Uncle Liu and the others were unexpectedly taken away by You Jinglun as well. They already loathed You Jinglun to the extreme. Standing beside Ye Chu, they tried to comfort him. “Don’t worry. You Jinglun’s father and we are old acquaintances. When the time comes, we’ll put in a few good words for you. He won’t make things difficult for you.”
“That’s right! Who would have thought Brother You would produce such a spoiled brat? Truly a misfortune for the family.”
Hearing the comforting words around him, Ye Chu smiled and paid them no mind. He continued playing with Yao Yao as before. Only Bai Xuan looked at You Jinglun and said, “You’re very similar to how you were a few years ago. Both of you like to bully the weak and fear the strong.”
Ye Chu rolled his eyes. “Sister Bai Xuan, please don’t insult me, alright? Doing evil also comes in levels, you know. If I’m at the grandmaster level, he’s at best a little kid. I wouldn’t even feel comfortable being compared to him. Besides, I won’t deny bullying the weak, but I’ve never been afraid of the strong either!”
Seeing that Ye Chu still had the mood to joke, Bai Xuan knew he did not take the other side seriously at all. Although she did not understand where Ye Chu’s confidence came from, he had always made her feel at ease. Bai Xuan stopped worrying. She gave Ye Chu a playful glance with her beautiful eyes, full of charm. “Only you would treat wrongdoing as an honour. Now I’m starting to suspect that the words on the city wall are indeed referring to you.”
Ye Chu gave a wry smile and did not explain.
After passing through the old district, You Jinglun escorted Ye Chu and the group to a certain place. This was the You residence. Back on his own turf, You Jinglun laughed even more smugly. “I’ll show you how you should tuck your tail between your legs and behave.”
Not long after, You Jinglun’s father, You Huowen, walked out. Seeing the large group being brought in by his son, he frowned and called out, “Jinglun, what have you done now?”
“Father, your son has been beaten!” You Jinglun threw himself at You Huowen’s feet, tears and snot streaming down his face. Ye Chu secretly clicked his tongue, thinking that in terms of acting skills, this kid had actually surpassed him.
“What happened?” You Huowen had gained a son in his middle age and doted on the child excessively. Seeing that someone had hit him, anger rose in his heart. His gaze could not help shifting towards Ye Chu and the others. When it landed on Bai Xuan, he was momentarily stunned by her mature, alluring beauty.
“Master You! This is all a misunderstanding!” Uncle Liu and the others quickly stepped forward, trying to smooth things over with forced smiles. “Your son is Master You’s son. Even if we were completely unreasonable, we would never dare strike your son.”
“Liu Jun! Hu Tong! Why are you here too?” You Huowen was surprised. His gaze shot towards You Jinglun. He naturally did not believe these men would bully his son.
Under his father’s stare, You Jinglun shrank his neck. “They didn’t hit me themselves, but they sided with others to bully me. Father, how can I swallow this humiliation?”
“Nonsense!” You Huowen scolded. “These are all your uncles. How dare you act so recklessly? Go and apologise at once.”
You Jinglun still held some respect for his father. He could only step forward and offer an apology.
“What exactly happened?” You Huowen asked You Jinglun, unwilling to truly blame him.
You Jinglun pointed at Bai Xuan. “Your son has taken a liking to a woman and wants to marry her. But someone keeps making trouble for me, even injuring my workers and threatening me.”
“You’re finally willing to get married?” You Huowen was overjoyed. Having a child late in life, he longed for grandchildren to fill the house. Yet You Jinglun had always resisted marriage. For him to bring it up willingly now was unexpected.
You Huowen’s gaze fell on Bai Xuan. He thought this woman was truly stunning and more than worthy of his son.
“Hehe! Willing to marry is a good thing.” You Huowen said, then looked at Bai Xuan. “Miss, would you consider it? Although my You family is not some grand clan, we are certainly not lacking. I myself am at the sixth level of the Innate realm. Marrying into our family would not wrong you. Most importantly, this old man is connected by marriage to Marquis Xu.”
“Marquis Xu? You mean the one in the imperial city who broke through from the Innate realm to the Primordial Spirit realm, the one famous for slaying ten thousand enemies on the frontier?” Ye Chu was somewhat surprised. Marquis Xu did have a daughter-in-law surnamed You, but he had never imagined it was this old man’s daughter. That daughter was quite attractive. Ye Chu had met her once and even teased her with a couple of remarks.
Marquis Xu was indeed a prominent figure in the imperial city. Breaking through to the Primordial Spirit realm showed considerable talent. Among the countless marquises in the imperial city, he ranked in the upper tier.
Although Uncle Liu and the others were acquainted with You Huowen, they had not known about his marriage connection to Marquis Xu. Their expressions changed. Merchants like them might enjoy much higher status than ordinary people, but in front of someone like Marquis Xu, they were nothing more than ants.
Uncle Liu now understood why You Jinglun had grown into such an arrogant and domineering character. With Marquis Xu as a backer, in the imperial city he could bully anyone except the true upper class without fear.
“A person from a small kingdom actually knows of Marquis Xu?” You Huowen glanced at Ye Chu in surprise. “But you injured my family’s workers. This matter needs to be settled.”
When You Jinglun had spoken about Bai Xuan, he had also informed You Huowen about Ye Chu’s identity and so on. You Huowen was inwardly surprised that this young man had reached the Innate realm. Still, he did not care. The Innate realm was far beneath him.
“How do you want to settle it?” Ye Chu stared at You Huowen. “I’m just afraid you can’t afford the price!”
“How dare you!” Backed by his father, You Jinglun exploded with rage. He glared fiercely at Ye Chu and roared, “Who do you think you are, daring to speak to my father like that?”
You Huowen laughed. “Do you think you’re still in a tiny kingdom like Yao? Where an Innate realm cultivator is treated like a national teacher? Hmph, truly a small character who has never seen the wider world, bringing your old arrogance all the way to the imperial city.”
“How do you know I haven’t seen the wider world? Maybe I’ve seen even more than you!” Ye Chu looked at You Huowen. “If you’re sensible, release us right now. Perhaps I won’t hold it against you. Otherwise, I think your residence might not be enough to smash. Do you believe me?”
You Huowen ignored Ye Chu’s bold words. He called out to Uncle You, “Capture him, break his four limbs, and throw him out. As for Miss Bai Xuan, she will stay in my You family and properly become the young madam.”
Seeing Uncle You suddenly move against him, Ye Chu suddenly laughed. His gaze involuntarily turned in one direction, where he spotted a familiar figure walking out from the inner courtyard.
“One last warning. Let us go. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself.” Ye Chu smiled at You Huowen.
“What are you acting arrogant for!” You Jinglun snorted. “Uncle You, finish him off.”
Ye Chu shook his head and sighed. “Do you believe that if I shout once, someone will step out and slap you across the face?”
“Do you think this is your house?” You Jinglun spat, sneering in disdain.
Ye Chu shook his head, wondering why no one ever believed him. He looked at the group walking out from the inner courtyard of the You residence and called out loudly, “Miss You, long time no see. Have you missed me?”
These words from Ye Chu left You Jinglun stunned. Then his face twisted with fury. What was this bastard doing? Daring to flirt with his own sister at a time like this? Truly courting death.
Even Uncle Liu and the others shook their heads and sighed. They thought Ye Chu usually seemed quite clever. How could he pour oil on the fire now? It would be even harder for them to speak up for him in front of You Huowen this time!