Chapter 113: Zheng Hui, An Opportunity to Rise Again

Even from outside the courtyard, Lu Yang could hear the faint voices coming from within.

One belonged to a man. His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had spent years struggling against unfavorable circumstances.

The other belonged to a woman. She spoke quietly, occasionally pausing as if calculating something in her head.

"...After paying the rent and settling the remaining debt, we won’t have much left."

The man’s voice fell silent for a moment.

"Then we’ll have to make do. I’ll find another way to earn some money."

"What about the children’s schooling fees?"

"We’ll have to manage somehow..."

Lu Yang listened without showing any reaction. Then, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The voices inside abruptly stopped.

After several moments, hurried footsteps approached. The door creaked open, revealing a middle aged man.

He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties, although the exhaustion etched into his face made him seem much older than that.

Several strands of white hair stood out among his otherwise dark locks. His eyes were slightly sunken, and his clothes, while clean, had clearly been worn for a long time.

The man looked at Lu Yang, his gaze falling on the wooden mask covering the young man’s face.

He froze, and for an instant, he wondered whether some strange person had mistaken his residence for somewhere else.

However, when he sensed the faint pressure emanating from Lu Yang, his expression changed drastically.

His pupils contstricted, and his heart began beating rapidly.

A cultivator!

And judging from that pressure, this was no ordinary cultivator!

Countless thoughts flashed through the man’s mind.

Had he offended someone without realizing it? Was this person connected to the Liang Family? Or had some powerful individual come looking for his younger brother’s former associates?

Before he could come to any conclusion, Lu Yang tilted his head slightly.

"Are you not going to invite me in?"

The man’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

He hurriedly stepped aside and bowed deeply.

"Please forgive my discourtesy, great person. Please, come inside!"

Lu Yang nodded and entered without another word.

The courtyard was even more modest than it appeared from outside.

There was a single bedroom, a small kitchen, a hall, and a bathroom. The only storage room had apparently been converted into a bedroom for two children, both of whom appeared to be younger than ten, peeking out at him curiously through the door.

The furnishings were simple, and several pieces of furniture showed signs of age. There was nothing particularly valuable in sight.

The middle aged man led Lu Yang into the hall and invited him to the seat of honor.

His wife followed quietly, standing beside him with her hands clasped together.

Neither of them dared to look directly at their uninvited guest.

They had lived in this county for decades and understood that cultivators belonged to an entirely different world from ordinary people.

Even a cultivator at the early stages of Body Tempering could wield considerable influence in a place like this.

Someone whose faint aura far crushed those cultivators was even more intimidating.

Lu Yang sat down calmly.

He looked at the couple for a few moments before lightly tapping his finger against the table.

The sound was not particularly loud, yet the couple seemed to grow increasingly nervous with each passing moment.

Finally, Lu Yang spoke.

"Zheng Hui, hm?"

The middle aged man hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, great person. This humble one is Zheng Hui."

Lu Yang gave a faint hum.

Then, without any warning, he asked, "Do you want to rise up again?"

Zheng Hui froze.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had misunderstood.

Lu Yang continued in the same calm voice.

"Not only rise up again, but go even further than before."

The hall fell into a pin drop silence.

Zheng Hui stared at the masked young man, his mind struggling to comprehend the meaning behind those words.

What did this person want?

Why had he come to find him?

Was this some sort of test?

He could think of countless possibilities, but none provided a satisfactory explanation.

Yet, as he looked at the figure seated before him, a thought gradually emerged from the depths of his mind.

What if this was a genuine opportunity?

What if, after all these years, someone had finally offered him a chance to change his circumstances?

Zheng Hui swallowed at the thought.

His hands trembled slightly, but the expression in his eyes began to change.

The timidity that had dominated his face for years receded, replaced by a faint but unmistakable glimmer as he bowed deeply.

"This humble one is ignorant and incapable. I beg the great person to enlighten me."

Lu Yang looked at him for a moment, a trace of satisfaction passing through his eyes.

Indeed, he chose the right person.

In truth, Lu Yang already knew quite a bit about the man before him.

Zheng Hui had once been a relatively famous figure in this county.

His father was a wealthy merchant who owned several shops and maintained extensive connections with local businesses.

Although the Zheng Family could not compare with the truly powerful cultivation families, its wealth and influence were sufficient to establish it as a prominent local household.

Zheng Hui himself possessed considerable business acumen.

He had no cultivation talent, but his intelligence and ability to understand people’s motives had allowed him to assist his father in managing the family’s affairs.

For a time, the Zheng Family’s prospects appeared quite promising. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

His younger brother had even entered the Moonlight Pavilion as an outer disciple after the Azure Spirit Sect’s destruction.

The Moonlight Pavilion was the force that had risen to prominence in the aftermath of the old hegemon’s fall.

Although its foundation was not as deep as that of the Azure Spirit Sect at its height, it had gathered considerable resources and attracted numerous cultivators.

Becoming an outer disciple there was already a significant achievement for someone from an ordinary family.

Because Zheng Hui’s younger brother possessed good cultivation talent, there were high hopes for him to eventually enter the Spirit Awakening Realm.

With a cultivator of that caliber supporting the family, the Zheng Family’s future seemed very bright.

Unfortunately, good times did not last long.

Five years ago, Zheng Hui’s younger brother died during a mission.

The news dealt a tremendous blow to the Zheng Family.

Not long afterwards, the Liang Family began targeting their businesses.

The Liang Family had been entrenched in the county for more than a century. Its wealth was considerable, and it also possessed cultivators capable of protecting its interests.

Their young master had even entered the Moonlight Pavilion and gained the backing of a Spirit Awakening cultivator.

Compared to the Liang Family, the Zheng Family’s position quickly became precarious.

Their shops were gradually forced to close, business partners withdrew their support, and debts accumulated one after another.

Zheng Hui’s father could not withstand the successive blows and passed away in grief, followed by his wife not long afterwards.

In the end, Zheng Hui was left with his own wife and children, struggling to maintain what remained of the family.

There were even reasons to suspect that his younger brother’s death was not as simple as the official explanation suggested.

However, Lu Yang had not yet verified that matter.

All of this information was gathered by him bit by bit, wandering the entire town for most of the day and asking around occasionally.

Regardless, the result was clear.

A family that once possessed wealth, connections, and considerable prospects had been reduced to this modest courtyard, and Zheng Hui, despite his intelligence, could do little against an opponent with both greater wealth and cultivation backing.

Sometimes, a person could make all the right decisions and still lose because the other side possessed advantages that could not be overcome through cleverness or effort alone.

Lu Yang had experienced it in his previous lives more times than he cared to remember, so he naturally understood.