Urban Seduction: Housewives Club-Chapter 2136 - 457: A Family Affair 4

The summer holidays were in full swing, and with the college entrance exams having just concluded, tourism was at its seasonal peak.

Since the spiritual recovery, the world’s landmass had expanded a hundredfold, but the dangers within the Yangtze River had increased even more.

For safety, the vast city of Tianhai maintained only a single functional wharf. Consequently, the area was teeming with people—a sea of humanity more congested than a train station during the Spring Festival rush of centuries past.

Some were waiting for ferries to distant provinces, while others were part of tour groups heading into the river to witness the "oceanic" vistas of the expanded waterway.

While the Yangtze was perilous, traveling with major tour agencies was generally safe; these organizations were backed by powerful factions, boasting reinforced hulls and heavy artillery that deterred both aquatic beasts and pirates. Some, it was rumored, even had clandestine ties to the pirates themselves.

Wang Yue arrived in the guise of "Wang Tiezhu." With his utterly ordinary features, he blended into the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

He had come early and stayed hidden for one reason: reconnaissance. He did not fear an ambush from the Zhang Ancestor, but he had no intention of blindly walking into a snare.

After all, while Zhang Jianyuan’s collusion with the Kong family might have been a solo act, there was no guarantee the Ancestor didn’t have his own powerful backers.

To Wang Yue, currently at the late stage of the Mortal Shedding Realm, a distance of thirty miles was practically a stone’s throw. He didn’t even need to move; a simple sweep of his spiritual perception provided a clear picture of the rendezvous point.

Unless the opposition had deployed a Transcendence Realm powerhouse, their Qi fluctuations would be impossible to hide from him.

And a Transcendence master was unlikely—if the Zhangs had such backing, they would have made a move the moment he intercepted Jianyuan two nights ago.

He waited until nearly nine o’clock. At the designated spot, he detected only a single ripple of Mortal Shedding Realm energy. Beyond that, there wasn’t even a hint of a True Return or Tianyuan practitioner. It seemed the Zhang Ancestor had come alone.

"The old guy actually has some sincerity," Wang Yue mused with a faint smile before slipping quietly into the river. He had chosen a secluded corner for his observation, so his entry into the water went unnoticed.

At the Mortal Shedding Realm, terrain was rarely an obstacle unless it involved flight. Though his speed underwater was slightly slower than on land, he was still incredibly fast.

Protected by a localized barrier of Qi, not a drop of water even touched his clothes.

Before long, Wang Yue reached the meeting point. As he expected, due to the dangers of the water, the coastline away from the main wharf was deserted. Only the Zhang Ancestor stood on the beach. Within a twenty-mile radius, there wasn’t a third soul in sight.

If a fight broke out, there would be no collateral damage. However, Wang Yue suspected there wouldn’t be a fight; otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have come solo.

At precisely nine o’clock, the muscles on Wang Yue’s face shifted, returning to the likeness of the grim young man in black. He leaped from the water and landed soundlessly before the Ancestor.

The Zhang Ancestor’s pupils contracted. He knew this youth was stronger than him, but he realized now he had still underestimated him.

The boy had been in the water mere feet away, yet the Ancestor hadn’t sensed a thing until he revealed himself.

If this had been an assassination attempt, the old man likely wouldn’t have survived a single strike.

Looking at the young man who had pushed the Zhang family to the brink of collapse—prompting even the Clan Head to flee—a flash of complex emotion crossed the Ancestor’s eyes before settling into a sigh. "You are punctual, Excellency."

"Nine o’clock means nine o’clock. Speak—how do you want to settle this?" Wang Yue said coolly. Knowing that Jianyuan and the Kong family were the true architects of the chaos, he harbored little hostility toward the rest of the Zhang clan.

If he did, the old man wouldn’t be standing there so comfortably.

The Ancestor looked at Wang Yue and asked, "Before we begin, may I ask your true age?"

While warriors could slow their aging, and a centuries-old powerhouse appearing as a teenager was common, temperament and "aura" were harder to fake. To the Ancestor, this person felt genuinely, vibrantly young.

"Under thirty," Wang Yue replied. He didn’t say fifteen—he didn’t want to give the old man a heart attack. The senior had been through enough.

"Under thirty... and already at such a level. Compared to you, I’ve spent my long years living like a dog," the Ancestor smiled bitterly, the last of his indignation evaporating.

If the opponent were his age, he might have struggled, but such monstrous talent was something the Zhang family simply couldn’t contend with. In fact, a genius like this without a visible sect behind him was even more terrifying.

"Let’s skip the small talk," Wang Yue said with a hint of impatience. "How does this end?"

"I should be asking you that," the Ancestor replied helplessly. "What will it take for you to let the Zhang family go?"

"That’s a tough one. As for resources, I doubt your family has anything left worth taking," Wang Yue said, feigning difficulty. He already had his terms ready, but he knew the value of a little psychological leverage. He wasn’t a master of politics, but he understood the basic principle of balancing "the stick" with "the carrot."

The Ancestor winced. It was true—Jianyuan had cleaned them out. He blamed himself for trusting that bastard too much.

Seeing the old man’s distress, Wang Yue sighed inwardly. The Ancestor wasn’t a bad person, per se; he was essentially a "tool" that existed solely for the clan’s survival. If the clan chose virtue, he was good; if it chose vice, he followed. It all depended on who held the reins.

Wang Yue had no intention of returning the stolen resources to the clan at large. Keeping them in Zhang Hong’s hands meant they could be used effectively to consolidate power.

"I don’t particularly want anyone’s life, either," Wang Yue continued. "The people I wanted to deal with have already left the Zhang family."

The Ancestor felt a moment of clarity. The two juniors who had been crippled were just an excuse; this man’s true target had always been Zhang Jianyuan. "But if not lives or resources, I truly don’t know what else the Zhang family has to offer."

Sensing the pressure was sufficient, Wang Yue smiled. "Benefits don’t always have to be taken. We could always... cooperate."

"Cooperate? How?" The Ancestor asked, his heart leaping with a mix of shock and hope. To align with a talent like this was a boon for the Zhang family. At his age and level, reaching the Transcendence Realm was almost a certainty. A single Transcendence master could elevate a family to the level of the Kongs in the Capital.

Wang Yue replied, "Simple. I appoint a representative to take over as Clan Head. You will support him with everything you have. If the family encounters trouble, he can contact me for assistance."

The Ancestor’s heart sank. If an outsider took the throne, would the Zhang family still be the Zhang family? With a backer like Wang Yue, the clan wouldn’t even dare to undermine the new leader.

"What do you think, Senior?" Wang Yue asked, watching the old man’s shifting expression.

"I cannot accept those terms," the Ancestor said gravely, assuming a fighting stance. "This is no different from destroying us. I would rather lead the clan in one final, glorious battle than see us replaced."

Wang Yue chuckled. "Don’t you want to know who my representative is first?"

The Ancestor blinked, his resolve faltering. "Who?"

"Zhang Hong," Wang Yue said simply.

"Zhang Hong?" The Ancestor froze. "Which Zhang Hong?"

"The one your family used as a sacrificial pawn and then cast out," Wang Yue replied.

Embarrassment washed over the Ancestor. He had actually thought highly of Zhang Hong, believing he could have been the family’s fourth Mortal Shedding expert before his progress stalled. He hadn’t known about Jianyuan’s systematic oppression of the man.

hen the "betrayal" happened, he’d assumed it was too late to intervene without causing more instability.

Now, embarrassment turned to joy. Zhang Hong was of the bloodline. In terms of lineage, he was just as close to the Ancestor as Jianyuan was. Having Zhang Hong as Clan Head was a perfect solution—he had the talent, the name, and most importantly, the backing of a monster like Wang Yue. It was all gain and no loss.