Chapter 85: Tang Jun Arrives

Tang Wei entered the artifact forging room. After careful selection, she finally found a necklace that Ziyang had referred to as junk, tucked away in a corner. It happened to be perfectly suited for Yaya at the moment—it could protect her from harm without being limited by cultivation level. After all, this so-called junk necklace was absolutely secure to use on Earth; at least for now, no one could break through its defenses.

With the protective gear prepared, Tang Wei thought about how Yaya must not have eaten any of the special food from the space in a long time, so she hurried to the small manor to cook her a meal. Seeing that Xiaoling had not yet brought Yaya over, she was in no rush. After all, Yaya had been raised by Xiaoling since she was a child—their bond was even closer than her own with Yaya. They probably had secrets to share. So, Tang Wei slipped away to a spacious area and resumed her dedicated practice of sword flight—a matter that concerned her future travels and allowed no carelessness or laziness. She resolved to apply herself wholeheartedly.

By the time Zixuan returned from outside, Tang Wei had already been practicing her flight here for two days, and Yaya had yet to appear before her. Presumably, Xiaoling knew that when mother and daughter were together, arguments would inevitably break out, so it was better to keep them apart. However, Tang Wei had used her spiritual sense to check—Yaya hadn’t missed a single meal she’d prepared for her, which put her mind at ease. Tang Wei now found herself in the paradoxical state of missing Yaya when she didn’t see her, but finding her annoying when she did.

She didn’t know how Xiaoling had persuaded Yaya, but when it came time to send Yaya off, she was remarkably well-behaved, not at all the fussy child she was with Tang Wei.

Tang Wei helped her put on the necklace, tucking it inside her clothes and covering it with her collar. Unless someone looked closely, they wouldn’t notice it. As long as no one searched her, it should remain undiscovered. She also prepared some food and toys, placing them in a small bracelet for Yaya to keep in her pocket, and reminded her repeatedly not to let anyone find out.

While Yaya herself felt nothing of it while she was there, as soon as Zixuan took her out of the space, Tang Wei began to feel empty inside and missed her terribly.

Xiaoling, ever attentive, noticed her pale expression and quickly comforted her: “Sister, don’t worry. As long as Yaya has the necklace, no one can harm her! She’ll just be a little bored being confined there, but Brother Zixuan will soon find out who’s behind all this. You and Yaya will be reunited before long!”

Tang Wei understood this, but she still felt a pang of sadness. Not wanting Xiaoling to worry, she nodded and said, “Yes, I know.” She gave Xiaoling a lazy smile and added, “I don’t know why, but when she’s back safe with me, I act as if it’s nothing. Now that she’s gone, I find myself missing her again.”

While they were talking, Zixuan suddenly appeared in the space. Noticing the odd atmosphere, he said nothing, but went to the pill room. When he came out, he took Tang Wei’s hand and said, “Weiwei, let’s go out and wait for news from Long San. It’s been over a day—he should be about done searching. Don’t worry, Yaya will be fine.”

Tang Wei nodded, followed Zixuan out of the space, pulled out a bench, and sat down to wait for Long San’s message.

Meanwhile, in Tang Family Village, Father Tang, Mother Tang, Tang Jun, and Elder Li, along with the two members of the Shi family, were gathered around a table enjoying breakfast. The Tang family was different from other prominent families—they had no rules about silence at meals or bedtime. Their meals were always lively and filled with chatter. Elder Li had lived with them for several years and had grown accustomed to this. Occasionally, when he returned home, he found it hard to eat in his own silent household. As usual, everyone was eating and joking together.

Because of yesterday’s events, Father Tang had been thoroughly lectured by Mother Tang when he got home, but just a day later he had already forgotten and was now boasting shamelessly about his exploits, leaving the two young men dumbfounded.

What was said in jest was taken to heart by those listening. The Li family was a major family in the secular world, and Elder Li was well-versed in the subtleties of such matters. He sensed that Father Tang’s story was not as simple as he made it sound and pressed him for more details. Tang Jun also picked up on the oddities and asked Father Tang to recount everything again. The more he listened, the more something seemed amiss.

Elder Li advised, “Xiao Jun, I think you should go outside the village today and see if there are any suspicious people around. I have a feeling this isn’t as simple as it looks.”

Tang Jun nodded in understanding. “That’s what I was thinking. Now that my sister isn’t home, we have to be extra careful. I’ll also let the villagers know to stay close for the time being and not fall into anyone’s trap.”

Seeing how mature Tang Jun had become, Elder Li felt reassured. This was indeed a prudent plan.

Tang Jun left right after breakfast. Coincidentally, the chief steward, meticulous as ever, was not convinced that any power greater than the four great families existed in China without seeing it for himself. After much deliberation, he decided to take another look himself, unwilling to risk failing his master’s mission.

As fate would have it, the chief steward, disguised as a farmer, lingered at the entrance of the mountain village for a long time without seeing anyone come or go. Just as he was about to investigate further, he spotted Tang Jun heading out to gather information. The chief steward’s powers of perception far exceeded Liu Chunxi’s. From the moment Tang Jun appeared, he dared not observe too openly, for fear of alerting the target. When Tang Jun glanced in his direction, the steward quickly pretended to be a passerby, walking down a small path as if nothing was amiss.

“The pressure I felt from that young man—I’ve never even felt that from my own master. This means his cultivation is at least above my master’s, definitely beyond the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and he’s still so young, certainly no older than thirty. This little village is not to be underestimated!” So thought the chief steward, now fully convinced that Liu Chunxi’s words were true. He secretly regretted coming back for another look, fearing that his behavior had already attracted the young man’s attention. He hurried back to report.

Indeed, the steward’s actions had caught Tang Jun’s attention. Seeing the man leave in a hurry, he became even more concerned. After discussing the matter with everyone back home, they decided to immediately activate the protective formation Zixuan had left and called the heads of the two other families back for seclusion. Tang Jun then took Li Changfeng with him to City B in hopes of finding Tang Wei and deciding what to do next.

In a small dark room within a remote valley, news soon reached a man who anxiously asked, “Ancestor, if the Tang family is really that powerful, should we still go through with our plan? If it’s exposed, our entire clan could be wiped out.”

The old man was also worried. Ever since the man had reported back, he’d kept his eyes closed, silent. Only after the man voiced his concern did the old man finally speak: “We proceed as planned, but we must be even more cautious from now on. As long as we keep our distance, there’s no guarantee they will trace it back to us. You can’t catch a tiger without entering its lair. We’re running out of time. There used to be four great families, now there’s the Tang family as well. If we don’t take this opportunity to eliminate the other two, there may soon be no place for us. Even if we only take out the Xuanyuan family, it will still benefit us.”

The man thought of the chief steward’s report and remained uneasy, hesitating, “But, Ancestor, do we really want to take this risk? The Tang family may be even stronger than the four great sects. We…”

“Enough dithering! Get to work!” the old man snapped, cutting him off.

“Yes, Ancestor. I’ll take my leave now,” the man replied, dejectedly withdrawing.