Zhang Yang looked terribly serious, yet everyone else present displayed sheer astonishment.

What had they just heard? Purging the household?

It was true that the Hua Tuo Residence Zhang family originated from the lineage of the Sage of Medicine, yet after the death of the medicinal boy, the entire Zhang family ceased acknowledging any ties to the Sage’s lineage, hence the adoption of the name Hua Tuo Residence.

Furthermore, in their minds, the Sage of Medicine’s lineage had long since been extinguished.

Zhang Yang raised his head, his gaze sweeping over them with cold intensity.

What these people thought was utterly irrelevant to him; he had no desire to know their internal deliberations.

For Zhang Yang, knowing they were a branch of the Zhang family and were currently employing Zhang family medical arts was sufficient information.

To betray one's master and ancestors—whether one was of the main line or a branch—resulted in the same penalty: utter annihilation.

This was not unprecedented within the Zhang family.

The Zhang lineage once had branches; during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, one branch pledged allegiance to the Manchu Qing, becoming imperial physicians. Subsequently, all seventy-three members of that imperial physician household were slain in a single night.

The act was carried out by a scion of the Zhang family. The medical arts were passed down to the branch not to facilitate treason, for the Zhang family possessed the compassionate heart of a healer, but they also held the capacity for ruthless finality.

If it happened in the late Ming and early Qing, it had also occurred during the Tang Dynasty.

That instance involved a branch family using medical expertise to perpetrate wicked deeds and amass vast wealth, even plotting to poison the heir of the main line. While not everyone was killed that time, any person who understood the Zhang family medical arts met a grim fate.

This time, it was Zhang Yang’s turn to act.

Betraying one's master and ancestors was the gravest of taboos in the Zhang family ancestral precepts. Forget about a branch; even a direct heir like Zhang Yang would face no light penalty for such a crime.

"Zhang Yang, leave immediately, or we are calling the police!"

"This is a society governed by law; who do you think you are, talking about purging the household?"

"The main line died long ago, so what household is left? You’re just another minor branch!"

Seeing Zhang Yang’s demeanor, many people lost their fear, and several younger individuals began shouting loudly.

However, the older members appeared exceedingly cautious.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Lightning darted out again, snatching away the cell phones they were covertly pulling out and flinging them aside. It was impossible for these people to secretly dial a number right under Lightning's nose.

In a short while, Lightning had retrieved seven or eight more phones. The Hua Tuo Residence Zhang family was quite wealthy, essentially everyone possessing a mobile device.

Only a few of the elderly did not use them; they were unaccustomed to such gadgets.

By this point, aside from Zhang Song’s phone hidden in his pocket, every other phone had been confiscated by Lightning. These were ordinary people, and Lightning truly didn't regard them as threats; it wouldn't even need to bite them; a puff of the toxic gas held in its mouth would be enough to kill them.

Zhang Song dared not produce his phone. He knew he wouldn't have an opportunity to make a call, not even a clandestine one.

Staring at them, Zhang Yang remained silent.

He reached into his canvas bag and drew out three black needles. These needles were significantly thicker than standard silver needles, reflecting a glaring black sheen under the light, appearing somewhat terrifying.

These were venom-laced needles Zhang Yang had concocted using the poison of the Fox-tailed Marten.

He had only used such venomous needles once before, in Mi Xue’s hometown, where he pricked Yu Yong. The result was that, to this day, Yu Yong remained institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital.

The young men had spoken a truth: this was a society governed by law, and Zhang Yang could not simply act on impulse.

Killing all these people outright—twenty-plus deaths overnight—would undoubtedly shock the entirety of Shanghai the next day, possibly even alerting the Ministry of Public Security.

If these people couldn't be traced, fine; but if they were investigated and traced back to him, Zhang Yang’s life would become infinitely complicated from that point onward.

Therefore, Zhang Yang could not employ his usual method of simply killing them to purge the branch.

To leave them alive while still achieving the objective of purging the household—this was where the few venomous needles in Zhang Yang’s hand came into play. This toxin directly destroyed brain cells; a single insertion could erase all their memories, leaving them little more than living corpses, even if breathing.

Zhang Yang moved. With what appeared to be two slow steps, he had already reached the table.

The moment he moved, the Zhang family members froze, all staring at him in shock.

Before they could fully react, Zhang Yang flicked three needles, embedding each deeply into three different individuals.

"Ow!"

The three men cried out in pain. As they did, Zhang Yang moved to stand beside them.

Zhang Yang reached out and sucked lightly on each of their backs, drawing the three venom needles out before flicking them towards three more people.

Some were already sensing things were terribly wrong and bolted towards the exit.

The fastest runner was Zhang Song, but after only two steps, his body went limp.

With Zhang Yang present, how could anyone possibly escape? Today, every single person sitting here would not be leaving.

The fact that they were all gathered together awaiting news saved Zhang Yang some trouble; he didn't have to waste time pursuing them individually.

There were twenty-six people in total here; twenty-three were struck by the venom needles.

Those struck first had already started grinning foolishly. This time was different from the previous incident; last time, Zhang Yang had only lightly pierced Yu Yong, the poison being shallowly administered.

This time, he drove the entire needle in completely before using his internal energy to draw it out.

The toxicity this time was far stronger than before. Moreover, Zhang Yang had secretly intensified the potency of these three needles on their way over. This time, Zhang Yang was resolute that these people would have no possibility of recovery.

A doctor can save lives, but a doctor who kills is even more formidable than any so-called assassin.

The remaining three individuals were completely paralyzed, frozen in place.

Zhang Yang spared these three specifically to question them about any other surviving Zhang family members, thus preventing the regrowth of roots and leaving a potential menace for the future.

After employing hypnosis, Zhang Yang finally nodded with satisfaction.

All members of the Zhang family were present here.

This Hua Tuo Residence Zhang family differed from others: their family members began studying medicine from childhood; what they needed to learn in school was secondary. In this regard, they closely mirrored the previous Zhang family inheritance.

Learning only medicine from a young age naturally led to the deepest possible exploration of the field.

After questioning all three, Zhang Yang rewarded each of them with three venom needles.

Afterward, Zhang Yang thoroughly checked every person one last time, confirming the toxin had infiltrated the brain and that recovery was entirely impossible. Only then did he erase every trace of his presence.

As for what sort of news the morning papers would carry, that was beyond his concern.

Having purged the household, Zhang Yang circled Hua Tuo Residence once more, then hailed a taxi back to Changjing. Upon arriving in Changjing, Zhang Yang performed a minor adjustment on the taxi driver as well.

This adjustment was very simple: it induced a fuzzy memory regarding this period, making him unable to recall Zhang Yang’s appearance. He would only remember picking up and dropping off a fare. This was merely a precaution; twenty-plus people suddenly going completely insane was no small matter, and Zhang Yang had no desire to attract scrutiny from certain state agencies.

"Zhang Yang, you’re back!"

At Long Cheng's villa, he was sitting alone in the living room, appearing quite reserved.

He was unaware that Zhang Yang had made another trip to Shanghai, but he had indeed waited there constantly. Ever since Long Feng left, he had been waiting, not daring to sleep through the night.

Just as dawn was about to break, Zhang Yang finally returned.

"Brother Cheng, sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Zhang Yang offered a slight smile. His attitude toward Long Cheng remained unchanged. He knew well that Long Cheng speaking up for him earlier when facing Long Feng had already required considerable effort.

"Zhang Yang, I'm the one who should apologize. I—I let him go!"

Long Cheng kept his head bowed while speaking, afraid to look at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang had entrusted the person to him, and he had released him. This made him feel deeply indebted to Zhang Yang, yet he couldn't have done otherwise; locking up an inner disciple of the Long family was fundamentally impossible.

"If he’s let go, then he’s let go. It’s fine!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly; this outcome was within his expectations.

Zhang Yang himself had intended to release Long Feng. Long Feng was merely the executor of an order, not the mastermind. The mastermind had already been located and dealt with.

Furthermore, Long Feng's status was somewhat sensitive; killing him outright would mean incurring a mortal feud with the Xuanyuan Family. Zhang Yang did not fear the Xuanyuan Family, but he was reluctant to gain such a powerful enemy.

"You—you’re not angry with me?"

Long Cheng was momentarily stunned. He had anticipated Zhang Yang flying into a rage or even punishing him. In Long Cheng’s mind, Zhang Yang had quietly evolved into the image of a senior figure.

If punishment were to come, he would accept it, after all, Zhang Yang had trusted him, handing over an enemy for him to manage, yet he had released the captive.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Why would I blame you? Keeping him meant worrying about his food and lodging. Letting him go is fine. Brother Cheng, don't forget, we are friends!"

Long Cheng stared at him blankly, unable to help but nod: "Yes, we are friends, friends!"

Long Cheng's expression was somewhat emotional; the word 'friends' carried significant weight. In truth, after witnessing Zhang Yang's true power today, he no longer dared to regard Zhang Yang as merely a peer.

There were few people cultivating internal energy in the country now, but the hierarchy among these cultivators was strictly defined.

Seniors would absolutely not associate with people like them. In Long Cheng’s view, both Long Feng and Zhang Yang belonged to the senior echelon.

Their strength was enough to warrant his respect as a senior, even if both were younger than him. Martial arts cultivation never categorized ranks based on age.

"Alright, it’s nearly dawn. Go get some sleep; you haven't slept all night either!"

Zhang Yang patted his shoulder and, without ceremony, headed directly into a bedroom, collapsing onto the bed to sleep. He had been running around all night and was truly exhausted now.

"Don't worry, we will always be friends!"

Watching Zhang Yang, Long Cheng nodded silently. Zhang Yang’s words deeply moved him.

People are strange. If Zhang Yang were just an ordinary doctor, an average university student, Long Cheng wouldn't feel this way. Zhang Yang was a master of internal energy, a master ranking among the seniors. To hear such words from him was profoundly touching.

It was a form of acknowledgment, validation coming from someone he admired and respected.

Zhang Yang got up after sleeping only three hours. He had intended to return yesterday, but the ordeal dragged on until today. If it hadn't been so late upon his return, potentially disturbing Mi Xue’s rest, he would have driven straight home.