Chapter 3: Furious Rage

"Ye Jingyue, Ye Nantian, Ye Xuanyi—ha, what a fine family you are," he sneered. "If not for my father and Uncle Fu fighting tooth and nail to establish the Ye family, would you enjoy this peaceful life now? So when my father set out for the Longevity Secret Realm, you were already coveting the position of head of the family? To obtain the Dragon-Tiger Token, you went so far as to place Ye Jingyue by my side for three years."

"You really are cunning, aren't you? I, Ye Junlin, was deceived by your whole family for three years? Now that I think about it, Uncle Fu’s mysterious poisoning and loss of cultivation must have been your doing as well, right?"

"Ye Xuanyi, Ye Jingyue, Ye Nantian—if anything happens to Xiaoya today, I swear, I won’t let your family die in peace!"

At this moment, Ye Junlin was utterly consumed by fury. After a roar of rage, he dashed madly down the mountain.

"Young master, please calm down! Don’t be reckless! Don’t do anything foolish!"

…

Black Dragon City, Ye Residence. The small courtyard where Ye Junlin and Ye Xiaoya lived was in utter chaos.

"Ah! Ye Xuanyi, no! Don’t tear my clothes, please, I beg you, don’t!"

"Brother, where are you? Come save Xiaoya, please, come save me!"

Ye Junlin's younger sister, Ye Xiaoya, was pinned on a patch of grass in the courtyard, struggling desperately with tears streaming down her face.

"Haha, Ye Xiaoya, stop struggling. You’d best obey me."

"Let me tell you the truth—your useless brother was killed by my sister three days ago."

"Now that my sister has the Dragon-Tiger Token, the Dragon-Tiger Academy will send someone tomorrow."

"With the backing of Dragon-Tiger Academy, who would dare oppose my father becoming the head of the Ye family?"

"From now on, I, Ye Xuanyi, will be the honored young master of the Ye family."

"Ye Xiaoya, if you still refuse to recognize what’s good for you and don’t serve me properly, watch out—I might just kill you."

Ignoring Ye Xiaoya’s frantic resistance, Ye Xuanyi gripped her throat, barking threats viciously.

What? My brother is dead?

This news struck Ye Xiaoya like a bolt from the blue. Despair flooded her face, and crystalline tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Ye Xuanyi, you think you can be the young master of the Ye family? Get your filthy hands off Xiaoya!"

Ye Junlin, having rushed back from the rear mountain, stared at the wreckage of his home and at Ye Xiaoya’s helpless struggle beneath Ye Xuanyi.

His forehead veins bulged as he let out a furious roar.

Startled by the shout, both Ye Xiaoya and Ye Xuanyi jumped in fright.

"Brother?"

From the depths of despair, Ye Xiaoya cried out in delighted surprise.

"Ye Junlin, you useless wretch—you’re not dead?"

Ye Xuanyi stared at Ye Junlin as if he’d seen a ghost, disbelief written all over his face.

Burning with rage, Ye Junlin crossed the distance in two strides, kicking Ye Xuanyi off Ye Xiaoya with force.

"Xiaoya, are you alright?"

Ye Junlin hurriedly cradled Ye Xiaoya, who was sobbing like a rain-soaked flower.

"Ye Junlin—you? How dare you kick me?"

"Aren’t you afraid my sister and father will bring the whole family down on you?"

Ye Xuanyi got to his feet, pointing at Ye Junlin and shouting.

With a sharp crack, Ye Junlin slapped Ye Xuanyi across the face.

"Ye Xuanyi, don’t you dare mention that venomous woman Ye Jingyue in front of me."

"And your father, Ye Nantian, is no better."

"Let me tell you, Ye Xuanyi—the Ye family was built by my father, Ye Tianyi, through blood and sweat. As long as I, Ye Junlin, am here, my father’s legacy will never be handed over to anyone. Your father, Ye Nantian, will never become the head of the Ye family!"

"And that Dragon-Tiger Token was earned by my father, risking his life in the Longevity Secret Realm to retrieve the Dragon-Tiger Fangtian Halberd for the Dragon-Tiger Academy."

"The Dragon-Tiger Token belongs to me, Ye Junlin. I will take it back from Ye Jingyue!"

Ye Junlin’s furious roars echoed as he watched Ye Xuanyi stumble backwards, recalling every betrayal and injustice.

"Heh, well, well, Ye Junlin—three days away and you’ve grown bold, haven’t you?"

"You think you can take back the Dragon-Tiger Token?"

"I’ll tell you this—Dragon-Tiger Academy will send people tomorrow. Let’s see how you manage to reclaim it."

"You dared to slap me, Ye Xuanyi? I’ll see to it you’re taught a lesson!"

Dazed by Ye Junlin’s slap, Ye Xuanyi sneered coldly. After leaving a few harsh threats, he stormed away in fury.

Ye Junlin watched Ye Xuanyi’s arrogant, departing figure, his fists clenched tightly.

"Dragon-Tiger Academy is coming tomorrow? My father’s agreement with them was for me to enter the academy in a month. Why is it happening tomorrow? Why was it moved forward?"

"What happened in between?"

Ye Junlin frowned, murmuring in confusion.

"Brother, you’re safe? I’m so glad you’re alright."

Ye Xiaoya, returning to herself, wept with joy as she looked at her brother.

"Silly girl, don’t cry. If you keep crying, you won’t be cute—you’ll look like a little cat."

Ye Junlin smiled, gently stroking Ye Xiaoya’s head.

"Pfft, brother, you’re teasing me again! I’m not a little cat!"

Cheered by Ye Junlin’s words, Ye Xiaoya couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.

Uncle Fu, breathless from rushing back, entered the courtyard. Seeing this warm scene, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"If only the master were here, how wonderful it would be."

"Three years—three whole years. I wonder how the master is faring in the Longevity Secret Realm."

Uncle Fu let out a heavy sigh, murmuring softly.

"Brother, what should we do? The Ye family is almost entirely under Ye Nantian’s control now."

"And Ye Xuanyi is narrow-minded and vicious. After today's conflict, he’ll never let us off."

Suddenly, recalling the events of the past few days, Ye Xiaoya looked up at Ye Junlin, worry clouding her face.