Southern Region, Jiangzhou.
After so many years, Zhang Yao has returned to his hotown.
For twenty years, he wandered the world, rarely returning to Jiangzhou, deliberately avoiding this place to prevent exposing his identity.
Until this ti:
The Elder Immortal, stationed in Yun Province to await the longevity of Prince Zhen Nan’s Mansion, might take several decades, so he took a slight detour and ca to Jiangzhou.
"The changes are really quite drastic..."
Zhang Yao rode his horse, swaying on the cobblestone official road, sighing with emotion.
He had just left Jiangdu. This ti he did not take a boat to Baihe City but returned to Changping by land.
The changes in Jiangdu were imnse.
He still rembered decades ago, when Jiangdu was balanced by the tripartite forces, mutually counterbalancing, and collectively maintaining Jiangdu.
The forr Four Prefectures Jiedu Envoy Shi Yong, and later the Jiedu Envoy Huo Luan Mountain who occupied the northern four prefectures, were wary of such a situation and dared not make a move on Jiangdu for a long ti.
But twenty years of turbulent changes, everything has altered——
Cao Bang’s Li Xiaofeng’s hopes were dashed, and until death, he could not groom a new Grandmaster. This lack of a Grandmaster overseeing them led to Cao Bang being harshly suppressed by the joint forces of the governnt and the Business Alliance.
In the end, the entire Li Family was exterminated, and Cao Bang suffered a severe blow, from which they never recovered.
But before the local Noble Families and Business Alliance could rejoice for a few years, the political tides shifted dramatically, and the northern King of Pingliang’s army arrived.
The rulers of Jiangdu hoped to rely on the natural moat of the Yangtze River to temporarily block King of Pingliang’s troops, seeking greater leverage for negotiation.
Unfortunately, their fate was the sa as those of the northern seven prefectures.
In one night, the elder Grandmasters of Jiangdu’s noble families, and the new Grandmasters from the Business Alliance, died mysteriously, and all the high-ranking officials suffered heavy casualties nearly to annihilation.
The order of Jiangdu collapsed overnight; the chaos lasted over a month until King of Pingliang’s army reached the city walls, causing Jiangdu to open its gates and surrender.
"Cao Bang, Noble Families, Business Alliance—none erged winners; they were all losers!"
"Who could have imagined all this twenty years ago?"
Reflecting on all this, Zhang Yao could only marvel at the impermanence of the world.
...
Half a month later.
Southern Jiangzhou, Changping City.
After nearly fifty years, Zhang Yao returned to his hotown.
He deliberately altered his appearance to look like a man in his forties, reflecting with a touch of nostalgia as he observed the scenes within Changping City.
Fifty years had passed.
The fa of the past had long been swept away by the wind and rain; perhaps not many people rembered the erstwhile Zhang Yao.
"Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall..."
Zhang Yao arrived at a familiar location, pleased to find that the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall was still there.
He looked up and could even recognize the sa plaque from those days, although it had been repainted with red lacquer multiple tis.
"Hmm?"
He suddenly furrowed his brow, noticing sothing discordant.
He rembered his master, Zhou An, saying that the plaque from when the hall opened was inscribed by a famous calligrapher and made with significant expense. The words "Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall" were gilded, using a total of twenty taels of gold.
But now, the gold on the plaque had been completely scraped away, leaving only the red lacquer.
"...The martial arts hall has indeed fallen on hard tis."
Zhang Yao remained silent for a while before realizing that there weren’t even gatekeeping disciples at the martial arts hall.
He wandered into the hall, noticing that the once spacious and magnificent training ground had many broken stone slabs with weeds growing through the cracks, looking sowhat desolate.
A dozen or so teenagers, under the guidance of a young man, were practicing postures, accompanied by shouts.
But their movents were far from standard; so barely managed to pose, and their shouting was haphazard and disorderly.
The young man seed a bit helpless with this, trying his best to correct them, but with limited success.
"Hmm?"
The young man noticed Zhang Yao, approached, and asked:
"Who might you be? Is there sothing you need?"
Zhang Yao observed him for a few monts and found his face sowhat unfamiliar, so he asked:
"Are ng Zongwei and Zhou Hongxiu still around?"
The young man hesitated for a mont before answering:
"My grandfather passed away over a dozen years ago, and my grandmother also passed seven or eight years ago."
Hearing this answer, Zhang Yao sighed, not really surprised.
ng Zongwei was twelve years older than him and would be over eighty now, but since he practiced External Martial Arts, it was hard to live to such an age.
Zhou Hongxiu was the sa, and since she practiced the true teachings of Hong Yun Martial Arts Hall, her lifespan was also short.
"So, is Zhou Tong your mother? She must still be around?"
Zhang Yao asked another question.
"Hmm?!"
The young man’s brow furrowed, revealing a touch of wariness in his eyes, and his tone beca a bit unfriendly:
"May I know who you are? Inquiring about my family affairs right away doesn’t seem quite right, does it?"
"Boy, you’re overthinking it."
Zhang Yao smiled and said, "I am your elder; ng Zongwei was my senior brother, I am Zhang Yao."
"If you don’t know, talk to your mother about it; she will surely know."
"Zhang Yao..."
The young man repeated the na, feeling it sowhat familiar, but it was a vague impression.
"Wait here, I’ll go ask my mother."
He evidently didn’t believe Zhang Yao’s claim, turned, and left the front courtyard hurriedly.
"This kid isn’t going to get a weapon, is he?"
Zhang Yao guessed his cautious intentions and couldn’t help but chuckle.
With his discerning eyes, he could easily see that the young man’s cultivation was only at the level of Great Success in the Golden Furnace Technique, unable to wield much of the Great Vajra Fist’s power.
At this stage, to engage in combat, he would either wear armor or wield a weapon.
Monts later:
That young man did indeed return with a long spear, accompanied by a woman in her fifties, with a weathered face and a slow gait.
"Mother, it’s him claiming to be Zhang Yao, saying he’s grandfather’s junior brother."
The young man spoke softly, still filled with caution.
"Zhang Yao... Uncle Zhang? Impossible!"
The woman glanced at him, shook her head repeatedly, her voice sowhat hoarse:
"Your grandfather and grandmother ntioned, your Uncle Zhang left Changping decades ago. If he were alive today, he would be over seventy."
"This person is most likely a fraud, coming here intending to swindle us..."
"A fraud?"
Zhang Yao looked at the woman, suddenly laughing heartily, and said:
"Tongtong, you have a birthmark near your right armpit, like half a dark cloud with a bite taken out of it, isn’t it?"
"You?!"
The woman was imdiately taken aback, taking a subconscious step back and asking:
"How do you know... no, who are you really?"
This was a private matter, known only by her parents and husband; even her son was unaware. How could this man know so clearly?
"Hahaha..."
Zhang Yao laughed aloud: "You silly girl, I held you myself when you were little, of course, I know."
"You were only one or two years old at the ti, and you used to cling to and refuse to leave; of course, you wouldn’t rember now."
The woman was left dumbfounded, as was the young man beside her.
"You..."
Zhou Tong hesitated for a long ti, scrutinizing Zhang Yao, before asking with half-belief:
"Are you really Uncle Zhang, but how can you be so young..."
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