Chapter 158: The Person Exploded

The next day.
The Other-Dao Company, Southwest Branch.
Inside Hao Yi's office, Ye Yan and Liu Han sat on the sofa, sipping tea out of sheer boredom.
A young female secretary stood by attentively, her expression looking somewhat cautious and reserved.
"Mr. Ye, Mr. Liu, Brother Hao is currently in a meeting. You might need to wait here for a moment."
"Alright!"
"..."
That Hao Yi was busy did not surprise Ye Yan in the least... Ever since coming to the Shu region, he found that this Southwest Region director was either in a meeting every day or essentially on his way to one...
Ye Yan held his teacup, took a sip of the top-grade Longjing tea inside, and asked casually, "Where are Brother Shan and Brother Shui? Why haven't I seen them today?"
"They went to see off the delegation. The members of the delegation are returning to Fusang this morning."
"Oh? Is it this morning?"
Ye Yan was momentarily startled, then chuckled, "They slipped away quite fast... But thinking about it, the timing is probably just right, not too far off."
"Not far off? Brother Yan, what are you talking about that isn't far off?"
Although Ye Yan had been speaking to himself, his voice was not low, and Liu Han on the side had heard him.
"It's nothing. I was just calculating how long it's been since I last went home..."
Ye Yan quickly straightened his expression, masking the smile on his face.
"Fine then."
Liu Han nodded and didn't think much of it.
As the two were talking, the office door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Hao Yi walked in looking travel-worn and smiled warmly at Ye Yan, "Mr. Ye, long time no see."
Ye Yan hurriedly stood up as well, "It really has been a while, Brother Hao..."
"Thank you so much for your hard work with the events of the past few days. If you hadn't been there, things might have blown up into a massive disaster on my end."
"Just doing my part, you're too polite, Brother Hao."
"Hey, don't be so modest. Didn't Tang Miaoxing come looking to me for accountability just yesterday?"
Hao Yi touched his gleaming bald head with a sigh, then slowly continued, "But what he said was indeed fair. Those Fusang ghosts went way too far this time."
"Trespassing into someone else's forbidden grounds without permission and injuring high-ranking members of the sect—none of that looks like the behavior of guests."
Speaking of Miyamoto Isshin and his group, Hao Yi's face was filled with indignation.
On the night of the banquet, Tang Miaoxing had been with him and thus was not inside the Tang Sect, which allowed this group of Fusang people to exploit the opportunity.
"Then what are the company's plans?"
Ye Yan looked curiously at Hao Yi, eager to know how the company intended to handle the aftermath.
After all, this incident happened within his jurisdiction, so he was bound to know a few details.
"What else can we do? The old routine: pacify with the left hand, assign accountability with the right,"
Hao Yi sighed. "However, Chairwoman Zhao said that the higher-ups are quite furious this time—a thunderous rage, you could say. It's estimated that this matter won't pass by so easily."
"..."
Faced with Ye Yan, Hao Yi had no intention of concealing anything and openly shared everything he knew, venting his frustrations like someone pouring out grievances.
"Then you've really been working hard."
Ye Yan shrugged, not paying it too much mind.
Whether it was accountability or anything else, to him, it was basically just a show to watch.
Anyway, since those Fusang ghosts had already been sent away, his mission was essentially complete.
Hao Yi noticed the carefree expression on Ye Yan's face and promptly shifted the topic, "Mr. Ye, did you come to see me personally today for something specific?"
"Nothing much!"
Ye Yan smiled. "I just came to see if Brother Hao needed any help with anything here. If there's nothing else, I should be heading back. Having been out for so long, a lot of matters on my end have been delayed."
"Is that so."
Hao Yi nodded. "I don't have much left here, just some cleanup and finishing touches."
Just as his voice trailed off, he seemed to remember something else. "Right, are you planning to go straight back to Tianjin or stop by the headquarters first?"
"Tianjin, I suppose."
Having left Xia He alone at home for so long, Ye Yan was somewhat worried, so he still planned to return to Tianjin first... After staying home for a few days and once Wang Ye's affairs were completely settled, he would take a trip to Kyoto and make his official reports along the way.
"Have you booked your plane tickets?"
"Booked, for this afternoon."
"With me being so busy for so long, I haven't been able to properly host you. When you two come to the Shu region next time, I'll treat you myself..."
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Hao."
……
……
In the evening, Binhai Airport. Facing the last rays of the setting sun, Ye Yan walked out of the airport carrying various large and small bags, heading toward the parking lot.
"You scoundrel, over here..."
Before he had even taken two steps, Ye Yan heard someone calling his name—a familiar voice.
A familiar voice, familiar words; without even turning his head, Ye Yan knew who had come.
Letting out a soft laugh, Ye Yan slowly turned around to look at the pretty young woman standing in the setting sun with her hands behind her back, looking as if she had stepped right out of a painting.
A warm-toned knitted sweater, dark jeans, and a cascade of cherry-pink hair loosely draped over her shoulders, unstyled and as lazy as ever, resembling a cat that had just woken up.
Looking at Ye Yan, a hint of playfulness flashed through Xia He's slender eyes. She lifted her chin and asked Ye Yan softly,
"Her Ladyship has personally come to receive you today, little Yan, do you feel pleasantly surprised?"
"Surprised, yes. But if you could watch a little less Qing dynasty court dramas, I'd be even more surprised."
Ye Yan shrugged with a helpless expression, prompting a sudden and dramatic shift in her persona as she instantly bared her claws.
Xia He rebuked angrily, "You scoundrel, go drop dead! To think this lady went out of her way to come pick you up; if I'd known, I would've stayed home playing video games."
She turned her head away in a huff, pretending to be angry while actually peeking at Ye Yan out of the corner of her eye.
"Don't be so petty..."
Ye Yan smiled and sidled up to her, putting an arm around her shoulder before asking with a hint of confusion,
"Speaking of which, how did you know I was coming back today?"
He hadn't told Xia He in advance that he was returning from the Shu region, yet she had arrived right on time to pick him up at the exact moment his flight landed.
Xia He shrugged her shoulder, shaking off the arm Ye Yan had draped over her, and explained slowly,
"I was playing games with Shen Chong yesterday, and he mentioned you were coming back today, so I checked the flights coming from the Shu region and found there was only this evening one."
"So, I came."
Xia He explained the reason concisely, leaving Ye Yan somewhat amused.
Ye Yan couldn't help but chuckle. "That guy Shen Chong really has no filter... I was originally planning to give you a surprise, but now it's ruined."
Though he was complaining in words, looking at Ye Yan's expression, he wasn't truly angry; instead, he felt a tiny ripple of secret delight, because the feeling of having someone pick you up was actually quite nice.
Ye Yan handed the two bags he was holding to Xia He beside him. "Here, for you..."
"What is this?"
Looking at the exquisitely packaged bags, Xia He was stunned for a moment, and then a trace of pleasant surprise bloomed across her face. "You bought this for me? Hmph... I suppose you still have a sliver of conscience left; this lady forgives you."
She happily took the bags and immediately wanted to check what was inside.
For a girl, no matter how old she was, receiving gifts was always a delightful experience, especially when the gift was given by someone she liked.
Before Xia He could enjoy her happiness for long, Ye Yan's voice followed right after,
"There's too much stuff, carrying this all the way made my hands go numb, help me share the load."
"???"
Xia He, who was just about to open the bag, froze, and her entire face instantly turned dark.
"Smack!"
Before Ye Yan could react, the two bags that had just been handed over were flung straight into his face.
She glared angrily at Ye Yan with a fierce expression. That menacing look was even more terrifying than that time of the month.
"Get lost, you jerk..."
Leaving behind those words, Xia He turned around in a huff and walked away.
Quick as lightning, Ye Yan snatched the bags back just before they hit the ground, averting a tragedy.
Ye Yan patted his chest in lingering fear, "I'm saying, the things inside are quite expensive; if they broke from being dropped, wouldn't it all go to waste? You woman... are you really trying to bankrupt me?"
Hearing this, Xia He, who had already turned away, suddenly turned back. Her slender eyes burned with fury, and her complexion was as dark as charred coal.
"Fine! You scoundrel, you've grown some backbone, haven't you? You've only been out for a few days and you're already lecturing me? And you dare call me a spendthrift? Did this lady make a mistake coming to pick you up or something?"
"Fine, we can't live like this anymore, I'm going to fight you to the death..."
……
……
Twenty minutes later.
On the airport highway, a brand-new Wuling mini-van sped swiftly along the road, leaving private cars far behind in the dust.
The gentle melody of Canon echoed inside the cabin.
In the driver's seat, Lao Wu stared straight ahead, concentrating fiercely on driving. Its stiffened back was pressed almost flat against the seatback, striking the picture of an experienced veteran driver who closed his eyes to external matters and focused entirely on the steering wheel.
In the back seat, Ye Yan and Xia He sat side by side.
Xia He rested her chin in one hand, admiring the scenery flashing by on both sides of the road under the night scenery. Meanwhile, Ye Yan tilted his head to gaze at her exquisite profile and flowing hair, drifting off into a daze.
A fine car, a beautiful woman, and the slow passage of time.
Of course... if one could ignore the series of red fingernail scratches on Ye Yan's neck, it truly would have been a picture of brilliant youth and peaceful years.
After a long while, it was Ye Yan who spoke up, breaking the peaceful atmosphere first.
"How has home been during this time? Nothing weird happened, right?"
"What could possibly happen..."
Xia He pouted, turning her head to look at him. "It's you though—going off to the Shu region for so long, your soul didn't get hooked away by some little vixen, did it?"
"How could that happen..."
Ye Yan chuckled. "However, this trip to the Tang Sect was quite eventful, and the harvest wasn't bad either."
"Harvest?"
Xia He didn't quite understand Ye Yan's words. "Weren't you representing the company to execute a mission? What harvest could there be?"
"An unexpected harvest, naturally."
"Tch—"
Xia He curled her lip, not pressing the matter further.
"What are your plans regarding Wang Ye's situation? Are you still going to Kyoto? And isn't Shen Chong almost done looking at locations?"
During her time at home, through playing video games together with Wang Ye, Shen Chong, and others, Xia He had also learned about what Ye Yan had been busy with lately.
As well as Wang Ye family's affairs.
And the location selection issue on Shen Chong's side.
"According to what Wang Ye said, the mastermind has already been tracked down. In that case, I do indeed need to take a trip to Kyoto in a few days. Reporting for duty is one thing, but the main thing is to see just who that old bastard is, being so shameless."
Ye Yan took Wang Ye's matter quite seriously.
However, he wasn't in a rush over there. Although the mastermind coveted the Eight Wonders he possessed, their reservations were also very great... Ye Yan wasn't worried that the other party would grow desperate and do something reckless because of this.
"As for the location selection, it's indeed quite important; I'll have to go take a look in person in a few days..."
Ye Yan had planned all of this out long ago.
"Then whether you're going to Kyoto or Guandong this time, you have to take me with you..."
Just as Ye Yan's voice trailed off, Xia He impatiently made her demand.
"What, getting restless?"
Hearing this, Ye Yan couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
In his impression, Xia He had a wild streak and couldn't sit still for even a moment.
She loved running outside whenever she had free time.
If the incident at Mount Longhu hadn't had such a massive impact and given her a sense of crisis, she wouldn't have been able to stay honestly cooped up at home for so long.
"Alright then, since there's nothing much anyway, if you want to go, I'll take you along this time."
Looking at Xia He's pitiful look, Ye Yan couldn't help but soften his heart a little.
Besides, the affair at Mount Longhu had ended so long ago, and the aftershocks had mostly dissipated; there was no need to keep her locked up at home all the time.
"Yay..."
Xia He excitedly wrapped her arms around Ye Yan's neck and pecked him on the cheek, leaving a big red lipstick mark to express her excitement.
Ye Yan wiped the saliva off his cheek with the back of his hand and looked at her speechlessly,
"Let me ask, next time, can you not pull something so sudden?"
"What, you don't like it?" Xia He gave Ye Yan a charming and seductive side-eye.
"I like it... I mean, please increase the intensity."
Ye Yan's mouth said no, but his body was honest; truth be told, he didn't care about saving face at all.
"Such a good boy. I just bought some fresh fish and razor clams today, I'll cook you something delicious tonight."
Xia He smiled happily, boasting in a tone resembling a child recounting their grades to their parents,
"My cooking skills have improved tremendously lately, even Erdan has gotten two circles fatter. Now it eats every single meal clean... not leaving a single bit behind."
Ye Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Since you've worked so hard to come pick me up, you don't need to cook."
"I suddenly remembered... there seems to be a newly opened restaurant near our place. I heard people saying the food tastes quite good a couple of days ago..."
"Since we both have time today, let's call Fourth Brother over to have a meal together later. I haven't seen Fourth Brother in quite a while either."
"..."
Mentioning cooking made Ye Yan feel a creeping sense of horror, and he was reminded of the terror of being dominated by dark culinary creations back home.
Thus, he hurriedly found an excuse to steer the conversation away...
Hearing Ye Yan's words, however, Xia He smiled coldly. "Already made plans?"
"Umm... made plans."
"It's so late already... why go out to eat? If you really want to see Xu Si, just call him over to the house, I'll cook for you guys."
As she spoke, she even used her hand to gently wipe the sweat off Ye Yan's forehead.
"Oh crap... something's wrong."
As soon as those words came out, Ye Yan's heart skipped a beat, and even his expression stiffened.
He shifted his shoulders awkwardly. "Really no need, I already made plans with Fourth Brother before coming back, we're meeting at that restaurant..."
"Hoh, is that so!"
Xia He pouted, looking completely unconvinced.
Ye Yan quickly explained, "I really did make plans with Fourth Brother. If you don't believe it... if you don't believe it, ask Lao Wu, it knows about this too."
Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Ye Yan relied on his wits to shift the blame directly.
Xia He frowned and asked Lao Wu, who was driving ahead, "Lao Wu, is this true?"
"Uh..."
Suddenly dragged into the spotlight for no reason, Lao Wu's entire body tensed up, feeling like it was facing a formidable enemy.
"Brother Yan... is it true or not?"
Lao Wu's exceptionally helpless gaze peeked through the rearview mirror, first glancing secretly at Xia He's gloomy face before asking Ye Yan in a low voice.
"When I was chatting with Fourth Brother, didn't you hear?"
"I heard it, but it's just..."
Before it could finish speaking, it was interrupted by Xia He, "When it comes to this kind of thing, if it happened, it happened; if it didn't, it didn't. Make sure you don't talk nonsense."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the level of threat it contained made Lao Wu's hair stand on end.
Left hand: the mistress.
Right hand: the master.
With these two placed side by side, neither side could afford to be offended.
At this very moment, Lao Wu's mood was exceptionally complicated.
It turned its head away, silently gazing out the window, wishing it could just scream towards the boundless night sky twice: 'Save me', 'Save me'……
……
……
Fusang Island, Haneda Airport.
A commercial airliner flying from the Dragon Country slowly landed, and Abe Island Fragrance's delegation visiting the Dragon Country stepped out from the cabin slowly.
"Gentlemen, you've worked hard on this trip."
Before the group had even descended the boarding stairs, the members of the Hatazai, who had been waiting below for a long time, approached them and offered soft words of comfort.
"Mr. Goma, General Mutou is already waiting for you at the Treasure Pavilion. Please move there to have a chat."
"Mm!"
Walking at the very front with a trace of fatigue hidden in his eyes, Goma Yoshito nodded in response.
He had intended to go straight to the Treasure Pavilion to see that general, but looking at Miyamoto Isshin's dejected expression and Abe Island Fragrance, who looked severely traumatized, Goma Yoshito still stopped in his tracks.
"Call someone to examine them. On this mission, they've all suffered injuries to varying degrees."
"Understood..."
The people from Hatazai quickly acknowledged.
Yet as soon as the words fell, Miyamoto Isshin's gloomy, vulture-like voice rang out from the side, "There's no need for any examinations. Prepare a car for me, I'm going to the Niten Dojo, I want to see my uncle."
"But your current condition..."
Anyone present could clearly see that Miyamoto Isshin's condition right now was not good.
"It's none of your business... Prepare the car."
It was clearly a remark born of concern, but to Miyamoto Isshin, it sounded extremely grating. Like a provoked lion, he roared at the crowd.
This caused everyone around them to fall into a terrified silence.
"Prepare a car for him."
In the end, it was Goma Yoshito who spoke up, allowing the particularly tense atmosphere to gradually subside.
"Hmph—"
Miyamoto Isshin let out a cold snort and began walking outside.
Just when everyone thought the matter would end there, Miyamoto Isshin's pale complexion suddenly turned horrified.
Immediately following that, under everyone's watchful eyes, his entire body swelled up like a balloon and exploded with a loud bang.
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