“Here it is quite lively!” Amid the chatter and laughter of the crowd, a young man stepped in, instantly drawing everyone’s gaze without effort!
“Young Master Ye the Second has arrived!” The crowd exclaimed in surprise, utterly astonished. No one had expected that Ye Chao would also be invited by Qing Xiangming. If Qing Xiangming was the centre of their circle, then Ye Chao, together with Su Rong, formed the very centre of the entire younger generation in Yao City.
In terms of reputation among the young people of Yao City, Ye Chao could rank in the top ten, while Qing Xiangming was still outside the top ten!
“Brother Qing! Long time no see!” Ye Chao smiled and nodded at Qing Xiangming, then turned his gaze towards Su Rong. “Miss Su Rong, it has been a long time indeed!”
“It has been a long time, Young Master Ye Chao!” Su Rong could not help turning her head in the direction where Ye Chu had been, only to find that Ye Chu was no longer there. She thought to herself that Ye Chu was sensible after all and had left.
Ye Chao smiled, nodding politely to the crowd and greeting them warmly, showing no trace of arrogance. His graceful bearing only increased everyone’s admiration!
They thought to themselves that although the Ye family had produced one scoundrel, the eldest young master and the second young master were both outstanding figures. The eldest young master needed no introduction. He was among the top three talents in Yao City. The second young master was also quite remarkable, having reportedly reached the upper grade of the true qi realm.
Among the younger generation in Yao City, fewer than ten people possessed such strength. Qing Xiangming was still one step away from the upper grade!
Watching Ye Chao and Su Rong surrounded by everyone, Liang Shan could not help glancing towards Ye Chu. Sure enough, he saw Ye Chu standing there in silence. Ye Chao was his second elder cousin, the second son of his eldest uncle! Back then, Ye Chu had been the most favoured grandson of Marquis Weiyuan. Even Ye Tian, as the eldest son, could not compare. All the best things in the family were given to Ye Chu first before being passed to the two of them. This had made Ye Tian and Ye Chao extremely jealous. Moreover, Ye Chu had been utterly useless and had tarnished the reputation of the Weiyuan Marquis Residence. Although the three were cousins, they had never been close. There was no deep enmity, but a certain distance remained. When they met, they merely exchanged greetings.
Ye Chu had not expected that after three years, the two of them would have gained such renown and become leading figures among the younger generation in Yao City.
Seeing Ye Chao, Ye Chu’s expression became somewhat complicated. If he appeared in front of Ye Chao, news of his return to Yao City would surely reach the Weiyuan Marquis Residence. Ye Chu did not know whether this was good or bad!
Three years ago, Marquis Weiyuan had beaten him until his flesh was torn open. Yet if one were to ask whether Ye Chu hated him, the answer was not in the slightest! Given how much of a scoundrel the previous Ye Chu had been in his past life, the Marquis Weiyuan, disappointed to the core, had shown mercy by not beating him to death outright! As for the previous owner dying, it was simply because his body had been ruined by excessive debauchery and was far too weak.
Back then, Marquis Weiyuan had expelled him from the Ye family and left him to fend for himself, declaring that if he ever saw him return to the Ye family, he would have him beaten to death with random sticks. Ye Chu did not think this was a joke. When Marquis Weiyuan had made that vow, he had knelt before the ancestral tablets and sworn it!
Ye Chu vaguely remembered that after making the vow, Marquis Weiyuan had shed old tears, his entire person ageing several years in an instant!
Thinking of this scene, Ye Chu felt a touch of melancholy. Back then, that Ye Chu had truly broken the old man’s heart and left him in complete despair. Combined with pressure from the backgrounds of those two women, the Marquis had no choice but to make such a decision.
Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Ye Chu stepped forward!
Although the Ye family no longer acknowledged him, Ye Chu could not bring himself to hold a grudge against the family. The fault lay entirely with how utterly rotten he had been back then! Moreover, Ye Chu could not deny the kindness Marquis Weiyuan had once shown him!
Liang Shan saw Ye Chu’s actions and jumped in fright. He grabbed Ye Chu fiercely. “What are you doing? Leave quickly! If they see you, you are in serious trouble today.”
Ye Chu smiled at Liang Shan, pushed his hand away, and strode forward. This left Liang Shan stamping his feet in anxiety!
“Second Brother!”
While Ye Chao was exchanging pleasantries with Qing Xiangming, a somewhat familiar voice sounded beside his ear. Ye Chao turned his head in confusion and saw a young man standing behind him with a smile. Although the youth’s appearance had changed somewhat from three years ago, he recognised him at once.
“Ye Chu!” Ye Chao could not help exclaiming. He had never imagined he would see this cousin who had disappeared for three years and whom he had thought dead! But after the initial shock, Ye Chao’s expression turned icy cold. “What are you doing in Yao City? The Ye family has nothing to do with you anymore. Do not call me Second Brother!”
Ye Chao felt extremely angry. In the past, although he had been jealous that Grandfather gave all the best things to Ye Chu, he had never fought with Ye Chu over them. In their view, as elder brothers, it was normal to yield to a younger brother! But Ye Chu had gone too far. Harming Yao City was not enough. He had even tried to harm Lin Shixin, the adopted daughter of his maternal grandmother, and Ji Die, their distant cousin from the direct line of the imperial Ye family. The Ye family in Yao City was merely a branch of the imperial Ye family. Because of Ye Chu’s outrageous behaviour, the imperial Ye family had begun suppressing the Weiyuan Marquis Residence. If Grandfather had not sworn before the ancestral tablets to disown Ye Chu, the Ye family in Yao City might already have ceased to exist!
Even so, the Ye family had declined year by year. Even the king had begun to distance himself from the Ye family. Clearly, all of this was caused by Ye Chu!
How could Ye Chao possibly feel any goodwill towards Ye Chu?
Seeing Ye Chao like this, Ye Chu gave a bitter smile. He thought to himself that in his previous life, the previous Ye Chu had managed to alienate everyone and become completely isolated. That really was something special!
In truth, Ye Chu’s body belonged to the Ye family, but his soul did not! Of course, Ye Chu was not so shameless as to occupy someone else’s body yet refuse to acknowledge himself as a member of the Ye family! However, since Ye Chao refused to recognise him, Ye Chu would not force the issue!
Su Rong stood beside Ye Chao. Watching Ye Chu walk into the midst of the crowd, she could not help feeling dazed! She had not expected Ye Chu to truly dare appear in everyone’s sight. Was he really not afraid of death, or did he simply have no brains? Did he not know what the consequences would be? Among this group of people standing here, how many had he not offended? How many young ladies had he not teased back then?
Sure enough, just as Su Rong had imagined, after Ye Chao rebuked Ye Chu, the crowd reacted as well and immediately began cursing him furiously. “So it is you, you scum! You actually dare show your face in Yao City again!”
“Good! Excellent! I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. I never expected I would have the chance to take revenge today. The grudge from when you threw me into the cesspit can finally be settled!”
“Sisters, it is this scum! The scoundrel who peeped at us bathing back then!”
“For the sake of the people of Yao City, we will not let you off easily today!”
“…”
One furious curse after another rang out. Su Rong and Zhang Su’er listened as the crowd listed Ye Chu’s crimes one after another. Only now did they gain a clear understanding of just how outrageous and infuriating his actions had been. They were secretly shocked. How much of a scoundrel did one have to be to commit evil to such an extent!
Qing Xiangming listened to the crowd’s righteous indignation and could not help recalling how Ye Chu had once allowed his subordinates to rape his favourite maidservant. Hatred flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath to suppress his erupting temper, waved his hand to stop the crowd’s curses, and stared fixedly at Ye Chu. “I never expected you would dare appear at the Qingyang Marquis Residence. But this will come at a price!”
Ye Chu paid no attention to the curses around him. He smiled as he looked at Qing Xiangming. “What price? The same as them, making me leave lying down? Are you not being a bit too unoriginal?”
“Too light!” Qing Xiangming stared at Ye Chu. Thinking of how his most beloved maidservant had been violated back then, his anger surged uncontrollably.
Ye Chu shook his head. “None of you can make me leave lying down. I came here only to exchange for that three-hundred-year lingzhi of yours. There is no need to treat me as a mortal enemy!”
These words caused the surroundings to fall deathly silent for a moment. But soon the crowd erupted into thunderous laughter, filled with mockery and ridicule.
Su Rong and Zhang Su’er exchanged a glance. They suspected Ye Chu was either truly foolish or pretending. Given everything he had done, he actually dared come to someone else’s home to demand an exchange. Was this a joke?