Chapter 5: Ye Shihan's Suspicion

The Ye family, though not considered a first-rate clan in Phoenix City, was at least a household name. Yet today, during a gathering in the ancestral hall, a group of outsiders had forced their way in with violence. If word of this spread, where would the Ye family’s dignity go?

“Who are you people? How dare you trespass in the Ye family’s ancestral hall!” The younger men of the Ye family all stood up and shouted angrily at the young man. Then, in a show of bravado, they charged forward, intending to throw these intruders out.

But as soon as the Ye family’s juniors approached, more than a dozen men behind the young intruder surged out, instantly overpowering the Ye youths, leaving them sprawled on the ground, unable to rise.

At the head of the hall, Ye Qinghai’s anger boiled over. These strangers had not only broken into a private home but had also brazenly resorted to violence, clearly showing no regard for the Ye family. He bellowed, “How dare you injure my people! If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation, you won’t leave the Ye family’s door!”

As soon as Ye Qinghai’s voice fell, an elderly man in a traditional suit appeared at the entrance like a phantom, his eyes icy as he fixed his gaze on the group of intruders.

This old man was the expert the Ye family had spent a fortune to hire for protection, as Ye Shihan had mentioned earlier. The arrival of this elder surprised the young man called Taishui—he hadn’t expected the Ye family to have a martial artist as a guardian, though, truth be told, the man’s skills weren’t impressive.

“Old man, are you trying to scare me? Unfortunately, I, Jiang Qin, am not one to be cowed by threats.” The youth had noticed the elder’s presence immediately but showed no sign of panic, remaining perfectly calm.

“Jiang—Jiang Qin! You’re the second-in-command of the Azure Dragon Gang!” At the sound of the young man’s self-introduction, Li Minghao, who sat beside Ye Qinghai, exclaimed in shock. Ye Qinghai looked at Li Minghao in confusion.

“Master Ye, we should first find out what brings him here. Jiang Qin isn’t someone we can afford to offend.” Li Minghao’s earlier arrogance had vanished, and there was a hint of fear in his voice.

Seeing Li Minghao’s expression, Ye Qinghai quickly realized that the man who had barged in was someone of considerable influence—not someone the Ye family could cross.

“Boss Jiang, I am Li Minghao, son of Li Quan. We shared a drink not long ago; perhaps you remember?” Li Minghao hurried over to Jiang Qin, his face full of ingratiating smiles.

“Li Quan?” Jiang Qin frowned, trying to recall if he really knew the man. After a while, he remembered—there had indeed been such an occasion, but only because he had business with Li Quan’s boss, and Li Quan had merely been present as an accessory.

“Heh, so Boss Jiang does remember.” Seeing Jiang Qin’s frown relax, Li Minghao pressed on, “Boss Jiang, may I ask what brings you here today?”

“Step aside. This has nothing to do with you!” Jiang Qin suddenly barked.

Li Minghao’s face darkened, but he had no choice—Jiang Qin was not someone he, or even his father, could afford to offend. With no other option, Li Minghao gave Ye Qinghai an apologetic smile and stepped aside.

“My business here is simple. Today, one of your Ye family members attacked several of my brothers in the street. I came to see who had the audacity to do such a thing.” Jiang Qin approached slowly, stating his purpose.

Standing to the side, Ye Shihan felt a wave of anxiety. When she learned that the visitor was Jiang Qin, she had already guessed he had come because of the car accident earlier that day. Her worry for Taishui only deepened.

“What? Such a thing happened? Boss Jiang, please calm yourself. Allow me to find out which fool dared offend you.” Ye Qinghai’s tone was hurried and conciliatory.

He turned a sharp gaze on the Ye family’s juniors. “Which one of you provoked Boss Jiang? Step forward immediately!”

But after a moment, no one stepped up. In truth, Ye Qinghai doubted that any of his people had the guts to cause trouble outside.

“Boss Jiang…” Ye Qinghai looked at Jiang Qin, torn and embarrassed.

“No one dares admit it?” Jiang Qin sneered. “Good! Since no one will own up, I’ll lay this offense at the feet of the entire Ye family!”

He gestured with both arms. “Teach them a lesson!”

At his command, his dozen or so men advanced menacingly toward the Ye family.

Just then, a resounding voice rang out in the hall. “I did it. What do you intend to do about it?”

All eyes turned toward the speaker. The Ye family was stunned to see it was a stranger. Ye Qinghai immediately demanded, “Who are you? Today is the Ye family’s ancestral gathering—how did an outsider get in here?”

Taishui gave Ye Qinghai a cold glance and ignored him, stepping forward. He had no fondness for Ye Qinghai—were it not for the fact that he was Ye Shihan’s grandfather, Taishui would have already acted after Ye Qinghai’s earlier insult to Xiao Yu.

“So you’re the one who attacked my men?” Jiang Qin narrowed his eyes at Taishui.

“Yes. I was just teaching them a lesson, to keep them from causing trouble and getting you in over your head with someone you can’t afford to offend.”

Jiang Qin laughed. “Someone I can’t afford to offend? Do you know who I am? In Phoenix City, there’s no one I, Jiang Qin, fear!” He paused, then said, “Since you admit it, I won’t make things difficult. You injured seven of my men. Medical expenses—one million. Settle that, and the matter’s closed. How about it?”

“Not a bad suggestion, but I refuse,” Taishui replied with a grin.

Jiang Qin’s face darkened completely. He had already given the man enough face, but this brute seemed to have no sense of gratitude.

“Very well. It’s been a long time since anyone dared defy me. Since that’s how you want it, I’ll cripple your limbs to avenge my brothers! Get him!”

At Jiang Qin’s command, his men could no longer restrain themselves and charged at Taishui.

Taishui cracked his knuckles and lunged straight into the fray.

“Xiao Yu, will Taishui be alright? He’s strong, but there are so many of them…” Ye Shihan said anxiously as the fight erupted.

“Don’t worry. They can’t do anything to Taishui. He’ll handle it.” Xiao Yu patted her hand reassuringly.

There was a crash, a cry of pain, and a curse.

“Help! Somebody save me!”

The hall was soon in chaos, filled with groans and wails. These men, whose bodies had long been sapped by a life of wine and pleasure, were no match for Taishui. In a matter of moments, they were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

“Not much of a challenge. How about you try?” Taishui dusted off his hands and looked disdainfully at the fallen men.

“So you’re a trained fighter. Fine—it's been a while since I stretched my muscles. I’ll play with you.” Jiang Qin’s voice was cold as he assumed a fighting stance.

Taishui’s eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Qin’s movements. He knew that stance well—it was the opening move of the military combat style. If he wasn’t mistaken, Jiang Qin must be a former soldier.

“Heh, your form’s not bad. Let’s see if you’ve kept up your training since you left the service!” Taishui mirrored Jiang Qin’s posture, though his movements were even more precise.

“You—!” Jiang Qin’s face flickered with alarm. There was something oddly familiar about the man before him, but he couldn’t recall where they might have met.

Xiao Yu, watching them, couldn’t help but smile. The style they used was not the standard military form, but a version he himself had developed and refined.

In the hall, Taishui and Jiang Qin launched into combat. Though their techniques were similar, Taishui’s strength was clearly superior.

After a few probing exchanges, Taishui shook his head in disappointment at Jiang Qin. He even began to doubt whether this was truly the military style—Jiang Qin lacked both the power and precision needed.

For his part, Jiang Qin grew increasingly grave. Since leaving the military, he’d been undefeated across the southwest with this very style. But now, an unfamiliar sense of helplessness crept in.

“Again!” Jiang Qin shouted and charged at Taishui, who met him head-on. The two moved faster and faster, to the point that the others in the hall could no longer follow their movements—only the dull thuds of impact proved they were fighting at all.

“Xiao Yu, what are you hiding from me? Why is someone like Taishui at your side? Are you really just an ordinary veteran?” Ye Shihan’s earlier worry was gone, replaced by excitement. She didn’t know much about Taishui, but she knew Jiang Qin’s reputation—invincible across the southwest, yet powerless now against Taishui.

“It’s nothing complicated. I just saved his life on the battlefield once,” Xiao Yu replied lightly.

Saved his life? Ye Shihan was stunned. With skills like Taishui’s, he’d needed saving? It must have been when he was wounded, she reasoned—she simply couldn’t believe Xiao Yu was that formidable.