Seeing everyone staring at her, Xiu'er nodded solemnly and said, "Husband, if you learn the truth of the matter, you must promise Xiu'er that you absolutely must not act rashly!"

Yang Yi was stunned for a moment, roughly guessing why Xiu'er said this. He nodded and replied, "I know."

"Very well, then Xiu'er will elaborate. First, the entire truth behind this kidnapping." Xiu'er spoke coolly, "Does the name Yang Rong sound familiar to Husband?"

"En." Yang Yi glanced at the others. "The last time, the three of us—Poetry Rhyme, Qian'er, and I—had the pleasure of meeting her at a music restaurant. Could it be...?"

"Yes, this entire incident was orchestrated by her!" Xiu'er paused before continuing, "Then let me ask Husband another question: when you met Yang Rong, did you feel a sense of profound familiarity?"

Hearing this, Yang Yi's heart clenched, as if the realization he had been dreading was about to erupt. He noticed the looks on everyone's faces—some filled with concern, others with certainty, and even a few with unease. These observations registered beneath his eyelids. It was true; no one in this world was free from speculation about their origins, and Yang Yi was no exception.

Seeing Yang Yi nod, Xiu'er continued, "The truth isn't complicated. Your father's name was Yang Lingfeng. Twenty years ago, he was the peerless overlord of the underworld, the founder of the Black God Gang."

"The founder of the Black God Gang? Isn't that my grandfather?" Yang Yi asked.

"No, Husband. Your grandfather was merely a successor."

"A successor?" Yang Yi was puzzled. The more he listened, the more inexplicable things seemed to become.

As Xiu'er explained, Yang Yi felt himself suddenly sinking into another mystery, yet just as quickly, he seemed to break through it. He listened, oscillating between bewilderment and sudden comprehension.

It turned out that Yang Lingfeng founded the Black God Gang. While he dominated the entire underworld across the nation, Yang Lingfeng fell for Du Shishi, the daughter of his second strategist, Yang Yitian, who had helped him conquer the realm. He made a choice: valuing this woman above empire.

He gave up the prime opportunity to dominate the entire underworld, choosing instead to marry Du Shishi, Yang Yitian's only adopted daughter. He then entrusted the sovereignty of the Black God Gang to Zhuge Qingming. However, Zhuge Qingming was unwilling to shoulder such a weighty trust. Furthermore, given his deep bond with Yang Lingfeng, he couldn't rest easy relying on him, so he also decided to retire from the martial world alongside Yang Lingfeng.

Only then, with no other recourse, did Yang Lingfeng pass all his influence to the most trustworthy man at the time: Yang Yitian. Yang Yitian, being profoundly loyal and valuing honor above all else, would never forget the many times Yang Lingfeng had saved him. Moreover, Yang Lingfeng had shown him immense respect after marrying Du Shishi. Thus, Yang Yitian accepted the responsibility. The second, and perhaps most crucial, reason Yang Yitian accepted this trust was because of his daughter, Du Shishi.

Complete retirement was ideal, but not being able to withdraw entirely meant the entire family faced disaster, just as Yang Lingfeng discovered. Various rising powers launched a surprise assault on the Black God Gang, leading to rapid losses of territory. Furthermore, old enemies still sought Yang Lingfeng’s life, resulting in numerous assassination attempts over the years, none of which succeeded.

This was because, with Yang Lingfeng's strength at the time, few could hope to take his life. And beside him stood the couple, Zhuge Qingming and his wife. For two years, they lived in seclusion in a small mountain village. After two years, Zhuge Qingming welcomed a daughter, while Yang Lingfeng was blessed with a set of fraternal twins.

"Wait, the fraternal twins you mentioned? Could it be...?" Yang Yi frowned, interrupting Xiu'er before she could continue, asking pointedly.

"Husband, please allow Xiu'er to finish," Xiu'er replied, her delicate eyebrows lifting slightly. "Zhuge Qingming is my father. Your engagement with Husband was decided back then. And Yang Lingfeng's twins are you and your older sister, Yang Rong."

"Yang Rong is my sister?" Yang Yi’s eyes widened, a faint, contained aura suddenly enveloping him, his face turning deathly pale. He looked at the assembly in disbelief, seeing them all nod in confirmation.

Yang Yi’s heart churned with conflicting emotions—should he be happy to learn he had a sister, a living relative in the world, or should he weep, having lost both parents at a young age and being separated from his sibling for years? He wasn't sure. No one could fathom his state of mind; even he couldn't fully grasp it.

After a long pause, Yang Yi finally closed his eyes, replaying Xiu'er’s words in his mind, and asked, "Then how did my parents die?"

"They were murdered by a group of mysterious people due to some entanglement," Xiu'er stated.

"Mysterious people? You don't even know who these people are?"

At this question, all eyes instantly turned to Xiu'er. Some subtly gestured for her to remain silent, while others stared intently, as if demanding to know more from her lips.

"I know," Xiu'er said unexpectedly.

"If you know, then tell me, who exactly were they?"

"Husband, for this question, Xiu'er must ask your forgiveness for being unable to answer you for the moment."

"Why?" Yang Yi felt a surge of frustration. While he could anticipate some things, he couldn't confirm if his assumptions were correct.

In truth, Xiu'er hesitated precisely because she feared his reaction in this very moment. The entire truth stemmed from the two great lineage clans of Huaxia. Even if Yang Yi suspected it involved the Celestial Dragon Lineage, without Xiu'er's confirmation, it remained mere speculation. He knew that confirming the wrong path could lead him to make many grievous errors.

"Boss, you don't need to be so desperate to know everything right now. Besides, Sister-in-law is doing this for your own good!" Ye Xiaohou advised.

Xu Ming and the others echoed in agreement: "That's right!"

"Yi, Sister Xiu'er is saying this for your welfare too. Please don't..." Xia Shiyun sat beside Yang Yi, looking at him as he sat with his head bowed in thought. Her words caught in her throat.

"Husband, Xiu'er hopes you can understand. Everything will eventually find a resolution. If you know too much now, it might..."

"Enough!" Yang Yi suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing red.

The others gasped, and Murong Lianxue trembled slightly as she called out, "Yi Gege!"

Yang Yi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I need to be alone for a while."

"Yi Ge!"

"Yi!"

"Boss!"

"Young Master!"

Their calls followed him as Yang Yi walked out alone. Seeing him leave, Xiu'er felt a pang in her heart. She realized lately she dreaded seeing his solitary, dejected figure. Turning back, she said, "Please eat something first. I will take care of him. As for the matter of Yang Rong, I hope he can weather this shock for now."

"En!" Everyone nodded, but one person vanished abruptly, clearly having followed Yang Yi’s path.

After Xiu'er also left, the expressions of the remaining group were grim, especially Fatty Lin, who had grown up with Yang Yi and understood him well. Knowing he had a sister was joyous. Learning his parents were murdered was tragic. But the fact that everyone else knew the culprits behind the murder except him was a crushing blow to Yang Yi's spirit.

"Seeing him like this makes my heart ache," Li Qian choked back the urge to cry, muttering under her breath.

Xia Shiyun, Xuanyuan Bing, and Feng Shi felt the same, while Fatty Lin and the others suppressed their pain. They understood clearly that revealing everything now—especially the part where Yang Rong sacrificed everything for him, joining the Celestial Dragon Lineage and becoming its Sect Master by taking the lives of their parents—would be devastating for Yang Yi.

For Yang Rong, this was an immense agony. Yet, she felt that for Yang Yi's sake, enduring such pain was worthwhile. Moreover, by becoming the Sect Master of the Celestial Dragon Lineage, Yang Yi would be kept out of the feuding clan struggles. Most importantly, she could foil Ye Han's ambition to dispatch masters from the Celestial Ghost Lineage to kill Yang Yi. Undeniably, Yang Rong was perhaps the most devoted sister in the world to Yang Yi.

If flowers fading meet a simple grave, A mound of pure earth to enshroud their grace. Born pure, returning pure, they are thus saved, Than sinking soiled in the mire’s embrace. Now they die, and a servant buries them; When will this servant's body meet its doom? Now I bury flowers and people mock my craze; Who will bury me in a future day to come? Look how spring wanes as flowers start to fall, That is when fairest faces wither and all. Once spring ends and beauty ages on the wall, Flowers fall, people die, neither aware at all...

Yang Yi sat at a high vantage point, a man’s two tears tracing paths down his face as he gazed at the bright moon above, reciting these sorrowful verses aloud. It seemed he sought to use these words to erase the grief in his heart, believing only then could he achieve some measure of quietude.

"Is the world unjust? Or is Heaven unfair?" Yang Yi sneered, feeling his tears were unstoppable, only managing to conceal them by looking at the moon.

Yet, Yang Yi didn't know how long he sat there. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stood up, wiped away his tears, and closed his eyes slightly, as if savoring the pain within his soul. However, most of the suffering that flashed through his mind was instantly juxtaposed with the current situation and facts. This caused his very essence to sink into a realm he had never experienced before.

Simultaneously, a figure appeared behind him, a hint of sorrow clouding her delicate brow. "Sorrow resides where it may, remembrance lives within the heart. Husband, Xiu'er hopes you prioritize the greater affairs!"

Yang Yi turned around, his eyes opening with an extremely strange light. He smiled faintly, and the steps he took seemed to convey his current resolve. Walking forward, he declared, "Tomorrow, we march on the Imperial Capital!"

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