Chapter Seven: I Want Both Your Daughters

Closing the main gate, Ye Wuyá finally took a careful look at his new house, feeling utterly satisfied. He wandered here and there, touching this spot and examining that corner—a traditional courtyard, one main building, and three guest rooms. After touring the three guest rooms, only the main house remained.

He pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was a spacious living room, complete with tables and chairs. Circling around the living room and walking further in, he pulled aside a curtain to reveal four rooms. Opening the first, he found rows of shelves, presumably for storage. The second room contained a large bathtub in its center, the third was a study stuffed with bookshelves, and the fourth must have been the master bedroom.

Slowly pushing open the bedroom door, a faint, lingering fragrance greeted his nose, refreshing his spirit at once. In the room stood a round table with four stools, a teapot set quietly atop it. Four teacups were present—three overturned on the tray, while the last one still emitted wisps of steam. A crimson lip print marked its edge.

It was as if, a moment before Ye Wuyá entered, a woman had been sitting there, quietly sipping tea.

He frowned, pondering. He was certain Ye Ruxue hadn’t entered, yet here was a cup of steaming tea. Forcing himself to remain calm, he spoke, “Come out! I know you’re here.”

A red bed, its matching curtains drawn, concealed everything atop it from view. As Ye Wuyá finished speaking, the red curtains stirred, as if someone were within.

Seeing this, Ye Wuyá sneered. After more than thirty years of tomb robbing, what bloody sight hadn’t he witnessed? A grave robber could lack everything but never courage—his was as plump as greased lard.

He strode over to the bed, grasped the curtain’s edge, and slowly pulled it aside. No one was there.

The Ye family.

In the main hall, dozens had gathered. At the head sat a man in his forties, his brows cold as frost, his expression gloomy. Seated, he resembled a fierce beast on the verge of eruption.

Beside him sat four elders, an oppressive aura radiating from each like sharpened blades.

Below, three more chairs held men bearing some resemblance to the master of the house.

Steward Ye stood to one side; below him, a group of over three hundred youths and middle-aged men, all between fifteen and twenty years old, filled the hall.

“Second brother, how are things in the family’s marketplace?” the master asked.

To the left, another man stood up. “Eldest brother, the Lu and Mu families harass our shops daily. Today alone, they injured more than ten of our clan!”

“What?” The hall erupted in shock.

Everyone knew that aside from the City Lord’s Mansion, the Ye family was the city’s largest clan, easily surpassing either the Lu or Mu families in wealth and strength. How dared they provoke the Ye family?

“Report!” A Ye family guard shouted from outside.

“Enter!” the master said darkly.

The guard handed him an invitation before stepping back. A large red character for “happiness” adorned the front. After a glance, the master clenched his fist tightly: An opening salvo!

“Eldest brother, what is it?” a man on the left asked.

“Third brother, it seems our Ye family is in trouble this time. See for yourself.” The master sighed.

The invitation passed down; with each reading, the room grew heavier.

It was a wedding invitation—an announcement of a union between the Lu and Mu families.

At last, the reason for their audacity was clear: united by marriage, the Lu and Mu families had joined forces. While the Ye family could suppress either on its own, all three families were now evenly matched.

With their alliance, how could the Ye family hope to survive in Ling City?

“Eldest brother, isn’t the wedding half a month away? Let’s fight them—take down one, that’s something; kill two, we profit!”

“Yes! Let’s fight!”

“Fight! Fight!” The room filled with murderous intent, shouts echoing.

“Report…”

“What is it now?” Third Ye snapped, already irritable.

“My, such a temper, Third Master Ye. What if you frighten me?” A soft, bewitching voice drifted into the hall, equal parts tender and enchanting. At first, it was like a yellow oriole in the valley, or an orchid in a secluded glen—clear, melodious, yet gentle. Listening closer, it was like a stream murmuring, a breeze caressing willows—soft, flirtatious, full of affection. Deeper still, it evoked a boundless sky and calm seas, opening the heart and captivating the soul.

A woman entered, draped in red. Below her graceful neck, her skin gleamed like white jade. Long, slender legs, a voluptuous figure, and a mane of golden curls shimmering with brilliance. Above her shapely calves, she wore a pale yellow miniskirt, accentuating her flawless form.

“If you frighten me, can you afford to pay the price?” she teased, covering her mouth with a coquettish laugh.

“Who are you? Who let you in? Get out!” Third Ye bellowed at the alluring woman who had entered unbidden.

“Oh? Telling me to get out? In three hundred years, I’ve never heard that word before! How amusing, the Ye family,” she giggled.

Three… three hundred years? The crowd thought their ears deceived them. Ordinary cultivators, unless they formed a core, rarely lived past a hundred. Core Formation cultivators, however, could live a thousand years.

Clearly, this woman possessed power at least above the Core Formation realm.

The woman took a step forward and, in an instant, vanished.

“Help! Help me!” Third Ye’s face twisted in terror, as if he’d seen a ghost, staring at the woman before him.

The crowd saw her grasp Third Ye by the throat with a single hand, lifting him into the air. Her long nails pierced his neck, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.

“Senior, please show mercy!” the master of the Ye family stood up, raising a hand to stop her.

“Oh? Ye Yunlong, are you giving me orders?” the woman chimed, her laughter ringing out. She cast a glance at Ye Yunlong and the four elders. The elders froze, lowering their heads, unable to meet her gaze, their eyes brimming with fear.

That single glance felt like a sword poised at their necks—such a terrifying woman! If she wished to kill them, it would take only a slap, the elders thought to themselves.

“No, not at all.” Ye Yunlong felt as if her gaze had opened before him an abyss, cold sweat pouring down his back.

“To stain my hands with filth like this is beneath me,” the woman said, tossing Third Ye out of the hall with a flick of her wrist. His two-hundred-pound body landed outside as if it weighed nothing. She then languidly took his seat.

The young men below were too frightened to speak. Third Ye was the Ye family’s greatest fighter, yet in her hands, he was no more than a lamb for slaughter.

“My name is Xueqing, Mistress of Immortal Moon Pavilion in Ling City. Ye family master, be at ease. I mean your family no harm,” she declared.

“What? Immortal Moon Pavilion? The greatest pavilion under heaven?” someone among the juniors exclaimed.

“The greatest under heaven is too much, but our pavilion does span the world,” Xueqing replied with a smile.

“May I ask, Senior Xue, what brings you to our humble Ye family?” Ye Yunlong inquired respectfully.

He knew full well that, compared to Immortal Moon Pavilion, the Ye family counted for nothing.

As the saying goes, important guests do not visit without reason. For the mistress herself to arrive, there had to be a purpose.

“Then I shall be direct. I want your two daughters,” the woman said coolly.

“May I ask, Senior Xue, for what purpose do you seek my daughters?” Ye Yunlong asked, frowning.

“To create a beautiful union.”