Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8559 8559: Door-to-door _1

For several days, Yu Qing had been filled with deep anxiety. He frequently tasked his adopted uncle with gathering intel on the Tang family to see if they were planning a strike. He genuinely desired for them to act, yet he lived in fear of any movement they might make. He understood the Tang family's capabilities all too well; should they truly decide to take action, his own odds of survival would be slim.

While he remained uncertain regarding their specific combat prowess or if they intended to strike at all, one truth remained: their strength was certainly not to be underestimated. Without such power, they never would have dared to enter that agreement with him. Still, he harbored a lingering dread that they might use his circumstance as leverage to coerce him.

It had been almost a month since their last meeting without a word from them, which only heightened his unease. Nevertheless, Yu Qing acknowledged that dwelling on these worries served no purpose. Fate was in the hands of the other party now. All he could do was bide his time. If they attempted to leverage his identity, he was resolved never to fold. He was, after all, a disciple of the dark ghost sect. Even if they exposed his roots within the Yu family, it would be difficult for others to believe them, given his upbringing inside the sect's territory.

After long days of distress, Yu Qing finally found a measure of calm. He resolved to wait and observe their next move. Regardless, if they truly waged war against the Tang family, it would be impossible for the news to remain hidden. Being a prominent clan within the Yin Yang sect, any major disaster befalling the Tangs would inevitably reach the ears of outsiders.

One day, after finishing his meditation and Qi cultivation, Yu Qing emerged into the courtyard to read a travelogue from the sect's Scripture library over a cup of tea. It was merely a distraction to pass the time; his mind was occupied by little else.

Bang, bang, bang! The sudden, frantic knocking at the gate startled him. Using his mental perception, he sensed it was Uncle Yi. His uncle’s face looked ghastly pale and filled with urgency. With a wave of his hand, Yu Qing opened the courtyard entry. He set aside his book and stood up, looking at the older man scurrying in. He asked, with a flicker of confusion, "Uncle Yi, what has occurred?"

The moment their eyes met, Uncle Yi blurted out, "Young master, we need to speak inside." He then rushed into the room. Taken aback by this behavior, Yu Qing nodded, followed him, and engaged the courtyard's defensive barrier, eyeing Yi Shu with a bewildered expression.

Once the restriction was in place, his adopted uncle urgently whispered, "Young master, speak plainly to this old servant. What sort of deal did you strike with the ghost shadow group? What did you sacrifice to convince them to dismantle the Tang family?"

The man was trembling with agitation. News of the Tang family being wiped out had just reached him, shocking him to his core. He instinctually suspected Yu Qing’s involvement, yet he could not imagine what the lad could have possibly offered to incite such a ruthless organization to annihilate a powerful clan.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing was stunned. A spark of joy lit up his eyes as he asked, "The ghost shadow group struck the Tang family? What is the current status?" He had yet to hear the news personally and only gathered from his uncle’s panicked tone that the assault might have actually taken place.

Uncle Yi took a ragged breath, forcing himself to steady his nerves, and replied, "The report states the Tang family has been completely exterminated. Their twenty-plus islands and every single member, including their recruited disciples, have vanished. Pools of blood were discovered across their territories, yet no bodies were found, nor were there signs of a grand struggle. Some speculate they were poisoned and then systematically eliminated."

Yu Qing staggered as the realization hit him, a sudden, wild laughter erupting from his throat. "Hahahahaha! Excellent! Finally, the Tang family has met their reckoning. The Heavens have eyes!" As his laughter echoed, tears began to stream uncontrollably down his face.

Seeing Yu Qing in such a state, the uncle grew even more desperate. "Young master, explain yourself! What terms did you agree to with the ghost shadow group? They are an assassin organization—this is not a path you can afford to tread. If I had known, I never would have allowed you to meet with them. If harm comes to you, how could I ever face the patriarch?" By the end of his plea, the old man was openly weeping.

Having served the Yu family since his youth, he had been treated like a son by the late patriarch and had stood as a brother to Yu Qing’s own father. When the family was destroyed, he was tasked with shielding the last scion. If Yu Qing fell, the Yu bloodline would truly be extinguished.

Yu Qing looked at him with profound emotion. He answered in a firm, resolute voice, "Uncle, cease your worrying. I am unharmed. I cut a deal with them: upon the total destruction of the Tang family, I, Yu Qing, shall pledge my life to the ghost shadow group. I belong to them now."

The uncle’s expression warped into shock. "Young master, this is unacceptable! With the Tangs gone, your heart demon is purged; you are certain to become an Island Master one day! You have the backing of the dark ghost sect! Why bow to these shadows? If they demand you perform dark deeds in the future, what choice will you have?"

Yu Qing understood the concern. He knew the risks of such an association being revealed, but he shook his head. "Uncle, there is no use in debating. The promise is made. Given their power—the power to blink an entire clan out of existence—do you honestly believe I could escape them? Killing me would be as simple as flipping their palms. If I refuse, I am already a dead man."

"Young master, no! We can take this to the sect. They will not allow this to continue. You cannot join those people!" The terror in his uncle's voice was palpable; an assassination group was no place for a promising youth.

"It is futile, Uncle Yi," Yu Qing said quietly. "Do you truly believe the sect cares? I am not even an Island Lord yet; my worth is negligible to them. My status as a remnant of the Yu family bears no weight here. They will not lift a finger for me."

The uncle refused to give up. "But we do not even know if they were truly responsible! If you join, you are shackled forever!"

Yu Qing remained firm. "Uncle, my mind is set. Consider the timeline: less than a month since I contacted them, and the Tang family is gone. Who else could have gathered such intel and executed such a strike so silently? Such power is beyond our comprehension. Even if the sect protected us today, they cannot guard us for a thousand days. I would rather belong to the shadows than live in constant, agonizing fear, waiting for a blade in the dark. It is finished."

Just as the uncle opened his mouth to protest, a soft voice drifted through the room. "You have thought this through quite thoroughly. As expected of a noble descendant, you possess a clearer head than your servant." The voice was calm, yet it sent a chilling jolt of terror through both men; neither had sensed a soul entering their warded room.

They turned reflexively, scanning the shadows. There, standing silently against the wall, was a man draped in black, his face obscured by a grotesque ghost mask. He seemed to have melted into the darkness itself. Without that single sound, they never would have known he was there.

Yu Qing steeled himself, ignoring the adrenaline. "How can you prove you are truly from the ghost shadow group?" He had expected them, but he hadn't anticipated that their presence would be quite so ghostly.

The man in black shifted only slightly, his aura calm. "Reasonable caution. Observe." He tossed a small, black token toward Yu Qing. Catching it, Yu Qing inspected the familiar object—it was identical to the one he had used to initiate contact. It was pitch black, featuring the character for 'Shadow' on one side and two blood-red, unsettling eyes on the other, radiating a deeply malevolent chill.