Aboard the flying boat, Ming Fu gazed up at the sky, speaking to himself in a leisurely tone.
"The waters in Yunzhong Mansion run too deep. I just hope Senior Brother Zhang can handle it."
An old man beside him, who resembled a housekeeper, shook his head and replied,"It's hard to say. I can't see through the cultivation level of this new town guard, but his cultivation time has been too short. He likely isn't very strong yet. The He family, however, is strange in every regard—and they have backing. I fear he may not be able to control the situation."
The aura emanating from this butler was even stronger than Ming Fu's—he was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
When Ming Fu had served as the envoy of Yunzhong Town, the Ming family had specifically assigned the old man to assist him in handling affairs.
Hearing the butler's words, Ming Fuqian nodded in agreement.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about him anymore. At least we've managed to remove ourselves from this mess."
"But if we just leave like this," the old man said, still visibly uneasy, "what if something happens later?"
"Then it's no longer our concern," Ming Fuqian replied flatly. "I've already said what needed to be said. I also warned him about the He family."
The butler stood in silence beside him. After a moment, he asked cautiously,"Childe, do you think the He family could be colluding with the Demon God Sect?"
Ming Fuqian was visibly startled and quickly dismissed the idea."Impossible. They wouldn't dare. If any collusion with the Demon God Sect is discovered, their entire clan will be wiped out. The He family understands that."
In Yufantian, there might be room for negotiation in many matters—but colluding with the Demon God Sect was not one of them. Such an act meant certain death.
No matter how powerful the involved party, the Dao Saint Sect would eradicate them completely. On such matters, the sect showed no mercy.
"I hope I'm wrong," the butler said quietly.
Their flying boat arrived at the teleportation hall, and soon, the group vanished into the portal.
———
Zhang Yuhe sat in the inner hall, tapping his fingers lightly against the table.
Three gangs make a hero. Alone, he clearly couldn't control all of Yunzhong Mansion. The real question was—who should he ask for help?
According to Ming Fuqian, the Qian and Sun families each had children cultivating at the outer gate of the Dao Saint Sect, which made them relatively trustworthy.
As for the other three families, the situation was less optimistic.
Zhang Yuhe agreed with that assessment. Families with members cultivating within the sect usually tried to align themselves with its values and rarely acted recklessly.
But the He and Li families? That was a different matter.
According to what Ming Fu had told him, both families had tried to send disciples to the sect but failed.
Zhang Yuhe didn't buy it.
Yes, the Dao Saint Sect had extremely high standards for recruitment. For most people, joining was next to impossible.
But the He and Li families had been established for tens of thousands of years. Could they really have failed to produce even a single outer disciple? That was suspicious.
Lack of talent? Highly unlikely.
These were large clans with countless descendants. Over so many generations, it was inconceivable that not one of them stood out.
Perhaps they didn't want to join the Dao Saint Sect—or worse, they deliberately distanced themselves from it.
If that were true, it was a serious problem.
The Dao Saint Sect had ruled over Yufantian for countless years and was known for its fairness. For any power, sending its younger generation to join the sect brought only benefits.
But the He and Li families refused.
What did that imply?
It suggested they were hiding something—and had been doing so for a long time. Perhaps they feared that once their children entered the sect, they might inadvertently expose secrets.
Could they be colluding with the Demon God Sect?
The thought struck Zhang Yuhe like a thunderbolt. The very possibility sent a chill down his spine.
"I'll have to be very cautious from now on."
He sat there quietly, thinking back to Ming Fu's parting words. The more he reflected, the more he felt there had been hidden meaning in them.
Maybe Ming Fu had already noticed something but lacked evidence, making it impossible to report to the sect or request support.
Not wanting to be dragged into something he couldn't control, Ming Fu had made his retreat—claiming he needed to return to the sect to break through.
In reality, although breaking through to a higher realm required abundant spiritual energy, it didn't have to be done at the sect.
The spiritual energy in the town guard mansion, while not as concentrated as that in the sect, was sufficient for a Nascent Soul cultivator to break through.
Otherwise, how could so many inner disciples assigned to various posts still manage their cultivation?
Zhang Yuhe felt a looming crisis hanging over him.
Calm down. Don't panic.
He silently reassured himself.
Suddenly, he stood up and called out,"Someone!"
A young girl in green robes quickly entered the hall."What are your orders?"
Zhang Yuhe gave her a quick once-over. She was delicate and pleasing to the eye, but her cultivation was only at the ninth level of Qi training. What use was someone so weak?
Is there no one else left in this entire mansion?
After a pause, he asked,"What's your name?"
The girl lowered her head, sensing a different kind of attention in his gaze, and replied softly,"I am Qian Lingling."
"Your surname is Qian? Are you related to the Qian family?"
Zhang Yuhe's interest was piqued.
"I'm from a collateral branch. The elders arranged for me to serve in the mansion."
Zhang Yuhe nodded.So she was from the Qian family. Clearly, the Qian family had placed her here as a sign of goodwill.
As for how trustworthy she was—he didn't think Ming Fu was that foolish. If she were unreliable, would Ming Fu have allowed her in?
"Is everyone else in the mansion gone?"
He glanced around the near-empty hall, feeling slightly annoyed.
He liked peace and quiet, but there was a limit. He needed to know who was available and where everyone stood. Only then could he cultivate in peace.
Otherwise, who knew when someone might come knocking?
"Most of them left with Lord Ming. Only the remaining servants are still here."
So basically, no one's left.
Those with real responsibilities had gone. All that remained were the servants—fit for chores but nothing more.
"Forget it. Gather everyone. I want to meet them."
Zhang Yuhe pulled out his identity jade token, set it on the table, and said,"Take my jade plate. Inform the Qian, Sun, Li, and He families, as well as the Hyacinth Towers, to gather here tomorrow morning. We have matters to discuss."
"Ah…"
Qian Lingling stared, dumbfounded.
Was he really handing her his identity jade plate?
Disciples of the Dao Saint Sect imbued their tokens with their unique spiritual signature. For anyone else, the plate was functionally useless.
But it still symbolized authority—and had a tracking function.
Zhang Yuhe had no one else he could trust right now, so he had no choice but to send her. He certainly couldn't go door to door himself, delivering invitations like a common courier.
That would be truly disgraceful.