Chapter Fifty-Eight: Awakening

"Yan, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

Yang Yan's gaze swept around the room, taking in one familiar face after another—his father, Aunt Zhao...

"Father..."

He managed to utter just two words, but even to his own ears, his voice sounded hoarse and strange, even more unpleasant than the croak of a duck. His throat burned with a dry, scorching thirst that was almost unbearable.

Seeing his distress, Ziling, her face still streaked with tears of joy, hurriedly stood up. Gently, she helped prop Yang Yan up, placing a soft pillow behind his back so he could rest against the headboard. Then she turned, picked up a porcelain bowl of clear water from the nearby stool, and carefully brought spoonfuls to his cracked lips.

The cool, fresh water washed over Yang Yan's parched body like a breeze in the height of summer, soothing the burning in his throat and bringing much relief.

"Father, how long... was I unconscious?"

Though his voice was still rough, it had improved considerably.

"You've been unconscious for five whole days and nights! Those brutes from the Xu family were ruthless—I swear I'll have their hides one day!" Zhang Tai's face, moments ago filled with relief, darkened with rage as he spoke.

"Such a serious matter—surely the Azure Profound Sect wouldn't just stand by and do nothing?" Yang Yan asked, puzzled. The Azure Profound Sect usually turned a blind eye to the open and covert struggles among the families, only intervening if things got out of hand.

Yet, for him to have survived and returned, his father Zhang Tai must have rushed to his rescue. Before that, his father and the family elders must have clashed fiercely with the Xu family!

As Yang Yan suspected, the moment Zhang Tai sensed his son was in danger, he hurried to save him, only to be intercepted by Xu Tianlong. Enraged, Zhang Tai and Xu Tianlong came to blows.

Though the Xu family had the advantage of home ground, Zhang Tai and the elders he brought with him were no pushovers. Zhang Tai himself had reached the fifth stage of the Spirit-Sensing Realm, and, desperate to save his son, fought with reckless abandon—every move risking injury to himself as much as to his opponent.

Xu Tianlong was already outmatched by Zhang Tai, and with Zhang Tai fighting so desperately, he was soon overwhelmed. But Xu Tianlong’s true purpose wasn’t to win, but merely to buy time. The Xu family had sent Xu Shaoguang, Xu Fei, and Xu Zhiming to deal with Yang Yan, and as a final measure, their strongest, Xu Hongfei—also at the peak of the fifth Spirit-Sensing stage—was their ace in the hole. They were certain that Yang Yan couldn't possibly escape death. Thus, the Xu family only sought to delay, not to fight Zhang Tai and his people to the end. Though the battle was fierce, neither side suffered heavy casualties.

However, this was a sensitive time—the Azure Profound Sect was about to select new disciples. All the factions in Jinzhou were keeping a low profile, avoiding conflict. The Xu family's actions were a blatant slap in the face to the Azure Profound Sect, who could not ignore such insolence.

"The Azure Profound Sect would never let this go unchecked. But the Xu family is as devious and shameless as they come!" Zhang Tai said furiously.

"After I rescued you, I was so worried about your injuries that I didn't report the incident to the Sect right away. Who would have thought the Xu family would rush to accuse us first? They claimed our Zhang family tried to seize control of the market before the official handover, and that we started a brawl at their estate. As for abducting Ziling and trying to kill you, they denied everything!"

According to the rules of the clan martial tournament, the family that won the championship earned the right to manage the market for one year. There were still more than ten days before the official handover, making the Xu family's accusation a cunning move.

"Utterly shameless!" Rage burned in Yang Yan's chest. He pounded his fist against the bed’s edge, gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his body.

The Xu family’s ambushers had all been in black garb and masked, so even if someone saw them, their identities would remain hidden. With only Zhang Tai’s and Ziling’s word, the Azure Profound Sect would hardly be convinced.

As if reading his thoughts, Zhang Tai continued, "Both sides argued endlessly, each insisting they were in the right. The Sect, wanting to remain impartial, couldn’t make a judgment. In the end, they ordered both families to cease hostilities, warning that any further trouble would mean disqualification from the disciple selection. And so, the matter was left unresolved."

"In less than a month, the Azure Profound Sect will hold its disciple selection. You should focus on recovery. I will help guide and heal your meridians. As for our feud with the Xu family, I will settle that score in due time."

Pausing, Zhang Tai's expression softened as he stepped to Yang Yan's side, his right palm glowing with a verdant, emerald light. He pressed it gently to Yang Yan’s shoulder.

Ziling, though reluctant, knew Yang Yan needed his rest. Taking her hand, Madam Zhao led her gently out of the room, Ziling glancing back every few steps.

Closing his eyes, Yang Yan felt the cool, gentle spiritual energy flow through his meridians from his shoulder, like a riverbed parched from drought suddenly blessed with soothing streams. The burning pain throughout his body eased dramatically.

Among the five elements, wood-aligned spiritual energy is the gentlest and brims with vitality, making it ideal for healing. But since Yang Yan’s innate spiritual body did not match Zhang Tai’s, and considering the elemental oppositions, Zhang Tai dared not channel too much wood energy into him. Thus, Zhang Tai could only assist; the main work of healing would still fall to Yang Yan himself.

Time slipped by. Another five days passed, and Yang Yan’s recovery went well—he could already move around on his own. Still, his internal injuries would need more time to heal, but at this rate, he’d be healthy before the disciple selection.

Yet during his convalescence, Yang Yan noticed something strange about Ziling. Aside from her regular visits to care for him, she was rarely seen. She often looked exhausted, her lovely face drawn and weary, and her once soft, fair hands were now marked with new scars. Curious and concerned, Yang Yan asked her about it, but she only stammered vague excuses.

This morning, after checking on him as usual, Ziling hurried off again. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Yang Yan slipped quietly out of his room to follow her.

He saw Ziling quicken her pace toward the rear courtyard of the Zhang estate.

"That's the direction of the training grounds. What's that girl doing there...?"