The moment she heard the word “child,” Ye Wei didn’t know where the strength came from. She shot up from the bed, rushed toward the door, and yanked it open with trembling hands.
“Give Yaoyao back to me! Give her back!” she screamed hysterically.
A flash of excitement gleamed in Li Fang’s eyes as she turned to shout, “Grab her! Force the food down her throat!”
Two burly men charged forward, one on each side, seizing Ye Wei by the arms and shoving the food into her mouth.
Ye Wei struggled and sobbed, her anguished cries echoing through the entire manor, harsh and heart-wrenching. The sound clashed sharply with the red silk ribbons fluttering in the wind and the gently swaying lanterns hanging outside.
A family’s joyous occasion, built upon a woman’s suffering, what a cruel irony.
Inside the largest villa of the estate, the silver-haired Ye Qingshan sat on the sofa, his expression unreadable but his clouded eyes filled with menace.
His second son, Ye Hongwen, stood before him, bowing slightly with a flattering smile. “Father, by tomorrow, our Ye family will be related by marriage to the Xiao family of the capital. From then on, we’ll be the undisputed number one family in Yunshan City.”
Ye Qingshan gave him a cold glance. “You’ve raised quite the daughter. She bore a bastard child out of wedlock. If the Xiao family learns of it, everything will be ruined!”
Ye Hongwen straightened immediately, his tone earnest and reassuring. “Father, don’t worry. That bastard child has already been locked away. Once Weiwei marries into the Xiao family, I’ll have the child… taken care of. No one will ever know.”
Though he spoke firmly, there was something unnatural in his expression, his gaze flickering with guilt.
Ye Qingshan nodded slightly, about to speak further, when a middle-aged man in a butler’s uniform entered hurriedly. He leaned down and whispered something in Ye Qingshan’s ear.
The old man’s usually calm face changed instantly. He sprang up, leaning heavily on his cane, and strode toward the entrance.
With a thunderous bang, the heavy bronze villa doors trembled and then crashed to the ground.
A young man, gaunt as skin and bone, stepped inside.
He was… strange. His hair and skin were so pale they seemed almost bleached, and his lifeless, dead-fish eyes sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Behind him followed two towering, broad-shouldered men. Their faces were ordinary, but their eyes radiated a killing intent that couldn’t be hidden.
“Young Master Lei!”
Even though the Ye family was Yunshan’s wealthiest clan, Ye Qingshan still bowed respectfully to the youth before him. “It’s an honor to have you here, Young Master Lei. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Standing nearby, Ye Hongwen and the butler, Li Zhong, dared not even lift their eyes.
For this was Lei Zhen, the heir of the Lei family, the number one clan in Wanshan Province!
Rumor had it that the Lei family maintained close ties with a world-class power.
Lei Zhen took the two photographs handed to him by his subordinate, his face expressionless. “You have five minutes. Bring me the woman and the child in these pictures.”
Ye Qingshan froze, utterly stunned.
Lei Zhen himself had come… for Ye Wei and that bastard child? Could it be that the child was Lei Zhen’s?
At that moment, Ye Hongwen chuckled foolishly.
“Young Master Lei, do you perhaps fancy my daughter Weiwei? What a pity; the Xiao family’s young master has already taken a liking to her. She’s set to marry him tomorrow.”
“The Xiao family of the capital?” Lei Zhen let out a cold laugh. “And what of it?”
Before his words even faded, one of his men vanished from sight, reappearing behind Ye Qingshan, a steel blade a foot long pressed coldly against the old man’s throat.
Ye Qingshan’s body trembled. “Hongwen! Go! Bring Ye Wei here, now!”
Ye Hongwen hesitated. “But Father, Weiwei is marrying into the Xiao family. If we take her, and the Xiao young master finds out, our family will be finished!”
Ye Qingshan shook with fury. How had he raised such a useless fool who couldn’t read the situation?
“Li Zhong! Fetch Ye Wei!”
“Yes, Master!” The butler bolted toward the inner courtyard.
Moments later, Li Zhong returned, gasping for breath. Two Ye family guards followed, dragging an unconscious Ye Wei and tossing her to the floor.
Lei Zhen crouched down, grabbed her chin, and compared her face to the photo. “And the little girl? Why isn’t she here?”
Feeling the blade at his throat pressing deeper, Ye Qingshan broke into a cold sweat and roared at his son, “Are you deaf? Bring me that bastard child—now!”
Ye Hongwen flinched. “Father… I… I can’t find her.”
Bang!
Lei Zhen’s figure blurred, appearing before Ye Hongwen in an instant. His withered fingers clamped tightly around the man’s throat.
Ye Hongwen’s knees buckled as he fell to the ground, crying, “One of my men let her slip away! The little bastard tried to escape through the window, fell from the second floor, and an old Taoist (Daoist priest) passing by took her away!”
“What?!”
Ye Qingshan’s face turned ashen.
He understood now; Lei Zhen hadn’t come for Ye Wei. He wanted the child!
And now that the child was missing… who knew how Lei Zhen would unleash his wrath upon the Ye family?
Sure enough, Lei Zhen’s expression darkened further.
The Lei family’s rise to the top of Wanshan Province in just ten years was due entirely to the backing of the Black Mamba Mercenary Corps.
And right now, Black Mamba had ordered him to bring that child back.
If he failed… the Lei family itself might not survive their rage.
Enraged beyond reason, Lei Zhen snapped Ye Hongwen’s neck without hesitation, then turned his bloodshot eyes toward Ye Qingshan.
“I don’t care how you do it, if that child isn’t found within three days, the Ye family will cease to exist!”
With that, he stormed out, phone already in hand. His two subordinates dragged Ye Wei along and followed.
Outside, hundreds of Ye family guards had surrounded the villa, but not one dared block Lei Zhen’s path.
Ye Qingshan could only watch helplessly as the man took Ye Wei away.
At the manor gates, a man in white slowly approached.
Seeing the oncoming car, he stepped aside, but when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Ye Wei in the back seat, his brows furrowed.
With a flick of his wrist, four flashes of silver shot through the air.
The car, already dozens of meters away, suddenly blew out its tires, spun out of control, and crashed into a roadside tree.
Lei Zhen kicked open the car door, his face twisted with fury, charging toward the man in white.
But in the next heartbeat, the aura surging from the man’s body made Lei Zhen’s expression change drastically.
“A Heaven-tier expert (Tian-level cultivator)!”
Lei Zhen turned to flee into the nearby woods, but a throwing knife whistled through the air, piercing straight through his chest.
Even so, he didn’t die; he staggered onward, fleeing even faster.
His two subordinates weren’t so lucky. They collapsed instantly, each with a blade buried in the heart.
Jiang Yuan frowned as he watched Lei Zhen’s retreating figure, then appeared beside Ye Wei.
Ye Qingshan, who had been secretly watching the scene, hurried forward and cupped his hands respectfully. “Are you, perhaps, the famed ‘Shadowless Flying Knife’ Jiang Yuan?”
Jiang Yuan nodded. Seeing Ye Qingshan order his men to carry Ye Wei back to the manor, he frowned slightly. “What happened to Miss Ye Wei just now? Who were those men?”
Ye Qingshan quickly replied, “I… I don’t know who they were. They burst in and tried to take Weiwei away. She fainted from fright. If not for you, Mr. Jiang, she’d have been lost. I’m truly grateful!”
“May I ask what brings you here at this late hour?”
Jiang Yuan didn’t waste words. “I heard Miss Ye Wei is getting married. Is she doing so of her own will?”
Ye Qingshan froze, puzzled. Could it be that even this Heaven-rank master had fallen for Ye Wei?
If not for the Xiao family’s young master, marrying her to a man of Jiang Yuan’s status would be a great blessing for the Ye family.
Still, even a Heaven-rank cultivator couldn’t compare to the influence of the Xiao clan in the capital.
Forcing a polite smile, Ye Qingshan said, “Weiwei and the Xiao family’s young master are deeply in love. Mr. Jiang, if you have time, please stay and share a cup of wedding wine with us tomorrow.”
Jiang Yuan’s gaze turned cold, but then he recalled Xiao Zhan’s instructions: If she truly marries of her own heart, do not interfere.
He exhaled slowly. “I came only to tell you that tomorrow, a great figure will arrive at your estate. You’d best be prepared.”
Ye Qingshan blinked, startled. “A great figure? Who might that be?”
Jiang Yuan’s expression remained impassive. “You’re not worthy to know my lord’s name. But I’ll tell you this, the Xiao family you speak so highly of isn’t even qualified to carry his shoes.”
With that, he turned and vanished within seconds.
Ye Qingshan’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Two blessings in one day! If even a Heaven-rank expert bows to this mysterious lord, then our Ye family must seize this opportunity!”