Chapter 34

As winter approached, the early morning was even colder.

At the entrance of the alley, a servant stomped his feet, his face flushed red. Seeing Yang Yu come out, he hurriedly stepped forward, handed him a brocade box, and explained his purpose.

"Inviting me to a banquet?"

Yang Yu played with the brocade box in his hand, lost in thought.

Yang Baotian's old face appeared in his mind again. This old man seemed to have been watching him for a long time; otherwise, he wouldn't have known that Yang Yu was collecting 'antiques.'

This made him even more suspicious.

Although the Yang family was just a minor local gentry, even a minor gentry wouldn't take a prison guard seriously.

In fact, several members of the Yang family held positions in the government, including a clerk.

What was the purpose of going to such great lengths to win his favor?

"The master asked me to tell you that there are still many new antiques collected from the streets at home."

The servant rubbed his hands, stammering.

"Newly collected?"

Yang Yu narrowed his eyes, feeling a mix of realization, caution, and anger.

Black Mountain City, with its tens of thousands of households, should not lack antiques. However, he had found nothing except a handkerchief with 'Zhu Feng Bu' printed on it.

It turned out this old man had been secretly buying them.

In his anger, he also felt a bit of alarm. He had underestimated these local tyrants. Despite his efforts to remain discreet, he had still been discovered.

"The master also said that if you attend the banquet, you won't leave empty-handed."

The servant was cautious.

He had heard that this man had killed two fierce bandits just a few days ago.

"Ha ha~"

Yang Yu sneered inwardly.

Is this a threat that if I don't attend the banquet, I won't find any antiques in the future?

He thought about it, and the refusal on his lips turned into:

"The official duties at the yamen cannot be neglected. I'll ask Captain Wang for leave."

"Without hiding from you, I went to Captain Wang yesterday and asked for a day off for you."

The servant sighed with relief when Yang Yu agreed.

"You have a thoughtful master."

Yang Yu smiled sarcastically, but his mind was set.

Although Black Mountain City was chaotic, the Yang family, being just a minor local gentry, wouldn't dare openly challenge Wang Fobao.

This was to reassure him.

"Then lead the way."

Yang Yu touched the long knife at his waist, curious to see what these old men in his clan were up to.

As they walked out of the alley, two equally shivering sedan bearers appeared. Without a word, Yang Yu got into the sedan, and the group headed out of the city.

As winter approached, and the sky was just brightening, the inner city, though sparse, already had vendors starting their day.

But the outer city was eerily quiet. They passed several streets, and except for the paper money floating on the ground, they saw nothing.

If it weren't for the occasional cries, Yang Yu would have thought the outer city had become a ghost town.

"The outer city has become like this? The yamen doesn't care?!"

Yang Yu was shocked.

How many people must have died for the outer city to be so desolate that no one dared to go out?

Lifting the curtain, he saw the desolate outer city and felt a chill in his heart: "The outer city has become like this?"

"Answering you, sir."

Glancing at the two sedan bearers who quickened their steps, the servant seemed somewhat sad: "I heard that several doctors invited by Captain Wang from other counties have already died."

"How did it come to this..."

Yang Yu muttered.

These days, he had been focused on martial arts practice, and his occasional outings were brief. He had no idea the outer city had become like this.

What he couldn't understand was why the yamen had taken no action.

Although Liu Sanchi was greedy, he wasn't incompetent to this extent, was he?

The Ming Dynasty conducted evaluations every five years. If the officials saw the city in this state, wouldn't they lose their positions?

"It's all because of that..."

One of the sedan bearers couldn't help but say something, but his words were cut off.

Yang Yu turned his head and saw, at the end of the street, a large square in the outer city where countless people were kneeling, listening to several Taoists on a platform.

The paper money floating in the air like snowflakes made him shiver.

All of them shivered and hurriedly quickened their steps, soon reaching the city gate.

The guards took the money, removed the barriers, and as they left the city, Yang Yu saw people. Many families were fleeing to the distance.

They were running for their lives...

There were also refugees trying to enter the city, but they were turned away, with cries, curses, whippings, and screams echoing.

Yang Yu couldn't help but grip his knife, feeling a deep sorrow.

That day, if it weren't for the old man bringing him into the city, he might have ended up like these refugees.

"What a damn world..."

Yang Yu closed his eyes, his chest heaving.

For a long time, he couldn't calm down, so he opened the brocade box. Inside, there was a half-rotten ancient book, several silk handkerchiefs, and a few unknown bronze pendants.

The bronze pendant that made the Cauldron of Gluttony react contained a breathing technique called 'Huan Qi Jue.'

"Better than nothing."

Yang Yu was slightly disappointed.

Although breathing techniques had no restrictions on cultivation, human energy and blood were limited, and the amount of internal energy one could extract daily wouldn't increase just because they practiced more breathing techniques.

However, the progress on the recipe collection increased by one. He only needed five more ingredients to complete the recipe.

Outside the city, the group fell silent, and their pace quickened.

Soon, they could see a manor surrounded by a mud wall and a fence in the distance.

Although it was called a manor, it was actually just a mud fort, gray and unremarkable.

"Finally, my brother has arrived. I've been waiting for a long time."

As soon as he got out of the sedan, a tall, middle-aged man came forward to welcome him into the manor.

Yang Yu recognized this man as Yang Baotian's second son, Yang Qiu.

The manor of the Yang family was unimpressive, with no scenic views inside. The ground was covered in yellow mud, and the few old trees were bare.

But Yang Yu noticed something different.

The Yang family had more servants than usual.

The Ming Dynasty's laws were strict, and only those with titles or achievements could keep servants. Although this law had long been broken, keeping servants was costly.

The Yang family, as a minor local gentry, could barely afford ten servants, but he had seen more than ten on his way here.

In the slightly decorated hall, the banquet was already set up.

Yang Yu glanced around. There were eight cold and eight hot dishes, chicken, duck, fish, and meat, but the four dried fruits were fine, and in this era, fresh fruit was rare.

"Come, Little Yu, try the fruit we grew."

Yang Baotian's wrinkles smoothed out as he smiled.

"Let's get to the point."

Yang Yu didn't want to beat around the bush and wouldn't eat the food from these obviously ill-intentioned people.

He wouldn't even drink the tea.

"Ha ha."

Yang Baotian's smile was a bit stiff, but he put down the fruit:

"Little Yu, you're straightforward. Yang Qiu, explain to your cousin."

"Without hiding anything, we invited you here for a favor."

Yang Qiu's brow twitched slightly, but he smiled:

"This matter is crucial for us, but it's just a small task for you."

"What is it?"

Yang Yu's heart stirred, knowing the main point was coming.

"It's like this. A few years ago, an elder stole something very important from the clan and was sent to prison. But even after the elder was beheaded, the item was never found."

Yang Qiu stood up, poured Yang Yu a cup of wine, and spoke earnestly:

"We thought you could help us find it."

"Is that so?"

Yang Yu twirled the wine glass, looking at Yang Baotian, hinting:

"It's not easy to find things in prison..."