Wuying and Shandian saw Zhang Yang's Mercedes drive into the villa and rushed impatiently to the car's front, chattering loudly at him. Zhuifeng, meanwhile, approached the Mercedes with unhurried grace, tossing his head proudly, looking down on the imposing Benz with disdain. He snorted heavily, seemingly displeased that Zhang Yang was choosing to ride that metal beast instead of accompanying him. In Zhuifeng's estimation, he was far faster than that hunk of iron.

As Zhang Yang opened the car door and stepped out, the two little creatures, Wuying and Shandian, immediately darted onto his shoulders, chirping and squeaking once more.

It turned out that Zhang Yang hadn't brought the two little ones along that morning. In their idle time, Zhuifeng and Wuying had sparred, but neither could subdue the other. Now that Zhang Yang had arrived, they wanted him to act as their referee so they could fight again and see who was truly superior.

"Stop fooling around. We have very important things to do!" Zhang Yang's expression remained grim; the usual cheerful smile hadn't returned to his face.

Only then did Shandian and Wuying notice something amiss with Zhang Yang. The two little ones immediately ceased their antics and settled quietly on his shoulders.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Shandian looked at Zhang Yang and began flexing his claws—asking wordlessly who had bullied him, ready to go teach them a lesson on behalf of the great Shandian!

"Squeak, squeak!"

Wuying immediately chirped back, unwilling to be outdone, waving his hands emphatically—telling Zhang Yang not to fear any enemy, for with the great Wuying present, any foe was merely a paper tiger!

Normally, Zhang Yang would have engaged with the two little ones, but he was simply not in the mood. He walked directly to Zhuifeng, stroked the steed's mane, and said, "Zhuifeng, I need your help. I need to travel at top speed to a small city called Beijiao, on the edge of the Southeast Province."

Zhuifeng let out a long neigh, stamping his hooves hard against the ground—his way of telling Zhang Yang that if he was in a hurry, he should hurry up and mount.

Zhang Yang patted Zhuifeng gratefully, then added, "And we need to bring that person along too."

Zhuifeng had always been proud; anyone other than Zhang Yang approaching him risked being accidentally injured. So, Zhang Yang felt the need to brief the horse first.

Zhuifeng glanced at Yan Liangfei, who sat inside the Mercedes looking vacant, as if he had never seen the world. Yan Liangfei's utterly provincial appearance made Zhuifeng shake his head in resignation and snort, accepting Zhang Yang's suggestion with great reluctance, waiting for Zhang Yang and the simpleton sitting dumbly in the Benz to climb onto his back.

Zhuifeng could tell Zhang Yang was anxious now; otherwise, he would never consent to carry the bumpkin Yan Liangfei.

Zhang Yang mounted the horse without hesitation, then shouted toward Yan Liangfei in the car, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get over here!"

Yan Liangfei snapped out of his daze, uttering a few "ohs" before scrambling out of the Mercedes and trotting over to Zhuifeng’s side. He reached out, intending to touch the steed, but hesitated, shrinking back from getting too close.

These are all Spirit Beasts, Yan Liangfei groaned internally, then glanced at Shandian and Wuying perched on Zhang Yang’s shoulders.

Just who is Zhang Yang? How can he have three Spirit Beasts following him? Yan Liangfei could clearly see that these three beasts obeyed Zhang Yang’s every command, meaning Zhang Yang had subdued them.

How could a person capable of subduing three such Spirit Beasts possibly be merely an Inner Strength expert slightly stronger than himself? Yan Liangfei now admitted that Zhang Yang was vastly more powerful than he was.

Of course, this was without Yan Liangfei knowing the true relationship between the three Spirit Beasts and Zhang Yang. If he knew their loyalty had reached the level of swearing to follow Zhang Yang unto death, he would likely be even more astonished.

Yan Liangfei wasn't entirely foolish. Seeing the three Spirit Beasts, he vaguely guessed that Zhang Yang must be the descendant of some great ancient family. This was the only explanation for why Zhang Yang's household possessed such beasts, and it also explained why Zhang Yang had been so completely unconcerned about the expensive pills back at the hospital.

"Hurry up and get on!"

Zhang Yang glared at Yan Liangfei. Seeing the man still lost in thought, Zhang Yang simply pulled Yan Liangfei up onto the horse’s back.

"Zhuifeng, let's go! To Beijiao County!" Zhang Yang commanded.

"To Beijiao County? Then why aren't we driving the car?" Upon hearing Beijiao County, Yan Liangfei finally managed to clear his head from the string of shocks he'd endured. He asked skeptically.

As soon as the question left his lips, Yan Liangfei realized how foolish it was. Zhuifeng was a Spirit Beast, not an ordinary horse! Zhang Yang had deliberately abandoned the car to come back for Zhuifeng, naturally because he had realized this very point.

"Hold tight!" Zhang Yang roared. Yan Liangfei obediently clamped his arms tightly around Zhang Yang’s waist.

Then, Zhuifeng suddenly sprang up, let out a piercing neigh, and his four hooves stretched wide in a massive stride before he leaped clean over the iron lattice gate of the villa entrance.

Instantly, the group—Zhang Yang and Yan Liangfei riding—vanished into a streak of afterimage, shooting out like lightning!

In the blink of an eye, only a rush of fierce wind remained; there was no trace of them anywhere else.

Along the way, Zhuifeng’s speed was like lightning. On the main roads, through forests and fields, he moved like a sudden gust, flashing past. Even passersby who brushed shoulders with them only sensed something briefly flicker by, yet couldn't make out what it was.

Only Zhang Yang and Yan Liangfei, riding atop Zhuifeng, could truly feel the extent of this speed. Zhang Yang, already at the peak of the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength, was barely affected; he could tolerate the pace. But Yan Liangfei suffered greatly.

Yan Liangfei, only at the early stage of the Second Layer of Inner Strength, simply could not withstand such velocity. The sheer speed made him severely dizzy. As someone from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Yan Liangfei knew his lightheadedness was due to prolonged oxygen deprivation.

From Changjing, the only direct train connection to a place near Beijiao was North Mang City. To reach Beijiao itself required a long-distance bus, a journey that would waste at least four or five hours. This was the fundamental reason Zhang Yang had specifically returned to his villa to ride Zhuifeng.

Riding Zhuifeng, from the villa in Changjing to Beijiao, took just over half an hour. This was only because Zhuifeng had to accommodate Yan Liangfei and slightly temper his speed; otherwise, Zhuifeng was confident he could have arrived several minutes sooner.

Arriving on a small mountain path at the edge of Beijiao, Zhuifeng finally halted. From this spot, they could survey most of Beijiao.

Beijiao was merely a small county town bordering North Mang City. Calling it a county town was perhaps an overstatement; it was more like a collection of several neighboring townships stitched together.

In this era, a small county town like Beijiao wasn't filled with brick-and-tile buildings like later times. Most residences were single-story homes, often surrounded by low walls built of simple earth bricks enclosing a small courtyard. Of course, some wealthy families had built three- or four-story foreign-style houses, standing out strikingly in the village, unique landmarks in themselves.

As Zhuifeng stopped, Yan Liangfei scrambled off the horse's back without a word, rolling to a crouch beside the field path, hands braced on his knees, retching violently.

In contrast, Zhang Yang was completely unharmed. As for Zhuifeng and Wuying, they had long since concealed themselves within the large canvas bag Zhang Yang carried on his back.

Zhuifeng snorted heavily a few times, seemingly displeased with Yan Liangfei’s display. However, Yan Liangfei was in no state to heed the steed's mockery. After a while, the vomiting subsided, and a bit of color finally returned to his face.

"Exhilarating!" Yan Liangfei managed, a trace of sickly excitement on his face, his body trembling slightly.

Yan Liangfei was, after all, a passionate young man whose yearning for speed and excitement was no less than that of his peers.

He had never imagined that galloping on Zhuifeng would feel so utterly exhilarating!

"How are you? Are you feeling better?" Zhang Yang knew they hadn't come here for sightseeing. Seeing Yan Liangfei recover, Zhang Yang immediately pressed, "Quickly, take me to your home."

"Oh, right! What exactly happened at my house? Why are you in such a rush to get there?" Yan Liangfei finally remembered. From the moment Zhang Yang pulled him out of the hospital to being forcefully taken to Beijiao, he still didn't know what had transpired!

"What exactly did Uncle Haozi tell you?" Yan Liangfei scratched his head and continued asking.

"The Jiang family. How much do you know about them?" Zhang Yang stood beside Zhuifeng, gazing toward the distant horizon. They had left Jinghe Hospital around noon, and by the time they reached Beijiao, it was only just past one o'clock; smoke could still be seen rising lazily from a few chimneys.

"The Jiang family? I don't know much," Yan Liangfei frowned upon hearing the name, a look of distaste crossing his face. He told Zhang Yang, "My mother mentioned the Jiang family. None of their people are good. And in recent years, I don't know how they managed to get entangled with the Huyan family, an ancient lineage. Relying on the Huyan family's backing, they have been aggressively suppressing the smaller, secluded ancient families around us!"

"The Jiang family’s main base is now within Yanming Mountain. That area originally belonged to the Wang family of Beijiao, but the Wang family is no more. They were wiped out by the Jiang family simply because the cultivation ground they chose was better than the Jiang family's!"

As Yan Liangfei spoke, he suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly understand why my mother insisted on sending me to my granduncle, Guo Yong. A couple of brothers from the Jiang family caused me trouble before, and I taught them a good lesson. My mother must have been afraid they would retaliate against me!"

"Ah!" Yan Liangfei’s face instantly turned ashen, his eyes reddening, and he urgently pressed Zhang Yang, "Did Uncle Haozi tell you that because the Jiang family couldn't find me, they took revenge on my mother and grandmother?"