Chapter 784: Chapter 596 Unstable Situation
Returning home, Yang Zhenshan found the house bustling with activity.
"Who has come?" Yang Zhenshan asked the servant at home.
The servant replied, "Miss Wanqing has come!"
Yang Zhenshan’s spirits lifted. His eldest granddaughter was here? It had been many years since he had seen her.
Yang Wanqing had visited Star Moon Island before, but only twice, the last time being three years ago.
Yang Zhenshan walked into the back courtyard’s main hall and saw Yang Wanqing talking with Yu Qingyi.
Now thirty-four, Yang Wanqing still had that round, adorable face, but her demeanor had changed, exuding a mature and dignified aura.
"Grandpa!"
Yang Wanqing got up quickly and called out as Yang Zhenshan entered the house.
"This is your elder sister, call her elder sister!" Yang Zhenshan instructed Yang Cheng’an, who was behind him.
"Elder Sister!" Yang Cheng’an obediently called out.
Yang Wanqing looked at him with a smile, "This must be Cheng’an, you’ve grown so big! The last time I came, you were still wetting the bed!"
Yang Cheng’an was mortified, "Elder sister, I’ve grown up, I don’t wet the bed anymore!"
Yang Wanqing chuckled with a giggle.
Yang Zhenshan smiled and sat on a chair nearby, looking at the young man next to Yang Wanqing.
"Come over!"
Qu Chengyuan approached and respectfully kowtowed, "Chengyuan pays his respects to great-grandfather!"
"That’s enough, get up," Yang Zhenshan said, helping him up and sizing him up, "Not bad, you’ve grown quite a bit taller, much sturdier than your father!"
Qu Shaogong still had a slim figure, wasting all the good things Yang Zhenshan had sent over the years.
Compared to him, Qu Chengyuan was much more robust, already standing at 1.7 meters tall at the age of fourteen.
His height must be a trait inherited from the Yang family, and his build likely came from Ms. Wang’s genetics. Tall and strong, he surely was a fine young man.
"Hehe!" Qu Chengyuan laughed.
"Didn’t Shaogong come?" Yang Zhenshan inquired.
"He didn’t. Southern Border Town has been quite busy lately; he really couldn’t get away," Yang Wanqing explained.
Yang Zhenshan nodded. There were only three men in the Qu family, and Qu Suian was a wanderer unwilling to buckle down, so young Duke Shaogong started dealing with Southern Border Town’s military and administrative affairs quite early on.
"Grandpa, I wish to leave Chengyuan on Star Moon Island for a few years, under your tutelage!"
This was the main purpose of Yang Wanqing’s visit to Star Moon Island. At fourteen, Qu Chengyuan was at a critical age for martial arts cultivation. Yang Wanqing hoped Yang Zhenshan could lay a foundation for him.
"Ha-ha, that’s easy. Let him stay on the island; I don’t have much here apart from many children!" Yang Zhenshan laughed.
His reputation as a good teacher was known far and wide. Outsiders might not be aware, but the Yang family, the Yang clan, and families close to the Yangs all knew of Yang Zhenshan’s skill in nurturing martial artists.
Xie Yuan, Wu Chongzhe, Han Cheng and others retired to Star Moon Island. Yu Tonghai, Song Dashan, Lin Zhan, among others, purchased estates there, all to send their offspring to Yang Zhenshan for guidance.
Thus, Star Moon Island now harbored a large group of teenagers from various families.
As for the two thousand youths from the Tenglong Guard who originally came, they had grown up. Most had settled down on the island, marrying and having children.
However, as one generation grew, another sprouted. Apart from the offspring of the noble families, there were many local islanders’ children as well. In just over a decade, Star Moon Island had produced a wealth of talented youth.
Yang Zhenshan’s arrival on Star Moon Island was like reaping a harvest. With successive breakthroughs by Innate Martial Artists and the growth of young people, the island’s strength had reached a formidable level in just a few years.
Yang Wanqing’s eyes curved into smiles, "Go on, thank great-grandfather!"
"Chengyuan thanks great-grandpa!" Qu Chengyuan, nurtured well by Qu Shaogong and Yang Wanqing, had a gentle demeanor, was courteous, and still slightly playful.
"Sit down, let’s talk!" Yang Zhenshan said with a smile, looking at the youthful boy.
Qu Chengyuan sat next to Yang Zhenshan, and Yang Wanqing took a seat beside Yu Qingyi. The family began to chat idly.
"How are things in Southern Border Town?" Yang Zhenshan casually asked.
Yang Wanqing sighed softly, "Not very good."
"What’s wrong?" Yang Zhenshan asked, surprised.
"There’s trouble caused by the Bashu rebel army!" Yang Wanqing said.
Yang Zhenshan frowned slightly, "Bashu’s rebel army hasn’t been suppressed yet?"
Yang Wanqing fell silent for a moment, "Not only has it not been suppressed, it seems to be growing even larger!"
Since the eighth year of Yanping, numerous rebellious factions had appeared in Bashu, initially just a group of bandits hiding in the mountains. The court didn’t take them seriously at first, but unexpectedly, these bandits continued to grow in strength.
Three years ago, the rebel army in Bashu had swelled to over a hundred thousand strong, even starting to conquer county and prefecture cities, causing chaos throughout Bashu.
This situation emerged firstly because the local governments were inactive, merely getting by without annihilating those bandits at the outset, allowing them to gain strength.
Secondly, the increasing extortion by the authorities made life difficult for many commoners, driving them to flee to the mountains and join the bandits.
Thirdly, Jianghu forces were also involved behind the scenes. The establishment of the Martial Arts Temple indeed allowed the court to control most of the Jianghu forces, but it also tied these forces to the government. Yet, as corruption seeped into the local Military Departments, it bred even more conflicts.
Previously, Jianghu conflicts were between Jianghu forces, but after the establishment of the Martial Arts Departments, Jianghu conflicts gradually became disputes between some Jianghu forces and the court.