Chapter 2173: 494: The Bond of Blood 2

Capítulo 2173: Chapter 494: The Bond of Blood 2

A few miles outside the city, Wang Yue brought the aircraft down, casually stowed it in his spatial ring, and began making his way toward the city on foot.

Kaifeng, much like Tianhai, was one of the ten “Super Cities” in the Huaxia region. In terms of scale and prosperity, it didn’t give an inch to Tianhai, and when it came to the sheer flourishing of martial arts, it arguably had the upper hand.

In contrast, that other super-metropolis not far to the west of Kaifeng—the one built before the spiritual recovery by draining the resources of the entire province—had now fallen into decline.

In the current global landscape, the economy was no longer the metric of success; martial heritage was the only thing that mattered.

This central plain was uniquely blessed. Not only did it have Kaifeng, but Luoyang, just a short distance to the west, was also one of the ten Super Cities.

The more powerful a city was, the more confident and inclusive it became. As a result, even though it was late at night, Wang Yue, an outsider, faced zero interrogation and entered the city smoothly.

“Near Kaifeng” was a very vague range. Kaifeng city itself stretched for hundreds of kilometers, so the “surrounding area” covered a massive amount of territory.

Even though Wang Yue was now a powerhouse in the Transcendence Realm, trying to search millions of square kilometers on his own would take forever.

Luckily, he had already thought of a plan before setting out. Since it was late, it wasn’t the time to act, so he found a hotel and checked in for the night.

The next morning, Wang Yue disguised his appearance, transforming into a burly man standing over six feet tall, and headed toward a manor on the outskirts of the city.

Like every major city, Kaifeng was controlled by powerful factions. Aside from the official Martial Arts Union and the Adventurers’ Association, there were five “Super Families” in the city. Wang Yue had arrived at the gates of one of them—the Wang family.

He chose the Wang family not because they were stronger than the other four, nor because he had leads connecting them to the Yang family, but purely because they shared his surname. He figured it might make communication a little easier.

That was his plan: cooperate with the local martial factions. They were all part of the same martial world and occupied the same region; surely these families would have some intel on the Yangs.

Logically, it might have been better to work with the Martial Arts Union or the Adventurers’ Association, as those organizations were larger and better informed.

However, those alliance-style organizations tended to be bureaucratic and complicated, with factions constantly jockeying for power.

If Wang Yue gave a “benefit” to one person, others might deliberately sabotage him out of spite. It was easier to find a family with unified interests. He could give them a favor and save himself the headache.

“Please inform your Master that Wang Yue of Jinling is here to request an audience,” Wang Yue said at the manor gates, handing over a formal visiting card according to the old rules of the martial world while releasing a sliver of his Mortal Shedding Realm aura.

Compared to Kaifeng, Jinling wasn’t exactly a major hub, and the name “Wang Yue” meant nothing here. But the aura of a Mortal Shedding Realm expert was a different story entirely.

In the entire Wang family, there were only a handful of people with that level of cultivation.

The guards didn’t dare hesitate, immediately inviting Wang Yue to wait in the guest parlor while one of them sprinted into the manor.

A visit from a Mortal Shedding powerhouse was a massive event that had to be reported to the Head of the Family personally.

Before Wang Yue could even finish a cup of tea, the guard returned, but he wasn’t alone. He was following a middle-aged man.

The man looked to be in his forties, with a balanced, steady appearance and an impressive air about him. Wang Yue could feel a similar Mortal Shedding aura radiating from him.

Wang Qing, the Head of the Wang family, was actually quite pleased. For local family factions, a visit from an out-of-town expert was usually a good thing.

Typically, such visitors were either seeking help, looking for intel, or in need of specific items. As long as the family could help, it built a bridge of goodwill.

This kind of intangible asset was often more valuable than physical rewards, as you never knew when you might need to call in a favor from another expert down the line.

This expert named Wang Yue was from Jinling. Wang Qing had never heard of a Mortal Shedding powerhouse in Jinling, so he assumed he was a “rogue cultivator.”

Rogue cultivators were a bit more unpredictable than those from established factions, but it was still a positive development.

A rogue cultivator who didn’t care about the rules would just try to steal what they wanted; someone who came to the door for a formal meeting was clearly someone who respected the rules of the martial world.

Stepping into the guest parlor, Wang Qing was struck with a sudden wave of shock. Although the visiting expert was tall and built, he looked incredibly young—there was even a trace of boyishness left on his face.

In the martial world, for people at the same level of cultivation, the younger you were, the more important you became.

If this had been a Mortal Shedding expert who was a hundred or even several hundred years old, Wang Qing would have been respectful but not shocked.

But this person looked like he wasn’t even twenty. And based on Wang Qing’s experience, this wasn’t someone using cultivation to maintain a youthful look—he was actually young.

Wang Qing had never heard of a Mortal Shedding expert under the age of twenty. To train a young master like this, the power backing him would have to be terrifyingly massive.

In an instant, Wang Qing’s mindset flipped.

He had originally intended to communicate as an equal, perhaps even with a bit of a “hometown advantage” pride—after all, no matter how strong a rogue cultivator was, they were just one person, nothing compared to a deep-rooted family.

Now, he immediately lowered his posture, his pride vanishing. He cupped his hands in a respectful greeting. “Apologies for the wait. I am Wang Qing, Head of the Wang Family.”

Wang Yue didn’t realize how many times Wang Qing’s thoughts had pivoted, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared. It was human nature.

Expecting respect without having the strength to back it up was just a weak person’s fantasy. If the head of a Super Family acted humble to every random person, no one would respect his clan.

“Greetings, Patriarch Wang. I am Wang Yue, a simple rogue cultivator.” Wang Yue didn’t reveal his true background.

First, the outside world didn’t yet know that the three families of Jinling were back on top. Second, he was here for his aunt.

If word reached the Yang family that he was from the Jinling clans, it might cause complications. A rogue identity was safer.

A rogue cultivator?

Wang Qing didn’t believe a word of it. A rogue cultivator reaching the Mortal Shedding Realm after a hundred years of hard work was possible. A twenty-year-old rogue at that level? What kind of ghost story was he trying to tell?

In Wang Qing’s mind, Wang Yue was already a disciple from some Martial Arts Holy Land out on a journey for experience. But since Wang Yue wanted to play it that way, he wouldn’t call him out. He laughed heartily.

“Brother Wang Yue, we share a name! Who knows, maybe five hundred years ago we were part of the same family. This isn’t the place for a proper chat—please, come inside and let’s talk.”