Chapter 787: Character
Zhang Li didn't know what Yang Haoran was planning, but Yang Haoran had rendered a great service to their Zhang family today, so he didn't refuse. Dragging his exhausted body, he approached Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing.
Yang Haoran casually set up a barrier, enveloping all three of them, including himself, within it.
"If you truly wish to help the remaining people of the Zhang family, then quickly take them away from here. Find a deserted place to live in seclusion, and if possible, it's best to change your surname."
Zhang Li pondered for a moment before understanding Yang Haoran's meaning. He said nothing, merely nodding at Yang Haoran.
"There's another question I don't understand, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile. Zhang Li's expression remained unchanged, and he immediately responded.
"Feel free to ask whatever you wish; I can tell you everything."
Seeing Zhang Li's straightforwardness, Yang Haoran didn't stand on ceremony and directly voiced the doubt in his heart.
Zhang Li nodded. Perhaps it was because he was too weak, or perhaps because he didn't want to speak, so he merely nodded.
For Yang Haoran, speaking or not speaking wasn't important; what mattered was that Zhang Li could give him an affirmative answer. Although Zhang Li hadn't spoken, he had already provided an affirmative response.
"Why are you doing this?"
Yang Haoran posed the question that troubled him. Zhang Li had proactively exposed his own grandfather, and then desperately protected the Zhang family. This course of action seemed contradictory to Yang Haoran, causing him some bewilderment.
Of course, he had some suspicions about it, but he wasn't sure if his conjectures were correct, which was why he sought confirmation from Zhang Li.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Li furrowed his brows, his face etched with confusion, seemingly not quite grasping why Yang Haoran would ask such a question.
"Although none of them acknowledge me as part of the Zhang family, my father was. I cannot simply stand by and watch the entire Zhang family be annihilated."
Zhang Li's answer revealed to Yang Haoran that Zhang Li hadn't understood his meaning. Not only did it fail to resolve the doubt in his heart, but it added another layer of confusion.
"What I mean is, why did you risk your life to expose your grandfather that day, and then risk your life again to protect the Zhang family? Isn't your approach contradictory?"
Seeing that Zhang Li still didn't grasp his meaning, Yang Haoran decided to explain himself clearly.
"I risked my life to expose my grandfather because I didn't want him to continue down the wrong path. One should be open and upright, and I don't approve of his sinister methods. I risked my life to protect the Zhang family because I didn't want innocent people in the Zhang family to lose their lives because of this matter. These are fundamentally two different things, and the way they're handled is naturally different. What's contradictory about that?"
Zhang Li's counter-question, surprisingly, caused Yang Haoran to freeze for a moment.
"I merely wanted to stop my grandfather from continuing to err, and for him to stop sooner would have been better for everyone. But he didn't heed my dissuasion, and his ultimate fate of Soul Transformation was his own doing; he has no one else to blame."
Zhang Li added, though as he spoke, his tone revealed an uncontrollable sorrow.
With everything laid out, it was impossible for Yang Haoran not to understand. Zhang Li did not support Zhang Changchun's actions, so he risked his life to stop him. And he similarly did not support the actions of the avengers, so he risked his life to protect the Zhang family.
Ultimately, all of this stemmed from Zhang Li's character, and his character dictated his way of acting.
Yang Haoran remained noncommittal towards Zhang Li's character. Having understood this issue, he no longer dwelled on it, but instead posed the second question in his mind.
"I can see that you have deep feelings for the Zhang family, and similarly, your feelings for your grandfather are not shallow. However, one thing utterly baffles me: why do none of them acknowledge you as part of the Zhang family?"
Yang Haoran had originally assumed that Zhang Li must have committed some grave error, one that significantly impacted the Zhang family, thereby causing Zhang Changchun and the rest of the family to harbor animosity towards him.
However, Zhang Li's recent words made him feel that the situation was likely different from what he had imagined. "What do you mean, 'none of them acknowledge me as part of the Zhang family, but my father was'? " Zhang Li's statement made him realize the matter was not simple.
He hadn't originally intended to ask Zhang Li this question, but since the conversation had reached this point, he might as well ask. If Zhang Li answered, his last remaining doubt would be resolved. If Zhang Li didn't wish to answer, he wouldn't press further, as there was no need.
There was no surprise on Zhang Li's face; it was as if he had long anticipated Yang Haoran asking him this very question.
Yet, he appeared hesitant, as if weighing something, and did not respond immediately.
Seeing this, Yang Haoran knew he had touched upon a sensitive topic, and so he immediately spoke.
"I was just asking casually. If it's inconvenient, it's perfectly fine not to say anything. You don't need to put yourself in a difficult position."
Hearing this, Zhang Li gently shook his head, casting aside the hesitation on his face.
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. This matter is no secret; you could ask any Zhang family member and find out. The Zhang family doesn't acknowledge me as one of their own because the blood flowing in my veins isn't from the Zhang family. My mother deceived me, and she deceived my father, and she deceived the entire Zhang family. After this matter came to light, the entire Zhang family, apart from my father, no longer accepted me, an outsider. Sadly, my father is already dead, having perished at the hands of that ghostly entity beneath the Town Soul Tower, leaving no trace of his soul."
As these words left his lips, a slight stiffness settled on Yang Haoran's smile, and Xu Meijing's brows furrowed faintly. Both of them understood what Zhang Li's so-called deception referred to.
"My father knew all along that I wasn't his biological son, but he never mentioned it, nor did he ever ostracize me. He even taught me various skills and how to conduct myself. In my heart, he is my only father; I have no other."
Yang Haoran remained silent. He pulled back his smile, watching Zhang Li, his thoughts inscrutable.
With him silent, it was even less likely for Xu Meijing to speak, as she wasn't familiar with Zhang Li.
"The reason I knew about my grandfather's plot was because my father had left a will at home beforehand. This will was placed among other mementos my father left me, carefully hidden inside one of them, making it very difficult to discover. Last time, when you brought me back here, I successfully retrieved the mementos my father left me. It was only then that I accidentally found this will and learned of my grandfather's scheme. However, by then, you had already departed with my grandfather. I didn't want to see innocent people lose their lives because of this, nor did I want to see my grandfather's machinations succeed, so I immediately rushed to find you. You know the rest."
Zhang Li not only answered the question Yang Haoran had posed, but he also clearly explained how he had come to know of Zhang Changchun's plot. After his explanation, all the doubts in Yang Haoran's mind finally unraveled.
Having understood the full sequence of events, Yang Haoran asked no further questions. After all, he had inquired about everything he should and shouldn't have, and Zhang Li had not only given him answers but had even provided extra information about the will. Therefore, he had nothing else left to ask.
Moreover, even though Zhang Li didn't show much emotion at that moment, Yang Haoran knew he was feeling deeply distressed. Let alone having nothing left to ask, even if he did, he wouldn't continue to question him.
After reminding Zhang Li to be wary of the avengers staging a counterattack, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing departed from the battered and scarred Zhang family home, accompanied by Zhang Li's gratitude.
Aside from Zhang Li, he had no intention of interacting with the other Zhang family members, believing it better not to.
As for whether these people would thank him for his help today or resent him in the future, no one could say for sure. But since he had decided to spare these women, children, the sick, and the disabled, he would not go back on his word.
After Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing left, Zhang Li, dragging his heavily injured body, persuaded the remaining Zhang family members to immediately pack their belongings and move out of the Zhang family residence.
If this had been in the past, had Zhang Li made such a suggestion, the Zhang family members would not only have ignored him but would have given him the cold shoulder, and quite possibly given him a good beating.
But the situation was different now. No one refused Zhang Li's suggestion. They packed their belongings with the utmost speed, and then, under Zhang Li's guidance, moved out of this home they had inhabited for an untold number of years.
With their departure, the entire Zhang family home became deserted. The Zhang family, one of An City's two great exorcist families, would cease to exist from this day forward.
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