As expected, things unfolded just as Ya Fei had predicted.
A month passed. Unable to find any trace of Xiao Yan, the people from Jia Nan Academy turned their attention to the Jia Nan Empire. That very night, they swept through Wu Tan City and captured the members of the Xiao family, escorting them to the academy. Simultaneously, a second group was dispatched to Shimo City to seize Xiao Yan's two brothers, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
Then came the cruel declaration.
Jia Nan Academy announced that unless Xiao Yan returned the Fallen Heart Flame, they would begin mutilating Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li—one body part at a time—until nothing remained.
This was no righteous pursuit. It was ruthless.
Outside Heping Town, kneeling at the gates, were Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and several Xiao clan members—including Xiao Yu. Behind them stood five cold-eyed Douhuang-level enforcers.
One of the elders sneered. "Elder, are we truly abandoning righteousness?"
"Righteousness?" the other elder scoffed. "What use is righteousness when our enemies deceive us? Xiao Yan, a student nurtured by the inner courtyard, repaid kindness with theft. Since he dared to deceive us, we shall respond in kind."
His voice grew louder, the words directed to the open air.
"Xiao Yan, hear me! Every day at 15:30, until you return the Fallen Heart Flame, I will take a part of your father's body. One piece per day. If you continue to hide, your father will be reduced to a corpse. Then it will be your eldest brother, then your second brother, and finally your clan. Show yourself, or watch them perish."
He turned to the executioner. "It is past 15:30. Take one of Xiao Zhan's eyes."
Without hesitation, a student of the inner courtyard stepped forward, his palm transforming into a razor-sharp claw. With a precise motion, he gouged out Xiao Zhan's left eye.
"Aghhh!" Xiao Zhan cried out in agony, his body convulsing.
The student casually dropped the bloody eye to the ground, then crushed it beneath his heel.
Hidden among the onlookers, Xiao Yan witnessed everything.
His fists clenched, fingernails biting into his flesh until blood trickled down. His eyes burned with fury.
"Xiao Yanzi, what will you do?" Yao Chen asked softly.
"Teacher... is there a way to become stronger quickly?"
"Are you still unwilling to hand over the Fallen Heart Flame?"
Xiao Yan's voice was calm, but cold. "Even if I return it, they will never let us go. Jia Nan Academy has long been a power that manipulates the empires of the Black-Corner Region. If I surrender now, I die, and my family dies with me."
Yao Chen nodded. "Then you must become stronger—fast. There is a way, but..."
"But what?"
"It walks the edge of darkness. If you lose control, you may fall into demonic corruption."
Black Emperor City
"Young Master Ye, many old monsters have arrived in Black Emperor City recently. They're clearly after the Bodhi Body Saliva."
Ya Fei's tone was calm, though her swaying gait and the enticing curve of her waist added a certain charm to her report.
"Oh," Ye Feng replied without interest.
For the past month, Ye Feng, Zi Yan, Ya Fei, and both the elder and younger Amethyst Winged Lion Kings had made the Black Emperor City their home. When he wasn't traveling, Ye Feng relaxed under Ya Fei's attentive care.
Whether she had accepted her role as his maid or simply didn't mind being indulgent, Ya Fei never refused any of his requests. Every massage was done to perfection, every inch of his body attended to with devotion.
The group had stayed in the city in anticipation of an upcoming grand auction.
Originally, Ye Feng had planned to simply seize the auction's treasures by force. But Ya Fei had objected strongly.
"Auctions reflect a treasure's true value. That value is a kind of reverence," she had explained. "I've hosted countless auctions, but never attended one as a bidder. This time, I want to experience that."
And so, Ye Feng relented.
"Young Master Ye, this is the Black-Corner Region. Once the auction ends, blood will spill," Ya Fei warned again.
"Oh," he replied, still indifferent.
Standing behind him, Ya Fei began gently pounding his shoulders with her delicate jade hands. She understood well—Ye Feng didn't care about the so-called "old monsters."
"I heard even some forces from Zhongzhou have arrived. Also... Jia Nan Academy has gone mad. They raided Wu Tan City and captured the entire Xiao family. They even gouged out Xiao Zhan's eye today at the gates of Heping Town, all to force Xiao Yan to hand over the Fallen Heart Flame."
"Where's Xiao Yu?" Ye Feng asked.
Xiao Yu. A name from Ye Feng's past life. He remembered the rumors—longest legs in Wu Tan City. Since arriving in the Dou Qi Continent, he had yet to confirm whether the rumors held true.
"She was taken as well. Guilt by association."
"So... are her legs really as long and round as they say?"
Ya Fei's hands paused. "Mr. Ye... has anyone else dared ask you such a thing?"
"What, jealous? I'm just asking. But no matter how long her legs are, they can't rival yours in charm."
Ya Fei smiled, pleased. "Now that's something worth saying. I heard Xiao Yan touched her legs once when they were children, and she chased him around the city for hours. She's tall, yes, but her personality—definitely not easy."
Ye Feng nodded in agreement.
He had no intention of finding Xiao Yu or Xiao Mei, that infamous green tea girl. Let the past remain there.
Suddenly, Ye Feng opened his eyes, reached out, and pulled Ya Fei into his arms.
"Master Ye... you're not thinking of... again?" her voice trembled, her cheeks flushing red.
She met Ye Feng's mischievous gaze and knew: he was.
Ye Feng grinned.
"Here we go again... We already played until three in the morning yesterday!" she said in mock protest, though her heart fluttered wildly.
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