"Young Master, this is far too popular..." Gu Mingyue could hardly believe her eyes. The Yang Chen of the past would never have received such exceptional treatment.
Lost in thought, Gu Mingyue suddenly froze. Seeing that Yang Chen had finished practicing martial arts, she hurried over in quick little steps and handed him the water she had prepared in advance. Then she took out a handkerchief and began wiping away his sweat. This unintentional gesture made the young women from the other clans grit their teeth, each one asking just what kind of celestial being Gu Mingyue was.
Yang Chen glanced around as well. He always felt that today's Training Field was, more likely than not, a place fraught with trouble for him. Thus, he promptly stopped practicing the Hunyuan Spear Technique and prepared to leave with Gu Mingyue.
Just as he was about to leave, a commotion suddenly arose from the crowd.
"Make way!"
"Everyone, move aside!"
Curiously turning his head, Yang Chen saw a middle-aged man anxiously squeezing through the crowd. The moment he emerged, his eyes locked onto Yang Chen. Upon seeing him, the man looked as though he had seized his final lifeline.
"Yang Chen, you really are at the Training Field. This is wonderful," the middle-aged man said in delight.
Yang Chen's brows drew together as he looked at the man and said coldly, "Uncle Yang Yuan."
This middle-aged man was named Yang Yuan, a generation older than him.
That was not the most important part. The most important part was that Yang Yuan was Yang Heng and Yang Wu's father.
Besides Yang Yuan, Yang Jinhe had come as well. With Yang Chen's intelligence, a moment's thought was enough for him to guess that something important must have happened.
Although Yang Chen no longer intended to quibble with Yang Heng and Yang Wu, the old grudges and new enmities were all still there. He did not believe his relationship with Yang Yuan's family could possibly be all that good. Thus, since Yang Yuan had hurriedly come looking for him, there was naturally no need for him to be polite.
Yang Yuan had evidently noticed the change in Yang Chen's expression. Seeing how resistant Yang Chen was toward him, his smile turned bitter, and he unexpectedly lowered his stance. "Yang Chen, it is truly wonderful that I found you. To be honest, hearing you call me Uncle leaves me deeply ashamed."
As the saying went, one did not strike a smiling face. Though Yang Yuan was Yang Heng's father, unexpectedly, he was far better than Yang Heng and Yang Wu.
At the very least, despite being an elder, he did not lean on his age to lord it over others. Instead, he had lowered his stance so much that Yang Chen found himself unable to stay angry.
Yang Chen had always been someone who returned a foot of respect with a yard. Seeing Yang Yuan's attitude, his expression softened considerably. "Uncle Yang Yuan, why were you in such a hurry to find me?"
"This... it is shameful to say." Yang Yuan sighed. "This matter is also related to my disappointing son. I believe you know something about Miss Yu and Yang Wu."
Yang Chen was rather curious. He turned to look at Yang Jinhe. "Patriarch, Yang Wu and Miss Yu..."
Yang Jinhe exchanged a glance with Yang Yuan, then waved his hand. "Today was the day Yang Wu and Miss Yu were to formalize their marriage. Yang Yuan accompanied his son Yang Wu to the Yu family to receive the bride, but who would have thought that Miss Yu would suddenly change her mind? Before the Yang family's wedding procession, she suddenly demanded to break off the engagement!"
"Break off the engagement?" Yang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, though he was not particularly surprised.
The first time he had met the eldest daughter of the Yu family, he had known that she was not a woman who would stay quietly in her place. Trying to control her would be very, very difficult. At the very least, someone like Yang Wu could never manage it.
The facts were indeed as he had expected. Yang Wu had only just lost his standing at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and Miss Yu was already planning to break off the engagement.
This was different from Yang Heng and Sun Qiaomei.
Sun Qiaomei and Yang Heng had never formalized a marriage, but Yang Wu and Miss Yu had a settled engagement. It should not have been possible for it to change.
At that thought, Yang Chen slowly said, "If Miss Yu changed her mind, then no matter what, she should give our Yang family an explanation."
Yang Jinhe shook his head. "In theory, that is true. In fact, Miss Yu changing her mind is understandable. After all, Yang Wu has now lost an arm. It is only normal for a woman to regret it. But the key is that Yang Wu is too stubborn. Seeing Miss Yu break off the engagement and feeling that he had lost face, how could he possibly let the matter rest?"
"And then?" Yang Chen asked instinctively.
Yang Wu's father, Yang Yuan, wore a bitter smile. "Miss Yu had long wanted to break off the engagement. She actually connected herself to the Wang family in advance, and her confidence grew considerably. She colluded with the Wang family's genius, Wang Yunkai, and humiliated Yang Wu right before the Yang family's wedding procession. Unable to bear it, Yang Wu fought Wang Yunkai. But as you know, Yang Wu has already lost an arm. How could he possibly be Wang Yunkai's match? Moreover, Wang Yunkai's martial cultivation had always surpassed Yang Wu's."
Yang Chen laughed.
Miss Yu truly was no proper, settled woman. Her speed was far too fast. Only a few days had passed since the Coming-of-Age Ceremony ended, and she had already latched onto Wang Yunkai? It seemed that, as a woman from a small tribe, since she could hook Yang Wu, she could hook other men as well.
It had to be said that Miss Yu truly had some skill at seducing men.
With the Wang family's genius as her shield, although the Yu family was merely a small tribe, Miss Yu had gained much more confidence. Humiliating Yang Wu was not something she would be unable to do.
Thinking this, Yang Chen could understand why Yang Yuan and the Yang Family Patriarch had sought him out today. He got straight to the point. "Patriarch, Uncle Yang Yuan, just tell me your purpose."
Yang Yuan and the Yang Family Patriarch looked at each other. Then Yang Yuan, his expression unsightly, said, "Actually, this matter could simply be left unresolved. But Wang Yunkai and Miss Yu humiliated Yang Wu. Yang Wu has just lost an arm, and that alone would be one thing. At least his talent is still there. But if he cannot swallow this anger today and cannot withstand such a blow, then for the rest of his life, he truly will be crippled."
Originally, Yang Chen had not intended to concern himself with Yang Wu's affairs. After all, he and Yang Wu were not close enough for that. However, Yang Yuan's desperate love for his son truly softened his heart somewhat.
"Uncle Yang Yuan wants me to take action?" Yang Chen asked.
Yang Yuan sighed. "In truth, the one who started all this was Miss Yu. But Miss Yu has climbed Wang Yunkai's high branch. To crush her arrogance, we must start with Wang Yunkai. Yet Wang Yunkai is the Wang family's genius, and the Wang family is a major tribe. Besides, members of the Yang family cannot stoop to having elders bully Wang Yunkai. Only someone of the same generation can settle this matter, so that it may be resolved satisfactorily while also stopping others' mouths."
"If Wang Yunkai is defeated, Miss Yu naturally will not be able to remain so arrogant. I believe Yang Wu's inner demon will also be greatly eased," Yang Jinhe added.
Yang Chen nodded thoughtfully, but he clearly had no intention of agreeing just yet.
In truth, Yang Yuan's meaning was already clear enough. He wanted Yang Chen to take action against Wang Yunkai.
However, whether Yang Chen would agree was another matter altogether.
Yang Yuan and Yang Jinhe were both clever men. How could they fail to realize that Yang Chen had not agreed at all?
This made Yang Yuan anxious as though his heart were on fire. He cast a pleading gaze at the Yang Family Patriarch.
Yang Jinhe knew that Yang Chen still harbored resentment, so he could only say, "Yang Chen, Yang Wu failed in his marriage proposal today and was humiliated by Miss Yu and Wang Yunkai. What was lost was not merely the face of Yang Yuan's branch, but the face of the entire Yang family. If this matter is not resolved, the Yang family will forever become a laughingstock. If you can, help your Uncle Yang Yuan. Wang Yunkai's martial cultivation has reached the Body Refining Realm Fifth Level. In our Yang family, only you can contend against him."
Seeing even Yang Jinhe step forward to plead, Yang Chen finally relented. "The Patriarch is right. I have been too concerned with past grudges. However, asking me to completely overlook everything Yang Heng and Yang Wu did to me is impossible. Of course, I will still take action, but I require one hundred Spirit Stones as compensation. Wanting me to act for free is impossible."
One hundred Spirit Stones?
Yang Yuan's face lit up with delight. To him, one hundred Spirit Stones were nothing at all. Yang Chen was clearly giving himself a way down.
How could he not understand Yang Chen's meaning? He hurriedly took out a Storage Bag containing a full hundred Spirit Stones and handed it to Yang Chen.
"Give it to Mingyue." Yang Chen acted with lightning decisiveness. "Next, let us set out."
Before you continue