Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Ye Clan Is Doomed!

In the grand hall of the Ye clan’s main residence, silence fell upon everyone, each lost in their own thoughts.

When Master Ye Haiyi saw that Ye Qian was not merely putting on a show but actually attempting to end her life right then and there, he could not simply sit by and do nothing. Without any unnecessary movement, he merely flicked his finger, and a tremendous force struck the short blade in her hand, shattering it into dust.

Standing at the side, Ye Peng’s expression kept shifting. Of all present, only he knew the true story—it was never Ye Yun who had abducted Ye Qian, but rather two cultivators from the Wu clan.

Yet now, seeing Ye Qian cast all the blame on Ye Yun, Ye Peng should, by rights, have been glad. Instead, a suffocating bitterness welled up in his chest. It was clear that Ye Yun must have been the one to rescue Ye Qian, and that the two Wu clan cultivators had perished at his hands. Yet Ye Qian had turned around and repaid kindness with malice, pushing Ye Yun into the fire. There had to be more to this than met the eye.

Ye Peng was no fool; on the contrary, he was extremely clever. Though Ye Qian had married him, there was never any real affection between them. The one she truly cared for was Ye Yun. She had married Ye Peng only to gain access to better cultivation techniques and greater resources.

But his wife had been violated—how could he, as her husband, stand idly by? At once, he stepped forward, face full of indignation. “Master, I never imagined Ye Yun could stoop so low. Please, Master, uphold justice for me!”

The elders of the Ye clan all twitched at the corners of their mouths. Though Ye Yun had always kept a low profile and never made much of a splash, these old men had not the slightest doubt about his character.

Besides, the princess from the Lu family, whose beauty and figure far surpassed Ye Qian’s, was living in Ye Yun’s home. If Ye Yun truly had such base desires, surely he would not forsake what was near at hand to seek out Ye Qian?

“Master, we cannot take Ye Qian’s words alone as truth,” Elder Ye Deyin stepped forward and spoke slowly.

“That’s right, Master. Without evidence, we must not wrong a good man,” the other elders chimed in.

“I speak only the truth! I am willing to die to prove it!” Seeing all the elders siding with Ye Yun, Ye Qian immediately cried out.

“Summon Ye Yun,” Ye Haiyi, after a moment’s thought, gave the order in a low voice.

…

In the Rain Pavilion’s secluded courtyard, Lu Suxue sat lost in thought, worry clouding her features, when suddenly two Foundation Establishment cultivators burst in.

“Who are you?” Lu Suxue’s expression changed, and she instinctively prepared to defend herself, suspecting that the Lu family had sent experts to forcibly bring her back.

“Greetings, Miss Lu. We are personal guards of the Ye clan’s Lord. We come by the Lord’s command to summon Ye Yun to the main hall,” the two cultivators bowed to her.

“For what purpose?”

Ye Yun, inside the house, had already heard the commotion outside. He pushed open the door and looked at the two clan guards.

“We don’t know, but please come with us,” the Foundation Establishment cultivators replied.

Ye Yun nodded, not thinking much of it, and followed the two to the grand hall of the Ye clan’s main residence.

Seeing Ye Qian kneeling in the hall, and Ye Peng standing nearby, his expression dark and cold, Ye Yun frowned.

“Ye Yun, do you know your crime?” Ye Haiyi looked down from his seat, his voice suddenly stern.

“Crime?” Ye Yun was taken aback. Meeting the Lord’s gaze, he replied, “I do not know what crime I am guilty of.”

“How dare you feign ignorance? Are you really going to deny the vile things you’ve done?” Enemies’ eyes blazed with hatred; the moment Ye Yun arrived, Ye Peng shouted at him.

“Vile things? I doubt I’ve done more than you,” Ye Yun narrowed his eyes, staring at Ye Peng with a cold, mocking smile.

“Ye Yun, answer me—was it you who abducted Ye Qian that day, took her out of the city, and intended to violate her?” Ye Haiyi abruptly asked.

The atmosphere in the hall froze. Ye Yun was utterly confused, glancing at Ye Qian, who kept her head bowed and said nothing, a wry smile appearing on his face.

“If I say I did it, would you believe me?” Ye Yun looked up at Ye Haiyi.

“If you confess yourself, what more is there to say?” Ye Peng clamored from the side.

“Shut your mouth!” Ye Yun shot him a murderous glare, a powerful aura rising from him.

Ye Peng staggered back three steps, his face pale. The killing intent and aura Ye Yun exuded chilled him to the bone.

“Ye Yun, you go too far,” Ye Haiyi frowned. Though by rights Ye Yun’s status surpassed his, years of being Lord had made him used to authority.

“Whether I go too far, Lord, you know well.” Ye Yun sneered, locking eyes with Ye Haiyi seated above him. Stepping forward, he spoke each word clearly: “You, as Master of this house, have always shown Ye Peng special favor—I can understand that. But do you know how many things this disciple of yours has done in secret, things that would doom the Ye clan forever?”

“Ye Yun, you… you slander me!” Ye Peng immediately protested, his eyes flickering. From Ye Yun’s tone, it was clear he knew something, but how much, Ye Peng could not tell.

Ye Yun only laughed disdainfully, looking at Ye Peng as if watching a clown parade his tricks.

“It was the two Wu cultivators who abducted Ye Qian—I just happened to run into them. I suppose you never expected that, did you?” he said, staring directly at Ye Peng.

“You were the one who abducted Ye Qian! Stop your sophistry! And what does this have to do with me?” Ye Peng shouted back.

Ye Yun ignored him and continued, “Those two Wu cultivators showed a token when leaving the city; the three Foundation Establishment guards at the gate let them pass without question. Later, in Sunset Mountain, I overheard their conversation—they revealed that you planned to use Ye Qian as leverage to enrage the Ye clan, and thus set up a plot against the Lord. Is that not so?”

“Nonsense!” Ye Peng’s face changed.

“The evidence is right here.” Ye Yun smiled coldly, flipping his hand to produce a token—the very one the Wu cultivators had shown at the city gate, which he had retrieved after killing them.

All eyes turned to the token in Ye Yun’s hand. Clearly, it was a core disciple’s waist badge, the owner’s name engraved on the back. The name on the token was unmistakably: Ye Peng.

Seeing his token in Ye Yun’s hand, Ye Peng panicked. Dropping to his knees, he cried out to Ye Haiyi, “I lost my badge days ago, Master! He must have stolen it to frame me!”

Ye Haiyi frowned again, looking toward Ye Yun. “What you say is only your side of the story. Between you, whom should I believe?”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. If not for the two of them trying to stick this filth on me, I wouldn’t even have bothered to explain.” Ye Yun met Ye Haiyi’s gaze. “Facts speak louder than words. In time, you’ll know just what kind of person this disciple you’ve favored so much truly is.”

“Ye Peng would never dare plot against me,” Ye Haiyi said coldly.

“Ha! Never dare?” Ye Yun could not help but laugh. “If that’s truly what you believe, then the Ye clan is doomed!”

“Insolence!” Ye Haiyi’s face darkened, the aura of a Golden Core master flooding the hall. He stared at Ye Yun. “You may be that one’s disciple, but I am the Lord of this clan—mind your tone!”

“Master!”

Seeing Ye Haiyi’s anger and the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator bearing down on Ye Yun, the assembled elders’ faces all changed, and they stepped forward together.

“Master, you must know what you are doing,” Elder Ye Deyin said, frowning.

“Hmph!” Ye Haiyi snorted and withdrew his aura.

To the Ye clan, the Grand Ancestor was a godlike figure. All his life, Ye Haiyi had sought to escape his shadow and assert his own authority, but clearly, the elders would not stand with him.

(Thanks to Brother Lazy from the Asura Hall for another generous reward~)