Chapter 72 - Chapter 72

Three years is neither a long time nor a short time. During the three years since Zhou Peng left, great changes have taken place in the Zhou family and even the entire Qinghe City. Yang Hong, the Northwest King, was not willing to be mediocre and just be called a 'king'. What he wanted was to be called an 'emperor'. The seven northwest cities of the Dali Dynasty all fell under Yang Hong's power. The ambition that had been lurking for many years and the aspiration that had been buried for decades finally burst out. Qinghe City was his first battle, and he took it easily. Zhao Hetu had applied for sending a large number of troops to garrison Qinghe City for many years, but he had never succeeded because his letters could not reach the imperial city of Dali at all. They were all intercepted by Yang Hong one by one, with the aim of weakening Qinghe City's power. Qinghe City has a strategic geographical location, with the Qing Shui River as a natural barrier, and the dangerous Kunlun Mountains in the north. Taking it is undoubtedly adding a guarantee and an extra way out. Yang Hong had been coveting Qinghe City for a long time, so when he declared himself emperor, the first place he conquered was Qinghe City. Now Qinghe City is no longer divided by family forces as before. Almost all the forces in Qinghe City have been incorporated. Even those adventure teams entering and leaving the Kunlun Mountains have been incorporated one by one. Those who do not obey will be killed without mercy. During those days, blood flowed like a river in Qinghe City... Qinghe City has changed, and the Zhou family has been shaken even more violently. In the Furong Restaurant, Zhang Dafu was as busy as usual. Only now, he would occasionally stand at the door of the restaurant and stare blankly at the North Street. Whenever an adventure team coming out of the Kunlun Mountains appeared in the restaurant, he would go up with a big smile on his face and inquire about Zhou Peng's whereabouts. The three - year deadline had arrived, but Zhou Peng had not come back yet. Everyone thought that he had died in the Kunlun Mountains and it was impossible for him to come out alive. Since Zhou Peng had spared him once and became famous in the family invitational tournament, he had decided to stand by Zhou Peng's side. More changes had occurred in the Zhou family in recent years than in the previous decades. Now he didn't know whether he should change his original intention. After all, how many people could stay in the Kunlun Mountains for three years and still come out alive? Zhang Dafu, an outer disciple abandoned by the Zhou family, his lifelong wish was to return to the Zhou family. Even being a servant would be a hundred times better than being outside. And the only person he could rely on was Zhou Peng. However, since the Zhou family had been in turmoil, he knew that relying on Zhou Peng was simply not possible. Now, not to mention whether Zhou Peng could come out of the Kunlun Mountains alive, even if he came out alive, he could not oppose the Zhou family. The current Zhou family was no longer the previous Zhou family. Even the plaque on the gate of the Zhou family had been changed to 'Zhou Mansion'. Zhou Zhantian was now an important official in the founding of the Tianya Imperial City, and the disciples of the Zhou family had become the Zhou Army. Zhang Dafu let out a long sigh and started to calculate with the abacus crackling. Looking at the accounts, his heart tightened. The taxes were getting heavier and heavier. If this continued, the Furong Restaurant could not be run at all. "Boss, three grilled fish and one catty of beef..." Zhang Dafu raised his head and showed a professional smile. Just as he was about to let the new waiter serve, his eyes became dull. Looking at the young man on the seat, his heart was greatly shocked, and he couldn't help but tremble. "Young Master, you... you... you are back." His voice was full of excitement and shock. The joy in his eyes made Zhou Peng also secretly shocked. Looking at Zhang Dafu, he smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, your smile is still as disgusting as ever." As soon as Zhou Peng opened his mouth, Zhang Dafu immediately ran up with a smile. His eyes looked around, his face changed, and he pulled Zhou Peng to the backyard. Seeing Zhang Dafu's expression, it was estimated that there was something very important. Zhou Peng smiled and just followed him. Coming to the backyard, Zhang Dafu's face changed and he said very solemnly, "Young Master, you should leave Qinghe City quickly. You can't go back to the Zhou family anymore." "Can't go back?" Zhou Peng frowned. Didn't he spend three years cultivating in the Kunlun Mountains just to step back into the Zhou family openly and slap them in the face hard? Hearing what Zhang Dafu said, Zhou Peng immediately realized that something big might have happened and immediately asked, "Did something happen?" "Did something happen to Meng Lei?" "Uncle Meng, he... he..." Zhang Dafu showed a painful expression, gritted his teeth and said, "He fell off the back cliff and his life or death is unknown." "What?" "Boom" Zhou Peng's mind suddenly exploded like a thunderbolt, and a strong murderous intention was suddenly released. The powerful aura on his body instantly melted the thick snow around him and quickly turned it into white steam and evaporated. Zhang Dafu's face was pale, his heart was constricting rapidly, and his whole body could not move. The cold sweat on his forehead burst out instantly and rolled down. He choked with sobs and said, "Young Master, please... please spare my life..." Looking at Zhang Dafu's painful expression, Zhou Peng relaxed his brows, and the fierce murderous intention disappeared immediately. He took a step forward, grabbed Zhang Dafu's collar, and his eyes were like dark black holes, emitting cold rays that could penetrate the soul. "Quickly tell me, what exactly happened?" Zhang Dafu was gasping for breath, his chest was heaving greatly. The killing intent on Zhou Peng's body almost crushed him to death. Seeing Zhou Peng's cold eyes, his Adam's apple rolled, and he immediately said, "The Yang family forced Yun Man to marry. Yun Man refused. Meng Lei vowed to protect her. The two of them fled to the back cliff and were shaken off the cliff by the Great Elder with a palm. Their life or death is unknown." "Zhou Xiangtian!" Zhou Peng raised his head and roared. All the joints in his body crackled. If he had not tried his best to restrain himself, the aura released from his body could have instantly killed Zhang Dafu alive. Biting his teeth, frowning, his pupils were wide open and bloodshot. Anger, boundless anger formed a sea of fire. Zhou Peng's heart suddenly trembled, and the sound of a dragon's roar suddenly came from the sky. Then he asked, "Where is Yun Man now?" "Yun Man had no choice. She was framed by Zhou Kuang. She was sent to Tianya City yesterday. I'm afraid she has already arrived..." "Zhou Kuang!" The cold voice was like the ice in the underworld sea, making Zhang Dafu shudder. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew by, and Zhou Peng had disappeared from his original position. After Zhou Peng left, Zhang Dafu could not bear the pressure and fell down on the ground. His eyes were extremely shocked, and he murmured in a low voice, "Too... too powerful." The Zhou family was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers, full of joy. Big red lanterns were hung high, and the people coming in and out had happy smiles on their faces. Being able to climb up to the imperial relatives, the Zhou family in Qinghe City was the only one. Everyone couldn't understand why Yang Lin, the third son of the Yang family, a stunning genius, would fall in love with Yun Man who only had the sixth level of the Spiritual Movement Realm in cultivation. Moreover, Yun Man was timid by nature. Cultivation was useless to her. She didn't even dare to have a basic confrontation with others. They really didn't know what Yang Lin saw in her. The Zhou family didn't care what Yang Lin saw in Yun Man at all. As long as Yang Lin liked her. The seven northwest cities had strong power. In the future, it was only a matter of time for Yang Hong to unify the Dali Dynasty. As the most outstanding third son among Yang Hong's four sons, his future must be extremely promising. Yang Lin could fall in love with Yun Man, and the Zhou family was naturally extremely happy. At the entrance of the Zhou family, a gust of cold wind blew by, and a long string of phantoms converged into one. Zhou Peng stared coldly at the two words 'Zhou Mansion' on the plaque, with a strong murderous intention on his face...