"It seems my sister's guess was correct, you actually dared to make a move," Zhao Linglong said calmly, her expression serene and cool.
She then rose from her seat and walked out openly. Her demeanor was one of utter confidence, as if she had anticipated the appearance of the man with the bushy beard all along.
This turn of events, however, caught the bushy-bearded man off guard. His gaze darted around the cabin, searching for something. Zhao Linglong's current composure, coupled with her mention of her sister, forced the bushy-bearded man to be wary. That sister was a formidable individual.
In Kyoto, a classic tale circulated: the Zhao family had two daughters, one of letters and one of martial arts. The one of letters was Zhao Linglong, peerlessly wise, capable of winning battles from a thousand miles away. The one of martial arts was Zhao Fenghuang, valiant and skilled in combat, never having suffered a defeat.
If Zhao Fenghuang had predicted their potential appearance, then this flight must surely have Zhao family members in ambush. However, after a thorough scan, the bushy-bearded man found nothing out of the ordinary. All passengers reacted normally, keeping their heads down, not daring to look at them. Zhang Yang and his companions were also in plain clothes. Although calm within, they cooperated by lowering their heads. Thus, to the bushy-bearded man, everything appeared perfectly normal.
"Zhao Linglong, are you trying to trick me?" the bushy-bearded man asked sternly. He felt Zhao Linglong was employing a feigned emptiness strategy, but he couldn't be certain.
"Heh, whether I'm tricking you or not, why don't you try and see? I'm standing right here, try and touch me," Zhao Linglong said, her gaze steady as she looked directly at him.
"You!" The bushy-bearded man frowned, caught in a dilemma. Zhao Linglong's composure was too perfect, leaving him hesitant. Could there truly be Zhao family experts hidden on this flight?
Zhao Linglong, in truth, was also feeling anxious. But while the bushy-bearded man was lost in thought, she chose to continue applying pressure.
"Kyoto is the capital, a place with very deep waters. It's not good to reach too far with your hands. There are other passengers on this flight. If you stop now, I might consider letting you off the hook this once. If you refuse, then some people will have to be sacrificed, and you..."
"Will all be left behind!" As she spoke, Zhao Linglong's confidence grew, her voice becoming louder and more resonant. The once self-assured bushy-bearded man found himself taking a step back, intimidated by Zhao Linglong, who was twenty years his junior, feeling a sense of dread!
The bushy-bearded man indeed fell silent, indecisive. Zhao Linglong had perfectly embodied the phrase "feigning confidence," displaying it to perfection. At this moment, the bushy-bearded man's actions against Sun Zihao and Zhao Linglong were merely impulsive, not their true plan or objective. If there were indeed Zhao family experts present, then stopping now would still be timely. After all, he hadn't completely alienated Zhao Linglong yet.
"What? Have you made up your mind?" Zhao Linglong pressed further, stepping closer again, as if Zhao family experts were right beside her.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang, seated in his row, suddenly shook his head. Jiang Pan and He Ao also followed suit.
"Zhang Yang, why are you shaking your head?" Luo Yiren asked him quietly, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Sister Yiren, when you speak, please don't stick out your tongue," Zhang Yang said, feeling a bit helpless.
"Then tell me, why are you shaking your head?" Luo Yiren dismissed his concern.
"It's nothing. Zhao Linglong's 'empty city' stratagem is too proactive; she's about to be exposed," Zhang Yang explained. This Zhao Linglong possessed an extraordinary and steady temperament, a stark contrast to Sun Zihao, who was also from a prominent Kyoto family. Sun Zihao was currently terrified to the point of wetting himself. Yet Zhao Linglong remained composed, gaining the upper hand in her interaction with the bushy-bearded man.
No, it couldn't be called an interaction; it was more accurately deception. Zhang Yang was certain of one thing: apart from the bushy-bearded man's accomplices, there were no other martial arts experts on this flight. Therefore, Zhao Linglong's words were purely a ploy to deceive the bushy-bearded man with her intelligence.
In the beginning, everything was going well, and Zhang Yang had a high opinion of Zhao Linglong. But... Zhao Linglong was too eager. Her proactive stance was too obvious, which would naturally arouse suspicion. As expected, and just as Zhang Yang predicted, under Zhao Linglong's relentless pressure, the bushy-bearded man began to sense something was amiss.
"Zhao Linglong, where are your Zhao family people? Let me see them. If they are truly on the plane, then I can apologize for my earlier actions."
"Are you sure? If I let them come out, your fate will be far worse than just an apology," Zhao Linglong said defiantly. To this moment, she hadn't realized she had revealed her hand.
"Heh, everyone in Kyoto says Zhao Linglong is exceptionally intelligent, but it seems we still don't know you well enough. Your acting is practically Oscar-worthy; you almost fooled me!" the bushy-bearded man said, his face darkening. With that, he moved closer to Zhao Linglong.
Seeing this, Zhao Linglong quickly retreated. However, it was precisely this action that completely convinced the bushy-bearded man. Zhao Linglong was not accompanied by any experts. Everything she had said was merely a test! If Zhao Linglong truly had experts with her, then the hidden Zhao family experts would have surely appeared given his sudden advance.
"Fine you bitch, you were indeed lying to me! Watch as I skin you alive!" the bushy-bearded man glared fiercely at Zhao Linglong, stepping forward to slap her.
In an instant, Zhao Linglong's face turned ashen with fear. She instinctively raised her hands to shield herself, closing her eyes, unable to bear witness. But the expected pain never came. Instead, Zhao Linglong, still with her eyes closed, heard a muffled grunt. Puzzled, she lowered her hands to observe.
This! It was him! Zhao Linglong was greatly surprised. The person who had saved her was the man who had been threatened by Sun Zihao earlier. Was he that strong? With a single punch, he had sent the bushy-bearded man flying.
"Thank you," Zhao Linglong said, looking at Zhang Yang's back.
"No need for thanks. You spoke up for me earlier, so we're even," Zhang Yang replied with a smile as he turned back. He then continued, "Besides, I don't want any unrelated matters to change the flight's route and affect my arrival time in Kyoto."
"Who are you! How dare you ruin my plans! Do you know who we are? Don't think you can play the hero just because you have True Essence realm strength!" the bushy-bearded man said, his face contorted in pain, yet his tone remained defiant.
Zhang Yang glanced at him indifferently. "I don't care about your affairs. This flight must arrive in Kyoto on schedule." With that, Zhang Yang walked back to his seat. However, as he passed Sun Zihao, he frowned. Sun Zihao had wet himself, and the scent of urine filled the air, quite pungent.
"Young Master Sun, is it? I can switch seats with you now," Zhang Yang said, displeased.
"Ah? I... I..." Sun Zihao couldn't even form a complete sentence. If he had known Zhang Yang was so powerful earlier, he would never have dared to provoke him. Fortunately, Zhang Yang didn't hold a grudge. He pulled Luo Yiren away and found seats further back.
Meanwhile, Jiang Pan emerged from the cockpit. He was carrying the bushy-bearded man's accomplices, tossing them together in a heap, piled up like a human pyramid. Zhang Yang's sudden intervention had completely disrupted the bushy-bearded man's plan. Although Zhang Yang hadn't delivered a fatal blow, the bushy-bearded man no longer dared to act rashly. They could only huddle together, discussing how to escape after disembarking. After all, Kyoto was the territory of the Sun and Zhao families. Their small group was no match for them.
The commotion over, Zhao Linglong calmed herself and approached Zhang Yang, extending her hand. "Hello, I'm Zhao Linglong, from the Zhao family. Thank you for your help just now."
"I'm Zhang Yang."
"Miss Zhao, please don't mind. We're even now." Zhang Yang shook her hand briefly and then let go.
"I..." Zhao Linglong was greatly surprised by Zhang Yang's demeanor. She was very confident in her own beauty. She had never met a man who could remain so indifferent in her presence. Moreover, he had just saved her, yet he showed no inclination to capitalize on his good deed.
"Zhang Yang, here's my business card. If you need any help in Kyoto, feel free to contact me." Zhao Linglong kept her words concise. She handed Zhang Yang her card and returned to her seat. However, she wasn't idle. She had already used a satellite phone to report the events on the plane. Not one of the bushy-bearded men would escape.
An hour later, the plane successfully landed and smoothly came to a halt on the runway. Zhang Yang and his three companions disembarked directly. As for the fate of the bushy-bearded man and his group, he paid it no further mind.
Upon exiting the airport, a black Volkswagen van picked them up. After about half an hour navigating through Kyoto, Zhang Yang and his companions arrived at the entrance of a dilapidated courtyard house.
"Zhang Yang, we'll be settling here temporarily for the next few days. It's a bit run-down, but it's passable," He Ao said.
"It's fine," Zhang Yang nodded. He then followed the driver who had brought them, carrying their luggage, into the courtyard house. This old courtyard house was the temporary base of the Five Dragons of China in Kyoto, and it was very well hidden. They usually lived outside as ordinary people, so they hadn't been discovered.
After settling in, He Ao led Zhang Yang and the others to the reception hall. A man in his fifties was already waiting. Upon seeing He Ao and Jiang Pan, the three embraced each other with open arms.
"I didn't expect you two old fellows were still alive. I'm very happy to see you."
"Your mouths are still as foul as ever. You're not exactly young either; we won't die before you!"
"..." Zhang Yang and Luo Yiren watched silently, listening to the three converse. Although their words were filled with curses wishing death upon each other, the emotion of reunion after a long separation was extremely genuine.
"Come, Zhang Yang, let me introduce you. This is the leader of the Kyoto branch of the Five Dragons of China," He Ao said with a chuckle. "He shares your surname; his name is Zhang Lihe."
"Greetings, Senior Zhang," Zhang Yang said politely.
"Haha, please don't call me senior," Zhang Lihe said, waving his hands repeatedly. "Zhang Yang, I've heard about you from that old man He Ao. I'm not worthy of being called senior in front of you."
With that, Zhang Lihe suddenly clapped his hands. Everyone in the courtyard house gathered together. Including Zhang Lihe, there were ten people, all standing behind him. With a resounding "bang," all ten knelt on one knee! They respectfully addressed Zhang Yang, "Greetings, Young Minister."
This scene startled Zhang Yang. He quickly stepped aside, looking bewildered. "Senior Zhang, what do you mean by this? When did I become a Young Minister?"
"Young Minister, your father, Zhang Yingxiong, is the Minister of the Azure Dragon Department of the Five Dragons of China. As his son and currently the strongest person among the Five Dragons of China, we should naturally regard you as the Young Minister," Zhang Lihe said solemnly. Zhang Yang felt helpless at this overly serious approach. It seemed he was irrevocably tied to the Five Dragons of China, with no escape.
"Please rise, everyone. Stop kneeling," Zhang Yang said with a wry smile.
"Haha, alright, we'll listen to the Young Minister," Zhang Lihe said with a hearty laugh. Clearly, he was very happy today.
"Young Minister, I heard from He Ao and the others that you plan to go to headquarters to find the Dragon Transformation Water, is that right?"
Zhang Yang nodded and asked, "That's right. I came for the Dragon Transformation Water this time. Senior Zhang, do you have any information?"
Zhang Lihe shook his head, his expression slowly turning grim. "I do have some information, but it's all bad news. The headquarters of the Five Dragons of China has been taken over by others. Finding the Dragon Transformation Water will be exceptionally difficult."
What!? Hearing this news, not only Zhang Yang but also He Ao and Jiang Pan were shocked!
"The headquarters has been taken over! Who? Who has such audacity! Tell me, I'll destroy them right now!" He Ao exclaimed angrily. His temper flared instantly, and Jiang Pan almost couldn't restrain him.
"The Zhang family," Zhang Lihe said, frowning. "This matter happened about five years ago..." Zhang Lihe slowly recounted the events of the past five years. It turned out that after the headquarters of the Five Dragons of China was attacked by mysterious powerful enemies, and the five ministers and elders were forced to flee, the once magnificent and grand headquarters of the Five Dragons of China fell into disrepair. However, even though the Five Dragons of China had been defeated and all their experts had disappeared, their residual prestige from years of operation still remained. Therefore, the people of Kyoto dared not covet the headquarters of the Five Dragons of China. But five years ago, the Zhang family in Kyoto suddenly extended their reach towards the headquarters of the Five Dragons of China and took it over. If it were just that, He Ao and the others wouldn't have been so angry. The main reason was... after the Zhang family occupied the headquarters of the Five Dragons of China for a year, they actually renovated it and turned it into a pleasure house. Yes! A pleasure house. Countless geishas and dancers, with a constant stream of guests every day. This was a complete trampling of the remaining dignity of the Five Dragons of China!
"The Zhang family, those ungrateful wretches! Have they forgotten that their current standing is thanks to the help of the Five Dragons of China?" He Ao said in a low voice. If Jiang Pan hadn't held him back, he would have already gone to the Zhang family to demand an explanation.
"Since Minister Zhang disappeared, the Zhang family is no longer the Zhang family it once was," Zhang Lihe sighed. Clearly, he was also very indignant about the Zhang family's actions. Zhang Yang, however, remained the most composed. This was because he didn't yet feel any sense of belonging to the Five Dragons of China. Therefore, upon hearing about this matter, he remained relatively calm, only finding the Zhang family's actions disgraceful. What he was most concerned about now was that since the headquarters of the Five Dragons of China had been converted into a pleasure house by the Zhang family, then... was the Dragon Transformation Water still there?