Chapter 338: Chapter 337 Clumsy Acting
No matter what, Ye Fan knew he was in a situation where even jumping into the Yellow River couldn’t wash him clean. With complex emotions, he and Su Qingxue finally returned to Jiangning.
As soon as they arrived, Ye Fan ordered the Heavenly King Hall to tighten its defenses against the Divine Dragon. After all, he had just killed one of their top experts, Sha Que. This victory was only possible due to the combined efforts of Qingxue and the Ice Phoenix Saintess, along with his Demonization. Otherwise, defeating Sha Que alone would have been impossible.
Upon arriving at Heavenly King Hall, Tian Can approached him. "Chief, there’s a message from the Gongsun Family."
"Oh? What did they say?" Ye Fan asked curiously. He hadn’t expected the Gongsun Family to send a message at this time. What could be the reason?
"I don’t know the specifics," Tian Can replied. "They just said they want you to visit them."
"What a bother," Ye Fan sighed, feeling helpless. He had wanted to rest for a couple of days, but now this. "Was the message from Gongsun Chou or someone else?"
"I don’t know, Chief," Tian Can said, shaking his head.
Ye Fan returned to the Su family and asked Su Qingxue, "Qingxue, has Gongsun Chou gone back to the Gongsun Family?"
"No," Su Qingxue replied. "He’s still managing Flame Valley."
Her answer left Ye Fan speechless. He decided he would have to visit the Gongsun Family in person.
「The next day, he arrived at the Gongsun Family.」
As he entered the Gongsun estate, he was greeted by Gongsun Linglong.
"What’s going on?" he asked.
"It’s nothing. It’s just been a long time since we’ve seen you, and we missed you!" Gongsun Linglong said.
"Well, you’ve seen me now," Ye Fan said, not buying it for a second. "I’ll be at a hotel. If you need anything, find me there."
"You’re our guest! How could we let you stay at a hotel?" Gongsun Linglong protested. "Please, stay for dinner!"
"Is that really appropriate?" Ye Fan asked dubiously.
"Anyway, you’re friends with our Old Ancestor. Since he isn’t here, it’s our duty to entertain you," Gongsun Linglong insisted.
"That’s right! My little sister is correct!" Gongsun Shengheng chimed in, having just returned.
There’s definitely something amiss with these two, Ye Fan thought, pressing on. "What about the Family Head? And everyone else? I remember the last gathering was packed with people. Why is it so quiet today?"
At the question, Gongsun Shengheng hemmed and hawed, at a loss for words. Gongsun Linglong quickly jumped in. "Oh, they had some business to attend to. They’ll be back tomorrow! So, it’s just the two of us to host you!" she added, quickly papering over the awkwardness.
Not long after, servants brought out a large table laden with dishes, and the siblings’ hospitality grew even more enthusiastic.
"Eat! Eat!" the two of them urged, playing the part of gracious hosts. But their polite urging only made Ye Fan more guarded. A certain level of enthusiasm was normal, but this was excessive.
"I’m not used to eating meat; I prefer vegetarian dishes," Ye Fan said. "So, while this all looks wonderful, I’m afraid I can’t eat any of it. I apologize for turning down your generous hospitality."
He spoke tactfully, hoping for an easy out. By now, he was absolutely certain something was wrong with the siblings and knew he had to be cautious.
"But... I prepared this whole meal myself!" Gongsun Linglong said, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I bought the ingredients and even supervised the cooks."
Seeing her crestfallen expression, Ye Fan felt a pang of guilt, but he didn’t let his guard down.
"If you won’t eat, that’s fine. You can still drink!" Gongsun Shengheng said hastily. "This wine has been aged by our Gongsun Family for over fifty years. The aroma is incredible the moment you open the cask! We only bring this out for our most honored guests!" With that, he poured Ye Fan a full bowl.
The aroma that wafted up was indeed enticing, a fragrance that made one yearn for a deep drink.
"I’m laying off alcohol lately," Ye Fan said, shaking his head.
The statement wasn’t entirely a lie. After that intense encounter with the Ice Phoenix Saintess, he had needed a long time to recover. The Wild Fruit was indeed wildly potent.
"Now you’re just being disrespectful," Gongsun Shengheng said, his tone souring. "Look, my sister and I have gone to great lengths to host you. You can’t just refuse everything, can you?"
Gongsun Linglong, however, remained silent.
To this, Ye Fan relented, picking up the bowl of wine. "Fine, I’ll drink. Happy now?"
He lifted the bowl, but just as he was about to drink, Gongsun Linglong cried out, "Wait!"
Ye Fan immediately lowered the bowl. "Why?"
Seeing Ye Fan put the bowl down, Gongsun Shengheng’s face fell. What is she doing? Why is she so stubborn now? Just let him drink it and this will all be over!
"N-Nothing," Gongsun Linglong stammered. "I was just asking... can you handle drinking on an empty stomach?"
Ye Fan laughed. "For me, drinking on an empty stomach is no different from drinking water. It’s no problem at all."
"That’s good then. Go on, drink," she urged. Although she forced a smile, her eyes were filled with a deep sadness.
Ye Fan raised the bowl again, but then he set it back down. Gongsun Shengheng’s heart leaped into his throat.
"Why aren’t you drinking?" he demanded.
Ye Fan replied coolly, "If I’m not mistaken, this wine is poisoned, isn’t it?"
The two siblings shot to their feet, their faces a mask of panic.
"How did you know?" Gongsun Shengheng blurted out.
Gongsun Linglong fiercely stomped on his foot and managed to squeeze out a smile. "Mr. Ye, you do love to joke!"
"Your acting is terrible," Ye Fan said flatly. "I felt something was wrong the moment I walked in. This food, this wine... it’s all poisoned. If it wasn’t, why haven’t either of you taken a single bite?"
"Bullshit!" Gongsun Shengheng exploded in anger.
Ye Fan lunged forward, grabbing him and forcing the bowl of wine toward his lips. Gongsun Shengheng was nearly scared to death.
"Enough!" Gongsun Linglong cried out. "It’s true," she confessed, her voice trembling. "The wine is poisoned. The food is poisoned, too."
Ye Fan released Gongsun Shengheng and turned to her. "Why?"
"I’m sorry," Gongsun Linglong said, her voice filled with guilt as her beautiful eyes began to glisten. "I really didn’t want to kill you!"
"Answer my question," Ye Fan’s voice was cold.
Gongsun Shengheng sighed in defeat. "Because our Gongsun Family has been taken over. Didn’t you notice no one was here when you arrived? That’s because they’ve all been captured." He knew there was no point in lying anymore.
