"I will give you one last chance. Are you going to talk or not?" Chen Bufan asked in a deep voice.
"You little bastard, I'm warning you, if you dare—ah!!!"
Before Han Shuai could finish, Chen Bufan raised his hand and brought down his sword. One of Han Shuai's hands was instantly severed, and blood spurted everywhere as he rolled on the ground in agony.
"Patriarch, this is bad! Someone is causing trouble at our Han Family estate and they've chopped off the young master's hand!"
A henchman ran into the courtyard, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Han Youwei, who was working in his study, sat frozen for a full several minutes upon hearing this, wondering if he had misheard.
Someone was causing trouble at the Han Family estate and had chopped off Xiaoshuai's hand?
"Audacious! Who dares to provoke the Han Family in Liyang!" Han Youwei immediately rallied his men and rushed straight toward the front courtyard.
The moment he stepped onto the scene, a figure was hurled directly in front of him.
He looked down and saw that it was Han Shuai, covered in blood and barely recognizable as human.
"Xiaoshuai!" Han Youwei cried out, horrified to see his precious son beaten to this state.
"Dad, save me!" Han Shuai's voice was faint, as if he were at death's door.
"Bastard, how dare you come to the Han Family to make trouble! Tear them to pieces!" Han Youwei roared in fury, and the dozens of bodyguards following behind him rushed madly toward Chen Bufan.
Canglong merely shook his head. Forget a few dozen ordinary bodyguards; even a few hundred special forces soldiers stood no chance against the Hall Master.
Chen Bufan was like a rampaging tyrannosaur, striking with terrifying might. Not a single bodyguard could even get close before being blasted flying away.
Bang, bang, bang!
In a matter of moments, all the bodyguards were lying on the ground, groaning in a chorus of agony.
Han Youwei swore he had never witnessed such a terrifying sight in his entire life.
A single man, bare-handed, had beaten down dozens of bodyguards. Was this a man or a demon?
"Who on earth are you? What grievance do you have with the Han Family?" Han Youwei didn't dare to act rashly, intending to get to the bottom of this.
"Han Youwei, it's been a few years. Don't you recognize me?" Chen Bufan suddenly asked.
Chapter 6: Jiang Yurou is My Woman!
"You are?" Han Youwei looked puzzled, staring hard through the night at Chen Bufan's cold face.
"Chen Bufan!"
Han Youwei let out a sudden, strange screech, his scalp tingling with dread.
"You're not dead?!"
Five years ago, Chen Bufan married into the Han Family as a matrilocal son-in-law, becoming the son-in-law of Han Lie, the Han Family's second-in-command.
And Han Lie was none other than Han Youwei's younger brother. How could he not recognize Chen Bufan?
He simply never expected that this fellow had survived, and that four years later, he would reappear at the Han Family doorstep!
"What? It's Chen Bufan?" Han Shuai snapped back to his senses, flying into a rage and cursing foully. "So it's just you, this useless piece of trash! Get on your knees and apologize to me right now, or I'll kill you!"
Chen Bufan remained silent. He flicked his hand, and a cold flash sliced through the air.
"Pfft!"
Han Shuai's other arm instantly dropped to the ground, blood spraying wildly.
Four years had passed, and things were no longer as they used to be. What qualifications did a person like Han Shuai have to act arrogant in front of Chen Bufan?
"Chen Bufan, you are too arrogant! If the Han Family hadn't given you a meal to eat back then, you would have died long ago!" Han Youwei roared, his eyes splitting with rage.
"But it was also the Han Family that ruined me. That debt alone is enough to wipe the Han Family off the face of the earth!"
"Arrogant! With what ability do you, Chen Bufan, think you can flatten my Han Family? Tomorrow is the Han Family's day of great celebration, yet you dare to come here and make trouble, even severing both my son's hands! I failed to finish you off four years ago, but today, four years later, I will ensure Chen Bufan that you find no burial ground!"
Han Youwei roared furiously, quickly pulling out his mobile phone to make a call.
"Brother, something's happened at home! Bring your men over right now!"
With that, Han Youwei hung up the phone and looked smugly at Chen Bufan. "You little punk, I've already notified Han Lie. Let's see how you die once your former father-in-law arrives in person."
Of the two Han brothers, Han Youwei served as the head of the family, handling all affairs in the open.
Han Lie, on the other hand, was Liyang's notorious underground emperor, known as Second Master Han. His influence spanned the entire city of Liyang, and his hands were stained with countless bloods—a feared tyrant before whom everyone trembled.
By dominating both the underworld and the legitimate world, the Han Family had firmly secured their position as the number one family in Liyang, with no one daring to cross them!
"Then let's see who dies today!" Chen Bufan said coldly, giving a brief gesture.
Canglong immediately moved to execute the order!
In a fraction of a second, the members of the Demon God Hall guarding the perimeter of the Han Family estate poured in like a tidal wave, rushing frantically into the grounds.
In the span of a few short breaths, hundreds of people flooded the Han Family courtyard.
Behind them surged an endless, pitch-black sea of people stretching as far as the eye could see.
Every single one of them was dressed in identical black attire, wearing cold expressions and exuding an overwhelming, ferocious aura!
"Oh, sweet mother..." Han Youwei gasped sharply at the sight, sucking in a cold breath.
Experienced as he was in the ways of the world, his heart thumped wildly against his ribs!
The sheer, uncountable number of men in black, merely standing there, was enough to frighten ordinary people to death.
"It's been too long; has my younger brother's influence really grown to this extent?" Han Youwei's heart pounded with anxiety. Still, his brother moved quite fast—he had only just finished making the call, and already the men had been dispatched.
With this many people, dealing with a single Chen Bufan would be as easy as taking candy from a baby!
"Chen Bufan, do you see this? With so many people here, even if you know a few martial arts tricks, you cannot possibly hold your ground. Coming to the Han Family to make trouble is a dead end!"
"You little piece of trash, do you finally know what fear is? Why aren't you on your knees begging for mercy yet?!" Han Shuai's confidence swelled to the bursting point. With so many people backing them up, finishing off Chen Bufan would be a breeze.
Chen Bufan looked at them as if they were clowns. "You Han Family members really think too highly of yourselves."
"Hear my command, all of you! Flatten this place!"
The roar, resembling a dragon's cry, shook the entire Han Family estate to its foundations. Countless Demon God Hall members sprang into action instantly!
Only then did Han Youwei and the others realize something was terribly wrong.
These weren't men sent by Han Lie—they were brought here by Chen Bufan!
It felt like a lightning strike to the top of the head, short-circuiting their brains completely.
The Demon God Hall operated with matchless tyranny. In the blink of an eye, countless men had fallen in pools of blood, their piercing screams tearing through the night sky.
As people continued to drop, Han Youwei was paralyzed with terror.
"Chen Bufan, let's talk this out! Call off your men right now!"
Chen Bufan ignored him completely.
"Chen Bufan, no matter what, you were once a son-in-law of the Han Family. There's no need to push us to total extinction!"
...
Right until the end, Han Youwei's voice was trembling, but Chen Bufan remained utterly unmoved, standing there like a statue carved of ice.
Four years ago, he was the Han Family's despised and humiliated matrilocal son-in-law.
Today, four years later, he was a god far beyond reach!
The slaughter continued, and the entire Han Family estate transformed into a sea of blood.
Since the very inception of the Demon God Hall, there had been one ironclad rule.
Every member of the Demon God Hall must:
Shed their blood on the battlefield for the country!
Rid the world of evil and uphold justice for the people!
Using every conceivable means to reign supreme in Liyang, the Han Family had committed countless atrocities. Without flattening this place, it would be impossible to extinguish the rage burning in Chen Bufan's heart!
Within minutes, only Han Youwei and his son remained standing—or rather, not collapsed on the ground.
Yet the two of them could no longer continue pleading. Thoroughly frightened out of their wits, they slumped limply onto the ground, nearly fainting from terror.
"I said, the debt from four years ago can wait. Today, I came for another matter," Chen Bufan stated indifferently.
"W-What matter?" Han Youwei asked with a trembling voice.
"Jiang Yurou!" Chen Bufan spat out, each word ringing like metal.
Jiang Yurou? Han Youwei was stunned. "What does this have to do with Jiang Yurou?"
"Tell me everything you did to Jiang Yurou!" Chen Bufan demanded forcefully.
How could Han Youwei dare to refuse? To save his own life, he spilled everything.
Upon hearing the details, the intent to kill in Chen Bufan's eyes burned like fire. The things the Han Family had done to Yurou were far more vicious than what Canglong's investigation had uncovered; they were simply subhuman!
Moreover, to marry their own daughter into the Han Family, the Jiang Family had also been pulling strings behind the scenes. The miserable life Jiang Yurou had endured over the past few years was inextricably linked to the Jiang Family.
Utterly despicable! To sell their own daughter like merchandise for their own selfish interests!
Chen Bufan wished he could storm over to the Jiang Family estate this very night.
Yet, out of consideration for Yurou, he forced himself to calm down.
"Canglong!"
"Subordinate is here!"
"Keep these two alive. Tomorrow, I want father and son to kneel at the entrance of the Jiang Family estate and beg Yurou and Sisi for forgiveness!" Chen Bufan commanded.
"Understood!" Canglong immediately ordered his men to drag Han Youwei and his son away.
"Chen Bufan, exactly what is Jiang Yurou to you? Why are you going to such lengths against us?!" Han Youwei roared.
Not for the grievances of four years ago, but for a Jiang Family widow... he was flattening the Han Family!
Why on earth would he do this?!
"Because she is my, Chen Bufan's, woman. Whoever dares touch a single hair on her head, I will slaughter their entire family!"
The declaration shook the heavens and the earth.
Han Youwei and his son were struck as if by a thunderbolt!
Jiang Yurou was Chen Bufan's woman... Could it be that the child born to that widow...
"Hiss—" A chill swept through their entire bodies. They didn't dare to think any further!
After Han Youwei and his son were taken away, the luxurious Han Family mansion was razed straight to the ground.
On this quiet night, countless people were looking forward to tomorrow's grand celebration, completely unaware that the number one family dominating Liyang had already fallen apart.
After the members of the Demon God Hall departed, several sedans arrived at the Han Family estate. Seeing the ruins before them and not a single soul left alive, the arrivals were utterly dumbfounded.
A flat-topped young man dialed a number with trembling hands.
"S-S-Second Master, i-it's bad..."
"Out with it! Stop stuttering like an old woman!"
"The—the Han Family is gone!"
"Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"The Han Family villa is gone! Everyone has been killed!"
"What?" The voice on the other end of the line went completely mad.
Far away in another city on business, Han Lie shoved the woman in his arms aside and flew into a towering rage.
The Han Family had been wiped out, and everyone had been killed! It was no different from the sky falling down!
"Big Brother, Xiaoshuai..."
"No, impossible! Who the hell dares to touch my Han Family? They're courting death!"
He immediately dialed another number.
"Feiyun, something has happened at the Han Family. Book a flight right now; we're heading back immediately!"
"Something happened to the Han Family?" Inside the same hotel, a tall, thin-lipped girl with a cold and arrogant temperament looked exceedingly surprised.
The Han Family was absolute royalty in Liyang. Who would dare provoke royalty?
Realizing the severity of the situation, she didn't ask further and immediately began packing.
***
Chapter 7: Let's Go Pick Up Mom!
Late at night, at the Liyang docks.
Chen Bufan stood by the shore, the river wind blowing against his face amidst the glittering lights of thousands of homes.
"Reporting to the Hall Master, the Han Family matter has been handled. Han Lie and his daughter are in Qingzhou and only sent a dozen men over. Per your instructions, those small fry were left untouched."
"Consider it their lucky day. But as members of the Han Family, none of them can escape. Keep watching them!" Chen Bufan said coldly.
"Yes!" Canglong nodded. "Hall Master, the wind by the river is strong. You should go rest."
"Compared to the suffering Yurou and her daughter have endured, what is a bit of cold wind? Canglong, drive me to a place." Chen Bufan ordered.
***
Jixin Sanatorium.
Jiang Yurou had just coaxed Sisi to sleep.
It was already one in the morning, yet she still felt not a shred of sleepiness. Come daybreak, she was to be married into the Han Family. Having held on for so many years, she ultimately could not escape the grip of fate.
Looking down softly at Sisi, a sharp pain pierced Jiang Yurou's heart. For Sisi's sake, she had no other choice.
Although Sisi claimed a young uncle had saved her, Jiang Yurou didn't know the person at all. She simply assumed it was a well-intentioned lie told by Sisi and the sanatorium staff to make her feel better.
She knew very well that even if she managed to scrape together the money, it would only buy time before Sisi was taken from her, not cure her completely. But even if it meant gaining just one more day, Jiang Yurou would never give up.
"Sisi, Mommy is sorry," Jiang Yurou choked out, the image of that heartless man flashing through her mind, her face brimming with agony.
"Chen Bufan, do you know that our daughter doesn't have much time left, yet you haven't even shown your shadow? I hate you!"
"I hate you to death!"
Tears broke their banks, and her heart shattered into pieces.
Outside the sanatorium, Chen Bufan's gaze was fixed intently on Sisi's ward.
He knew Yurou was right in there!
He ached to go see her immediately.
Yet, to make up for a fraction of his guilt, he had to hold back.
"Yurou, wait just a little longer. After tonight, once I've arranged everything, I will come see you immediately. You must wait for me!"
"Canglong, protect Yurou and Sisi well. Make sure nothing happens to them!" Chen Bufan instructed. "Also, prepare an exquisitely luxurious wedding dress and have it delivered to the Jiang Family first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Understood!" Canglong accepted the order and left.
***
When dawn broke, Liyang was bustling with activity, with everyone focused on the wedding banquet hosted by the Han Family.
Given the Han Family's influence, calling it a citywide sensation was no exaggeration. Reporters from all directions had gathered, blocking the entrance of the Platinum Hotel.
This was Liyang's premier luxury hotel, entirely booked out by the Han Family for the wedding banquet.
Early in the morning, numerous guests had arrived, all of them prominent figures with faces in high society.
What baffled everyone, however, was the complete absence of any members of the Han Family.
At the same time, a helicopter hovered over the Jiang Family estate, catching the eyes of countless onlookers.
Before it could descend fully, a man in a sharp suit and sunglasses rappelled directly down from a height of tens of meters.
He hurriedly glanced at his watch.
"Seven-fifty-nine!"
*Hoo...*
Thank goodness, only a minute to spare!
If he had been any later, it would have counted as a mission failure, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Adjusting his breath, the man used his white-gloved hands to cradle an exquisitely packaged gift box.
"Miss Jiang Yurou's wedding dress has arrived!"
***
"Goodness, the Han Family actually sent a helicopter to deliver the wedding dress! So extravagant!"
"How romantic! If I had a chance like this in my lifetime, I'd die happy!"
The surrounding crowd exclaimed in admiration.
Jiang Yurou's younger sister, Jiang Meihan, received the gift box and couldn't resist opening it right then and there, letting out a sudden gasp of shock!
Inside the box, a pristine white wedding dress gleamed with dazzling brilliance, embedded with countless diamonds, some as large as a fingernail.
"Is this fake?" Jiang Meihan reached out to touch it.
"Stop!" shouted the man in the suit. "This was custom-made overnight for Miss Jiang Yurou by a world-top designer. It's worth thirty million! Don't ruin it!"
Thirty million? Jiang Meihan was stunned silly. "A wedding dress worth thirty million? The Han Family must be out of their minds, marrying a wi—"
There were too many people around, so she forced the word back down her throat, though her eyes burned with envy. She truly couldn't understand what was so great about a widow that was worth such a lavish display by the Han Family.
Inside the bedroom, Jiang Yurou had changed out of her casual clothes, revealing a flawless figure like mutton-fat jade—an absolute masterpiece of human form.
Slowly slipping into the wedding dress, she looked like an immortal descending to earth, showing not the slightest trace of having given birth to a child.
Jiang Yurou felt no joy whatsoever, only crushing agony in her heart. Wearing the wedding dress meant she was about to become someone else's bride.
"Chen Bufan, do you have any idea how much I wished that person was you?"
Her eyes misted, and a single tear slowly traced down her cheek, landing softly on the pristine white fabric of the dress.
"I'm sorry, Chen Bufan. I can't wait for you any longer. If there is an afterlife, remember to find me sooner..."
More than a thousand days and nights ended right here.
At that exact moment, Chen Bufan seemed to feel a telepathic connection, his heart squeezing with a sharp, heavy ache.
He had arrived at the sanatorium early in the morning.
"Uncle, you're finally here! Can I see Daddy today?" Sisi asked excitedly.
"Sisi, I am your daddy!" Chen Bufan said with a heavy heart, the emotions suppressed for far too long making his entire body tremble.
"Daddy, you're really Daddy?" Sisi cheered, throwing her arms around Chen Bufan, her clear, bright eyes brimming with tears.
"Don't cry, Sisi. Daddy is going to take you to pick up Mommy right now, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Prepare the car! To the Jiang Family!"
In an instant, a convoy of thousands of luxury cars formed an endless, majestic dragon, speeding straight toward the Jiang Family estate!
***
"The wedding car has arrived! Let the bride come forth!"
The shout echoed both inside and outside the Jiang Family residence.
At once, gongs and drums thundered, and firecrackers burst into the air!
When the members of the Jiang Family saw such an overwhelming display, they were utterly shocked!
A thousand luxury cars stretched so far the end was invisible.
Just how much money must this cost? They were certainly showing the utmost respect to the Jiang Family!
"Hahaha..." Jiang Mingyou laughed wildly. With the Han Family backing them from now on, the Jiang Family would finally secure a solid footing in Liyang.
*Bang.*
The car doors opened, and two figures stepped out with trembling steps. They were none other than Han Youwei and his son.
"We're just picking up the bride, President Han. Why did you have to come in person?" Jiang Mingyou asked, flattered as he hurried forward to welcome them.
Suddenly, he noticed something was wrong. Where were Han Shuai's hands?!
Father and son looked utterly wretched, their bodies stained with dried patches of blood as if they had been brutally beaten to a pulp.
*Thud.*
*Thud.*
Han Youwei and his son dropped to their knees simultaneously!
*Boom!*
The scene instantly erupted into chaos, gasps echoing from the crowd.
The Han Family father and son had arrived in such grand style—wasn't this supposed to be a wedding procession? Yet they were kneeling before the Jiang Family!
"Th-This... This will never do! Get up and tell us what's the matter!" Jiang Mingyou was terrified out of his wits. He had no qualifications whatsoever to make the boss of Liyang's premier family kneel; his heart felt ready to leap out of his chest.
Han Youwei and his son remained completely unresponsive, kowtowing frantically with loud *thuds*!
"Miss Jiang Yurou, forgive us for our blind audacity! We actually had your daughter poisoned! This marriage is annulled—please, I beg you to forgive us!"
The venue exploded into uproar, sparking gasps of disbelief on all sides.
"You poisoned Sisi?" Jiang Yurou asked, struck by utter shock. Could Sisi's illness have come from this?
The marriage was annulled? That was the only part Jiang Mingyou heard, and he panicked in a frenzy.
"President Han, th-th-this was all arranged! How can you just call it off like that?"
"My son is not worthy of Jiang Yurou. Someone else is qualified to marry her," Han Youwei said decisively, acting far more anxious than Jiang Mingyou.
"What joke are you playing, President Han? Xiaoshuai is a talent among men. Across all of Liyang, apart from him, who else has the qualification to marry Yurou?" Jiang Mingyou flattered ingratiatingly.
"I do!"
An angry roar tore through the heavens, shattering the air like a thunderclap striking the venue!
***
Chapter 8: Give Me Your Hand!
Countless people raised their eyes to look, only to see a white convertible sports car racing toward them.
A Rolls-Royce, pure hand-crafted custom edition—the only one of its kind on the market, an item of priceless value.
The dazzling white sports car screeched to a halt right in front of the crowd, capturing everyone's attention instantly.
A young man in white stepped out, handsome as jade and ethereal in temperament!
Beside him walked a little girl wearing a princess dress, her fair cheeks paired with a pair of large, dark, lively eyes that made numerous onlookers inwardly cry out in cuteness.
Black-suited bodyguards stepped forward to open the car doors.
The young man in white took the little girl's hand, and the moment he stepped out of the vehicle, not a single person in the crowd took their eyes off him for even half a second.