Chapter 1067 - 695: Dire News

Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s explanation, Mrs. Zhang nodded understandingly. Now that Zhang Chen was the head of the family, bearing the responsibility for its prosperity and decline, and being the backbone of the entire family, since Zhang Chen had spoken, Mrs. Zhang certainly had no reason to object.

Zhang Chen summoned the two little ones again and assigned the prepared elixirs and Yellow Spring Water from yesterday separately. Mrs. Zhang was also allocated a share, receiving the same treatment as the three little ones. After patiently advising a few people, under the tearful gazes of the two little ones, the four of them paid respects to the master’s wife, and after bidding her farewell, they headed down the mountain.

"Big Brother, do you really refuse to go with us? We are family, no matter where, we should go and return together." Zhang Tuowei tugged on Zhang Chen’s sleeve, his eyes filled with reluctance and nostalgia.

"You are just setting out first. Who knows, I might catch up with you before you even reach Kyoto." Zhang Chen rubbed the little girl’s head.

At this moment, Chengyu acted like a small adult, patting his chest and promising, "Zhang Chen, rest assured, I will definitely protect them well."

Zhang Chen rubbed Chengyu’s head again, but the little girl glared at Zhang Chen with dissatisfaction, "I’m already an adult, don’t rub my head anymore."

Mrs. Zhang, standing aside, looked at Zhang Chen and reminded him, "You are alone in Jinling City, a bit weak, so be more careful in everything."

"You can rest assured." Zhang Chen nodded, then took out four Invisibility Runes and placed them on each of the four, and the group arrived at the foot of the mountain where Xie Daoyun was waiting in front of a carriage.

Seeing the wonders of the Invisibility Runes, she couldn’t help but her eyes lit up, "Not bad! What a good trick!"

She was already a ninth-order expert, so the Invisibility Runes couldn’t fool her.

"I entrust these close relatives to your care, sister." Zhang Chen solemnly addressed Xie Daoyun.

"Don’t worry, I will return your family healthy and whole. With our friendship, why bother saying thanks?" Xie Lingyun lifted the carriage curtain:

"I’ve already removed all nearby spies and informants, let’s hit the road quickly. You, kid, have provoked too many enemies; if they realize and send spies after us, who knows what trouble it could cause."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded, turned to look at the three little ones and Mrs. Zhang, and finally boarded the carriage under their reluctant gaze.

"See you in Kyoto!" Xie Lingyun called out to Zhang Chen, swung the whip, and turned to leave, her figure disappearing from Zhang Chen’s sight.

"See you in Kyoto!" Zhang Chen murmured, turning back to the academy.

The departure of the three little ones and Mrs. Zhang made Zhang Chen feel much relieved, as if some shackles had been cut off.

"If something major happens in Jinling City in the future, I can definitely let loose and try the power of my Sun True Flame." Zhang Chen thought silently to himself.

Just as myriad thoughts were flickering in Zhang Chen’s mind, suddenly a hurried sound of footsteps came from afar, startling Zhang Chen to turn and look, only to see a disheveled, ragged man rushing from a distance. Upon seeing Zhang Chen, he called out loudly, "Young master, please wait!"

Zhang Chen glanced at the man, noticing the flow of Qi Blood around him, the surging under his skin like thunder, which caught Zhang Chen’s attention, indicating that the man’s identity was certainly not a beggar; how could a beggar refine Qi Blood?

Furthermore, the man’s speech carried a Northern dialect, somewhere between the north and south, sounding familiar to Zhang Chen, as if he had heard it before.

Thus, Zhang Chen halted his steps, quietly watching the man as he rushed in front of him, respectfully bowing, "Greetings, young master, are you a student of Chongzheng Academy?"

Although the opponent appeared anxious, he maintained his decorum, his every move quite proper, which earned Zhang Chen’s silent approval.

"I am a student of the academy," Zhang Chen replied.

Upon hearing this, the man was overjoyed, "Do you know Jiang Nan?"

Hearing him mention Jiang Nan and listening to the familiar dialect, Zhang Chen finally knew where the man came from and nodded, "I do know him."

"Could you please convey a message to Jiang Nan for me, saying someone from his hometown is here, waiting at the foot of the mountain?" The man’s eyes shimmered with hope.

Zhang Chen smiled, "Why bother with me when you can go in with me?"

"But the people at the academy won’t let me in," the man said helplessly, "I have traveled from the Northern Land, encountered battles and disasters, and even faced demon beast chaos, losing all belongings. I look like a beggar now, and the guards at the academy gate refuse to let me in."

"No problem, just follow me in," Zhang Chen led the way.

The man hesitated for a moment and hurriedly followed behind Zhang Chen. Together, they approached the academy gate where Zhang Chen saw the Steward guarding it. The man followed behind Zhang Chen, attempting to enter when Zhang Chen waved to deter the group.

Zhang Chen’s relations with Zhou Qiucheng and Zhou Zhen had long been quietly spreading in the academy, so when the Steward guarding the entrance saw Zhang Chen waving, he respectfully withdrew.

Zhang Chen led the man all the way to the Exquisite Tower, telling him to wait in front of it before entering. He did not find Jiang Nan but learned after inquiries that Jiang Nan had been unconscious since being slapped by Zhang Gaoqiu, and had not recovered, lying in his room to heal.

Zhang Chen found out the location of Jiang Nan’s room and then emerged from the Exquisite Tower, guiding the man to Jiang Nan’s quarters. After crossing several mountain paths, they came to a house, where the scent of herbal medicine drifted through the woods.

Zhang Chen came to the front of the courtyard. Through the gap in the gate, he saw Shen Qiu squatting in the yard, decocting medicine, while Jiang Nan lay on a recliner, bruised and basking in the sun.

"Jiang Nan is right in the courtyard. You can just go in." Zhang Chen didn’t want to see Jiang Nan, nor did he want to have any entanglement with Jiang Nan, so he quietly withdrew. However, before he could take a few steps, he saw that man crash through the door, and his wailing echoed through the nearby mountains and forests:

"Miss, disaster has struck! Disaster has struck!"

The man crashed into the yard all the way, stumbling as he came in front of Jiang Nan, his feet went soft, and he knelt on the ground, crying loudly.

Jiang Nan was startled by the cries and sat up. Upon carefully recognizing the beggar in front of him, his eyes were filled with disbelief as he stood up and quickly rushed to help him up: "Uncle Dali?"

"Miss, it’s me! This old servant is Dali!" The man cried out with a sobbing voice.

"Weren’t you in Guangji Prefecture? Why are you here?" An ominous premonition suddenly rose in Jiang Nan’s heart.

"Miss, Guangji Prefecture has been massacred by Yellow Heaven Dao. The master and all the brothers have been ground into dust by Yellow Heaven Dao. It was under the orders of the old master that I came here to deliver the message, barely escaping the tragedy." The middle-aged man’s voice was full of agony.

"What?" Jiang Nan felt as if struck by lightning, utterly bewildered, he looked at the middle-aged man in disbelief: "What did you say? Say it again?"

Jiang Nan’s voice was filled with disbelief. He was a little suspicious that his ears might have heard wrong.

"All 376 members of our family have been slaughtered, all killed by the bandits of Yellow Heaven Dao!" Dali said.

"Why would Yellow Heaven Dao commit such brutal actions? Aren’t they afraid of incurring the court’s wrath?" Jiang Nan’s voice was filled with disbelief, and he fell to the ground in shock.

Outside the courtyard

Zhang Chen overheard the news and already had a guess in his heart. It must be because of the Shen Family’s water fortune rights. The location of Guangji Prefecture is crucial, and since the Jiang Family served the Shen Family, it’s not surprising they were also exterminated.

The Shen Family was wiped out, so naturally, the Jiang Family was eradicated too.

"Truly pitiful." Zhang Chen, hearing the cries from within the courtyard, felt no stirrings in his heart and turned away, heading into the distance.

Inside the courtyard, Jiang Nan cried bitterly, while Shen Qiu hurried over to comfort him.

Three days later

When school was dismissed, Zhang Chen walked out of the Exquisite Tower and encountered a haggard Jiang Nan. At this moment, with loose hair, he stood in front of the Exquisite Tower, stepping forward to block Zhang Chen’s path upon seeing him.

Zhang Chen paused for a moment, intending to bypass Jiang Nan and leave, but unexpectedly, Jiang Nan followed closely and blocked Zhang Chen’s path once again.

"What is it?" Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow and asked, a trace of distance in his voice.

"I have something I want to ask you, but this isn’t the place to talk. Come with me..." Jiang Nan said to Zhang Chen and turned to lead the way.

But Zhang Chen glanced at Jiang Nan, shook his head, and didn’t pay him any heed, choosing to go his separate way.

Seeing Zhang Chen not following, Jiang Nan rushed forward and said, "Zhang Chen, I have something to tell you."

"Didn’t you say you wanted to cut off ties with me, and that we’d forever be strangers?" Zhang Chen replied with a hint of mockery.

Although he had slept with her, so what? There were many women Zhang Chen had been with, did he need to be responsible for all of them?

It was just a fleeting relationship, talking about any sense of obligation was overly amusing.

"My family was slaughtered, so please, even if just out of pity, give me a chance to speak." Jiang Nan lowered his stance, no longer displaying the prior arrogance.

Recalling the favor owed from the boat, Zhang Chen glanced at Jiang Nan’s messy appearance and couldn’t help but soften a bit.

This girl, though a bit calculating, didn’t really have a bad heart.

Finally, Zhang Chen nodded and followed Jiang Nan to a secluded pavilion, where he said, "What do you want to say to me? It’s not that you want to marry me, right? I’m just a poor boy with no power or influence. You wouldn’t look up to me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan’s face showed embarrassment. She lowered her head and stammered, "It’s not that, I... I... I wanted to ask if you could introduce me to Young Master Zhou Zhen, create an opportunity for me to meet Young Master Zhou Zhen?"

Zhang Chen froze upon hearing this, staring at Jiang Nan in a daze, his eyes wide in disbelief: "Are you serious?"