"............" Yang Yi paid no mind to the statement, as everything seemed to be unfolding in the most bizarre manner. Whenever he thought of the Jiangnan family, one thought would inevitably surface: 'My sworn brother, Ye Xiaohou—what connection does he have with the Jiangnan family? Furthermore, based on what Xiaoyao Wuqing has said, my current strength is truly no match for that Ye Han.' The most critical point was that he currently had no idea whether he was an ally or an enemy of that Ye family heir.

Undoubtedly, racking his brain would yield no answers now. Yang Yi glanced at Xiaoyao Wuqing, wondering if he had revealed all this information about the Four Great Sects and the Ye family heir merely to obtain the position of Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sect. Thinking deeper, it seemed he hadn't revealed his true objective yet.

"After saying so much, what is your real intention?"

Hearing this, Xiaoyao Wuqing's expression grew increasingly grave. He said, "It was truly fate that brought us together during this kidnapping. Regarding what I told you before, it actually had no hidden meaning. I just want you to do me a favor. Of course, where there is effort, there is always a reward."

"Spit it out!" Yang Yi's face was extremely dark; he felt as if he had suddenly been plunged into a predicament, a feeling he intensely disliked.

"My true purpose is to have you help me gain the position of Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sect, and simultaneously, to help me kill one person!" On the latter phrase, Xiaoyao Wuqing clearly laid heavy emphasis, suggesting that the person he intended to kill was his mortal enemy.

"Kill whom?"

"Kill Xiaoyao Qingxiong!"

"What?" Yang Yi couldn't help but look at him in astonishment. "Isn't he your father? Why would you want to kill him?"

"This is what I need to tell you next, and once I tell you, I hope you can keep it an absolute secret!" Xiaoyao Wuqing stared intently at Yang Yi. Seeing Yang Yi's darkening expression, he felt an inexplicable sense of pressure. He paused to compose himself and then spoke, "I am not Xiaoyao Qingxiong's only son, nor am I his illegitimate child!"

"............"

As soon as these words were uttered, Yang Yi and the others exchanged glances. An atmosphere of doubt and disbelief instantly permeated the air.

Yang Yi questioned, "If you are neither his only son nor his illegitimate child, why do you call him father, and why would the people of the Xiaoyao Sect go to such lengths to protect you? Could it be that Xiaoyao Qingxiong is unaware of the situation?"

"No! The root of the matter is the complete opposite of what you suggested!"

"Opposite?"

"Actually..." Xiaoyao Wuqing slowly began to explain to Yang Yi. During the telling, his expressions shifted ceaselessly—there was anger, unwillingness, pain, and most of all, hatred.

It turned out that the only reason Xiaoyao Wuqing confided so much in Yang Yi this time was driven by his desire for revenge. Xiaoyao Wuqing was indeed the legitimate heir, the only son of the previous Sect Master. The current Sect Master, Xiaoyao Qingxiong, was Xiaoyao Wuqing's uncle. In the early days, while fighting for the position of Sect Master, he took the opportunity to murder Xiaoyao Wuqing’s father, Xiaoyao Wuying. Coincidentally, Xiaoyao Wuqing and his mother witnessed the entire process as Xiaoyao Qingxiong murdered Xiaoyao Wuying.

At that moment, Xiaoyao Qingxiong did not hesitate and mercilessly killed Xiaoyao Wuqing's mother as well. At that time, he was barely five years old. Witnessing such a gruesome scene terrified him. However, paradoxically, this very trauma caused Xiaoyao Wuqing to lose his memory—or perhaps, more accurately, to self-seal his memories due to the extreme shock. It was precisely because Xiaoyao Wuqing suddenly lost his memory that he escaped a great catastrophe; otherwise, Xiaoyao Qingxiong would not have left him alive until this day.

For years, to prevent Xiaoyao Wuqing from suddenly recalling that Xiaoyao Qingxiong had murdered his parents, he had people keeping him under constant surveillance, essentially placing him under house arrest. Yet, there was another motive behind Xiaoyao Qingxiong not killing Xiaoyao Wuqing: he desired the token that commanded the ten great elders of the Xiaoyao Sect.

"I see. I never imagined the Xiaoyao Sect was in such a state!" Yang Yi didn't know whether to sneer or be sardonic; he had somehow become entangled with the Xiaoyao Sect, one of the Four Great Sects, in this life-or-death situation.

"That's why I need your help. Over the years, to keep things hidden, Xiaoyao Qingxiong has stopped at nothing, constantly forcing me to use excuses—one moment admitting I'm his illegitimate son, the next his only son, and so on. I have endured this life long enough. I implore the Dragon Lord to truly help me!" Xiaoyao Wuqing looked utterly sincere, bowing to Yang Yi with clasped fists.

"This matter might not be that simple. Since you possess the token that can command the ten elders of Xiaoyao, why don't you use it to approach those elders directly?" Yang Yi asked, perplexed.

"You don't know this, but even if I can command the ten elders, those ten alone are far from a match for Xiaoyao Qingxiong. Within the Xiaoyao Sect, there are countless masters," Xiaoyao Wuqing said. He noticed a flicker of hesitation on Yang Yi's face, understanding that given Yang Yi's current circumstances, he could not afford to make such powerful enemies, especially with the matters concerning the Underworld looming.

However, unwilling to let this chance slip by, Xiaoyao Wuqing, consumed by his need for revenge, cast aside his masculine pride. He walked up to Yang Yi and, without another word, knelt down. He said, "Dragon Lord, I know that involving yourself with the Xiaoyao Sect right now puts you in a difficult position. These matters can wait. As long as the Dragon Lord can agree to help me attain the position of Sect Master and kill Xiaoyao Qingxiong, the entire Xiaoyao Sect will belong to you, Dragon Lord, from that day forward!"

"Hey—get up!" Yang Yi helped him up and said lightly, "Since ancient times, a man's knees are worth more than gold; better to kneel to heaven, earth, or parents!"

"Dragon Lord...!"

Seeing his somewhat shameless persistence, Yang Yi chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I agree to it."

"Xiaoyao Wuqing is eternally grateful!"

"Isn't it a bit early to be grateful now?" Yang Yi looked at the overly excited Xiaoyao Wuqing, genuinely unable to comprehend how someone so commanding moments ago could suddenly act like a child. "I will handle the Xiaoyao Sect matters for you, but not right now, as I simply cannot spare the energy to help you. How about this: you stay by my side from now on."

"Yes, Dragon Lord!"

"Oh, you switch loyalties quite quickly!" Yang Yi said to him with a teasing tone. "If you don't mind, you can just call me Yang Yi, or perhaps Brother Yi!"

"I think calling you Brother Yi is more appropriate," Xiaoyao Wuqing replied after calming himself down.

"Good. From now on, we are family, so don't be so formal!" Yang Yi felt that Xiaoyao Wuqing was a friend worth making because, in his heart, in his mind, and even in his eyes, he treated Yang Yi with complete sincerity. For this alone, Yang Yi was quite satisfied.

"Yes, Brother Yi!" Xiaoyao Wuqing grinned foolishly.

"The Qing Gang's purpose in kidnapping you was to force the Xiaoyao Sect to help them, and as fate would have it, Bing'er saved you. This time, Qing Long has clearly lost the wife and the soldiers," Yang Yi remarked with a slight smile.

"Young Master, the news from the Ten Army Generals has returned today," Feng Shi interjected appropriately.

"Oh? The thirty-two cities of Guangxi are completely under control?"

"Yes. Currently, the Ten Army Generals, along with Fatty, are heading towards Hainan."

"En!" Yang Yi mused thoughtfully, then glanced at the puzzled Xiaoyao Wuqing. Seeing his confused expression, he smiled and said, "Heh heh, you'll learn more as you stay by my side!"

"Um, Brother Yi, there's actually something I wanted to discuss with you!" This fellow, Xiaoyao Wuqing, was already saying 'Brother Yi' fluently.

"What is it?"

"Actually, Brother Yi, there is a shortcut for you to reclaim Hainan, and it won't cost you any troops!"

"Oh?" Yang Yi's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this. "Tell me!"

"This time, we'll use my disappearance to stir things up a bit, and then utilize the Xiaoyao Sect to eradicate the Qing Gang's influence."

"Not bad! I didn't expect you to think of such a method!" Yang Yi had actually considered this long ago, but he deliberately held back to test Xiaoyao Wuqing.

And Feng Shi, being the most familiar with Yang Yi, naturally saw this. Yang Yi rarely offered praise so easily to someone; it was clearly praise designed for testing!

"Just spread the word along those lines," Yang Yi nodded to Feng Shi.

"Yes!" Feng Shi smiled brightly.

######################### Meanwhile, at the Qing Gang Headquarters!

Qing Long was practically throwing a massive fit, yet his face was set in a hard, iron-gray expression, his anxious heart burning with unrest.

"Gang Leader, I've sent men everywhere to search. I believe even if he ran, he couldn't have gotten far!" Liu Xinbei’s face looked terrible; after all, he hadn't expected the person they just captured to vanish in the blink of an eye.

"I told you to assign more guards! Now, what do you suggest we do?" Qing Long paced back and forth anxiously, pointing a finger at Liu Xinbei’s hand, only to lower it again moments later.

Liu Xinbei knew this was a huge mess. After all, they had already made terms with the Xiaoyao Sect. If the matter wasn't settled and they couldn't produce the hostage, then...

But suddenly, Liu Xinbei seemed to recall a stratagem and said, "Gang Leader, your subordinate has a plan. I don't know if it will work!"

"What...?" Before Qing Long could finish asking, the ring of a telephone interrupted them. Both men exchanged stunned glances. After a long moment, Qing Long finally picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

Not long after!

"Clang!" The phone dropped from Qing Long's hand, and his face instantly turned ashen. Seeing this, Liu Xinbei couldn't help but press, "Gang Leader, what's wrong? Whose call was that?"

"Gang Leader? Gang Leader?"

"It's over, it's all over now!" Qing Long muttered to himself.

There was no doubt that the call he just received confirmed Xiaoyao Wuqing was no longer in their custody. Those on the other end hadn't found Xiaoyao Wuqing either. Concerned about the token, Xiaoyao Qingxiong had vented all his fury onto Qing Long and had already issued orders within the Xiaoyao Sect: the Qing Gang must provide an explanation by tomorrow, or they would vanish from Hainan forever.

At this moment—for Qing Long—everything felt like a situation where he had "tried to threaten others, only to be threatened himself."