The Fox-Tailed Marten's venom was unlike ordinary poisons; even Zhang Yang, having consumed spirit medicine, struggled to contain its spread, let alone Long Feng, who was relying solely on his inner energy for brute resistance.
Moreover, his inner energy wasn't at its peak; the prolonged battle with Zhang Yang had already taken a significant toll, meaning he couldn't hold out much longer in his current state.
Lightning had bitten his arm, and by the time Zhang Yang arrived, the blackness had already crept up to his shoulder—spreading far faster than it had on Zhang Yang previously.
His vision was blurring, and upon seeing Zhang Yang approach, a wave of despair washed over him.
Long Feng could never have imagined that he, a prodigy, a distinguished elite scion of the Xuanyuan family, would meet his end on some obscure little mountain. His ambitions, his future—all dissolving into the wind.
The moment Zhang Yang grasped his arm, Long Feng finally surrendered, his body going limp as he passed out.
In the final instant before consciousness fled, he felt a sudden coolness on his arm, as if someone had applied something to the wound, and then there was nothing.
“That’s a relief!”
Zhang Yang let out a slight breath. Long Feng, after all, possessed inner energy and had managed to fight the poison's advance for a while through sheer willpower.
That brief struggle had bought him precious time for rescue.
After applying the salve to Long Feng’s wound, Zhang Yang pressed a detoxification pill between his lips, ensuring he swallowed it. With both external and internal treatment, his life was secured.
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
Lightning jumped over, chirping in clear displeasure. It had been helping Zhang Yang, and now Zhang Yang was busy saving the very person it had attacked. If it had known, it wouldn't have leaped out to bite the fellow in the first place.
“Don't rush, you did wonderfully, but he can’t die. It would be best if we could capture him!”
Zhang Yang stroked Lightning’s head, speaking softly. As long as Long Feng wasn't dead, things could be managed; this way, Zhang Yang could finally interrogate him about the mastermind.
Hearing Zhang Yang’s words, Lightning’s little face broke into a grin, scrunching up adorably.
“Wh-what is going on here?”
Long Cheng also rushed over, staring at the scene in astonishment. He hadn’t been able to clearly follow the intricacies of their fight, but suddenly, the Dragon family's inner disciple had fled.
This completely overturned his ingrained belief in the invincibility of the Dragon family's inner disciples. But that wasn't all—the fleeing Long Feng was suddenly assaulted by a white shadow, collapsing to the ground before falling unconscious. Long Cheng was utterly bewildered.
As he approached, he finally saw clearly: the attacker was Lightning.
“He was poisoned by Lightning. Luckily, I arrived in time; otherwise, he would have lost his life right here!”
Zhang Yang didn't conceal the truth from him. Long Cheng was one of them, capable of accepting such realities.
“L-Lightning is poisonous!”
Long Cheng’s mouth hung open, staring at the cute little Lightning. His forehead was riddled with question marks. How could such an adorable creature possess venom?
“I never told you before: Lightning is a Spirit Beast, a Fox-Tailed Marten, ranking seventh among the Ten Great Poisonous Beasts!”
Zhang Yang nodded slightly. Since he was revealing this, he might as well tell the whole truth. Long Cheng was also part of the Dragon family, and Zhang Yang needed to glean more information about them from him.
The people of the Dragon family were not like those petty thugs. If they intended to target him, Zhang Yang needed to be cautious and understand more about his adversaries. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy could you prevail.
Lightning turned its head and smiled at Long Cheng as well.
It understood that Zhang Yang was introducing it and revealing its true identity; it felt a sense of pride, holding its little head up high.
Long Cheng, however, shuddered violently, looking at little Lightning with a mixture of awe and horror.
Who could have guessed that such a cute little thing was so formidable? A Fox-Tailed Marten—even though Long Cheng, an outer disciple, wasn't intimately familiar with them, he had certainly heard of their fierce reputation.
Many outer disciples knew the legends of the Ten Great Poisonous Beasts.
Yet, he could never have imagined that this utterly charming creature, which he had held several times, the one that hopped casually on his shoulder, was the notorious Fox-Tailed Marten.
At that moment, goosebumps erupted all over his body. He kept thinking about what would have happened if Lightning had casually nipped him when it was sitting on his shoulder earlier.
“Brother Cheng, don't be afraid. Lightning is highly intelligent; just treat it the same way you always have!”
Zhang Yang noticed Long Cheng’s expression and grinned. Little Lightning also chirped, as if assuring Long Cheng that it was still the same old Lightning.
“Yes, I understand!”
Long Cheng nodded quickly, yet he couldn't help but feel his hairs prickling whenever he looked at Lightning. This adorable little thing was many times more toxic than a cobra.
Zhang Yang paid no more attention to Long Cheng; Long Feng was unconscious now. Zhang Yang slung him over one shoulder and headed toward the edge of the woods with Long Cheng in tow.
The greatest advantage of fighting in this secluded spot was ensuring no one outside witnessed their earth-shattering martial prowess.
Once outside, Long Cheng immediately hailed a car and drove Zhang Yang to his own residence.
On the way, Zhang Yang called Mi Xue, telling her he would be home late and strictly warning her to be careful.
Zhang Yang was worried. Someone was clearly targeting him now. If they only focused on him, Zhang Yang felt confident that ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance against his strength.
However, if they shifted their focus to Mi Xue, that would be troublesome; she was arguably Zhang Yang’s only real weakness right now.
Zhang Yang followed Long Cheng to his alternate residence.
It was a modest two-story villa. Long Cheng owned several properties; this was just one of them, located in the suburbs—a gift from a partner company years ago.
It had been vacant, and when Zhang Yang needed a quiet place, this spot immediately came to mind.
The villa wasn't large but was impeccably clean. The landscaping in the residential area was also pleasant, prompting Zhang Yang to take a few extra glances as they walked in.
His current living arrangement was just convenient for school; sooner or later, he needed to buy a house. It wouldn't do to have no permanent home in Changjing, and moreover, any property bought now would appreciate in value later.
“Brother Cheng, you keep this place very tidy!”
Upon entering the small villa and seeing the bright, spacious living room, Zhang Yang commented with a smile, casually tossing Long Feng onto the sofa.
The man was merely poisoned into unconsciousness; nothing critical. Zhang Yang saved him because his crime didn't warrant death, and he needed to find out who was behind the attack. Still, Zhang Yang wasn't about to treat him as if he were one of his own. Not tying him up now was already showing him significant respect.
Long Cheng chuckled, “There’s property management; I pay them every month to keep it clean!”
He was quite satisfied with the place too; paying substantial management fees just to maintain cleanliness.
Looking at it now, that money was well spent, at least judging by Zhang Yang’s satisfied expression.
Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Yang’s standing in Long Cheng’s heart was rising steadily. Especially after Zhang Yang defeated a Dragon family inner disciple, Long Cheng had elevated Zhang Yang to the status of an inner sect elder.
Naturally, he felt a sense of respect for Zhang Yang, and gaining Zhang Yang’s tacit approval made him genuinely happy.
“Brother Cheng, could you give me a clean room? Please wait for me outside for a moment!”
Zhang Yang said with a smile. Long Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he glanced hesitantly at the unconscious Long Feng.
No matter what, Long Feng was a member of the Dragon family, an inner disciple at that. If the family discovered he had aided Long Feng's enemy and was plotting against him in his own home, the repercussions would be severe.
Such punishment could even cost him his life.
“Brother Cheng, don't worry, I just need to ask him a few questions. I won't be too hard on him!”
Zhang Yang noticed Long Cheng’s worry and replied with a gentle smile. Since he dared to bring Long Feng directly to Long Cheng’s home, he had no intention of doing anything drastic to Long Feng.
He possessed hypnotic techniques and the poison needles capable of inducing hallucinations; Zhang Yang wasn't worried about extracting the information he needed.
As for the poison needles, he had already tested their efficacy last time; the results were excellent.
“Alright, Zhang Yang, I trust you. Please, don't make things difficult for him!”
Long Cheng nodded firmly and showed Zhang Yang to a bedroom on the first floor. Zhang Yang grabbed the unconscious Long Feng and stepped inside.
Lightning followed them in, giving Long Cheng a few sharp ‘squeaks’ before entering, which made Long Cheng’s hair stand on end again.
It was one thing not knowing Lightning’s true nature, but now that he did, he couldn’t help but recall its potent venom.
Its poison was proven; even an inner disciple like Long Feng couldn't withstand it, let alone an ordinary outer disciple like himself. A single bite from Lightning would surely mean instant death.
At this moment, Zhang Yang seemed even more mysterious in his eyes.
Initially, Long Cheng just thought Zhang Yang was physically strong and nothing more. If it weren't for Yang Ling, he wouldn’t have paid Zhang Yang or Su Zhantao any mind.
Gradually, he discovered Zhang Yang was quite helpful and steady, and he slowly began to accept and acknowledge him.
After the car accident, Long Cheng realized Zhang Yang possessed profound inner energy, making him seem ethereal in Long Cheng’s view, though at that time, curiosity was his dominant feeling.
Now, Zhang Yang was entirely shrouded in an inscrutable mystery. His inner energy reached heights Long Cheng couldn't fathom, and he even commanded the willing allegiance of a Heaven and Earth Spirit Beast like the Fox-Tailed Marten. A Spirit Beast—as far as Long Cheng knew, the entire inner sect possessed only one Guardian Spirit Beast, and that one had died many years ago, with no successors since.
But if Lightning was a Spirit Beast, what about Wuying?
Long Cheng suddenly froze. He remembered the utterly inconspicuous pet mouse hiding on Zhang Yang’s body.
Heaven and Earth Spirit Beasts were notoriously arrogant. Zhang Yang had profound inner energy and extraordinary strength; it was plausible for him to earn the Fox-Tailed Marten's recognition. But an ordinary mouse could absolutely not command the respect of a Fox-Tailed Marten.
Could it be that this tiny mouse was also a Spirit Beast?
This seemed to be the only explanation, and the mere thought made Long Cheng feel a dizzying rush.
Spirit Beasts—the inner sect had acquired one years ago through a twist of fate, and in some ancient lore Long Cheng had heard, it was the only one.
This was a Spirit Beast. If the Xuanyuan family hadn’t been so powerful, with so many skilled individuals, they might not even have had that single one.
And Zhang Yang, seemingly utterly ordinary, had two Spirit Beasts accompanying him. It was no wonder Long Cheng’s head was spinning; this was something that had seemed utterly impossible to him before.