Chapter Sixty-Eight: Origins

Yang Ze listened quietly as Old Xie recounted his tale, not interrupting, allowing the old man to continue.

“Fifteen years ago, these two brothers had already roamed the martial world for a decade. That day, many figures from the jianghu gathered, marking the beginning of a great battle.

Had the brothers’ skills remained at the middle level of Qi Guiding, they would never have stood a chance. Yet, as the fight unfolded, everyone realized that the younger of the two had broken through to the advanced level. It was he who, by sheer force, led their side to withstand the onslaught.

Still, their numbers were few, and after hours of fierce combat, both brothers were left battered, their lives hanging by a thread.

As three advanced Qi Guiding opponents pressed in, the younger brother charged ahead alone, blocking all three. In the end, he paid with his life, but managed to kill two and grievously injure the third, finally forcing the enemy to retreat.”

At this point, Old Xie paused. Yang Ze waited a moment, then asked, “And then?”

Old Xie continued, “That battle fifteen years ago was devastating for the family, but it won them renown, allowing them to reestablish themselves in the jianghu and restore their standing.

Now, fifteen years have passed, and the family is no longer that clan teetering on extinction, but one of the top houses in Yuyang’s martial world.”

“The family in your story—it’s the Yang family, isn’t it? And one of those brothers, that was my father?” Yang Ze asked as soon as Old Xie finished.

Old Xie nodded.

Yang Ze’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. In his memory, the Yang family had always been a nearly century-old martial clan, but he never imagined they had fallen so low or endured such a bloody struggle.

He had never heard anyone mention those events from twenty years ago, much less that battle. No one in the Yang family ever spoke a word of it.

“So, why are you telling me this story? Is it just to make me see how hard-won my father’s legacy was, so I don’t forget my roots?”

Yang Ze couldn’t understand why Old Xie would share this with him. Was it simply to remind him of Yang Yuanzhen’s hardships and persuade him not to leave the family lightly?

But Old Xie shook his head. “Second Young Master, you’re mistaken. My story isn’t finished. There’s more. Those two brothers were the family’s hope. As their descendants, they couldn’t let the line die out, so both married and had sons at a young age.

But when disaster struck, their wives perished in that bloody battle, leaving only two small boys. The elder brother’s son was four, the younger’s just three. After his brother died, the elder feared for his nephew’s safety and raised him as his own.

Worried that the boy might one day learn his origin and seek vengeance blindly, the elder, upon becoming patriarch, forbade anyone to discuss the past, lest the child discover the truth.

So the boy grew up in the family, but, not being a blood son, suffered much hostility. The patriarch, devoted to martial training, paid little heed to the boy, allowing matters to worsen. In time, some even dared to hire assassins to kill him!”

Old Xie’s voice grew agitated as he finished, his eyes moist with emotion.

Yang Ze, who had listened calmly, now felt his heart roil. He never expected such a tale.

“Old Xie, the elder brother must be Yang Yuanzhen, his son is Yang Hai, and the younger brother’s son… is Yang Ze?” he asked, still composed, for he was not that Yang Ze.

Old Xie’s expression turned grave. “Young Master, you’re correct. Fifteen years ago, the one who died was Second Master—your real father, Yang Yuankai. You are his son, not the patriarch’s. Your true father died for the Yang family.”

The truth dawned on Yang Ze. No wonder he had been so often targeted and slighted in the clan. With his real father gone, and no patron, it was only natural that others bullied him.

Especially Yang Hai—who, at four, would have remembered that Yang Ze was not his real brother, and would fear division of inheritance. His hostility made perfect sense now.

Yang Ze drew a deep breath. Though he was not the original Yang Ze, he had inherited everything from him, their fates now entwined, as was his connection to the Yang family. All those injustices had left a knot in his heart; now, understanding the reason, he felt a sense of relief.

“But how do you know all this? For all I know, you could have made it up to sow discord between me and the Yang family!” Yang Ze’s face grew cold as he confronted Old Xie.

Old Xie replied, “Over twenty years ago, I was hunted and nearly killed. Second Master saved me then and asked if I would return to the Yang family with him. I refused, not wanting to bring trouble to him, for I had my own enemies.

Later, I heard of the great battle at the Yang estate, of Second Master’s death, and learned he’d left behind a young child. Fearing for your safety, I found a way to enter the Yang family.

Everything that followed, I witnessed myself. That’s why I know all you’ve suffered. I didn’t want to tell you, fearing you’d rashly confront Yang Yuanzhen without the strength to oppose him. But now, I worry I might die before I can reveal the truth, so I had to tell you.”

“Your story may sound plausible, but you have no proof. Why should I believe you?” Yang Ze pressed.

“If Yang Yuanzhen had treated you like he treats Yang Hai, I would never have spoken. But his favoritism is too much to bear. Second Master died for the Yang family—you, his son, shouldn’t suffer such injustice.

If you don’t believe me, you can investigate. This was a sensational event in the Yuyang martial world. With your current resources, you can easily verify it,” Old Xie explained.

“Rest assured, this is a grave matter—I will get to the bottom of it. If I find you’ve lied, you’ll regret it.”

With that, Yang Ze left, never expecting such revelations when he visited Old Xie.

To be honest, he wasn’t obsessed with his origins—after all, he was not the original Yang Ze—but this was no trivial matter. If he could use this chance to sever his entanglement with the Yang family, it would be for the best.

He quickly summoned several servants and ordered them to investigate the matter’s veracity.

After gaining control of three-quarters of Sitong Alley, Yang Ze’s Alliance of Yang had grown in strength. Within a day, a detailed report was delivered to him.

Other than information about his parentage, which was absent, everything else matched what Old Xie had said.

“As for my origins, Yang Yuanzhen must have concealed the truth—few would know. It seems Old Xie’s account is accurate,” Yang Ze thought, rising at once to find Old Xie.

...

“You’ve come for an answer, Young Master. Well, did I deceive you?” Old Xie still looked frail, but his condition had stabilized.

“I have a question: If you’re telling the truth, why did Yang Yuanzhen hide this from the family? Surely, such disgrace would spur the clan to train harder and seek vengeance!” Yang Ze asked.

“If only it were that simple. Those who attacked the Yang family back then are nothing to today’s clan—Yang Yuanzhen dealt with them long ago. But that battle wasn’t so straightforward.

Yang Yuanzhen discovered that behind those attackers stood others, people of great power. It was their machinations that led to the assault fifteen years ago.

He kept silent out of fear of them, hoping to let the past fade. If he openly challenged them, the Yang family might not survive,” Old Xie answered.

“In all Yuyang City, only the authorities could make Yang Yuanzhen cautious. Was the government behind it?” Yang Ze pressed.

“I don’t know exactly who, but it was certainly connected to the authorities. They’ve long sought to regain control of Yuyang City, scheming ceaselessly over the years,” Old Xie replied.

Hearing this, Yang Ze’s own suspicions were confirmed. With the city in chaos and the government’s grip weak, nothing they did would be surprising.

Yang Ze turned to leave, but Old Xie called out, “Young Master, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Yang estate,” Yang Ze replied, striding out.