Chapter 3 - 3 3 Trouble Comes Knocking

“Martial God, why have you come to me? What urgent matter brings you here?” Striding out with great confidence, Ye Xuan’s gaze fell upon the person outside the house. In his line of sight, two figures emerged; one was clad in black robes with a matching cap, dressed like a servant, while the other was tall and majestic, with well-defined muscles adorning his body and a shade of darkness on his face. These two individuals were the masters of the servants Ye Xuan had previously disabled—their son, Ye Yan, and their butler, Yang Tian. “You scoundrel!” Ye Yan looked down at Ye Xuan from his lofty position, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt, “Seeing your own cousin and you dare not salute? Ye Xuan, are your bones itching for a beating?” “Salute? I remember that there isn’t such an absurd rule in our family, is there?” With a slight twitch of his eyebrows, Ye Xuan remained unfazed. The Ye Xuan of today was no longer the one who suffocated his voice and swallowed his pride. “You deadbeat, you talk to me like this?” Ye Yan’s eyes grew cold, and a stunning chill emanated from his body. “Humph, at such a critical moment, you still have the nerve to talk back to me? The cultivation of my servants, Ah Fu and Ah Biao, has been disabled. Did you do it?” Ah Fu and Ah Biao were indeed the two servants whose cultivation Ye Xuan had destroyed half a month ago. However, it was only today that Ye Yan discovered this and immediately became uncontrollably angry. What sort of trash was Ye Xuan to dare step on his people? He thought that Ye Xuan must have used some cunning trick to cripple the pair. Otherwise, with Ye Xuan’s Third Grade Martial Apprentice Realm cultivation, he couldn’t possibly have disabled his two servants. “Yes, it was me. Those two servants sought to rebel and kill their master. I merely disabled their cultivation, which is already showing mercy beyond the law.” Ye Xuan didn’t intend to conceal it and casually stated the fact. This matter would eventually come to light, and there was no point in hiding it since it was already known. “What did you say?” Ye Yan was momentarily stunned, then his expression darkened, obviously not expecting Ye Xuan to admit it directly to his face and with such nonchalance. “Ye Xuan, you’ve got some nerve! Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. How dare you disable them? Do you think you’re truly a young master, intending to turn the heavens on their head?!” Ye Yan’s eyes flashed coldly as he spoke sharply. “Mere servants wanted to commit insubordination; even if I had killed them, it would’ve been entirely just. Pay with their lives? I haven’t yet held you accountable for the crime of poor discipline, and yet you dare to contrive false charges against me, which is utterly laughable.” Ye Xuan smiled coldly. If it were the Ye Xuan of the past, he might indeed have caved in, but the Ye Xuan of today had shed his old self. He had the dignity of the Martial God, looking down upon the world, and even if reborn, how could he fear a mere youngster? “Good for nothing! Not only do you refuse to confess, but you also dare to talk back. It seems you haven’t been beaten for too long and don’t know your place. I’m going to properly teach you a lesson now!” Ye Yan was unexpectedly talked back to several times by Ye Xuan today, and he was immediately unable to suppress his anger. This trash, had he knelt and begged for mercy before him, might have been given a chance for leniency. But now this brat was so brazen, daring to contradict him to his face—should Ye Yan not punish him harshly, word might spread that Ye Xuan, a worthless good-for-nothing, didn’t take him seriously. Then, wouldn’t everyone in the Ye family dare to defy him in the future? “Teach me? You’re not qualified!” Ye Xuan crossed his arms over his chest, looking not at all intimidated. However, the butler Yang Tian, who had been watching from the sidelines, changed his expression upon hearing this. He looked at Ye Xuan somewhat strangely—had this worthless young master gone mad today? Who was Ye Yan? He was one of the fastest cultivating individuals among the young generation of the Ye family. Now at the same age as Ye Xuan, his cultivation had reached the Seventh Grade Martial Apprentice Realm, while Ye Xuan, if Yang Tian’s memory served him correctly, was still at the Low-rank Third Grade Martial Apprentice Realm. These two were simply not in the same league. What was there to fight about? Ye Xuan’s action was like a moth to a flame, asking to be struck. What puzzled him secretly was that today’s Ye Xuan was far too different from before—like a completely different person. If one were to describe the old Ye Xuan more vividly, he would be no different from a dead rat. How could he dare to be as bold as he was today? When something abnormal happens, it is surely a sign. Could it be that some change had occurred with this youngster? “You’re courting death!” Ye Yan’s pupils constricted, as if about to spew fire. In an instant, his words followed the law, and his entire body suddenly erupted with rings of cold True Qi. With a move of his body and a grab of his hand, the chill surged like a spear, enveloping Ye Xuan from head to toe. Mortal Grade Middle-rank Martial Arts, Five Finger Cold Spear Skill! This was a Mortal Grade Martial Art of the Ye family, which converged Ice Attribute True Qi at the tips of the fingers, the hit opponents would immediately have their meridians pierced by the biting cold air, freezing their whole bodies and temporarily losing the ability to move. Although it was only a Middle Rank Mortal Grade technique, Ye Yan had immersed himself in the Five Finger Cold Spear Skill for a long time, so when he employed it, it was both skilful and powerful. However, when facing the five streams of Ice Finger Strength bearing down on him, Ye Xuan was neither flustered nor exasperated, and only at the moment the Finger Force was about to strike did he finally take action. He merely shifted his feet, retreating half a step with such lightness, perfectly natural movement, and as he did so, with his right hand clenched into a fist, he threw a punch that immediately caused a buzzing disturbance in the space ahead of him, and fine ripples disseminated through the air like water. Mortal Grade low-level Martial Arts, Wave Fist. “I thought this kid had some impressive moves, but it turns out to be just this kind of low-level skill, as futile as an ant trying to stop a chariot.” Upon seeing the Fist Skill Ye Xuan used, Yang Tian shook his head immediately, the Wave Fist was one of the most fundamental arts of the Ye family and also the easiest to learn, even many servants in the house could perform this set of moves, which was quite weak. The level of Martial Arts determined the strength of their power, both were Mortal Grade Martial Arts, but the art Ye Yan used was the Middle Rank Mortal Grade Five Finger Cold Spear Skill, which was a whole level above Ye Xuan’s Wave Fist and not at the same level in terms of power. However, just when Yang Tian was waiting to see Ye Xuan’s utter defeat, the scene before his eyes changed dramatically. Those streams of Ice Finger Strength exploded into pieces the moment they made contact with the ripple-like Fist Force, and the remaining Ripple Fist Force even brutally reached in front of Ye Yan! “What?!” Ye Yan’s expression changed drastically, caught off guard by the collapse of his own Five Finger Cold Spear Skill, he was struck by the Fist Force and sent staggering back more than a dozen steps; before he could retreat to safety, Ye Xuan’s figure had already appeared in front of him, and the second punch came hurtling towards his face with ferocity. Wave Fist second form, Shockwave Tsunami! Bang, bang, bang, bang! Four successive loud noises, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, sent him flying through the air, tracing a parabolic arc and flying more than ten meters away, spewing blood like a fountain. With a “clatter,” Ye Yan fell onto the stone floor, nearly beaten to death, staring at Ye Xuan with eyes wide open; before he could fully utter a “you,” he fainted. Silence! Deafening silence! Only two punches, just two punches, and Seventh Grade Martial Apprentice Realm Ye Yan was beaten half-dead, like a dead dog. Even if he had faced a master halfway through stepping into the Martial Master level, he would not have been so easily defeated, and could at least put up a fight. Yang Tian’s mind went completely blank at this moment, filled with shock and disbelief—he found it incomprehensible how Ye Yan’s Five Finger Cold Spear Skill could be defeated by the mere Wave Fist. How could this commonplace, low-grade Martial Art have such formidable power? “Young Master Yan!” It took a while for Yang Tian to regain his composure, he gave Ye Xuan a deep look and swiftly flew forward to help Ye Yan, but by then, the latter had already fainted, and his injuries were severe, which shook Yang Tian even more. This scene was likely difficult for anyone to accept—how could someone who carried the label of a failure so suddenly become so powerful? “What now, Steward Yang Tian, could it be that you intend to stand up for your young master?” Ye Xuan glanced casually at Yang Tian and spoke indifferently. seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “No, no, no, this old servant doesn’t have the gall. It’s just that, with Young Master Yan beaten to this state, this old servant worries about how to report back to Third Master.” Cold sweat poured from Yang Tian at Ye Xuan’s glance; stand up for him? That would be suicide; his Cultivation was even one Stage lower than Ye Yan’s. Wouldn’t standing up for him just be asking for punishment? “Then report the truth, that Cousin Yan and I were merely sparring, and some injury is inevitable. I just thought that Cousin Yan was strong, but I didn’t expect him to be so frail, my mistake—I overestimated him. If Third Uncle asks, just say I apologize too.” “Of course…” Yang Tian nodded incessantly. At this point, he dared not utter a word of refusal, and hurriedly helped Ye Yan leave. But just then, he felt Ye Yan move in his arms. When he looked again, Ye Yan had fainted once more. This time, Ye Yan was knocked out by Ye Xuan’s words laced with mockery; after all, he was considered a cultivation prodigy within the Ye family, never having suffered such a humiliation, especially not from Ye Xuan, whom he had never respected, a total waste. How could he swallow such an insult? In a surge of anger, his blood rushed to his head, and he fainted again.