The experts surrounding Lei Qianfeng glared at Ye Lingtian with fury, as if they wanted to tear him to pieces.
"What do we do? What are we supposed to do now?" Chen Xiaoran was panicking. Ye Lingtian could actually die.
"We need to notify your aunt and uncle immediately! Let them figure out a way!" Zhou Xinyi quickly grabbed Chen Xiaoran and pulled her out of the bar. The others, including Shi Xingguang, also scrambled away; no one wanted to be dragged into this.
"Hurry, take the young master back to the villa! Take him too! Let the Bandit Chief deal with him personally!" Lei Qianfeng's men immediately carried the unconscious Lei Qianfeng out, while more of them moved to capture Ye Lingtian.
"No need to force it, I’ll go back with you," Ye Lingtian said. He happened to be heading there anyway to give Lei Liehu a reminder and escalate the matter!
Zhongyi Villa was the headquarters of the Bandit Chief, Lei Liehu. A full thousand thugs guarded the premises. When news arrived that Lei Qianfeng had been brutally beaten, the entire villa erupted. Even Lei Liehu, who had been fast asleep, was jolted awake. He stood at the villa gates, personally waiting with his men. He wanted to know why this stranger had beaten his son for no apparent reason.
Meanwhile, when He Wenqian and Chen Guiyuan heard the news, He Wenqian nearly fainted. She understood the reason perfectly well—Ye Lingtian was trying to avenge her. She burst into tears, "My poor Tian'er, why did you have to go and provoke him?"
Chen Guiyuan was incensed. "Are you saying this brat actually went and beat up Lei Qianfeng? Isn't that just begging for death?"
"Hurry, we must find a way to save Tian'er! Offending the Bandit Chief is a dead end!" He Wenqian sobbed uncontrollably.
"I wonder if Lei Liehu might give me some face?" Chen Guiyuan pondered. "Never mind, I have to try!" He immediately began contacting influential figures, hoping to go together to the Bandit Chief and secure Ye Lingtian’s release.
At the gates of Zhongyi Villa, the domineering and formidable Lei Liehu waited with a look of extreme anxiety, while private doctors stood by with stretchers. Behind him was a sea of heads, everyone armed with weapons!
Soon, two cars arrived. Seeing his son covered in blood with his fingers broken, Lei Liehu roared, "Whoever did this to my son, no matter who you are, I will smash you into ten thousand pieces!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" the thousand men behind him chanted in unison.
After Lei Qianfeng was taken away by the doctors for treatment, Ye Lingtian stepped forward to face Lei Liehu. A thousand pairs of eyes locked onto him—a completely unfamiliar face! Ye Lingtian surveyed them as well, his gaze landing on a middle-aged man standing beside Lei Liehu. He was a Martial Grandmaster!
A so-called Grandmaster was a master capable of establishing their own sect. A single Grandmaster could rival an entire fully-armed, heavy-weapon-equipped combat squad!
"Who are you? Why did you hurt my son?" Lei Liehu’s voice rang out like a bell, shattering the silence.
"Lei Liehu, is it? Let me give you a reminder. My name is Ye Lingtian. You once hunted down my mother, Zhou Xueqing! And you were the one who broke one of my godmother He Wenqian’s fingers!"
As soon as Ye Lingtian spoke, both Lei Liehu and the Grandmaster beside him turned deathly pale.
"The Ye Family's illegitimate son! It’s you? You’re still alive?" Lei Liehu exclaimed in shock.
"If I weren't alive, how could I come to claim your life?" Ye Lingtian gave a mocking smile.
"You insolent brat! You're courting death!" the thugs behind Lei Liehu shouted in rage.
"You broke my godmother’s finger back then; today, I broke your son’s ten fingers. Let’s call it even," Ye Lingtian said. "But our grudge is only just beginning. Lei Liehu, you will be the first victim on my path of vengeance!"
Lei Liehu’s face twisted into a snarl. "You’re just a bastard son! You have absolutely nothing to do with the Longdu Ye Clan! How dare you be so arrogant?" No one in Jiangcheng had ever dared to provoke him like this before! "For daring to beat my son like this, I will have your head!"
"I’ll give you two days!" Ye Lingtian said. "Gather all your strength and connections! Remember, pull out every ace you have! At this time in two days, I will come to kill you."
To Ye Lingtian, crushing Lei Liehu now would be no different than crushing a fly. But he needed to use Lei Liehu to let the entire Dragon Country know that he was not to be trifled with, and certainly not to be obstructed! Therefore, the bigger the spectacle, the better.
However, hearing this, Lei Liehu and his men burst into laughter. A bastard son was actually challenging the biggest king of the underworld! Lei Liehu had tens of thousands of subordinates throughout Jiangcheng, including hundreds of martial arts experts and a Martial Grandmaster presiding over them. He was the undisputed power in Jiangcheng; how could a mere boy provoke him like this?
"Bandit Chief! Let us just chop this brat up and feed him to the dogs!" the underlings clamored.
Lei Liehu seemed to consider something, a cold smirk appearing on his lips. "No! Good, kid. You are the first person in history to challenge me like this! I accept your challenge. In two days, I will take your head and feed it to the dogs!"
In the eyes of everyone, dealing with Ye Lingtian would take only a single swing of a blade. But Lei Liehu wanted to use Ye Lingtian to intimidate the entire city. For years, he and his son had been acting like businessmen, and he felt people had forgotten he was a Bandit Chief—he used to be an executioner who didn't blink when he killed! He didn't want people to think that just because he wore a suit, he had laid down his cleaver. He wanted to use Ye Lingtian to show all of Jiangcheng that he was still the same ruthless king, even more powerful than before, and to show everyone the miserable fate that awaited those who defied him.
"Don't you dare run, kid! I’ll have people watching you!" Lei Liehu sneered. After Ye Lingtian left, hundreds of men were dispatched to shadow him, ensuring he couldn't escape.
Hardly had he left when Lei Liehu’s phone rang.
"Hmm? Chen Guiyuan? Yes..."
"Old Wei, you’re calling to plead for him?"
"Old Zhou, is it the same matter for you too? I’ve already let him go..."
Lei Liehu only mentioned releasing Ye Lingtian; he didn't tell them that he intended to kill him in two days. After hanging up the phones, Lei Liehu’s face turned icy. "It seems one or two people have truly forgotten my existence. A dozen years ago, who in Jiangcheng would have dared to beg for mercy if they offended me?"
"Pass on my order: every brother in the Zhongyi Hall must gather at the villa within two days! Anyone who defies this order will be executed without mercy!"
"I want this city to know that I am still its greatest king!"
***
Inside the Chen family villa, He Wenqian and the others asked nervously, "How did it go?"
Chen Guiyuan hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. "It’s a good thing I, Chen Guiyuan, still have some status in Jiangcheng! Lei Liehu has released him!"
"Oh! That’s wonderful!" A massive weight lifted from He Wenqian’s heart.
Chen Guiyuan looked proud. "This kid owes me his life! To save him, I had to put aside my pride and persuade so many people to talk to Lei Liehu. It wouldn't be too much for him to kowtow to me a few times, would it?"
"Mom! We have to kick Ye Lingtian out!" Chen Xiaoran suggested, seizing the opportunity. "Otherwise, something is bound to happen sooner or later! He’s like a mad dog. I just provoked him a little, and he went and beat Lei Qianfeng like that..."
Chen Guiyuan agreed. "Yes, I also think we should kick him out! He caused trouble the moment he arrived! This time it was the Bandit Chief; who will it be next?"
"No! Tian'er is my godson! How could I kick him out? If he’s lacking in other areas, I will teach him!" He Wenqian refused point-blank. She knew exactly why Ye Lingtian had done what he did—it was to avenge her! But she couldn't say it.
Just then, Ye Lingtian returned. "Godmother, I'm sorry to have worried you."
Chen Xiaoran and her friend glared at him with rage. He was so immature! He was the worst boy they had ever seen!
Chen Guiyuan stared at him. "Ye Lingtian, you should kowtow to me three times!"
"Why?" Ye Lingtian asked, puzzled.
"Why? If I hadn't saved you, could you have come back alive? After beating the Bandit Chief's son, do you think your life would be spared?" Chen Guiyuan said haughtily. "I contacted eight major power brokers in Jiangcheng to plead with the Bandit Chief together, and only then did he let you off the hook! Wouldn't it be appropriate to kowtow and thank me?"
Ye Lingtian smiled. "First of all, Godfather, thank you for your trouble. But my return has absolutely nothing to do with you."
"Boom!"
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of Chen Guiyuan and the others changed. How could Ye Lingtian be so ungrateful? They had clearly saved his life, and he was denying it! Ungrateful wretch!
Chen Xiaoran exploded. "Ye Lingtian, you are so shameless! Do you not know what kind of person the Bandit Chief is? He’s a man who eats meat and doesn't even spit out the bones! You beat his son like that; do you really think he would just let you leave? If it weren't for my father, you would have been chopped up and fed to the dogs!"
Ye Lingtian laughed, "You don't even know the situation, yet you’re blathering on!"
"If Lei Liehu dares to stop me, I will slaughter every last one of his men!"
"Pfft!" Chen Xiaoran nearly vomited blood. Not only was he ungrateful, but he could also blow such hot air? She was done! She was truly done!
***
"Do you know the strength of the Bandit Chief? How dare you say something like that?" Chen Guiyuan shouted. "Not to mention the tens of thousands of underlings! He has hundreds of martial artists under his command! Have you even heard of martial artists?"
"The most critical part is that he has a Martial Grandmaster by his side!"
"Uncle Chen, what is a Martial Grandmaster?" Zhou Xinyi asked, puzzled.
Chen Xiaoran, who knew these things by heart, immediately explained, "A Martial Grandmaster can project internal energy and kill someone without leaving a trace! A single Grandmaster can establish a school! They are supreme overlords who suppress an entire region! Unless you mobilize a combat squad and heavy weaponry, there is simply no way to deal with one!"
Chen Guiyuan nodded. "Yes, that’s it! The Grandmaster by Lei Liehu’s side, Zhao Feiying, once faced three thousand fully armed mercenaries overseas alone! He killed over two thousand of them in one go and managed to escape!"
"What?! Three thousand mercenaries couldn't stop him?" Zhou Xinyi was stunned, her face full of shock.
Chen Guiyuan sighed. "You could say that Lei Liehu’s foothold in Jiangcheng is largely due to him! Zhao Feiying can hold off an entire army single-handedly! With him there, no one in Jiangcheng can touch Lei Liehu!"
He Wenqian’s face turned deathly pale. How could she not know of Lei Liehu’s strength? Zhao Feiying was the very man who had nearly slaughtered Ye Lingtian and his mother all those years ago! Yet, Lei Liehu was the weakest of all Ye Lingtian’s enemies. What could Tian'er possibly use to get revenge?
"The most important thing for a person is self-awareness," Chen Guiyuan chided. "You must know your own limitations! Don't mistake your ignorance for confidence!"
That night, Jiangcheng and the surrounding cities were in chaos. Every member of the Zhongyi Hall had received the Bandit Chief's order, and over ten thousand people were rushing toward Zhongyi Villa. It was the first time in twenty years that the Zhongyi Hall had made such a massive move! No one dared to be slow.
In the middle of the night, Chen Guiyuan received a call. "Old Wei, what is it? It’s the middle of the night!"
An anxious voice came from the other end: "Old Chen, something has happened! Lei Liehu has suddenly ordered all members of the Zhongyi Hall to assemble! The entire underworld in Jiangcheng is in turmoil... I have a feeling something bad is about to happen!"
Chen Guiyuan’s face turned ashen. "Didn't Lei Liehu agree to let people go? Why make such a big commotion? What is he doing?"
"Could it have something to do with your godson?"
At this reminder, Chen Guiyuan immediately got out of bed and hammered on Ye Lingtian’s door, waking everyone else up as well.
"What is it?" Ye Lingtian asked as they all stormed in.
"Tell me! Did you cause trouble again?" Chen Guiyuan stared intensely at Ye Lingtian. "Lei Liehu is gathering all members of the Zhongyi Hall! Thousands, tens of thousands are assembling!"
He Wenqian nearly fainted. She had known the Bandit Chief wouldn't let this go so easily.
"Oh, I told him to gather all his strength. I’m going to kill him in two days," Ye Lingtian said calmly. "So, my return has nothing to do with you, Godfather. It’s just that we have a decisive battle in two days."
"What?" They were all stunned. They had never seen anyone issue a challenge of war to a Bandit Chief before!
"Thump!" He Wenqian’s vision went dark, and she collapsed. Ye Lingtian stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder and channeling energy into her body. She woke up quickly.
"Tian'er, how could you do this? Challenging Lei Liehu to a war?" He Wenqian wept. Was there any chance of surviving after offending the Bandit Chief?
Chen Guiyuan’s face turned green. He had never imagined Ye Lingtian would have the guts to do this. He hurriedly pulled back the curtains and looked outside. Sure enough, the villa was already surrounded! If those weren't the Bandit Chief’s men, who could they be?
Ye Lingtian had been telling the truth! Chen Guiyuan instantly understood why Lei Liehu had let Ye Lingtian go. He was using this opportunity to intimidate all of Jiangcheng! Ye Lingtian was doomed, and the Chen family would be implicated! His head felt like it was going to explode. How had they gotten themselves into such a disaster?
Chen Xiaoran was furious. "Ye Lingtian, do you know what you’ve done? You haven't just ruined yourself; you’ve ruined your godmother! And our Chen family!"
"Don't tell me you’re trying to prove your strength this way? How childish!"
Other members of the Chen family arrived and began hurling insults at Ye Lingtian. He Wenqian sobbed uncontrollably. She knew Ye Lingtian was only provoking the Bandit Chief to avenge her, but she couldn't tell them! This poor child was being wronged!
Ye Lingtian sneered, "Does a mere Lei Liehu scare you all that much?"
Chen Guofeng was so angry his hair nearly stood on end. "You truly are arrogant beyond measure, looking down on everyone! How dare you say such things?"
Ye Lingtian smiled. "It’s not that I look down on everything, it’s that you don't even enter my sight. Lei Liehu might be a heaven you cannot reach, but in my eyes, he is as insignificant as an ant!"
Chen Xiaoran was speechless. What time was it? Was Ye Lingtian still trying to show off? He was the ceiling of "overconfident men" she had ever seen! Did he really think he had the ability to stand against the Bandit Chief?
The entire Chen family felt nauseated. This bragging was deafening!
"For the safety of the Chen family, he must be kicked out!" Chen Guofeng proposed.
"Yes! Kick him out!"
"Kick him out!"
The Chen family chanted in unison. Chen Xiaoran and Chen Guiyuan silently acquiesced. If Ye Lingtian wasn't kicked out, the Chen family would face disaster!
Seeing this, He Wenqian wept even harder, but she couldn't protect Ye Lingtian alone.
"You don't believe me? There's no point in me saying anything more," Ye Lingtian said. "Just wait two days, come with me, and you'll see."
Not only did the Chen family not believe him, even his godmother didn't. This boast was simply too large! That was the Bandit Chief!
"Get out! Get out right now!" Chen Guofeng even shoved Ye Lingtian.
"Get out!"
"Get out!"
...
Despite He Wenqian’s desperate attempts to intervene, it was useless. Because of this, the Chen family had to protect themselves.
"Actually, I was giving the Chen family a chance," Ye Lingtian said, glancing at them for his godmother’s sake. "If you had stood with me, bet on me, you would have possessed boundless wealth, and the future Chen family would have stood at the pinnacle of the world!"
Hearing this, the entire Chen family thought he was a lunatic.
"Get out! Get the hell out!"
"If you don't leave, we’ll call security to throw you out!" they raged.
"Fine. I’ll leave. I just hope you don't regret it!" Ye Lingtian’s icy gaze swept across everyone in the Chen family. If they couldn't share in his suffering, they would never share in his glory.
"Forget it! Who do you think you are? Why would we regret anything?"
"Guiyuan! Tell the Bandit Chief immediately that the Chen family has severed all ties with this piece of trash and kicked him out! Whatever you want to do to him has nothing to do with the Chen family!"
Their cold words rang in Ye Lingtian’s ears as he turned and walked out of the villa.
***
From that moment on, he only cared about his godmother. The Chen family had lost their chance!
He Wenqian fainted again. The rest of the Chen family felt relieved. Chen Xiaoran even smiled. Finally, he was gone!
However, Ye Lingtian didn't go far. He stayed in the gardens behind the villa; he still needed to rely on the ice veins beneath the earth to suppress the Innate Fire Poison!
Soon, news that Ye Lingtian had been kicked out of the Chen family reached Lei Liehu. "See? It worked! The Chen family is already afraid! In two days, I will make the entire city of Jiangcheng fear me!"
That night, the entire city was ablaze with activity. Thousands upon thousands of people converged on Zhongyi Villa. Lei Liehu had originally estimated about ten thousand, but he hadn't expected them to gather overnight, with more still streaming in.
While Lei Liehu’s forces were gathering with great fanfare, the powerhouses Ye Lingtian had summoned from across the globe via the Dark Son of Heaven decree were silently infiltrating Jiangcheng, spreading into every street and corner like ghosts. Even the four Guardian Gods of the country didn't know where they had gone. They had clearly let them in, only to watch them vanish.
He Wenqian, of course, would not sit by and watch Ye Lingtian go to his death. She would do everything in her power to protect him!