Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Old Master Takes Action
"What? Patriarch Ye, are you still hesitating? It’s not worth risking your entire family for a piece of trash." Wang Tian’s voice was frigid. He had no intention of sparing the Ye family, regardless of whether Ye Zhanxiong handed over Ye Xuan. ’But if I can just capture Ye Xuan and bring him back to the Wang family, I imagine the Clan Leader and Wang Yue will be quite excited. Better yet, I can use this to crush the Ye family’s morale and break them from the inside.’
"Big Brother, as Patriarch, are you really going to make the Ye family risk everything for a piece of trash?" Ye Zhantang asked coldly.
After a long moment, Ye Zhanxiong sighed, his expression conflicted. "Steward Wang Tian, if I hand Ye Xuan over to you, can your Wang family guarantee his life?"
"No." Wang Tian’s tone was ice-cold and final. "He tarnished the Wang family’s reputation, insulted our prestige, and even dared to attack me. How could he possibly be spared?"
"Big Brother!" Ye Zhanyun’s eyes were like ice, his fists clenched tightly. ’Anyone who wants to touch my, Ye Zhanyun’s, son will have to get through me first.’
The scene suddenly came to a standstill.
"I’d like to see who dares touch my grandson!"
Just then, a deep voice boomed like a clap of thunder, shattering the tense atmosphere as it suddenly rang out.
The thundering voice rolled through the hall, causing the expression of everyone present to change drastically.
"It’s Father!" Ye Zhanyun’s brow lifted, a look of joy on his face.
"Grandfather!" Ye Xuan, whose face had been fixed in a cold sneer, suddenly looked up. An inexplicable warmth spread through his heart.
He hadn’t taken the Wang family’s threats seriously at all. He had remained silent before simply because he wanted to see what this so-called "family" of his was really like. He hadn’t expected that besides his father, there would be an old man whose single sentence could bring him such warmth.
"Who dares touch my grandson!" A simple sentence, yet it directly declared the man’s unshakable stance.
"Old Master Ye!" The members of the Li and Liu families shuddered, all turning involuntarily to look toward the inner part of the hall.
From the inner hall, an old man in a martial robe strode forward. His aura was like a mountain, and with each step, he gave off an impression of towering, unshakeable might. His eyes were like lightning, his sharp gaze carrying an extreme pressure that stirred the very air in the hall, as if a storm was about to break.
The old man had a grizzled beard and a tall, sturdy frame. The moment his towering figure appeared in the hall, he exuded a profound sense of someone capable of turning the tide against all odds, of holding up the heavens themselves. This presence placed an immense pressure on everyone’s spirit.
This old man was none other than the previous Patriarch of the Ye family, Ye Xuan’s own grandfather, Ye Batian!
Behind the old man stood a boy of about seven or eight, who winked at Ye Xuan.
This was Ye Ling, the son of Ye Xuan’s fourth uncle, Ye Zhanzhen. Unlike the other third-generation disciples, Ye Ling had adored following Ye Xuan around since he was little, shouting "Brother! Brother!" They were very close.
It was he who had just quietly gone to get the Old Master.
"Father, weren’t you in seclusion? Why have you come out?"
As soon as the Old Master appeared, Ye Zhanxiong immediately stepped aside to yield his position.
"Hmph. If this old man hadn’t come out, you lot would have already ruined this family."
Ye Batian snapped coldly. His domineering aura immediately silenced Ye Zhanxiong and the others. He glared at the second-generation disciples and first-generation clan elders. "Who was it just now that said they wanted to hand over my grandson?"
Ye Zhantang and the others had lost all of their earlier arrogance. They were now meek and subservient, their eyes darting about, not daring to speak.
"Hmph. Esteemed elders of the Ye family, reduced to sacrificing one of our own disciples to avoid disaster. In my opinion, you’ve all wasted your years and lived your lives like dogs. I’ll deal with you later."
After scolding the Ye family disciples, Ye Batian’s gaze fell upon the people from the Li and Liu families.
"Li Haoran, Liu Tianjie. Your two families are really something now, aren’t you?" Ye Batian sat enthroned in the main seat, planted as firmly as Mount Tai. His bright, piercing eyes swept over them like a lion’s, the sheer dominance in his gaze making it difficult to breathe even from a distance. A ferocious aura emanated from him, completely undisguised.
As the Old Master’s gaze swept over them, the members of the Li and Liu families fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make a sound.
The reason the Ye family was able to surpass the Li and Liu families to become the most powerful family in Cyan Mountain Town was precisely because of this man, Ye Batian.
Decades ago, the Old Master had arrived in Cyan Mountain Town alone. With astonishing strength, he had carved out his own domain, beating the Li and Liu families of that era into submission. He forcibly established the massive Ye family and monopolized sixty to seventy percent of the herbal medicine business in Cyan Mountain Town.
Even now, the Old Master’s strength as an Earth Martial Artist Second Layer was still the greatest in all of Cyan Mountain Town. No one dared to challenge his supremacy.
Being stared down by Old Master Ye, even the Patriarchs of the Li and Liu families felt their hearts tremble, losing all of their previous arrogance.
An Earth Martial Artist at the Second Layer, once angered, could easily wipe out everyone the two families had brought with them.
Only Wang Tian’s eyes remained venomous and fierce. He sneered, "Old Master of the Ye family, what an impressive display of power. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you were the strongest expert in Blue Moon City."
His voice was sharp and biting, dripping with sarcasm.
"And what are you?" Old Master Ye’s eyes glared.
Wang Tian’s expression changed. "I am Wang Tian, a steward of the Wang family."
"A mere steward dares to act so arrogantly in my Ye family? Get the hell out," the Old Master ordered coldly, his face full of disdain.
"You..." Wang Tian’s face turned ashen. He pointed a finger at the old man. "Ye Batian, don’t think your Ye family is so great. If you anger the Wang family, and we decide to destroy you, your death will be certain."
"What, you want me to handle this personally?" The Old Master stood up, a cold light shooting from his eyes. The temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees out of nowhere. A sneer played on his lips. "I, Ye Batian, came to this Cyan Mountain Town alone and carved out a domain for myself. I’ve been through no less than a hundred life-and-death battles and have never feared anyone in my decades of life. If your Wang family wants to swallow my Ye family, you’d better have the teeth for it. Go back and tell your master, if you’ve got the guts, then come. On this little patch of land in Cyan Mountain Town, I’m afraid your Wang family will find it’s a one-way trip!"
Domineering!
Truly domineering!
Hearing Old Master Ye’s words, all the Ye family disciples felt a tremor in their hearts, a feeling of hot-blooded passion surging through them.
’He’s truly worthy of being the old Clan Leader.’
’A real man should be fearless. This is a true hero, a true champion.’
’If you’re timid and scared of every little thing, everyone in the world will walk all over you.’
Comparing the Old Master’s attitude to that of Ye Zhantang and the others earlier, a sense of heroic pride and a rush of hot blood immediately began to burn in everyone’s hearts.
"Good, good, good!" Wang Tian spat out the word three times, his whole body trembling with rage. "This business in Cyan Mountain Town was originally between the Li, Liu, and your Ye family. But today, this little bastard Ye Xuan struck me. Now it has become the Wang family’s business! We will not let this rest! Wait until I report back to the Patriarch. In the future, we will definitely annihilate your Ye family."
Wang Tian was still roaring in fury.
"Still not leaving?" the Old Master’s eyes widened as he barked. The pressure of an Earth Martial Artist Second Layer suddenly bore down, startling Wang Tian so much his legs went weak. He forced himself to take a breath and waved a hand. "Let’s go."
With that, he prepared to turn and leave. The members of the Li and Liu families, looking to Wang Tian for their cue, followed suit.
At that very moment—
"Hold on!"
Ye Xuan suddenly spoke up with a cold smile. "Wang Tian, you made a huge scene coming to my Ye family to throw your weight around. Are you really planning to just walk away like that?"
"What do you want? Don’t tell me the Ye family actually plans to keep me here?" Wang Tian stopped, turning his head with a cold, sinister gaze. He let out a chilly laugh, his eyes holding not a trace of fear.
Even Old Master Ye Batian looked at Ye Xuan with confusion.
His domineering display was one thing, but he wasn’t yet at the point of killing Wang Tian. After all, the two families were only clashing in business for now, both playing by the rules. If they openly attacked a Wang family steward, it would trigger an all-out confrontation.
The Ye family wasn’t afraid of the Wang family, but that didn’t mean they could truly stand against them.
"Ye Xuan, what are you trying to do now? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?" Ye Zhantang finally couldn’t help but speak up again.
"What I want to do is none of your business."
Ye Xuan’s words nearly made Ye Zhantang explode with anger. Ye Xuan didn’t even spare him a glance, only giving his grandfather a look that said ’let me handle this’ before turning back to Wang Tian with a sneer. "Of course I won’t keep you here. But you, Wang Tian, came to my Ye family to throw your weight around. If we don’t teach you a lesson, won’t everyone think the Ye family is easy to bully?"
"Hahaha." Wang Tian couldn’t help but laugh, a sharp, piercing sound. "You think you’re qualified to teach me a lesson? Let me make one thing clear: if anyone from your Ye family so much as touches me, the Wang family will fight your Ye family to the death."
He had been foolish to let Ye Xuan hit him earlier, but if the Ye family dared to touch him now, it would be an open provocation.
"You say that as if our two families are on friendly terms," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile. Then, he called out coldly toward the entrance, "Men! Seize this Wang Tian for me, give him a sound beating, and throw him out of the Ye residence!"
Just as all the Ye family members were completely bewildered, a resounding, unified shout suddenly came from outside the hall: "Yes, Young Master Xuan!"
WHOOSH!
The hall doors were suddenly thrown open, and several armored men charged in menacingly. They were all powerfully built and rushed straight for Wang Tian, their movements agile and ferocious.
"Who are you people? Ye Batian, does your Ye family truly have a death wish?" Li Haoran and Liu Tianjie’s faces changed drastically as they roared, both of them moving to block the way in front of Wang Tian. In this situation, they had to protect him.
Ye Batian and the others were also stunned. They didn’t recognize these men who had suddenly charged in; they weren’t Ye family members at all. And judging by their auras, every single one of them had reached the Martial Master Third Layer. They were definitely not ordinary people.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sudden turn of events instantly plunged the hall into chaos. Li Haoran and Liu Tianjie fearlessly met the charge, intending to block the three men. But at that very moment, a figure shot out from behind the trio. With a pair of legs that moved like a phantom, this single person forcibly blocked both Patriarchs.
In that brief moment of distraction, Ji Ling and the other two had already found their opportunity and arrived right in front of Wang Tian.
