Chapter Twenty: Astonishing the Entire Audience

As the dust settled, the entire scene remained steeped in shock. Deputy Mayor Chen, Master Zhang, Elder Guo, and all others stared wide-eyed, unblinking, at Su Ye.

The young man before them had just pulled a thirty-meter-long iron chain from the mouth of the Dragon-Qilin, and at the same moment, the old bridge had collapsed. Was it truly a coincidence?

Two or three minutes passed before someone finally swallowed hard and began to recover from the astonishment.

"Is that Qilin dead? Shattered?" Master Zhang, the first to regain his composure, looked fearfully at the pile of broken stone on the ground, then glanced at Su Ye.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, who would believe that Su Ye had shattered the Qilin statue with his bare hands?

"This iron chain... Was it hidden inside the Qilin’s belly? What is it made of?" Elder Guo’s eyes widened, unable to imagine a chain hidden within the statue.

What was the origin of this chain? What purpose did it serve? Why was it concealed inside the Qilin statue? Who exactly was Su Ye to the Jiang family? How could he possess such power? Was it the legendary invocation of divine strength, the famed ‘spirit strike’?

Deputy Mayor Chen gradually came to his senses, hurriedly checking the area to see if anyone was injured.

Jiang Liuying, meanwhile, rushed forward, her delicate face flushed with anger. She stormed up to Su Ye and, without warning, slapped him hard across the face.

The sound rang out sharply.

Su Ye, still gripping the iron chain, had no strength left to move, nor did he expect Jiang Liuying’s sudden slap. His fury erupted, and he shouted, "Are you insane?"

"Are you insane?!" Jiang Liuying’s voice was louder, almost a cry from her throat. Her slender frame trembled, her eyes welled with tears.

Her vibrant red lips quivered as she exclaimed, "Why did you rush in? Do you know you could have died? The bridge collapsed—why didn’t you dodge? Are you an idiot?!"

Su Ye’s anger faded as he saw the tears in her eyes; his body trembled, and the rage vanished completely.

Though he and Jiang Liuying had always been at odds, frequently quarreling and often targeted by her, they had still lived together for many years.

"Hmph!"

Su Ye was at a loss for words, rubbed his stinging cheek, and decided it wasn’t worth arguing, remaining silent.

Jiang Liuying seemed to realize she’d struck too hard, glanced stubbornly at his face, then picked up the Ghostfang Sword from the ground and turned away without another word.

Su Ye slowly unfastened the iron chain, and suddenly noticed a strange iron ring among the links. It was about the size of a jade bracelet, but its color was utterly different from the rest of the chain.

Moreover, as he let go, the iron ring automatically separated itself from the long chain.

"Ah, young man, we truly failed to recognize your greatness!" Master Zhang and Elder Guo hurried over with several disciples.

Su Ye quietly pocketed the peculiar iron ring before looking up at them.

"It seems the Jiang family is indeed full of hidden talents! I’d heard rumors of their deep background, but only now have I witnessed it myself. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Zhang Wuchen. In the trade, people give me some respect and call me Master Zhang," he said with a chuckle.

Elder Guo, not to be outdone, presented his card with both hands. "I am Guo Xin. Just now, our eyes deceived us and we offended you, young man. I hope you won’t take it to heart. I apologize for my earlier words."

Guo Xin even bowed deeply, showing proper courtesy, and his disciples followed suit, bowing in apology to Su Ye.

Su Ye was not one to bear grudges, and besides, he had to consider the Jiang family’s interests as well. "No problem! My name is Su Ye, I live with the Jiang family."

Zhang Wuchen and Guo Xin both smiled apologetically, showing no trace of their previous disdain.

"Brother Su Ye, you saved us today. If you ever need anything from us, just ask! Perhaps we’ll pay you a visit in a few days, if you have time?"

Su Ye smiled faintly, saying he’d see if his schedule allowed.

They had barely exchanged a few words when Deputy Mayor Chen approached.

He was brisk and direct, his voice grave. "Jiang Miss tells me your name is Su Ye. Thank you! If not for you, who knows how many people would have been harmed here. Thank you! Just now I thought I might never see my wife and children again."

"It was nothing. I only hope Deputy Mayor Chen will handle special incidents with special care, and not, like your secretary, blindly shift blame onto the Jiang family," Su Ye replied loudly.

Deputy Mayor Chen nodded immediately, his expression dark. "I understand. This incident alone proves that such a person is unfit to be a secretary. I’ll dismiss him as soon as I return. Deserting his post and disregarding people's safety—hmph!"

The bespectacled secretary, hiding in the distance, let out a miserable cry and collapsed to the ground upon hearing this.

Deputy Mayor Chen paid him no mind. Even his own position would be lost if he abandoned others in such a crisis. Luckily, it hadn’t been exposed; if it were, could his department retain any authority?

Suddenly, Deputy Mayor Chen remembered something. "You’ve all worked hard and may have injuries. Go to the hospital for a checkup. The rest will be handled by others."

Zhang Wuchen and Guo Xin were immediately displeased. Even a fool could see there must be valuable items below, plenty of burial goods in the coffins. If they couldn’t take them, could they at least not look?

"Deputy Mayor Chen, are you serious? You're asking us to leave now?" Zhang Wuchen protested, clearly feeling used and discarded.

"Exactly! At least let the Jiang family oversee things. There might be a second Qilin below, and Brother Su Ye might still be needed!" Guo Xin chimed in.

Deputy Mayor Chen shook his head with a sigh. "I’d planned to leave it to the Jiang family, since Jiang Group has always been involved in the project, but it’s out of my hands now. I’ve just received word—the engineering department of Yu Group will take over. They’ll be arriving soon. I have no idea how the procedures were processed."

Su Ye’s brows furrowed. Yu Group?

In all of Yangcheng, only one famous Yu Group existed—Yu Zhisha’s family!

Could it be that Yu Zhisha had heard something?

He glanced around and saw many people present. With all the commotion from last night to this morning, word had surely reached the Yu family.

He looked again at the iron chain. If it could be hidden inside the Qilin statue’s belly, it must be something extraordinary.

"This chain still carries some malevolent energy. I’d like to take it with me."

Deputy Mayor Chen hesitated, shaking his head. "Nothing from here can be taken away. If you want to study it, I can arrange for you to return later, with time set aside for research."

Su Ye nodded; secretly keeping the iron ring should suffice.

He felt his strength returning, so he said nothing more and walked toward the Jiang family’s vehicle. Earlier, the Jiang family had sent Uncle Zhong and the others to the hospital, so only Jiang Liuying and the driver remained.

Jiang Liuying waited silently by the car, occasionally glancing at Su Ye, then pretending to examine the sword as he approached.

Su Ye was still irritated and said nothing to her.

Just then, vehicles approached in the distance.

Su Ye deliberately waited.

The cars stopped in rapid succession, and out stepped the Yu family entourage.

Among them was a young woman in a trench coat and large sunglasses, her demeanor proud, exuding an innate arrogance that made her stand above all present.

She was Yu Zhisha.

Su Ye and Jiang Liuying instinctively stood together, watching Yu Zhisha.

This prodigy, renowned throughout Yangcheng, seemed to shine wherever she went.

Yu Zhisha strode over to Su Ye, scanned his disheveled appearance through her sunglasses, and suddenly commanded, "What did you take from here? Put it all down—now."