Qingcheng, Ye Family, Ancestral Hall.
"For our ancestors to witness — Ye Xuan lacks talent, lacks virtue. From this moment forth, Ye Xuan is stripped of his position as heir, to be inherited by Ye Lang."
The speaker was an elder clad in black robes.
Not far behind the elder stood a young man, a faint smile hanging at the corner of his lips. This was none other than Ye Lang.
On both sides stood the many elders of the Ye Estate.
"Why?!"
At that moment, a somewhat timid voice suddenly echoed through the ancestral hall.
Everyone turned to look. Standing at the entrance was a young girl, roughly twelve or thirteen years of age. Her small hands clutched tightly at the hem of her skirt, her complexion carrying a sickly pallor — she looked rather frail, and a trace of fear lingered in her eyes.
This girl's name was Ye Ling, and she was Ye Xuan's own younger sister. Having heard that the family intended to strip Ye Xuan of his position, she had rushed over despite her illness.
The black-robed elder's brow furrowed. "Ye Ling, what do you think you're doing?"
The girl named Ye Ling offered a slight bow to those gathered in the hall and said timidly, "Grand Elder, my brother Ye Xuan is the heir. Why would you remove him without cause?"
The Grand Elder cast a cold glance at Ye Ling. "This is a matter of great import for the family. What right do you have to speak? Get out!"
Ye Ling was clearly intimidated and did not dare meet the Grand Elder's gaze, but she did not leave. Instead, mustering her courage, she stepped into the hall. She bowed once more to the elders gathered on both sides. "Elders, my brother is currently at Southern Mountain fighting the Li family for the mining rights of that quarry. Right now, he is risking his life for the family, his fate unknown — and yet the family chooses this moment to strip him of his position on baseless grounds. This is truly unfair."
"Insolent!" the Grand Elder thundered. "Whether he is removed or not is not for some little girl to decide. Someone, drag her out!"
At that moment, the newly appointed heir, Ye Lang, suddenly spoke up with a smile. "She should receive thirty lashes as a warning to others!"
The Grand Elder said coldly, "Then thirty lashes it is!"
Soon, two Ye Estate guards rushed in.
Ye Ling clenched her fists, indignation written on her face. "It's not fair! My brother has risked his life for the family year after year, and even now he fights for the family on its behalf. Treating him like this — it's not fair!"
One of the guards glanced at the new heir, Ye Lang, and knew his moment to perform had arrived. He sneered, "Young Master Ye Lang inherits the heirship because it is the will of all. What are you squawking about?" With that, he raised his hand and slapped Ye Ling across the face.
*Crack!*
A crisp slap rang out. The right side of Ye Ling's face instantly swelled red, but she did not cry. She simply pressed her hand hard against her cheek.
Ye Lang sized up the guard and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
The guard quickly bowed. "This subordinate is Zhang Mu. Greetings to the heir."
Ye Lang nodded. "You're quite something. Now that I've become heir, I need ten personal guards. From now on, you'll serve as one of them."
Hearing this, Zhang Mu was overjoyed and bowed deeply. "This subordinate would wade through fire and water for the heir, fearing not a thousand deaths!"
Ye Lang nodded faintly. "Drag her out. She has disrupted the ancestral hall — don't hold back. Understood?"
Zhang Mu glanced at Ye Lang, and upon seeing the killing intent in the other's eyes, understood immediately. He grabbed Ye Ling by the hair and began dragging her out.
Then, for reasons unknown, Zhang Mu suddenly stopped.
Inside the ancestral hall, every head turned toward the entrance.
Not far from the hall, a young man was making his way toward the Ancestral Hall. He wore a fitted robe, tattered and torn, stained with blood from head to toe.
The newcomer was none other than Ye Xuan, returned from Southern Mountain!
Upon seeing Ye Xuan, a cold, sinister smile crept across Ye Lang's lips. Inside the hall, the elders' brows furrowed one after another.
The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes, his expression darkly unreadable, his thoughts unknown.
From a distance, when Ye Xuan saw Ye Ling in Zhang Mu's grasp, his face twisted with fury. "Who gave you the gall to touch my sister?!"
Zhang Mu's face changed drastically upon seeing Ye Xuan. He hurriedly turned toward Ye Lang, about to speak — but before he could get a word out, Ye Xuan lunged forward like a ferocious tiger, appearing before him in an instant. Before Zhang Mu could even react, Ye Xuan's fist slammed into his face.
*Crack!*
Zhang Mu's head swam, and he staggered and collapsed.
But Ye Xuan did not relent. He charged at Zhang Mu once more. At that moment, Ye Lang inside the hall roared, "Ye Xuan, he is my man! How dare you—"
Ye Xuan suddenly stomped down on Zhang Mu's chest.
*Pfft!*
Zhang Mu spat out a mouthful of vital blood.
Seeing this, Ye Lang's face turned uglier than ever, while Ye Xuan raised his head and looked at him with a savage grin. "Your man?"
With that, he stomped down on Zhang Mu's face with savage force.
Zhang Mu's entire face was instantly reduced to a bloody mess, and he wailed endlessly, "Heir, save — save me..."
Ye Xuan ignored Zhang Mu's screams and walked to Ye Ling's side. Seeing her appearance, his heart felt as though it were being carved by knives. His fists clenched tight, his entire body trembling.
When Ye Ling saw Ye Xuan, tears burst from her eyes. "Brother... it hurts... it hurts so much..."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan's expression turned savage. In the next instant, he rushed back to Zhang Mu and kicked the man's head with everything he had.
*Crack!*
Zhang Mu's head smashed into the stone steps and burst apart on the spot, blood spraying in all directions!
Everyone in the hall was stunned silent.
But Ye Xuan was not finished. He suddenly turned toward Ye Lang, his voice dripping with menace. "You think you can lay a hand on my sister? Fuck your ancestors!"
With that, he charged straight at Ye Lang.
Inside the hall, the Grand Elder's face changed drastically. "Insolent!"
He pushed off the ground with his toes and slid directly in front of Ye Xuan, then struck out with a single palm.
The palm carried a fierce gust of wind, sharp enough to pierce.
A savage smile curled at the corner of Ye Xuan's lips. His right hand clenched into a fist, and in an instant, the sleeve on his right arm was torn apart by the force. In the next moment, he threw a punch straight at the Grand Elder's palm.
*Boom!*
Fist met palm, and a muffled explosion rang out.
Ye Xuan was knocked back to the doorway, while the Grand Elder also stumbled back several steps.
Every person in the hall was struck with disbelief.
In Qingzhou, martial artists were divided into ranks — the First Rank Body Tempering Realm, the Second Rank Strength Training Realm, the Third Rank Inner Fortification Realm, the Fourth Rank Dual Cultivation Realm, the Unceasing Realm, the Sixth Rank Qi Transformation Realm, and above that, the Qi Command Realm. The Grand Elder was a genuine master of the Qi Command Realm, yet Ye Xuan was merely at the Unceasing Realm — two full major realms apart. And yet, Ye Xuan had only been slightly disadvantaged!
The Grand Elder was also shaken to his core. He knew Ye Xuan's talent was extraordinary, that he had been the carefully groomed heir of the Ye Estate, and that he had fought and bled for the family outside for years on end. But he had never imagined that Ye Xuan's combat strength could be this formidable!
His wings had grown strong!
At this thought, the killing intent deep in the Grand Elder's eyes grew even more intense.
The Grand Elder stared hard at Ye Xuan. "Ye Xuan, you dare attack the heir in public?!"
Ye Xuan's brow furrowed slightly. "Heir?"
The Grand Elder sneered. "Ye Xuan, I forgot to inform you. You have already been stripped of your position as heir. From this moment forth, Ye Lang is the heir of our Ye family!"