C16 Finger-pointing

"Ye Lan, I didn't think that you would actually dare to beat up one of my men!"

Just as Ye Tao said, Ye Xuan could not sit idly upon seeing one of his followers beaten into a pulp by Ye Lan.

All of the Ye Family disciples present knew very clearly that Ye Kuang was one of Ye Xuan's subordinates.

As the saying goes, when one beats a dog, they would also have to answer to its master.

Thus, Ye Lan insulting Ye Kuang in such a way was akin to slapping Ye Xuan's face in public.

Naturally, with Ye Xuan's character, he would definitely not sit back and do nothing.

"What? You only allow your men to hit others, but not the other way around?"

Ye Lan spoke confidently, not showing even a hint of fear against Ye Xuan.

With a single sentence, Ye Xuan was rendered speechless.

He looked at Ye Lan in surprise and thought to himself, "Is the Ye Lan standing in front of me really the spineless coward from before?"

From his perspective, Ye Lan had undergone a tremendous change.

Unlike his previous incompetent self, Ye Lan was no longer as taciturn or timid as before. In fact, he had gotten much stronger!

"It seems that your mouth has become quite sharp since the last time we met. As expected, you've changed quite a lot after somehow obtaining your new abilities."

"However, don't think that you can act so arrogantly here just because you managed to defeat Ye Kuang with ease."

"In my eyes, you will always be that same piece of trash!"

Regaining his sense from his moment of shock, Ye Xuan responded with a cold voice.

So what if Ye Lan can defeat Ye Kuang with a single punch?

His strength would be at the second stage of the Body Tempering Realm at best!

On the other hand, Ye Xuan was currently at the seventh stage of the Body Tempering Realm, five whole stages above Ye Lan. Thus, dealing with Ye Lan would be as easy as stepping on an ant.

After uttering those words, Ye Xuan slowly stepped towards Ye Lan as an intimidating aura sudden surged within his body.

As the terrifying aura lingered around the the Banquet Hall, the surrounding Ye Family disciples' faces turned pale as they trembled in fear.

"I heard rumors saying how you managed to defeat Zhou Nan of the Taoist Artifacts Hall with a single punch."

"However, I will only believe in the things I see. Thus, allow me to be the judge. Do you really have the ability to accomplish such a feat?"

Ye Xuan said coldly as he paused in his steps.

At that moment, he charged up his fists and was just about to attack Ye Lan.

"Ye Xuan, don't go too far!"

Suddenly, a soft voice interrupt from the side. In that instant, Ye Yu's figure flashed over like a ghost as she stood in front of Ye Lan.

Her pair of dazzling eyes glared menacingly at Ye Xuan.

With that, an explosive aura the far surpassed Ye Xuan's burst out from Ye Yu's body. The imposing aura emitted by Ye Xuan was instantly suppressed.

Having grown up with Ye Lan over the years, Ye Yu naturally placed him on a high pedestal and saw him as one of, if not, the most important person in her life.

Thus, she would never allow anyone to bully Ye Lan in front of her.

"You're claiming that I'm going too far? Isn't it only natural for me to serve justice for Ye Kuang? How is that being too excessive?"

Ye Xuan's heart quickly filled with jealousy as he watched Ye Yu protect Ya Lan — his expression turned gloomier by the second.

"You want to seek justice? Ye Kuang was the one who provoked Ye Lan in the first place. He simply got what he deserved!"

Ye Yu replied coldly.

Hearing that, Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed as a cold light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Ye Lan, if you have the guts, then don't hide behind a woman."

Helpless, Ye Xuan could only attempt to agitate Ye Lan. After all, he was no match for Ye Yu.

If he fought Ye Yu recklessly, he would definitely lose and humiliate himself.

"Don't you dare try to provoke my Brother Ye Lan!"

Ye Yu shouted in rage.

"Yu'er, step aside!"

Suddenly, Ye Lan placed his hand gently on Ye Yu's shoulder and said with a bright smile.

"Brother Ye Lan, don't be fooled by Ye Xuan. He's only trying to provoke you."

Filled with anxiety, Ye Yu was afraid that Ye Lan would fall for Ye Xuan's provocations and end up falling into his trap.

"I know, but this is a matter between me and him. Therefore, I will personally deal with him."

Ye Lan said with a smile, not showing any signs of fear for Ye Xuan at all.

"Brother Ye Lan, Ye Xuan's cultivation is at the seventh stage of the Body Tempering Realm. If you fight him alone, I'm afraid..."

Ye Yu wanted to keep persuading him but stopped midway.

From her perspective, even though Ye Lan was able to easily defeat Ye Kuang, his cultivation was certainly not high enough to compare to that of Ye Xuan's. If he were to clash with Ye Xuan now, he would most likely get injured.

"What's wrong? Do you really not believe in your Brother Ye Lan?"

Ye Lan replied in a soft tone.

"Brother Ye Lan, it's not that I don't believe you, but…"

"Since you believe in me, then listen to me and step aside."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Ye Lan reassured with a confident smile.

Seeing this, Ye Yu had no choice but to step back.

Throughout her entire life, she could reject anyone except for Ye Lan.

"Alright, I've done as you wished. I'm no longer standing behind a woman."

Ye Lan uttered as he stared indifferently at Ye Xuan with a mocking smile.

"You certainly have balls, I'll give you that."

Ye Xuan said coldly.

He never expected Ye Lan to actually fall for his obvious provocations. To think he was this stupid...

If Ye Lan had Ye Yu's protection, Ye Xuan would really not be able to do anything to him.

Now that Ye Yu had stepped aside, he could now do whatever he wanted and bully Ye Lan to his heart's content!

"How could I be a man if I have no balls?"

Ye Lan smiled playfully.

"Just you wait, for I will turn you into a cripple!"

Ye Xuan laughed sinisterly with a look of disdain.

With that, he prepared to attack Ye Lan.

"That's enough! This banquet was held to celebrate the contributions made by Elder Feng and the other apothecaries of my Ye Family."

"How can I allow you all to fool around and continue making a ruckus here?!"

Just as Ye Xuan was about to make his move, a deep, solemn voice suddenly sounded from afar.

At that moment, Ye Zhenqun, along with a group of higher-ups from the Ye Family, stepped forth and shouted for Ye Xuan to stop.

Noticing the sudden appearance of Ye Zhenqun and the other higher-ups, many of the Ye Family disciples immediately stood up in shock and paid their respects to them.

At the same time, Ye Xuan also retracted the aura around his body and respectfully bowed to Ye Zhenqun and the other Ye Family higher-ups, not daring to offend them in the slightest.

As for Ye Lan, he wore a content expression, not showing any signs of panic or confusion.

Upon arriving at the scene, Ye Zhenqun shifted his gazes from one to the other, ultimately landing on the scene where Ye Kuang sat outside on the courtyard with dog feces all over his face.

Revealing a slight frown, Ye Zhenqun looked at Ye Xuan and asked coldly, "Who did this?"

"Reporting to Patriarch, Ye Lan was responsible for injuring Ye Kuang!"

Ye Xuan quickly bowed in response.

"Nonsense!"

Ye Zhenqun roared.

His son had injured Ye Kuang? How could that be possible?!

This Ye Xuan was obviously trying to frame his son!

"Patriarch, this disciple only speaks of the truth. I do not dare to utter even the slightlest bit of nonsense."

Ye Xuan bowered his head lower as his forehead dripped with cold sweat.

If you still doubt this disciple's words, you can ask the other disciples around. They all witnessed it with their very own eyes."

Finally, Ye Xuan hurriedly added.

"Reporting to Patriarch, what Ye Xuan said is true. Ye Kuang was indeed injured by Ye Lan!"

Upon hearing Ye Xuan's words, all the other Ye Family disciples hurriedly stood up and supported him, telling him the truth.

Seeing how everyone was saying the same thing, Ye Xuan must have spoke the truth.

Ye Zhenqun quickly switched from a gloomy to a shocked expression.

At that moment, he stared at his son in utter disbelief.

Even Ye Zhenfeng and the other higher-ups standing around Ye Zhenqun looked at Ye Lan in shock.

Could the disicples really be speaking the truth?

Ye Lan actually injured Ye Kuang?

But that was simply not possible!

After all, Ye Lan's meridians were completely blocked. How could someone who could not cultivate injure Ye Kuang, who was at the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm?

However, they also knew that Ye Xuan and the other disciples would never try to deceive them.

Although they hesitated for a while, Ye Zhenqun, Ye Zhenfeng, and the other higher-ups of the Ye Family could only consider that they were speaking the truth.

Thinking how his son managed to injure Ye Kuang, Ye Zhenqun was filled with mixed feelings.

Though he was extremely happy, there was one other thing that gave him a headache.

Having injured Ye Kuang, his son had ultimately broke one of the family rules. As his father, he had to think of a way to clean up his son's mess.

"Ahem! This matter requires further investigation. I will personally inquire more about the matter after the banquet ends. Anyways, everyone may now go back to what they're doing."

After a long while, Ye Zhenqun coughed lightly and said with an awkward expression.

"Patriarch, I've only spoken of the truth. Why does Patriarch still need to investigate further?"

Ye Xuan panicked.

How could he not know that Ye Zhenqun was doing his best to protect his own son?

Naturally, he wasn't willing to let Ye Lan off that easily. Thus, he had to think of a way to make Ye Lan suffer no matter what.

After all, the final decision in the Ye Family wasn't something that Ye Zhenqun could decide alone.

"Do you think you have the right to criticize the way I do things?"

Ye Zhenqun's gaze turned ice-cold as he glared at Ye Xuan and scolded him. At that moment, Ye Xuan turned dead silent. His face bleached pale, not daring to recklessly charge forward.

"Elder Brother, there's no need to be in such a hurry to resume the banquet. I think you should investigate this matter thoroughly first."

Suddenly, Ye Zhenfeng spoke up.

He was still shocked by the fact that Ye Lan managed to injure Ye Kuang. In his moment of doubt, he still wasn't sure whether Ye Xuan's words were true or false.

After all, the truth could not be discerned from the words of the disciples alone.

Only by witnessing it with his own eyes would he be certain of the fact.

Right now, he really wanted to know if Ye Lan truly had the ability to injure Ye Kuang.

How could a piece of trash who could not cultivate due to blocked meridians accomplish such a feat?

"That's right, Patriarch. We have to first investigate this matter thoroughly. Only then can we continue with the banquet."

At this time, many of the higher ups of the Ye Family also agreed.

They also wanted to see with their own eyes whether Ye Lan had the ability to defeat Ye Kuang or not.