You Huowen still had some concerns about Ye Chu’s identity, but seeing that even Marquis Xu was willing to step forward on his behalf, that trace of worry vanished completely. What kind of person was Marquis Xu? Someone who had even met His Majesty the Emperor in person. Even if Ye Chu really did have some background, so what?
Only You Dan, watching Liu Shaoyang leave, turned deathly pale. Looking at You Jinglun, who was still smug and triumphant, she itched to slap him again. Did he have any idea what kind of trouble his actions would bring upon the family?
Uncle Liu and the rest of the caravan members never imagined the situation would escalate to this point. Even a figure like Marquis Xu, whom they rarely caught a glimpse of in their lives, had come forward to deal with Ye Chu. This time, Ye Chu was probably doomed.
Bai Xuan glanced at Ye Chu and saw him standing there as casually and lazily as ever. Her heart settled at once.
Ye Chu handed Yao Yao over to Bai Xuan. His gaze could not help drifting to Bai Xuan’s chest, which looked even fuller under Yao Yao’s weight. He thought to himself that she really was a walking disaster. He had originally planned to arrive in the imperial city quietly, but it seemed that was no longer possible. His only hope now was that Ye Jingyun would not hear about this.
“This young master has no interest in playing with you lot any longer. If you smash up the You residence yourselves today, we’ll call it even.” Ye Chu said, looking at Marquis Xu and You Huowen.
A dead silence fell all around. Everyone stared at Ye Chu with wide eyes, feeling that this was the boldest statement they had heard all day. Did Ye Chu even know who was standing in front of him?
You Huowen’s face alternated between pale and flushed. “Who do you think you are? Today I’ll start by crushing your bones!”
“He told you to smash your own residence out of consideration for your daughter. If it were this young master, I’d smash your old bones along with it.” A cold snort rang out. Liu Shaoyang and his group walked back in. But this time he was not alone. Leading the way was none other than Pang Shao.
After that, one young lady and young master after another streamed in. Each was dressed in splendid clothes, with attendants and maids following behind. Clearly, they were all from distinguished families with real status.
You Jinglun stared blankly at the stream of young masters and ladies walking in, his eyes bulging. “Miss Huang Lin, the daughter of Marquis Huang… Young Master Mao Yun, son of Marquis Mao… Miss Yan, the adopted daughter of Marquis Yan… Young Master Li, grandson of Marquis Li…”
You Jinglun recited name after name, standing there in utter shock. Every single one of these people had a status far exceeding that of the You family. Some even came from families with better backgrounds than the Xu family.
Once the crowd of imperial city young ladies and young masters had entered, they did not spare Marquis Xu a single glance. Instead, they all gathered around Ye Chu, chattering excitedly.
“Hehe… Big Brother Ye Chu, you’ve become even more handsome!”
“That’s right! Young Master Chu, we’ve all prepared the welcome banquet. How come you’re only arriving now?”
“Hehe, who’s this beautiful young lady beside you? Is she sister-in-law? If not, we might just make a move.”
“…”
The group clustered around Ye Chu, laughing and chatting merrily. Ye Chu casually replied to a few of them. “Little Huang Lin, you’re growing prettier by the day. Hehe, has that papaya breast enhancement trick of yours actually worked?”
“Mao Yun, you rascal, how many young ladies have you ruined since coming back from the General’s Tomb?”
“Get lost. The pretty ones are all mine. I’ve claimed them exclusively.”
“…”
Ye Chu bantered and joked with the group, casually rapping a few of the restless ones on the head when they tried to sidle up to Bai Xuan. His actions were relaxed and familiar, showing just how close he was with them.
This large, imposing crowd of imperial city young masters surrounding Ye Chu left everyone stunned. Uncle Liu and the other caravan members especially found it unbelievable.
“So Ye Chu really is a major figure? But if he’s someone this important, how did he end up travelling with a merchant caravan to the empire? Shouldn’t he have his own private ship or guards?” Uncle Liu found it hard to comprehend. He stood there in a daze.
Every single one of these young masters and ladies was a notorious troublemaker in the imperial city, each carrying a considerable reputation for mischief. Yet they were all so intimate with Ye Chu.
You Huowen’s face had turned deathly pale. His gaze involuntarily shifted towards Marquis Xu, only to find that even Marquis Xu was standing there in a stupor!
Marquis Xu was indeed a prominent figure in the imperial city, but the families of the young masters and ladies in front of him were all of significant standing. Especially the one leading them, Pang Shao. He knew exactly what that name represented!
This was the heir of one of the imperial city’s ancient noble families. No one knew exactly how many generations the Pang family had existed in the imperial city. But everyone understood that even the imperial household treated the Pang family with great courtesy. Whenever something required their assistance, it was never done through an imperial decree but through polite requests and discussions.
The Pang family was precisely that kind of ancient clan. Pang Shao’s status was comparable to that of a prince. Yet in this gathering, he could not even become the centre of attention. Everyone who arrived clustered around Ye Chu instead. This meant that Ye Chu held an even higher position in their hearts.
“What is his identity?” Marquis Xu finally felt genuine fear. If these families joined forces against the Xu family, even ten Xu families would not be enough to withstand them.
Bai Xuan listened to Ye Chu’s exchanges with the group and roughly understood the backgrounds of these people. She also found it unbelievable. The man who had such a notorious reputation back in Yao City was actually this popular in the imperial city?
Bai Xuan felt that Ye Chu was hiding even more secrets, but at the same time, she completely relaxed. No wonder Ye Chu had never been worried. It turned out he had such strong connections here.
Liu Shaoyang looked at Marquis Xu with a grin. “I told you long ago, old man, not to regret it. But you just had to go looking for a beating.”
Marquis Xu’s face turned ashen. He desperately wanted to slap Liu Shaoyang for cursing him, but reason told him he could not. If he really did that, the Xu family would be wiped out tomorrow.
Ye Chu finally extricated himself from the group’s nonsense. He looked at You Huowen and said, “When I came to the imperial city, I originally intended to keep a low profile. But since you insisted on forcing me to make a scene, fine. To celebrate my arrival in the imperial city and reuniting with everyone, let’s smash your You residence as the celebratory gift.”
“Alright!” Liu Shaoyang and the others immediately grew excited. Anyone who could run with Pang Shao and Ye Chu was a troublemaker who feared no chaos. With just one word from Ye Chu, they did not care about anything else. They dragged out heavy hammers from who-knows-where and began smashing the You residence with full force.
The caravan members stared blankly as entire sections of buildings collapsed with loud booms. They could not help swallowing hard. Was this how these young tyrants celebrated? Other people celebrated with food, drink, and fun. These ones celebrated by directly demolishing houses! Truly, this group of world-destroying demons was arrogant and domineering enough!
You Huowen watched his residence being reduced to ruins, his face as dark as it could possibly be. His fists clenched tightly. Yet he did not dare step forward to stop them. Not a single person among them was someone he could afford to offend.
Ye Chu watched the group of troublemakers swinging their heavy hammers wildly in every direction and shook his head with a laugh. Even after more than a year apart, these people were still exactly the same!
“Marquis Xu didn’t say he wanted to break my hands and feet? Go ahead then!” Ye Chu smiled at Marquis Xu.
Marquis Xu twisted his gaze away and pretended not to hear.
Ye Chu did not bother arguing with him. Instead, he turned to You Jinglun. “I warned you once: it’s easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Yet you thought I was joking. Didn’t you say I wouldn’t be able to walk out this gate? Well today, I really don’t feel like leaving through this gate.”
Those words made both Marquis Xu and You Huowen’s expressions change dramatically. What did Ye Chu mean by that? Was he saying he intended to settle the score with them completely?
Looking at the young masters and ladies still enthusiastically smashing the buildings, they realised that if they did not send these people away today, when their families came knocking later, life would become truly unbearable.
No matter how unwilling You Huowen felt, he could only step forward and deliver two vicious slaps to You Jinglun, knocking him unconscious. “It was all a misunderstanding just now. This humble one was deceived by my worthless son, which is why I offended Young Master Ye. I am deeply sorry. Please, Young Master Ye, do not hold it against us.”
Looking at You Huowen’s fawning face, Ye Chu lost interest in continuing the game. He waved his hand casually. “I’m short of a residence in the imperial city. You can figure out how to handle it yourself.”
With that, Ye Chu waved for Pang Shao to lead the group away.
Uncle Liu and the others could not help but want to laugh at You Huowen’s extremely ugly expression. Having his own residence smashed to pieces and then having to compensate the other side with another one. You Huowen probably wanted to die right about now.