"Second brother, how are you, feeling any better?"
Fatty was the first to speak, his face full of concern.
Zhang Qilin slowly nodded.
His headache had subsided significantly.
Zhang Tian also noticed that as Zhang Qilin arrived in Zangxi, the speed of his memory recovery was increasing.
"Did you recall anything?"
Zhang Tian asked, a hint of concern in his eyes.
Zhang Qilin thought for a moment.
"I saw myself wearing Tibetan clothes, many figures, and a strange drum tower."
Zhang Qilin said.
Everyone was bewildered.
"Second brother, you wore Tibetan clothes? That would have made Fatty ecstatic!"
Fatty exclaimed.
"Fatty, can your focus be less peculiar?"
Hu Bayi shot Fatty a glare, then turned to Shirley Yang.
"Drum tower? In Xia, there are many drum towers. How many have you seen, Yang?"
Hu Bayi asked. Shirley Yang shook her head.
"I haven't seen many drum towers either, but there might be one in Anxi."
Shirley Yang replied. She hadn't seen much of Chinese culture, so she couldn't answer definitively.
"I'll take you next time, then."
Hu Bayi said.
Zhang Tian slapped his forehead.
"What kind of buildings were around the drum tower you saw, or what did it look like?"
Zhang Tian asked Zhang Qilin.
Zhang Tian suspected that Zhang Qilin had seen the Zhang family drum tower.
However, Zhang Tian was unsure of its location.
Zhang Qilin thought carefully.
"It was a very grand drum tower, with buildings on both sides."
"It was very dark around."
Zhang Qilin spoke, but the clues were still sparse for Zhang Tian.
"Alright, tell us if you remember anything else. I suspect it's the Zhang family drum tower."
Zhang Tian said, not trying to hide it.
"The Zhang family drum tower? Damn, isn't your family in the antique business, boss? How does a drum tower come into it?"
Fatty was confused. He had never heard that Zhang Tian's family owned a drum tower.
Could it be that Zhang Tian had secretly taken on a godfather?
"I'm talking about the historical Zhang family drum tower."
Zhang Tian glared at Fatty.
Suddenly, Wu Tianzhen seemed to recall something and spoke up.
"Little Master Zhang, I think I've heard my grandfather mention that in the old Nine Gates, there was a mysterious Zhang family."
"The Zhang family also had a mysterious drum tower. Are you talking about the same one?"
Wu Tianzhen said, his eyes filled with excitement.
Since childhood, Wu Tianzhen had been fascinated by the stories of the Nine Gates. Now, with Zhang Tian mentioning the Zhang family, he immediately thought of something.
"Yes, the Zhang family drum tower. You know about it too?"
Zhang Tian looked at Wu Tianzhen.
He had forgotten that there was someone present who was from the Nine Gates lineage.
"Yes, I heard my grandfather talk about it when I was a child. The old Nine Gates were divided into the upper three and lower three gates..."
"No need to explain that. Get to the point."
Zhang Tian interrupted.
Wu Tianzhen nodded and proceeded to the main points.
"It is said that the Zhang family was the most mysterious among the Nine Gates, with extremely secretive methods. It is said that at one point, they even implemented a clan leader system."
"However, my grandfather later said that the Zhang family had internal strife and eventually dispersed."
"Little Master Zhang, could your family be one of the first branches to split off?"
Wu Tianzhen asked in surprise.
Zhang Tian frowned slightly.
His expression turned serious.
His mother had never mentioned this to him.
But thinking back now, his parents were not afraid of Yi Mei Dao Ren at all.
They weren't even afraid of a little fox spirit.
There must be something going on.
An ordinary person would have been terrified and unable to sleep.
But his father was so preoccupied with playing chess that he couldn't sleep.
The difference was stark.
"I don't know about that, they never told me. But I suspect it's true."
Zhang Tian said.
Wu Tianzhen nodded.
"If that's the case, then your family, Little Master Zhang, is very likely one of the branches."
"After the Zhang family disbanded, countless branches are said to have left."
Wu Tianzhen said. Zhang Tian stroked his chin.
He looked at Zhang Qilin again.
If that were the case, wouldn't Zhang Qilin be his ancestor?
Zhang Tian gasped.
Good heavens, from brother to ancestor, Zhang Tian found it a bit hard to accept.
This was happening too quickly.
Zhang Qilin, on the other hand, listened attentively, feeling nothing amiss.
"I don't know anything about what happened after that."
Wu Tianzhen waved his hand.
Zhang Tian pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand. When we get back this time, I'll ask. Perhaps we'll find a clue about the drum tower."
If his parents really knew something, perhaps Zhang Tian could help Zhang Qilin find more memories.
But his identity might have to change.
Zhang Tian was somewhat troubled.
Changing one's identity was quite troublesome.
"I never expected Qilin to be from the Zhang family. I truly never imagined it."
"He should be of the same generation as my grandfather."
Wu Tianzhen mused.
Zhang Qilin, standing nearby, was somewhat confused by the conversation.
However, he understood that Zhang Tian might indeed be able to help him recover his memories.
Zhang Tian said nothing, sitting aside and lost in thought.
Did his family have any connection to them?
After all, not everyone surnamed Zhang was a descendant of the Zhang family. But judging by his parents' demeanor, the probability seemed quite high.
"Forget it, the more I think about it, the stranger it gets. We'll talk about it when we get back."
Zhang Tian shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside.
After searching for so long, the key memory point was right there, with him.
Zhang Tian felt a bit frustrated.
"Did you see anything else?"
Zhang Tian looked at Zhang Qilin.
Zhang Qilin slowly shook his head.
"No."
Zhang Qilin said no more.
Zhang Tian didn't ask further questions.
"Alright, everyone get some rest. We'll depart tomorrow."
Zhang Tian waved his hand.
Everyone nodded and began to leave Zhang Tian's room.
Lying in bed, Zhang Tian thought about many things.
Ultimately, Zhang Tian decided that Zhang Qilin was Zhang Qilin, and different from his past self.
Therefore, even if his memories were restored, nothing would change, and he didn't need to be so reserved.
With this thought, Zhang Tian dispelled the lingering doubts in his heart.
The next day.
Zhang Tian and the others rose early.
Zhang Tian stood outside, looking at the Zangxi morning. It seemed no different from Beili.
After a long gaze, Zhang Tian lowered his eyes. Fatty and the others were slowly emerging from the inn.
"Boss, let's set off. Fatty can't wait any longer."
Fatty clenched his fists and rubbed them together.
Zhang Tian waved his hand: "Then mount your horses, set sail."
As Zhang Tian spoke, everyone mounted their steeds and began heading along their planned route.
The horses were quite swift. Zhang Tian was no stranger to riding them, having done so in the village where Hu Bayi had lived.
However, seeing Shirley Yang ride so gallantly still surprised him.
Truly, no woman here was ordinary. Yingzi was a strong woman before, and Shirley Yang was no less capable.
Indeed, in this era, women could hold up half the sky.
It was quite different from later times.
Soon, Zhang Tian and his companions' figures gradually disappeared from view.