*Boom!*
Suddenly, several earth-shaking auras erupted from the depths of the forest.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*
Dark figures swiftly approached from afar, appearing behind the old man and the young man.
Nine in total.
They were clad in black ninja attire, faces masked, with only their cold eyes visible. Each had two short samurai swords strapped diagonally across their backs.
Ninjas!
Ye Qiu’s eyes narrowed.
He also noticed that all nine ninjas were early Foundation Establishment cultivators!
“Weren’t cultivators supposed to be rare? How are there so many all at once?”
“And if Daito has this many cultivators, how can Miyamoto Musashi be called their Martial God?”
Ye Qiu felt immense pressure.
In the August First Building.
Elder Tang and the others, watching through the video feed, saw the cultivators, their faces growing grave.
“So many experts at once, Ye Qiu’s in trouble.”
“Damn it, how do those little devils have so many skilled fighters?”
The God of War said, “Daito has some hidden sects with cultivators, but they usually stay out of worldly affairs. I never expected so many to show up this time.”
One old general said, “If the little devils’ hidden sects have experts, don’t we have hidden sects in our country too?”
Elder Tang replied, “We do, but our experts are too few. Even if I called on them now, by the time they reached the East China Sea, this battle would be over.”
The general who spoke earlier looked worried, “What do we do? Are we just going to watch Ye Qiu die on that island?”
Elder Ye said gravely, “Let’s see how this plays out.”
“Though the little devils have numbers, Ye Qiu’s no pushover.”
“He must have a way to handle this.”
Elder Ye’s confidence in Ye Qiu stemmed from years ago when he had Longmei, a master diviner, read Ye Qiu’s fate. Longmei said Ye Qiu was a child of destiny, blessed with great fortune, able to turn any danger into safety.
Over the years, Elder Ye had watched Ye Qiu grow, and Longmei’s words proved true. No matter the danger, Ye Qiu always emerged unscathed.
“If anything happens to Ye Qiu, I won’t let a single Daito person leave that island alive.”
Elder Tang’s voice was resolute, his stance unwavering.
The old generals glanced at Elder Tang, seeing his cold expression and unmasked killing intent.
This surprised them.
Elder Tang had always seemed kind and composed, unruffled by even the greatest challenges.
But this time, he didn’t hide his killing intent.
The generals exchanged looks, silently wondering, “Could the rumours be true? Is Ye Qiu really Elder Tang’s grandson-in-law?”
…
On the uninhabited island.
After glancing at the nine ninjas, Ye Qiu’s gaze settled on the old man and the young man.
He felt a strong threat from these two.
The old man approached, smiling, “Ye Qiu, I underestimated you. You haven’t even stepped into cultivation, yet you can kill across realms. Impressive combat ability.”
Ye Qiu was surprised that the old man called him by name and asked, “You know me?”
“Of course,” the young man answered.
He smiled, “We killed so many people just to lure you here.”
“Lure me?” Ye Qiu frowned, sensing a conspiracy.
Sure enough.
The young man grinned brightly, “Exactly, we were waiting for you.”
“But in our plan, you’re just an insignificant pawn.”
“Not our ultimate goal.”
Ye Qiu asked, “What’s your ultimate goal?”
The young man laughed, “Your father, Ye Wushuang, of course!”
Ye Qiu’s brow twitched.
The Daito people killed so many soldiers on this island just to hunt his father?
Ye Qiu grew even more puzzled.
Only a select few knew of his connection to Ye Wushuang. How did these Daito people know?
The old man smiled, “We calculated that if something happened on the uninhabited island, your country would react in one of two ways.”
“First, send a massive army, with the East China Sea troops fully deployed.”
“Second, send you to investigate.”
“But knowing your country’s usual approach, you wouldn’t send troops until it’s confirmed the Daito military is involved.”
“So, the highest probability was you coming to investigate.”
“We knew you’d come. Once we capture you, Ye Wushuang won’t sit idly by.”
“And when he comes, he won’t leave alive.”
“Ye Qiu, isn’t this a nice surprise?”
Ye Qiu’s face darkened.
He understood now. This was a conspiracy, a thorough and deliberate trap.
Though the old man and young man had said much, Ye Qiu felt the matter wasn’t so simple.
Unbeknownst to Ye Qiu, the brooch Wei Donghai gave him not only had a camera but also a nano-communicator.
Their conversation was heard clearly in the August First Building.
The old generals were stunned.
“What, Ye Qiu is Ye Wushuang’s son?”
“So, Ye Wushuang isn’t dead?”
“I heard reports recently that someone looking like Ye Wushuang was spotted. I didn’t think much of it then, but now it seems possible.”
“On New Year’s Eve, when the Forbidden City was wiped out, could that have been Ye Wushuang’s doing?”
The generals whispered among themselves, occasionally sneaking glances at Elder Ye.
They were only now learning Ye Qiu’s identity because, on the night of the Forbidden City battle, apart from Xiao Qingdi, all the patriarchs of the major families died.
As for Xiao Qingdi, he was later killed by Cao Qingcheng.
Thus, Ye Qiu’s identity had remained undisclosed.
At this moment, Elder Ye spoke, “Wushuang isn’t dead, and Ye Qiu is indeed his son.”
His words shocked the room.
Elder Tang added, “Ye Wushuang is now our country’s guardian.”
What!
The old generals were stunned again.
They suddenly understood why Elder Tang and the God of War valued Ye Qiu so highly.
Not only was Ye Qiu the son of the current guardian, but as Elder Ye’s grandson, he deserved attention.
Moreover, Ye Qiu was the first medical sage in Chinese medicine in three hundred years and could slay cultivators.
Such a talent demanded priority!
Elder Tang continued, “It seems the incident on the uninhabited island wasn’t the work of the Daito military but a trap set by their hidden sects to hunt Ye Wushuang.”
Elder Ye snorted coldly, “If Wushuang goes, those Daito rats will have no place to hide.”
The God of War agreed.
Ye Wushuang had killed King Realm experts in the Forbidden City. The little devils on the island were no match for him.
The issue now was that Ye Wushuang was far away in Kunlun Mountain, while Ye Qiu, who wasn’t yet a cultivator, faced these Daito experts on the island.
“Facing so many experts alone, can he survive?”
Suddenly, everyone was deeply worried for Ye Qiu’s safety.
