Imperial Treasure

Chapter 487 - 330: The Burial

"Indeed, that’s why we were all certain that Yun Xilai and his people had been killed, and then the corpses were processed with Corpse Decomposing Water, erasing any traces. Even the police couldn’t find anything..."

"Such formidable methods, to silently eliminate such a powerful force in a single night; even our Xiao family’s armed forces definitely couldn’t do it."

The Xiao family did not inherit their legacy through martial prowess but through business. Even though they had intentionally been nurturing their armed forces over the years, they ultimately couldn’t compare with the Yun family. This is what put them in second place. However, the Xiao family was full of talent, and with their complex and intertwined relationships, even the envious and wary Yun family couldn’t do anything...

"Indeed, it is very fierce, but one thing is certain... this matter is related to Sui Yi," said the Head of the Xiao Family, causing Xiao Ranjun to reflexively respond, "Impossible! Her strength isn’t that strong!"

Xiao Ran also shook his head, "It can’t be, she..."

That elegant and delicate girl, serene as jade bamboo, to kill so many martial arts experts overnight?

And to do so without leaving a trace.

"Xiao Ran, when it comes to understanding people’s psychology, you may be very strong, but in terms of gauging their depth, you still lack some experience, simply because you have less exposure in this area..." said the elder, taking a sip of his tea.

"I often drink tea with the old men of the Palace Family, and I’ve heard them say that within Sui Yi’s group, the lawless Gong Jiu and Flower Demon both respect her highly. Under her, there are two other women whose identities are splendid and mysterious, indecipherable to outsiders. The implication being that they were also advising me to avoid provoking that group of young people... To make the older generation so wary, I can think of no other reason..."

Setting down his cup, the old man glanced at Xiao Ranjun, who was deep in thought, and inwardly sighed. If such a formidable person really existed, he feared his grandson was no match for her—the likelihood was almost zero that a man could surpass such a woman.

Besides, that girl’s capabilities weren’t limited to martial arts.

"Although you speak with such certainty, I still find it hard to imagine," Xiao Ran said with a wry smile, aware that his father and brothers wouldn’t lie to him, "She’s so young..."

"How young? It’s only because you haven’t seen some of those young people in that circle. They are lions and leopards in human form, able to annihilate entire families with ease... That Rui Ziling, that Luo Xiuxian, aren’t they all young and already roaming the world, adventuring, dueling, killing? Even Gong Jiu is only in his twenties, and he’s been running around these years, plundering ancient tombs, inverting porcelain, opposing the officials, thriving on the thrill... ’impossible’ doesn’t exist in that circle. And from another perspective, do you think someone who is not yet 20 and has secured the Sui Tang Square business in less than a year, holding sway in our field and even surpassing our youngest, is ordinary? My people have tallied her assets, and just from Sui Tang Square, in these few months, she has quietly earned no less than three billion!"

The Head of the Xiao Family pointed to his temple, scoffing, "Nevermind just a simple-minded Yun family, any other family that crosses someone like her is bound to suffer a great loss... Anyway, along with our family, people in Provincial City better not provoke her... It’s no wonder the Tang Family was so bold a while back, turns out they had such powerful support... I really admire their foresight... I’ve heard that the Tang family’s girl was saved by her... They’ve got a good relationship... We miscalculated, ah..."

He paused, and then suddenly turned to his son, his expression darkening.

"I just found out this morning that you in school have joined forces with that unlucky Yun kid to form what, an F4? Did you have a conflict with Sui Yi before? You need to explain clearly whether you’ve offended her because your old man doesn’t want to be turned into a corpse overnight."

Thump!

Xiao Ranjun spit out his tea.

——————————

Although the police tightly sealed the news and the Yun family’s own members didn’t want their company’s stock market to be affected, opting instead to cover things up and attempt a quick transfer of power and division of the inheritance, if the Yun family’s matter couldn’t be kept from the Xiao family, naturally others would also know.

The people of the Tang Family were first astonished, then reflective, and finally laughed!

They had to be astonished, as it came too suddenly! They had to reflect because their greatest enemy had been dealt with single-handedly by the youngest of their generation! And then they laughed...

Dammit! Even though it wasn’t their doing, regret mingled with the feeling that they didn’t have a chance to strike, but their hearts were still exhilarated!

Their own daughter could be considered for return... no need to worry about being ambushed anymore.

However, on the other side... inside the study, Old Master Tang with his hands clasped and hanging over his belly, slowly said, "You mean to say, you want to get involved... to send a thank-you gift to Sui Yi?"

"Hmm, I believe it’s only proper, but it’ll be as a personal gesture from me... I won’t involve the family," Tang Hanyan said with confidence, for comparing business acumen, none from the three branches of the Tang family could surpass her.

Her own assets were also enormously vast, yet intentionally not made public, lest her adversaries became aware and took precautions. Perhaps it was because she was always guarding against her daughter being harmed, fearing she would be powerless to retaliate...

"Nonsense!" Old Master Tang glared at her, "What do you mean by acting personally? That would be a disgrace to the Tang Family in the eyes of everyone under the heavens. That girl is the benefactor of our entire Tang Family... I’ve already ordered your brothers to take action... Join them... However, when the time comes, it will still have to be your daughter to make the approach... Otherwise, that girl won’t even glance their way..."

That person... her temperament was even tougher than these old bones, and she carried an ancient grace in her speech and manners.

Really didn’t know where such an "antique" sprung from.

Upon hearing this, Tang Hanyan laughed, but as she laughed, her expression turned peculiar, "But Yi Chilian over there might also take action."

"Him? He does have assets in our province, but he has always been more active around the Jiangnan town. He usually does not get involved in Provincial City matters; why would he...?" the old man asked with some confusion.

"I thought he wouldn’t either, but taking into account the incident at the cultural center, and combining that with the situation at the Eastern Hotel, it seems likely this person has some connection with Sui Yi... How deep or shallow that relationship is, I can’t say."

"If that’s the case, then it’s even more interesting," said the old man.

——————

In Provincial City’s business world, the fall of a wealthy conglomerate undoubtedly meant a juicy piece of meat was up for the taking by many capable contenders.

But none of Gong Jiu’s clique had any spare interest in intervening, each of them following Sui Yi to Ye Family Village in the guise of their junior status.

Gong Jiu was not visiting for the first time, but each visit deepened the impression this place left on her.

Remote, ancient, fresh and bright, simple, eerie...

Well, it seemed a bit contradictory, but that was exactly the contradiction she felt... If one included the terrifying memory of that ancient tomb, this contradiction would turn into mystery.

"Each visit makes the feeling deeper... But it seems I haven’t been here in a long while, yet this place hasn’t changed at all," said Flower Demon, dressed in modest simplicity today. Gong Jiu didn’t argue with her and helped the people of Ye Family Village arrange the funeral hall. The funeral preparations were tedious, and they helped as much as possible...

Until the burial procession.

That day, the sky was somewhat gloomy, with a storm brewing. Some superstitious elders were uneasy, saying that the day was not right. The auspicious day had been carefully calculated, so how could it suddenly change?

It’s not auspicious, we can’t bury!

Although Gong Jiu and the others inwardly rolled their eyes, they had no place to interject. Sui Yi stood up, stepped out of the funeral hall, and said just one sentence.

"What’s auspicious or not is always up to us."

The elders’ faces changed immediately, resentful yet helpless. They knew what Sui Yi was referring to.

That ancient tomb...

"Let it be, Sui Yi makes sense," an elder with a cane stood up. "If it’s truly not good, it’s not like we can avoid it by not burying. Besides, our old sister led a righteous life and wasn’t involved in karma. If that curse really comes, it won’t fall on her... Let’s go, brothers, to see our old sister one last time."

The somber and vaguely mournful demeanor of some elders suddenly gave Gong Jiu and the others a feeling of an odd sadness in their hearts.

Perhaps they could look down on these decayed, stubborn old men with little ability or knowledge in many ways, but they couldn’t deny that these men possessed certain admirable qualities that were difficult for them to comprehend.

Like their capacity to bear certain historical truths, for instance.

Of course, their ability to conceal those truths as well.

Sometimes their mouths were harder than the stones in the pit toilets. For example, they now said things that made people suspicious and curious, but when you asked them for details, they all played dumb, which was frustrating.

Gong Jiu and the others knew there was something strange about this place and didn’t inquire further. After deciding to proceed with the burial, a group of people went out, the village’s able-bodied men carrying the coffin...

Sui Yi saw two people.

Wang Pu was next to Auntie Wang. This young man seemed to have grown taller, his originally simple face shedding some of its immaturity, becoming more restrained, and in a daze, he bore the shadow of that person.

That person...

As Sui Yi’s gaze swept over, he saw the people arriving at the village entrance.

"Hey, why have they come?" Gong Jiu was somewhat surprised to see Yi Chilian and Xiao Xianting, but then she calmed down.

Perhaps it would be strange if they didn’t come.

Yi Chilian had Jiang Yunxiu by her side, while Xiao Xianting was alone.

Two cars faced each other at the village entrance.

Both pulled up, the doors opened, they got out, face to face.

"I didn’t expect to meet Mr. Yi here," said Xiao Xianting indifferently.

"That’s why Mr. Xiao should not have come," Yi Chilian replied, implying that he knew too little, which was evident enough that you, who were not closely related to the person from here, should not have come, right?

Yi Chilian was usually not very polite to most humans: cold, sharp-tongued, and proudly aloof to the fullest.

It just so happened that Mr. Xiao sometimes had the potential in this regard.

So, he calmly responded, "The pot calling the kettle black is not what the wise and capable do."

For Jiang Yunxiu, this was like a wolf and a lotus separated by water engaging in high-level artistic bickering!

There wasn’t much substance, but it was quite the spectacle.

Not until Sui Yi arrived, clad in black and white clothing.

According to the traditions of his old home, Sui Yi, not being a true descendant of the Ye family, was not to wear mourning attire; that was Ye Chunan’s role.

It was not out of harshness toward Sui Yi, but it was Old Mr. Ye’s expressed wish before she passed away. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)