She was inherently a woman of gentle disposition; upon being reprimanded by the elder, she merely offered submissive "mns" a few times, her face still alight with the afterglow of excitement. As long as Yan Liangfei was safe, it didn't matter if she suffered great hardship or endured significant loss.

“Elder, let me help you inside to see your grandson.” Zhang Yang helped the old woman up, and together with Tang Xiaolan, they walked into the house, approaching Yan Liangfei’s bedside.

As soon as they entered, a faint scent of medicine mingled with the aroma of a woman’s rouge washed over them. The window faced the sun, and the morning light streamed onto the floor. The room was remarkably clean. Yan Liangfei lay in the bed that rightfully belonged to his parents, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the empty ceiling above.

It wasn't until Tang Xiaolan, the elder, and Zhang Yang entered the room that Yan Liangfei’s expression shifted slightly. He struggled as if trying to recall something, but the overwhelming sense of weakness throughout his body prevented him from even sitting up on his own.

Yan Liangfei was acutely aware of his physical condition, yet he held no regrets. Back in the Yanming Mountain villa, no matter the cost, he had to kill the Jiang family members to avenge his father and grandfather.

Yan Liangfei recalled how his eyes had been completely bloodshot at that time, having lost all sense of reason. As for what happened afterward, he had even less knowledge.

Yan Liangfei was also an Neijin cultivator; he knew perfectly well that such a state meant he had surely suffered Zou Huo Ru Mo (Qi Deviation). The consequences of Zou Huo Ru Mo for a cultivator were anything from internal injuries that were difficult to heal to immediate death. Yet here he was, lying safe and sound in his own large bed, completely devoid of any abnormality save for the total loss of his power and Neijin. He knew then that Zhang Yang must have saved him.

Zhang Yang had, in effect, saved his life again. The gratitude Yan Liangfei felt toward Zhang Yang could no longer be described in words.

“Don’t move around. You are just a bit weak right now. Rest a while, and your strength will naturally begin to recover gradually.” Zhang Yang walked over to steady him as Yan Liangfei struggled to sit up, shaking his head at him, “However, you will likely have to start cultivating anew from this point forward.”

“Big Brother Zhang!” Yan Liangfei’s eyes instantly grew moist. As long as his family's vengeance was settled, what did starting the cultivation of Neijin all over again matter?

Tang Xiaolan and the Yan family elder leaned against the doorway. Seeing Yan Liangfei’s tears, both of them silently wiped away the moisture from the corners of their eyes.

“Yan Liangfei,” Zhang Yang paused slightly before asking, “Are you willing to join my Yisheng Wuzong (Medical Saint Martial Sect), and formally enter the tutelage of my Zhang family?”

“What!”

Despite Yan Liangfei’s extreme weakness and lack of strength at that moment, hearing Zhang Yang’s words sent a jolt of excitement through his entire body. He stared at Zhang Yang, dumbfounded, completely unprepared for Zhang Yang to say such a thing to him!

“Ah!”

Tang Xiaolan, standing in the doorway, clearly heard Zhang Yang’s words. She couldn't help but gasp, quickly covering her mouth.

Tang Xiaolan had already guessed Zhang Yang’s status based on the elder’s attitude toward him, coupled with the abilities she had witnessed firsthand. She never expected Zhang Yang to value her son so highly as to take him as a direct disciple.

Tang Xiaolan considered herself an uneducated countrywoman, yet she understood the principle that a great teacher produces a worthy student. If her son could learn skills from Zhang Yang, even if he couldn't cultivate in the future, he certainly wouldn't starve. As for the supposed distinction between the Yan and Zhang families, as a mere woman, she hadn't truly considered those matters.

“I am willing…” After the initial shock, Yan Liangfei quickly agreed, afraid that if he hesitated for even a second longer, Zhang Yang might change his mind about accepting him as a disciple.

However, immediately following his acceptance, Yan Liangfei seemed to recall something and glanced toward his grandmother. Yan Liangfei remembered that he still bore the heavy responsibility of the Yan family, and he worried his grandmother might be angry if he joined the Zhang family lineage.

The Yan family elder shook her head, offering Yan Liangfei a look of deep contentment and a smile. Only then did Yan Liangfei feel completely reassured. He looked happily at Zhang Yang and replied with absolute certainty, “I am willing!”

Although Yan Liangfei’s voice was still weak, his intention was exceptionally firm.

Zhang Yang nodded with satisfaction.

“Ding Dong!”

The long-absent system notification chimed again. The system interface automatically appeared before Zhang Yang. Within the roster of the Yisheng Wuzong sect, beneath his own name at the top, a new name had been added following the three names already listed.

Among the four names, Qu Meilan’s name remained a faint green, while Yan Yefei and Li Juan were still grayed out. The name added earlier, Yan Liangfei, had also turned light green.

Zhang Yang checked Yan Liangfei’s entry, and his specific data immediately appeared before him in great detail.

Yan Liangfei’s strength level had dropped to zero; having lost all his Neijin, he had become an ordinary person. However, his Potential Value, conversely, had risen from the initial ninety-three to ninety-five, increasing by two points—a fact that greatly astonished Zhang Yang.

Once the Potential Value exceeded ninety, every single point carried far more significance than before ninety. Truly worthy of being one of the Five Great Physiques restricted by innate limitations—the first-tier Jintong Ti (Golden Pupil Physique). He could hardly imagine the level of achievement a person with this physique might reach if they were not constrained by innate lifespan.

Finally, Yan Liangfei’s Loyalty value had reached seventy-nine, surpassing Qu Meilan’s seventy-seven by two points. This meant Zhang Yang’s decision to take him as a disciple had once again increased Yan Liangfei’s Loyalty score by 9 points—meaning, with just a little more, he would reach the state of 'following through life and death.' This allowed Zhang Yang to feel entirely at ease cultivating Yan Liangfei; the greater the achievements Yan Liangfei achieved in the future, and the stronger his cultivation became, the stronger the Yisheng Wuzong would become as well.

“Is there a formal ceremony required for taking a disciple?” Tang Xiaolan asked softly from behind. She assumed that a disciple acceptance by someone from a prestigious family like Zhang Yang would usually be quite elaborate. Yet, Yan Liangfei was currently too weak, and while she desperately wanted her son to begin learning skills immediately, she also felt reluctant to subject him to complex rituals right now.

“No need,” Zhang Yang laughed heartily. Yan Liangfei’s current condition certainly didn't permit him to get out of bed. Fortunately, with the Shengshou (Holy Hand) System in place, there was no need to go through the usual apprenticeship procedures.

Zhang Yang glanced at his watch and spoke to the Yan family elder and Tang Xiaolan, “I have many spiritual elixirs at home that can rapidly restore Yan Liangfei’s strength so he can begin cultivating anew sooner. If you don't mind, I can take Yan Liangfei back to Changjing with me first.”

“Leaving so soon?” Tang Xiaolan asked with reluctance. With the Jiang family annihilated, the Yan family no longer had enemies in the northern suburbs. The initial decision to send Yan Liangfei to Changjing was purely to keep him safe from Jiang family persecution. Tang Xiaolan had actually expected Yan Liangfei to stay a while longer this time. However, she knew Zhang Yang would have to return to Changjing, and since Yan Liangfei was now Zhang Yang’s disciple and part of the Yisheng Wuzong, he naturally had to accompany Zhang Yang back. What surprised her was that Zhang Yang wanted to leave the moment Yan Liangfei woke up.

“Of course, no problem!”

The final word came from the Yan family elder. Although she was deeply reluctant to let her grandson leave her side, the elder understood better which choice would benefit her grandson’s future the most. Being by the side of a master as profound as Zhang Yang, every minute and every second would be invaluable.

“I’ll go pack your things now,” the Yan family elder turned around, propping herself up with her hand, wiping a tear that had begun to fall again from the corner of her eye, and said tremblingly.

“Grandma!” Yan Liangfei called out, his eyes reddening. The elder’s body trembled slightly, but she didn't look back, walking straight out of the room to pack a few essential changes of clothes for her grandson.

Tang Xiaolan couldn't help but turn away, sobbing quietly.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yang’s nose prickled with emotion, involuntarily thinking of his own deceased mother. He believed that if his mother were still alive, her love for him would surely not be any less than Tang Xiaolan’s for Yan Liangfei. Thinking of his mother led him to think of his father, Zhang Keqin. If he hadn't been reborn, he and his father Zhang Keqin might still be locked in that icy silence, and a scene of a loving mother seeing her son off like this would never have entered his imagination.

“You don't need to be so sad. I am only taking Yan Liangfei to Changjing; it’s not as if I’m forbidding him from visiting you for life,” Zhang Yang took a deep breath, suppressing the memories stirred up by the scene before him. He continued, “As long as Yan Liangfei works hard, he will certainly have time to come back and see you.”

“Zhang… Benefactor Zhang,” Tang Xiaolan didn't know how to address Zhang Yang, so she simply followed the Yan family elder’s lead and called him Benefactor. She wiped her tears, then said to Zhang Yang, “Could you step outside for a moment? I have something I need to tell you.”

Zhang Yang looked at Tang Xiaolan curiously, then patted Yan Liangfei, signaling him to rest well, and followed Tang Xiaolan out of the room.

Outside the door, Tang Xiaolan kept her head bowed and spoke in a low voice, “Last night, my mother had already made her decision. As long as you agreed to take Fei’er as your disciple and bring him to Changjing… Mother—she—she plans to follow in Father’s footsteps.”

Zhang Yang froze. Did Tang Xiaolan mean that the Yan family elder intended to give up her life to join Yan Liangfei’s deceased grandfather after Zhang Yang took Yan Liangfei away?

Tang Xiaolan nodded lightly and fell silent.

Zhang Yang frowned. He did not approve of the elder’s course of action. The deceased were gone; why should the living so easily abandon their own lives? Moreover, the elder knew that Yan Liangfei would certainly not accept it if he found out later.

“I’ll go talk to the elder,” Zhang Yang immediately decided to go speak with the Yan family elder.

“Yan family elder, open up quickly! Someone’s life is in danger!!”

“Yan family elder, please save my child!!!”

Just then, a clamor suddenly erupted from outside the Yan family's courtyard.

“That sounds like Old Man Sun and the others from the east end of the village. I’ll go see what happened!” Hearing the shouts, Tang Xiaolan quickly explained to Zhang Yang and then hurried toward the courtyard. (To be continued)