"Don't listen to his nonsense, Great Ancestor! If Lu Baichuan hadn't invited him, why would he come to our Zhang Family at a time like this!"
The old woman hadn't even spoken yet when the burly warrior whom Yang Kai had previously restrained suddenly let out a sharp shout.
Yang Kai couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The old woman, however, glared at the burly warrior and snapped, "When this old woman handles matters, do I need you telling me what to do?"
The burly warrior flinched in fright and hastily said he wouldn't dare.
Only then did the old woman turn her gaze back to Yang Kai. Her spiritual sense swept over him, and upon detecting that his cultivation was considerably higher than her own, her expression shifted slightly. She said, "Your cultivation is profound. If you truly came at Lu Baichuan's invitation, I doubt you'd waste words with the likes of us. Fine, this old woman believes you. But I must ask—why exactly have you come to our Zhang Family?"
"I came here on behalf of someone. Please take a look, Madam." As he spoke, Yang Kai tossed a space ring toward the old woman.
The old woman caught it with one hand and gave Yang Kai a long, penetrating look before channeling her spiritual sense into the ring.
The next instant, her face went pale. Her body lurched violently, and she actually spat out a thin jet of blood, as though she had suffered a severe blow. Her already aged features seemed to grow decades older in a single moment.
"You dare launch a sneak attack?!" the burly warrior roared in fury.
It was no wonder he would draw such a conclusion. After all, the old woman had suddenly deteriorated right after catching the space ring. Anyone would assume Yang Kai had tampered with the ring to ambush her.
The remaining women also adopted sharp, hostile expressions, glaring at Yang Kai with righteous indignation. Power surged within their bodies as several of the more hot-tempered ones summoned their Artifacts, ready to strike at Yang Kai without a moment's hesitation.
Facing this all-female war party, Yang Kai felt a faint prickle at his scalp. His foot tapped the ground lightly, and he drifted backward, putting distance between them.
"Stop!" the old woman barked suddenly.
The women were clearly well-disciplined. Despite their resentment toward Yang Kai and his actions, not one of them made another move after the old woman gave the order.
"Great Ancestor, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" At that moment, the young girl who had been supporting the old woman asked with a worried look, repeatedly rubbing the old woman's back with her hand.
The old woman shook her head and raised her gaze to look at Yang Kai. The hostility was gone from her eyes, replaced by a deep, desolate grief. She asked, "May I ask, young brother… where did you obtain this space ring?"
Yang Kai's lips moved slightly, transmitting his answer directly into the old woman's ear via divine sense.
The old woman froze at what she heard. Her body lurched another step before she let out a bitter laugh. "Such is fate! This old woman had long suspected as much, but I never truly believed it would come to pass."
"Mother, what happened?" asked a beautiful middle-aged woman whose cultivation had reached the first level of the Void King realm.
"See for yourself." The old woman handed the ring to the middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman took it and examined it carefully. Her lovely face turned deathly pale as well, and when she probed the interior space with her spiritual sense, tears began streaming down her cheeks without restraint.
As Zhang Gaoxuan's family, they naturally recognized the contents of the space ring. Now that his ring was here but he himself was nowhere to be seen, anyone could guess what had become of him.
Watching this scene, Yang Kai felt a pang of emotion but did not urge them onward. He simply stood in place, quietly waiting for the Zhang Family to come to terms with the news of Zhang Gaoxuan's death.
The others had no idea what exactly had happened, but seeing the old woman and the middle-aged woman both react this way, they quickly reached their own conclusions. One by one, their expressions turned somber.
After a long while, the old woman finally drew a deep breath and looked at Yang Kai. "A distinguished guest has arrived, and this old woman has been terribly rude. Please, come inside and sit."
"Very well. I still have some things to give you," Yang Kai nodded.
Led by the old woman and the middle-aged woman, Yang Kai entered a grand hall within the estate.
Outside, the rest of the family waited at the door. Only the old woman, the middle-aged woman, and the young girl had come inside. The girl seemed to serve as the old woman's personal attendant and never left her side; she now stood behind the old woman, regarding Yang Kai with wide, curious eyes.
After having tea served, the old woman spoke. "Young brother, there was a misunderstanding earlier. Please bear with us—our Zhang Family has suffered a terrible blow, and I hope you will not take offense."
"It's nothing. Please accept my condolences, Madam," Yang Kai replied with a nod.
"You mentioned you still had something to give us. May I ask what it is?" the old woman inquired.
"This." Yang Kai produced a jade slip and extended it toward the old woman. "Before Head Zhang passed, he left a message inscribed with his spiritual sense within this jade slip. Madam, please take a look and you will understand."
The old woman accepted it gratefully and sent her spiritual sense inside to read it. After a moment, she calmly handed it to the middle-aged woman.
Once the middle-aged woman finished examining it, she ground her teeth and said through clenched jaw, "It was that old scoundrel Lu Baichuan who laid the killing hand against my husband! Mother, I want to go avenge him!"