Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Braid

Ye Yan had finally revealed his hand, throwing a huge accusation like a heavy hat onto the heads of Wang Ai and Lu Ci, making them panic. The charge Ye Yan leveled was not a minor one; if it were to stick, the consequences would be utterly disastrous, offending both the Company and the old Celestial Master.

Moreover, people like them, with such vast family enterprises, had no real confidence to go up against the Company. Wang Ai was flustered, and so was Lu Ci.

"Brother Ye, you can't just say things like that. At most, we only wanted to have a chat with Zhang Chulan. There's no need to make it such a big deal," Wang Ai protested.

Even though Ye Yan had caught them red-handed, Wang Ai refused to give up his struggle. He would never admit to such a thing, nor allow himself to be subject to gossip. If he were to confess, the Company's accountability alone would be enough to give Wang Ai and Lu Ci a hard time; they might not even be able to keep their seats among the Ten Elders.

Though they held the title of Ten Elders and carried considerable reputation and status in the underworld, the truth was that the Ten Elders were merely figureheads propped up by the Company, meant to mediate between the Company and the world of the Others. If they played their roles properly, the Company would let them keep their positions. If not, they could be replaced in an instant, and the Wang and Lu families would never recover.

Both Wang Ai and Lu Ci had lived long lives and were shrewd men; they understood these realities all too well. Thus, more than fearing the Celestial Master's House, they dreaded the Company’s repression, which could doom their families to eternal obscurity in the world of the Others.

As for the Celestial Master's House, though Longhu Mountain and the Zhengyi Sect had many disciples, the real deterrent was only the old Celestial Master himself. They weren’t afraid.

"If you don’t believe us, you can ask Zhang Chulan yourself what we did to him," Wang Ai said. "One question and you’ll know."

At this, Wang Ai grew calmer. He wasn’t exaggerating; though they wanted to extract the source of Qi from Zhang Chulan, they had failed. Ye Yan arrived too quickly, and the only one who could use the Soul Revealing Art, Lu Gong, had been slapped against the wall by Ye Yan and was now lying there like a dead dog.

So, he had nothing to fear. No matter who came to ask, he was not worried.

Seeing how stubborn these old dogs were, Ye Yan frowned and turned to Zhang Chulan. "Don’t be afraid of these two old dogs. Whatever they did to you, just tell the truth."

Ye Yan subtly hinted to Zhang Chulan, hoping he would embellish his account of what had happened, giving Ye Yan a chance to give Wang Ai a taste of his own medicine. He had been waiting for such an opportunity.

Zhang Chulan, meanwhile, had been in a state of shock ever since Ye Yan entered the room. He never imagined Ye Yan would show no respect to figures like Wang Ai and Lu Ci, not wasting a single word but confronting them directly.

Ye Yan’s look was clear, and Zhang Chulan immediately caught its meaning. With Ye Yan backing him up, he was ready to follow Ye Yan’s cue and exaggerate the intentions of Wang Ai and Lu Ci. But when he glanced at Feng Baobao, he hesitated and fell silent. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Chulan looked at Ye Yan and shook his head. "Brother Yan, these two elders just wanted to talk to me, nothing more."

"Just talk? Are you sure?" Ye Yan pressed, his tone heavier.

"Yes," Zhang Chulan sighed, nodding earnestly to show he was telling the truth.

"There, you see? Even Zhang Chulan says so. We two old men just wanted a chat, nothing else," Wang Ai said.

He had been preparing to deny everything shamelessly, but did not expect Zhang Chulan to speak in their favor. For a moment, he was at a loss. Still, Zhang Chulan’s words did Wang Ai and Lu Ci a great service, allowing them to slip away from Ye Yan’s grasp and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright," Ye Yan said, seeing that even Zhang Chulan, the victim himself, had spoken thus. He had no other recourse. He had hoped to use this incident to pressure Wang Ai, but failed. If Zhang Chulan had insisted these two old men had tried something, Ye Yan could have pressed further. If he could put this hat firmly on Wang Ai’s head, he could use his connections within the Company to amplify the issue bit by bit.

Whether he could eradicate the Wang family in one stroke, Ye Yan couldn’t guarantee, but at least it would be an opportunity.

Now that Ye Yan stopped pursuing the matter, the two elders relaxed, the weight finally lifted from their hearts.

Just then, another group entered the room.

It was Xu San and Xu Si, rushing in with urgent steps. Upon seeing the unconscious Lu Gong by the wall and Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao unharmed, they relaxed.

"Old Lu, Old Wang, what business brings you two venerable gentlemen to our company’s young man? Why not share it with us?" Xu Si asked.

His tone was not quite accusatory, but there was a hint of dissatisfaction—he was clearly displeased with their actions, though not overtly.

Lu Ci snorted coldly at Xu Si’s subtle words and forced a stiff smile. "It’s nothing. Who isn’t curious about Zhang Chulan these days?"

Xu Si, cigarette dangling from his lips, replied calmly, "True enough. That kid’s the focus of everyone’s attention right now."

"Xu Si, what took you so long?" Feng Baobao, face darkened, questioned the two as they showed up.

Xu San glanced at Feng Baobao but said nothing. Xu Si, however, flicked his nearly finished cigarette to the floor, crushed it underfoot, and said mildly, "By the way, Old Lu, you shouldn’t worry so much about things outside—pay more attention to those closest to you. Look at that young man by the wall, isn’t he your great-grandson? Sleeping there in broad daylight—he must be exhausted."

Xu Si’s eyelids drooped, his words deliberately pointed.

"Our family matters are for me to handle. No need for others to meddle," Lu Ci replied, his face darkening at Xu Si’s remark.

"Good then," Xu Si waved his hand. "If there’s nothing else, we’ll be taking him with us."

With that, Xu Si turned casually, draped an arm over Zhang Chulan’s shoulder, and led the group out, leaving Lu Ci and Wang Ai behind, their faces clouded and uncertain.