Chapter 376: Prepared Heir! Jiang Wan Sui

Two days later, Chang'an International Hotel.

At dawn, steam rose from the porridge stall inside the restaurant.

In the corner, Zhang Fan tore a fried dough stick and dipped it into the white porridge, soaking it full of broth before taking a bite, savoring every flavor.

"Aren't you going to have some?" Zhang Fan looked up at Li Yi, sitting across from him.

"You know I don't eat breakfast," Li Yi said, glancing at his phone.

"Only you would do that. Anyone else skipping breakfast will end up with a stomach problem sooner or later." Zhang Fan said casually.

"Let me get a stomach problem then—I'm not even afraid of death," Li Yi replied indifferently.

"..."

"Let me show you something."

As he spoke, Li Yi turned his phone screen toward Zhang Fan, who looked up to see a WeChat chat window with the note: 【Senior Sister Jiang Tianxin, 176, Leo】.

"Jiang Tianxin—that name sounds familiar," Zhang Fan mused.

"You forgot? Media department, two grades above us," Li Yi reminded him.

"Oh right—I remember now. How are you still in touch with her?" Zhang Fan exclaimed.

Back in school, this senior sister had been a celebrity; suitors had lined up from the north gate to the south gate.

"Look…" Li Yi shook his phone and asked.

Zhang Fan stared—and saw that this morning, the senior sister had sent Li Yi two messages.

"Can we meet for dinner tonight?"

"Can I have something cold? (blush emoji)..."

"What do you think she means?" Li Yi asked.

"..."

Zhang Fan narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Yi.

"What the hell are you pretending for? You don't know what she means?"

"I mean, why did she suddenly invite me? You don't know—she got married last year," Li Yi whispered.

"What a mess!" Zhang Fan shook his head and went back to his porridge.

"How did you even connect with her?"

"Last time—I think she had a fight with her husband. I saw her post a sad selfie on WeChat Moments with a caption..." Li Yi recalled.

"If you don't like me, fine—do I force you to?"

"I just commented: 'I like you!'" Li Yi said coolly.

"Huh!?"

"Then she messaged me privately, saying she never thought I was that kind of person."

"..."

"After that, we started messaging more often." Li Yi asked, "What kind of person am I?"

"A beast," Zhang Fan shook his head and put down his spoon.

"She invited you—so are you going?"

"Of course not—I'm in Chang'an now, how do I go? Even if she could drink liquid nitrogen, I still couldn't make it," Li Yi said, shaking his head.

As he spoke, he put his phone down—it was just a brief episode to him.

"Has Brother Sheng left?" Li Yi suddenly changed the subject.

"Yeah," Zhang Fan nodded. "Left last night."

After leaving Luoying Mountain that night, he first returned to the Wang family compound, reunited with Meng Qi, departed together, then found Zhang Sheng and Li Yi.

"Didn't you meet my brother before?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Only once or twice," Li Yi said solemnly.

"You know I practice the 【Jia Sheng Gui Si】 method—my state fluctuates, I'm often dazed. Your brother came to see me."

In truth, Li Yi and Zhang Sheng were fellow practitioners of this method, sharing the same fate.

"What did your brother say to you?" Li Yi asked.

"Nothing much—just the usual brotherly advice," Zhang Fan sneered.

Before leaving, Zhang Sheng merely warned him not to be reckless—he was still weak, so he should keep a low profile, play it safe, and prioritize survival.

They also talked about Zhang Lingzong, who was currently hiding in Mount Mount Ailao, temporarily safe.

Additionally, Zhang Sheng repeatedly warned Zhang Fan not to go north easily—his family's greatest enemy lay in the north.

"Greatest enemy? The Northern Zhang lineage!?" Li Yi asked instinctively.

"Probably," Zhang Fan said grimly.

"Your brother's right—right now, you're the only one in your family who's relatively safe. At least your current identity is clean," Li Yi said solemnly.

As a Xiao, he knew well how difficult it was to cleanse an identity and hide it.

Especially in today's society—pull one thread and the whole fabric unravels. Erasing a person's traces and creating new ones without detection was nearly impossible.

Zhang Lingzong spent ten years concealing his identity and cleansing Zhang Fan's background. Not to mention, the fact that Zhang Fan was once a disciple of Zhenwu Mountain was crucial.

"Safe?" Zhang Fan's gaze darkened.

Since leaving Zhenwu Mountain, he had endured many trials and met many people—there were always traces left behind. He didn't believe he was entirely safe.

"For now, it's calm. As long as your strength is sufficient, no problem is a problem," Li Yi said solemnly.

"You're right," Zhang Fan nodded.

In the Dao, strength is supreme. If his power were great enough, even if the whole world knew he was the last heir of the Southern Zhang lineage, it wouldn't matter.

No one in this world could threaten him—or anyone close to him.

"What happened to your family? How did someone wipe out your home in Bai Yujing? Who did it?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Ming Ming Shenshou," Li Yi said grimly.

"Lord of Jianggong!" Zhang Fan's brow lifted. "Aren't you both from Wu Wei Gate? How did you end up fighting each other?"

"Human history is a history of internal strife—nothing strange about it," Li Yi shook his head.

"Back when the Dao Gate still existed, Wu Wei Gate was relatively united."

After the Jiazi Cleansing of Demons, Wu Wei Gate lay dormant for sixty years. Only recently have signs of revival appeared—true masters have gone into hiding. Though currents stir beneath, open conflict between factions has been rare.

"You know well about the incident in Qin Gu Town," Li Yi looked at Zhang Fan.

"There are still survivors among your Southern Zhang."

All three Heavenly Masters died in Qin Gu Town. Concealing such a massive event from ordinary people was easy—but Wu Wei Gate had its own intelligence channels.

"The reaction inside Wu Wei Gate was huge," Li Yi said solemnly.

"Our family's relationship with your Southern Zhang is too complicated."

Long ago, the Southern Zhang lineage had sought to expend their entire clan's strength to produce a master who could achieve 【Three Corpses Illuminating Fate】 and ascend to the Wu Wei Gate Lord's throne, ending millennia of enmity.

"Wu Wei Gate and Long Hu Mountain have always been bitter enemies—yet you still entertained such ambitions. The Southern Zhang may be gone, but those who harbor such dreams are not..." Li Yi said grimly.

"And now that I've taken the Xiao position, they fear..."

"They fear another 【Three Corpses Daoist】 rising from the embers of the Southern Zhang!?" Zhang Fan interjected.

"Yes," Li Yi nodded.

Their two families' ties were indeed too close.