Yang Guang stretched his neck out in bewilderment, peering out of the car window. He had driven out biting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, fully expecting a collision that never came; instead, he had slipped through with unexpected ease.

He felt nothing of the gale outside, only noticing a film of dust and grit splattered across the car glass.

"Cousin?"

"Let's go back," Zhang Yang replied softly. Yang Guang, his mouth agape, smacked his lips a couple of times before finally turning his head back, gripping the steering wheel with newfound calm as he drove home.

It was a relief to be out. He certainly didn't want to see those people anymore. Yet, the whole way back, Yang Guang kept wondering how he hadn't hit a car. Had his driving suddenly improved to the point where he could navigate passages that were clearly impassable?

Inside the car, he remained completely unaware of how far the Ferrari next to them had actually been swept away by that gust of wind.

Near the Ferrari, the four young men were still staring at each other, utterly confused.

"That's bizarre, where did that wind come from? How could it blow a car away?"

The speaker was Bai Feng, his mind a total blank.

"Maybe we hit a demon? Was that an evil wind?" the mop-haired youth immediately chimed in, only to have his head smacked again the moment the words left his mouth.

"A demon? If there was a demon, you'd already be eaten, not standing here. But this wind is definitely uncanny—to blow a car away, just how much force was that?"

The young man who struck the yellow-haired youth was also rubbing his own head, equally perplexed. The car itself was fine; it had only been displaced slightly, which was just enough to create an opening for the Bugatti to leave.

Ouyang Xuan, who had been standing silently the whole time, suddenly strode quickly toward the Ferrari.

"Don't follow me, I'm going home!"

Ouyang Xuan said this, started his car, and sped off, leaving the four other young men standing there, even more bewildered.

After a while, they reluctantly drove away themselves. Yang Guang's acquaintance, Zhu Fang, followed them, insisting on treating them to a meal. Seeing someone so eagerly offering to be fleeced, the others readily agreed.

A single meal for this group was no small expense, Zhu Fang realized later, but he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

Ouyang Xuan, driving his car, still looked deeply shaken.

The Ouyang family, while present in the capital, was not overtly conspicuous. Only the established noble clans truly knew of their existence; others knew very little.

This was because the Ouyang family was not a political lineage. They were a family specializing in Neijin (Internal Strength).

This was an Neijin lineage spanning over three centuries. Long before the Republic was founded, they had been members of the Party organization, contributing greatly to the founding of the nation. In essence, they were an Neijin family belonging to the state.

Ouyang Xuan was a member of the Ouyang family, but only from a collateral branch, and not a particularly significant one at that.

The so-called collateral branches were essentially disciples within the family who could not cultivate the arts, eventually going into politics or business. Regardless of their profession, failure to cultivate meant they could not be considered direct disciples.

Still, they were members of the Ouyang family, much like the outer disciples of the Long family—they belonged to the Long family nonetheless.

The Ouyang family could not compare to the Long family. Over three hundred years, they had only produced three Fourth-Layer experts; even at their current zenith, they only boasted two. Because they lacked a Great Perfection master, they chose to cooperate with the Long family, and this alliance was the reason why the Long family’s outer sect had grown so robust.

This partnership had both advantages and disadvantages. They essentially tethered themselves to the Long family, yielding some benefits in exchange for greater stability for their own clan. Coupled with their unique relationship with the government, as long as the Republic stood, they were guaranteed to endure.

The disadvantage was equally clear: over-reliance on the Long family could allow the Long family to develop too robustly, risking becoming too powerful to control. The Ouyang family had recognized this problem and had secretly contacted Wudang and Shaolin, planning to leverage the power of these sects to check the Long family if necessary.

What they were doing was essentially maintaining a balance of power.

Of course, developing their own strength remained the most crucial aspect. The Ouyang family's greatest aspiration was to cultivate a Great Perfection guardian. Only with a Great Perfection master could they cease depending on others and truly become a dominant family sitting secure in the capital.

It was because of this background that Ouyang Xuan understood far more than the average person.

He had diligently tried to cultivate Neijin in his youth but failed to manifest any. Despite the absence of internal energy, he had gained considerable knowledge of the Neijin cultivation world, unlike others who remained completely ignorant.

That gust of wind, while seemingly strange, he understood must have been man-made, and by someone incredibly powerful. To conjure a localized whirlwind out of thin air and push a car away—what kind of strength did that require?

He dared not, and could not, contemplate the implications further. After all, even his uncle, the most formidable master he knew—a Second-Layer mid-stage expert—could not achieve such a feat. This was the reason for his shock and his hasty retreat.

He needed to report this immediately. He was certain the wind had been generated by someone in that car. There were four people in the car: two men and two women. Any one of those four individuals was someone he could not afford to offend.

Among the four, he suspected Zhang Yang was the most likely candidate. Although Zhang Yang was young, he was the eldest of the group, and he possessed a composure far exceeding his years. Ouyang Xuan had felt from the start that Zhang Yang was somehow different.

Unfortunately, he still did not know Zhang Yang’s name.

Ouyang Xuan lived in a suburban villa area, but this was not the Ouyang family's main base. He only relayed the incident to his father, who would then report it up the chain. His father was also a disciple who had failed to cultivate Neijin, having placed his hopes on Ouyang Xuan, hopes that ultimately went unfulfilled. Afterward, father and son focused on commerce, fortunately possessing business acumen, earning a significant fortune and providing a strong economic foundation for the family.

"Xuan'er, come with me."

Ouyang Xuan waited barely ten minutes before a white-haired man, appearing to be in his sixties, approached. He merely uttered this single sentence before turning and walking away. Seeing this man appear, Ouyang Xuan paused slightly before quickly following.

This man was his paternal uncle, Ouyang Ming. He was actually only in his early fifties, but he had managed to cultivate Neijin, reaching the Second Layer. Though not high, he possessed internal energy. Seeing his uncle personally arrive, Ouyang Xuan immediately understood the gravity of the situation; the family was taking this extremely seriously, sending his uncle to fetch him personally.

Ouyang Xuan followed his uncle into a Red Flag sedan.

The car sped away toward a more remote area, finally pulling into a stretch of dense woods—likely undeveloped wilderness on the outskirts of the capital, a favorite spot for local hikers exploring the small mountain ranges surrounding the city. The Ouyang family headquarters was established here. The Ouyang family was a mid-to-upper-tier power, unable to match millennium-old lineages like the Long or Li families, but their greatest advantage lay in their relationship with the government. Generally, major clans or sects maintained a distance from worldly affairs, interacting with the government only formally, never too closely. The Ouyang clan, being directly affiliated with the state, was a distinct exception.

The car soon entered a small mountain village. Guards were posted at the entrance, who checked their documents before granting passage. Ouyang Xuan observed everything outside with curiosity. Though a member of the Ouyang family, this was his first time at the family headquarters. Collateral disciples were never permitted entry to the headquarters without a very specific reason. This was somewhat similar to Long Cheng, who would never have entered the Long Family Plains without accompanying Long Feng and Zhang Yang.

The Ouyang family was based near the capital, but their headquarters was situated further out. They all understood that setting up their core base directly within a bustling metropolis would be courting disaster; the luxury and decadence of a great city would severely impact disciples with unsteady minds.

"Xuan'er, this is your first time here, isn't it?" Ouyang Ming, sitting beside him, suddenly spoke. Ouyang Xuan turned and nodded gently.

"The Elders place great importance on the information you provided today. No matter what you are asked later, you must answer truthfully. Do you understand?" Ouyang Ming sighed before continuing. In fact, it was he who had relayed the initial report, and he hadn't expected the top brass to take it so seriously, immediately ordering him to bring Ouyang Xuan over.

"Elders?" Ouyang Xuan’s eyes widened. He was collateral, but that didn't mean he was ignorant of the internal structure of the family. The Ouyang family had a patriarch, who currently held a post in the central government and was responsible for training experts for the state; the government maintained its own practitioners of Neijin who served the nation exclusively. However, the most powerful figures within the family were not the patriarch, but the Elders—the two Fourth-Layer experts currently serving. Fourth-Layer Neijin practitioners were beings Ouyang Xuan could only gaze up at in absolute awe.

"Yes. This matter is critical. Remember to tell the complete truth," Ouyang Ming nodded heavily. He understood far more than Ouyang Xuan, which was why he gave such strict instructions.

As he spoke, the car arrived beside a row of wooden structures. Ouyang Ming alighted, leading Ouyang Xuan toward the back courtyard. The hour was late, so Ouyang Xuan couldn't see his surroundings clearly, but he sensed numerous flowerbeds; the area resembled a palace garden.

After walking for over ten minutes, they entered a room that contained a smaller partitioned space, at the door of which stood a guard. The guard exchanged a few words with Ouyang Ming before allowing them entry. The partitioned room was not large, but it felt cool within, carrying a faint, pleasant scent of sandalwood.

Four elderly men were seated inside. Each one appeared older than his uncle. Upon seeing them, Ouyang Ming immediately bowed his head to the two elders whose hair was completely white. Ouyang Xuan hastily dropped to his knees and kowtowed as well. He didn't know who these men were, but anyone his uncle would bow to was someone he should follow suit with; it couldn't hurt.

"You are Xuan'er. You claimed someone used a powerful gust of wind to push away a vehicle today. Explain the precise sequence of events," one of the white-haired elders spoke as soon as Ouyang Xuan finished his bows. The elder's voice was soft, almost gentle, like a kindly grandfather.

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