"Hahahaha!" Yang Rong threw back her head and laughed, completely shedding any semblance of feminine reserve, replacing it with boundless spirit. "I have long heard that you, Yang Yi, are no ordinary man. Your arrival here today proves you came prepared. However, relying only on the two of you Grandmasters might not be enough to best me. So, allow me to ask, Mr. Yang, how exactly do you plan to rescue your brother and woman?"

"Heh, heh," Yang Yi offered a calm smile. "Today, I have no intention of rescuing them, nor do I intend to fight you!"

"Oh?" Yang Rong turned around, glancing at the Yang Yi who was markedly different from the day before, and inquired, "Then, pray tell, what are your intentions?"

"That question sounds less like something you should be asking me, and more like something I should be asking you, perhaps?" Yang Yi countered.

"Hahahaha!" Yang laughed again, then continued, "Excellent. I never expected Mr. Yang to truly embody the spirit of, 'When one has been away from a friend for three days, one must look at him with new eyes!'"

Murong Lianxue, for reasons she couldn't quite fathom, felt that the conversation between this woman and her Brother Yi was rapidly turning into something out of ancient prose. Though she didn't quite grasp the nuances, she found the exchange profoundly pleasing to listen to.

"You flatter me," Yang Yi sneered, a slight curl at the corner of his lips. "But judging by the fact that you abducted my people, you must have an objective. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"It's very simple!" A cold glint flashed in Yang Rong's eyes. "I require you to complete two tasks for me."

"Two tasks?"

"Yes. These two tasks will bring me significant advantages. Naturally, they will also benefit you greatly. We shall split the gains equally!"

"And what are these tasks?" Yang Yang's brow rose slightly. He understood clearly that this woman inviting him for a meeting tonight held no malice; in fact, he sensed she might even harbor an inclination to help him. For this reason, he played along with a deliberate question.

"The first task, I need you to find one person. You have ten days. Naturally, I will neither inquire nor interfere with the methods you use to achieve this!"

"Who is it?" Yang Yi felt the situation was not that straightforward and pressed further, "And what happens after I find him?"

"Heh heh," Yang Rong paced a couple of steps, raising her gaze to the crescent moon hanging in the sky. "Find someone named Zhuge Wuming, and become his disciple!"

"Zhuge Wuming? Become his disciple?" Yang Yi frowned. This request was undeniably complex and carried ulterior motives. Furthermore, the surname Zhuge resonated immediately with the strategist and statesman Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms period—a figure comparable to Guan Zhong. Could it be that the person this woman wanted him to find was indeed a descendant of Zhuge Liang?

Yang Yi’s deep-seated suspicions were completely deciphered by Yang Rong. She smiled faintly. "Just as you suspect, he is indeed a descendant of the Zhuge lineage!"

"What?" At this moment, not only Yang Yi, but even Murong Lianxue gasped in shock.

"You will apprentice under him, master the arts of Heavenly and Earthly weaving and plotting (Tian Di Jing Wei Zhi Shu). Once your merit is complete, then you return to me!"

"And the second task?"

"The second task is to allow your brother and woman to stay with me temporarily, until the commencement of your studies in the North. However, you must promise to defeat Ye Han. Otherwise, while I might release them this time, I cannot guarantee I won't kill them next time!" Yang Rong's eyes brimmed with a smile, yet how many could discern the profound sorrow within her heart at this moment?

Her actions now were driven solely by her parents' dying wishes: to prevent Yang Yi from interfering in the struggles between the various lineages. This was paramount. Hence, Yang Rong had consistently kept Yang Xuan from involving himself in her dealings with Yang Yi.

Moreover, while these two tasks sounded simple to state, executing them would be incredibly difficult—so much so that even the current Yang Yi required a moment of deep contemplation. He asked, "The first task: find Zhuge Wuming and become his disciple. The second task: let my people stay with you for a period, releasing them when I go North to study. And finally, the condition: you must defeat Ye Han. Is that correct?"

"Correct! But do not forget, both tasks must be accomplished, and that final condition must also be met, otherwise…"

"Fine, I agree. But you must tell me, what advantage will I gain by doing this for you? And who exactly are you?" Yang Yi asked, his brow knitted tightly.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" This was the third time Yang Rong had let out this specific burst of laughter. In the blink of an eye, Yang Yi and Murong Lianxue realized the woman before them had suddenly vanished.

However, a voice echoed around them: "Lao Tzu says: A good deed leaves no tracks; a good speech leaves no flaw. Good calculation needs no abacus; a good lock needs no bolt to be unopenable; a good knot needs no rope to be unbreakable. Thus, the Sage is always good at saving people, hence nothing is abandoned; always good at preserving things, hence nothing is wasted. This is called following the light. Therefore, the good man is the teacher of the not-so-good man; the not-so-good man is the resource of the good man. If one does not value one's teacher, nor cherish one's resource, one will be lost in great confusion. This is called the ultimate mystery."

"Brother Yi, what does that mean?" Murong Lianxue asked, perplexed after hearing the voice.

Yang Yi briefly closed his eyes and did not answer Murong Lianxue. Instead, the corner of his mouth curved upwards as he murmured, "A good man, perhaps?"

"Miss," Uncle Long rushed to open the car door upon seeing his mistress return, allowing Yang Rong to step inside. Once seated, he inquired, "Miss, shall we return or—!"

"Everything that needed to be done has been done. Let's go back," Yang Rong sighed, suddenly feeling terribly weary. Success or failure no longer held primary importance for her, because she had witnessed something far more crucial than outcomes. Although she had dictated the path forward, she still held a sliver of hope that a miracle might occur.

"Understood!" Uncle Long acknowledged and immediately started the car, driving away.

Yang Yi and Murong Lianxue were already on their way back, Yang Yi’s mind constantly turning over Yang Rong’s words. Clarity seemed to dawn upon him, as if he had grasped a vital piece of the puzzle. He stepped harder on the accelerator, steering toward the Black God Gang headquarters in City A.

Moments later, back at the Black God Gang HQ, Yang Yi stood in the conference hall and addressed Feng Shi. "Immediately summon every leadership-level figure of the Black God Gang to a meeting. For those too far away, use satellite broadcast and computer recording directly. The meeting starts in one hour!"

"Yes!" Feng Shi was bewildered by the sudden urgency, which had escalated so quickly as to require the immediate assembly of all major factions.

This meeting felt unprecedented, yet it would forever be etched into the history of the Black God Gang under the name: 'The Zenith.' For this single assembly would propel the Black God Gang's status nationally, and even globally, to an immeasurably high peak, marking the absolute pinnacle of their development to date.

Within the hour, all Black God Gang operations across the nation and the world were linked via satellite and computer feed, their high-ranking members watching the screen with solemn concentration as the minutes ticked down until the scheduled start time.

"Young Master, everything is prepared," Feng Shi entered the conference hall.

"Good!" Yang Yi composed his thoughts, looking directly into the camera and addressing the leaders gathered in the hall who were situated near the Jiangsu region. "Today marks the most significant assembly in the history of the Black God Gang. Due to the emergency, this method of meeting was necessary."

This opening statement, delivered in mere seconds, instantly reverberated throughout the entire scope of the Black God Gang's influence, across both domestic and international territories.

Yang Yi continued, "Since its inception, the Black God Gang has fought through endless trials and tribulations, weathering storms and overcoming obstacles. The sweat and blood shed by so many of you require no further mention; it will be recorded with high honor in the future chronicles of the Black God Gang. Now, our organization has become a name recognized by all, known by all, within the nation and abroad."

Yang Yi paused briefly, then slammed his hand sharply onto the table. "However, my ultimate goal remains far from achieved. The Northern underworld and certain external powers have not yet been subdued. Therefore, I require each of you to firmly hold your posts and obey all directives. Henceforth, I issue the Black God Gang's first order of high alert: Until we complete the unification of the Chinese underworld and the foreign underworlds, any individual found indulging in laziness or complacency will be commanded to commit suicide to uphold the integrity of our structure!"

"Yes!" The faces of those seated in the conference room filled with fierce excitement. The issuance of a high alert order signaled that the Black God Gang was about to embark on the path to supreme dominion. At that time, their presence, whether nationally or globally, would become eternal. Yang Yi’s meeting today was undoubtedly the sound of the war trumpet, signaling the launch against the Northern underworld and those foreign powers. Following this declaration, even those within the Black God Gang who harbored a shred of disloyalty would dare not entertain further doubts.

"Good, meeting adjourned!" Yang Yi took a deep breath, knowing that by doing this, he was formally declaring war against Ye Han and the Northern underworld!

Shortly after the meeting concluded, Yang Yi sat on the sofa in his office and instructed Feng Shi, "Yanran, immediately issue an order for the Black God Gang Intelligence Division to start investigating a person named Zhuge Wuming. I need every piece of data they can find—whether it's his ancestral eighteen generations or his seventy-two branches of descendants—I need it by tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!" Feng Shi nodded and left to make the arrangements.

"Six Paths of Reincarnation!" Yang Yi called out.

"Your subordinate awaits!"

"You few, proceed swiftly to the North. Prepare all necessary arrangements and provide assistance to Murong Liantian to map out all the forces in the North as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

As the saying goes: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Yang Yi admitted he did not possess the brilliance of Zhuge Liang, nor the vast strategic mind of China's founding father. However, in this moment, Yang Yi certainly had his own established methods and principles for conducting his affairs.