“It was all worth it. My Zhou clan is born with the imperial mandate. Ye Xingchen, if it weren’t for you, none of these changes would have occurred,” Zhou Xuanji roared.
"Whether I show up or not, it's all worth it. Just like decades ago, when I wasn't in Yanjing, didn't you still fail?" Ye Xingchen laughed: "You not only failed, but you also cost almost the entire Zhou clan their lives."
"Ahhh..." Zhou Xuanji roared in frustration, "Why? I calculated every secret of heaven without missing a single one, so why is this happening?"
"Do you really think that destiny can be changed by man?" Ye Xingchen sneered. "Heaven and earth have their own way. Does your Zhou family want to become the Human Emperor by borrowing destiny? Dream on. I'll send you on your way and let you reunite with your descendants."
Ye Xingchen slashed forward with the Crimson Cloud Sword, and with a thud, Zhou Xuanji's head rolled to the ground. Even though his body was separated from his head, he still looked resentful.
Zhou Fuwen personally led people to the suburbs to ransack the house. The basement had two floors, and on the second floor, there were still some corpses hanging upside down.
The hearts of these corpses were removed, and the blood was reversed, used for some kind of sacrifice or evil magic; everything looked extremely horrifying.
Yi Anchen received the news and rushed to the scene. Seeing what he saw, he remained silent for a long time.
"It's my fault for the oversight of the Imperial Observatory. Back then, the Zhou clan failed to borrow the fortune and suffered a backlash from the Heavenly Dao, almost leading to their extermination. I thought I was trying to preserve some of the Zhou clan's bloodline, but I never expected that Zhou Xuanji would still be so persistent and attempt to challenge the Heavenly Dao." Yi Anchen sighed deeply.
"Old Yi, stop being a Monday morning quarterback. If my nephew hadn't noticed it sooner, that old man might have succeeded." Zhou Fuwen snorted.
“Indeed.” Yi Anchen smiled and walked up to Ye Xingchen: “Mr. Ye, I am grateful for your guidance before. This time, I owe you another favor.”
"Chief Supervisor Yi, you're too kind. I'm just a member of the Xuan Yu Pavilion, this is only part of my job." Ye Xingchen smiled slightly: "You know how serious An Zhiguo's offense is this time, right?"
"I... understand. Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Ye. That's how I managed to distance myself from the An family. Otherwise, I would definitely have been dragged into these things this time." Yi Anchen felt a little scared as he thought about it.
He owed the An family a favor and had become somewhat close to the An clan. Last time in the deep mountains, Ye Xingchen reminded him to be mindful of his place and keep his distance from the An family after returning.
Now that An Zhiguo is dead, his crimes of colluding with the enemy, betraying the country, and selling out national interests have a wide-ranging impact.
If he hadn't drawn a clear line in time, even if he were the head of the Imperial Observatory, he would probably have been in serious trouble this time.
“Mr. Ye is exceptionally capable and seems to have some knowledge of metaphysics and esoteric arts. The Imperial Observatory is eager for talent, and I wonder if you are interested in the position of Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory?” Yi Tianchen directly poached him.
"Old Yi, you're being unfair, poaching people right in front of me? Do you think you can just poach people from my Xuanyu Pavilion like that?" Zhou Fuwen was getting angry.
"Haha, Lao Zhou, such talents are rare and hard to find. Capable people naturally bear heavy responsibilities." Yi Anchen laughed heartily.
"I'm really not good at things like the I Ching, observing celestial phenomena, and predicting the fate of a nation," Ye Xingchen smiled. "So I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"The Imperial Observatory exists for more than just observing celestial phenomena and predicting the fate of the nation. If Mr. Ye is interested, feel free to come and find me anytime," Yi Anchen laughed.
After calming things down here, it was already past midnight. Ye Xingchen accompanied Si Qianyu to the hotel.
"You really aren't coming to my house? My grandfather talks about you every day, he's my granddaughter-in-law." Ye Xingchen said.
“I know what kind of place the Xia family is.” Si Qianyu glanced at Ye Xingchen. “In Yanjing, those who are qualified to marry into the Xia family must be from prestigious families. I know my own background, so I don’t have any expectations.”
"I'll arrange a place for you to stay tomorrow. Have you found them yet?" Ye Xingchen asked.
“Found it, and it’s confirmed.” Si Qianyu lowered her head: “I have a younger sister who is 10 years old, so I didn’t disturb their lives. I just quietly stayed at their house for quite a long time.”
"Why not acknowledge them as family?" Ye Xingchen was slightly taken aback.
“They… are very happy now. My mother has never given up looking for me all these years, but after all, we have been separated for too long, and there is a distance between us. Now my sister carries all their love for me, so I can’t bear to break their current happiness.” Si Qianyu lowered her head.
“If you don’t have the courage to take that step, I’ll go back with you and reunite with them if we have the chance, okay?” Ye Xingchen put his arm around Si Qianyu.
"Mmm." Si Qianyu nodded heavily and slowly leaned into Ye Xingchen's arms.
She certainly lacked courage, but with this man by her side, all her timidity and cowardice vanished.
Having not seen Si Qianyu for so long, Ye Xingchen was originally planning to have a proper dual cultivation session, but Liu Ying called. She only called out Ye Xingchen's name once before quietly sobbing.
"What's wrong?" Ye Xingchen asked with concern, "Who bullied you?"
"My address has been leaked, and my parents and brother have come to my door." Liu Ying's sobs rose as soon as she heard Ye Xingchen's voice.
"I'll be right there." Ye Xingchen frowned.
Liu Ying ran away from home because her parents wanted her to marry a widowed man in his forties.
After finally enjoying a few years of peace and quiet, I never expected my parents to come knocking on my door again.
"A hero saves a damsel in distress?" Si Qianyu asked.
"A friend of mine ran into some trouble." Ye Xingchen gave an awkward smile.
"Go ahead, I won't go with you." Si Qianyu rolled her eyes at Ye Xingchen, then went to rest alone.
Ye Xingchen arrived at the bar, only to find it in complete disarray.
Chen Hu personally led a group of people over, but these were family matters, and he couldn't get involved.
The ordinary-looking man and woman were Liu Ying's parents. Liu Ying's mother, in particular, had a fierce look on her face. The couple perfectly portrayed the cunning and shrewdness of people from the lower class.
Of course, there was also a tall, burly young man who didn't look very shrewd; this guy was Liu Ying's younger brother, Liu Zhen.
"I fed you and raised you, and now you've run away like a grease on the floor?" Liu's mother stood with her hands on her hips and berated Liu Ying. "Now you're doing so well in Yanjing, bringing home several thousand yuan a month?"
"Are you even human? You heartless wretch! Let me tell you, Liu Ying, you'll never escape my grasp."
"Don't waste your breath on her. Either give her two million, or give this bar to your brother. Otherwise, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, he can't help you." Mr. Liu's face was also full of menacing energy.
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