"The Lu family has five thousand Red Flame Army troops, of which three thousand are personally commanded by Lu Fusheng, considered his personal army, while the other two thousand are under the command of Lan Peng."
"Lan Peng is the one who came this time. He didnât enter the county town; instead, he led two thousand Red Flame Army troops directly into the mountains from the south!"
Yang Zhenshan, after listening, said, "We just ran into Lan Peng!"
Lv Hua paused slightly, "Here?"
"Mm, just on the mountain next door!" Yang Zhenshan said.
Lv Hua said in surprise, "Thatâs not right; the Red Flame Army is supposed to be in the south now!"
"They should be not far from here!"
"Not far, only over twenty li!"
More than twenty li, indeed not far. With the speed of the Golden Feathered Eagle, it would probably take just a minute or two, and with its vision, it should be able to see clearly.
The Golden Feathered Eagle was attracted by the Flying Slave Eagle, and Lan Peng followed it here.
Yang Zhenshanâs heart moved slightly, "Does that mean the Red Flame Army entered the mountains near Nanqing Mountain?"
"Thatâs right; we got the information from Nanqing Mountain; otherwise, how would we know the Red Flame Army would come!" Lv Hua said.
Currently, their intelligence capabilities arenât sufficient to monitor the Lu family. At most, they can only keep an eye on the county town and Nanqing Mountain, while others merely gather some information.
"Whatâs the reaction from the Xiang family?"
"What other reaction could there be? They have offered a considerable amount of supplies to reward the Red Flame Army!" Lv Hua said.
Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard and entered the courtyard, where a humorous scene of sons being scolded was unfolding. Yang Xiangdong and Yang Xiangxi were laying into their sons with slaps, making the two teenage lads cry out for their parents.
"Uncle-ancestor, these two kids ran off to the back mountain." Yang Xiangheng said helplessly.
Yang Zhenshan waved his hand, "As long as the children are fine. Go help me deal with that big snake; leave me half of the snake meat, and distribute the other half among everyone!"
Yang Xiangheng was shocked yet delighted by these words.
"Isnât this a bit inappropriate? That big snake was hunted by you, uncle-ancestor!"
Yang Zhenshan walked into the central courtyard, "Itâs to give everyone a treat. I canât eat that much myself!"
"Thank you, uncle-ancestor!" Yang Xiangheng thanked him from outside the courtyard gate.
Returning to the main hall, Yang Zhenshan continued to talk to Lv Hua, "The Xiang family wants to curry favor with the Red Flame Army!"
"Indeed, the Red Flame Armyâs reputation is immense. Naturally, the Xiang family wants to ingratiate themselves!" Lv Hua said.
Yang Zhenshan sat down, lost in thought. He wanted to get rid of the Xiang family, but he couldnât find an opportunity.
These days, the Yu family had already destroyed eight clans, yet they always skirted the edges of the Ancient County without delving deeper, leaving Yang Zhenshan with no opportunity for borrowing anotherâs knife to kill.
Now that Lan Peng had come with the Red Flame Army, it seemed the Yu familyâs knife might be dulled in the hands of the Red Flame Army.
The Yu familyâs knife couldnât be borrowed, but could the Red Flame Armyâs knife be borrowed?
"Can we send something to the Yu family?" Yang Zhenshan asked.
"To the Yu family?" Lv Hua pondered and said, "Itâs difficult; we currently donât have the status to enter the Yu family!"
The people under him were all officers of the Divine Wood Navy, not Secret Martial Guardsâ spies, and he had only been here for a few months. It hadnât developed to the point where the Secret Martial Guards had shadows in all factions.
Yang Zhenshan knew this was difficult. After pondering for a while, he said, "Since the Red Flame Army is here, it isnât just to drive the Yu family away!"
"The Lu family must be trying to eliminate the Yu family to intimidate those martial arts families!"
"If the Yu family wonât work, how about the Yu familyâs shops?"
"There should be quite a few of the Yu familyâs shops in Longxi Town!"
The Yu family isnât a small family, and the Lu familyâs territory isnât just a few mountains. The âLongxiâ in the Yu family of Longxi doesnât refer to the mountain, but to Longxi Town.
Longxi Town can also be considered a small martial cultivation workshop, with several Yu family shops.
Lv Hua nodded, "Mm, if itâs the shops, we can give it a try."
"Then letâs send a letter, warning the Yu family in advance about the Xiang familyâs actions!" Yang Zhenshan said.
"The Red Flame Army!" Lv Hua suddenly realized, "Thatâs indeed a good idea. When this letter lands in the hands of the Red Flame Army, the Xiang family will be finished! But we canât guarantee the letter will end up in the Red Flame Armyâs hands."
Yang Zhenshan smiled, "Itâs alright, just an attempt. If it succeeds, great; if not, it doesnât matter!"
Their operational scope is limited now, mainly because the Lingxi Yang Family is too weak, lacking well-connected relationships.
This makes them rely only on their strength. But they donât have much of a foundation here, so their options are limited.
Too dangerous tasks canât be undertaken, too difficult ones arenât doable, and overly troublesome ones are hard to execute, so they can only resort to simple yet cunning means.
Borrowing a knife to kill with is undoubtedly the easiest thing for them to do now and the method with the lowest cost.
"Then Iâll inform Senior Chen and have him go personally!" Lv Hua said.
"Mm!"
Upon returning to the Spirit Source Land, Yang Zhenshan went to find Yang Wanqi, as the Yang family no longer lives in one place but is spread out according to duties and cultivation across the Spirit Source Land.
For example, Yang Mingcheng and Ms. Wang live on the western Moon Bay, developing the forests on both banks of Moon Bay.
Yang Minghao and the Liangs live inside Longevity City, responsible for training the Protection Hall guards.
Yang Mingzhao and the Zhus live under the Spiritual Spring Waterfall, next to the Clan Hall, overseeing the Law Enforcement Hall.
As for Yang Wanqi, she has been married off to Wang Mingzheâs youngest son, Wang Chengyun, who also has tasks, responsible for teaching medicine and alchemy at the school in Longevity City.
Yang Zhenshan has always been a proponent of education. Wherever he would go, heâd establish a school to educate children, guiding them in martial arts.
And now, in the Spirit Source Land, itâs the same way.
In every village established, a school is built to let children learn literacy. At the age of eight, they begin learning martial arts.
Once children become martial artists, they move on to an intermediate school, training in various cultivation techniques and learning a variety of skills.
Smithing, alchemy, medicine, agriculture, beekeeping, brewing, tea making, etc., are all taught at the intermediate school in Longevity City.
Today, the Spirit Source Land has more than fifty thousand people, achieving basic self-sufficiency. Even without external supplies, they can maintain everyoneâs life needs.
Various trades are developing, and each familyâs descendants are involved in different industries. Yang Zhenshan brought them to the Spirit Source Land not to let them enjoy themselves but to help build it.
Thus, in the Spirit Source Land, no one idles around; everyone has their own tasks.
Wang Chengyun, being Wang Mingzheâs son, naturally learned medicine and alchemy. So, after marrying Yang Wanqi, he became a teacher of basic medicine and alchemy at the intermediate school in Longevity City.
Yang Wanqi isnât idle either; she grew up beside Yu Qingyi since childhood, often dealing with the Flying Slave Eagle, learning the art of beast taming, and now raising horses at the school.
Thereâs no difference in status between professions, as long as youâre interested.
Raising horses may not sound prestigious, but the horses in the Spirit Source Land arenât ordinary. Theyâre similar to the Flying Slave Eagle and are gradually developing mutant beast bloodlines.
Horse riding is a compulsory subject for students at the school, so there are hundreds of robust horses raised there.
Yang Wanqiâs job isnât just caring for these horses but training them.
When Yang Zhenshan arrived, Yang Wanqi happened to be training a young colt in the paddock.
"Ahem~"
Seeing Yang Wanqi hard at work, Yang Zhenshan lightly cleared his throat as a reminder.
"Grandfather, what brings you here?" Yang Wanqi, upon seeing him, was delighted.
Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, showing a loving smile, "I have something to discuss with you. By the way, whereâs Sky Cloud?"
Today, Yang Wanqi was dressed in a sleek dark-gray outfit, her long hair casually tied at the back, her originally cute face now exhibiting some heroic spirit, quite unlike her former sweet demeanor.