In Ye Tian's eyes, Ye Chen was now nothing more than a cripple. Sending a few lackeys to snatch his sister Ye Lin would be more than enough.
And if Ye Chen dared to resist, they could kill him outright and call it justified.
Perfect—two birds with one stone.
…
Deep within Qingcheng Mountain.
Ye Chen, still driving the carriage, had no idea that Ye Tian had already set a trap for him.
"Big brother, where are we going?"
"Are we… going back to the Ye family?"
From inside the carriage, Ye Lin poked her small head out and looked at Ye Chen, who was handling the reins.
"Go back to the Ye family?"
A trace of ice-cold fury flashed across Ye Chen's face as he said in a low voice, "Does the Ye family deserve me going back?"
All these years, he, Ye Chen, had poured his heart and soul into the Ye family.
And what did the Ye family do in return?
When they learned he had been crippled by the Wang family's Grand Elder, not a single person stood up for him.
Worse—they abandoned him without hesitation.
A family like that had no right to demand his loyalty ever again.
Moreover, when Ye Lin was still in the Ye family, she had once been humiliated by Ye Tian just because a guard tossed her a few taels of silver.
Why would he ever return to such a cold-blooded, heartless clan?
"If we're not going back to the Ye family, then where are we going, big brother?"
Hearing that Ye Chen had no intention of returning, Ye Lin's little face filled with confusion as she asked.
On the carriage seat, Ye Chen turned back to look at her and smiled softly. "Big brother is taking you to see the world outside. How does that sound?"
Ye Lin nodded sensibly, a sweet smile blooming on her face. "Wherever big brother goes, Lin'er will go too!"
"As long as I can stay with big brother, Lin'er is willing to go anywhere!"
Seeing how mature and understanding she was, Ye Chen's heart ached. "Lin'er, don't worry. Big brother will definitely give you a good life. I'll never let anyone wrong you again…"
"Giddyup!"
With that, Ye Chen gripped the reins and urged the carriage toward the outskirts of Qingcheng Mountain.
Now that his injuries had healed and the Eternal Heavenly Tomb resided within his body, Ye Chen was confident that, given enough time, he could rise to become a true powerhouse.
Even breaking through to the legendary Supreme Realm was no longer impossible.
…
Qingcheng Mountain.
Just as Ye Chen's carriage sped toward the mountain gate, he had no idea that Ye Tian had long ago stationed several underlings here, lying in wait for Ye Lin.
It was as if Ye Tian had predicted exactly which route the siblings would take.
And sure enough—it didn't take long.
Ye Tian's lackeys soon spotted Ye Lin's carriage racing toward them.
Seeing this, the group of Ye family disciples strolled out with smug grins, laughing among themselves. "Young Master Ye Tian really does see everything coming. Who would've thought that little girl Ye Lin would actually head this way!"
"Of course. Have you forgotten who Young Master Ye Tian is?"
"As long as we follow him faithfully, once he becomes family head, we brothers might get to ride his coattails—maybe even become clan deacons. Wouldn't that be great?"
In the distance.
Ye Chen drove the carriage closer.
From far away, when he spotted the Ye family disciples blocking the mountain gate, confusion flickered in his heart. "Hm? Why are Ye family disciples here?"
"Could the news of me killing the Lin family guards have reached the Ye family this quickly?"
"That shouldn't be possible…"
Still puzzled, Ye Chen stopped the carriage and let Ye Lin take the reins while he slipped back inside. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he muttered coldly, "Let's see what you're really after."
Ye Lin didn't question why he wanted her to drive. She simply nodded obediently, took the reins from him, and continued guiding the carriage toward the gate.
Moments later.
Just as Ye Lin was about to pass through the gate, the Ye family disciples suddenly blocked her path. They wore playful, mocking expressions and teased, "Little Sister Ye Lin, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Don't tell us the Lin family refused to save your worthless brother, so you're rushing out to dig his grave…"
At this, the disciples burst into loud laughter, as if Ye Chen's death was already certain in their eyes.
Faced with their mockery, Ye Lin's small face flushed red. "My brother is not worthless! He's the number one genius of Qingcheng Mountain! You're not allowed to talk about him like that!"
One of the disciples sneered coldly. "Genius? Are you joking?"
"A cripple who can't even stand—what right does he have to be called a genius?"
"If you're so sure, why don't you make your worthless brother stand up right now?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the group roared with laughter again.
After a long while, they finally stopped. Their gazes turned hostile as they looked at Ye Lin. "Enough messing around, Ye Lin. Time to get to business."
"The Grand Elder ordered us to bring you back to make one final contribution to the family. If you refuse, don't blame us for being ruthless."
"As for that worthless brother of yours—we think you should just dump him in some wilderness and bury him in a random ditch. He's going to die sooner or later anyway. Better to let him reincarnate early."
Faced with their threats, Ye Lin's eyes burned with determination. "I will never go back to the Ye family!"
Seeing her stubbornness, the disciples' faces darkened with anger. "If that's how you want it, don't blame us for showing no mercy…"
With that, they started walking toward the carriage, clearly intending to drag Ye Lin back by force.
Watching them approach, panic flashed across Ye Lin's face. "W-what are you doing…?"
One of them sneered, "What do you think? Taking you back, of course!"
As they drew closer, Ye Lin frantically whipped the reins, hoping to ram through and escape with Ye Chen.
But reality was cruel.
Just as the carriage charged toward the disciples, one of them raised his arm. Spiritual energy surged, and he smashed a fist into the carriage.
**Boom!**
The carriage flipped and crashed.
One disciple glanced toward the wreckage, then fixed his cold eyes on Ye Lin. "Little girl, you actually dared to resist us. If Young Master Ye Tian hadn't said the Second Young Master of the Wang family specifically wants you, we'd teach you a real lesson today…"
"What? The Second Young Master of the Wang family? The Ye family plans to send Ye Lin back just to hand her over to the Wang family?" From inside the overturned carriage, Ye Chen's voice was low and icy with rage. "What a wonderful Ye family. When the Wang family's Grand Elder crippled me, no one spoke up for me—that was bad enough. Now they want to give Ye Lin to that bastard Second Young Master…"
"Everyone in Qingcheng Mountain knows what kind of person the Wang family's Second Young Master is. Over the years, every woman he's played with has either been tossed to his subordinates when he grew bored… or fed to his beasts."
"Sending Ye Lin to the Wang family—is that any different from sending her to her death?"
Furious, Ye Chen stepped out of the carriage just in time to see the Ye family disciples surrounding Ye Lin.
At the sight, his anger exploded. He roared, "Let's see who dares to touch my sister today!"
"This… how is this possible?"
"Weren't you crippled by the Wang family's Grand Elder?"
"How can you still stand?!"