Chapter 2

Hearing the voice, Yao Jingu struggled to raise his head. Blood partially obscured his eyes, making his vision blurry. The thick smell of smoke around him made him cough uncontrollably. With every cough, his internal organs seemed to ache even more violently, and blood continued to pour from his mouth. He was suffering terribly. Who could have imagined that someone as high and mighty as him would end up in such a miserable state? He struggled to wipe the blood from the corner of his eye and finally saw the young man standing before him. The young man's eyes were icy cold yet indifferent, as though nothing in the world could possibly concern him. At that moment, Yao Jingu felt genuine fear from the depths of his soul. This man was incredibly powerful! His strength was far beyond Yao Jingu's! When had China produced such a young Martial Arts Grandmaster? More importantly, every clue pointed to the same conclusion—the Grandmaster standing before him was none other than Ye Chen, who had disappeared five years ago! The useless son of the Ye family whom countless people in Jiang City had mocked! Ye Chen extinguished the cigarette in his hand and stood up. Looking down at Yao Jingu from above, he said, "I'll give you one chance. Answer my questions, and I'll consider letting you live." Yao Jingu spat out another mouthful of blood and said with difficulty, "Dream on!" Ye Chen sneered coldly and took a step forward. He placed one foot directly on Yao Jingu's face. "My patience is limited. If you refuse to cooperate, I guarantee you'll enjoy a feast of pain. First question: How did you find out that I was alive? And how many people know?" Yao Jingu felt the pressure of Ye Chen's foot gradually increasing. He knew very well that if Ye Chen applied even a little more force, his head would instantly be crushed into a cloud of blood mist. The strength of a Martial Arts Grandmaster was no joke! He tried to break free, but he couldn't move even an inch. He had no choice. He had spent countless years cultivating to reach his current realm. If he died now, everything would be lost. "If I tell you, will you really let me go?" Yao Jingu finally compromised. "Do you think you still have the qualifications to bargain with me?" Ye Chen said coldly. Yao Jingu glanced at Ye Chen from the corner of his eye. After thinking for several seconds, he finally said, "A few days ago, I discovered that someone had accessed your information through a dark-web database. I found it strange. What value could a person who had been dead for five years possibly have? "So I sent someone to trace the database activity and found some videos and photos. After comparing them, I discovered that you were more than ninety percent similar to the deceased Ye Chen... "I like eliminating every possible threat, so I came looking for you myself. Whether or not you're actually Ye Chen, I intended to erase you. "No one from the Ye family is allowed to survive. That was Lord Long's order." The moment Ye Chen heard the words "Lord Long," a terrifying killing intent swept over him. He knew very well that this was the man who had ruthlessly stripped him of everything. If not for that banquet at Yunhu Manor, his parents would never have died! "What exactly is Lord Long's name? Where is he? Does he know that I'm alive?" Ye Chen suppressed the killing intent surging inside him and continued questioning him. Yao Jingu gave a bitter smile. "How could someone like me possibly know Lord Long's true identity? Even the ancient martial arts world and the powerful families in the capital respectfully call him Lord Long. As for whether he knows you're alive... even if I wanted to tell him, I'd have to find him first. There are only a handful of people in all of China who even know where he is. "All I know is that he's extremely powerful. So powerful that I can't even begin to imagine his strength." The trail had gone cold. Ye Chen still wanted to know much more, so he continued asking, "Why did this man order the Ye family to be wiped out at that banquet in Yunhu Manor? Was it really because my father offended him?" Yao Jingu shook his head. "I really don't know the details. Too many people were involved in that banquet at Yunhu Manor. Everyone wanted to curry favor with Lord Long. I vaguely remember that Lord Long seemed to be searching for something, and the trail of that thing ultimately led to your Ye family!" Something? The first thing that came to Ye Chen's mind was the stone his father had given him. Could Lord Long have destroyed the Ye family because of that? Just as Ye Chen was deep in thought, the phone in Yao Jingu's pocket suddenly rang. When Yao Jingu saw the caller, he spat out another mouthful of blood. His attitude abruptly changed, and he gave an eerie laugh. "Kid, if you have the guts, kill me now. But I can't guarantee that your little girlfriend will still be alive and well. My men have already reached your little girlfriend's apartment. Hahaha!" Ye Chen's eyes turned icy cold. He reached out and grabbed Yao Jingu by the throat, lifting him completely off the ground! "If you dare lay a finger on her, I'll wipe out your entire family!" Sun Yi was the only person Ye Chen cared about now. She absolutely could not be allowed to come to harm! But there was no point in rushing back now. Everything depended on whether Sun Yi had followed his instructions. … At the same time, at Dadu Apartments. A Beetle sped straight toward the entrance, but the security guard was dozing off and didn't open the gate. "Damn it!" Sun Yi didn't have time to worry about anything else. She immediately got out of the car and ran toward the apartment building. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she kept feeling as though someone was following her. She ran with all her strength to the elevator and took it directly up to her apartment. She inserted the key, slammed the door shut with a bang, and immediately locked it from the inside. Her legs trembled slightly as Ye Chen's instructions replayed in her mind. "The phone… right… get the phone first!" Sun Yi hurriedly grabbed the phone from the table and, following Ye Chen's instructions, rushed into his room. She had no idea why Ye Chen had insisted that she enter his room, but she didn't have time to think about it now. The moment she closed the bedroom door, Sun Yi was shocked to discover a strange light flowing across the surface of the door. She rubbed her eyes and realized that the door was covered with various ancient-looking runes. For some reason, she had the strange feeling that the runes were moving! "Ye Chen… what exactly is this…?" Before she could think any further, she suddenly remembered something. She quickly pressed the redial button on the phone. Instantly, a strange-looking string of numbers appeared on the screen. "Will this even connect?" Sun Yi muttered doubtfully. A moment later, the call went through, and a powerful male voice sounded from the other end. "Hall Master?" The instant the voice came through, Sun Yi heard a loud crash outside. The front door had been smashed open! Someone had forced their way in! She was overwhelmed with fear and panic. Without thinking, she hurriedly shouted, "I'm at Dadu Apartments, Building C, Room 1003, in Jiang City! Ye Chen… Ye Chen told you to send your strongest men here as quickly as possible… Hurry… someone has broken in!" "Understood." It was only a simple word. The call suddenly ended. At that moment, Sun Yi's heart leaped into her throat. She huddled trembling in the corner. "Why did he hang up so quickly? Why…? Was that the Jiang City police?" … Jiangnan Province, Qianlong Tower. Ye Lingtian hung up the phone, his entire face turning grim. His expression was filled with an indescribable fury! He didn't know who the woman on the phone was, but that wasn't important. What mattered was that the Hall Master had ordered her to make the call. And judging from her tone, something major had happened in Jiang City! Whoever dared to lay a hand on the Hall Master's people would become an enemy of the Southern River King! He immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number in Jiang City. The call was answered almost instantly. "I don't care what mission your strongest men are carrying out right now. Immediately send everyone to Dadu Apartments, Building C, Room 1003 in Jiang City! If anything happens to that woman, you'd better bring your head to me!" The person on the other end froze before hurriedly responding, "Yes, Southern River King!"