Luckily, Zhao Min was quick, grabbing hold of him and sternly reprimanding him a few times until the guard quieted down.

The now-calm guard still glared at Long Feng, who paid him no mind whatsoever. It was Qu Meilan beside him who felt a bead of sweat run down for the guard.

Qu Meilan had witnessed Long Feng's prowess firsthand. This guard was formidable, a former special forces operative, but still significantly lacking compared to a true practitioner of internal energy. If Long Feng truly intended to deal with him, one hand would suffice.

This guard had absolutely no concept of the caliber of man he was facing.

Inside the room, a certain silence had settled.

Zhang Keqin looked at Zhang Yang with complicated emotions. Zhang Yang’s aloof attitude made him hesitant to speak.

But recalling the request from his old friend, and the help he had once received from that elder, Zhang Keqin couldn't help but sigh again.

"I was hoping you could take a look at someone for me. His physical condition has become quite poor recently!"

Zhang Keqin spoke slowly, letting out another sigh after finishing.

This time, asking Zhang Yang for help was actually an errand entrusted to him. The father of an old friend had been in very bad health lately, and upon hearing about Elder Qiao’s situation, he approached Zhang Keqin, hoping Zhang Yang could examine the old man.

This old friend’s father had once offered substantial help to Zhang Keqin, leaving him with no real choice but to agree.

That was why he had arranged to meet Zhang Yang. He hoped to use this opportunity to ease the tension between them, but so far, the results were clearly not ideal. Zhang Yang had agreed to meet, even accepted his request, but he hadn't forgiven him.

"I can. I will inform Secretary Zhao of the timing later. If there's nothing else, you may leave now!"

Zhang Yang nodded slightly. Zhang Keqin paused, surprised by how quickly Zhang Yang had agreed.

Yet, Zhang Yang's attitude immediately cast a shadow over his heart.

"Very well, I thank you on his behalf in advance. If you need anything, just notify Zhao Min directly!"

Zhang Keqin slowly stood up, his expression carrying a hint of dejection.

"Helping you this time settles the debt for when you assisted me at the Police Bureau," Zhang Yang suddenly added. Zhang Keqin turned back in astonishment, observing Zhang Yang for a moment before slowly nodding.

Zhang Keqin departed. Seeing him leave, the guard finally settled down completely, but not before casting one last fierce glare at Long Feng.

Long Feng didn't spare him a glance, appearing entirely unconcerned.

After Zhang Keqin was gone, Zhang Yang let out a heavy breath, slumping back onto the chair. The chair he was sitting in was already contorted from how tightly he had been gripping it.

Meeting with Zhang Keqin always triggered a strong negative emotional response, far more intense than ever before, even beginning to affect his internal energy and causing instability within his Neijin.

This instability was a first for Zhang Yang.

This meeting made him realize the severity of these negative emotions. If they weren't resolved, they would hinder his future cultivation, potentially erupting at any time to bring him danger.

These emotions were ticking time bombs.

Even the final sentence he spoke wasn't entirely what he intended; he didn't know why he said it, but failing to utter those words would have left him deeply dissatisfied.

"Long Feng!"

Zhang Yang pushed himself up and called out directly. Long Feng, standing outside, walked in, while Qu Meilan hesitated briefly before remaining by the doorway.

As Long Feng entered the room, he immediately noticed the disarray inside. He took one look before turning his attention to Zhang Yang.

"Long Feng, could you do me a favor?" Zhang Yang said softly. The negative emotions had to be addressed, but solving them required tracing their origin. Zhang Yang couldn't just tackle them without knowing the root cause. Especially with emotions, which were intangible and invisible—even as a divine physician, he was helpless against such things.

"No problem!" Long Feng nodded immediately, not even asking what the favor was before agreeing.

Zhang Yang looked at Long Feng and spoke again. "I know your Long family has many channels for information. Help me investigate everything about him, especially his life after marriage and the cause of his wife’s death. Can you do that? It's very important to me!"

"I can. Give me some time, and I’ll have the answers for you quickly!" Long Feng nodded again, agreeing with perfect readiness.

This gave Zhang Yang a sliver of warmth. What he was asking Long Feng to do wasn't something Long Feng could manage alone; it would require mobilizing the power of the entire Long family. The fact that Long Feng agreed without hesitation, even for a matter involving others, proved that he genuinely did not regard Zhang Yang as an outsider.

This was a form of trust.

After entrusting Long Feng with the task, Zhang Yang left the private room. In another room, Mi Xue was waiting anxiously.

Mi Xue had come along, knowing that Zhang Keqin’s father was meeting Zhang Yang. She had hoped to join Zhang Yang for the meeting. After all, as his girlfriend, meeting a potential future father-in-law seemed appropriate. However, Zhang Yang had refused her request to attend together, saying she could come but must wait.

Zhang Yang rarely took such a firm stance with her, so she could only agree in the end.

"Zhang Yang, what’s wrong with you?"

Seeing Zhang Yang enter her private room, Mi Xue immediately stood up, crying out in shock.

Zhang Yang’s complexion was sallow, looking extremely unwell. This was the result of him forcibly suppressing the negative emotions, but the appearance was alarming.

"I’m fine. Let’s go back," Zhang Yang shook his head helplessly. If he had known that meeting Zhang Keqin would result in this, he might never have agreed to the meeting.

Mi Xue looked at Zhang Yang, her worry deepening, coupled with a determined look on her face.

The villa wasn't fully organized yet, so after returning in the afternoon, Zhang Yang went straight into his room to begin cultivating, needing to dispel the hidden dangers meeting Zhang Keqin had introduced to his Neijin.

He was currently a master of the third layer of Neijin; the higher the level, the greater the danger posed by instability. A chaotic Neijin was far more detrimental than the malfunction of any other bodily function. Unstable internal energy could lead to injury at best, or Zou Huo Ru Mo (Deviation of Cultivation) at worst, leaving Zhang Yang no choice but to take it seriously.

Zhang Yang remained locked in his room for a full day and night, only emerging near noon the next day. During this period of recuperation, Lightning stayed constantly by his side, and Long Feng stood guard at the door.

They understood Zhang Yang’s condition best, yet neither could offer help; he could only emerge through his own efforts.

"You’re awake. Here’s what you needed. I'm going back to rest for a bit."

Seeing Zhang Yang emerge, Long Feng, who also hadn't rested for a day and night, grinned and handed Zhang Yang a file folder before returning to his own room.

This file folder had been delivered by other disciples of the Long family; it contained the information Zhang Yang had asked Long Feng to investigate. With Long Feng’s status, a simple word to the supervisors outside was enough for someone to dedicate full effort to the investigation. By that morning, the items Long Feng requested were delivered right to his door.

Zhang Yang took the file folder, watching Long Feng depart, a feeling of gratitude welling up in his eyes.

Although he was in seclusion, he was fully aware of everything happening outside, including Long Feng’s steadfast presence. If, in the beginning, he had kept Long Feng around simply to counter potential retaliation from the Long family, now he truly regarded Long Feng as one of his own, treating him like family.

Long Feng felt the same way about him.

As soon as Long Feng entered his room, Qu Meilan rushed over, also deeply concerned about Zhang Yang.

This concern was genuine; she still carried the slow-acting poison Zhang Yang administered, and if something happened to him, she would have no one to help with the antidote. She didn't know what the outcome would be three years later.

"Young Master, are you alright now?" Qu Meilan asked with a cheerful smile.

"I'm fine. Where is Mi Xue?"

After checking, and sensing Mi Xue wasn't home, Zhang Yang asked softly.

"Miss Mi went out this morning. She said if you woke up, you should call her. I forgot, I’ll call her right now!" Qu Meilan replied hurriedly, already moving to make the call.

"If she's occupied, don't bother. I’ll call her myself later," Zhang Yang waved his hand, stopping Qu Meilan, before returning to his own room.

Qu Meilan nodded dejectedly and went back to listlessly continuing her tidying. She had hoped to use this opportunity to prove herself but had failed to do so.

There wasn't much in the file folder—only seven printed pages.

The pages contained Zhang Keqin’s entire biography, a remarkably detailed account.

Zhang Keqin came from very humble origins, the son of a farmer, but he studied diligently and worked hard, eventually gaining admission to a university, and a prestigious one at that.

Zhang Keqin was very fortunate; he entered university just before the college entrance examination system was halted, and the importance of his chosen school allowed him to complete his studies securely.

After graduation, Zhang Keqin worked in the countryside for a time. However, being a university graduate distinguished him from ordinary educated youth, and he received rapid promotions while working at the grassroots level.

It was during this period that he met his wife, Zhang Yang’s mother, another educated youth sent down.

Zhang Keqin at the time was young, promising, and not bad-looking, making him an object of admiration for many young women. He and Zhang Yang’s mother eventually built a happy life together.

At that time, their story was widely circulated as a beautiful tale, praised by many.

Later, the area where Zhang Keqin worked experienced some turmoil, but fortunately, Zhang Keqin was promoted and transferred to a more stable ministry in the capital city. His wife moved with him to Beijing.

He stayed in Beijing for eight years. During this time, Zhang Keqin's ascent wasn't rapid, but during this period, he accumulated the most vital social connections of his life.

Zhang Keqin was an intelligent man; unlike many of his contemporaries, he perceived situations with great clarity, seeing things others missed.

Eight years later, Zhang Keqin entered a new phase of career development as his work required another transfer. It was at this juncture that he and his wife had their crystallization of love—they had Zhang Yang.

……………… Second chapter. Four more to follow!