Zhang Yang had initially barred the two of them from entering, only allowing them in for a brief visit at Ren Lijuan's insistence, which afforded her some insight into Zhang Yang's affairs.

By now, her objective had been achieved.

Yet, she hadn't anticipated that immediately after dropping off Ren Lijuan, Zhang Yang would call her back, demanding she return to the villa at once.

This turn of events caused Huang Jing some worry, fearing Zhang Yang might make an unreasonable demand, and if he did, she was unsure whether she could refuse or even dare to object.

Huang Jing appraised herself, a hint of a smile playing on her lips amidst her anxiety.

She held considerable confidence in her appearance; women generally prioritized upkeep, and she was no exception. Having come from a wealthy family, money was never an issue, and currently, both her figure and skin were undeniably top-tier.

Then there was her face, truly star-quality; several talent scouts had approached her over the years, taking an interest in her.

Furthermore, hidden beneath her clothing were a pair of magnificent breasts; others might not know, but she was acutely aware that hers were significantly larger than most girls'.

After a brief smile, Huang Jing’s brow furrowed again.

These were assets, points of pride on any normal occasion, but now they represented her greatest fear.

If Zhang Yang truly made the sort of request she was anticipating, she would likely have no choice but to comply, otherwise, the entire Huang family, and she herself, would be ruined.

But thinking it over from another angle, Zhang Yang wasn't so bad after all—young and handsome. He seemed even younger than her. If things went the way she imagined... would she be an old cow grazing on tender grass?

The thought made Huang Jing’s face flush crimson, and she narrowly avoided a collision with an oncoming car.

Under the stream of curses from the other driver, she hastily collected her thoughts and focused on driving. Fortunately, Zhang Yang's residence wasn't excessively far. After driving for a while, she finally arrived.

The villa door was unlocked, and after a moment's hesitation, Huang Jing walked straight in.

Upon entering, she saw Zhang Yang sitting alone on the sofa, facing the box she had delivered earlier; it was now empty. The bank draft for fifty million yuan lay discarded to one side, but the yellowed paper—the item that Chu Yuntian wanted, which her family had retained—was missing.

“Sit,”

Zhang Yang suddenly opened his eyes and spoke to Huang Jing in a low voice; his demeanor now was somewhat gentler than before.

Huang Jing murmured an acknowledgment and cautiously sat down opposite him. As she settled, her heart rate quickened again, and her fingers involuntarily clenched around her handbag.

“The first part of the secret history regarding the fifth level, from your Huang family—what did it say?”

As soon as she was seated, Zhang Yang cut straight to the chase. This was the primary reason he had summoned Huang Jing; he urgently needed to know the preceding contents.

Since this secret history had been kept within the Huang family for so long, it was highly probable that some members had read it; asking them about the initial portions seemed feasible.

“That... I don't know!”

Huang Jing started, then quickly shook her head; she only knew of the secret history's existence, but not its actual contents.

Zhang Yang frowned deeply and asked again, “You don't know? Is there anyone in your family who does?”

Huang Jing shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure either. I’ll call and ask!”

Zhang Yang stated, “Then call right now! Call immediately!”

This secret history was too critical to him; he needed to understand it as soon as possible.

Huang Jing looked at him with a flicker of surprise, nodded instinctively, pulled out her phone, and began dialing.

A measure of relief washed over her; it seemed Zhang Yang hadn't summoned her for the reasons she had feared, and she wouldn't have to endure that prior apprehension and awkwardness.

As relief settled in, a strange sense of disappointment arose. For the first time, she felt insecure. It was late evening, she had been called all the way out here just to answer questions—did she possess no allure for him at all?

Though these thoughts churned in her mind, she dared not speak a word, simply waiting for the call to connect.

The call connected quickly; Huang Jing was dialing her father. He, too, did not know the specific contents of the fifth-level secret history. While it was indeed a family possession, it was a matter of the highest secrecy. Had Huang Jing not brazenly proposed the trade this time, they would have ultimately destroyed such documents.

The Huang family members were not fools. Without internal energy cultivators, all these matters were just empty talk. The more they knew, the greater the danger. Therefore, everything held by the family was strictly categorized.

Ordinary items—such as classifications for internal energy practitioners, spiritual medicines, and spirit beasts—were available for casual reading; this was foundational knowledge every internal energy cultivator should possess.

More significant items, like certain cultivation manuals and secret arts, were restricted to key figures. However, even if they read them, they would be useless without internal energy; such texts would be inscrutable, like the heavens.

These types of documents were already beyond Huang Jing’s access.

The most important category was First-Degree Secrets. Even important family members were forbidden from viewing these; only the head of the family held the authority to look upon them.

If not for the Huang family’s recent decision to abandon their identity as an internal energy lineage and settle comfortably as a secular elite clan, Huang Jing would never have known such things existed.

Huang Jing's father replied that he would look into the matter and personally investigate what Zhang Yang required.

After Huang Jing relayed the information, Zhang Yang raised his hand and asked, “So, very few people in your family know the contents of that document?”

Huang Jing noticed his hand resting on the yellowed paper—the same document whose contents she herself had never seen before.

She nodded. “You are correct. We are not what we once were, but the number of people who know the most crucial things remains small. From childhood, we are educated that knowing too much is not always beneficial; without the strength to back it up, knowledge only brings danger!”

Looking at her, Zhang Yang slowly nodded. “You speak the truth. It is fortunate you are intelligent people and haven't allowed such knowledge to become common currency; otherwise, your family would have perished long ago!”

Zhang Yang’s words sent a sharp jolt through Huang Jing.

This time, Zhang Yang was not merely intimidating her. If even a fraction of the contents of that document were leaked to internal energy practitioners, it would bring utter devastation to her family.

That item was too significant; anyone who obtained it would seek to monopolize it. Never mind outsiders, even Zhang Yang, upon learning of its existence, had considered whether he should seize it and wipe out the entire Huang family to prevent the contents from leaking.

This was why he was certain that Chu Yuntian would act as he did. The people of the Medical Saint lineage thought this way; one could only imagine the cultivators of the Demonic Path.

Of course, Zhang Yang was merely thinking aloud; this was also born from a deep-seated selfishness. In this era, truly great people devoid of all self-interest were virtually extinct.

“I understand. I will remember your words and relay them to my family!”

Huang Jing appeared somewhat alarmed but nodded nonetheless. She felt a touch of relief now, realizing her ancestors had been correct in their ways; fortunately, by adhering to some ancestral rules, they hadn't brought trouble upon themselves.

A moment later, Huang Jing’s phone rang. She quickly picked it up.

It was her father calling with the results of his inquiry.

The item Zhang Yang desired was no longer in the family’s possession. They had originally planned to create two copies—using a replica for the exchange while keeping the original—hoping the original could be sold again later.

Unfortunately, before they could make copies, Chu Yuntian had shown up himself, resulting in the tragic death of the fourth member of the Huang family and the loss of the document.

The only remaining piece was the one torn up beforehand; otherwise, it might have fallen into Chu Yuntian’s hands as well.

The person who tore the manual was the fourth Huang son. Afterward, it remained in the box, untouched. Whether he had read it or not was unknown, but based on Chu Yuntian’s reaction, the fourth son likely had not, otherwise, they would have simply been killed upon delivery rather than being asked to return the item.

“My father says that although none of us have seen it, there is an elder in the family who has. That elder is from my grandfather’s generation, ninety years old. He used to be in charge of all these important family documents, and he has read everything!”

Huang Jing spoke softly. While they were uninitiated, the family was not entirely ignorant. If Zhang Yang needed it, they could contact the elder in Canada and have him recall the previous contents.

“No need. If it becomes necessary, I will travel to Canada personally. Remember this: if you people know what is written on this, it is equivalent to carrying a constantly ticking bomb on your person. Once it explodes, it will reduce you all to dust!”

Zhang Yang shook his head. The fact that someone else in the Huang family knew the contents was not good news.

Fortunately, only one person knew, and he was a ninety-year-old man. As long as the others remained ignorant, once this elder passed on, it would mean no one in the Huang family would know of the matter.

Ignorance was their shield. If even one person knew, and the knowledge spread to internal energy practitioners, their entire family would face annihilation.

The influx of attention this time would certainly not be limited to Demonic Path cultivators; even the Four Great Families and those reclusive sects would send representatives, deploying large numbers of people, absolutely determined not to leave without obtaining the treasure.

The attraction of this item was immense. Don't assume that those who claim to be righteous are any better; the combined assault on Zhang Yang on the Long family’s plain proved that these people only looked out for their own interests.

Furthermore, to them, secular people were nothing more than ants.

Ants should not possess such things. If they were killed, no one would object, and no one would seek justice for the Huang family.

“I understand. Please rest assured, we will absolutely follow your instructions!”

Huang Jing hastily nodded, feeling another wave of regret.

If she hadn't been tempted by the Rejuvenation Pill this time, she wouldn't have traded the family's vital secret history, which led to this entire chain of events, plunging her family into such a grave crisis.

There was another point: even if a trade had occurred, if they had conducted the transaction honestly without unnecessary complication, nothing would have happened. After Zhang Yang made the exchange, he would have found a way to ensure the Huang family kept the secret, but he certainly wouldn't have resorted to murder; their family would have been safe.

The item was incredibly useful to Zhang Yang; perhaps he might have even helped the Huang family cultivate an internal energy practitioner. But it was too late to say such things now. Due to their own greed, the Huang family had already paid a considerable price. (To be continued)RQ