The Message from Yang Family Fortress

"Visitors from Yang Family Fortress?" 

Upon hearing this news, a pensive expression appeared on Yang Fan's face as he looked at Lin Zhong, who had delivered the message. "Who has come from Yang Family Fortress?" he inquired.

"It is a third-generation disciple carrying a letter meant to be delivered directly to you," Lin Zhong replied.

Setting aside the jade slip in his hand, Yang Fan made his way to the main hall of the clinic, where he encountered a young man clad in a flowing azure robe. This handsome fellow, exuding a charming aura and likely in his twenties, bore a cultivation level of late Qi Refining stage.

As soon as the blue-robed youth saw Yang Fan, his eyes sparkled with recognition, and a warm smile crept across his face. "Junior brother! At last, you've emerged! I've missed you greatly during my time at Yang Family Fortress," he exclaimed. Approaching, he clapped Yang Fan on the shoulder, his demeanor shifting to one of melancholy and regret. "When you left Yang Family Fortress, I was in seclusion, and I didn't even have the chance to send you off."

"So it's you, Senior Brother Qiu," Yang Fan replied with a faint smile, neither warm nor cold. "Thank you for your kind words. May I ask why you have come to Wuliu Town? Is there some message from Yang Family Fortress that you are here to relay?"

Indeed, this Senior Brother Qiu was a legitimate elder brother to Yang Fan. They both shared the same master, the now-vanished Elder Liu.

During Liu Wuhen's time at Yang Family Fortress, he had taken a few named disciples, and Senior Brother Qiu was one of them. In the realm of cultivation, the status of a named disciple was considerably low, receiving far less recognition than formal disciples. Thus, Liu Wuhen's care and guidance toward Yang Fan had always far exceeded that given to Qiu. Naturally, this had fostered feelings of resentment and jealousy within Qiu over the years.

On the day Yang Fan had been cast down to a state of mediocrity, Qiu had felt a tangled mix of emotions—regret and pity intertwined with a hint of secret glee. Yet, as a fellow disciple, he had not taken pleasure in Yang Fan's misfortune, choosing instead to act as if nothing had occurred.

"Ah, Junior Brother, you truly are a perceptive individual who prefers to be straightforward," Senior Brother Qiu said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scrutinized Yang Fan. He noted the truth of the rumors; in just a few short months, his junior brother had re-entered the world of cultivation and reached the late Qi Refining stage, though he had shifted his focus to the path of healing, and his aura had changed significantly.

As he spoke, he retrieved a letter from his robe, adorned with the unique seal of Yang Family Fortress, secured by a special prohibition at the seal.

"This letter is personally penned by the family head, and I have been entrusted to deliver it to you," Senior Brother Qiu stated, his expression neutral.

Yang Fan accepted the envelope but refrained from opening it immediately. Instead, he said casually, "Senior Brother, you've traveled quite a distance. Would you care to stay in Wuliu Town for a couple of days? I can make some arrangements for you."

Yet, despite his words, there was no hint of sincerity in Yang Fan's tone or demeanor.

"Um... Junior Brother, I wish to discuss something with you privately," Qiu said, glancing around before his gaze fell on Lin Zhong.

As Lin Zhong prepared to withdraw, Yang Fan interjected, "Whatever you have to say can be said openly. There are no outsiders here."

"Very well," Senior Brother Qiu responded, a look of surprise flashing across his face. "Then I shall speak candidly..."

Lin Zhong's expression remained calm, though a fleeting emotion crossed his eyes before disappearing into stillness.

"The situation is this... Our master departed from Yang Family Fortress the night before the 'Heavenly Questioning Conference.' Before leaving, it seemed he summoned you..." Qiu said hesitantly, his eyes searching Yang Fan's face for a reaction. 

Seeing no change in Yang Fan's demeanor, he continued, "We several disciples are quite perplexed and deeply miss our master. My visit is not just to deliver the letter from the family head, but also to convey the sentiments of our eldest senior brother and junior sister."

"Hmph, what you really want to ask is whether our master left us anything upon his departure," Yang Fan interjected coldly.

"Yes, yes... I am here to inquire about that on behalf of the eldest senior brother and junior sister," Qiu admitted, his smile strained.

"I can assure you that our master left nothing behind," Yang Fan replied, a flicker of disdain crossing his face. "Moreover, do you truly believe there would be anything for you among his belongings?"

Hearing this, Senior Brother Qiu's expression darkened significantly, barely suppressing his anger and frustration. It was indeed true; as named disciples, they held a lowly status, merely titular disciples. Even if Liu Wuhen had departed, it was unlikely he would have left anything for them. Yang Fan, as a direct disciple, had received nothing, so how could Qiu and his companions expect anything?

"Be gone!" Yang Fan waved his sleeve dismissively, his face devoid of warmth.

This was a direct command for Qiu to leave.

At this moment, Yang Fan had attained a certain level of proficiency in his magical arts, and with his cultivation nearing the peak of the late Qi Refining stage, he felt no fear of any individual beneath the Spirit Gathering stage.

"You...!" Qiu's face grew dark with evident ire and dissatisfaction.

He still couldn't believe that Liu Wuhen had left nothing behind. After all, Liu Wuhen had once been the grand elder of the family, a master at the Spirit Gathering stage and reputed to surpass even the current family head in strength. One could only imagine the resources at the disposal of such a figure.

Yang Fan cast a disdainful glance, waving his sleeve as he retreated to the back room of the clinic, where he unsealed the letter alone.

As a glimmer of azure light flickered, the special prohibition on the envelope was lifted, leaving the paper unscathed.

Extracting the letter, Yang Fan read it line by line, and his expression subtly shifted.

"…As a member of the family, how could you leave without permission? In light of your master Liu Wuhen, I shall refrain from pursuing this matter. Recently, I've heard that you have changed your focus to healing arts. The family's guest elder, Zheng Yaoshi, speaks highly of you. I hope you can redeem yourself through your work and return to Yang Family Fortress to serve the family..."

At the letter's conclusion was the signature of the family head, Yang Hong.

"Hmph." Yang Fan snickered, and after finishing the letter, he summoned a flame that reduced it to ashes.

Not long after, Lin Zhong entered, noticing the expression on Yang Fan's face. "Senior Brother Qiu has already left. May I ask what it was that amused you?"

Yang Fan proceeded to incinerate the envelope as well, sneering, "The family head of Yang Family Fortress dares to reproach me for leaving the family on my own accord, feigning concern for my return to atone for my actions. It's utterly laughable… Who was it that told me to get lost during the 'Heavenly Questioning Conference'?"

On that day, at the 'Heavenly Questioning Conference,' the family head, Yang Hong, had scolded him, saying, "What are you still doing here? Making a fool of yourself! Hurry up and get lost!" 

Of course, this had been a mental transmission, limited to just the family head and Yang Fan, with no one else present.

"Master, what are your plans now? Will you heed the family's summons?" Lin Zhong asked.

"Why should I go back? I, Yang Fan, am no longer a member of Yang Family Fortress," he chuckled lightly.

"Yet, in name, you still remain a descendant of 'Southern Ridge's Yang Family.' Yang Family Fortress has yet to officially expel you," Lin Zhong replied calmly. "Thus, it would be unreasonable for you to disregard the family's summons."

Yang Fan pondered for a moment. "You make a valid point. Yang Family Fortress has not made any formal declaration to revoke my status as a family member. In name, I still belong to 'Southern Ridge's Yang Family.' Furthermore, with our current strength, we cannot yet contend with a family of their stature."

Though Yang Family Fortress was merely an inconsequential clan in the cultivation realm, it still wielded power that mere low-level practitioners could not confront.

"So, Master, what do you intend to do? Will you follow the orders of Yang Family Fortress and serve the family?" Lin Zhong asked, a touch of indignation in his tone.