appeared very calm now, she was actually very nervous inside.
When she saw Zhang Yang enter Han Xiyao's room, she immediately followed him with Han Qingxuan.
Upon arriving in the room.
Zhang Yang looked at Han Xiyao, who still had her eyes closed and was growing thinner day by day, and felt very heartbroken.
This was all his fault.
If he had stopped Han Xiyao in time and explained clearly to her, she would not have been captured by Qin Shengnan.
Nor would the subsequent series of events have happened.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yang opened the jade bottle in his hand.
This was the Creation Water refined by Zhang Lihe and Luo Yiren in the ancestral house of the Zhang family.
Its efficacy was no less than that of the Dragon Transformation Water.
As soon as the cap of the jade bottle was opened, a peculiar fragrance permeated the entire room.
A large amount of white mist billowed out from the bottle opening, making people feel refreshed with just a whiff.
Zhang Yang quickly sat by the bedside, gently pried open Han Xiyao's mouth, and poured the Creation Water into her mouth.
As soon as the Creation Water entered her mouth.
Han Xiyao's body began to react.
Her face, which had been flushed red due to the persistent fever, quickly subsided.
The meridians all over her body kept bulging, as if something was flowing rapidly within.
Finally.
Han Xiyao's body even emitted bursts of light.
From the initial green light to the subsequent white light, and finally, the two colors of light began to fuse.
"This is!"
Han Qingxuan and Ning Xiang's eyes narrowed, as if they had thought of something.
"The green light is the power of the Dragon Vein contract! What is this white light? Why are they fusing?"
They were very confused about this.
Zhang Yang was also very puzzled. Fearing that Han Xiyao's body might have an adverse reaction, he quickly channeled his internal true qi to envelop Han Xiyao.
After a period of investigation, Zhang Yang was finally relieved, and a genuine smile that had been long absent appeared on his face.
Han Xiyao was fine.
Moreover, she had benefited from the misfortune.
The power of the Dragon Vein contract that remained in Han Xiyao's body was being refined by the Creation Water, turning it into Han Xiyao's own strength.
If nothing unexpected happened.
When Han Xiyao woke up this time, her strength would become very formidable.
"Zhang Yang, is Xiyao okay?" Ning Xiang asked anxiously when she saw Zhang Yang smile.
"Auntie, Xiyao is doing very well, but she might not wake up so soon. She is refining the Dragon Vein power," Zhang Yang explained.
Hearing this, Ning Xiang and Han Qingxuan also breathed a sigh of relief.
Ning Xiang was even more excited, "So Xiyao has also become a Vein Protector? That's wonderful!"
The lineage of Vein Protectors was already rare, and now Ning Xiang was the only one left in the entire southern part of Huaguo.
Now that Han Xiyao could also become a Vein Protector, Ning Xiang was naturally happy.
After all, Vein Protectors were not like other forces that could recruit large numbers of people.
One must have sufficient talent and a special physique to become a Vein Protector.
Upon mentioning Vein Protectors, Zhang Yang's smile instantly disappeared.
He thought of someone.
A person who was already dead.
The abbot of Lingtai Temple!
The one who was willing to sacrifice himself for them at the Dragon Pit in Jiangnan City.
At that time, Zhang Yang and He Ao had also promised him.
They would definitely lead the lineage of Vein Protectors to the pinnacle of Huaguo!
Now.
They were ready to rebuild the Five Dragons of Huaxia.
The lineage of Vein Protectors could also be incorporated into it, and together they would march towards glory.
"Auntie, I have something to attend to, so I'll leave first. Please keep an eye on Xiyao for me."
"Okay, Xiao Zhang, you go ahead and attend to your business."
...
Leaving the Han family villa.
Zhang Yang called Luo Yiren and asked where they were.
On the phone, Zhang Yang could tell that Luo Yiren's voice was not quite right.
However, he did not ask for details.
He followed the address provided by her and arrived at a newly built office building.
This was a property of the Luo family, which had just been renovated and not yet leased to tenants.
Luo Yiren generously offered it for the Five Dragons of Huaxia to establish a new stronghold.
Upon entering.
Zhang Yang found many familiar faces standing around.
And at the forefront stood Huo Zhu, He Ao, Jiang Pan, and Zhang Lihe.
As for Luo Yiren.
She was currently fiddling with the screen projection equipment, playing a video for everyone to watch.
Zhang Yang also watched with great interest for a while.
Instantly.
He felt completely unsettled!
This was!
The video showed a blurry figure, which would occasionally transform into a black dragon shadow.
It was exactly the same as the demonic dragon that appeared in the Dragon Pit in Jiangnan City!
But wasn't the demonic dragon dead back then?
Why did it appear again?
When the video finished playing, everyone also noticed Zhang Yang's arrival. He Ao directly exclaimed.
"Zhang Yang, you saw it too?"
"Yes, when was this video taken, Sister Yiren?" Zhang Yang asked.
"The day after we went to the capital, someone accidentally recorded it and posted it online." Luo Yiren replied.
"And in the following days, people kept recording similar videos, just in different locations."
This...
Zhang Yang pondered for a moment and said to Luo Yiren.
"Show me the other videos."
...
Ten minutes later, Zhang Yang had watched all the videos.
"Zhang Yang, did you find anything? Can you confirm it's the demonic dragon?" He Ao pressed.
"The Dragon Veins have all been absorbed, so it's definitely not the demonic dragon itself. However, I did notice something unusual."
Zhang Yang pondered for a moment and asked everyone.
"Everyone, do you feel anything strange? The other party seems to be..."