Three days later, two minor bandit leaders led over fifty men out of their camp, advancing under the cover of night toward the Yang Family's mine.

"Sigh... in the end, the grueling and dirty work always falls to the two of us."

An effeminate man spoke up, "The chief is simply too cautious. The previous groups already tested them. There is only a brat who recently reached Qi Gathering at the mine. Couldn't you have just gone and dealt with him yourself?"

"Enough, stop complaining. Let us just be quick and finish this," a scar-faced man replied.

The group slowed their pace as they neared the mine.

Under the scar-faced man's command, his subordinates fanned out to encircle the paths leading in and out of the mine.

"Why is it so quiet here?"

"Look at what hour it is. They are definitely asleep, so of course it is quiet."

The effeminate man spoke with impatience.

Hearing this, the scar-faced man dismissed his lingering doubts. The two concealed their auras and quietly slipped into the mine, heading straight for Yang Linghu's previous residence.

They breached the wooden hut from two directions, one left and one right, only to stare in shock. The room was completely empty.

"No one?"

"What is going on? Weren't they still mining a few days ago?"

Following the loud crash of the breached hut, their subordinates poured in from every entrance, only to discover that there truly was not a single soul in sight.

"Go check the storehouse," the scar-faced man ordered.

Arriving at the storehouse, they found that all the ore had already been cleared out. Only then did they realize the Yang Family had withdrawn early.

"Well then. We must have frightened them off the last few times. They ran away early and left us grabbing at thin air."

"This is fine too. It saves us the trouble of acting. With the Yang Family abandoning the mine, the Zhang Family's purpose is fulfilled, and we can take our silver and leave."

The scar-faced man led his subordinates in a thorough search, confirming that no one was hiding in the mine.

Meanwhile, on a small hill not far from the mine, Yang Linghu lay flat in the bushes. Concealing his aura, he observed the situation below.

If he still had his old temper, the effeminate man and the scar-faced man would both be dead by now, their heads separated from their bodies.

But now, he had become much more composed. Especially since Yang Lingqing had warned him not to act rashly and to be careful, he naturally kept his guard up.

Although he possessed the strength to instantly kill the effeminate man and the scar-faced man, he did not act recklessly.

What if a mantis was stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? Exposing himself first would only invite danger.

As it turned out, Yang Linghu's judgment and caution were correct.

Just as the two bandit leaders were preparing to return and report, a burst of laughter drifted over from not far away, and two figures emerged.

"Young Master Zhang!"

"Chief, why did you come too?"

Startled, the two hurried forward to greet them.

"Hahaha, Young Master Zhang was worried there might be a mishap, so the two of us followed along," Liao Feng said with a laugh.

Beside him, Zhang Chen swept his gaze over the mine. A look of disappointment crossed his face; failing to witness the Yang Family being dealt with personally left him slightly unsatisfied.

"This is making too much of a fuss. Was it not just a brat at the first level of Qi Gathering? The two of us could have easily taken him down," the effeminate man said.

"This was Young Master Zhang's idea. He said the Yang Family's cultivation methods are somewhat formidable and feared you two might suffer a loss, so he came along with me to follow behind."

"So that is how it is. Then we must thank Young Master Zhang."

As they spoke, the effeminate man and the scar-faced man unconsciously glanced at Zhang Chen's waist, where a green Treasure Jade hung.

They had not sensed anyone tailing them at all along the way. It had to be the wondrous effect of this artifact.

Earlier, their leader had been defeated by this very Treasure Jade, which was why he had agreed to work for Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen's appearance confirmed Yang Linghu's earlier suspicions, but he had never expected the Zhang Family to actually collude with wandering bandits.

After all, these bandits caused chaos within the borders of the Wangchao, bringing disaster to commoners in many regions. They had incited the wrath of both heaven and the people.

"There are four of them. I will have to abandon the mine for now, return home, and consult with Lingqing before deciding what to do."

His mind made up, Yang Linghu crouched low and quietly retreated.

But right at that moment, a sharp sense of being watched prickled his back. He instantly realized-he had been exposed!

It was not because of any movement he had made, but rather because Zhang Chen had activated the Treasure Jade on his person. This was a detail Yang Linghu could not have anticipated.

The four people below all turned their eyes sharply toward the hill. Zhang Chen ordered viciously, "Kill him!"

Swish! Swish!

Two figures shot out in response. The effeminate man and the scar-faced man charged up the slope together.

Yang Linghu frowned slightly. Seeing that he was exposed, he abandoned his cover. By then, the effeminate man, a step ahead of the scar-faced man, had already closed in for the kill.

This man had complained nonstop on the way here, but now he rushed forward with eager speed, deeply afraid someone else would snatch the credit.

But when he actually reached Yang Linghu and felt the formidable aura the youth was no longer concealing, he froze for a split second.

"This is... the second level?"

That was the effeminate man's final thought in this world.

The next moment, Yang Linghu threw a punch, blasting the man's upper body to pieces and leaving only a mangled lower half kneeling on the ground.

This scene sent a tremendous shock through Zhang Chen and Liao Feng, and utterly terrified the approaching scar-faced man. He skidded to a dead halt, standing frozen in place.

He was lucky. Yang Linghu had no intention of lingering. After instantly killing the effeminate man, he pulled back and fled.

"Chase him! Do not let him escape!"

Zhang Chen and Liao Feng immediately gave chase.

"How does he have Qi Gathering second level cultivation? Did he not just break through to the first level a little over a year ago?"

Shocked, Zhang Chen could not make sense of it no matter how he racked his brain. But now that Yang Linghu had witnessed him colluding with the bandits, he absolutely could not let the youth escape.

All three were at the second level of Qi Gathering, so their foot speed was not vastly different.

Zhang Chen was utterly determined to force Yang Linghu to stay. He immediately took out two long-treasured wind-movement talismans and slapped them onto himself and Liao Feng.

In less than fifteen minutes, the two managed to block Yang Linghu from the front and back.

"If I say I saw nothing today, can the two of you pretend nothing happened?" Yang Linghu asked, turning sideways to keep both in his vision.

Liao Feng sneered, dense killing intent filling his eyes.

Yang Linghu had killed his sworn brother; how could he possibly let the matter drop?

Zhang Chen curled his lips in a hollow smile. "Heh, you are quite amusing. To think you still have the mood to tell jokes at a time like this!"

As soon as the words fell, the three figures blurred simultaneously. Within a few leaps and bounds, they were locked in a chaotic melee.

Liao Feng had entered the Dao through martial arts, and the technique he cultivated was a Qi Gathering-level palm strike.

Zhang Chen, on the other hand, practiced the Raging Fire Art passed down through the Zhang Family line. With every movement, flowing fire scattered around him, his attacks incredibly fierce.

An ordinary cultivator facing such a pincer attack would have likely fallen to a disadvantage in no time.

But ever since Yang Linghu began cultivating, the intensity of his battles had never been low. During the Beast Tide, he had fought one against two, and he had even challenged opponents above his level multiple times.

Thus, even in this dire situation, he remained entirely unhurried, fighting a retreating battle as he sought an opening.

Compared to Zhang Chen, Liao Feng's combat prowess was visibly lower. Yang Linghu did his best to close in and tangle with Liao Feng, using the man's body as a shield. This completely prevented Zhang Chen from using his fire arts for wide-area attacks.

After receiving a few punches from his opponent, Yang Linghu fully realized it-Liao Feng's strength was inferior to his own.