Everyone turned their gaze towards Ye Yuanwu. At some point, a tall, slender young man with an extraordinary bearing had appeared in front of him.
“Ye Yuande!” Pang Shao and the others’ expressions changed. They could not help exclaiming aloud. No one had expected Ye Yuande to show up here. This was Ye Yuanwu’s second brother, a man of exceptional strength who had reached the upper grade of the Innate Realm. At this level, a casual raise of his hand could shatter rocks and split metal. He was terrifyingly powerful.
Ye Chu stared at Ye Yuande and slightly twisted his somewhat numb legs. Ye Yuande’s earlier strike had left his legs completely numb. One could imagine just how frightening the opponent’s power was. Compared to Ye Yuanwu, Ye Chu was simply not on the same level.
Ye Chu had heard of Ye Yuande before. He was truly one of the top figures among the younger generation in the imperial city. His talent was outstanding, far surpassing the other young geniuses of the capital.
“Second Brother!” Ye Yuanwu was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward to Ye Yuande’s side. He had not expected his second brother to step in and stand up for him at such a critical moment.
“I told you long ago to spend more time cultivating, but you always made excuses. If I had not happened to pass by and come in to take a look today, you would have been crippled by now,” Ye Yuande scolded Ye Yuanwu. His eyes carried a hint of sternness as he lectured him.
Ye Yuanwu did not dare talk back under Ye Yuande’s reprimand. He gave an awkward laugh before turning to look at Ye Chu. “I originally did not want to make a move, but this is the Ye Chu who did that thing to our cousin Ji Die. I simply could not swallow that anger.”
“Ye Chu? Wasn’t he beaten to death by the Ye family in Yao City?” Ye Yuande asked in surprise. His gaze shifted to Ye Chu. The intent Ye Chu had displayed earlier was quite unusual, combining hardness and softness. His strength was not weak. How could this person possibly be him?
“It really is him! Who knows what kind of fortunate encounter he stumbled upon to reach such strength,” Ye Yuanwu said bitterly. He still could not believe he had been utterly powerless against Ye Chu. “Big Brother! You must capture him. This is a disgrace to the Ye family. Since the Ye family in Yao City failed to kill him, we will have to do it ourselves.”
Ye Yuande looked at Ye Chu and nodded calmly. He genuinely harboured no goodwill towards someone who had dared to attempt something improper against his cousin Ji Die. If he could vent some anger on her behalf, perhaps Ji Die would develop a favourable impression of him.
Ye Yuande was an arrogant man, yet the only exception was his deep affection for that stunningly beautiful cousin Ji Die, who possessed peerless grace. All three brothers admired that fairy-like woman.
“The imperial city is not a place you can set foot in. Since you have come, follow us back to the Ye family,” Ye Yuande said to Ye Chu. His tone was indifferent, yet it carried the air of an order. He clearly did not take Ye Chu seriously at all.
“The imperial city does not belong to your Ye family. Ye Chu can come and go as he pleases. It is not your place to interfere,” Pang Shao stepped forward and shouted. “My Pang family invited him here, so naturally he can come.”
Ye Yuande glanced at Pang Shao. “Do not stick your neck out. Others may fear your Pang family, but my Ye family does not. The Pang family is not necessarily stronger than mine! As one of the oldest noble houses in the imperial city, your status means nothing to me. If you have the ability, then use your strength to stop me.”
“You…” Pang Shao was furious, yet helpless. With his strength, Ye Yuande could deal with him in a single move.
Liu Shaoyang and the others secretly grew anxious. They knew their identities meant nothing in front of Ye Yuande. Were they really going to watch him take Ye Chu away?
Everyone looked at Ye Chu, only to see him smile. “Do not speak so righteously. You simply want me dead, that is all. If you want to kill me, then come.”
Ye Chu knew that running into members of the Ye family would inevitably bring trouble, so he had not hoped to avoid it. Although the attempted misconduct was not something he had done, the sins committed by this body were his to bear.
Ye Chu was indeed no match for Ye Yuande. The gap in their strength was far too great. Despite his rapid growth over the past three years, he still could not compare to Ye Yuande, who had been cultivating since childhood. But that did not mean Ye Yuande could kill him easily. If Ye Yuande truly tried to kill him, Ye Chu could still take a chunk out of him in return.
“You have some guts! No wonder you dared to do that back then,” Ye Yuande said while staring at Ye Chu. “But trash will always be trash. Your reputation as scum cannot be changed. Since you refuse to come with us, I will clean house for the Ye family in your place.”
“Ye Chu! You go first! We will hold him off. He would not dare kill us,” Pang Shao whispered to Ye Chu.
Seeing Liu Shaoyang and the others step in front of him to block the way, Ye Chu smiled. “I want to see whether he is willing to pay the price to kill me.”
Ye Chu took a step forward and stood facing Ye Yuande. “Back then, the things I did were things you all secretly wanted to do as well, were they not? But you did not dare. All you can do now is feel jealous. A bunch of cowards. What right do you have to strut around in front of me?”
Perhaps Ye Chu had hit a nerve. Ye Yuande’s expression darkened. He could not accept being called a coward by a piece of scum.
“Then die.” Ye Yuande roared. Power gathered in his arm, faintly shimmering with light.
But just as Ye Yuande was about to strike, a delicate voice rang out. “This is a banquet of my Star Slash. I would like to see who dares to cause trouble here!”
Though the voice was soft and gentle, the authority within it spread irresistibly.
Ye Yuande was furious. Even princes in Yao City might not dare stop him from doing as he pleased. Now someone actually dared to interfere. Who was so reckless?
Yet when he saw the woman step forward, dressed in a flowing silk skirt, stunningly beautiful and graceful, swaying with a slender yet resilient waist, his expression turned extremely strange. “Holy Maiden!”
Qing Wenting did not even glance at him. Her gaze turned to Ye Chu and the others, and she nodded at them with a smile.
“It is the Holy Maiden!” Liu Shaoyang and the others were thrilled. The fear from moments ago vanished completely. Huang Lin even jumped in front of Qing Wenting. “Holy Maiden, this group of people are swaggering around trying to wreck our Star Slash. Hurry up and slap them!”
Qing Wenting smiled at Huang Lin, then looked at Ye Chu. “I will help you once. You will owe me a favour. How about it?”
“Help if you want. I do not owe you any favours anyway,” Ye Chu said while looking at Qing Wenting. “You know very well that although I cannot beat Ye Yuande, that does not mean I fear him. If he dares to kill me, I can drag him down with me.”
Hearing Ye Chu’s words, Qing Wenting felt a wave of helplessness. Knowing that Ye Chu came from Qingmi Mountain, she naturally believed he was telling the truth. Yet she was unwilling to walk away without gaining even the slightest advantage from him.
“Fine! If you do not want to owe me, then do not,” Qing Wenting pouted. “A man, yet so calculating.”
Ye Chu chuckled inwardly. He thought that if he were not a bit more cautious around her, she would probably play him to death without him even realising.
“Ye Yuande, Ye Yuanwu, take your people and leave this place,” Qing Wenting said to Ye Yuande.
Ye Yuande was stunned. He wondered why the esteemed Holy Maiden was protecting this group of notorious troublemakers from the imperial city. Were they not all infamous? Had the Holy Maiden been deceived by them?
“Holy Maiden, these people are a bunch of scum. You…”
Before he could finish, Qing Wenting’s expression darkened. If he called Liu Shaoyang and the others scum, then what did that make her, as a member of Star Slash?