Chapter Fifty: Conspiracy!

The middle-aged woman before him, though dressed plainly, could not conceal the innate elegance that set her apart from the ordinary. She was none other than Ziling’s mother, Madame Zhao.

Since childhood, Yang Yan and Ziling had played and laughed together, their days spent inseparable. Their “special status” in the Zhang household had made them outsiders, and Madame Zhao, moved by pity, had treated Yang Yan as her own over the years. In his heart, he regarded her no differently than his birth mother.

But now, seeing Madame Zhao’s face clouded with worry as she glanced anxiously into the house, Yang Yan’s heart tightened with apprehension, and he hurriedly asked,

“What happened?”

“Yan, I thought Ziling was with you. She still hasn’t returned!” Madame Zhao, due to her unique position, rarely appeared in public with Zhang Tai. Thus, she had not attended the gathering of the clans today. Yang Yan had returned alone ahead of the others, and she had not seen him, assuming Ziling and Yang Yan were out enjoying themselves. At first, she paid it no mind, but as dusk fell and neither child appeared, worry drove her to seek Yang Yan at his quarters.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan felt a chill descend upon his heart, a sudden sense of foreboding.

“Is Father in the residence?”

“No, just now your father and some elders from the clan were invited to the Xu family, supposedly to discuss the handover of the city’s marketplaces...” Madame Zhao replied anxiously.

“The Xu family! If anything happens to Ziling, I’ll make your entire clan pay with their lives!” Yang Yan’s heart surged with murderous intent as he dashed out of the gate.

The clan gathering had only just concluded, and the Xu family, so eager to talk business with his father, could not be trusted. Yang Yan would never believe their motives were innocent.

Just as he had sprinted less than a hundred meters beyond the mansion’s gate, a cold flash streaked toward him from the left rear. Alarmed, he dodged aside, evading the hidden weapon. Spinning around, he found no trace of the attacker.

He was about to continue toward the Xu residence, when his gaze froze upon a dagger embedded in the earth. Tied to its handle was a slip of paper.

Yang Yan hurried forward, snatched it up, and unfolded it without delay.

“If you wish the girl to live, come alone to White Ridge north of the city. Remember—no tricks, or else…”

“White Ridge… That’s the Liu family’s territory, isn’t it?” Suspicion filled Yang Yan’s mind, but there was no time to ponder. He turned and raced down a road opposite the one he’d come by.

White Ridge was an outlying mountain of the Broken Cloud Range, managed by the Liu family, much like the Zhangs’ back hills—a place rarely visited.

“Ziling should still be safe. If they wanted her dead, they’d have acted already. Clearly, the real target is me!” As Yang Yan sped along, his mind cooled, though he could not fathom why the attacker demanded he come alone. At this year’s clan gathering, the Liu family had just begun to reveal their strength; prudence would dictate they keep a low profile and avoid provoking the Zhangs.

“It’s the Xu family after all! What a cunning move—two birds with one stone!” At last, Yang Yan understood, his earlier confusion swept away.

The Xu family had seized on the Zhangs’ triumph at the clan gathering, luring Zhang Tai and the powerful elders to their estate under the guise of marketplace negotiations. Naturally, Zhang Tai and his peers would not suspect foul play; should hostilities erupt, either side could prevail.

But this was a cunning feint—a false trail to mask the real scheme.

Their true target was Yang Yan.

By holding Ziling hostage, they could lure him to the Liu family’s territory in the north. If they killed Yang Yan there, blame could be shifted onto the Liu family. Moreover, the Xu family, based in the south, ensured that even if Yang Yan managed to alert Zhang Tai, the distance would delay any rescue. With Xu Tianlong and other experts holding the elders in check, Zhang Tai, though stronger, would struggle to break free in time.

It was a venomous plan.

“But now, all the Xu family’s experts at the Communion realm are likely in the south, keeping Father and the elders occupied. None can spare the effort to come after me. Among the younger Xu generation, only Xu Shaoguang can rival me in the Sensation realm, and even with a few second-layer practitioners, I am not without hope!”

With this thought, Yang Yan’s resolve hardened. Even if his deductions proved false, and he faced untold dangers ahead, for Ziling, he would not retreat.

He sprinted for about half an hour, finally arriving at the foot of White Ridge. There, he slowed his pace, regulating his breath and spirit, while extending his soul force to survey the surroundings.

Though his mastery over soul force was yet imperfect, the advantages it offered were many. His perception, especially, had grown far keener than before.

“Come out!”

Yang Yan halted, directing a cold command toward a clump of dry grass ahead.

“Impressive—first place at the clan gathering, and such sharp senses!” From behind the straw emerged a figure—short, round, garbed in black, his face hidden by a cloth, his voice deliberately hoarse and sinister.

“Xu Shaoguang, it seems your skills are lacking, and you’re nothing but a coward who hides in shadows!” With his unmistakable spherical physique and Yang Yan’s prior deductions, the stranger’s identity was instantly revealed.

“Yang Yan, you’d better understand your situation. That little girl—her charms tempt me greatly…” Xu Shaoguang, unfazed by his exposure, pulled off the black cloth, revealing a face twisted by a lewd, repulsive smile.

“Where is Ziling? If you so much as harm her, I’ll make sure you can neither live nor die!” Yang Yan’s voice was deep and cold, his gaze so icy it seemed to slice through the winter wind.

“Let’s see if you can keep that tone in a while! Follow me!” Tossing out these words, Xu Shaoguang ignored Yang Yan, his bulky frame darting into the ridge.

“Ziling, do not fear. Even if it costs my life, I will save you!” Yang Yan did not hesitate—his toes pressed to the earth, and he followed without pause.