Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1046: Chapter 723: I, Yang Zhenshan, Am Your Great-Uncle! (Part 2)

"The old Family Head of the Lingxi Yang Family was named Yang Zhenghai?" Yang Zhenshan seemed quite interested in this.

"That’s right!"

"And how many people are there currently in the Lingxi Yang Family?"

Lv Hua thought for a moment and said, "Yang Zhenghai had only one son, who passed away more than forty years ago. Now the Lingxi Yang Family is led by his grandson, Yang Xiangheng, who has no siblings, only a son and a daughter!"

"How old is this Yang Xiangheng?"

"In his forties! He has a Half-step Innate level of cultivation!"

Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Good, good, this is the family, pack up, we’ll set off tomorrow to the Yang Family of Lingxi Mountain!"

...

The night passed without a word, and early the next morning, Yang Zhenshan and his group left Ancient County City.

It’s about four hundred miles from Ancient County City to Lingxi Mountain. The road is not difficult to travel, being a smooth official road all the way.

This Lingxi Mountain is also part of the Yunxiao Mountain Range, but it is already at the very end of the range.

The Yunxiao Mountain Range stretches from west to east, starting from the Sea of Spirit in the west and extending to ten thousand miles away, covering an extremely vast area and rich in resources.

It’s not just around the Sea of Spirit that there’s Spirit Land; there are also some within the Yunxiao Mountain Range. To the south, the Wanlin Mountain Range and to the west, Dazhao, also have some Spirit Lands.

However, those Spirit Lands are quite scattered, unlike the large area around the Sea of Spirit, which is somewhat like Da’an’s Sanshan Valley and Cui Xia Valley.

Of course, the quantity of Spirit Lands in these places far exceeds that of Da’an; the Sanshan Valley and Cui Xia Valley combined only have a dozen or so acres of Spirit Land.

A journey of over four hundred miles is not far; riding horses, it would take less than two days to arrive.

Lingxi Mountain is merely a small hill over a hundred zhang high. Compared to those towering peaks thousands of zhang tall, it resembles a child nestled beside an adult.

The slope is quite gentle. Standing at the foot of the mountain, many terraced fields can be seen on the slope. However, as winter has set in, only a desolate yellow landscape remains.

At the top of the mountain, several structures with blue tiles and white walls are half-hidden among the withered vegetation.

That is the territory of the Lingxi Yang Family.

Yang Zhenshan’s group of six ascended Lingxi Mountain without any obstruction and reached the summit.

This is actually a village and can be called Yang Family Village, where all inhabitants are from the Lingxi Yang Family. However, most are from collateral branches of the Yang Family, with only about thirty households.

The decline of the Lingxi Yang Family has rendered it almost unrecognizable. Its decline began a century ago, and after the old Family Head passed away, the Lingxi Yang Family was left with only this small piece of land on Lingxi Mountain.

Over the century, many branches of the Yang Family either migrated away or reinvented themselves as commoners under other families. Now, only about a hundred clan members remain, fewer than in Yang Family Village in Anning County of the past.

However, their strength is much greater than that of the Yang Family Village in Anning County back then.

As the saying goes, "A lean camel is bigger than a horse." Although the Lingxi Yang Family has dwindled to fewer than a hundred people, 80% of them are Martial Artists, with half being Postnatal Martial Artists.

No matter how far it has declined, the Lingxi Yang Family is still a Martial Arts Family around the Sea of Spirit.

"Who are you people?"

Only when Yang Zhenshan and six others reached the summit did a man in his thirties discover them.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t answer him, instead scanning this Yang Family Village.

Upon the green stone path, the first sight is a primitive and majestic archway, with four columns set on bases. Under the eaves are four large characters inlaid: "Lingxi Yang Clan." On each side of the beam is a pair of sculpted tigers, extraordinarily valiant.

Beyond the archway are rows of quaint and unique courtyards. The central courtyard is quite large, with blue tiles and white walls almost encircling most of the summit area.

In the courtyard, a stream flows from the left side of the archway, through the constructed channel, through the terraced fields, and down the mountain.

It seems there should be a spring atop Lingxi Mountain, which might well be called Spiritual Spring Mountain!

Yang Zhenshan was very pleased with this place; at the very least, the scenery here was excellent.

"Who are you people?"

The man, seeing them not respond, asked again anxiously.

"Where is Yang Xiangheng?" Yang Zhenshan inquired.

"Why are you looking for the Family Head?" the man asked.

Yang Zhenshan grinned and said, "Take me to him, it surely won’t be bad! If you refuse, I will force my way in, and I won’t be held accountable if anyone gets hurt!"

His words were incredibly unreasonable, and to the man, they sounded extremely domineering.

Anger filled the man’s eyes, his face flushed, and his hand gripping the knife handle appeared somewhat pale due to excessive force.

"You are from the Xiang family of Nanqing Mountain!"

Seeing his demeanor, Yang Zhenshan knew it was a misunderstanding. He stepped forward instantly, appearing right in front of the man, placing a hand on the knife handle at the man’s waist.

"I am not from the Xiang family; I am from the Yang family. Take me to see Yang Xiangheng!"

Yang Zhenshan looked directly into the man’s eyes, and the man’s pupils contracted abruptly but surprisingly calmed down immediately.

"Alright, I’ll take you there!"

Yang Zhenshan smiled as he released his hand, and the man, without further ado, turned and walked toward the quaint large gate behind them.

Though the man was panicked, he did not lose composure.

Inside the gate, two young men in their twenties looked at Yang Zhenshan’s group with caution, and the man shook his head at them.

"Please wait a moment, I will call the Family Head over!" The man said after bringing Yang Zhenshan to the main hall.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, casually observing the decorations in the hall.

After about a cup of tea’s time, a middle-aged man in a blue robe with a solemn expression walked in.

"Yang Xiangheng of the Lingxi Yang Family greets the senior. May I know who you are?"

Yang Xiangheng had a wary look in his eyes.

Yang Zhenshan’s lips curled slightly, and he said, "I am Yang Zhenshan, your grand uncle!"

Yang Xiangheng was stunned.

Grand uncle?

I have a grand uncle?

How come I didn’t know?

"Is your grandfather named Yang Zhenghai?"

"Yes!"

"Then I am Yang Zhenshan, am I not your grand uncle?" Yang Zhenshan said.

Yang Xiangheng looked at him dazedly.

"My grandfather never mentioned he had brothers!"

"He didn’t before, but he does now." Yang Zhenshan blinked at him.

Yang Xiangheng couldn’t wrap his head around it, but he started to imagine things.

Did my grandfather have brothers?

Maybe he did!

Since the passing of the ancestors, the family has exiled many clansmen over the past hundred years.

Could this be one of those exiled relatives?

Maybe not my grandfather’s blood brother, but a cousin?

If that’s the case, it’s not impossible!

Thinking of this, Yang Xiangheng started to believe Yang Zhenshan might indeed be his grand uncle.

"Well, senior, please wait a moment!"

"You, go and call the Third Grand Uncle!"

He said to the man behind him, seemingly wanting to confirm Yang Zhenshan’s identity.

Yang Zhenshan had an awkward expression, cleared his throat, but did not stop him from calling the elder over.

This grand uncle is certainly a fake, no need to verify.

But a fake can become real.

In the face of survival, acknowledging kinship is nothing.

To put it bluntly, the Lingxi Yang Family is at a dead end now, Yang Zhenshan claiming kinship is like handing them a lifeline.

If they’re smart enough, they’d tightly grasp this lifeline.

If they’re not smart enough, then don’t blame Yang Zhenshan for being unkind.

Anyway, today Yang Zhenshan will become the Family Head of the Lingxi Yang Family!

After a moment, an elderly man with white hair and a cane came over.

Yang Xiangheng stepped forward and whispered a few words to the elderly man, who kept scrutinizing Yang Zhenshan.

"I am Yang Zhenghe, from which branch are you?"

"From the same branch as Yang Zhenghai!"

Yang Zhenghe was also bewildered.

Do I have other brothers?

"Are you playing with this old man?"

He quickly reacted, angrily asking.

Surely he knows how many brothers he has?

Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, "Alright, let’s speak plainly. I am Yang Zhenshan, you don’t need to worry about my origins. You only need to know that I, Yang Zhenshan, from now on, am Yang Zhenghai’s blood brother, and thus your grand uncle!"

"I need a place to establish myself, and this Lingxi Mountain is just right!"

"If you agree, then we are one family from now on, and I can guarantee that you will live peacefully here."

"If you don’t agree, well, I can only take your place!"

"Hmm, you can change your name, in the future you’ll be called Yang Zhenghe!"

Yang Zhenshan smiled at Yang Zhenghe, who now clearly understood his meaning.

Cuckoo occupying a magpie’s nest!