Schemes on Every Side

"Xiao Yang, no matter what, she's Jiang Ailian's daughter. She lied to us, but perhaps she had no choice."

Liu Mei had a kind heart and never held grudges. Even after the abuse Zhao Yuzhu had hurled at her more than twenty years ago, she remained calm.

"Zhang Yang, enough about that. What happened?"

"She told me everything. I know the truth now."

Zhang Yang told Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue about Jiang Xinxin.

"Ah... How cold the world has become. People aren't what they used to be."

Liu Mei sighed.

"People who deserve pity often have something hateful about them."

Cheng Dongxue did not think Jiang Xinxin deserved much pity either. She shook her head and sighed.

Dawn broke, but Kyoto remained unusually tense, especially for those with guilty consciences.

At the train station, one group boarded while another got off.

At the airport, one group boarded planes while another disembarked. Every one of them had either been summoned or sent out by the Wu Family or the Kyoto Martial Arts Association.

They all had one purpose: to deal with Zhang Mansion and Zhang Yang.

Across Kyoto, the various factions waited for their forces to fall into place.

After a night of turmoil, Ye Zhan had returned to the Zhang Family Estate and gone straight to rest. Zhang Yang was not overly concerned about the forces gathering against him. He, too, had been able to sleep while he waited.

By the time Zhang Yang woke, much had changed in Kyoto.

"Brother, they've started their attack?"

Even after receiving the news, Zhang Daoru showed no unexpected panic. He remained composed.

"What attack?"

Still bleary-eyed, Zhang Yang had no idea what had happened while he slept. He had not woken naturally, either. Hunger had roused him; it was lunchtime.

"Come,