You Dan was just walking out together with her husband and father-in-law, Marquis Xu, when she heard someone openly teasing her. Her face flushed red with sudden anger, and she turned her head sharply to see who was so reckless as to court death.
But the moment she saw that face, which she had only seen once yet found strangely familiar, all her previous fury vanished in an instant. What replaced it was pure astonishment. “How has he come back to the imperial city again?”
You Dan could not say she was unfamiliar with this young man. She had once met Ye Chu at an upscale banquet in the imperial city. He was an extremely witty person. Back then, quite a few famous young ladies had surrounded him, and none of them were inferior to her in any way. You Dan could not understand why those ladies were so willing to get close to Ye Chu.
After all, behind each of those ladies stood a crowd of admirers.
“Young Master Ye Chu! When did you return to the imperial city? And how did you end up here?” At this moment, You Dan walked up to Ye Chu with visible delight on her face, carrying a hint of excitement. Thinking back to the few teasing remarks Ye Chu had made to her back then, she felt an inexplicable shyness.
When everyone saw that You Dan actually knew Ye Chu, they exchanged stunned glances. They wondered how someone like Ye Chu could possibly have any connection to such a distinguished young lady from a prominent family.
“I was dragged here by your dear little brother. He said he wanted to break my hands and feet.” Ye Chu shrugged and pointed at You Jinglun with a smile. “I’m counting on you to save the day. I’m genuinely worried my limbs might not last the next moment.”
Those words caused You Dan’s expression to change. She turned her gaze towards You Jinglun.
You Jinglun, seeing his sister looking at him, frowned in confusion and asked, “Sister! How do you know this pauper from some small kingdom? You…”
But before You Jinglun could finish, You Dan raised her hand and delivered a crisp slap straight across his face. You Jinglun was stunned by the blow and stared blankly at the sister who had always doted on him.
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the space, leaving everyone, including Bai Xuan, dumbfounded and staring at You Dan in disbelief.
After a moment of daze, You Huowen finally reacted and roared at You Dan, “You Dan, what nonsense are you pulling? He’s your younger brother. Why hit him for no reason?”
Being scolded by her own father, You Dan grew even more furious. She glanced at Ye Chu, who was watching her with a smile, and ignoring her father’s rebuke, she glared at You Jinglun and shouted, “Hurry up and apologise to Young Master Ye!”
You Dan wanted to slap You Jinglun to death. Although she did not know exactly what Ye Chu’s status was, anyone who could stand at the centre of a group of spoiled young masters like Pang Shao was not someone their You family could afford to offend.
If not for relying on Marquis Xu’s prestige, the You family would not even have a foothold in the upper circles of the imperial city. Yet her brother had actually kidnapped Ye Chu, the one who constantly ran around with Pang Shao and that crowd. He was practically inviting disaster upon the entire family.
“Sister!” You Jinglun looked at You Dan pitifully, never expecting his sister to treat him this way.
“Shut up!” You Dan shouted. She raised her hand again, ready to deliver another slap. “Go apologise right now.”
Seeing her daughter openly disregard him, You Huowen felt displeased. His face darkened as he barked, “You Dan! That’s enough! What kind of sister hits her own brother in front of outsiders? Hmph!”
“Father! No, you don’t understand…” Seeing You Huowen grow angry, You Dan panicked and tried to explain, but You Huowen gave her no chance. He glared at Ye Chu and ordered, “Break your own hands and feet, then get out.”
Ye Chu laughed and ignored You Huowen. Instead, he said to You Dan, “The You family is truly ruthless. Compared to you lot, our group seems pathetically weak.”
“Young Master Ye, no, it’s not like that. We…” You Dan wanted to explain but found she could not say anything meaningful. She could only turn to her father and lower her voice. “Father, Young Master Ye has an esteemed identity. Please do not act rashly.”
“Esteemed identity?” Those words from You Dan made You Huowen pause. He recalled his daughter’s unusual behaviour earlier. Could this young man actually have some standing in the imperial city?
Thinking this, You Huowen became somewhat cautious and could not help asking, “Which noble family’s young master is he from in the empire?”
“This…” You Dan could not answer. Back then she had asked the same question, but the ladies close to her had all said that Ye Chu was not from the imperial city. He had merely drifted here.
“Dan’er, stop talking nonsense. I have never seen this person before. How could he possibly be from a noble family in the imperial city?” You Dan’s husband, Xu Kaiwen, stepped forward at this point. He was extremely dissatisfied with You Dan’s behaviour today. His own wife standing up for another man would upset any normal husband.
Seeing Xu Kaiwen say this and You Dan unable to name the other’s background, You Huowen assumed there was some unclear relationship between You Dan and Ye Chu. The thought made cold sweat break out on his back.
If that were truly the case, would Marquis Xu still favour the You family? Who could tolerate his own daughter-in-law having entanglements with another man?
“No matter what, this brat must be eliminated!”
“Men! Beat him to death, no mercy!” You Huowen roared, shouting for the servants in the residence.
Just as Uncle You and the others were about to act, a voice rang out from outside. “Who dares!”
As the voice fell, a young man strode in through the main gate, followed by two attendants. He carried an air of extreme arrogance, clearly another notorious troublemaker in the city.
“Young Master Liu!” You Huowen looked at the arriving youth in utter shock, wondering why he would also step forward for Ye Chu. This was the son of a marquis in the imperial city. Though his family was not as prominent as Marquis Xu’s, it was still far stronger than the You family.
Liu Shaoyang did not even glance at You Huowen. He walked straight to Ye Chu’s side and grinned. “The fat one said you’d be back in the imperial city soon and asked us to receive you. I just spotted you over in the old city, being escorted by people. I thought to myself, who in the imperial city would dare to pressure you so casually? I even wondered if I had seen wrong. Turns out someone really was blind enough.”
Ye Chu looked at Liu Shaoyang and laughed. This was one of his old fox-and-dog friends from the days they raided the Thirty-Six Caves and the General’s Tomb together, one of the imperial city’s notorious troublemakers. Not much better than Pang Shao, but at least he valued loyalty.
“I didn’t want to come either, but someone insisted on inviting me as a guest. How could I refuse?” Ye Chu said with a smile.
Liu Shaoyang curled his lip in disdain. “Come on, stop playing around. Everyone heard you were returning to the imperial city and already organised a banquet to welcome you. Let’s go. What’s there to do here? Come with us instead. It’ll be much more fun over there! A lot of people are waiting to see you!”
Hearing Liu Shaoyang’s words, Ye Chu shrugged. “But they won’t let me leave.”
Liu Shaoyang frowned and looked at You Huowen. “I’m taking him with me. You have no objections, right?”
You Huowen suddenly felt the situation slipping out of control. Even Liu Shaoyang had come forward to vouch for Ye Chu. Could his daughter have been telling the truth? You Huowen began to back down. If Ye Chu really was someone important, he did not want to provoke him.
“Hehe! Shaoyang, is this how you speak to your elders? He is my in-law, practically your uncle as well. Calling him Uncle You wouldn’t be too much.” At this moment, Marquis Xu stepped forward and snorted at Liu Shaoyang.
Only then did everyone realise that the man standing beside Xu Kaiwen was none other than Marquis Xu himself. Uncle Liu’s face turned pale with horror as he stared straight at this legendary figure. The Primordial Spirit realm was already a terrifying, heaven-defying existence in their eyes. In the imperial city, Marquis Xu might not turn clouds with one hand and rain with the other, but his prestige and status were beyond question. Crushing an Innate realm cultivator would be effortless for him. That was the terror of the Primordial Spirit realm and the weight of his authority.
Liu Shaoyang had already noticed Marquis Xu long ago. He had never liked this man whose status and position far surpassed his own family, and he felt a degree of fear towards him, preferring not to provoke him.
But this time, Liu Shaoyang was not afraid. In fact, he hoped the other side would step forward so he could use the opportunity to deal with him properly.
“Uncle my arse. This young master won’t even call you uncle, let alone him. Just a bunch of old fossils!” Liu Shaoyang cursed loudly. His words made everyone around suck in a cold breath. Looking at Liu Shaoyang’s brazen attitude, they thought that spoiled brats were indeed spoiled brats. He did not even bother with basic respect or courtesy. Marquis Xu was a major figure, yet he dared insult him like this. Was he not afraid Marquis Xu would strike him down?
Marquis Xu’s face indeed darkened. “Do you believe I will discipline you on behalf of your father!”
Liu Shaoyang did not even look at him. His gaze remained on Ye Chu as he said, “Let’s go. Ignore him!”
Seeing that Ye Chu was really about to be taken away by Liu Shaoyang, Marquis Xu blustered with false bravado, his voice exploding with rage from his throat. “Stand right there for this marquis! Even your father has to be respectful in my presence. Who do you think you are? Today this marquis wants him dead. Can you save him?”
Liu Shaoyang’s steps suddenly halted. He turned back to look at Marquis Xu. “You really want to go this far?”
“Hmph!” Marquis Xu sneered, thinking to himself that he, a堂堂 marquis who had reached the Primordial Spirit realm, was a significant figure in the imperial city. Even if the entire Liu family came at him, he would not be afraid.
Seeing Marquis Xu look down on him so openly, Liu Shaoyang stared at him and said word by word, “Then don’t regret it.”
With that, Liu Shaoyang turned and walked away.
Marquis Xu, having been left with harsh words by a mere youth, looked utterly livid. Regret? What a joke. Dealing with a youngster like this, why would he ever regret it?