Treated like a beast of burden

The incident involving Young General Yang had occurred less than two hours prior. Not many people knew about it yet, though the news probably wouldn't stay under wraps for long. Perhaps it would give many a good show to watch. Of course, those eyeing the Yang family's immense and colossal wealth would undoubtedly feel excited.

It could not be said that Young General Yang was the Yang family's only hope, but he was their sole male heir. The women of the Yang family were formidable beyond compare—everyone had to admit that. Yet, within the country—no, across the entire world, regardless of the family—ninety-nine percent still required a male to inherit the lineage. That was an indisputable fact.

By the time Tang Long was at the Baofeng Carving Factory, many people had already taken notice of him!

A helicopter flew directly above the Baofeng Carving Factory, a spectacle that left the factory workers dumbfounded. It was a sight they had never witnessed before.

"What is this?" Gou Yuniang followed behind Tang Long as he stepped outside, glanced at him, and asked in a low voice.

Tang Long shook his head, standing there with an indifferent expression, because he was not yet certain whether the arriving individuals were friends or foes.

A group of women stepped out of the helicopter one after another!

"Tang Long?"

Yang Zetian cast a glance at Gou Yuniang, giving a slight nod as a form of greeting, before turning her gaze back to Tang Long.

"Which one of you might you be?" A rakish, carefree smile appeared on Tang Long's face as he looked past Yang Zetian to the women behind her. Aside from Yang Zetian, Yang Wuchan and numerous security personnel were following close behind. Given that Young General Yang had suffered an accident, if anything were to befall Yang Zetian as well, the Yang family would undoubtedly plunge into absolute chaos.

Before Yang Zetian could speak, Tang Long's gaze locked onto Peacock, who was standing in the back row. He grinned and said, "Little Peacock, long time no see!"

For reasons unknown, that single address of "Little Peacock" caused Peacock's eyes to redden. The feeling was akin to being bullied and suddenly running into one's older brother—her heart brimming with grievance, as if she finally had a place to pour out her troubles!

"I've caused you trouble!"

With reddened eyes, Peacock bowed deeply to Tang Long.

Tang Long furrowed his brow, the carefree expression vanishing from his face, replaced instantly by an overwhelming, majestic aura. In an instant, the surrounding hundreds of meters seemed to be oppressed by this force, causing people's chests to tighten with a stifling sensation, making it difficult to breathe.

Yang Wuchan felt a deep shock within. She commanded the Yang family's combat division and was herself one of the family's experts, yet standing before this man, she felt like a lone boat in the vast ocean, reduced to merely swaying within his overwhelming aura, completely incapable of breaking free.

Strong. Incredibly strong. How could such a formidable expert... possibly exist in this world?

If even Yang Wuchan felt this way, needless to say, the bodyguards hired by the Yang family were practically frightened out of their wits, nearly wetting themselves in terror.

"Think nothing of it. Let alone the fact that this matter has nothing to do with you, even if it did, as her older brother, I can shoulder whatever trouble our little sister stirs up!"

In his words, Tang Long did not treat Peacock as an outsider at all. Calling her his own younger sister was not far-fetched in the slightest. After all, they had once shared trials and tribulations, weathered storms together, and entrusted their backs to one another. Calling their bond brother-and-sister was entirely justified.

His gaze rested on Yang Zetian's face as he said, "Whoever you may be, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Please, come inside!"

Yang Zetian shook her head and calmly stated, "There's no need to sit. With Wuchan's life and death hanging in the balance, as her eldest sister, my heart cannot find peace. I'm afraid we must trouble you this time, Boss Tang Long."

"It is indeed troublesome," Tang Long nodded bluntly.

Behind Yang Zetian, Yang Wuchan frowned slightly. This fellow certainly knew how to put on airs. Given a way out, he truly had forgotten his own name.

Yang Zetian studied Tang Long for a moment, hesitated, and said, "The one who spoke to you on the phone not long ago was my ninth sister, Wuchan. She said some unpleasant, rash things to you, and I apologize to you on her behalf."

"Hmph!"

Tang Long nodded and said, "Just don't put on airs from now on. If I hear anyone ever again utter such harsh threats as wiping out my Yutou Village, I will make sure their entire family dies!"

"..."

Tang Long lazily stretched his waist and muttered, "Those who don't believe me are welcome to try." Anyone with discerning eyes knew this remark was meant for the Yang family to hear.

He turned to Gou Yuniang and smiled, "Nothing major. I'm just going to handle a few things and will be back shortly. Don't worry about me!"

Peacock looked at Gou Yuniang and bit her lip. Judging by her appearance, this woman wasn't particularly young, was she? Could it be that Tang Long preferred this 'mature' type? That didn't seem right either—how had she heard rumors that he was also entangled with the eldest young miss of the Yao family in the capital?

"While I'm not home, help me keep an eye on your master and make sure she eats on time." Tang Long ruffled Ren Yingying's head.

"Let's go!"

Ignoring the Yang family members, he walked toward the helicopter. As he passed by Peacock, he reached out to drape an arm over her shoulder, walking and smiling as he said, "Relax. It's nothing major, the sky isn't going to fall!"

When all was said and done, Young General Yang's incident could hardly be blamed on anyone else. If blame was to be assigned, it could only be placed on the Yang family for failing to properly protect their own precious darling.

Since he had been taken down by others, causing trouble for unrelated parties and throwing one's weight around were utterly shameless behaviors. Word got out, no one would mock Tang Long or Peacock and the others; they would only say the Yang family members were completely worthless and utterly useless.

"Eldest Sister!" Yang Wuchan gritted her teeth, opening her mouth as if to say something, but Yang Zetian raised a hand to interrupt her: "Whatever you have to say, we'll discuss it when we get back!"

The helicopter lifted off from the Baofeng Carving Factory and sped away rapidly.

Ren Yingying stood beside Gou Yuniang, holding her hand and watching the helicopter shrink into a tiny black dot in the sky as she asked, "Master, is Brother Tang Long really that powerful?"

Gou Yuniang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Actually, Master doesn't know either. He should be... very powerful, I suppose!" For some reason, her mind recalled that fateful night. At least in certain aspects, he was indeed extremely powerful—that much she knew.

Tang Long looked at the woman sitting opposite him and said, "Tell me about the situation the Yang family controls. Start with how Young General Yang decided to come to Taoyuan County, and who leaked his whereabouts."

Yang Zetian said to Yang Wuchan beside her, "Tell him."

With a cold expression, Yang Wuchan adopted the demeanor of an aloof ice queen straight out of an animation. "My younger brother Wuchan purchased four mountains in Taoyuan County, intending to establish a tourism company. Before coming to Taoyuan County, very few people knew about it. Because of the haste, and coupled with the fact that no major accidents had occurred in recent years, security measures were somewhat lax. The number of experts following by his side wasn't large..."

Tang Long interrupted Yang Wuchan, tilting his head to ask, "Have you figured out who leaked Young General Yang's whereabouts yet?"

"..." Yang Wuchan particularly disliked being interrupted while she was speaking. "Not yet!"

Tang Long rolled his eyes and muttered, "Useless waste!"

This wasn't beating around the bush; Tang Long's insult of "useless waste" was a direct verbal attack. Not only was he cursing Yang Wuchan, but he was essentially condemning the entire Yang family along with her.

Yang Zetian sat there with a stern face, remaining completely silent, her thoughts unreadable. Yang Wuchan was so furious her lungs felt like they were about to explode, her teeth grinding as she glared at Tang Long.

Peacock sat obediently, feeling as though she had been transported back to a few years prior, standing before Tang Long like a lowly soldier being reprimanded. For some inexplicable reason, her heart felt somewhat... exhilarated!

Oh, what a joy!

The Yang family had placed an immense amount of pressure on her—a psychological pressure that was far more agonizing than physical torture.

"If you're so capable, why don't you go investigate!" Yang Wuchan said darkly. "As long as you can retrieve the 'Rejuvenation Herb' and save my younger brother Wuchan, we... we will agree to any demand you make!"

Tang Long suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Weren't you the one on the phone who said if Young General Yang suffered even the slightest harm, you'd make the people of Yutou Village pay with their lives?"

"Yes!" Yang Wuchan nodded with a dark expression.

Tang Long smiled. "Very well. Once I retrieve the 'Rejuvenation Herb', you will be my beast of burden, doing manual labor for me!"

He wasn't forcing anyone; she had made the promise herself just now.

A beast of burden doing manual labor?

Yang Wuchan was so angry she nearly bounced out of her seat, wanting nothing more than to kick him straight in the face and flatten it into a pancake. How dare he make such outrageous demands!

Peacock lowered her head, a trace of a smile flashing in her eyes. Boss Tang was still the same wicked, mischievous Boss Tang; not a single thing about him had changed in that regard.

Seeing that Yang Zetian had no intention of speaking, Yang Wuchan stared at Tang Long and gritted out, "Fine! As long as you can save my younger brother Wuchan, this lady will be your beast of burden for the rest of my life. But if you fail to save him, what then?"

Tang Long shrugged, flashing a carefree smile as he replied, "When did I ever say I was going to save Young General Yang?"

He hadn't said it?

Yang Wuchan's expression shifted. Before she could speak, Tang Long continued, "Didn't you listen clearly? I said I would retrieve the 'Rejuvenation Herb'. I am only responsible for finding the herb; Young General Yang's life or death has nothing to do with me."

The subtext was clear: Young General Yang's missing heart was not Tang Long's responsibility. The Yang family would have to figure that out themselves. If they could retrieve it, great; if they couldn't, it still had little to do with Tang Long. Therefore, Tang Long would not take responsibility for Young General Yang's survival. He was merely agreeing to help the Yang family search for the "Rejuvenation Herb" out of a sense of "morality" and for the sake of Senior Zhen Nantian and Little Peacock.

As for making Yang Wuchan his beast of burden for the rest of her life, she had walked right into that trap herself, so she couldn't blame Tang Long.

"Very well. As long as you can find the 'Rejuvenation Herb', from then on, my ninth sister Wuchan will be your person. You may dispose of her however you wish! As for the matter of Wuchan's missing heart, you need not worry about it; we members of the Yang family will resolve it ourselves," Yang Zetian declared.

"..." Yang Wuchan was left speechless. Her eldest sister's words essentially meant she had been used as a "bargaining chip" and gambled away.

Regardless of whether Yang Wuchan agreed or not, Yang Zetian's words represented the entire Yang family.

Tang Long smiled triumphantly, shrugging his shoulders as he said, "Alright, then it's a deal. Once I help your Yang family retrieve the 'Rejuvenation Herb', I'll drag this woman back to Yutou Village to work as a beast of burden."

Yang Wuchan said coldly, "Stop spouting wild arrogance here. Find the 'Rejuvenation Herb' first. I can be your beast of burden, provided you manage to come back alive."

The "Rejuvenation Herb" was a legendary item—was it really that easy to find? The people who targeted the Yang family had orchestrated such a massive trap, pulling Tang Long into it and luring him into the Qinling Mountains to search for the "Ancient God Temple." The events inside would surely be far from simple.

"You'd better worry more about how to keep your younger brother Young General Yang alive, and how to get his heart back from those people!"

With that, Tang Long turned away, ignoring Yang Wuchan entirely. Instead, he looked at Peacock and asked with a smile, "Little Peacock, I heard you've been doing quite well over the years. You've even become a leader?"

Peacock: "..."

Looking at Tang Long with a sense of helplessness: "Can we not talk about this right now?" Did he not realize what kind of situation they were in? Was casual small talk appropriate here? Her own biological brother was on the verge of kicking the bucket!

"Fine!" Tang Long paused with a smile, then added, "You're not that young anymore, have you found a boyfriend? If you haven't, big brother can introduce you to one!"

"..." Peacock.

"..." Yang Wuchan.

Yang Zetian furrowed her brow and turned her head away. By now, the members of the Yang family had gained a fair understanding of this peerless God of War's personality and temperament.

Competence? He certainly had it!

But his personality was also somewhat... exasperating. All in all, he didn't seem like a proper, decent man at all.