"I forgive you..."
Ye Chen also appeared moved by the sight. He suddenly rushed forward and, under the astonished gazes of everyone, fiercely embraced the young maiden's soft and flawless form, tightly encircling that slender, snake-like waist. Up close, he inhaled her fresh, maidenly fragrance—so sweet and enchanting.
Such a beauty could almost be considered every man's dream lover.
He also clearly felt the momentary stiffness in the young maiden's body as he held her.
At that very moment, Yang Jun's furious roar rang out: "Bastard, let Yi'er go immediately!"
Everyone was stunned, taken aback by Ye Chen's sudden action. They never expected him to so brazenly embrace the Yang family's little princess in public, in a manner bordering on impropriety, causing them to drop their jaws in disbelief.
Yang Yi was naturally both ashamed and furious. Being held like this in public, nearly skin-to-skin, and feeling the intense masculine aura emanating from him made her feel humiliated and disgusted. The power accumulated within her was about to erupt. Even if she injured Ye Chen now, she believed the Ye family would have nothing to say and would only scold Ye Chen for his audacity.
But at this very moment, Ye Chen suddenly released Yang Yi, without any lingering attachment, taking two steps back. Once again, this was beyond her expectations. Her rosy lips parted slightly in surprise as she stared at him.
A curve lifted at the corner of Ye Chen's mouth, carrying a hint of mockery and indifference: "Yang Yi, may I ask, have you finished your performance?"
His words left everyone unable to react. Yang Yi sensed something was wrong but instinctively asked, "Ye Chen, what do you mean by that?"
Ye Chen smiled slightly, but his smile was filled with a chilling intent that made one's heart tremble: "Don't you understand what I mean yourself? However, I just want to give you a piece of advice here: as a person, you must not go too far; know when to stop. If you want to be a whore, don't try to set up a memorial archway of chastity. That will only make people despise you even more."
His light, laughing words echoed through the hall, but his statements were shocking time and again, drawing sidelong glances.
"You—!"
Yang Yi's pretty face was completely cold, her delicate fists clenched tightly as she stared fixedly at Ye Chen.
Everyone present was stunned by Ye Chen's shocking words. He had actually dared to say such a thing to Yang Yi—that she wanted to be a whore and yet set up a memorial archway.
Yang Jun, who had feelings for Yang Yi and had pursued her for a long time, could not tolerate anyone insulting her like this, especially Ye Chen. He slammed the table and stood up, roaring in fury: "Ye Chen, you good-for-nothing, what are you saying? Have the guts to say it again!"
"I said she wants to be a whore and yet set up a memorial archway," Ye Chen stated.
"You—!" Yang Jun was furious beyond words.
Ye Chen said with an air of nonchalance: "What about me? Didn't you ask me to say it again?"
Yang Jun was left speechless. He hadn't expected this Ye family good-for-nothing to be so sharp-tongued, catching him off guard and leaving him momentarily unable to retort.
Elder Yang's face completely darkened: "City Lord Ye, is this how your Ye family treats guests?"
Ye Ao raised his head and looked upward, saying: "I didn't see anything."
Elder Yang was so angry he nearly choked. What kind of father was this, protecting his son to such an extreme? He snorted, wanting to utter some harsh words, but after feeling City Lord Ye's icy gaze, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he dared not speak further.
"Ye Chen, what right do you have to say that about me?" Even though Yang Yi was scheming, she was still just a young maiden of eighteen, not some old-timer who had lived for over sixty years. She hadn't experienced much of the world and couldn't remain calm after being spoken to like this.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Ye Chen spoke lightly, his eyes appearing calm and natural from beginning to end, so nonchalant. Looking into Yang Yi's eyes, he seemed able to see through all her secrets, causing her to instinctively avert her gaze and ask with slight panic: "You, what do you want?"
"Heh, you don't even dare to look me, a good-for-nothing like me, in the eye. If it's not because you have a guilty conscience, then what is it?" Ye Chen chuckled, but to Yang Yi's ears, it sounded utterly mocking. She asked urgently: "What do you mean by that?"
Ye Chen said: "Yang Yi, there's no need for us to beat around the bush. Back then, you approached me merely to gain my trust, so that I would steal our Ye family's Clear Spirit Pill for you. All of this was within your calculations from the start. In fact, a proud daughter of heaven like you could never possibly like a cultivation good-for-nothing like me. When something is abnormal, there must be something sinister behind it. Back then, I was just too naive and didn't realize it."
"But let's forget all that. I won't dwell on it anymore. One learns from experience, and in some ways, I really should thank you for your help; otherwise, I might not have truly awakened. However, don't think I'm still that foolish boy you could easily fool back then. Now you still want to play these boring little tricks, trying to win my sympathy. Isn't that exactly what it means to want to be a whore and yet set up a memorial archway?"
"I have to say, you're really quite boring."
He coldly mocked, ridiculing Yang Yi's game.
Silence! Absolute silence!
Yang Yi raised her head, her rosy lips slightly agape as she stared in astonishment at the young man before her with the familiar face she had always known. However, that delicate, somewhat youthful face no longer held the innocence, simplicity, and inferiority of the past. Instead, it was replaced by a kind of confidence and calm composure she had never seen before, causing her to feel somewhat dazed.
Vaguely, it seemed as if she was seeing a peerless man of unparalleled grace and bearing appear, someone to be looked up to and revered.
What had happened to this young man who used to revolve around her in these past few days? Why did he give her the feeling of having completely changed into a different person? No longer inferior, no longer cowardly, but confident and measured, brave and fearless.
Was this still that good-for-nothing youth Ye Chen who used to orbit around her all day?
Not just her, even Ye Ao and his wife Xia Wei, his parents, could sense the change in their son—a transformation from the inside out, a delightful change.
The mysterious elder from the Yang family had remained silent all along, but after witnessing Ye Chen's performance, a rare flicker of astonishment flashed in his eyes. It was hard to believe this was the good-for-nothing youth spoken of by the world.
Such confidence, such presence—it surpassed his peers by who knew how much.
Yang Jun's expression also turned cold: "Ye Chen, I have to admit you do have some insight and eloquence, able to discern the quality of the Foundation Establishment Pill. But that's all there is to it."
"There's something you need to understand. In this world, strength is always what commands respect. Having a sharp tongue isn't something to be proud of. You have a father who's the city lord, and he can protect you for a while, but he can't protect you for a lifetime. He will grow old eventually. And once you truly reach your coming-of-age ceremony at twenty-six, I'm afraid you'll completely lose your status as the Ye family heir. At most, you'll only be able to hold some important positions, nothing more."
"But Yi'er is exceptionally talented. After taking the Clear Spirit Pill, she has now reached the Xiantian realm. A few days ago, our Yang family received an invitation from the capital. She has been exceptionally promoted to become a member of the Heaven-tier Academy of the Empire's Xia Feng Academy. In three months, she will go to the academy for further studies, where she will come into contact with higher levels of cultivation. In the future, she will become even more powerful. And you? You'll be stuck in place for the rest of your life."
"The words you spoke today might feel satisfying and let you show off for a moment, but in the future, they could also bring you a lifetime of bitter consequences."
The Ye family members' expressions changed immediately. Even Ye Ao and the three Elders showed looks of shock.
An eighteen-year-old Xiantian expert!
To be a Xiantian master at such a young age—such talent was not just outstanding in a small place like Luo Feng City, but even in the entire Xia Feng Kingdom, or among the countless people of the entire Tian Du Continent, she could be considered exceptional.
As for the Xia Feng Academy, it was a famous academy run by the royal family of the Xia Feng Kingdom. It had existed for as long as the kingdom itself, possessing the richest cultivation resources in the entire country, the best cultivation instructors, and the most comprehensive cultivation methods. It was even better than some major factions.
The Xia Feng Academy had always only recruited the elite children of the empire. Only truly outstanding young talents could enter; the threshold was very high. Of course, there were also some truly powerful nobles of the empire who could spend vast sums of money to get in through the back door, but those were after all a minority.
For the entire Xia Feng Kingdom, as long as someone entered the Xia Feng Academy, those who came out could almost certainly be said to become pillars of the nation, highly respected by the world and sought after by various factions. Some of the best could even leave the empire and step onto a higher stage, soaring and shining brightly.
Every year, the Xia Feng Academy only recruited five hundred students from an empire of tens of millions of people. Every single spot could make countless people fight until their heads bled. It was no exaggeration to say it was one in ten thousand.
The Xia Feng Academy had four major colleges: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, with Heaven-tier being the strongest and Yellow-tier the weakest.
The Heaven-tier Academy was the most elite cultivation place within the Xia Feng Academy, gathering the most top-tier geniuses of the entire Xia Feng Kingdom.
Yang Yi becoming a member of the Xia Feng Academy's Heaven-tier Academy was enough to prove her potential and talent. As long as she successfully entered the academy to cultivate, when she came out in the future, she would inevitably become an extremely important figure for the Yang family. She might even lead the Yang family to greater glory and suppress the Ye family, which currently dominated Luo Feng City.
"This is bad. For the sake of this kid, we've offended a heaven-favored daughter who can enter the Xia Feng Academy. We'll definitely be suppressed in the future."
The several Elders all changed color, looking at Ye Chen with anger in their eyes. If it weren't for Ye Chen, how could they have ended up in such a situation?
Seeing the ugly expressions on the Ye family members' faces, Yang Yi, who had been verbally suppressed by Ye Chen all along, slightly raised her head, revealing a section of her snow-white, jade-like neck. She was as proud as a swan, filled with satisfaction.
She glanced sideways at Ye Chen, wanting to see what kind of wonderful, what kind of ugly expression this youth, who had repeatedly suppressed her with his words until she had nothing to say, would have on his face.
But what made her stunned was that the youth's handsome face still wore the same calm and composed expression as before. He looked at all of this indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Not just her, even the other Yang family members looked at Ye Chen's calm expression with some astonishment. This kid was a bit too composed, wasn't he?
However, Yang Jun believed that this kid was simply scared stiff. Otherwise, how could he be so calm?
Unfortunately, they didn't know that Ye Chen was sneering in his heart. What Xia Feng Academy Heaven-tier Academy? He had never even heard of it. It was just an academy of a small kingdom. In his previous life, he had been honored as a young generation's supreme, standing high above. Even the supreme cultivation academy of the myriad realms—the Myriad Realms Academy—such a true behemoth, had fought to recruit him. His vision was that high; naturally, he wouldn't put an academy of a small kingdom in his eyes.
"Niece Yang is truly worthy of being the Yang family's genius. Being exceptionally admitted to the Xia Feng Academy's Heaven-tier Academy is only natural," Ye Ao said in a deep voice, though his fists were clenched tightly. How could he not understand what the Xia Feng Academy's Heaven-tier Academy represented? All of this was probably because she had taken the Clear Spirit Pill.
The Clear Spirit Pill had the miraculous effect of allowing one to break through a major realm. Although it only had a one-third success rate, Yang Yi had clearly succeeded.
To become a Xiantian realm expert at such a young age was very eye-catching even if one searched the entire Xia Feng Kingdom. If Ye Chen were still a genius like before, it would be one thing, but now...
He looked at the Yang family's mysterious Elder, then at his son Ye Chen, and the other Yang family members. In the end, his fists powerlessly relaxed.
He really wanted to stand up for Ye Chen, but as the head of a family, the patriarch of a clan, he had to consider the clan.
Yang Yi was now honored as a student of the Xia Feng Academy's Heaven-tier Academy. She would inevitably be valued by the Xia Feng Academy. If they took action, it would definitely involve significant consequences. Moreover, this mysterious Elder of the Yang family was also not simple; he was probably also a figure from the Xia Feng Academy.
At this moment, Ye Chen smiled and said, "Yang Yi, do you think that entering the Xia Feng Academy makes you amazing, high and mighty, and you can completely look down on this cripple?"
Before Yang Yi could speak, Yang Jun cut in, sneering, "Can't we? In the future, Yi'er is destined to stand high above, becoming a figure of the empire, leading the entire Yang family to a higher position. And you? Now that your dantian is shattered, I'm afraid you can't even cultivate anymore. You're destined to be ordinary for life. Looking down on you is only natural."
Ye Chen suddenly said, "Is the Xia Feng Academy's Heaven-tier Academy really that amazing?"
Hearing this, almost everyone stared at him in shock. Had he gone crazy again? The Xia Feng Academy represented the honor of the entire Xia Feng Kingdom, and the Heaven-tier Academy was something only the most top-tier geniuses could enter.
The Yang family's mysterious Elder frowned deeply and said coldly, "Young man, you must not insult the Xia Feng Academy."
Yang Jun scoffed, "Truly a waste. The Xia Feng Academy is a place that a waste like you could never hope to reach—"
"But I was once a specially admitted student of the Earth-tier College of the Tian Du Academy!" Ye Chen interrupted Yang Jun's words. The statement he uttered suddenly shocked everyone present.