He chuckled to himself with self-mockery.
"We must be nearing the town center!"
Zhang Heng focused his spiritual energy into his eyes, spotting a banner with the character 'Yang' at the end of the road.
Indeed, after another hour or so of walking, Wu Tao and Zhang Heng saw a banner with the character 'Yang' at the road's end.
Beside it, a tea stall was set up, where a middle-aged man with a simple and honest demeanor was boiling water and making tea. Though the stall was small, its seats were full.
Seeing this, Zhang Heng frowned and exchanged a tael of silver for two empty seats.
Using a velvet cloth he carried, Zhang Heng wiped down a stool and, with a hint of deference, invited Wu Tao to sit.
Once Wu Tao was seated, Zhang Heng asked the stall owner, "Shopkeeper, how much further is it to the center of Yang Family Town?"
"Heh heh, you're not far from Yang Family Fort, the center of Yang Family Town..."
After saying this, the stall owner asked a question.
"Honored guests, are you here for the Yang family patriarch's hundredth birthday banquet?"
"Mhm!"
Zhang Heng blinked slightly, then shook his head. "We are both merchants. We're just here to scout the market."
After speaking, Zhang Heng curiously inquired, "Are there many important figures attending the Yang family patriarch's hundredth birthday banquet?"
"The Yang family patriarch is the foremost expert among the immortals in Tianshui County, a renowned leader who presides over Yang Family Town. Everyone knows him..."
"His reputation isn't just known in Tianshui County; I've heard that some important figures in the prefectural city are aware of the Yang family patriarch's prestige!"
The stall owner said this with a hint of pride.
A few people nearby who had overheard him chuckled. Wu Tao and Zhang Heng, however, were somewhat bewildered and confused.
The next moment, someone guffawed, "Yang Jiulang, are you boasting and showing off to outsiders again?"
The stall owner, called Yang Jiulang, immediately looked embarrassed. "What do you mean boasting and showing off?"
"I'm doing this for the benefit of these outsiders, so they don't cause any trouble after entering Yang Family Fort..."
"Offending someone they shouldn't, and losing their lives..."
As soon as the stall owner said this, someone nearby immediately agreed, "That's true. Yang Jiulang, your words are quite insightful today?"
"It's not a bad thing to tell these outsiders about the Yang family's rules..."
Hearing this, Zhang Heng smiled and asked, "So, are you a disciple of the Yang family, brother? May I ask your name?"
Yang Jiulang's expression changed slightly. He said proudly, "I am Yang Zaixing, a disciple of the forty-ninth generation of the Yang family. Though I'm from a collateral branch, I'm still listed in the Yang family genealogy..."
As someone from a noble family, Zhang Heng naturally understood the lineage system of such clans.
Being listed in the Yang family genealogy meant that even if he was from a collateral branch, this person's bloodline was not too distant from the main Yang family lineage.
This suggested that the stall owner, who appeared to be in his thirties, held some status within the Yang family.
It was precisely because of this that Yang Zaixing sounded exceptionally proud when stating his name, a pride stemming from his bloodline.
However, Yang Zaixing was unaware of the identity of the person he was conversing with...
Otherwise, one couldn't be sure if he would faint from shock.
But as a direct descendant of a second-tier family, Zhang Heng naturally disdained the fifth-tier Yang family, and even more so Yang Zaixing.
With a playful and teasing intention, Zhang Heng outwardly flattered him, "Oh my, you're an authentic Yang family disciple! My apologies! My apologies!"
Yang Zaixing, flattered by Zhang Heng's words, became somewhat embarrassed.
He scratched his head and said, "It's a shame, really. Although my status allows me to be ranked within the family..."
"But I don't have anyone above me, and my luck is poor. I don't have spiritual roots, so I can't fly and dive through the air like the other immortals of the family, living carefree lives."
Zhang Heng nodded. Members of noble families, even the lowest-ranked ones, would become cultivators if they had the aptitude for cultivation.
If they lacked the aptitude, meaning no spiritual roots, then it would depend on whether they had influential connections or background.
If they had connections, they could even obtain an artificial spiritual root and become a cultivator, gaining the chance to defy fate.
If they had no connections, then unfortunately, they would remain mortals for life.
As the county magistrate of Tianshui County, Zhang Heng had naturally investigated and learned about the affairs of the fifth-tier Yang family before arriving.
The Yang family was initially a fourth-tier family, controlling almost an entire county. However, due to certain changes, they began to decline.
To ensure their survival, the Yang family migrated from elsewhere to Tianshui County and established roots in a small town.
This small town was the precursor to Yang Family Town.
After relocating to Tianshui County, the Yang family developed steadily for hundreds of years, with their total population exceeding ten thousand.
Of course, the true core of the Yang family was not the more than ten thousand mortals, but the core group of several hundred cultivators.
Among these several hundred Yang family cultivators, ninety-nine percent were at the Qi Condensation stage. Only five or six cultivators had truly reached the Foundation Establishment stage or above.
As Zhang Heng was lost in thought, Yang Zaixing had finished boiling a pot of hot tea.
Seeing this, Zhang Heng thanked Yang Zaixing and casually took out a few taels of broken silver as payment for the tea and a tip.
As the fragrant tea brewed, Zhang Heng was about to take a sip when he was stopped by Wu Tao, who had been observing silently and had not spoken a word until now.
Before Zhang Heng could ask why, many of the passersby who had drunk the tea suddenly collapsed, spitting black foam, clearly poisoned.
Zhang Heng's expression changed drastically.
He grabbed Yang Zaixing's collar and asked furiously, "Who are you? Why are you trying to harm us?"
However, at this moment, Yang Zaixing also spat black foam and died.
Seeing this, Zhang Heng, terrified, threw Yang Zaixing aside.
The next second, a series of sinister laughter echoed from around the tea stall.
Emerging from a cloud of black mist was a young man with a gloomy and sinister smile.
"You cunning brat, how did you know the tea was poisoned?"
"That's a question I should be asking you..."
"Where did we reveal ourselves, that you knew we weren't ordinary travelers?"
"I clearly used a secret art to disguise myself..."
Wu Tao did not answer the suddenly appearing young man's question. Instead, he stroked his chin and asked with interest.
"Your secret art is indeed not simple. I couldn't tell that both of you are cultivators."
The young man who had suddenly appeared said with a sinister grin.
"Then why did you try to poison us?"
Zhang Heng's expression was one of utter innocence.
He was merely there to gather information at the Yang family, not having provoked anyone, yet someone suddenly appeared, wanting to poison him.
"Haha..."
The young man chuckled at this, but did not answer Zhang Heng's question.
After all, in his mind, dead people didn't need to know the answers.
Immediately after, a dozen flying snakes shot out from behind him, rapidly flying towards Wu Tao and Zhang Heng.
Seeing this, Wu Tao snorted. He flicked his finger, sending out a sword qi that shot straight out.
This golden sword qi transformed into countless sword threads in mid-air, directly shredding the dozen black snakes into countless pieces.
"Sword qi transforming into threads! Who exactly are you..."
The young man, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, cried out in disbelief.
Wu Tao, too lazy to waste words with this junior at the late Foundation Establishment stage, flicked his sleeve and instantly subdued the young man with overwhelming spiritual power.
As for why Wu Tao could detect him, who had been hiding...
It was because Wu Tao's divine sense was too powerful. A mere sweep of his divine sense had revealed him hiding nearby and secretly poisoning the tea.
Following this, amidst Zhang Heng's astonished and even fearful gaze, Wu Tao directly used the Nightmare Eye on his forehead to control the consciousness of this junior who excelled at using poison.
Listening to his vacant explanation, Wu Tao finally learned that this fellow was a member of a notorious bandit group from Moonlit County.
This bandit group consisted of ten people, referred to by cultivators as the Ten Branches Bandit Group.
Each of them wore a mask, unaware of each other's identities, and their cultivation levels were all at or above the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Only their leader knew their true identities. They were murderers, either invited or coerced, gathered by their leader who knew their secrets.
Their ten identities were all different. Each had a mysterious background. Beneath their masks could be noble scions, disciples of sects, or renowned rogue cultivators.
Wearing masks, they specifically targeted small sects or families that were weak and lacked backing. They would often wipe out entire families, leaving no one alive.
With the Yang family patriarch's hundredth birthday banquet imminent, Yang Family Fort was filled with guests from all directions, coming to celebrate the Yang family patriarch's birthday. At this moment, the leader of the Ten Branches called upon his subordinates, setting their target as the entire Yang family!
All for the countless resources and wealth accumulated by the Yang family over a thousand years.
Therefore, the Ten Branches Bandit Group had gathered to destroy the Yang family.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, quite interesting..."
"But I'm curious, why didn't you choose a less conspicuous day to act? Why choose the eve of the Yang family patriarch's hundredth birthday banquet, when relatives and friends are invited to celebrate, to pull off such a stunt."
(This new book is constantly being updated. Please collect, vote, share, and subscribe. Support genuine content. Come to Zongheng Chinese Network and lend a hand, give more. Thank you, friends. Your support is my motivation!)