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Chapter 165 The Surface of Father-Son Conspiracy Revealed, the Hidden Bloodline of the Imprisoned Shadow Unveiled [Part Two]

"understood!"

After responding, Tang Hao looked at Feng Mingyang and said in a low voice, "Let's go see what he's up to. We'll talk about it later."

“This…” Feng Mingyang’s expression turned anxious.

Having just learned that everything was indeed done by Tang Ling, he is now anxious to know about his sister's condition.

Seeing this, Tang Hao understood his anxiety.

He said to reassure him, "Don't worry, senior. Your sister is still alive. She should be being held somewhere in the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."

"Really?"

Feng Mingyang's face lit up with ecstasy, and his eyes unconsciously reddened.

He had always been able to confirm that his sister was still alive and guess that she was probably imprisoned through Feng Mingyue's soul lamp, but this was the first time he had a definite understanding of the situation.

"It's basically confirmed to be correct." Tang Hao nodded confidently.

Just as he was about to speak again, the servant outside urged, "Young Master, the Duke is still waiting for you."

"coming!"

Tang Hao couldn't help but frown. The people of the Duke's mansion really didn't take him, the heir, seriously.

He exchanged a glance with Feng Mingyang, who nodded and disappeared in a flash: "I'll follow you from the shadows."

"Mm." Tang Hao responded softly, then pushed open the door and went out.

The servant who came to deliver the message looked impatient.

Upon seeing him emerge, she immediately began to complain, "Young Master, why are you so negligent? Don't keep the Duke waiting."

"Wow, you've spoiled yourself rotten!"

Tang Hao's expression turned cold. He locked onto the target with his divine sense and unleashed his peak Qi Refining spiritual pressure without hesitation.

This servant, relying on his status as a close attendant of the Duke, was used to throwing his weight around in the mansion and never took the illegitimate sons and daughters seriously.

Apart from the second son, Tang Hui, even he, the heir apparent, was not taken seriously by him.

In the end, however, the servant was just an ordinary mortal.

The moment the spiritual pressure hit him, the servant's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground in horror, defecating and urinating indiscriminately.

"Clean it up!"

Tang Hao gave him a disgusted look, too lazy to use any more punishment methods, left a sentence, and walked straight past him.

“No matter where you are, there will always be people who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. This kind of wicked servant is insubordinate and has defied his superiors. You should just kill him directly.” Feng Mingyang transmitted his voice.

Shaking his head slightly, Tang Hao replied via voice transmission: "This servant is deeply favored by Tang Ling, now is not the time to tear off the mask."

Hearing him say that, Feng Mingyang nodded in agreement and then asked about the matter he was most concerned about.

"By the way, what other information have you received regarding my younger sister?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao apologized and said, "I'm sorry, the backlash intensified later, the dream shattered, and I fell into a rift in the dream. I could only glimpse that she was imprisoned in a secret room with other women, but I was unable to find out her exact location."

Tang Hao had already learned about other information from the Nascent Soul elder and from his previous investigations, so he didn't elaborate further.

"That's very good, already very good. Thank you for your hard work, fellow Daoist." Feng Mingyang said gratefully, "Do you plan to continue using dreams to gather intelligence tonight?"

"The energy of that jade talisman has run out and cannot be replenished with magic power. If we want to use it again, we will have to wait until a month later. We will have to think of another way." Tang Hao shook his head.

Some treasures have unusual uses, and although Feng Mingyang felt regret, he also expressed his understanding.

Anyway, the Rongguo Duke's mansion is only so big. If all else fails, he will search high and low to find his sister's whereabouts.

The Prince's residence was not far from the Duke of Rong's palace, and they arrived shortly afterward.

As far as he could remember, this was Tang Hao's first time here.

Previously, I thought that the banquet hall was extremely luxurious and magnificent.

However, compared to this place, it's nothing.

The furniture in the palace was all made of spirit wood, and the potted plants on the flower stands were all spirit plants for ornamental purposes. Although the items on the antique shelves were not rare treasures, they were all rare gems.

The sight of everything made Tang Hao's hands itch with anticipation: 'Tsk tsk, this old man's bedchamber is even more lavish than the Grand Princess's.'

"Father, you wanted to see me?" He bowed to Tang Ling, who was sitting behind the table.

Tang Ling smiled and nodded, then waved to him, saying, "Hao'er is here, please sit down! It's just the two of us for dinner, so please make yourselves at home and don't be shy!"

"Yes!"

As instructed, Tang Hao sat down and glanced at the dishes on the table.

"These are all your favorite dishes. Hao'er has been away from home for a long time. Try them and see if they taste like the ones you remember." Tang Ling picked up some food for him with his chopsticks, acting like a loving father.

Tang Hao secretly curled his lip: 'What favorite food? It's just rare ingredients we can't usually get. The original owner and other illegitimate children only get to see them on festive days; who wouldn't take a few extra bites?'

On the surface, however, he seemed flattered and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

On the surface, the atmosphere between the two seemed like that of a loving father and a filial son.

Tang Ling then placed some food on his plate and asked casually, "I remember that your elder brother had to pay respects to our master before entering the inner sect. I wonder if Hao'er did the same?"

'Big brother? Oh, you mean Tang Hong?'

He was secretly communicating with Feng Mingyang via telepathy and almost didn't realize who his elder brother was.

"Speaking of which, Elder Zeng Junhao, my elder brother's master, once expressed his intention to take me as his disciple, but I have no interest in weapon crafting, so I politely declined."

Unsure of the other party's purpose in asking these questions, Tang Hao gave a half-hearted response, subtly observing their expression.

He noticed that Tang Ling seemed slightly relieved after hearing his explanation, and a thought struck him, so he said:
"However, Father, rest assured, Elder Yan Yumin is about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Oh, she is my elder brother's best friend. We have already agreed that the day she breaks through will be the day I become her disciple."

As he spoke, a smug look appeared on his face, as if he were showing off.

He added with great enthusiasm, "Elder Yan is the dream lover of countless disciples, cough, the dream master they long for. With her guidance, I will definitely soar to great heights."

"That's wonderful. When will Elder Yan be able to complete his Nascent Soul cultivation? I will prepare some more gifts for you. Remember not to be careless about the matter of becoming a disciple." Tang Ling's eyes twitched involuntarily, but he had to put on a look of ecstatic joy.

Tang Hao counted on his fingers and said, "She has been in seclusion for nearly three months now."

"I have heard a lot about Elder Yan. With her talent, she should be able to emerge from seclusion soon." A strange light flashed in Tang Ling's eyes.

He quickly raised his glass to cover up his embarrassment, saying, "Congratulations in advance to my son on becoming a disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"Thank you, Father! I will continue to work hard."

A strong sense of urgency rose within Tang Ling. He smiled and nodded, inwardly cursing, 'That damned little brat! I told him not to contact the connections Hong'er had left behind, and he dared to disobey!'

'It seems his sudden impulse stems from the approaching day of his apprenticeship,' he guessed. 'I must act immediately; there's no time to waste!'

With keen observation and intuition, Tang Hao noticed the change in his expression, and his pupils contracted slightly.

At the same time, he heard Feng Mingyang's voice transmission in his ear: "Why do I have a feeling that he wants to make a move against you? Is he testing whether there will be any future trouble?"

"Heh, I think he's just deciding when to make his move," Tang Hao sneered.

"Why is that? Isn't the Tang family's goal to continue their bloodline? Even with your apparent talent, they should be treating you well."

Feng Mingyang's voice was full of confusion, unable to understand the reason.

"But I don't think I'm really a member of the Tang family."

Before the other party could ask, Tang Hao recounted how he had used the Blood Curse Technique to investigate at the welcoming banquet.

Then he said, "He probably took a fancy to my body. Even if I weren't his son, Tang Ling wouldn't have let Tang Hong, who was born from his own lifespan and potential being exhausted, go unpunished. He just went too far." Guided by the dream, he unexpectedly analyzed some fragmented information and discovered that the event that caused Tang Hong's demise was actually orchestrated by Tang Ling in secret.

The other party's original plan was probably just to use the demonic cultivators to capture Tang Hong, who had escaped their control. Unexpectedly, with the troublemaker Bei Shanming, they accidentally ruined Tang Hong's life.

"Who is Tang Hong?" Feng Mingyang was focused on the events following Feng Mingyue's disappearance and had not investigated the Tang family's information further back, so he was unaware of Tang Hong's existence.

Tang Hao explained, "He is the eldest son of the Tang family, and he and Tang Hui are brothers born of the same mother."

As he spoke, he briefly recounted some information about Tang Hong.

"Even tigers don't eat their cubs, this Tang Ling is truly vicious!" Feng Mingyang's tone was full of contempt.

Inside the hall, people exchanged information openly and covertly, and dinner finally came to an end.

Just as Tang Hao was about to take his leave and go back to prepare for a night raid on the Duke's mansion.

Tang Ling gestured for him not to leave.

"Hao'er may not know, but when I was young, I led troops to resist the allied forces of Northern Qi and Southern Yue. I was seriously injured in that battle, which damaged my foundation. Since then, my cultivation has stagnated, and even my lifespan has been greatly reduced."

Looking at the other person, who was only seventy years old but looked very old.

Tang Hao thought to himself, 'This old man really just spouts nonsense. Does he really think I know nothing?'

“Father!” He lowered his head slightly, his face showing deep sorrow.

Tang Ling waved his hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"Originally, I placed the hopes of the Tang family on your eldest brother, but alas, heaven is jealous of talent. Fortunately, Hao'er, you are promising. In the future, our Rongguo Duke's Mansion will rely entirely on you."

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's expression turned solemn, and he stated firmly, "Rest assured, although I am cultivating in the Qinghua Sect, my heart is always with the Tang family. If the family needs anything, I will go through fire and water, even at the cost of my life!"

"Hahahaha!"

After a burst of relieved laughter, Tang Ling coughed twice.

"That's not the case. The other brothers are useless. Your most important task is to shoulder the responsibility of bloodline inheritance and give birth to more offspring with cultivation talent for the Tang family."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he produced a roll of brocade from somewhere and handed it over.

"What is this?" Tang Hao asked, puzzled as he took the item.

"open to take a look."

Tang Hao unfolded it as instructed, and the two large characters "[Marriage Certificate]" came into view. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked at the names: "[Tang Hao]" and "[Helian Jinxi]".

He glanced again at the date of the engagement; it was the very day he returned to the capital: 'A fiancée out of nowhere? I don't accept this!'

'And Helian Jinxi, who is that? Judging from the name, she's clearly a member of the royal family, but I don't remember anyone like her!' He pondered for a moment, utterly speechless. 'What's this old man up to?'

After a moment's hesitation, he asked directly, "Father, who is this Helian Jinxi?"

"She is the youngest daughter of Prince Duan, Princess Fu'an."

Tang Ling smiled and reassured him, "It's just a temporary engagement. The wedding date hasn't been set yet. Hao'er, you can stay at home for a while and then return to your sect. Once you've successfully established your foundation, we can choose a date to return to the capital and get married."

"The title of Duke of Rongguo will also be passed on to you." His smile was full of expectation: "I have already obtained permission from the Emperor. When the time comes, you may return to the Qinghua Sect if you wish, or you may stay in Shengjing if you wish."

After the other party's series of arrangements, Tang Hao sensed a different meaning: 'How's the deal with all this talk? It feels like they're just trying to appease me?'

After taking the marriage certificate away, Tang Ling said, "I'll keep it for you for now."

He put the marriage certificate into his storage ring, then suddenly looked over with a serious expression.

"Hao'er, now that it's confirmed that you will inherit the title of Duke of Rong, it's time to tell you the biggest secret in the family!" He stood up and beckoned, "Come with me."

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Tang Hao gazed at the other person's aged back. After a moment's hesitation, he followed.

The two arrived at a nearby hall, which was the study of the Duke of Rong.

"Come in, and close the door behind you," Tang Ling instructed, before walking straight inside.

Tang Hao closed the door and turned around, only to see the other person already standing in front of a row of bookshelves, waiting.

He walked over quickly, and as soon as he reached her side, a lifelike portrait of a woman came into view.

"This is your mother."

'Mother?' Tang Hao was taken aback. He looked at the name on the portrait, [Shi Liangyin], and then realized what it meant.

In such a family, the only person who could be called a mother was the official wife of the Duke of Rongguo.

He had never met this Lady Rongguo. It was said that she had been ill since giving birth to Tang Hong.

She later unexpectedly became pregnant with Tang Hui and insisted on giving birth to her, but she died not long afterward.

He had no choice but to bow respectfully and greet his mother: "Your son, Tang Hao, greets his mother."

He wondered to himself, 'Could this Lady Rong have some extraordinary background? A demon? A monster? Or…?'

Before he could finish guessing, he saw Tang Ling press down on the side pillar of the bookshelf.

The bookshelf sank into the ground with a whoosh, and behind it, a hidden door opened silently in the wall, and streaks of light appeared and quickly extended into the depths.

"Below lies the deepest and greatest secret hidden by our Tang family." Tang Ling gave him a meaningful look, then stepped inside first. "Come down with your father."

Tang Hao responded and stepped inside, but did not rush down the steps.

Alertness heightened to the extreme, he quietly called out, "Senior?"

"I'm here, don't worry, I've got everything under control!" Feng Mingyang's voice reassured him.

During this delay, Tang Ling's soft voice came: "Hao'er, why aren't you coming down?"

"Here we are. The light is a bit dim; I couldn't get used to it for a moment." Tang Hao quickened his pace, taking two quick steps to catch up with the figure ahead.

After looking back and observing him for a while, Tang Ling saw that he looked relaxed and showed no abnormality, so he nodded slightly.

"Let's go. We're over 400 feet underground. There's no need to rush. Let's take it one step at a time."

Tang Hao was puzzled. Four hundred feet was only a short distance. Even a Qi Refining cultivator could reach it in a short time, let alone a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why was the journey proceeding so slowly?

"There is some kind of restriction in the passageway. Those who enter must take each step carefully, so their speed will naturally be slow." It was not Tang Ling who spoke, but Feng Mingyang.

He continued, "As for not doing it this way, the results are nothing more than a few things: changes in gravity, blockage, collapse, etc. These are common methods used in the construction of many underground secret chambers."

Nodding slightly, Tang Hao glanced at the elderly figure walking slowly ahead.

"He claims to be revealing secrets, but he doesn't explain the restrictions here. This guy clearly has ulterior motives."

Before Feng Mingyang could respond, he continued, "Senior, do you think your sister is being held captive here?"

He received only silence in response.

Tang Hao sighed inwardly, somewhat understanding the other person's complicated feelings.

'And what about you? Is my birth mother here, or... is she already dead?'

With mixed emotions, the three, two in the light and one in the dark, moved forward in silence.

A long time passed.

The winding path gradually flattens out.

A huge underground cave appeared before Tang Hao.

Looking at those tiny single rooms, each no more than ten square meters in size, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Senior, this is it. I saw this scene in my dream."

(End of this chapter)