The Zhao Family

Chen Yang understood the whole story and extended his consciousness further.

With his current Late Qi Gathering realm, the coverage of his "Observation" consciousness could encompass the entire North Bank village.

At this moment, at the entrance on the west side of the village, guarded by clan soldiers, a long line of carriages was waiting.

More than seventy members of the Liang family were anxiously waiting there.

This was their first time in the Songshan region, and they all looked up curiously.

"This is a village under the Yang family's rule? It's so prosperous!"

"Yeah, apart from the size, it looks no different from a town!"

"Look over there quickly, oh my heavens, that gilded red wall must be the Yang family's grand estate! It's truly much more magnificent than the town lord's mansion!"

After witnessing the Yang family's strength with their own eyes, the Liang family members couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, someone noticed the mist lingering on the cliff to the north of the Yang family's estate.

"Why is there such thick mist on a clear midday?"

As they discussed, a few people pointed towards the misty mountain.

Crack!

Just then, the clan soldiers on guard became furious, slamming their long spears onto the ground and shouting, "How dare you! Do not disrespect the immortal mountain!"

The Liang family members quickly lowered their heads to apologize and retreated back into their group.

However, in their eyes towards the clan soldiers, besides fear, there was more envy.

Before coming here, they had never seen a family that could cultivate its own armed forces.

"Alas... the Yang family is so powerful, we won't make much difference whether we join or not. Will they truly be willing to take us in?"

"I'm afraid after joining, we'll have to do back-breaking labor to repay debts."

"Enough, if we can find refuge and preserve our bloodline, what does a little hardship matter?"

At this moment, a sound came from the front. Yang Xiaolei arrived with a squad of clan soldiers.

He checked each person against the information on Liang Yi's roster and finally allowed seventy-four members of the Liang family into the village.

After these people followed Yang Xiaolei to their residences, a villager who had been watching from afar rushed towards the east end of the village.

He ran, panting, and finally stopped in front of a large courtyard with a plaque reading "Zhao Mansion" above it.

"Butler, what's wrong?"

The servant at the gate quickly went to help him.

"Quickly help me see the master, something terrible has happened!"

The butler stumbled a few steps to the backyard, where Zhao Dapeng was leisurely feeding the koi in the pond with several guests from his family.

"What's the matter, rushing around so frantically?"

Seeing the butler's breathless state, he frowned slightly, displeased.

At this moment, Zhao Dapeng was wearing a brightly colored robe woven from silk and brocade, a pearl hat on his head, and holding white jade beads in his hand. He was plump and had a ruddy complexion.

He no longer looked like the old farmer from over a year ago; he had clearly become a wealthy man.

The butler didn't bother with pleasantries and whispered a few words to him. Zhao Dapeng's expression changed immediately.

He then made an excuse to dismiss his guests and returned to his room with the butler.

"Is what you're saying true?"

"Master, I saw it with my own eyes, more than seventy people, it's absolutely true!"

Zhao Dapeng leaned back in his chair, rubbing the white jade beads in his hand, his eyes constantly shifting.

"Master, the main family has truly made a move this time..." the butler said in a low voice.

Zhao Dapeng was instantly furious upon hearing this.

"Damn it! A bunch of useless fools, good for nothing but causing trouble! I told them to be more restrained, but they wouldn't listen. Now they've displeased the main family, what are we going to do? It's infuriating!"

Zhao Dapeng stood up, slamming his hand on the chair, and said to the butler, "Go, call everyone in the family to the backyard! Remember, everyone! And bring those brats back here!"

"Understood, I'll go right away!"

The butler hurried out, leaving Zhao Dapeng alone in the room, his face grim.

"Alas... truly, a sin!"

He recalled when he was still toiling in the fields, it was hard to even find a helper, and whenever he visited relatives, they would look at him with disdain.

Later, he had no choice but to bring his young son, Zhao Qi, to work in the fields.

Every night, seeing the blisters on his child's feet, he felt immense heartache.

Life farming was passable; the family could eat each year, and there were even some surplus.

But who could have foreseen the beast plague? To survive, they were forced to abandon their fields and property.

Zhao Dapeng and his family knelt outside White Stone Town for three days and three nights without the gate opening. In desperation, he brought his last hope to the Yang family seeking refuge.

Fortunately, the Yang Family was benevolent and willing to take in refugees like them, providing temporary shelters and food.

From that day on, Zhao Dapeng became loyal to the Yang Family.

Later, when rumors about the Yang Family spread, he was the first to curse those people, saying their consciences had been eaten by dogs!

After the beast tide subsided, they were granted land and began a new life at the foot of Song Mountain.

Looking back now, his Zhao family's fortune truly began to change from this point.

They went through hardship with the Yang Family, gained clan status, and Zhao Qi was chosen by a Yang Family Immortal Master. Zhao Dapeng's standing instantly underwent a drastic transformation.

He acquired a large house and became a respected figure, and his life immediately became prosperous.

However, he never expected that just as good days arrived, troubles would also find him.

As the saying goes, "Poverty in a bustling market goes unnoticed, but wealth in the deep mountains attracts distant relatives." Once news spread that Zhao Dapeng and his family had moved into their new residence, relatives he rarely contacted in the past began flocking to visit.

Not only his close relatives like aunts and uncles, but even distant relatives with a slight connection came seeking refuge.

These were still manageable, but eventually, even those who merely shared the surname Zhao dared to shamelessly show up.

Seeing this, Zhao Dapeng's temper flared, and he kicked them all out.

But he could only do it once. Twice, thrice, they came day after day, using soft persuasion, and he grew weary of dealing with them.

In the end, he gathered all the relatives and simply re-established a family genealogy, with himself, Zhao Dapeng, as the Patriarch, clearly defining seniority and closeness.

He thought that after this, his life would finally be peaceful, but who could have imagined this was the source of all his troubles.

Those Zhao family members who were added to the genealogy, believing themselves to be descendants of an Immortal Master, began to act like tyrants in the village.

At first, they just incurred debts at restaurants and shops. Later, seeing that everyone feared them and no one disciplined them, their actions became increasingly reckless and lawless.

Eventually, they even resorted to bullying businesses and assaulting people in the street.

The result was that all of them were arrested by clan soldiers, severely punished, made to pay compensation, and then escorted back to the Zhao Mansion.

Because of this, Zhao Dapeng personally took these scoundrel descendants to the main family to apologize.

He thought they would realize their mistakes and calm down, but he never expected this group of good-for-nothings to remain incorrigible. When there were clan soldiers on the North Bank, they would go to the South Bank to cause trouble, making the residents of the South Bank suffer greatly.

"A bunch of brainless idiots! They've truly ruined me!"

The thought of these vexing matters made Zhao Dapeng's chest tighten with anger.

He himself didn't care; even if he had to be punished by the main family, he would have no complaints. His only fear was that these messes would affect Zhao Qi, who had gone up the mountain.

The current submission of the Liang Family, while appearing to be an act of charity by the main family, was something Zhao Qian understood clearly—it was a warning to him!

From this point on, the situation of the North Bank Zhao family having absolute dominance would cease to exist.

"Master, they've all arrived," the butler said from outside the door.

Zhao Dapeng heard him, steadied himself, the hesitation in his heart vanishing. His eyes hardened with ferocity.

In an instant, this Zhao family master, who had grown somewhat portly, transformed back into the solitary old farmer who used to guard the mountain alone.

He then retrieved an old, worn grass-cutting sickle from under his bed and strode out the door.