"Secret" Leaked

"That's true."

Gao Hui nodded and said, "The Yang Family previously had a child with good aptitude, reaching the Second Level of Qi Gathering in just one year. The Yang Family Head also advanced his cultivation, breaking through to the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering. There's also a loyal old servant in the family who is also at the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering."

"Oh?"

He Shenglai's eyes flickered upon hearing this. "That does give them some strength. The Family Head is also quite capable to recruit a cultivator at the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering to assist. However..."

He suddenly changed his tone, his eyes sharpening.

"Hmph, within a year, nurturing a cultivator to the Second Level of Qi Gathering and breaking through to the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering? How could your small Yang Family possess such ability?"

Gao Hui pondered for a moment. "Lord He, what do you mean..."

"I suspect this Yang Family definitely has a secret. Since I'm here today, I'll take a good look!"

Just as Gao Hui was about to speak, Yang Guanfeng came out to greet them.

"Your Excellency Gao, from the Dynasty, has graced us with your presence. We did not come to meet you far away, and we hope you will forgive us."

Yang Guanfeng cupped his hands in a salute.

He Shenglai glanced at him and said indifferently, "I am merely acting on orders. Whether you welcome me or not is irrelevant. Lead the way."

"Yes."

As they turned, Yang Guanfeng and Gao Hui exchanged a subtle glance. From Gao Hui's eyes, Yang Guanfeng saw a hint of helplessness and understood the demeanor of this cultivator from the Dynasty.

From that sentence alone, it was clear that He Shenglai didn't take the Yang Family seriously at all. His commanding tone made people uncomfortable.

He led the two to the backyard of the Yang Family, where Elder Yu and Yang Lingrui were already waiting.

The carcasses of the demonic beasts were also moved here after Elder Yu's handling.

The main purpose was to erase the traces of spiritual power impact, as such injuries were too distinctive and could easily reveal clues.

However, fortunately, He Shenglai's own realm was not high. After a check, he found no abnormalities.

There were a total of twenty-eight demonic beast carcasses, eighteen of which were from the Qi Gathering Early-stage and ten from the Qi Gathering Mid-stage. He Shenglai announced the purchase price: a total of one hundred and thirty spirit crystals.

"Hahaha, your Yang Family is lucky. White Stone Town was destroyed, and you didn't encounter any demonic beasts at the Late Qi Gathering stage, otherwise, you would all be dead," He Shenglai said to himself.

Gao Hui, standing behind him, couldn't help but roll his eyes.

They were still in someone else's home, and He Shenglai's words were truly unpleasant.

Yang Guanfeng, however, kept a smiling face. "Lord He speaks the truth. Our Yang Family was indeed fortunate to survive this beast tide crisis."

One hundred and thirty spirit crystals were undoubtedly a huge sum for the Yang Family at this moment, and it came quite timely.

With this money, the defensive array of the forbidden area and the storage bags for the Yang Family cultivators would be secured.

As for He Shenglai, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu had encountered all sorts of people during their travels and wouldn't get angry over a few words. They would let him say whatever he pleased.

They thought the matter was over after the purchase, but He Shenglai didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

He looked up at the cliff on the north side of the Yang Family's residence, narrowing his eyes.

"What a sheer cliff. I'm afraid there's a hidden mechanism above," He Shenglai said.

Yang Guanfeng stepped forward. "Reporting to Lord He, the area above is our Yang Family's forbidden area."

"Oh~ A forbidden area..."

He Shenglai nodded, then said casually, "Take me to see it."

"This!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu's expressions changed drastically. The young Yang Lingrui even showed a look of panic.

Gao Hui also frowned, saying sternly, "Lord He, the Yang Family moved away from the town last year and is no longer under the Dynasty's jurisdiction. This matter might be inappropriate."

As the Town Chief of White Stone Town, the reconstruction work was at a critical stage. He didn't want to displease the Yang Family because of this.

By speaking up now, he was showing Yang Guanfeng his stance.

He Shenglai saw the expressions of the three Yang Family members, especially Yang Lingrui's panic, and chuckled inwardly. Young cultivators truly lacked composure and couldn't hide their feelings.

"Heh, Gao Hui, do I need you to remind me about such matters?"

He Shenglai said to Gao Hui, his tone carrying a warning.

He then looked back at Yang Guanfeng. "I, He Shenglai, want to go up and take a look. Will you take me, or will I go up myself?"

He didn't flaunt his identity as a cultivator from the Dynasty; instead, he emphasized his name.

This implied that the forbidden area had nothing to do with the Dynasty, and it was "he" who wanted to see it.

This statement cornered the Yang Family. A single cultivator at the Late Qi Gathering stage was enough to suppress everyone present, let alone the backing He Shenglai had from his family.

Yang Guanfeng's pleasant expression vanished. He gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles slightly bulging. Finally, he took two deep breaths, suppressing his anger.

Elder Yu's face turned ashen, and Yang Lingrui's body trembled slightly, as if a great disaster was about to befall the Yang Family.

Since it had come to this, Yang Guanfeng could only brace himself and agree, leading the few of them up the cliff.

Gao Hui, following at the end, was also very curious.

He had also speculated about the Yang Family's background before, but it had only remained at the stage of suspicion and conjecture.

Now, thanks to He Shenglai, I can resolve the doubts in my heart.

"The Cloud Mountain Mist Array, hmm, the array itself is not bad. The person who set it up has some skill."

He Shenglai commented in front of the Yang Family's forbidden area.

Yang Guanfeng opened the array, and everyone walked into the main courtyard of the forbidden area.

The courtyard's layout and the few side rooms held nothing special. He Shenglai walked directly towards the depths of the forbidden area and soon arrived at a small courtyard in the back.

This was precisely the courtyard where the Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass was located, guarded by two small arrays.

He Shenglai wore an expression of "just as I expected" and nudged his chin, saying, "Patriarch Yang, open it."

"Does Lord He truly intend to do this?"

Yang Guanfeng spoke with a sorrowful look in his eyes, "The items here are incredibly precious. If outsiders were to find out, the safety of my Yang Family would be jeopardized!"

"Lord He, my Yang Family doesn't want the spirit crystals anymore, we'll return them all. Please just let us go!"

Elder Yu also stepped forward at this moment to plead. Yang Lingrui stood behind the two, wiping away tears.

Such behavior further piqued He Shenglai's curiosity, making him determined to enter and see for himself.

"All of you, shut up!"

He directly released his aura of Seventh Level of Qi Gathering, his face impatient. "What is my status that I would spread the affairs of a mere Yang Family like yours? And as for the spirit crystals, this is official business for the Dynasty! Do not mention returning them again, or don't blame me for turning hostile! Hurry and open the array, don't make me do it myself!"

Gao Hui stood by the side without a word. He Shenglai's words were an indirect promise to keep the Yang Family's secret.

The gap in their cultivation realms was evident. Yang Guanfeng could only sigh and open a gap in the array.

The five of them entered together, and the delicate, verdant spirit plant came into view.

"It's a spirit plant!"

Gao Hui's eyes lit up upon seeing it, and the doubts in his heart were instantly resolved.

"Tch... Hahahaha!"

He Shenglai burst into laughter. "This? You made it sound so serious, I thought it was some world-shattering treasure. After all that fuss, it turns out to be just a Qi Gathering level Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass, hahahaha..."