Fang Zheng was also trembling with fear. He held Fang An, the Martial Artist who had married into their family, in high regard and often spoke with him. Fang Zheng had heard Fang An speak of a Martial Ancestor’s significance more than once. With Ye Wuxuan alone, the Ye Family’s future stage would no longer be just Hangcheng, but all of Hua Country!
From this, it was clear that a Martial Ancestor wasn’t merely a symbol of status; they possessed the power to lead a clan to its zenith.
But his own son, who was in a vegetative state, was supposed to marry the Martial Ancestor’s sister-in-law. Fang Zheng couldn’t help but drop to his knees as well, wailing in sorrow.
"Mr. Xu, I truly didn’t know Ruan Lan was your family. It was Ruan Qingshan; this was all his arrangement! I beg you, Mr. Xu, please spare the Fang Family..."
"Both of you, get up first. Tell me everything about this marriage alliance, in detail," Xu Lai said, feeling helpless. He was a very reasonable person.
The only reason he had destroyed the Ye Family was that they had crossed his bottom line and touched his reverse scale. He hadn’t come to Hangcheng today with any intention of annihilating the Fang Family.
Fang An and Fang Zheng exchanged a glance before shakily getting to their feet.
Steeling his nerves, Fang Zheng recounted the entire story.
When Xu Lai learned that the Ruan Family wanted to enter the real estate market but lacked the connections, and that Ruan Qingshan had proactively approached the Fang Family only to be met with Fang Zheng’s difficult demands...
Xu Lai didn’t get angry. Instead, he simply gestured for him to continue.
The rest of the story was much simpler. Ruan Qingshan had recorded all of Ruan Lan’s family and social background information and delivered it to the Fang Family. Seeing how exceptional Ruan Lan was, the Fang Family naturally had no reason to refuse.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Xu. I will call off this marriage alliance immediately," Fang Zheng said nervously. "And I will return all ninety million of the Ruan Family’s investment funds."
"Oh?" Xu Lai’s eyes brightened. "The Ruan Family has ninety million with your family?"
"Yes," Fang Zheng hurriedly explained. "It was all done through proper channels. It’s money for a joint land purchase. I’ll return it to the Ruan Family right away."
"No," Xu Lai said with a smile. "Hold on to that money for me for ten days to half a month. In return, I will wake your son."
Fang Zheng’s pupils contracted. "Are... are you serious? My son can really wake up?"
"Of course," Xu Lai stated confidently. He was The Supreme Emperor; there was no illness he couldn’t cure.
Even if a person had already died, he could travel to the forbidden Samsara Sea to retrieve their soul for reincarnation or possession. However, those last two methods came at a great cost. Even for him, Xu Lai, the Lord of the Immortal Domain, it wasn’t something to be attempted lightly, as it meant meddling with karma and reversing the Heavenly Dao Laws.
"Mr. Xu." Fang Zheng’s eyes were bloodshot as he choked out, "As long as my son, Fang Cheng, can awaken, I... I..."
The nearly six-foot-tall man was crying like a baby.
Even Fang An found it hard to watch. "Family Head, your composure... maintain your composure..."
"To hell with composure," Fang Zheng sobbed. "My son has been in a hospital bed for ten years! Every specialist and doctor said he would never wake up, but today... today..."
Xu Lai suddenly spoke.
Fang Zheng instantly choked back his tears, terrified of displeasing Xu Lai.
Xu Lai’s words baffled the four other people in the room.
The private room was dead silent.
With a cold laugh, Xu Lai kicked a nearby chair, sending it flying toward a corner of the room.
Along with a startled cry, a figure materialized out of the previously empty corner. It was a young man of about thirty. After dodging the chair, he looked surprised. "You actually found me. Not bad."
This scene stunned not only the ordinary people like Su Daiyi, Old Jiang Ba, and Fang Zheng. Even Fang An, a Third Grade Martial Artist, was covered in goosebumps.
When did this person hide in the room? If he had tried to assassinate us just now, wouldn’t it have been... certain death?!
"Me," the man began, his voice incredibly hoarse, "I’ve been investigating the destruction of the Ye Family for the past few days, as well as whether the siblings Ye Wuxuan and Ye Wanqing are alive or dead."
"I originally planned to wait for you all to leave and just kidnap Fang Zheng for questioning, but since I’ve been exposed..." The man’s smile was cold. "We’ll just conduct the interrogation here. Tell me everything that happened that day, or else you die!"
"Who are you?" Fang An narrowed his eyes, his killing intent rising.
"Remember my name on the Netherworld Road—Tan Chang!"
As he spoke, the man waved his hand. A finger-length dagger transformed into a streak of light, hurtling toward them.
An icy chill washed over Fang An. He couldn’t react at all as the dagger appeared right before his eyes.
A crisp sound rang out.
Staring at the dagger now hovering just a centimeter from his brow, Fang An swallowed hard.
The dagger had been caught by Xu Lai.
"Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Xu," a relieved Fang An said gratefully, clasping his fists in a bow.
"You’re a Martial Artist too?" Tan Chang’s lips curled into a smirk. He had arrived late and hadn’t heard their earlier conversation.
Seeing Xu Lai remain silent, he added in his hoarse voice, "It doesn’t matter. You’re going to die by my hand anyway."
Contrary to Tan Chang’s expectations, Fang Zheng and the others weren’t terrified by his threat. Instead, they just stared at him with strange expressions, as if he were hopelessly overestimating himself. Their gazes made him extremely uncomfortable.
He twisted his neck and said cruelly, "It seems I’ll have to kill one or two of you before the rest will cooperate."
The moment he finished speaking, Tan Chang’s figure vanished into thin air once more.
Fang An’s face drained of color. What kind of concealment technique was this? It was completely unheard of.
Seeing the expressions on Fang An and the others, Tan Chang’s lips curled up slightly.
That’s more like it. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ⓝovelFire.net
He was a Shadow, diligently reared by the powerful Jiang Family of Yanjing. He was responsible for handling matters that couldn’t see the light of day, and his hands were stained with the blood of countless victims. His strength had reached the pinnacle of the Sixth Grade!
Thanks to a special Cultivation Technique, he could briefly merge with any shadow in his line of sight, but the price was burning his own lifespan. No Shadow of the Jiang Family had ever lived past the age of thirty-five. But with this skill, Tan Chang had assassinated countless experts of the Martial Dao; no one could see through his concealment technique. Being discovered by Xu Lai earlier had to have been a fluke.
With this in mind, Tan Chang, now hidden in the sofa’s shadow, planned to circle behind Xu Lai and cleanly slice his throat with the dagger.
A foot was pressing down on his head, and he couldn’t get up!
How did this man see through my seamless disguise? Tan Chang was going mad. Even a rival at the pinnacle of the Sixth Grade shouldn’t have been able to spot me.
"Get your foot off me!" he hissed, his hoarse voice filled with flustered desperation.
Xu Lai replied, "No."
Tan Chang was speechless.
He gritted his teeth. "Let me go! Do you dare face me in a fair fight?!"
There was no way Xu Lai was going to lift his foot. He was curious now. This person under his foot was the first Martial Artist he had encountered since arriving on Earth who could use Spiritual Energy.