Wang Tiannan's Strength

Lin'an City, Yang Residence.

Yang Zhenshan sat in the study, Zhou Qi's letter in hand, his brow slightly furrowed.

Yang Yuanshan stood to one side and could not help asking, "Second Brother, what did that kid say this time?"

Yang Zhenshan said nothing and handed him the letter.

Yang Yuanshan took it, glanced over it, and his expression changed slightly.

"First beat of the drum, spirits soar; the second, they fade; the third, they are spent..." he murmured. "Second Brother, what does that kid mean?"

Yang Zhenshan rose to his feet, walked to the window, and looked out at the night.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"He means it is time for me to make a move against Wang Tiannan."

Yang Yuanshan froze. "Second Brother, you are going personally?"

Yang Zhenshan nodded.

"The intimidation from that sword strike a few days ago is still there," he said. "Strike while the iron is hot. Going to the Wang Family now is the best opportunity."

Yang Yuanshan hesitated. "But Wang Tiannan..."

Yang Zhenshan raised a hand and cut him off.

"Don't worry. I know my limits."

He turned and looked at Yang Yuanshan.

"Make preparations. We will go to the Wang Family first thing tomorrow morning."

The following morning.

Outside the gates of the Wang Residence.

Yang Zhenshan stood with his hands behind his back, with only Yang Yuanshan following behind him.

The Wang Residence guards faced them as if confronting a great enemy. Their blades were drawn as they stared at them without blinking.

Yang Zhenshan did not even spare them a glance. He merely said flatly, "Go announce that Yang Zhenshan has come to call."

The guards looked at one another, and one of them hurried inside to report.

Before long, the gates of the Wang Residence opened.

Wang Tiannan strode out, followed by a group of guards.

He wore a smile, but it looked false no matter how one looked at it.

"Brother Yang, your arrival honors us. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar," Wang Tiannan said with a cupped-fist salute, his enthusiasm almost excessive.

Yang Zhenshan returned the salute. "Brother Wang, you are too courteous."

Wang Tiannan stepped aside and gestured him in. "Brother Yang, please come in. Let us have some tea and talk at leisure."

Yang Zhenshan nodded and followed him inside.

Yang Yuanshan followed behind him, his gaze warily sweeping over the surrounding guards.

The Wang Residence was enormous. After passing through several gates, they arrived at a secluded courtyard.

At the center of the courtyard stood a stone table and several stone chairs, with a complete tea set laid out on the table.

Wang Tiannan invited Yang Zhenshan to sit, personally poured the tea, and offered it with both hands.

Yang Zhenshan accepted the tea, took a sip, and set it down.

Wang Tiannan also sat opposite him, watching him with narrowed, smiling eyes.

"Brother Yang, what brings you here today?"

Yang Zhenshan looked at him and got straight to the point.

"It is time to hand over your Wang Family's twenty-percent share of the Blackstone Mine."

Wang Tiannan's smile did not change. He lifted his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"Brother Yang, there is no need to rush this matter, is there?" He set down his cup, his tone mild and amiable. "The affairs at the mine are all managed by the people below. I do not know much about them either. Let me ask around first, and once I have made things clear, I will give you an answer."

Yang Zhenshan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Brother Wang, you and I both know the rules of the Great Clan Tournament. The City Lord's Manor guaranteed it, and all of Lin'an City bore witness. A loss is a loss. Refusing to pay your debt would be inappropriate, would it not?"

Wang Tiannan sighed and put on a troubled expression.

"Brother Yang, it is not that I wish to renege on the debt. It is just that... that twenty-percent share is difficult for my Wang Family as well."

He looked at Yang Zhenshan, his face full of sincerity.

"Our two families have fought for so many years. You should know what kind of man I, Wang Tiannan, am. If I could hand it over, I would have done so long ago. But this matter truly is not so simple."

Yang Zhenshan looked at him without speaking.

Wang Tiannan continued, "The mine involves too many matters. The accounts need to be checked, the miners need to be settled, the tools need to be inventoried. All of this takes time. Brother Yang, you must at least give me some time, must you not?"

Yang Zhenshan fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Brother Wang, before a True Person, there is no need for false words. Your Wang Family has delayed at the mine for so long, and even brought in an outside expert at peak seventh-layer Qi Refining. Is that what you call needing time?"

Wang Tiannan's smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Brother Yang, your information is quite well-informed." He smiled. "That Wang Tong is a distant relative of my Wang Family. He heard that someone was causing trouble at the mine and came voluntarily to help. I did not invite him."

Yang Zhenshan stared at him for several seconds.

He set down his teacup and slowly rose, his aura suddenly bursting forth.

The pressure of late ninth-layer Qi Refining crashed down like a towering mountain.

Yang Zhenshan had indeed reached late ninth-layer Qi Refining.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze solid.

The teacups on the stone table trembled faintly, sending ripples across the tea.

The guards behind Wang Tiannan changed expression drastically and instinctively took a step back.

Wang Tiannan remained seated, utterly still.

He looked at Yang Zhenshan as the smile on his face gradually vanished.

Then he, too, rose to his feet.

The aura of early ninth-layer Qi Refining erupted. Though a notch weaker than Yang Zhenshan's, it forcibly withstood that crushing pressure.

"Brother Yang." Wang Tiannan spoke softly, but there was a chill in his voice. "What do you mean by this?"

Yang Zhenshan said nothing. He merely looked at him.

Wang Tiannan suddenly laughed, mockery in his expression.

"Brother Yang, do you take me, Wang Tiannan, for that useless elder brother of yours?"

The instant he finished speaking, the courtyard gate behind him was suddenly pushed open.

Dozens of guards poured in. None of their auras were weak, and they surrounded the entire courtyard so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

Yang Yuanshan's expression changed. He instinctively stepped in front of Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan did not move in the slightest, merely looking at Wang Tiannan.

Wang Tiannan stood with his hands behind his back, the smile on his face growing broader and broader.

"Brother Yang, that sword strike of yours was indeed formidable," he said. "Yang Yueshan was at peak eighth-layer Qi Refining, yet you killed him with one sword. Even I would have had difficulty blocking it."

He paused, and his tone took on a deeper meaning.

"But Brother Yang, difficult to block does not mean impossible to block!"

He stepped forward, and his aura surged once more.

Mid ninth-layer Qi Refining.

It was several degrees stronger than before.

Yang Zhenshan's pupils contracted slightly.

Wang Tiannan looked at him, his smile becoming ever more radiant.

"Brother Yang, we have known each other for many years. Surely you did not think my Wang Family had only this much foundation?"

He raised a hand, Spiritual Power gathering in his palm.

A terrifying aura spread from his hand.

It was so powerful that even the surrounding air twisted faintly.

Yang Zhenshan's expression finally changed.

Profound Tier, Mid-Grade!

"Brother Yang, this Profound Tier, Mid-Grade technique, the Mountain-Suppressing Seal—how much worse do you think it is than your Yang Family's Mountains and Rivers Sword Seal?" Wang Tiannan withdrew his hand and stood with his hands behind his back. "What is more, this is my Wang Family. Are you sure you wish to make a move?"

Yang Zhenshan fell silent.

He stared at Wang Tiannan, his gaze profound.

After a long while, he slowly withdrew his aura.

"Brother Wang has great strength," he said calmly, with no hint of joy or anger in his tone.

Wang Tiannan laughed heartily and waved a hand. The guards all withdrew.

"Brother Yang flatters me," he said. "Our two families have fought for so many years. Each has its own trump cards. That is perfectly normal."

He returned to the stone table, lifted his teacup, and slowly took a sip.

"Brother Yang, shall we discuss that twenty-percent share again?" He looked at Yang Zhenshan with narrowed, smiling eyes. "There is no need to rush. Take it slowly. There will always be a solution."

Yang Zhenshan looked at him in silence for several seconds.

Then he cupped his fists.

"Farewell."

He turned and left.

Yang Yuanshan hurriedly followed.

The two strode away, passing through courtyard after courtyard before leaving the gates of the Wang Residence.

Behind them, Wang Tiannan stood in the courtyard with a teacup in hand, watching them depart as the smile on his face grew ever broader.

After they had gone far from the Wang Residence, Yang Yuanshan finally could not hold it in any longer.

"Second Brother, that Wang Tiannan..."

Yang Zhenshan raised a hand and interrupted him.

"I know."

He did not slow his pace. His gaze remained fixed ahead, and not a trace of expression showed on his face.

Yang Yuanshan walked beside him, seeming to want to speak yet holding back.

After a long while, Yang Zhenshan suddenly spoke.

"Zhou Qi was right."

"First beat of the drum, spirits soar; the second, they fade; the third, they are spent."

Yang Yuanshan froze.

Yang Zhenshan continued, "That sword strike of mine intimidated Zhao Dezhu and intimidated Li Yuanba, but it did not intimidate Wang Tiannan."

He paused, and his tone grew somewhat complicated.

"Wang Tiannan hid himself too deeply. Mid ninth-layer Qi Refining, a Profound Tier, Mid-Grade technique... He concealed these trump cards for so long and only revealed them today."

Yang Yuanshan could not help asking, "Then the matter of the mine..."

Yang Zhenshan was silent for a moment.

"No rush."

"It is time for the City Lord's Manor to step in."