"Is there something funny?" The old ancestor of the Hua family stood there silently. Even though there was no expression on his face, one could still feel the anger he was trying to suppress. Not to mention the old ancestor, even the villagers and others were looking at Yang Ze with cold eyes.
"Naah. It's just that I think the playtime is over."
"Interesting." The old man suddenly broke out in a smile. "Since when were you aware?"
"Well, I wouldn't put it in words like that; it's just some wild guess." Stretching his body which was still somewhat sore from all that sleep, Yang Ze said in a mysterious tone. "Well, it's a long story."
"Go on. We have plenty of time." The old man still looked the same as before without any changes in his expression.
"Hmm. Let's start from the beginning then." Placing his hand on his chin, Yang Ze slowly stroked the mask before speaking.
"I had some doubts the day after we fought the wolves. You see, in the morning when we began our journey, one member of ours was replaced." With these words, his eyes moved towards the direction where the figure of a mature woman was standing silently. "Isn't that right my dear Hua Lin?"
"Interesting. So the reason you asked me about her for this?" At this moment, Elder Cheng who was quiet suddenly spoke.
The day Yang Ze asked him about Hua Lin, the first thought that came to his mind was that he was interested in her. After all, for a young man like him, Hua Lin was a fatal attraction.
Hua Lin who usually appeared calm and carefree was now standing there with a cold gaze. At this moment her eyes were filled with murderous intent. Now she understands why this person never made a move on her. From the very start, he was not interested in her. On the contrary, she was played like a fool. The more she thought about it, the grim her expression became.
"Go on." The old ancestor of the Hua family was still standing there with a smile.
"Well, don't feel bad sweetheart. Maybe one day we both might fall in love and have our own children." Yang Ze was still looking at Hua Lin in the distance whose face was as cold as ice. If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times by now.
"Well, Old Li, do you remember our conversation?" Yang Ze's eyes now drifted to the Old Li who was standing near the ancestor of the Hua family. Both of them stared at each other for a while before Yang Ze shook his head.
"Tch. What a prick."
"Well, it's normal for people of your age to forget about things all the time. There is nothing to be embarrassed about."
Old Li stood there without refuting or making any sound. It was obvious that the mockery just now wasn't very effective against him.
"Let me remind you what you said during our first meeting." With each sentence, Yang Ze's voice was becoming more serious.
"You said, GREAT JOB YOUNG HERO."
"I don't see the problem?" At this moment, old Li finally couldn't stay still. In his eyes, he didn't see any problem with how he spoke.
"Uugh." Exhaling, Yang Ze looked at old Li before speaking again. "Tell me, old man, have you ever seen my face? Or perhaps heard my voice?"
It was at this moment, that Old Li's eyes suddenly flashed. Thinking back now, since the day Yang Ze arrived in the village, he always kept the mask on. Even his voice was hoarse, making it difficult for others to guess his true voice.
Since he never took off his mask or spoke in his original voice, then it was impossible for the Old Li to know his age. Yet, in their very first meeting, he addressed him as 'Young Hero'.
"Now you see?" Even though no one could see his expression behind that mask, in their hearts, Yang Ze was definitely smiling in disdain after pointing it out.
'Clap, clap.'
"Nice observation skills young man. No wonder you were able to step into the realm of Qi Condensing at such a young age." The old ancestor of the Hua family was clapping in admiration. In this long life of his, he has seen plenty of geniuses, but a person like Yang Ze who was not only gifted with cultivation but also with keen observation was a rare sight to behold.
"But, it still doesn't explain anything." Even with these things, it was impossible to guess upto this extent. At most, one could only piece them together and think that they wanted to pull him into their family.
"Heh." It was at this time, that Yang Ze sneered and slowly spoke. "No shit Sherlock. I wouldn't have doubted anything if not for you, this old man Li and that pretty lady Hua Lin over there following us the entire journey."
"And not to mention she keeping an eye on me the entire time since my arrival here." Pointing his finger at Hua Lin, Yang Ze shook his head. "I mean if you really love me, you could have just snuck into my bed during the night. I wouldn't have rejected you."
"I'M GONNA MURDER THIS LITTLE SHIT." Hua Lin who was standing there finally couldn't control herself.
"Calm down." Elder Cheng was quick to jump in front of her. After holding her wrist, he shook his head sternly.
"DAMN IT." Gnashing her teeth, Hua Lin took a deep breath before calming herself down. It was already humiliating for a lady like her to visit someone at night. If not for the honeytrap that the family prepared for him, she wouldn't have given this guy a second glance. Yet even after all that, he had the audacity to tell her that he was a woman. It was not only a slap on her face but also a question of her intelligence.
"Well, I still don't know what you guys plan to do, but I assume it's not something very nice." There was still a hint of playfulness in his voice. He had some wild guesses, but he wasn't completely sure about them.
"I told you my story, how about you tell me yours now?"
The old ancestor of the Hua family went silent for a long time. After staring at Yang Ze for a long time, his old face which was full of wrinkles finally let out a smile.
"I like you... And since you are so sincere, I will explain the reason why we all are here."
"Do you know that the Ignis city is controlled by five families? Hua, Xu, Chen, Li, and Long. These five families are the pillars that hold up this city, yet, at the same time, they also keep each other in check."
After a brief silence, he continued his speech.
"Weren't you asking about the Innate realm for a long time?" Pointing his fingers towards Elder Cheng and Old Li, he shook his head. "Let me tell you what it means to be innate."
"In this entire radius of a thousand miles, there isn't a single innate in existence. Stepping into innate means you can control the entire Ignis city. Not to mention Ignis city, you can even control all the surrounding cities."
.
.
"You see, fifteen years ago, our family found out about the cave of an expert. Before any of us could have made our way there, an expert from Xuanwu Martial Academy was already there. In the end, all we could fight for were the leftovers."
At this moment, the first thought that came to Yang Ze's mind was the story that Elder Cheng told him a few days ago. Perhaps being able to read his thoughts, Elder Cheng nodded from a distance as if agreeing with his questioning gaze.
"Even though that Expert disappeared after taking the inheritance, he still missed something..." With a deep breath, he spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone. "In that cave, we found a secret art. It was a secret art that could help one to step into the realm of Innate."
With every word, his voice was getting louder and louder.
"You couldn't believe our joy when we found out about it. Yet perhaps it was a cruel joke of fate that the secret art has strict requirements."
At this moment his eyes seemed to burn brighter than before. His gaze that was looking at Yang Ze was full of greed and longing.
'Bruh.' Aware of his gaze, Yang Ze complained in his heart. If this gaze that was full of greed and longing came from a woman, he would have been overjoyed. Yet, looking at the old man in his nineties, he was already getting goosebumps.
"The secret art requires the sacrifice of a person who has stepped into the realm of Qi Guiding before the age of twenty. Can you believe it?"
"Do you know that the youngest person who stepped into the realm of Qi Guiding was twenty-three years old? And even that was a long... long time ago. Nowadays, the youngest person is above thirty."
"So, to find someone below the age of twenty in Qi Guiding was a task that was doomed to fail."
After calming himself down, the old man looked at Yang Ze for a long time.
'Well... Shit'
Cursing loudly in his heart, Yang Ze was finally able to understand everything that was going on here. In his mind, the conclusion he had till this morning was that of the Hua family trying to rope him in. According to his understanding, the Hua family was interested in recruiting a talented young person like him after knowing about his talents. This was the reason they even sent a beautiful woman into his room.
But, who would have thought, that the real reason was something this sinister? At this moment, Yang Ze was once again reminded of his rebirth into a new world where the law of the jungle prevailed. He was kicked out of the family for being weak, and now he was in danger of his life because he was too strong for his age.
"Do you know what it feels like to have a treasure in front of you without being able to use it? Even though the method to step into the realm of Innate was there; just right in front of us, none of us could take that step."
"BUT NOW..."
Suddenly his voice started shaking with great excitement.
"BUT NOW WE CAN. And today, I will be the first one to step into Innate and rule this city. I wouldn't have to die of old age. Perhaps I could even establish my own Martial Academy."
There was a tinge of madness in his eyes. Even though he was trying to calm himself, the sheer allure of Innate in front of him was enough to make him lose his cool.
The more Yang Ze listened to him, the more he found himself at a loss for words. Truly... despair could drive people to such lengths. It wasn't his first time seeing something like this, but it still made him sigh with helplessness.
"You know, you remind me of someone."
Even though things were going south for Yang Ze, he still appeared calm. However if one were to listen closely, one could feel the complex emotions hiding in his voice. Even his eyes turned somewhat soft while looking at the old man. "Forget it. On the account of that precious memory, I wouldn't bury you in this mountain."
Just because he was willing to let go of the old man didn't mean the old man was willing to let him go. The next sentence from the ancestor of the Hua family would decide the fate of everyone present here.
Sure enough, meeting his expectations, the Old man burst out laughing as if he heard the biggest joke of his life before shouting in a voice that was filled with excitement.
"BRING HIM TO ME."