Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 417 417: 417

"Go ahead and curse. The fiercer your insults, the more it piques my interest in playing with Ye Qingchen. The final outcome will only bring me a greater sense of accomplishment."

The Saint Heir watched Qin Yue with a smile. Even as she continually hurled angry insults at him, his smiling expression never faded. This caused Li Rui, standing to the side, to lower his head, his back drenched in sweat.

Based on Li Rui's understanding, the Saint Heir only appeared gentle and cultured on the surface. In reality, he was a man of decisive and swift action. No one had ever cursed the Saint Heir like Qin Yue and remained unharmed. I can't figure it out, nor do I dare to. After all, the Saint Heir's affairs are not for me to speculate on.

The Saint Heir waved his hand at Li Rui. "Go on. Continue to give Ye Qingchen opportunities."

After a respectful bow, Li Rui took his leave, carefully closing the bamboo door behind him. Qin Yue's curses, however, were still clearly audible.

「...」

Feng Yuan hobbled back home, knowing that with his father's upright and unyielding character, he would never go looking for trouble with Ye Qingchen on his account. Moreover, if his father found out that he had resorted to such despicable tactics, he wouldn't need anyone else to do the job. His own father would likely beat him half to death.

But Feng Yuan just couldn't swallow the resentment he felt towards Ye Qingchen. Yet, the thought of Ye Qingchen's lightning-fast methods filled him with a sense of powerlessness. From the look of things, those at the lower Martial King Realm pose no threat to Ye Qingchen. However, experts at the middle Martial King Realm have an exceptional status, even in the City Lord's Manor. They certainly won't take orders from me.

Feng Yuan sighed heavily as he walked toward the interior of the estate. The servants on the path saw his bruised and swollen face and gave him sidelong glances, but none dared to approach and ask. Given Feng Yuan's temperament, a single careless word could result in his ire being directed at them.

"Young... Young Master. What happened to you?"

Of course, not everyone was afraid of Feng Yuan. Xiaofeng, for instance, was his mother's personal maid and had practically watched him grow up. Seeing Feng Yuan's current state, she quickly walked over and asked with concern.

Feng Yuan was already in a foul mood. Hearing someone willingly speak to him, he felt a nameless anger rise within. He was about to lash out, but upon seeing it was Xiaofeng, he deflated and spoke dejectedly, "Aunt Feng, I'm fine."

Clearly not wanting to talk about what had happened, Feng Yuan continued forward. But after just two steps, he suddenly turned around and asked with a hint of happy surprise, "Aunt Feng, you're back? Does that mean my mother is back too?"

Xiaofeng nodded. "Madam returned this morning and is now in her room."

Feng Yuan was overjoyed. Disregarding his injuries, he hurried towards his mother's room.

If there was one person City Lord Feng Xiao was afraid of, it was undoubtedly Feng Yuan's mother, Liu Qiaolan. Moreover, Liu Qiaolan doted on Feng Yuan to an extreme degree; it was as if she held him in the palm of her hand, afraid he would fall, or held him in her mouth, afraid he would melt.

For some time, Liu Qiaolan had been away visiting her parents and had not been in Northern Barrier City. Now that she was suddenly back, how could Feng Yuan not be ecstatic? As long as Mother speaks up, dealing with Ye Qingchen will be a simple matter!

At this moment, Liu Qiaolan was in her room, fiddling with her jewelry. Feng Yuan's sudden entrance as he pushed the door open startled her. When Liu Qiaolan saw Feng Yuan's bruised and swollen face, tears of distress streamed down her cheeks. She pulled him onto the bed and carefully examined his wounds. Just then, Xiaofeng also came in and began rummaging through a cabinet for Healing Medicine.

"My son, who did this to you? Who in Northern Barrier City would be so bold as to lay a hand on you?"

This was exactly the effect Feng Yuan desired. The more his mother doted on him, the more likely she was to seek revenge on his behalf. Hearing Liu Qiaolan's question, Feng Yuan's pleas became even more tearful as he cried, "Mother, you must stand up for your son! It was that Ye Qingchen and the young mistress of the Liu Family Commerce Guild. The two of them plotted to frame me!"

"Ye Qingchen and the Liu Family Commerce Guild? I haven't heard of them. Are they a power in Northern Barrier City?" Liu Qiaolan asked, puzzled.

Ye Qingchen, for one, had never been to Northern Barrier City before. And while the Liu Family Commerce Guild had long done business in the city, they were too insignificant to have ever caught Liu Qiaolan's attention. Besides, anyone bold enough to strike my son must have a powerful backer. Hearing these two names, she wracked her brain, thinking of all the major powers, but found no information about either of them.

Feng Yuan wiped his tears and explained, "That Ye Qingchen saved the life of Uncle Xia's senior martial brother, and the Liu Family Commerce Guild is the herbal supplier for Uncle Xia's residence. They used Uncle Xia's status to lure me to the outskirts, where they not only beat me like this but also tricked me out of my beloved formation diagram."

"How outrageous! Xiaofeng, go and fetch the Master," Liu Qiaolan commanded, consumed by rage. Even if Xia Chengkai is the Deputy City Lord, he can't just let his people bully my son like this, can he?

It wasn't long before Feng Xiao entered the room. The sight of Liu Qiaolan's livid face made his heart skip a beat.

When Feng Yuan saw his father, he subconsciously shrank back. My tricks might fool Mother, but trying them on Father is just asking for a beating.

Feng Xiao shot a glance at Feng Yuan, his brow furrowing at the sight, but he said nothing more. Instead, he approached Liu Qiaolan and said, "You're back. Is something wrong? I'm in the middle of negotiating a deal with some merchants from the Central Domain."

"'Is something wrong?' Haven't you seen the state your son is in? Let me tell you, Feng Xiao, you only have one son! You'd better decide for yourself what's more important: him or those merchants," Liu Qiaolan snapped. My son is in this state, and he still has the mind to meet with merchants.

Feng Xiao didn't dare to talk back to her. He could only turn to Feng Yuan and ask, "What happened? Tell me everything, exactly as it occurred."

Feng Yuan had no choice but to repeat the same story he had told his mother.

Feng Xiao snorted coldly. "Don't you know your own character? Mr. Ye is a man of great integrity. Do you really think he would swindle something from you? Also, stop dragging your Uncle Xia into everything."

Feng Yuan swallowed hard, knowing he couldn't fool his father. He shot a desperate, pleading look at Liu Qiaolan.

After hearing Feng Xiao's words, Liu Qiaolan also calmed down. It's true, it would be unlike Xia Chengkai to let his subordinates run wild like that.