Bai Family.
The butler hurried in from outside, his face beaming with joy as he said to Bai Yujing, “It worked.”
Bai Yujing’s eyes lit up. “Is Ye Qiu dead?”
“It’s not clear yet. He was hit by three bullets, and Tang Fei took him to the hospital. But from the looks of it, that kid probably won’t make it.”
“Excellent.” A sinister smile of triumph crept across Bai Yujing’s gloomy face.
That’s right—Zhang Lili was his doing.
The moment he learned that Bai Bing liked Ye Qiu, he investigated Ye Qiu’s background and, naturally, came across Zhang Lili.
Coincidentally, Zhang Lili had just arrived in the capital at that time, looking for work.
Bai Yujing pulled some strings to ensure Zhang Lili faced rejection after rejection in her job search. After repeated setbacks, she went to a bar to drown her sorrows.
There, she met Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing was handsome and generous, immediately catching the eye of the vain Zhang Lili.
She tried every trick to strike up a conversation with him, and to her delight, Bai Yujing seemed to take a liking to her.
That same night, Zhang Lili left with him.
She thought that by latching onto Bai Yujing, she’d get her big break. Little did she know, he didn’t take her home or to a hotel that night—he brought her to a club and forced her to entertain clients.
That’s when the nightmare began.
The clients beat her, insulted her, burned her with cigarette butts, and tormented her.
And from time to time, she’d overhear snippets about Ye Qiu from these clients—how he’d defeated the Korean medical delegation, how he’d become wealthy, how well he was doing…
The examples were endless.
Thinking of her own suffering and Ye Qiu’s glamorous life fueled Zhang Lili’s hatred toward him.
She blamed him for everything. If he hadn’t driven her out of Jiangzhou, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. She wanted revenge—she wanted to kill Ye Qiu.
Finally, one day, an old man rescued her from the club.
That old man was none other than the Bai family’s butler.
Zhang Lili was overwhelmed with gratitude for the butler’s “rescue,” unaware that it was all orchestrated by Bai Yujing to use her as a pawn to deliver an unexpected, fatal blow to Ye Qiu.
That morning, the butler met with Zhang Lili, revealed Ye Qiu’s whereabouts, and left her a gun.
Otherwise, how could a nobody like Zhang Lili show up outside the heavily guarded Bai family villa?
“What about that woman?” Bai Yujing asked.
“She’s dead. Tang Fei executed her on the spot.”
Bai Yujing had clearly anticipated this outcome. “Dead is dead. She was a foolish woman anyway—no value left.”
“Young Master, what should we do with her body?” the butler asked.
“Do I need to teach you how to handle this?” Bai Yujing shot the butler an irritated glance.
The butler immediately understood and nodded. “I get it.”
Just then, the guests began bidding their farewells.
Soon, the Bai household was left with only Bai Yujing, Long Qi, Long Ba, the body of Long Jiu on the ground, and the bodyguards Ye Qiu had crippled.
“Butler, clean this place up.”
After giving the butler his orders, Bai Yujing personally picked up Long Jiu’s body and carried it into the hall.
He gently placed Long Jiu’s body in the center of the room, knelt down, and respectfully kowtowed three times.
“Master, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault that you ended up like this. Rest assured, I will avenge you.”
Bai Yujing clenched his fists tightly, overwhelmed by grief and rage.
Long Qi and Long Ba stood solemnly, their gazes fixed on the shocking sword wound on Long Jiu’s throat, their faces radiating murderous intent.
“Old Jiu, rest in peace. Today’s grudge is irreconcilable—we won’t let it end like this.”
“Once Big Brother comes out of seclusion, I’ll personally slaughter Ye Wudi to honor your spirit.”
“And the Ye family—I won’t let them off either.”
Long Ba said in a low voice.
The Ye family!
Hearing those words, Long Qi asked, “Why did Ye Wudi kill Old Jiu?”
Long Ba replied, “On the surface, it looks like Ye Wudi was standing up for that kid, but that’s not the real reason. He was avenging Ye Wushuang.”
Ye Wushuang!
A cold glint flashed in Long Qi’s eyes as he asked, “Has Ye Wudi found evidence?”
“Not yet,” Long Ba said. “He only suspects that we were behind what happened to Ye Wushuang back then.”
“But he’s convinced it was us.”
“Brother Qi, I think this is a bad sign. Why don’t we find a chance to kill Ye Wudi?”
Long Qi glared at him. “Idiot! If I hadn’t come out of seclusion in time today, Ye Wudi would’ve killed you. And you still want to go after him? Are you looking to die?”
“Besides, the Ye family has Shadow—a figure whose skills are unfathomable. Even I’m not confident I could take him on.”
“And now everyone knows Ye Wudi has a grudge with our Forbidden City. If he dies, everyone will know it was us.”
“Ye Wudi is Old Tang’s personal bodyguard. Killing him is tantamount to challenging Old Tang.”
“While I’m not afraid of Old Tang, Big Brother and the others haven’t come out of seclusion yet. Provoking Old Tang now wouldn’t be wise.”
Long Ba frowned, puzzled. “Brother Qi, if you understood all this earlier, why were you so insistent on killing Ye Wudi before?”
“That was to protect the Forbidden City’s reputation!” Long Qi snapped. “In front of everyone, Ye Wudi killed Old Jiu—that was a direct challenge to us. If I didn’t kill him, where would our honor be?”
“If that bastard War God hadn’t shown up, I’d have slaughtered Ye Wudi myself, even if it meant offending Old Tang.”
Long Qi spat bitterly.
After a pause, he continued, “They’re just grasshoppers after the autumn—let them live a little longer. We’ll deal with them once Big Brother comes out of seclusion.”
“Got it.”
Long Ba nodded, though inwardly he swore, *Ye Wudi, you bastard, humiliating me in public—you just wait. I won’t let you off.*
Then, Long Qi’s gaze fell on Bai Yujing. “You’ve been expelled from the Underworld Palace by the War God. What are your plans now?”
Bai Yujing replied, “I have no other plans. I just want to avenge my master.”
A hint of approval flickered in Long Qi’s eyes. “You still know to avenge your master—it seems Old Jiu didn’t misjudge you.”
“But you don’t know martial arts. Seeking revenge will only put you in danger.”
“Old Jiu was one of us from the Forbidden City, so we’ll handle his revenge. You don’t need to get involved. Focus on your own future instead!”
Future?
Bai Yujing gave a bitter laugh.
*Do I even have a future?*
He had planned to spend a few years in the Underworld Palace, climbing the ranks, building his power base, and eventually taking control of it to seize greater ambitions.
But he never imagined the War God would be so decisive, expelling him outright.
This didn’t just cost him a job—it completely derailed his plans.
“Find something respectable to do and work hard at it,” Long Qi said before turning to Long Ba. “Take Old Jiu. We’re heading back.”
“Alright.”
Long Ba picked up Long Jiu’s body, and together with Long Qi, they left the Bai residence.
Once outside, Long Ba couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Qi, Bai Yujing is Old Jiu’s disciple. Are we really going to leave him be?”
“He doesn’t know martial arts, so bringing him back to the Forbidden City would be pointless. But since he’s Old Jiu’s disciple, you should look out for him in the future. Don’t let anyone bully him.”
“Understood.”
Long Qi suddenly stopped in his tracks and asked, “Old Ba, haven’t you noticed? Ye Qiu resembles someone.”
“Who?”
“Ye Wushuang!”
