VIP Volume, Chapter 148: Forcing a Decision

Ye Xiaoxuan’s home had been reduced to complete ruins. The shattered walls scattered across the courtyard, combined with patches of bloodstaining the ground, bore silent witness to the horrific battle that had taken place here the previous night.

Ye Xiaoxuan, accompanied by a group of young women, knelt before two straw mats under the jujube tree, weeping bitterly. Lying upon those mats were the adoptive parents who had raised him for eighteen years. Although they were not related by blood, the bond they shared was as genuine as it could possibly get.

Uncle Ye wiped away his tears, pulled Ye Xiaoxuan to his feet, and said, "Let them rest in peace as soon as possible. From now on, you will live at your uncle's place. I'll have people rebuild this house for you. From this day forward, I will be your father, and your aunt will be your mother!"

The Baldy suddenly rushed over and yelled, "Don't you dare call them that! Kid, remember what I told you before: no one can bear the karma of being your parents. Just stick to calling them Uncle and Aunt. I'm doing this for your own good!"

Though Ye Xiaoxuan scoffed inwardly at such a notion, he had no desire to gamble with the lives of his uncle and aunt. He nodded gloomily and said to Uncle Ye, "Let's bury my parents first. Tell me what needs to be done!"

The Old Shepherd and Seventh Master Gou beckoned to him. Ye Xiaoxuan walked over slowly, and the Baldy hurried to join them. The four men found a secluded spot and squatted down together.

The Old Shepherd took a sip of liquor and said in a deep voice, "I checked the numbers. A total of fourteen men from the Wolf Squad died here last night!"

Seventh Master Gou continued, "Aside from the bodies they managed to take away themselves, we've already buried the rest!"

The Baldy rubbed his bald head and said, "In other words, a deadly feud with the Wolf Squad is now set in stone. Will they come back?"

Seventh Master Gou nodded, sighing as he spoke, "I'm afraid so! The werewolves that came last night were only the lowest-tier, genetically modified defective products who retained most of a wolf's flaws. The ones like the Wolf King, however, are successful specimens. The Enforcement Hall has been dedicated to cultivating such assassins over the years. I suspect the number of assassins at the Wolf King's level won't be small!"

Ye Xiaoxuan clenched his fists tightly and said coldly, "Even if they don't come, I will go find them! They can forget about wiping away this blood debt!"

The Old Shepherd looked deeply worried and said, "Little Third, I don't know what kind of ability you possess to be able to kill over a dozen werewolves consecutively without suffering a single scratch. But I must remind you, you are facing the Qingtian Group!"

The Baldy snorted and said to him, "Actually, it's not the entire Qingtian Group! It's just the Enforcement Hall and the Pacification Hall of the Qingtian Group. They both belong to the Qing Branch, while our Nine-Stream Hall belongs to the Tian Branch!"

Seeing both Ye Xiaoxuan and the Old Shepherd frown in utter confusion, Seventh Master Gou explained from the side, "Actually, fifteen years ago, the Qingtian Group split into two major factions. The pro-war Pacification Hall and Enforcement Hall are both managed by Qi Yuanheng, collectively known as the Qing Branch."

The Baldy nodded, picking up where he left off, "Our Nine-Stream Hall and the Golden-Garment Hall have always preferred making a fortune through harmony and dedicated ourselves to various businesses. We are managed by Qi Yuanheng's wife, Tian Yixian, collectively known as the Tian Branch."

The Old Shepherd roared angrily, "You guys and making a fortune through harmony? Are you talking nonsense with your eyes wide open? You shamelessly stole the Qilin Bone and even attacked our people from the Ancient Martial Arts Sect—is that what you call making a fortune through harmony?"

Seventh Master Gou and the Baldy flared up in anger simultaneously! Seventh Master Gou rolled up his sleeves and cursed at him, "Have you no shame? Is the Qilin Bone something belonging to your Ancient Martial Arts Sect? Does it have a damn thing to do with you? That was something our brothers risked our lives to find!"

The Baldy chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "Saying that is useless! The Ancient Martial Arts Sect is just a bunch of hypocritical scoundrels whose skin is thicker than the corner of a city wall, full of self-righteousness..."

Ye Xiaoxuan impatiently interrupted them, pointing to a patch of ruins behind him and saying, "Go over there!"

The three old men were momentarily stunned and asked in unison, "What are we going there for?"

Ye Xiaoxuan cursed angrily, "That used to be my family's kitchen! There are a few kitchen knives in there. Go find them and hack each other to death. If you all hack each other to pieces, it's your own damn fault, and I'll bury you together today! Only the ones who survive are qualified to talk to me!"

The three old men were close to two hundred years old combined, yet they were cursed out thoroughly by a wet-behind-the-ears kid. They were so furious their eyes rolled back into their heads, but they were utterly helpless and could only obey obediently! This kid was too freakishly terrifying; if he was in a bad mood and wanted to burn someone to ashes or freeze someone into an ice pop, wouldn't that be as easy as child's play?

Seeing that the three old men had quieted down, Ye Xiaoxuan frowned and asked them, "Now, I'm giving the three of you a choice: either help me, or help the Wolf Squad. I don't want anyone playing both sides, and I certainly don't want peace-makers. Figure it out yourselves!"

"Damn it!" The Baldy glared at Ye Xiaoxuan and cursed, "How am I supposed to be your father-in-law anyway? Aren't you just dragging me down with you?!"

Seventh Master Gou gave him a blank look, pulled a long face, and cursed, "At least you're still his father-in-law; even if you get dragged into the water, you have a justified reason! Old Sheepskin also has a connection since his disciple is a sworn brother to him. What the hell excuse do I have? That my disciple is his childhood buddy?"

Ye Xiaoxuan stood up, curled his lip at the three of them, and said, "Anyway, whether it's your Ancient Martial Arts Sect or the people from the Tian Branch, you've never seen eye-to-eye with these wolf pups. You've already intervened where you shouldn't have, so now it's just a matter of making a formal stance. You figure it out yourselves!" With that, he dusted off his sleeves and walked away.

Remembering how he had tricked Ye Xiaoxuan, Ye Dajun, and Hao Liuzhi into participating in the martial arts tournament, and looking at Ye Xiaoxuan's current rogue-like attitude, the Old Shepherd realized that karmic retribution came much too quickly. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine! This kid is my nemesis in life. I'm already several decades old anyway, so I'll just stake this old life of mine on him!"

Seventh Master Gou and the Baldy also collapsed onto the ground with bitter, helpless expressions. They looked at each other, sighed heavily, and said, "Looks like the two of us are reeled in as well; none of us is getting away! We've been agonizing over this for so many years, it's about time to make a clean break!"

Old Cucumber came running over in a flurry and quietly pulled Ye Xiaoxuan aside. "Boss, some of the guys in the orchard want to leave!"

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned slightly and said to him, "I know. I'll go over right now." Telling Old Cucumber to head back first, Ye Xiaoxuan walked into the courtyard and said to Jiarán, "Come with me to the orchard."

Without asking why, Jiarán stood up and followed him out.

When they reached the orchard, several of his subordinates were arguing loudly with three young men. Seeing Ye Xiaoxuan enter, everyone immediately fell silent.

Ye Xiaoxuan waved his hand and asked the three men, "You want to go back, is that it?"

A young man with a scar across his forehead spoke up, "We only wanted to follow the Boss to make a fortune, not risk our lives! All of us are the only sons in our families; if we die, there won't even be anyone left to carry on the family line! Boss, just let us go back!"

Ye Xiaoxuan turned to Jiarán and asked, "How much money is left in the account?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiarán replied, "Five hundred and thirty-seven thousand six hundred and twenty-two yuan!"

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded and instructed her, "Go to the county town later and withdraw two hundred thousand! Twenty thousand for each of the brothers! It's not much money, but this is all the Boss can give you! Whoever wants to leave, take your money and go. I won't let anyone leave empty-handed! Your Boss failed to protect you well in this lifetime, so let's be brothers again in the next!"