"This…"
Looking at the two unconscious bodyguards on the ground and hearing Ye Xiu's disdainful voice, the old man's eyes widened in disbelief. His once mocking and playful expression was now one of pure shock. Two expert fighters couldn't even withstand a single move from Ye Xiu. Moreover, the once-timid and meek Ye Xiu had now become so ruthless.
What in the world did Ye Xiu experience abroad these past ten years?
The girl, frightened by Ye Xiu's brutality, turned pale, yet her heart ached for him. The Divine Doctor who once dreamed of healing the world had been forced into becoming a bloodthirsty brute!
"Ye Xiu, do you have any idea of the consequences of striking a member of the Ye Family?" the old man said harshly after regaining his composure. "Don't think that just because you learned some Kung Fu abroad, you have the capital to contend with the Ye Family. As an Ancient Martial Family, crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant."
SLAP!
Ye Xiu's slap sent the old man sprawling face-first onto the ground. "You have it backward. In this day and age, the Ye Family is the ant compared to me. Go back and tell everyone in the Ye Family to wash their necks clean so they don't dirty my blade."
After saying this, he stomped on the old man's left ankle, crushing it, before striding away.
"AAARGH…" The old man screamed in agony and fainted from the pain.
This scene made the girl and the surrounding clueless onlookers gasp in shock. They had never seen such a bloody and brutal scene, not even in movies or television shows. It was too cruel.
"The skies of Jin Ye City are about to change," the girl muttered to herself as she watched Ye Xiu get into a Maybach.
After a decade, Ye Xiu had returned with immense martial power and a heart full of bloody vengeance. She could hardly imagine the bloodshed and turmoil the once-peaceful Jin Ye City was about to face.
In the moving Maybach, Ye Xiu asked, "How did the Ye Family know I was returning today?"
The driver, Mo Luo, replied, "After Xuanse and the other Eight Great National Protector War Gods returned to the country, their first act was to notify all officials in every City Mansion that you are Huang Quan. They were given a secret order to maintain confidentiality and forbid any conflict with you. They were also instructed to provide you with the utmost assistance when necessary. It's not surprising that a behemoth like the Ye Family found out you were returning today. However, absolutely no one would have the guts to leak your identity as Huang Quan to them."
Ye Xiu nodded. "Don't let them know I'm Huang Quan."
"Understood," Mo Luo nodded.
As one of the Thirteen Protecters under Huang Quan, he knew full well that Ye Xiu's return was to play his enemies from ten years ago to their deaths. Not revealing his identity as Huang Quan was a strategic choice; the fear from a sudden revelation would be temporary. In contrast, slowly unveiling Ye Xiu's identity and power would subject his enemies to countless heart-pounding shocks, dragging them down into utter despair.
"How are the plans coming along?" Ye Xiu asked.
"Everything is under control."
"Let's start with Jin Ye City then. Be gentle."
"Understood."
Mo Luo took out his phone, meticulously typed out Ye Xiu's words, and sent them out in a mass message. In an instant, a turbulent undercurrent began to stir throughout Jin Ye City.
Although Ye Xiu had been gone for ten years, his preparations began eight years ago. He had thoroughly investigated every mastermind and perpetrator involved in framing him. But Ye Xiu hadn't returned for a simple slaughter—wouldn't a quick death be far too lenient for them? He wanted them to experience the heart-stopping plummet from the heavens to Hell, to know the despair of utter ruin and public disgrace. These were all things Ye Xiu himself had once tasted.
"Qin Qing… is she doing okay?" Ye Xiu suddenly asked.
"Not well," Mo Luo said, shaking his head. He paused before continuing, "After you left ten years ago, Qin Qing never smiled again. She said she'd marry no one but you. If you returned in a year, she'd wait a year; if in ten years, she'd wait ten years. She kept her promise and remains unmarried to this day.
"For the past ten years, she never gave up on clearing your name. This led her to make countless enemies. If not for our constant protection in the shadows, she would have died hundreds of times over by now…"
Ye Xiu's heart suddenly felt as if it had been pricked by a needle.
Back then, when the entire world was his enemy, only Qin Qing believed he was framed. She stood resolutely by his side, trying everything she could to help him. When his mother and maternal grandparents died in a car accident, it was Qin Qing who collected their bodies and arranged their burial. When assassins hunted him down, leaving him with nowhere to run, it was Qin Qing who helped him hide and eventually assisted his escape out of the country.
What he owed Qin Qing wasn't a favor. It was his life. An entire lifetime.
"Take me to her!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mo Luo slammed his foot on the accelerator, driving with the speed and skill of a professional race car driver. He sped through the streets, arriving at the Qin Corporation in the shortest possible time. Ye Xiu sent Mo Luo away and entered the Qin Corporation building alone.
"May I ask who you are looking for?"
The moment the receptionist saw Ye Xiu, she felt as if she was looking at a ray of light. What a handsome man!
"I'm looking for Qin Qing," Ye Xiu said with a smile.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked, trying hard to maintain a professional demeanor. She was afraid of inadvertently revealing her infatuation and leaving a bad impression on the handsome man.
"No," Ye Xiu shook his head.
Just as he finished speaking, a young man holding a large bouquet of roses walked over and said disdainfully, "Where did this bumpkin come from, daring to look for Qin Qing without an appointment? Don't you have any business etiquette?"
Ye Xiu ignored the young man. He took a pink paper crane from his wallet and handed it to the receptionist. "Please give this to Qin Qing. When she sees it, she'll know who I am."
Seeing this, the young man sneered, "So you're another one of Qin Qing's admirers. Don't you think sending a paper crane is both tacky and insincere? You should at least buy a bouquet of roses like me. Tsk tsk, looking at your shabby appearance, buying a bouquet as big as mine must be a huge financial strain, right?"
Ye Xiu was speechless. Where did this dung beetle crawl out of, going around making people sick? Has everyone in Jin Ye City become this unhygienic?
He couldn't be bothered to respond. He said to the receptionist, "I'll leave it in your hands."
"Okay!" The receptionist gave a charming smile, took the paper crane, and ran to find the president's secretary. Her position didn't grant her direct access to the president.
The young man, seeing Ye Xiu ignore him yet again, felt he was losing face. He said angrily, "Did you stuff your ears with donkey hair or something? Didn't you hear me talking to you?"
Ye Xiu replied, half amused and half exasperated, "I'm begging you, please stop tempting fate. What if I can't restrain myself and end up killing you?"
These words were the sincerest of warnings. If this were in the past, the whole village would already be preparing for the young man's funeral feast.
However, not only did the young man fail to appreciate the warning, he took it as a provocation. He immediately grabbed Ye Xiu's collar and snarled, "On my turf here in Jin Ye City, if I even so much as cough, the whole city has to take medicine. You dare to talk to me like that? Are you tired of living?"
A cold glint flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes. "Take your hand off me, and I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, you'll have to bear the consequences."
"Still dare to act tough with me? I'll smack you one!"
Feeling utterly humiliated, the young man swung his hand to slap Ye Xiu's face.
SLAP!
His hand had barely moved halfway before Ye Xiu's palm had already struck his face.
At that moment, the young man felt as if his face had been hit by a car. His body staggered uncontrollably for several steps before he crashed to the ground with a THUD, his head buzzing.
"I truly envy your luck," Ye Xiu said calmly. "In the last ten years, you're the first person to provoke me and live to tell the tale."