Ye Chen remained silent, for he could hear the two people in the room to his right emerging one after another.
"Eat what meat!"
A shrewish voice rang out: "Day in and day out, you don't do any proper work at home, yet you insist on going to the south mountain to pay respects to the dead! A perfectly good chicken wasted for nothing!! And what’s with you drinking alcohol? Dinner time is almost here, people will be coming to eat, why aren't you in the kitchen preparing the food!"
"Also, Boss Zhang and I are hungry. Go to the kitchen and make us something good!! Boss Zhang... sit down first, I’ll go get you a bottle of fine wine..."
Chapter 34: Fury!
Erniu gritted his teeth and stood still.
He stared at the woman before him and said through clenched teeth, "This is my friend, little Ye!"
"A friend?"
The woman scrutinized Ye Chen for a few moments. Seeing he wore no designer brands and no watch, a look of contempt surfaced in her eyes. "He isn't here for a free meal, is he? Even friends have to pay the bill!"
"You!!!"
Veins bulged on Erniu’s forehead, but he couldn't bring himself to rush over and slap her.
At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot. He stared at the woman and asked, "What about Boss Zhang? He’s eaten here so many times; why hasn't he paid?"
The "Boss Zhang" Erniu referred to was the man who had come out of the room with Li Cuihua. Right now, he was lounging in a chair, watching the show with a toothpick hanging from his mouth.
"Who said Boss Zhang didn't pay? Look at what this is!"
As Li Cuihua spoke, she pulled several red banknotes from her pocket. "This money is for the meal. If it weren't for Boss Zhang’s generosity, where would you get the money to pay for your mother’s medical treatment? Your mother would have died of illness long ago!"
"My mother’s treatment is paid for with my own money. This restaurant earns one or two hundred yuan every day."
Erniu argued loudly, "That money is all with you! I... I try to get medicine for my mother every time... but you never want to give it to me!"
"Don't I need to be supported now that you're married? I married you, don't you have to provide for me?"
Li Cuihua put her hands on her hips, pointing at Erniu and berating him: "Fine! If you think I spend too much money, let’s get a divorce. Once we're divorced, I won't take your money anymore, and we can go our separate ways!!"
Upon hearing the word "divorce," Erniu’s spirit crumbled instantly. He stared at Li Cuihua for a few seconds before finally saying in a trembling voice, "I... I was wrong, okay? I’ll go cook for you right now!!"
With that, Erniu slouched his shoulders and headed toward the kitchen.
At this moment, Erniu wished he could die... especially with little Ye there. He didn't know if little Ye would look down on him.
"Boss Zhang, let me pour you a drink."
Seeing Erniu obediently go to cook, Li Cuihua cursed him as a "useless thing," then nestled into Boss Zhang’s arms, saying, "This bull needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise he won't listen. Come on, drink up."
"Hahahaha."
Boss Zhang laughed loudly, his hands moving restlessly over Li Cuihua.
Listening to their arrogant remarks and the verbal abuse directed at Erniu, Ye Chen could no longer hold back.
He stood up and walked over to Li Cuihua, asking coldly, "Are you Erniu’s wife?"
"So what if I am? None of your business, you psycho!" Li Cuihua frowned.
Ye Chen ignored her and turned to Boss Zhang. "Do you know that she is married? She has a husband."
"Oh? Looking at you, are you trying to stand up for that bull?"
Boss Zhang tilted his head, sitting in his chair with an arrogant look. "Who the hell do you think you are? I’ll mess with whoever I want. Get the hell out of here!!"
As he finished speaking, Boss Zhang spat the toothpick hard at Ye Chen’s face.
Ye Chen tilted his head slightly to dodge the toothpick, then suddenly pulled two pairs of disposable chopsticks from the table and slammed them down with a *bang*!
"Ah!!!"
In an instant, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Boss Zhang’s mouth.
But Ye Chen didn't let him go; he took two more chopsticks and drove them fiercely into the table...
"Ah!!!"
Boss Zhang let out another scream, nearly fainting from the pain.
Ye Chen had pinned his hands to the table with the chopsticks. The disposable chopsticks, which would snap with a light bend, were now like sharp iron blades, easily piercing through Boss Zhang’s palms and the two-centimeter-thick wooden table.
*Plop! Plop!*
Blood dripped steadily from the chopsticks onto the concrete floor. At this moment, Li Cuihua was stunned with terror.
After a few screams, Boss Zhang was panting heavily. Just as he was about to start cursing, Ye Chen pulled out two more chopsticks and said, "Shut your mouth. One more word of nonsense, and I’ll pin your head to the table!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Zhang’s body shuddered. He clamped his teeth shut, not daring to make a sound. He could feel that Ye Chen was not joking.
"What’s going on?"
At this time, Erniu heard the commotion and rushed out.
He was stunned to see this scene: "Little Ye, what are you doing! Please, you need to go! Boss Zhang’s older brother is Zhang Long, you have to leave now!"
"Erniu, is this the friend you made? Is he trying to get us killed?"
Seeing Erniu come out, Li Cuihua jumped up and hid behind him, shouting, "Are you really friends with this kind of scum? Chase him away, quickly!"
"Little Ye is not scum."
Erniu tried his best to explain: "He is my best friend!"
"If you want to die, don't drag me into it! He hurt Boss Zhang; Zhang Long won't let this slide. He’s a thug, what are you going to do when he comes for you?"
"I..."
Erniu gritted his teeth and said, "Regardless, I won't betray little Ye. Little Ye, you have to go!!"
"Erniu."
At this moment, Ye Chen finally spoke. "Are you really content being tortured like this for a woman like her?"
"Haa...!!"
Ye Chen let out a long breath, as if to exhale all the gloom in his heart. He stared at Erniu and said, "A real man shouldn't worry about being wifeless. She clearly doesn't care about you at all; she even brings other men into your home..."
"I, I, I!!"
Ye Chen’s words broke Erniu down. The man, nearly thirty years old, immediately buried his head in his hands and crouched on the floor.
"I... little Ye, I’m angry too!! But I’m a failure. I want to divorce her too, but my mother is sick, and she won't allow it... She’s very ill, I don't know how many months she has left! My mother’s greatest wish is to see me hold my own child... I, I want a divorce too, but I don't have the money to remarry."
"If I divorce her now, my mother will definitely die from the shock. I, I have no choice, little Ye!!"
Erniu sobbed on the floor. "I’m useless, I’m spineless, I deserve to be cheated on, I’d rather be dead!!"
The surrounding villagers were stunned. A few had come to eat, but with such a massive commotion, many in the village had come out to watch.
Many knew about the affair between Li Cuihua and Boss Zhang, and they felt great sympathy for Erniu.
Watching Erniu’s heartbroken state, everyone looked on with pity.
"Trash!"
However, Li Cuihua spat out these two words coldly.
*Slap!*
Before the word had even faded, Ye Chen backhanded her. Before Li Cuihua could react, she was sent flying by a massive force.
After spinning several times in the air, she landed on the ground with a *thud*. Looking at that face, which had once been somewhat attractive, it was now swollen like a pig’s head... With that one slap, Ye Chen had completely disfigured her.
Chapter 35: Auntie Niu
Initially, Ye Chen didn't know why Erniu was enduring all of this.
Now he understood: there was no love left between Erniu and Li Cuihua, only hatred!
The reason Erniu had begged Li Cuihua and dared not divorce her was because his mother was critically ill and couldn't handle any more stress... and his mother was desperate to see a grandchild.
The mounting pressure had crushed Erniu, a man without money or standing.
"Don't worry, I can cure your mother’s illness!"
"As for a wife, Erniu, don't worry. I will find you a wife a thousand, ten thousand times better than Li Cuihua!"
After slapping Li Cuihua away, Ye Chen walked over and helped Erniu up.
"Little Ye, you don't have to comfort me... My mother has coronary heart disease; how could you possibly cure that?"
Erniu gritted his teeth, wiped his tears, and said, "As for a wife, I don't have any hope left. I just want my mother to live!"
He thought Ye Chen was merely offering empty comfort.
"Erniu, have you grown guts of steel? You actually dared to find someone to hit me! I, I’ll fight you to the death!"
Li Cuihua had struggled to her feet. When she realized she had been disfigured, she went insane... This woman rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a bone-cleaving knife, and charged at Erniu and Ye Chen.
"Wicked woman!"
Anger rose in Ye Chen’s eyes. Not only was Li Cuihua cheating, she insulted Erniu to his face, made him cook for her lover, and now, after being taught a lesson, she wanted to stab Erniu.
At that moment, the intent to kill arose in Ye Chen’s heart!
As the sect leader of the Kunlun Sect, he had cultivated a ruthless decisiveness over the years. He could turn an evil woman like Li Cuihua into ash with the flick of a finger.
Just as he was about to move, he saw Erniu rush forward.
He snatched the knife from Li Cuihua’s hand, gripped her collar in a frenzy, and shouted, "I told you, little Ye is my friend! You, you cheated on me, you insulted my friend. Today, I! I! I’m going to divorce you!"
"Go ahead, divorce me! And then watch your half-dead mother die of rage! You bastard, do you have any idea how much debt you owe? Divorce me, then stay a bachelor for the rest of your life, fail to find another wife, and kill your mother—that would be just perfect..."
Li Cuihua cursed recklessly, her personality incredibly vicious.
*Slap!*
However, this time Erniu didn't endure it. He slapped her hard across the face.
"You dare hit me?" Li Cuihua was shocked.
Erniu gritted his teeth, not saying a word. After one slap, he backhanded her again, and again, until Li Cuihua began to cry and beg for mercy. Only then did Erniu let go.
*Plop!*
Li Cuihua collapsed like a pile of mud, staring at Erniu and Ye Chen with venomous eyes, seemingly calculating how to take her revenge.
*Heh...*
Seeing the look in Li Cuihua’s eyes, Ye Chen flicked his finger, sending an invisible, imperceptible burst of energy into Li Cuihua’s brain.
In that instant, Li Cuihua’s pupils dilated, and she went dizzy and collapsed.
Seeing her faint, no one thought much of it, assuming she had been knocked out by Erniu’s slaps... No one knew that Ye Chen’s simple little action had turned Li Cuihua into an idiot.
Meanwhile, Boss Zhang’s hands were still bleeding, but he sat in his chair, not daring to move, not even daring to cry out in pain.
Ye Chen’s display of power was too overwhelming, and even the simple-minded Erniu had become crazed.
Boss Zhang was afraid that if he said one more word, he would end up like Li Cuihua—beaten into a swollen pig’s head. Although his hands were already pierced, Li Cuihua’s fate was worse: her face was permanently deformed, bleeding from the nose and mouth, and she would never be cured; she would spend the rest of her life as a disfigured invalid.
"Let’s go. I’ll go with you to see your mother."
After punishing Li Cuihua, Ye Chen patted Erniu on the shoulder.
"No... let’s not!"
Though Erniu was slow, he wasn't stupid. He pointed at Boss Zhang and said, "Little Ye, his brother is very powerful. You should go. This has nothing to do with you."
"Forget about him."
Ye Chen glanced at Boss Zhang and ignored him... He knew these people would come to retaliate against Erniu, so he intended to play a long game to catch the bigger fish.
With that, Ye Chen patted Erniu’s shoulder again. "Don't say anything more. Take me to see your mother... Don't you trust me?"
"No, no."
Seeing Ye Chen’s serious expression, Erniu didn't dare to argue and nodded, ready to take Ye Chen home.
However, Erniu didn't truly believe Ye Chen could treat heart disease... He remembered that in school, Ye Chen studied something like finance management? That shouldn't involve medicine...
Confused, Erniu didn't think too much of it. Ye Chen had played at his house often as a child, and Auntie Niu liked Ye Chen very much. Bringing him home might make his mother happy.
As they walked, nearing the house, Erniu suddenly said, "Little Ye, please don't tell my mother what happened at the restaurant."
"Alright, I won't say a word," Ye Chen replied.
Erniu’s expression relaxed, and he pushed open the gate to lead Ye Chen inside.
"Mom, look who’s here!" Erniu shouted as soon as they entered the yard.
"Who is it?" A weak voice drifted from inside the house.
"Auntie Niu..."
Hearing that aged voice, Ye Chen felt a lump in his throat. When they were kids, he often brought his sister to play at Erniu’s house.
Times were tough, but whenever he and little Ye-zi came, Auntie Niu would roast sweet potatoes in the stove. The largest and sweetest one went to Mumu, then to Ye Chen, and the one Erniu got was usually the smallest.
"It’s me, Auntie Niu."
Entering the room, Ye Chen saw an elderly woman with hair as white as snow. She was skin and bone, looking like someone in her seventies, frail and powerless.
Auntie Niu was only in her fifties. Because she worked hard on the farm, she had always been healthy.
Seeing the change in Auntie Niu, and then looking at Erniu, Ye Chen frowned. The mother and son had clearly suffered greatly over the years.
"You... you are..." Auntie Niu’s dull eyes stared at Ye Chen for a long time before she said in a trembling voice, "Little Ye? You’re little Ye, did you bring Mumu over to play?"
Hearing this, Erniu’s expression shifted. "Little Ye, my mother had a fever last night. She’s still a bit confused. Don't... don't be upset by what she says."
Chapter 36: Intent to Kill
"Auntie Niu, Mumu didn't come..." Ye Chen’s throat tightened. He reached into his pocket and took out a Spirit Gathering Pill, wondering how to trick her into taking it.
"Mumu didn't come?"
Auntie Niu asked, then suddenly froze. She slapped her own forehead hard and said, "I forgot, I forgot... little Mumu is dead... she died so tragically. And old Su... Little Ye, you, you’ve come back to life, why didn't you bring little Mumu back from the underworld, too?"
"Mom, what are you saying!"
"Little Ye isn't 'alive again,' he never died!"
"Besides, once people are dead, they’re gone. There’s no such thing as an underworld... that talk of coming back from the dead is just something from TV."
Erniu, fearing his mother would continue and upset Ye Chen, interrupted her: "Mom, little Ye is here to visit you... How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?"
"Oh." Auntie Niu nodded blankly. "I’m better. Why isn't Cuihua here? Is she busy at the restaurant? Little Ye is here, you should introduce Cuihua to him."
"Ah..." Hearing his mother mention Li Cuihua, Erniu’s expression turned unnatural again.
"Auntie Niu, I’ve already met Cuihua. There were guests at the restaurant, so Erniu brought me to see you first."
As Ye Chen spoke, thinking about how to get her to take the pill, a series of insults erupted from outside.
"Damn it, who hurt my brother?"
"Erniu, get the hell out here!"
"Damn it, daring to mess with Zhang Long’s brother? You must have a death wish!"
With the insults, Erniu’s expression changed instantly. He looked at his mother lying in bed and said, "Little Ye, watch my mother. I’m going out to fight those animals!"
With that, Erniu rushed out, grabbing a sickle used for weeding as he passed through the yard.
"What... what’s going on?"
Auntie Niu also heard the commotion and was worried for Erniu’s safety, struggling to rise.
"Auntie Niu!"
Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. Since Erniu was already gone, there was no need to explain. He reached out and tapped a point on Auntie Niu’s body. As she fell unconscious, he tucked the Spirit Gathering Pill into her mouth.
Then, Ye Chen gathered the Spiritual Qi in his body into his hand, using mental force to help her circulate her blood... The pill would strengthen her body and restore some of her vitality.
As for curing the coronary disease, Ye Chen didn't have a specific pill on him and would need to go back and study how to formulate one.
However... after taking this pill, Auntie Niu would become healthy enough that her heart disease wouldn't trouble her for the next three to five years.
Ye Chen’s fingertips glowed faintly, and guided by the spiritual energy, the pill began to diffuse slowly through Auntie Niu’s body... At the same time, her waxen, sallow complexion began to show a hint of radiance and vitality.
As Hua Yuntian’s master and the leader of the Kunlun Sect, this was a trivial task for Ye Chen.
A few minutes later, seeing that Auntie Niu’s breathing had stabilized, Ye Chen withdrew his hand.
Outside, Erniu and Zhang Long were in a standoff.
Boss Zhang, whose hands had been simply bandaged, stood behind Zhang Long, gnashing his teeth. "Erniu, hand that brat over, or I’ll burn your house down!"
"You dare!"
Erniu gripped the sickle tightly, shouting in rage: "Whoever dares to burn my house, I’ll fight them to the death!"
"Fight to the death? Just you? I brought a dozen men with me today. Go ahead and fight... Damn it, unless you kill us all today, I’m going to break both of your mother’s legs," Zhang Long threatened.
Having been a thug for many years, he could see that Erniu was in a blind, furious rage. If they fought hard, he knew he might lose a man or two.