Chapter 37: Discovery

Compared to the Su family, which had only risen to prominence after falling into Su Chiming’s hands, the Ye family possessed a far longer history and had always followed the political path.

A century earlier, the Ye family’s influence had been at its peak, rivaling that of aristocratic families. A member of their family had once served as Tiannan’s governor.

Although the Ye family had declined since then, the highest-ranking member still held the position of commissioner of Longxiang City Police Bureau. Meanwhile, their countless descendants had branched out everywhere across Tiannan’s political landscape. The number of deputy commissioners, county magistrates, and department heads under them could not be counted on one hand.

From this alone, one could indirectly see the political potential the Ye family still possessed.

For years, the Su family had allied itself with the Ye family precisely because of the Ye family’s century-deep political network, which compensated for the Su family’s weakness in terms of influence.

In Dayu, having money did not necessarily mean having power. But once one held power, money became something gained with ease. Thus, at the peak of the Buzhou Group, Old Master Su had briefly become Tiannan’s richest man. Yet in terms of political reach, they still fell short of the aristocratic families who controlled local councils.

Of course, ordinary people wouldn't make that distinction. To them, the Su family was overwhelmingly powerful. Even if not the strongest in all of Tiannan, they were undeniably one of the top families.

And within any family, there were direct descendants and branch members. The older the family, the clearer this distinction became.

Ye Ziyi was only a branch descendant of the Ye family, but the woman in the red dress who urged her on, Ye Yiren, was a member of the direct line.

The current family head, Ye Baifeng, was Ye Yiren’s father. That alone gave her the confidence to stir up trouble without fear.

***

"Sister Yiren, watch me," Ye Ziyi shouted excitedly and deliberately reached toward Ran Qiu’s vulnerable spots. She also called toward another girl, "Zhang Shu, what are you standing there for? You want my car, right? Move now! Don't make me look down on you!"

The girl who was trying to pull them apart froze for a moment, clearly unsure about what to do.

"Stop! All of you, stop!" By now, Su Yaoyu had rushed to the scene. Seeing the fight escalating, she could not help shouting toward the outside, "Caiyun, Caiyun!"

"Su Yaoyu, now that is not very nice of you." Ye Yiren raised an eyebrow. "Everyone is just joking around. We are having fun. Why do you make it sound like a brawl? By calling more people here, are you trying to blow this up? Does she even have the status to intervene?"

She turned slightly. "Ye Ling."

Immediately, a woman in her thirties moved swiftly to intercept Caiyun, who was rushing over. At that moment, with a sharp ripping sound, Ran Qiu’s collar tore open. If she had not worn another layer underneath, she would have been exposed on the spot.

Although this was the second floor, consisting mostly of private rooms, many people had already poked their heads out to watch with interest, pointing and commenting as if watching a performance.

"This is what you call a joke?" Su Yaoyu stared at Ye Yiren. "You have gone too far."

"This is a joke. The Su family cannot take a joke?" Ye Yiren shrugged. "If you think they can't win, you can jump in too."

She swept her gaze over Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin behind her. "Quite a crowd today. Come, all of you, join in. If the show entertains me enough, I will cover your meal. After all, our two families are partners. Generous enough, right?"

Meanwhile, Ye Ling stood firmly before Caiyun.

"Do not move," she said calmly. "The young lady said the ladies of the Ye family and Su family are just playing around. If you interfere, this becomes a different matter. When the consequences come, do not blame us for being unreasonable."

"You—" Caiyun began to speak.

But just then, Su Yaoxue, who had been holding herself back, saw Ran Qiu being overwhelmed and finally snapped. "Enough."

She stepped forward instantly, her movement precise as she seized Ye Ziyi’s hand mid-swing. Using subtle jin, she twisted.

"Ahh!" Ye Ziyi screamed in pain.

Yaoguang glanced at Su Yaoxue.

Looks like she has trained in martial arts before.

She might not even qualify as a martial artist, and she likely would not win against a physically strong man, but handling two or three girls of similar build posed no problem.

"Her vigor is strong." Yaoguang offered no further comment.

Children of great families were often polarized. The few who received focused grooming would learn strategy, have influence, and have an elegant demeanor. As for the others...

Some would strive to improve themselves. Others simply wasted their days chasing stimulation and entertainment.

By now, Ye Yiren realized that once Su Yaoxue intervened, the spectacle would end, and the situation would only develop in a way that was unfavorable for the Ye family.

She immediately turned to a man beside her. "Your younger sister is being bullied, and you are just standing there?"

The man hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped forward and reached toward Su Yaoxue.

At that moment, many eyes naturally shifted toward the only "man" standing on the Su family’s side: Yaoguang.

"Lei Yun, stop them." Yaoguang did not waste words.

"Yes." Lei Yun advanced with long strides from behind Caiyun.

"Wait!" Ye Ling’s expression changed. "Think carefully about the consequences of laying a hand on us—"

But Lei Yun ignored her completely. Since being assigned under Yaoguang, she had heard a few things from Leng Jun. This young master of the Su family, whom she had never met before, was very likely to inherit the entire family. Now that he had issued an order, it was not her place to hesitate. She needed to prove herself.

With that mindset, she not only stepped into the pushing and shoving but also directly seized Ye Ziyi and flung her aside.

"How dare you!" Ye Yiren barked, her expression darkening.

Lei Yun still did not look at her, not slowing down for even a single moment as she moved toward the man.

As the man swung his right hand at her, she lowered her body and struck the acupoint near his armpit with a precise intercepting blow. His face turned pale instantly as his entire arm went limp.

She then surged forward, using the momentum to drive her foot straight into his chest. He staggered back four steps before collapsing onto the floor.

Such ferocity shocked Ye Ziyi, who had been thrown aside, as well as the people standing near Ye Yiren. Their expressions all changed at once.

"You—" Ye Yiren’s eyes flashed with anger as she prepared to speak.

Suddenly, a woman in a casual suit leaned close to Ye Yiren’s ear and whispered, "This woman is from the Su family’s External Affairs Hall."

External Affairs Hall?

The anger in Ye Yiren’s chest instantly cooled.

Her family had the same institution. It was the family's designated violent arm for handling external matters. If one compared a family to a nation, the Family Laws Hall was equivalent to a security force responsible for internal disputes and personnel safety, while the External Affairs Hall was the equivalent of a national army, meant for external battles.

Anyone who had the authority to command members of the External Affairs Hall was unquestionably part of the family’s core.

Earlier, she had said that if Su Yaoyu dared let Caiyun intervene, things would escalate. But escalating, at most, meant elders hearing about it and delivering a round of scolding.

But now that someone from the Su family’s External Affairs Hall had taken action, this was no longer something that ended with scolding!

If handled poorly, this was equivalent to ripping their faces apart and going to war.

Even though Su Yaoxue’s broken engagement had caused friction between the Su and Ye Families, the two families merely interacted less. Several short-term business ventures continued as normal.

It was only the younger generation who quarreled endlessly, driven by indignation. If they truly tore apart the alliance, even her older brother, the carefully raised heir of the Ye family, would not have the courage to bear the consequences.

She had no choice but to suppress her anger and look at Yaoguang. "Who are you? I do not recall the Su family having someone like you."

"He is Su Yaoguang, son of Su Huaifeng." The suited woman lowered her voice and gave a simple introduction.

"Him?" Ye Yiren looked genuinely surprised.

A junior who hasn't shown up in the Su family for more than a decade can command the External Affairs Hall?!

Ye Yiren could not believe it.

But given the situation, the reality before her outweighed what she believed. Before she figured out why someone from the External Affairs Hall was following Su Yaoguang, she could only retreat and adapt.

"Since the Su family’s third young master does not like this sort of joking around, then we will stop here. Let’s go." She waved her hand and left with the indignant Ye Ziyi and the others.

Yaoguang did not stop them. Yet, just as the group began descending the stairs, two figures hurriedly approached. They were Ye Yuhe and Lin Xiaowei.

Upon seeing Yaoguang, Ye Yuhe ignored everyone else and rushed forward. "Yaoguang... My senior brother wants to see you."

"Did something happen?" Yaoguang asked.

"Yes. He wants to ask you..." Ye Yuhe took a deep breath. "Earlier, you said..."

She lowered her voice. "You said what you killed was not human. Did you mean something deeper than that?"

Yaoguang looked slightly surprised. Then realization dawned quickly.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"He encountered something?" Yaoguang asked.

"I don't know." Ye Yuhe shook her head. "He refuses to tell me. He only asked us to bring you over so he can meet you."

Yaoguang studied her, then said, "It seems like he encountered one."

Anyone who truly faced such a thing would be overwhelmed with disbelief. Their worldview would be shaken.

And after calming down, the last thing they would do was casually tell someone close to them, for fear of dragging them into an uncontrollable nightmare.

So next, he would see exactly what the leading prosecutor who enjoyed the treatment of a chief prosecutor was made of.

"No need for a meeting," Yaoguang said. "Tell him the meaning is exactly what he thinks it is. The question is whether he still has the nerve to continue investigating."

"But—"

"Go." Yaoguang waved lightly.

Ye Yuhe wanted to say more, but he had already turned back toward the private room. Seeing this, she sighed and left with Lin Xiaowei.

Su Yaoyu glanced at Lin Xiaowei. "Since you are already here, do you want to join us for dinner?"

"No need. If I wanted to come, I would have gone in with you. This is a gathering for your siblings. I am an outsider. It won't be appropriate." Lin Xiaowei waved goodbye and followed after Ye Yuhe.

The two left quickly. Meanwhile, Ye Yiren, who had not yet gone downstairs, witnessed the scene with thoughtful eyes.

She summoned Ye Ling. "There must be a hidden reason behind the fact that a junior who had not returned home in over ten years has suddenly gained the family’s attention. Follow them. If anything happens, report to me immediately."

"Yes," Ye Ling responded and quickly moved out.

"Su Yaoguang, is it? Good. You have successfully caught my attention." Ye Yiren glanced toward the private room that Yaoguang had entered, a faint smile curling her lips. "Let me see exactly what you're made of."