Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Zhangjia Ancient Building is a mysterious and enigmatic place.

Ten years ago, some members of the Nine Gates wanted to enter the ancient building to explore its secrets. Through a series of coincidences, Zhang Qilin led a large-scale raid on his own ancestral home. However, the ancient building had a complex structure and many deadly traps; anyone outside the Zhang family who entered would likely die. Therefore, those who entered ten years ago also paid a heavy price. Since then, no one has dared to set foot there again.

Apart from the Zhang family.

The ancient building is the ancestral home of the Zhang family and also their burial ground. There are essentially two reasons why members of the Zhang family would voluntarily enter the ancient building: either they had passed away and were buried there, signifying a return to their roots; or the living members of the Zhang family were attending the funerals of their deceased relatives, a task that was equally fraught with danger.

Therefore, Zhang Qilin's words were nothing short of the whispers of a demon.

Zhang Haiyan's face stiffened, then she reached out and hugged Zhang Qiyu's arm, and began to wail.

He said that he was still young and had many things to do, that he should help the clan leader revitalize the Zhang family, that he should devote himself to the clan leader, and that he could not live without the clan leader and would rather die by the clan leader's side.

The crowd that had gathered watched Zhang Haiyan's outburst silently, and no one dared to utter a word.

Then a sudden "click" sound rang out, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to find that Shen Mingchao was eating sunflower seeds.

A dozen pairs of eyes were staring at her, and Shen Mingchao was a little confused. She lifted the bag and asked, "Do you want some too?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhang Haiyan was the first to speak.

"Yes." He changed his target, his narrow eyes narrowed, and looked at Shen Mingchao, saying, "I'm good with words, I can't sit still for a moment, eating some sunflower seeds is perfect for me."

Shen Mingchao met his gaze.

It was strange; she always felt that Zhang Haiyan's eyes were a bit off. He was just eating sunflower seeds, did he really need to look so... frivolous?

I feel a little uneasy.

Having watched enough of the show, she handed the entire bag of melon seeds to Zhang Haiyan, then bent down to pick up San San and walked straight into Xilaimian.

She hadn't seen her furry friend for many days and wanted to pet him.

As soon as Shen Mingchao turned around, Zhang Haiyan instantly regained his composure. The onlookers were all gone, so there was no need to continue the show. Who else would he be performing for? His rivals who were getting in his way? Ha, he would rather use the Zhang family's methods to beat them all up one by one.

Let's start with Zhang Rishan.

Just as Zhang Haiyan was about to put his hand on Zhang Qilan's shoulder, the latter stepped aside, leaving his hand empty. Zhang Haiyan didn't feel embarrassed. He stood next to Zhang Qilan, put on a stern face, pointed at Zhang Rishan, and then whispered something in his ear.

"Clan leader, this guy says he's here to receive punishment for standing by and watching from the sidelines years ago. Hmph, of all times, he has to come now. He's clearly up to no good." Zhang Haiyan paused, then said, "But since he's here to receive punishment, he has to follow the Zhang family rules. You can rest here for now. Leave the dirty work of cleaning up the clan to us."

Zhang Qilin didn't say a word, nor did he even spare a glance for the Zhang family members. He turned and went into the house.

"What does the clan leader mean by this?"

Zhang Qianjun scratched his head. To be honest, having grown up in the mountains, his ability to read people was indeed inferior to that of seasoned veterans like Zhang Haiyan and Zhang Haike, especially when the target was the stern and unsmiling clan chief.

"What else could it mean?" Zhang Haike and Zhang Qilan had known each other since childhood. He felt that Zhang Qilan probably found them annoying and wanted to get rid of one of them as much as possible. In other words, giving Zhang Rishan the family punishment was considered an admission of his guilt.

Zhang Haiyan understood immediately, and walked towards Zhang Rishan with a smile. "Things are really different now, adjutant. Many years ago, we outsiders had no right to interfere in the affairs of our own family."

Zhang Rishan chuckled and echoed, "Yes, time is a ruthless thing, relentlessly crushing everything, and no one can stop it."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back, looked up at the plaque of Xilaimian, and suddenly said to Wu Xie, "This is indeed a quiet and nice place. You Wu family members are used to enjoying life. Back then, Fifth Master Dog chose Hangzhou, and you chose Yucun. I don't know if it's because you've raised too many dogs that you can pick the best places to live."

Wu Xie: "......"

That doesn't sound very pleasant.

But since the other person was a true elder, he couldn't say anything. He just lowered his head and chatted with the fat man, wondering, "Is this person secretly insulting me?"

"Well done, Naive." The fat man gave a thumbs up: "You've gotten the hang of it, you can even read between the lines now."

That sounded even harsher.

Wu Xie shoved the fat man's elbow and yelled, "I knew you wouldn't say anything nice, so I didn't bother asking!"

Zhang Haike spoke up at this moment, saying to Zhang Rishan, "The clan leader's meaning is very clear. Let's go. Everything is ready. Don't worry, we'll go easy on you because you're family."

"Thank you all for your trouble." Zhang Rishan nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips, but politely declined Zhang Haike's offer. "But there's no need for easing the floodgates. Now that I'm here, I'm prepared."

"You're so calm about this?" Zhang Qianjun found it hard to believe. The Zhang family's rules were no small matter; if they got serious, they could easily take half your life.

Zhang Rishan did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Has the Zhang family ever had a coward?"

The three fell silent.

It really doesn't.

The Zhang family has its share of rebellious, eccentric, and treacherous members... good and bad, but no cowards or wimps.

However, Zhang Rishan's calm demeanor made the three members of the Zhang family feel that something was amiss.

After the family discipline session ended, Luo Que led Huo Daofu in.

With a sour face, Huo Daofu said to Zhang Rishan, who was lying on the bed with a pale face, "If you weren't the president of the Nine Gates Association, I wouldn't have come at all. So you have to owe this favor whether you want to or not."

Then, he carefully lifted the blood-stained cloth, frowned at just one glance, and said coldly, "Your Zhang family is really ruthless in dealing with your own people."

"No." Zhang Rishan shook his head. "The Zhang family is ruthless to themselves, but even more ruthless to outsiders. The fact that I was spared my life is already a mercy from the clan chief. The remaining physical pain is nothing to me."

Of course, it's nothing.

For those who survived the hail of bullets and lived through the war years, these family rules were nothing more than minor punishments.

Zhang Rishan twirled the jade bracelet on his wrist, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a hidden undercurrent.

He spoke softly.

"It's a real pity that my legs are temporarily unable to walk, so I'm afraid I'll have to stay in Yucun for a while longer."

This is why he didn't need Zhang Haike and the others to go easy on him.

in contrast.

The harder you hit, the better.

In that case, he could stay in Yuchun to recuperate.