A Test

Just as Xiang Yang was carefully considering the road ahead, an unexpected visitor came to the residence and sought him out—it was Liang Dongzhu.

It was unexpected because Liang Dongzhu was simply too busy. When others said they handled ten thousand affairs a day, it was merely a figure of speech; for him, it was reality. Within Jinyang City, the forces under Yaoguang Tower, great and small, all had to be sorted and organized by him before decisions could be made.

To be honest, such a life was rather dull and tasteless. Yet for some people, holding great power in their hands was the greatest pleasure of all.

Xiang Yang had not known any of this before. But during this past month or so, aside from practicing martial arts, he had also actively used Little Su and the others to learn more information. The weight of information was heavier than Mount Tai; the former Xiang Ding Tian had known far too little.

White clouds, a clear breeze, a pavilion beside a fishpond—Liang Dongzhu invited Xiang Yang to meet in such surroundings, beginning their first formal meeting. At Fireworks Pavilion before, Xiang Yang had merely been a supporting character.

Separated by a stone table, Xiang Yang sat steady and composed, both hands resting on its surface. Unlike others, he was neither restrained nor stiff. Instead, he carefully studied this man whose martial arts were unfathomable and whose methods and capabilities were equally extraordinary.

His appearance truly seemed ordinary, the sort one would forget the instant he was thrown into a crowd. Yet his temperament more than made up for that lack, even lending him a different sort of charm.

Xiang Yang could not even tell Liang Dongzhu's age. He could have been in his twenties, thirty, or even forty without seeming