That afternoon.
The sky was slightly overcast, and the sun was not visible.
In the northwest of the Zhang Clan's inner city, near the Ten-Mile Osmanthus Garden, all the Zhang Clan family members had long been driven away.
One quarter past the hour of You (5-7 PM).
Chen Qingyu and Wu Su'e flew to the entrance of the Osmanthus Garden and slowly descended in their escape light.
Osmanthus Garden
Chen Qingyu looked up at the tall white jade gate in the Osmanthus Garden and suddenly spoke:
From the first day I arrived in the Zhang Clan's inner city, I had a vague feeling that I had been overlooking something all along.
Perhaps, after meeting Zhang Yanqing this time, my questions will be answered.
Wu Su'e looked somewhat nervous and couldn't help but say:
Then you really need to be careful.
That woman can control Corpse Demon; she's extremely dangerous.
Chen Qingyu smiled slightly and said;
Don't worry, I won't act rashly.
If she dares to make any unusual moves, I won't even take action myself; I'll just have my great-grandfather take her down.
Wu Su'e nodded slightly and said:
Then go ahead, I'll wait for you to come back here.
Um.
Chen Qingyu nodded, then turned and walked inside.
After passing through the tall white jade gate, you enter a stone staircase path lined with blooming osmanthus trees on both sides.
The Osmanthus Garden in the Zhang Clan's inner city uses the finest variety of Four Seasons Osmanthus, is irrigated with morning dew and spiritual liquid, has an array to gather vital energy, and even the soil is Central Capital with fragments of spiritual crystals.
Throughout the year, various kinds of osmanthus flowers bloom, vying for beauty and filling the air with fragrance, revealing the extravagant style of the Nine Emperors' imperial family everywhere.
tap tap tap
Chen Qingyu walked alone, hands behind his back, along the stone steps, enjoying the scenery along the way.
In this ten-mile-long Osmanthus Garden, the placement of each osmanthus tree is very particular, subtly incorporating a formation, and every step you take offers a different view.
After walking like this for fifteen minutes:
Chen Qingyu looked up and saw an octagonal pavilion standing prominently in the depths of the Osmanthus Garden, nestled among the osmanthus trees.
At one end of the stone steps hangs a plaque that Plucking Osmanthus Pavilion ".
We've arrived at the Plucking Osmanthus Pavilion!
His eyes flickered slightly as he climbed the steps and entered the Plucking Osmanthus Pavilion.
The pavilion was empty.
He leaned on the railing and looked out; the view here was absolutely stunning, with the entire Osmanthus Garden bursting with vibrant colors in every direction.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a light drizzle began to fall, and the osmanthus trees swayed in the rain, creating a unique and beautiful scene.
The sky and mountains were shrouded in mist, with the dim, yellowish sunlight appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Um?
Chen Qingyu suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to look to the side.
In the light drizzle, a graceful figure, holding a floral paper umbrella, walked slowly from the depths of the Osmanthus Garden, all alone.
Beneath the floral paper umbrella was a somewhat familiar, stunningly beautiful face, with a full head of black hair cascading down her back, her expression carefree and relaxed.
Zhang Yanqing?
Chen Qingyu's expression shifted, and he asked a question.
Chen Shaojun, it's been a long time.
She held up the umbrella and smiled slightly at Chen Qingyu.
There was no trace of fear or panic in her eyes, nor was there the aloofness and coldness of that day.
Chen Qingyu narrowed his eyes, unsure of her thoughts, and became even more wary.
You want to see me, so you must have a lot of questions to ask.
Zhang Yanqing walked into the Plucking Osmanthus Pavilion, snapped her paper umbrella shut with a click, and leaned it against a pillar.
She sat languidly by the pavilion, fiddled with her hair, and casually said:
Ask away, or you'll miss your chance.
Chen Qingyu squinted and said:
Okay.
The first question is, who's backing you? Or, what organization do you belong to?
No matter what Zhang Yanqing is up to, his attitude will not change.
Even if she wanted to act, he was willing to act alongside her, as long as he could get the answers he wanted to know.
Oh
Zhang Yanqing chuckled softly, as if she had already guessed that he would ask this question.
She parted her lips slightly and uttered three words softly:
Sage Evolution Palace.
Sage Evolution Palace?
Chen Qingyu pondered for a moment, confirming he had never heard of this organization, and then, with a sudden thought, immediately asked:
What is the origin of this Sage Evolution Palace? And when did you join them?
Zhang Yanqing shrugged and casually said:
I am not clear about the origins of the Sage Evolution Palace.
After all, I've only been with them for about ten years.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu took a deep breath and said:
Ten years ago?
Since you don't know the origins of the Sage Evolution Palace, you should at least know what they do, right?
His eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke:
Do the people of the Sage Evolution Palace possess the secrets of the Corpse Demon Calamity and intend to overthrow Human Race?
Of course not.
Zhang Yanqing fiddled with the ends of her hair and answered casually:
What they truly want to overthrow is the existing order; more precisely, the unfair situation where many holy sites hold a superior position.
For hundreds of thousands of years, many people have long since found it unbearable to endure all of this.
Some radicals even believe that the Kings of High Antiquity created all of this, that they were the first dictators, and that everything they left behind should be overthrown.
As she spoke, she shrugged and said:
Of course, this is only a nominal, albeit respectable, sense of justice.
The members of the Sage Evolution Palace are all sorts of people, most of whom are only interested in their own selfish interests and have various motives for joining.
Me too.
If they weren't able to offer me help, I wouldn't bother with them at all.
Chen Qingyu's gaze was deep as he slowly said:
So what is your purpose?
You willingly joined the Sage Evolution Palace and became their henchmen. Was it for power? Or did you aspire to become a saint and an ancestor?
Neither!
Zhang Yanqing suddenly raised her voice, looked directly at him, and said calmly:
From beginning to end, I have only one goal: to destroy the Yanggu Zhang Clan!
What?
Chen Qingyu was taken aback.
This answer was completely unexpected.
Aren't you from the Zhang Clan family?
He couldn't help but press on:
You are a direct descendant of the Zhang Clan family, yet you want to destroy the entire Zhang Clan? Why?
Aren't they your blood relatives?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanqing sneered and retorted:
You've reviewed Zhang Clan's case files, haven't you?
Then ask yourself honestly, is there any point in such a disgusting Lineage remaining in this world?
Chen Qingyu's eye twitched, and after a moment of silence, he spoke:
Some of the problems within the Zhang Clan's organization are indeed disgusting.
But this was their own choice, and I am ultimately just an outsider, not qualified to be a rational and objective person to judge.
To be fair:
The perverse incestuous marriages within the Zhang Clan, which violated human ethics and moral principles, are indeed despicable.
However, this abnormal phenomenon persisted for tens of thousands of years, and there was very little news about it from the outside world, which is abnormal in itself.
Moreover, from another perspective:
The fact that the Zhang Clan was able to survive for so long thanks to a stroke of luck and become one of the strongest forces in the Southern Region demonstrates the remarkable stability of their bloodline power.
This despicable tradition, ironically, benefited everyone in the Zhang Clan family.
The Yanggu Zhang Clan has achieved its current power and status as a family of nine emperors, with all its direct descendants holding noble positions. This might very well be due to this perverse tradition.
How can an outsider like him possibly offer his opinion?
You provided the starting sign-in rewards for the legendary Zhuang Shisan, featuring Chen Qingyu from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations Zhuang Shisan.