What Did You Call Me?

King Ye's Mansion!

None of the clans worthy of being called Aristocratic Clans in Southern State were simple, and the three strongest all styled themselves Royal Families.

Their ancestors had produced terrifying Great Powers.

The Ye Clan was one of them.

The plaque had been left by King Ye himself, though he had long since departed for Central Province.

In truth, the Ye Clan in Southern State was only a branch. The clan's headquarters might even have ties to Divine Province.

Even those in Central Province were not the main clan.

The Ye Clan's foundations ranked among the strongest in the Mortal World.

Of course, it had many, many branches. Southern State was only one of them, so this branch ruled only Southern State.

Ye Qiu stared at the three large characters and stepped forward. Suddenly, they seemed to flicker before his eyes.

Ye Qiu frowned.

The next moment, he felt as though the three characters had connected with his aura.

Ye Qiu could clearly feel his Cultivation Level, Qi and Blood fluctuating.

They had not grown stronger, but it was as though they had undergone a cleansing.

They had become purer!

The purer his power, the easier it was to control. His combat strength would naturally soar with it!

Brother Snake, what's going on? Ye Qiu asked inwardly.

Just resonance, the Great Serpent replied.

Resonance?

Ye Qiu blinked. He had known for years that the plaque held a wisp of King Ye's aura.

It was said that no one in the Southern State Ye Clan had resonated with King Ye in a hundred years.

Yet he had?

As he drew closer, a figure appeared within his perception.

The figure stood imposing, sword in hand, his gaze seemingly fixed on Ye Qiu.

But Ye Qiu could not see his face.

Still, he guessed this was a manifestation of the aura King Ye had left behind!

And he could feel its immense pressure.

The pressure grew heavier and heavier.

At last, it bore down like an impossibly heavy mountain.

Ye Qiu trembled, his Qi and Blood surging.

His gaze sharpened. He recalled the image of the Fist Technique: that punch had shattered the Great Mountains and cracked the void.

Break! A surge of defiance rose within him. He lunged forward, raised his fist, and drove it out with explosive force!

Boom—

The crushing pressure seemed to shatter in that instant, and his body felt light again.

The phantom ahead rapidly faded, but before it vanished completely, a Sword Light flashed.

Ye Qiu's eyes snapped open. He was still ten meters outside the mansion. Everything that had happened seemed to have been... an illusion!

Yet there really was new information in his mind, accompanied by an image.

It was swordsmanship!

The Ye Family revered the sword. Its inheritance in the Way of the Sword was ancient and exquisite, said to rank among Southern State's finest.

The Ye Family's Divine Ability... Invincible Sword!

Draw the sword, and become invincible!

But Ye Qiu did not use swords, much less the Ye Family Sword!

His expression settled. He walked on as if nothing had happened. When he reached the mansion, the guard on the left asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Ye Qiu stepped onto the stairs outside the mansion. As the guard's face grew colder, he answered evenly, "Ye Qiu!"

The guard's expression changed. He seemed to know the name and stepped aside.

Ye Qiu entered. The Ye Family estate was vast and lavish, with Palaces and Pavilions, artificial hills and lakes, gardens and corridors... Its ingenious layout concealed profound principles.

He walked on, whether by design or instinct, until he reached the Courtyard from his memories.

The Courtyard lay deep within the estate. Green bamboo grew outside its gate. Once, it had been neatly trimmed, but now it was overgrown.

Green Bamboo Residence!

He had been born here and lived here for seven years. His mother, Wen Xi, had spent those seven years here with him.

Back then, Ye Jiangshan had been here too.

Creak—

He went up and pushed open the Courtyard gate. It had grown old; dust sifted down with splinters of rotting wood.

He entered the Courtyard. It was small and now lay abandoned, but every corner held memories Ye Qiu could never forget.

Every little moment...

He stepped through the weeds toward the room, but stopped at its entrance.

He seemed unwilling to let the memories turn over again.

The happiness of the past, the hatred that came later, and now... none of it mattered!

"Mother, I'm leaving." Ye Qiu spoke softly. Without going inside, he turned away.

When he left the Courtyard, people had gathered outside, apparently aware that he had returned.

"Is that Ye Qiu, the Legitimate Son?" a young man asked, studying Ye Qiu's face.

He had been too young to remember when Ye Qiu left.

"What Legitimate Son? He's just an Abandoned Son... How does he still have the nerve to come back?"

"I heard he killed Ye Hong and Ye Qian... All these years away, and his vicious nature hasn't changed!"

"Why was he sent away back then?"

"Why else? He couldn't keep his hands to himself. He stole a treasure passed down through the Matriarch's family and even poisoned the Young Master... He was only seven! That tells you what he was like by nature!"

"What? No wonder the Clan Leader sent him away and never asked after him... If it were me, I'd have beaten him to death!"

"What does a seven-year-old know? His mother must have taught him... She was no good either!"

Ye Qiu did not spare the rumors a glance. A mouth had two flaps of skin; people could make anything sound reasonable.

Even his mother, a woman so gentle and virtuous, had been criticized, speculated about, and slandered in every possible way.

They could even blame Ye Jiangshan's secret son on her supposed misconduct, claiming she had driven him to it.

There were even rumors that she had been unfaithful first, and that Ye Qiu might not be Ye Jiangshan's son at all.

There was no need to explain any of it.

The more he tried, the more those fools with bubbles in their heads would think he was covering something up.

Even if they knew it was false, they might still fan the flames and kick him while he was down.

Human nature?

Bully the weak, fear the strong, trim your sails to the wind, fawn on the powerful... That was all it amounted to.

If Ye Qiu were now the Young Master of the Ye Clan, would that illegitimate son Ye Rudí dare even lift his head?

Reason?

There was no reason in this world!

Only human hearts. Only self-interest!

Power was reason!

Still, one distinctive, slightly shrill voice among them caught Ye Qiu's attention.

He looked over.

The speaker was a fair-skinned boy who looked about Ye Qiu's age.

When Ye Qiu looked at him, the boy gave him a mocking glance and curled his lip. "What are you staring at?"

Ye Qiu's face was expressionless. "Ye Xing?"

The boy stepped forward. "That's me! Long time no see!"

Ye Qiu said, "Do you have proof of what you just said? How was my mother unfaithful? How did she behave improperly?"

"Did you see me steal anything or poison anyone with your own eyes?"

As he spoke, he walked toward the boy.

Ye Xing showed no fear. He held his head high and smiled. "We all know what kind of person you are."

"You bastard Ye—"

Slap—

Before he could finish, Ye Qiu was in front of him. He swung his hand and struck him hard across the face.

Ye Xing staggered back several steps, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"What did you call me?"

Ye Xing flew into a rage. "You fucking—"

Slap—

"What did you call me?" Ye Qiu followed him and struck harder. Blood and broken teeth flew from Ye Xing's mouth.

"Fuck, Ye Qiu—"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Ye Qiu kept striking. Ye Xing stumbled backward, then flew through the air. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his face split open.

He hit the ground and rolled over and over.

"What did you call me?"

Ye Qiu caught up and looked down at him.

Ye Xing stared into those icy eyes, his whole body enveloped by chilling Killing Intent.

He swallowed with difficulty. "Young Master Ye Qiu..."

Thud—

Ye Qiu kicked him. Bones cracked as Ye Xing's body hurtled away.

Blood sprayed wildly, staining the air red!

"You don't deserve to call me that!"