Zhou Yan’s face contorted as he roared, "Ye Xuan, don’t push your luck! You want me to kowtow and apologize? Dream on..."
As the young master of the Zhou family, how could he possibly kowtow and admit his mistake in front of so many students? If word of this got out, how could he ever show his face in the academy again?
Ye Xuan’s expression was frigid. "Oh dear, my leg is getting a little sore. I can barely hold it up anymore."
As if in response, Ye Xuan’s right leg hovered over Zhou Yan’s crotch, threatening to drop at any moment. This terrified Zhou Yan into blurting out, "Don’t, don’t... Ye Xuan, listen to me! Stomping down won’t do you any good. How about this? Today was my fault. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. I’ll compensate you, isn’t that enough?"
As he spoke, Zhou Yan fumbled with a ring on his right hand, seemingly searching for something.
’A Storage Ring?’
Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up. ’That’s a nice little treasure.’ His expression remained unchanged, however, as he said coldly, "It seems you’re not interested in protecting your family jewels."
The moment he finished speaking, a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. A terrifying aura enveloped Zhou Yan, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice pit.
"No! I’ll kowtow! I’ll kowtow!"
Zhou Yan cried out in terror. THUD! THUD! THUD! He quickly dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times, shouting that he was wrong with each impact.
Ye Xuan’s icy expression softened slightly. He snorted. "That’s more like it."
He stomped on Zhou Yan’s right hand. With a light twist of his foot, a burst of force flicked the ring from Zhou Yan’s hand and into his own. Ye Xuan said nonchalantly, "This ring isn’t bad. I’ll take it as compensation for you provoking me today."
Zhou Yan’s face changed. "Ye Xuan," he said urgently, "you can have anything else, but not the ring!"
That was a Storage Ring! The entire Zhou family didn’t have very many of them. He had to pull every trick in the book to wheedle this one from his family for his tenth birthday. If Ye Xuan took it, his clan would have his hide.
Ye Xuan’s gaze turned icy. "That’s not for you to decide," he said coldly. "Say one more word, and not even this ring will be enough to save you."
He slipped the ring on. With a surge of Profound Qi, he shattered the Restriction Zhou Yan had placed on it in mere moments. A quick sweep with his Divine Sense confirmed the contents, and he nodded in satisfaction. He then walked over to the students Feng Rouyi had previously knocked down. "You all. I don’t need to spell it out, do I? Hand over everything of value on you."
"Yes, yes, we’ll get it..."
Seeing that Ye Xuan had even dared to lay hands on Zhou Yan, these students were so frightened they had already pulled out all their valuables before he could even finish his sentence.
After collecting everything, Ye Xuan said casually, "Next time you decide to start a fight, remember to carry more Profound Coins." With that, he turned and left the training room, leaving behind a crowd of stunned students.
"What are you lot standing around for? Hurry up and carry me out of here for treatment!"
The moment Ye Xuan was gone, Zhou Yan snarled at his lackeys. Internally, he was roaring, ’Ye Xuan, just you wait! This isn’t over!’
Once Zhou Yan and his group departed, the room erupted into a cacophony of shocked chatter.
"Was that really Ye Xuan just now?"
"Holy crap, that was ruthless! He even went after Zhou Yan. The sound of bones breaking was terrifying. Zhou Yan’s going to be laid up in bed for at least ten days, maybe half a month. Looks like he won’t be recovering anytime soon."
"I heard Ye Xuan beat up Wang Yue in the training hall yesterday, too."
"He’s offended two major families at once. This kid has a death wish."
"Let’s drop it. From now on, if we see him, we should just steer clear. My legs are still feeling a little weak."
"That ’trash’ Ye Xuan is famous now."
"Shh! You still dare call him trash? If he heard you, no one could save you. Do you have a death wish or something...?"
The students in the training room whispered amongst themselves. To the side, Feng Rouyi also wore a complex expression, her beautiful eyes flashing with an unreadable light.
As he walked, Ye Xuan examined his haul in the Space Ring. After a quick tally, a grin spread across his face.
’Robbing and plundering, highway robbery... it really is the fastest way to get rich,’ he mused. ’Tsk, tsk. With this, I’ve got my cultivation resources covered for a while.’
Chen Xing reminded him from the side, "Ye Xuan, you need to be careful. Neither Wang Yue nor Zhou Yan are people to be trifled with. Knowing their personalities, I guarantee they won’t let this go. They might not dare to pull anything inside the academy, but it’s another story once you’re outside. Watch your back."
"Don’t worry. They’re just the insignificant Wang and Zhou families. If they really piss me off, I don’t mind erasing them from Blue Moon City entirely."
Chen Xing was stunned. "Ye Xuan... no, no, Young Master Xuan, you’re sure full of swagger. But still, it’s best not to be careless."
"Relax, I know my limits," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
"By the way, how did you suddenly get so strong? I’ve never seen you be such a monster before. To think that even Zhou Yan was no match for you... *Sniffle*. I guess I need to step up my game, too." Chen Xing looked at Ye Xuan as if he were a complete stranger.
Just as Ye Xuan was about to say something, three people approached from a distance and blocked their path.
Chen Xing glanced up, a hint of surprise on his face. He said to Ye Xuan, "It’s people from your family. I’m not getting involved in this. I’ll head back to the dorm. Be careful, and find me if you need anything."
With that, he scurried off.
Ye Xuan said flatly, "Are you looking for me?"
The newcomers were two young men and a young woman, all in their teens, named Ye Xuan, Ye Yun, and Ye Fei. This Ye Xuan was the son of First Uncle Ye Zhanxiong. Ye Yun was the son of Second Uncle Ye Zhantang. As for Ye Fei, she was the youngest daughter of Second Aunt Ye Zhanling. Including our protagonist, these four were the only disciples from the Ye family currently at Xingxuan Academy.
Of the three, the other Ye Xuan was the strongest. Having opened seven Profound Veins, he was in the advanced class. Ye Yun and Ye Fei had both opened six Profound Veins and were in other intermediate classes, so they hadn’t attended Instructor Luo Zhan’s training session with Ye Xuan today.
Although they were his cousins, his relationship with them was distant. As a "waste" who had only opened a single Profound Vein, Ye Xuan was a disgrace to the Ye family and a laughingstock in Blue Moon City. Because of this, his cousin Ye Xuan and the others rarely associated with him at the academy, essentially treating him as a stranger. For them to show up together today was quite a surprise.
Sensing Ye Xuan’s indifferent attitude, Ye Fei frowned and demanded sternly, "I heard you beat up Wang Yue from your class yesterday?"
"You didn’t come all this way just for that, did you?"
Ye Fei’s face was full of disgust. "You probably don’t even realize what you’ve done, do you?"
"I’m perfectly aware of what I’ve done. I don’t need a lecture from you. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving."
Ye Fei and the others had approached him aggressively, ready to lay blame, and Ye Xuan couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath on them.
"Stop." Ye Fei blocked Ye Xuan’s path, her voice dripping with contempt. "You good-for-nothing troublemaker. Tell us what happened yesterday. Spit it out. How did you end up fighting Wang Yue? Was it over that woman, Li Yue?"
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes. "My affairs are none of your business, are they?"
"Ye Xuan, what is this attitude?" Ye Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief. The Ye Xuan she knew had always been meek and timid around her. She’d never seen him act like this.
"What my attitude has to do with you is none of your damn business."
"You..." Ye Fei was so furious she felt like her lungs would explode.
"Alright, Sister Fei, that’s enough," Ye Yun stepped forward, his nose in the air, and said condescendingly, "Ye Xuan, don’t blame us for meddling. We’re doing this for your own good. Wang Yue is a direct heir of the Wang family, and the Wang family is one of the three great families of Blue Moon City. Their power is even more terrifying than our Ye family’s. Nothing good will come of you offending him. We only came here today because we’re all disciples of the Ye family. Come with us. Go apologize to the Wang family, and we can put this whole thing behind us."
"Apologize?" Ye Xuan sneered.
"That’s right," Ye Yun said haughtily. "We have some connections with Wang Fei of the Wang family. Surely you know of him? He’s a member of the advanced class, one of the top five disciples in the academy. Right now, he’s in seclusion trying to break through to Tier One Samurai. Once he succeeds, he’ll graduate and take over the Wang family’s business. If he finds out you beat up Wang Yue, we’re afraid you won’t leave this academy alive."
"So you’ll come with us now, give them a proper apology, and pay some compensation. They’ll give us that much face, at least."
As he said this, there was a hint of smug pride in Ye Yun’s voice, as if it were a great honor for them that the renowned Wang Fei would even grant them face.
"Hahaha." Hearing this, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. "So I should be thanking you? Sorry to disappoint you, but if someone’s going to apologize, it’ll be you. I’m not going."
Ye Yun clearly hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to refuse. His face instantly grew cold. "Ye Xuan, don’t be a fool who doesn’t know what’s good for him."
Ye Xuan stared at him coldly. "Then I’ll be that fool. What about it, Ye Yun? Are you going to try and make me?"
"You’re courting death!" Ye Yun exploded with rage. Profound Qi flared around his body as he lunged forward, only to be stopped by the other Ye Xuan, who had remained silent until now. He stared at the protagonist and said calmly, "Ye Xuan, think this through. We wouldn’t have even come looking for you if we weren’t all disciples of the Ye family."
"I’ve thought it through perfectly. You’re afraid of the Wang family, but I’m not. In fact, I’m starting to wonder—are you disciples of the Ye family, or lapdogs for the Wang family? Excuse me, but I won’t be joining you."
With that, Ye Xuan turned and walked away without a backward glance.
"Fine! Just fine, Ye Xuan! You seem to have grown a spine! Let’s see how you explain yourself to the Clan Leader and the elders when we return to the family at the end of the term!" Ye Fei shrieked after him.
"Brother Xuan, why did you stop me? I’ll teach that good-for-nothing a lesson!" Ye Yun growled, his face ashen.
Their cousin, Ye Xuan, watched the protagonist’s retreating back with a dark expression. "No matter what, he is still a disciple of the Ye family," he said coldly. "Fighting amongst our own kin within the academy is disgraceful. Since he refuses to listen to reason, let him be. Sooner or later, someone will deal with him. When that time comes, he’ll realize just how wrong he was today."
"Let’s go."
The group led by the other Ye Xuan had arrived full of bluster, but now they left in frustration. One could only wonder what expressions they would wear if they knew that, on top of offending Wang Yue of the Wang family, our Ye Xuan had just made an enemy of the Zhou family—another of the three great families—as well.