On the afternoon of the 25th, at the Zhang Family Villa.
"We collected fingerprints from Jiang Xue's personal belongings. They match the data in the database."
Uncle An, his hair gone gray, held a paper document—something rarely seen in this era—and calmly reported.
"However, obtaining her biological sample will be difficult. After returning to the country, she went to the Zeng Family's beast arena, and yesterday she moved directly into Jiang Xinyue's small courtyard, so..."
"It doesn't matter."
Zhang Yansheng held two photographs. On the left was a selfie Jiang Xue had taken several years ago, while on the right was a candid shot of Li Wei leaving the airport.
After comparing them back and forth for quite some time, he casually tossed the photographs onto the table.
"At first, I thought Liang Qiushi and Jiang Xinyue had staged an exchange of one person for another..." His expression suddenly cleared. "But if she really is at Great Perfection in Blood Nurturing, and her appearance and bearing have changed drastically—if she's undergone rebirth and bone transformation—then it would make sense."
Across from him on the sofa, Zhang Pengcheng, who had been idly playing with his fingers, snatched up the photographs. He glanced at the one of Jiang Xue, then flicked it away with a crooked finger.
His gaze locked firmly onto the blue-dressed beauty on the right, and an intensely interested smile curled across his lips.
Zhang Yansheng ignored him and turned to Uncle An. "Is the information certain?"
Uncle An answered firmly, "The Yun Family put the word out, so it should be true. Besides, the fact that she severed Yun Zheng's arm with a single sword strike is corroborating evidence."
Zhang Yansheng pressed him. "What if she's already a formal Martial Artist?"
"Our informant in the Jiang Family is a Third-order Martial Artist," Uncle An explained. "She may not be able to tell whether Jiang Xue has reached Great Perfection, but... she absolutely couldn't mistake whether Jiang Xue was a Martial Artist when she made her move."
"Great Perfection... Jiang Xinyue has hidden herself deeply." Zhang Yansheng nodded, his gaze returning to the photographs as though everything had suddenly connected. "Could it really be a normal political marriage? That shouldn't be. It doesn't resemble Liang Qiushi's style."
He suddenly asked, "Uncle An, which school did Jiang Xue attend in Britain?"
Uncle An flipped through the information. "Silver Brilliance Holy Mark Knight Academy, Dragon Spear Branch."
"The Dragon Spear Branch..." Zhang Yansheng stroked his chin. "Wasn't the dean someone named... Wallace?"
"Alan Wallace," Uncle An supplied.
"That's it!" A look of realization flashed through Zhang Yansheng's eyes. "No wonder... no wonder... His Dragon Marrow Furnace Breathing Technique is best suited for tempering the bones and refining the body! I remember Jiang Xinyue's mother saved Wallace's life during an international joint operation all those years ago, didn't she?"
"That is indeed what happened," Uncle An confirmed.
Zhang Yansheng slammed one fist into his palm. "It all lines up! Every bit of it! Hmph, the so-called poisoning incident involving the Jiang Family back then was probably a play they staged themselves! They did it so they could send Jiang Xue to Wallace for training under a perfectly legitimate pretext!"
"Jiang Xinyue's scheming runs deep! She had been guarding against our Zhang Family all along, afraid we would discover that Gu Jinzhi's fiancée was extraordinarily talented and strike first to snuff her out?"
"Not 'our,'" Zhang Pengcheng suddenly cut in. "Yours."
The skin on Zhang Yansheng's face twitched violently. He glared at his son, but could not be bothered to argue with him.
He rose and paced around the room a few times, muttering to himself, "It seems I was wrong in my previous line of reasoning. No matter how highly Jiang Xinyue values Liang Qiushi, she couldn't possibly gamble the future of the entire Jiang Family just to go crazy with her."
"Why did Gu Litong insist on making Gu Jinzhi marry Jiang Xue? He must have known about Jiang Xue's talent long ago, right?"
"Although Gu Jinzhi's foundation is only at the peak of Minor Perfection, he had the potential to reach Great Perfection back then... One at Great Perfection and one with the potential to reach Great Perfection. If they had children... and it would also be the long-awaited union of the Sun and Moon of the Gu and Jiang Families..." Zhang Yansheng's expression turned completely cold. "Hmph, they certainly have beautiful dreams!"
Just as he was pondering...
"Dad!" Zhang Pengcheng held up Li Wei's photograph, licked his lips, and stared at it with predatory intent. "Don't kill her. Keep her around for me to play with, will you?"
Zhang Yansheng stopped in his tracks. Unexpectedly, he did not erupt in anger right away. Instead, he looked his son up and down for a moment before speaking coldly. "You've reminded me... Jiang Xue indeed can't be killed."
"Huh?" Zhang Pengcheng failed to react for a moment.
"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Zhang Yansheng snapped, exasperated by his son's stupidity. "And put away those filthy thoughts of yours! This woman is different from the one you played to death before!"
"Why?" Zhang Pengcheng protested. "Didn't Hu Yuqiong's family have a Grandmaster too?"
"The Hu Family is our Zhang Family's watchdog! Her family is in Western Xinjiang, she herself has no particular talent, and she's a collateral relative! How could that be the same? You idiot!" Zhang Yansheng roared. "The Jiang Family has established itself in the capital, with roots intertwined in every direction! Would Jiang Xinyue give our Zhang Family face?"
Zhang Pengcheng stiffened his neck. "I've taken a fancy to her, so I'm going to get my hands on her!"
"Try it if you want to die!" Zhang Yansheng's eyes turned icy.
Zhang Pengcheng still wanted to argue, but Uncle An hurriedly persuaded him in a gentle voice:
"Young Master, the Hu Family's old master was once the former family head's guard. The Hu Family is considered an appendage of our Zhang Family."
"Let alone a collateral young lady—even if she were a legitimate daughter, you could do whatever you wished after touching her."
"But the Jiang Family is different. Grandmaster Jiang's temper... If you truly harmed Jiang Xue, she might beat you to death on the spot."
Zhang Pengcheng shrank his neck, his momentum weakened, but he refused to admit defeat. "I heard Jiang Xinyue is extremely cold-blooded and doesn't care whether her family lives or dies! Look at that boy from the Yun Family. He tortures Third Master Jiang all the time—has she ever intervened?"
"Bullshit!" Zhang Yansheng finally lost his temper. A Grandmaster's aura burst forth, pressing down on Zhang Pengcheng until his breathing hitched.
"She doesn't care about Third Master Jiang because he's nothing but medicinal waste piled up with resources! Jiang Xue is at Great Perfection! Great Perfection! You're at Great Perfection too. Think about it—if someone dared injure you, what would your grandfather do? Huh?! Were you dropped on your head as a child?!"
"You know Jiang Xinyue is cold-blooded! Do you think she'll care whether the rest of the Jiang Family lives or dies? A Grandmaster with no attachments watching you and trying to kill you! Do you think you'd survive? Our Zhang Family would be dragged into the mess as well!" Zhang Yansheng jabbed a finger at his son's nose. "Can your grandfather stay by your side and protect you every hour of every day?!"
After being bellowed at by his father, Zhang Pengcheng finally understood. He had only been putting on a tough front just now; at this moment, he wilted completely and did not dare say another word.
Zhang Yansheng reined in his aura, took a deep breath, and looked at his son again. His eyes had grown deep and solemn. "The plan has changed. Jiang Xue cannot be killed."
Zhang Pengcheng asked quietly, "Then should I return to Western Xinjiang?"
"Return? What for?" A cold smile tugged at Zhang Yansheng's lips. "You're still going to the wedding. Call all those good-for-nothing friends of yours and fill a table. When the time comes, I'll back you up. Take your people and cause a scene! The bigger the commotion, the better! Ideally, smash up the Gu Family's venue for me! Grind that Gu boy's dignity into the dirt!"
Zhang Pengcheng's eyes lit up. "Smash up the venue? I like that!"
He instantly perked up, but then grew puzzled. "What's the point of ruining the wedding? They've already registered their marriage. Won't they still be husband and wife?"
Zhang Yansheng smiled meaningfully. "Don't worry about that. I'll tell you what to do, and you do it. Don't use your brain too much... Heh, I wonder what Jiang Xue will be like after something like this happens, given her personality. Tsk, tsk."
"Heh heh." Zhang Pengcheng rubbed his fists together, growing excited. "Don't worry, Dad! I guarantee I'll make Gu Jinzhi lose all face at the wedding!"
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