Chapter 154: The Abandoned Estate

That old farmer had originally dropped the farming tools in his hands and was running wildly toward the village. However, because he was the slowest and the closest person to Yang Ze, the moment Yang Ze moved, he was caught. Faced with Yang Ze's questioning, he dared not keep anything back and had to confess honestly.

"Yujia Village." Yang Ze muttered to himself. He had never heard of this place before, but these people were terrified the moment they saw him, which was truly suspicious. That was why he grabbed one of them.

Pressing his right hand on the old farmer's shoulder, Yang Ze stared fixedly at him. Although he sensed no fluctuation of cultivation aura from the old farmer, the moment the man showed anything out of the ordinary, he would immediately take him down.

"This is Yujia Village, and who might you be?" Yang Ze asked.

"I am a villager of Yujia Village." Seeing that Yang Ze had pulled him out, the old farmer was clearly quite frightened and did not dare to move at all.

"Since you are a villager of Yujia Village, why did you run away the moment you saw me coming?" Yang Ze continued to ask.

"Because... because from time to time lately, people from the jianghu have been coming to our village. Every time, they turn our village upside down and even kill people. We are terrified," the old farmer explained tremblingly.

"Lately, people from the jianghu have frequently come to your Yujia Village? What is this all about, and what is the reason? Tell me about it in detail right now, without concealing the slightest bit." Yang Ze felt that he must have encountered a crucial matter. Why would a small village be able to attract jianghu figures? There must be a hidden secret behind it, and it was very likely that his three registered disciples had disappeared right here.

With a look of terror on his face, the old farmer did not answer for a moment. But seeing Yang Ze's stern gaze, he swallowed hard and finally spoke.

"A hundred years ago, our Yujia Village produced an extraordinary powerhouse. It is said he was even stronger than the Xiantian powerhouses rumored in the jianghu. Back then, the entire Xiyuan City territory knew the name of this ancestor from our Yujia Village.

"It's just that later on, this ancestor went missing without a reason. And it was around that time when someone—nobody knows who—spread the word that our Yujia Village harbored the martial arts manual left behind by that ancestor, plunging our Yujia Village into a calamity a hundred years ago.

"However, people in the jianghu are not fools. After coming back and forth a few times and failing to find anything, they left. After that, our Yujia Village returned to our usual lives.

"Decades passed in peace and quiet, and we had almost forgotten about this matter. Who would have thought that recently, rumors would circulate in the jianghu once again claiming that our Yujia Village possesses the martial arts manual of that ancestor? This has turned our Yujia Village upside down in recent times, and quite a few people have met their deaths at the hands of those jianghu people."

As the old farmer spoke, tears streamed down his eyes, looking extremely desolate.

Listening to the old farmer's words, Yang Ze knew that a century ago there was a martial artist in Yujia Village who surpassed the Xiantian realm. Of course, Yang Ze did not consider such a person to be a peerless master.

The limit of secular martial arts was the Xiantian realm, and this person from Yujia Village was claimed to have surpassed the Xiantian realm, which meant he was likely a ranked martial artist. While the Xiantian realm could match a first-rank Bone-Tempering realm martial artist, someone who surpassed the Xiantian realm most likely had a cultivation base reaching the second-rank Blood-Coagulation realm.

It was just that Yujia Village was too remote, and the villagers here simply did not understand what a ranked martial artist was, judging everything entirely by rumors.

However, Yang Ze discovered even more doubts. Without letting go of the old farmer, he continued to ask, "Since no one has brought up this rumor for so many years, why is it being brought up again during this period? Is there really a martial arts manual in your village?"

The old farmer, who was already terrified, felt a sense of impending doom upon hearing Yang Ze's stern tone. Sure enough, Yang Ze was just like the previous jianghu people, all of them coming for that martial arts manual. Thinking of the ruthless methods of jianghu people, panic overtook him, and for a moment he forgot to answer.

Yang Ze let out a cold hum, which finally brought the old farmer back to his senses. The old farmer hurriedly said, "Heroes spare my life! This rumor is naturally false. How could a small village like ours possibly have a martial arts manual?"

The old farmer repeatedly denied everything. As he spoke, Yang Ze stared closely at him, observing whether the old farmer was lying.

After the old farmer finished speaking, Yang Ze let go of him with a single motion. Judging by his observation, the man did not seem to be lying. Moreover, if there really were any martial arts manual in Yujia Village, how could it be that no one was practicing it, leaving the place looking as dilapidated and remote as it did now?

Released by Yang Ze, the old farmer was just about to run when Yang Ze called out to him again.

"Stop right there, I still have questions to ask. Where do those jianghu people go most often when they come to your village? Take me there to have a look. Also, where is the place where that powerhouse who once appeared in your Yujia Village used to live? Take me to see that as well."

As he spoke, Yang Ze walked up to the old farmer's side. Since he had already stumbled upon Yujia Village, it would be unreasonable not to go in and take a look.

Helpless and daring not to disobey Yang Ze's command, the old farmer led Yang Ze into the village.

As soon as they stepped inside, Yang Ze regretted it slightly. The old farmer was forced by Yang Ze to act as a guide, walking around the village, while Yang Ze took the opportunity to search for any suspicious individuals.

After making a round, Yang Ze did not find any suspicious figures. Guided by the old farmer, they arrived at the final destination of this trip: a dilapidated large courtyard.

This large courtyard was overgrown with weeds and covered in dust, but its main gate had been split wide open. Following the path inward from the gate, the weeds had been cut down, revealing a path leading deeper inside.

Yang Ze stood at the entrance while the old farmer stood beside him with his legs trembling incessantly. This place was where the martial artist from Yujia Village a century ago had lived.

At first, that martial artist's family background was not very good, but after he made his fortune, the entire village helped his family build this large courtyard. After he went missing, the courtyard gradually fell into ruin, and his family members also slowly disappeared from sight.

Because of this, the large courtyard had always been treated as an abandoned ruin in their village, ignored by everyone—until recently, when numerous jianghu figures entered this large courtyard repeatedly in search of that martial arts manual.

Yang Ze gave the old farmer a shove, telling him to lead the way in front. Even at this point, he still did not entirely trust Yujia Village.

Seeing that he had to enter this large courtyard—and knowing full well how many people had died inside this desolate place over the years—deep fear welled up in the old farmer's heart, and he dared not step forward.

Impatient, Yang Ze gave the old farmer another push, shoving him inside, and then with a single stride, he entered the courtyard himself.

Looking at the remaining path on the ground, these weeds had indeed been chopped down very recently. With a single wave of his palm, Yang Ze's palm force swept through the courtyard, instantly cutting down most of the weeds and exposing the brick flooring beneath.

Withdrawing his palm, the old farmer nearby was dumbfounded. There had been quite a few jianghu figures coming here recently, and on one occasion he had seen a jianghu person attack from afar, but that momentum fell far short of Yang Ze's.

Witnessing Yang Ze's strength, the old farmer sighed inwardly, no longer daring to harbor any thoughts of taking chances. Obediently, he led the way in front, bringing Yang Ze toward the main courtyard.

The two of them walked through the various rooms inside and soon reached the backyard, which was the only place they had not yet visited.

"The martial artist back then spent most of his years away and rarely returned. This backyard is where he lived during the few times he came back," the old farmer pointed at the already-forced-open door and said.

Yang Ze nodded, and the old farmer stepped inside first to lead the way. As the two walked into the inner room, Yang Ze's gaze suddenly shifted. He grabbed the front of the old farmer's clothes and jerked him back behind himself.

Before the old farmer even knew what was happening, he was pulled backward by a surge of force. The very moment he was pulled behind Yang Ze, the roof tiles directly above the spot where he had been standing crashed down onto the ground.

The old farmer's face turned pale white; if Yang Ze hadn't pulled him back in time, he would have been smashed to death right then and there.

"You should hurry back. No matter what commotion happens here later, do not come back," Yang Ze said. Upon entering this place, he already knew that there was no one in this room; the entire residence was abandoned and completely empty.

The old farmer had long wanted to flee. Hearing Yang Ze's words, he bowed deeply to Yang Ze several times, repeatedly shouting, "Many thanks, Hero!" before turning and running out.

Yang Ze did not kill the old farmer. The man was merely an ordinary person and had not lied; there was no need for him to kill the innocent indiscriminately.

Until the old farmer's figure disappeared into the distance, Yang Ze searched the room from top to bottom, rummaging through chests and cabinets, but found nothing at all. Returning to the main hall of the room and looking at the mottled walls, his gaze gradually grew cold.

Raising both palms, a surge of true essence condensed within Yang Ze's palms. Aiming at the surrounding walls, he struck several consecutive blows, unleashing his true essence to bombard the masonry.

With two loud echoing bangs, the buildings of the backyard suddenly collapsed at that moment. The entire village shook violently a few times, and many villagers who were hiding out of fear upon hearing of the arrival of jianghu figures poked their heads out. They saw dust billowing into the sky in the distance—a most spectacular sight—yet not a single person dared to step forward to investigate, choosing only to watch from afar.

Meanwhile, Yang Ze stood right at the epicenter of the dust. With the cultivation aura radiating from his body, the dust could not even touch him.

His vision obscured by the dust, Yang Ze struck out with another palm. The airflow in the air accelerated, and the dust gradually dispersed.

As visibility returned, Yang Ze saw an opening revealed on the ground. Walking over to take a look, he discovered that beneath it was actually a sealed stone chamber.

Lighting a fire-starter, Yang Ze leaped downward, his body descending straight into the stone chamber.