While Yang Chang'an was talking to Fifth Uncle, the atmosphere in the Yang Family had grown unbearably oppressive.
Yang Wushuang sat upright in his chair, his expression calm, but his grip on his teacup tightened slightly. He raised his eyes to Yue Guan, who sat opposite him, and spoke in a voice that betrayed neither joy nor anger:
"You mean... His Holiness the Pope specifically asked for Chang'an to enter the Purple Glory Training Camp?"
Yue Guan nodded lightly. His usual coquettish expression had long since vanished, replaced by a rare seriousness. He sighed, a hint of emotion coloring his tone:
"That's right. Innate rank-nine soul power-few in all of Spirit Hall can match that talent. Even the disciple His Holiness personally accepted isn't much more gifted than little Chang'an."
"And your Breaking Clan's Soul Breaking Spear is renowned for its supreme offensive power. There's nothing strange about His Holiness noticing him and wanting to bring him under her wing."
At this point, Yue Guan's gaze grew particularly solemn, and he lowered his voice. "You can think it over. Little Chang'an would benefit greatly from joining, and those benefits would extend well into his future."
After hearing this, Yang Wushuang couldn't help letting a bitter smile tug at his lips, a smile tinged with helplessness and resignation.
"Think it over? Brother Yue, do you really think I, Yang Wushuang, have any room left to choose?"
Who was Bibi Dong? She was Spirit Hall's supreme ruler, her strength unfathomable and her temperament decisive and ruthless.
And what position was the Yang Family in now? Their entire clan lived in Spirit City, scraping out a living right under her nose. Their fortunes and lives were all held in her hands.
Resist? An ant trying to shake a towering tree-laughably ignorant of its own strength.
"Brother Yue, we're both sensible men. Since His Holiness has spoken, do you think... I have the right to say no?"
The moment he said this, the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.
Yet, to Yang Wushuang's utter surprise, Yue Guan immediately shook his head. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze deep and his voice dropping even lower:
"No. You do."
"This time, you truly have a choice. If you really don't want Chang'an to go, or if little Chang'an himself doesn't want to, then you can simply decline."
Boom-
Those words were like a thunderclap exploding in Yang Wushuang's ears.
His entire body jolted, and his eyes flew wide as he stared at Yue Guan in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly:
"Brother Yue, you..."
Warmth instantly surged through Yang Wushuang's heart, but before he could say anything more, Yue Guan cut him off.
"Don't get the wrong idea, and don't be moved just yet. I'm not the one protecting you. I'm not bold enough to stand directly against His Holiness."
Yue Guan waved a hand, an odd expression crossing his face. "It's... someone else."
Someone else?
Yang Wushuang froze completely, his brows knitting tightly together.
Who else in Spirit City had that much clout? Who could change, or even directly oppose, Bibi Dong's will?
Seeing Yang Wushuang's bewildered expression, Yue Guan stopped keeping him in suspense and spoke slowly:
"Do you remember? About two and a half years ago, didn't things suddenly get much better for your Yang and Niu Families in Spirit City?"
At the mention of this, Yang Wushuang's expression changed immediately, his eyes filling with confusion.
That had been the Yang Family's hardest period. Because of the Breaking Clan's former allegiance, many factions in the city looked down on them, ostracizing them and making trouble both openly and in secret. Even with Yue Guan's help, life had remained difficult.
Yet right around that time, for some unknown reason, all the petty schemes targeting the Yang Family had suddenly stopped.
People who had once obstructed them at every turn had abruptly become courteous, as though an invisible hand were secretly shielding them.
Yang Wushuang spoke instinctively. "Back then... wasn't it you helping smooth things over for us in secret, Brother Yue?"
At this, Yue Guan shook his head lightly, his tone growing grave:
"I only learned about this a year ago. After finding out, I investigated it in secret. And guess what I discovered?"
It wasn't Yue Guan?
Then who was it?
Why would anyone help a small family like theirs, with no powerful backing, for no reason at all?
Watching his solemn expression, Yue Guan spoke each word distinctly, naming a power that sent a shudder through Yang Wushuang:
"The order issued back then to protect your Yang and Niu Families came from the Worship Hall."
The Worship Hall!
The moment those words were spoken, even the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Even a worldly Titled Douluo like Yue Guan couldn't help revealing a trace of profound apprehension in his eyes when mentioning the Worship Hall.
What kind of place was that?
It was the most mysterious and transcendent power in all of Spirit Hall, filled with old monsters who had spent years in secluded cultivation. Every one of them was a Peak Douluo, and they answered only to the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu. Even the Pope had no authority to command them directly.
The people of the Worship Hall had actually stepped in to protect the Yang Family?
Yang Wushuang's mind buzzed. He simply couldn't make sense of it:
"The Worship Hall... why would they help us?"
Yue Guan spread his hands helplessly. "That, I don't know. But I do have a guess."
He paused and looked at Yang Wushuang, his gaze meaningful:
"Most likely, this has something to do with that precious grandson of yours. Doesn't the little fellow love running around everywhere? Perhaps, while playing outside, he happened to meet some important figure from the Worship Hall. That person took a liking to him and decided to back your family in secret."
Yang Wushuang fell silent.
He wanted to refute it, but after thinking carefully, he couldn't find any reason to do so.
"...It's possible."
Only after a long while did Yang Wushuang slowly nod, tacitly accepting this conjecture.
But that only made things more troublesome.
Although he didn't know exactly how much conflict existed between the Worship Hall and the Pope's Hall, he could vaguely sense that the two sides were far from united and had been secretly contending with each other all along.
On one side was Pope Bibi Dong, who had specifically demanded that Yang Chang'an enter the Purple Glory Training Camp.
On the other was the mysterious Worship Hall, which had secretly protected the Yang Family and clearly had its own interest in Yang Chang'an.
If Yang Chang'an truly became entangled in the struggle between these powerful figures, no one could say whether it would bring fortune or disaster. One careless step, and he could be crushed to pieces.
Yue Guan also understood how much was at stake. He didn't press him, merely sitting quietly nearby and giving Yang Wushuang enough time to think.
Yang Chang'an was the Yang and Niu Families' only hope, the vessel for all their dreams of the future. If anything happened to him, neither family would ever have a chance to rise in Spirit City.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the candle had burned a little lower before Yang Wushuang finally raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice carried a trace of exhaustion:
"Sorry for the trouble, Brother Yue, but please report back to His Holiness for me. I need some time to discuss this properly with my family before giving her an answer."
Yue Guan wasn't surprised in the slightest. In his place, he couldn't have agreed immediately either.
If Yang Chang'an truly had ties to the Worship Hall, the Yang Family would offend one side no matter which they chose. This was not a decision they could make lightly.
Yue Guan rose and straightened his robes. "In that case, I'll return and report first. Don't be too anxious. Give it some more thought."
At this point in time, Yue Guan was not yet the Chrysanthemum Douluo from the later stages of the original story, who lived cautiously and spent every day on tenterhooks.
Bibi Dong currently had only two Titled Douluo serving under her: him and Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei. Together with their formidable Martial Soul Fusion Skill, this gave them extremely high standing among the elders, and their words carried considerable weight.
Thus, what he felt toward Bibi Dong was more reverence and apprehension, still far from the bone-deep terror he would feel later.
Yang Wushuang personally escorted Yue Guan to the door. Only after watching his figure disappear at the end of the street did he turn back toward his room with a heavy expression.
He shut the door, sat alone in his chair, and lowered his head in thought.
On one side was the Pope, who held the power of life and death; on the other, the inscrutable Worship Hall.
On one side was an open command; on the other, secret protection.
On one side was the bright future offered by the Purple Glory Training Camp; on the other, a whirlpool of conflict where one careless move could plunge them beyond redemption.
Yang Wushuang felt as though his head had swollen to twice its size, his thoughts tangled into a hopeless knot.
"Grandpa! I'm back!"
Just then, a young voice suddenly rang out beyond the door.
The next second, the door was pushed open with a bang.
A fair, plump little figure, looking especially endearing, came rushing in like a whirlwind. It was Yang Chang'an, fresh from the Pavilion.
The moment Yang Chang'an entered, he saw his grandfather sitting alone with an unpleasant expression. He paused, and the smile on his face faded a little.