“You?”
The Ye family members all stared at Ye Xuan, their eyes brimming with doubt.
The Fang family was incredibly powerful—how could Ye Xuan possibly contend with them?
Were all young people this arrogant?
Ye Xuan’s cultivation was only at the 7th Layer of the Strong Spirit Realm.
While such a level might be considered genius in the tiny Hongtu Town, it was absolutely nothing when compared to the rest of the Kingdom.
Ye Xuan did not bother to explain.
Instead, he muttered softly, “Three days?
That’s a bit tight.
I’ll go into secluded cultivation right now.
Ling’Er, take good care of Father.”
As his words fell, he turned to leave the courtyard.
As if remembering something, he paused and turned to Ye Zeyun.
“Grandpa, find me a pair of Twin Jade.
Give one piece to Ling’Er and keep the other for me.
If sudden danger arises while I’m away, have Ling’Er crush her piece immediately.”
Twin Jade consisted of two interconnected pieces of jade born from the same source; if one shattered, the other would follow suit.
Cultivators used this type of jade for emergency communication.
“You need Twin Jade?
Ye Xuan, where are you going into secluded cultivation?
Aren’t you doing it at home?”
“No, outside.”
The Ye family estate was not suitable for practicing martial techniques; he needed to find an empty, uninhabited area.
Originally, Ye Xuan had planned to learn two martial techniques, but since he only had three days, learning one would have to suffice.
This would be the perfect opportunity to see just how heaven-defying his current talent truly was.
With that said, Ye Xuan departed.
“This…
Did Ye Xuan just leave like that?
He couldn’t have run away, right?”
“It’s not impossible.
He’s been away from home for thirteen years.
How much affection could he really still have for this family?”
“If he really ran away, then damn him to hell.”
The Ye family members whispered among themselves.
“Shut up, all of you!” Ye Zeyun shouted coldly.
He turned to look at the doorway, muttering to himself, “Ye Xuan, I hope you don’t disappoint me.
Otherwise, you will have let down the ancestors of the Ye family!”
In Ye Zeyun’s view, Ye Xuan hadn’t gone into secluded cultivation at all.
It was merely an excuse; he had likely gone to seek reinforcements.
Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Ye Xuan was simply afraid and used this as a pretext to flee.
Just as the family members had said, Ye Xuan had been away for thirteen years—how much loyalty did he truly possess toward this family?
Ten minutes later, in the outskirts of town, Ye Xuan found a hidden cave and began practicing his martial techniques inside.
Two days later.
Over the past two days, the Ye family had been restless and consumed by panic.
The mere thought of Fang Tianming’s words suffocated them, as if dark clouds permanently loomed overhead, blotting out any sliver of light.
Some of the younger generation anxiously questioned their parents.
“Is Cousin Ye Xuan really going to pull this off?
Is he really in secluded cultivation?
What kind of cultivation can change everything in just three days?”
“Father, Mother, are we really going to bet the lives of our entire clan on Ye Xuan?
It’s been two days, and we haven’t heard a single word from him!”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m so scared.
I feel like we’re just waiting to die right now.
Tomorrow, whether the Fang family finds the killer or not, we’re all going to be slaughtered…
But I don’t want to die.”
Elsewhere, similar murmurs echoed.
“Ye Xuan has been gone for two days.
Did he run away?”
“It’s highly likely!
Think about it—even if he really went into secluded cultivation, three days is far too short!
Besides, why couldn’t he do it here?
Why did he have to leave?
He clearly made an excuse to escape!”
“ARGH, what do we do…
This feeling of waiting for death is unbearable.”
The Ye family was in a state of mass panic.
They increasingly believed that Ye Xuan had fled to avoid the consequences.
Going out for secluded cultivation was nothing but a sham!
In the entire Ye family, only Ye Ling’Er still held out hope for him.
“Brother, did you really run away?” she murmured softly.
“No, I don’t believe it…
I know you will come back to save me.”
On the third day, in the Fang family’s discussion hall.
Fang Tianming spoke with simmering anger, “Two days have passed, and you haven’t found a single clue!?
Not even one suspicious person?”
After his outburst, a white-bearded elder spoke up.
“Patriarch, we’ve interrogated every unfamiliar face in town over the past two days, but all of them have alibis.
There truly isn’t anyone suspicious.
Unless…”
“Unless what, Fifth Elder?”
“Unless it wasn’t an unfamiliar face, but rather an acquaintance we thought we knew inside and out.”
“What do you mean?
An acquaintance we know inside and out…
Are you suggesting that a Fang family member killed our own?” Fang Tianming swept his gaze across the surrounding clansmen, his eyes as sharp as knives.
Fang Shaohan was the Fang family’s only direct-line grandson.
If he died, the side branches could rise to power.
Could it be internal strife?
“That’s not exactly what I meant.”
“If that’s not what you meant, then what is it?
In all of Hongtu Town, aside from our Fang family, who else has the ability to kill the Eighth Elder?”
“That is exactly the problem!
Why do we automatically assume that none of the affiliated factions have the guts or the strength to do it?
What if one of them actually possesses the strength to kill the Eighth Elder?
If—and I’m saying if—they truly had the power, think back, Brother.
Who would be the most likely to make a move?”
Fang Tianming’s pupils shrank.
After pondering carefully, his eyes narrowed.
“The Ye family!”
“Exactly, the Ye family!
Someone saw the Eighth Elder and Shaohan go to the Ye family estate.
The Ye family claimed they left through the back door, but there were absolutely no tracks left on the path behind it.
At first, we assumed the killer came prepared.
However, is it possible that our entire line of reasoning was flawed from the start?
And the reason we were wrong was that we subconsciously believed the Ye family lacked both the guts and the strength to kill!
But again, what if they did have the strength?”
As the elder finished speaking, the eyes of most people in the hall lit up in realization, though someone still raised a doubt.
“Fifth Elder, while what you’re saying makes some sense, we really do know the Ye family inside and out.
Their strongest member is nothing but that old piece of trash, Ye Zeyun.”
“That’s right.
Ye Zeyun just barely stepped into the Strong Spirit Realm, and the only reason he even broke through was because our Fang family provided him with the cultivation route and elixirs.
The idea that someone in the Ye family could kill the Eighth Elder is nothing short of a fantasy.”
The Fifth Elder replied indifferently, “Perhaps someone in the Ye family has been biding their time, hiding their true strength.
Actually, finding out the answer is incredibly simple—we just go to their doorstep and start killing!
If they really have an expert, I don’t believe he will just sit back and watch us slaughter all the Ye family members.”
“But what if they don’t have an expert?”
The Fifth Elder’s eyes were cold and apathetic.
“We’re going to kill them eventually anyway.
We can just treat it as venting our anger ahead of schedule.
So, anyone who wants to vent their frustrations, come with me right now.”
“Fifth Elder, I’ll go with you!
I’m full of pent-up rage, and only killing will release it.”
“I’ll go too.”
“Good, all of you come with me.
Patriarch, what about you?” The Fifth Elder looked toward Fang Tianming.
Fang Tianming thought for a moment before saying, “The Ye family are still the dogs I raised.
Even if they need to be put down, it doesn’t look good for me to act personally.
Let’s do this—you all go.
But if the Ye family really is harboring the killer…
never mind, just go.”
Ten minutes later, at the Ye family estate.
Ye Zeyun glanced at the sky.
It was currently 1:45 PM, and the sun was blazing fiercely.
However, today’s sun seemed to be tinged with a streak of blood-red.
The entire Ye family estate was bathed in this crimson hue.
Ye Zeyun raised a brow.
This scenery was not a good omen.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, a loud BOOM erupted from the front courtyard.
Before Ye Zeyun could figure out what was going on, he heard the agonizing screams of his family members.
“My lord, I don’t know what you’re talking about!
I don’t know who the killer is!
I…
AHH!”
“My lord, we really don’t know!
Please, don’t!”
Ye Zeyun’s face paled drastically.
He hastily rushed out of the main courtyard and headed toward the front.
By the time he arrived, the front courtyard was a total mess, with several corpses already littering the ground.
To his horror, he personally witnessed the Fang family’s Fifth Elder ruthlessly twist and snap the arms and legs of one of the side branch descendants.
They weren’t just here to kill!
They were here to torture and slaughter!
Only in this way could they vent the burning rage in their hearts.