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“Yes, that is indeed the case.”

Gao Hui nodded and said, “The Yang Family had a talented child who reached the Second Level of Gathering Qi in just one year. The Yang Master has also progressed in his cultivation and broken through to the sixth level of Gathering Qi. There is also a loyal old servant in the family who is at the sixth level of Gathering Qi.”

“Oh?”

He Shenglai’s eyes flickered. “That indeed shows some strength. The Master is quite capable to recruit a sixth-level Gathering Qi cultivator as an aide. But…”

He suddenly changed his tone, his gaze becoming sharp.

“Hmph, raising a second-level Gathering Qi cultivator in just one year and having another reach the sixth level, how could the small Yang Family have such capability?”

Gao Hui pondered for a moment and asked, “Lord He means to say…”

“I suspect the Yang Family must have secrets. Since we are here today, let’s take a good look at them!”

Just as Gao Hui was about to respond, Yang Guanfeng had already stepped out to greet them.

“Apologies for not welcoming the esteemed dynasty cultivators from afar.”

Yang Guanfeng clasped his hands in greeting.

He Shenglai glanced at him and said lightly, “I’m just doing my duty; it doesn’t matter whether I’m welcomed or not. Lead the way.”

“Of course.”

As he turned, Yang Guanfeng and Gao Hui exchanged a subtle glance, from which Yang Guanfeng sensed some helplessness and understood the nature of this dynasty cultivator.

From what was said earlier, it was clear he looked down on the Yang Family. His commanding tone was quite uncomfortable to hear.

He led the two individuals to the Yang Family’s back yard, where Old Yu and Yang Lingrui were already waiting.

The monster corpses had also been moved here after undergoing Old Yu’s processing.

The main task was to erase the signs of spiritual impact since that type of injury was too distinctive and could easily raise suspicion.

Fortunately, He Shenglai’s own cultivation level was not high, and after inspecting the corpses, he didn’t notice anything unusual.

There were a total of twenty-eight monster corpses: eighteen were from early-stage Gathering Qi monsters, and ten were from mid-stage Gathering Qi monsters. He Shenglai reported the purchase price—130 spiritual crystals in total.

“Hahaha, you Yang Family are quite lucky. Baishi Town was destroyed, yet you didn’t encounter any late-stage Gathering Qi monsters; otherwise, you would have been completely wiped out,” He Shenglai said to himself.

Gao Hui, standing behind him, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

They were still in someone’s home, and He Shenglai’s words were simply rude.

Yang Guanfeng, however, maintained a smile and said, “Lord He is right; it’s truly fortunate that our Yang Family can survive this monster tide crisis.”

One hundred thirty spiritual crystals were undoubtedly a windfall for the Yang Family, arriving at just the right time.

With this money, they could secure the defensive formation in the Forbidden Area and replenish the storage bags of the Yang Family cultivators.

As for He Shenglai, Yang Guanfeng and Old Yu had encountered many types of people while traveling, and they were not going to let a few rude remarks make them angry. Let him say whatever he wanted.

They thought the transaction was complete, but He Shenglai seemed uninterested in leaving.

He looked up at the cliff on the north side of the Yang Family and narrowed his eyes.

“What a fine precipice; there must be hidden secrets atop it,” He Shenglai remarked.

Yang Guanfeng stepped forward and said, “In response to Lord He, the upper area is the Yang Family’s Forbidden Area.”

“Oh, the Forbidden Area…”

He Shenglai nodded and then casually said, “Take me to have a look.”

“This!”

Upon hearing this, both Yang Guanfeng and Old Yu changed their expressions, while the younger Yang Lingrui showed clear panic.

Gao Hui furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, “Lord He, the Yang Family moved away from the town last year and is no longer under the dynasty’s jurisdiction. This matter may be inappropriate.”

As the mayor of Baishi Town, he knew that the rebuilding work was at a critical stage, and he did not want to provoke the Yang Family.

By stepping up to speak at this moment, he made it clear to Yang Guanfeng where he stood.

He Shenglai noted the expressions of the three Yang Family members, especially Yang Lingrui’s panic, which made him secretly chuckle; the young practitioner truly lacked guile and couldn’t hide anything.

“Ha, Gao Hui, do I really need you to remind me about such matters?”

He Shenglai said to Gao Hui, with a hint of warning in his tone.

Then he turned back to Yang Guanfeng, “I, He Shenglai, want to go up and take a look. Will you take me, or will I go myself?”

He did not emphasize his identity as a dynasty cultivator; instead, he stressfully pronounced his name.

This meant that regardless of whether the Forbidden Area had any relation to the dynasty, it was “I” who wanted to see.

This statement put the Yang Family in a difficult position; just a late-stage Gathering Qi practitioner was enough to suppress everyone present, let alone the family background behind He Shenglai.

Yang Guanfeng’s expression darkened; he gritted his teeth, his cheeks slightly bulging, and finally took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

Old Yu’s face turned ashen, and Yang Lingrui trembled slightly, as if calamity was approaching the Yang Family.

Given the circumstances, Yang Guanfeng had no choice but to reluctantly agree and led the group up the cliff.

Gao Hui, bringing up the rear, felt immense curiosity.

He had previously speculated about the Yang Family’s secrets but remained only in the realm of suspicion and guessing.

Now, under He Shenglai’s influence, he was determined to uncover his doubts.

“Cloud Mountain Mist Formation, hmm, it’s quite a decent formation; the person who arranged it has some skills.”

He Shenglai commented in front of the Yang Family’s Forbidden Area.

Yang Guanfeng opened the formation, and everyone entered the Forbidden Area’s main courtyard.

The courtyard layout and several rooms didn’t appear special, and He Shenglai walked straight toward the depths of the Forbidden Area, quickly arriving at a small courtyard in the back.

This was the small courtyard where the four-leafed spirit-receiving grass was located, protected by two small formations.

He Shenglai wore a look of “as expected” and pointed with his chin, saying, “Yang Master, open it.”

“Lord He truly wants this?”

Yang Guanfeng said mournfully, “The items here are incredibly valuable. If outsiders learn of this, our Yang Family’s safety is at stake!”

“Lord He, we don’t want the spiritual crystals anymore. We’ll return everything; please let us off!”

Old Yu stepped forward to plead, while Yang Lingrui stood behind them, wiping his tears.

Their display further piqued He Shenglai’s curiosity; he needed to enter and see for himself.

“Everyone be quiet!”

He unleashed his seventh-level Gathering Qi aura, displaying impatience. “What kind of identity do I have to spread the affairs of a mere Yang Family? Also, those spiritual crystals are a matter of the dynasty! Don’t bring up returning them again, or don’t blame me for turning hostile! Hurry and open the formation, or I’ll take matters into my own hands!”

Gao Hui stood silently to the side; He Shenglai’s words indirectly promised to keep the Yang Family’s affairs secret.

The difference in cultivation levels was evident; Yang Guanfeng could only sigh and open the gap in the formation.

The five stepped inside together, and the delicate green spiritual plants came into view.

“It’s a spiritual plant!”

Gao Hui’s eyes lit up upon seeing it, suddenly realizing the answer to his earlier questions.

“Pfft… Hahahahaha!”

He Shenglai laughed out loud, “Is this it? You made it sound so serious, and I thought it was an astonishing treasure. Turns out it’s just a four-leafed spirit-receiving grass at the Gathering Qi level. Hahaha…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep