Zhang Yang stood up, and Yan Ye Fei shivered again, fear reappearing on his face.

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Yang couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation. This president of the Supernatural Research Association had certainly seen his share of strange things and studied numerous unnatural phenomena, yet he was this timid.

"Let's step out to talk. Everyone else is asleep; we're the only two conscious right now!"

Zhang Yang said helplessly. The others wouldn't wake up for a while, and he wasn't sleepy at all, so he decided to call Yan Ye Fei out for a chat.

The Du'e Constitution was rare. Yan Ye Fei had simply been unlucky; if he had encountered a cultivator when he was young, he would certainly be a master cultivator now.

He might not match Zhang Yang, but he would definitely be much stronger than Long Feng, possibly already a great master at the mid or even late Third Layer.

The Five Great Constitutions were the darlings of heaven, such physiques were incredibly hard to come by, and it was a pity Yan Ye Fei had missed his chance.

"Good, let's go talk outside!"

Yan Ye Fei nodded quickly, still looking somewhat flustered, a sight that made Zhang Yang shake his head again.

"I won't hurt you. What exactly are you thinking? Why are you so scared? Do you really assume I intend you harm?"

Zhang Yang asked again, unable to bear watching Yan Ye Fei’s state any longer. Even Su Zhantao and Mi Xue hadn't reacted this way after learning he was a cultivator.

"In books, on television... isn't that what they all say? You people are extraordinary. If you see someone like you accidentally, you have to be silenced!"

Yan Ye Fei murmured very quietly. Zhang Yang paused slightly, then shook his head again.

Zhang Yang hadn't expected that someone so learned and capable, a vice president of a major corporation, could be so poisoned by television and novels.

However, Zhang Yang had genuinely overlooked something this time. Su Zhantao and Mi Xue had an unusual relationship with him, but Yan Ye Fei had only just met Zhang Yang today, and he specialized in researching such matters. He had heard many rumors, many of which involved people being silenced.

"That's all nonsense. Even if you see something, it's fine, unless you run into someone from the Demonic Path!"

Zhang Yang said slowly, leading Yan Ye Fei out and adding some firewood to the campfire.

It was already May, but the mountain nights were still somewhat chilly. This fire was for the local defense team to keep warm, but they had all passed out, and if the fire wasn't replenished, it would surely die out.

"The Demonic Path people, what kind of people are they?"

Seeing that Zhang Yang truly meant him no harm, Yan Ye Fei dared to be a bit bolder. He moved closer to the fire, sat down, and added some wood, asking in a low voice.

"We'll talk about that later. Mr. Yan, I hope you can keep today's events confidential!"

Zhang Yang turned back, looking at Yan Ye Fei, and spoke slowly. Yan Ye Fei hurriedly nodded quickly, afraid that if he agreed too slowly, Zhang Yang would strike and silence him.

"Rest assured, I will absolutely keep silent!"

After saying that, a wry smile returned to Yan Ye Fei's face. "Even if I tell anyone, will they believe me? There's no evidence of what happened here!"

Without evidence, even if you tell people certain things, they won't believe you; they'll only listen as if it were a story.

In truth, many such incidents had occurred. Some people really had encountered strange things; for instance, Zhang Yang's appearance in Hangzhou City was witnessed by several individuals.

Unfortunately, when they spoke of it, no one believed them; many just dismissed them as bragging or storytelling, and eventually, the matter faded away. Of course, some people genuinely enjoyed telling tall tales about mystical things, presenting them as true events, which only made others less likely to credit such occurrences.

Yan Ye Fei’s spirits finally stabilized. He finally believed Zhang Yang wouldn't harm him. If Zhang Yang had intended to silence him, he wouldn't have wasted so much time talking or bothered to bring him outside.

After a moment of silence, Yan Ye Fei grew curious again, turning to look at Zhang Yang and asking quietly, "Mr. Zhang, you mentioned earlier that you are an Neijin cultivator. Are you incredibly powerful? Can you fly around and summon wind and rain?"

"Fly around, summon wind and rain?"

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened, immediately followed by a hint of exasperation. "What you're describing are Immortals. Neijin cultivators aren't that formidable, though perhaps at the highest level, it might not be impossible!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yang recalled the Illusionary Rat on Yinlong Mountain and the rumors about Fifth Layer powerhouses.

A Fourth Layer cultivator certainly couldn't fly or summon storms, but what about a Fifth Layer powerhouse?

A Fifth Layer expert could directly manipulate the energy of heaven and earth and even condense an energy avatar. Didn't the Illusionary Rat conjure a massive dragon that flew around in the sky? When that dragon soared, the energy of heaven and earth was shrouded in a lot of white mist—that was actual water vapor. To say they couldn't summon a little rain in a localized area was perhaps not entirely true.

Thinking of this, a subtle shift occurred in Zhang Yang's mind. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a surge of heaven and earth energy began to gather there.

Soon, a small, silvery-white ball of light materialized at his fingertip. Materializing energy into form was something only achievable at the Fifth Layer, but Zhang Yang, aided by the Potian Sword Style and the Sacred Hand System, could now manage it clumsily.

Yan Ye Fei’s eyes snapped shut in shock as he stared at Zhang Yang’s finger.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yang slowly manipulated the energy, gradually changing the shape of the small light cluster in his hand. Zhui Feng, Wuying, and Shandian were all drawn by the energy Zhang Yang controlled and gathered around to watch.

The small light cluster slowly shifted and soon took the form of a miniature Wuying.

Wuying looked at Zhang Yang's finger and suddenly stood upright on its hind legs.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

A moment later, Wuying let out excited calls, seemingly telling Shandian and Zhui Feng that Zhang Yang had created a likeness of it.

Watching the excited Wuying, Zhang Yang smiled faintly, then changed the light cluster’s shape again, this time molding it into Shandian.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Now it was Shandian’s turn to be thrilled, letting out loud cries as well. The miniature Shandian in Zhang Yang's finger even cooperated by opening its mouth.

Finally, Zhang Yang shaped the small light cluster into Zhui Feng’s likeness. Zhui Feng trotted over, craned its neck, and examined it closely.

After a few glances, the two small horns on Zhui Feng’s forehead shot straight up. Zhui Feng lifted its head and let out a loud neigh toward the sky. The sound of the horse’s call instantly spread throughout the entire town, reaching the distant Savage Mountain.

Every animal that heard the sound, be it a tiger, a black bear, or a hungry wolf, obediently lay still, not daring to move an inch.

Zhui Feng’s neigh carried the majesty of a Fourth Layer spirit beast.

"Thud!"

Yan Ye Fei could not withstand the pressure and collapsed onto the ground again. Although the oppressive aura was not directed at him, he was simply too close. The immense pressure caused his heartbeat to instantly spike to its maximum, and his body could no longer hold up.

Fortunately, the pressure wasn't aimed at him; if it had been, that mere aura could have crushed him.

As Zhui Feng neighed, the small light cluster in Zhang Yang’s hand vanished. Zhang Yang also let out a heavy breath. Even though he was just playing with the energy cluster and forming shapes, this short time had consumed a significant amount of his Neijin. His strength was still too weak; a Fourth Layer cultivator shouldn't possess the ability to materialize energy forms. His forced mastery meant he tired much more easily.

This also made Zhang Yang realize just how powerful the Fifth Layer truly was. Compared to the Illusionary Rat casually controlling that giant dragon avatar, which could attack and make sounds, he was still far behind.

"Mr. Zhang, your horse, your horse…"

Yan Ye Fei sat stunned on the ground, looking utterly horrified. After a moment, he managed to ask quietly, "Zhui Feng startled me quite badly with that outburst."

Zhang Yang smiled slightly and whispered, "Haven't you been to Weijiang and heard the legend of the Horse God? The Horse God widely rumored there, if I'm not mistaken, is my Zhui Feng!"

"The Horse God is Zhui Feng?"

Yan Ye Fei’s eyes widened, and he stared blankly at Zhang Yang, then turned back to look dazedly at Zhui Feng.

This not-too-tall, very beautiful white horse was actually the Horse God he had investigated before. The Horse God! Even now, legends of the Horse God persisted on the grasslands, and some people even made divine tablets to worship it. He never imagined he would meet the Horse God, and sit so close to it.

"Also, the giant python you mentioned was killed by me, a friend, and Shandian and Wuying. The place where you took photos was the site of our battle!"

Zhang Yang turned back and added another piece of information.

Yan Ye Fei's body stiffened violently, and he turned back again, looking at Zhang Yang in disbelief.

Zhang Yang was just contemplating how to handle Yan Ye Fei’s investigation. Since he had seen everything and knew so much, Zhang Yang decided to tell him everything. Telling him meant there was no need for secrecy; a smart person like Yan Ye Fei would surely know what to do, thus completely resolving this leak crisis. Judging by Yan Ye Fei’s current state, he absolutely wouldn't dare speak of it.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Shandian and Wuying both jumped onto Zhang Yang’s body and began chattering softly. The two little ones were recalling the great battle with the Golden-Crowned Python. Even Zhui Feng lifted its head, seemingly remembering the Golden-Crowned Python that had bullied it, poisoned it, and nearly killed it. If they hadn't met Zhang Yang and Shandian later, Zhui Feng would have either died or fallen into the hands of hunters. Either way, the outcome wouldn't have been good.

"The giant python, you killed it?"

After several minutes, Yan Ye Fei finally swallowed hard and asked cautiously.

"That’s right. After killing it, I had Mayor Wang and the others bury the python. I didn't expect it to be dug up by reporters later, which caused this whole series of events. I only came over after reading the newspaper; I just wanted to resolve this matter!"

Zhang Yang smiled and nodded. Since he had started explaining, he might as well tell the whole truth. Yan Ye Fei was now an insider, and perhaps he could even offer some help.

"I understand. Rest assured, I won't tell anyone about any of this. Also, all the items I found, I will hand over to you. From this moment on, I won't tell anyone, not even my wife!"

Saying this, Yan Ye Fei returned to the tent, retrieved his bag, and gave Zhang Yang all the spent shell casings, blades, and photographs he had found. He was a smart man and knew Zhang Yang did not want these things known, so he naturally wouldn't keep the evidence.