Everything was settled down again once Ou Yangming and the others entered the city.

Wu Hanning and Bai Shixue were noble figures, hence many subordinates in the city were fighting to arrange things for them. The Ni family was the local tyrant of local tyrants in the city, so while Ou Yangming was reluctant to part with Ni Yinghong when Ni Jingshen personally came to bring her away, he could not pull a long face to snatch her away from the elder.

Ni Jingshen was Elder Sister Ying’s senior, after all. Even if it was for the sake of her, Ou Yangming must not be impolite.

He sighed and turned to look at Jiang Jiumei.

The beautiful young lady had not said anything ever since she entered the city, but she scanned her surroundings with a complicated look.

She was born and raised in the city, so she must have extremely deep feelings for it.

Ou Yangming was moved. He said after some thought, “Jiumei, come with me.”

Jiang Jiumei gave a lovable response and followed him into the city without resisting at all. She was entirely at ease with this older brother of hers and was not on guard at all.

With that, they took several turns in the city one after another and arrived at a path familiar to Jiang Jiumei. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and she could guess Ou Yangming’s destination. Nonetheless, the closer they were to the place, her heart somehow trembled a little.

At last, they stopped in front of a door.

Jiang Jiumei’s eyes were teary when she looked at the brand new door, and she finally could not hold back anymore. As such, a big teardrop streamed down her face.

Ou Yangming sighed and turned around to wipe off the tear stain on her face. “Let’s go in.”

They were greeted with a medium-sized compound once they pushed the door open and entered. The Jiang family’s ancestors had glorious days in the past, or they could not have purchased a property here. Nevertheless, their property was coveted as their clan declined, so nobody could say if it was a blessing or a misfortune for the younger generations.

Jiang Jiumei entered the courtyard and took a turn in her room. She looked rather agitated when she came out.

Back when the Liang family left the courtyard, they intentionally returned the furnishings and decorations to their original states. Everything reminded Jiang Jiumei of her loved one, thus she could not control her emotions.

Having said that, she was a true powerhouse, so she curbed her thought in a split second and bowed at Ou Yangming. “Thank you, Elder Brother.”

“Since I’m your older brother, do you still need to thank me?” Ou Yangming waved his hand.

Jiang Jiumei nodded and was about to say something when a soft knock was heard at the door.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows. He had evidently identified the visitor from some subtle sounds.

“Governor Deng, please come in.”

The door was pushed open, and Deng Xiyuan walked in with a smile. He bowed and greeted Ou Yangming first, then he turned to look at Jiang Jiumei.

“Governor Deng, don’t you need to accompany Her Royal Highness?” Ou Yangming asked.

Deng Xiyuan laughed and answered, “Master Ou, I’m here by Her Highness’s command.”

Ou Yangming immediately understood that since Wu Hanning and Jiang Jiumei traveled back to the city together, the princess must have guessed that Jiumei was definitely going home to take a look. Even without bringing up the fact that Jiang Jiumei and Ou Yangming were now siblings, the former’s remarkable strength was enough reason for Her Highness to rope her in.

“Governor Deng, since you’re here, do you have something to say?” Ou Yangming nodded and questioned.

“Yes,” Deng Xiyuan responded sternly and continued after a pause, “Master Ou, Miss Jiang, Changlong City suffered a terrible loss due to the Insects’ attack. Ah, even the Liang family—the imperial merchant—didn’t pull through.”

“What happened to the Liang family?” Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows.

“The brothers Liang Jinye and Liang Jinling died on the battlefield as they perished together with a Yang-Grade-level half-spirit beast, whereas Liang Gaoyi went missing during the chaos. His corpse was battered by the time it was found because half of it was already eaten by the Insects,” Deng Xiyuan explained seriously and sighed. “The three of them deserved their punishments.”

Ou Yangming and Jiang Jiumei exchanged glances. They were rather surprised by the outcome.

Although Liang Gaoyi was the only one that forced Jiang Jiumei to leave back then, without the support of the Liang family’s brothers, he could not have been so unrestrained.

Jiang Jiumei did not know what to feel about receiving such news on her day of return after being successful. Despite that, they knew Deng Xiyuan dared not play any tricks in this matter. If those three men were not dead, he would probably be the next person to die.

Ou Yangming pondered for a while and turned to say, “Jiumei, you…”

Deng Xiyuan noted solemnly, “Miss Jiang, the culprits are dead, but the Liang family has plenty of properties in the city. If you’re like to…”

“Sir Governor, thanks for your good intention, but I’d like this to end here.” Jiang Jiumei waved her hand without any hesitation.

“Miss Jiang, Her Highness ordered me to satisfy your needs no matter what,” Deng Xiyuan replied to her after a short delay.

Jiang Jiumei curled her lips into a smile. “Do you think I still need ordinary properties and wealth?”

Deng Xiyuan was stunned, and he could not help but smile bitterly.

Based on Jiang Jiumei’s identity at the moment, as well as her future in the Mysterious Mirror Sect, not only would worldly properties not benefit her at all, but they might hold her back too.

Jiang Jiumei turned to ask Ou Yangming softly, “Elder Brother, can I stay here tonight?”

Ou Yangming understood her right away. “Take a good rest, and we’ll discuss the rest tomorrow.” He signaled Deng Xiyuan with his eyes and left the courtyard.

After closing the main door, Jiang Jiumei arrived at the center of the courtyard and put her palms together. She mumbled as though she was praying silently, and she eventually had a grave look on her face.

On the other hand, Ou Yangming and Deng Xiyuan left the courtyard and walked quietly. The young fellow blurted after they were far away, “Governor Deng, thank you.”

Deng Xiyuan was not surprised at all. He responded with a smile, “It’s not a big deal, and it’s my duty anyway.”

The Insects’ attack caused numerous casualties in Changlong City, but it was too coincidental that the three men from the Liang family died in the disaster at the same time.

There were many coincidences in the world, but Ou Yangming suspected this one very much.

He had exchanged blows with the men from the Liang family. Liang Gaoyi was not a big deal because he was merely a good-for-nothing.

On the other hand, Liang Jinye was a man with a careful mind. Ou Yangming did not believe that the man did not assign people to protect his beloved son when the Insects attacked and the city was in disorder.

As things turned out, Liang Gaoyi died a graveless death, and his corpse was half-eaten by the Insects. Apart from that, Liang Jinye and his brother died as well.

It would be too much to say that it was a coincidence.

Jiang Jiumei’s cultivation base was notable, but she did not have enough life experiences. On the contrary, Ou Yangming was an orphan that witnessed many filthy things from a young age. Even if he never outraged his conscience, one who had no knowledge should have common sense.

When Ou Yangming thought about how Deng Xiyuan appeared as the Liang family’s support in the past, he knew who was behind everything.

“The men deserved it; even death can’t atone their crimes,” Ou Yangming remarked, “I wouldn’t have wanted Jiumei to make a move herself, so this is unquestionably the perfect end to her grudge. That said, I hope there won’t be more problems in the future.”

“Yes, Master Ou, you’re right.” Deng Xiyuan smiled apologetically. “Don’t worry, there’s more than one imperial merchant. Since the Liang family isn’t competent for the role, they’ll naturally be replaced by another family.

Ou Yangming nodded. Given that the Liang family lost two of the pillars and was banned from being the imperial merchant, one could imagine how difficult their lives would be in the future. Besides, judging from Liang Gaiyi’s character, he must have offended many people over the years. Without the Liang family’s protection, those people would not simply let him go.

In a way, the Liang family would certainly have a tough life from now on. If they continued to be ignorant, their family could potentially be ruined.

Even so, Ou Yangming did not sympathize with them at all.

Since they tried to steal someone else’s property such that they did not hesitate to kill a soldier’s dependant, even the most tragic end would only be right for them.

Moreover, Ou Yangming did not bother about the saying that one’s family members were not responsible for one’s misdoings. When the Liang family abused their power and bullied someone else by forcibly seizing one’s properties to benefit themselves, they should have been prepared for this.

At the end of the day, a family was bound together for good or for ill. Such was the case since ancient times.

After parting ways with Deng Xiyuan and returning to the Ni residence, Ou Yangming found out that Ni Yinghong had gone to Elder Universe’s residence.

Elder Universe drew the Heavenly Thunderbolts to save Ou Yangming, and he ended up perishing together with a spirit lizard. Therefore, as long as the young fellow was still alive, the elder’s dying wish would be well executed. Now that the Ni family’s eldest young lady returned and personally assisted her late master, the elder’s residence became more like a paradise. As such, even Deng Xiyuan dared not think of doing anything to the place.

Ni Yihong returned only an hour later. She looked mournful and exhausted.

Ou Yangming approached her and embraced her. This time, even Ni Jingshen did not say a word.

When the young fellow brought Ni Yinghong, who had somewhat calmed down, to the Jiang residence the next day, Jiang Jiumei suddenly made an unexpected decision.

“Elder Brother, please sell this courtyard.”

“What?” Ou Yangming was surprised.

“I’ve decided to fully focus on martial arts.” Jiang Jiumei looked highly spirited as if she underwent an enormous change overnight. “The past has left me. From now on, there’ll only be Jiang Jiumei from the Mysterious Mirror Sect; Jiang Jiumei from Changlong City is gone.

Ou Yangming and Ni Yinghong looked at each other. They could tell from Jiang Jiumei’s eyes how determined she was.

“Alright, we’ll settle things in Changlong City next time.” Ou Yangming sighed then changed the topic. “Elder Sister Ying, Jiumei, are you interested to head to Canghai County with me?”

The eyes of the beautiful ladies lit up at once, but Jiang Jiumei questioned, “Elder Brother, are you going to bring Her Highness and Young Pavilion Master along too?”

Ou Yangming shook his head firmly. “No, we’ll be the only ones going this time…”