Ye Jing raised his head, tears still brimming in his eyes, his expression bewildered and hurt. "Cousin... you, what do you mean?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
"I had doubts about the Fortune Fruit Father bestowed on me, so I never dared take it... have you forgotten?"
Ye Fu stood to one side. Her heart had already softened somewhat, but her son's question made her grow wary as well.
Si Chen smiled.
"Of course I haven't forgotten."
His grip on Ye Jing's wrist did not loosen. Instead, it tightened slightly.
"It's just... I don't trust you."
The bewilderment on Ye Jing's face froze.
The sheen of tears remained in his eyes, but something beneath it slowly turned cold.
"Cousin..."
"You..."
Ye Jing's voice lowered as he slowly raised his head.
"Why are you so bad at reading the room?"
The instant his words fell...
A sudden change erupted!
Without warning, a cloud of ink-black mist burst from Ye Jing's body!
It surged toward Ye Fu, who stood within arm's reach!
Ye Fu's expression sharpened, and she was about to strike...
But a foot shot out from beside her.
Bam!
The kick landed squarely on Ye Jing's head.
Ye Jing flew sideways, then bounced across the ground several times with a series of booming crashes, like a stone skipping across water, before smashing into the distant ruins of the palace wall.
Less than half a breath passed between the eruption of black mist and Ye Jing being kicked away.
Many people had not even seen what happened. They heard only a dull thud, and by the time they looked up, Ye Jing was gone.
The sound of tumbling masonry came from the distant ruins.
Ye Jing climbed out.
He dusted himself off, his movements unhurried, as though he had not been the