Chapter Sixty-One: Gathering Storms

Ever since Su Ye boarded Ouyang Yunfeng’s ship, it was as if he had vanished into thin air. Three days and nights passed, yet there was no sign of Su Ye ever emerging from that vessel.

At such a delicate juncture, every family forced themselves into uneasy silence; they could do nothing but wait. Even actions planned by the Yu and Zhou families had to be postponed. They sent many to inquire after Su Ye, but all were turned away—fiercely and without exception. No one was allowed to approach, not even the servants who had originally been on the cruise; all were driven off the ship.

Some bold martial artists still dared to draw near Ouyang Yunfeng’s yacht. They caught the scent of blood in the air, and the expressions on their faces grew ever more complex. Rumors and speculation began to swirl.

“It seems Ouyang Yunfeng has made his move. That bloody smell—he must have killed Su Ye with his own hands!”

“Haven’t you heard? Ouyang Yunfeng doesn’t have much longer to live. His only hope lies in a new heart, but Su Ye destroyed everything. Su Ye was probably torn apart, chopped into mincemeat.”

“No matter what, we need to see Su Ye’s corpse! And the feud between our families is far from settled; Su Ye’s death alone won’t suffice. The Jiang family must pay tenfold!”

On the fourth day, only then did the old steward by Ouyang Yunfeng’s side appear to relay a message: all families were to return home for now. As for Su Ye, there was no explanation whatsoever. Only one sentence was offered: “In a few days, we will send Su Ye back to the Jiang family.”

That single phrase instantly caused a new uproar.

Was this merely Ouyang Yunfeng’s attempt to pacify the Jiang family, or had he truly spared Su Ye’s life? And if so, what had transpired over these many days?

Some of the family elders pondered more deeply:

“This must be Ouyang Yunfeng’s hint to our Yu family. ‘Sending Su Ye back in a few days’? Hmph. He’s telling us to act within these days! He’s pretending to interrogate Su Ye, but is actually hiding away, waiting for us to fight among ourselves before revealing himself.”

“Yes, that must be it! This is a tactic the Martial Alliance often uses. Our families are already at the point of open conflict—how could a dying man like Ouyang Yunfeng bother to intervene? We must act at once and destroy the Jiang family!” Many martial artists voiced their agreement.

Soon after, all the family ships turned back toward Yangcheng’s harbor. Each person’s face was grim, knowing full well that something momentous was about to erupt in Yangcheng.

Meanwhile, the Jiang family had also returned home.

Within the Jiang family’s manor, Yan Tian and Uncle Zhong impatiently reported all the news to Jiang Ziyang.

Upon hearing it, even Jiang Ziyang’s expression changed dramatically. “They’re about to make their move against us!”

Yan Tian agreed, “Exactly! We still have some time to prepare. Although on the surface the Jiang family and the others are at each other’s throats, the true cause of all this is Su Ye. Now that Su Ye is gone, their fury is unstoppable. As the saying goes, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ We can ally with their rivals and resist them together…”

All the core members were gathered in urgent conference, anxiously searching for a way to respond. At that moment, the doors were thrown open with a crash.

Jiang Liuying burst in, her face pale, her once rosy lips now drained of color. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she rushed before Yan Tian and, without preamble, began to berate him:

“Where is Su Ye? Where is he? Didn’t you promise me you would bring him back? Where is he? They all say Su Ye is dead—is it true?”

Jiang Ziyang’s fury flared. Much as he loved his daughter, this was not the time or place. “Daughter, leave at once! We are in the middle of a meeting!”

Jiang Liuying had always been obedient, but this time she was unmoved. Her clear voice rang through the meeting room: “What meeting? I’m asking about Su Ye! Where is he? He hasn’t returned—aren’t you worried? Are you all made of stone?”

Jiang Ziyang was momentarily speechless. He too longed to know where Su Ye had gone. But he also understood that, when someone disappeared, it was often best not to ask. He had once had six sons—each had left home and never returned, and all that was ever found were cold corpses.

Su Ye had lived with the Jiang family for six years. Though the childhood betrothal might never be realized, Jiang Ziyang truly regarded Su Ye as one of their own.

“Don’t be upset, daughter,” he consoled her. “The Martial Alliance promised to return Su Ye, and they will.”

“Will they?” Jiang Liuying retorted. “Let’s go demand him back right now! Bring all our martial artists—I refuse to believe Ouyang Yunfeng dares keep Su Ye prisoner forever!” Her voice was resolute.

At these words, hatred flashed in Yan Tian’s eyes. He barked, “Enough—have you lost your mind?”

Jiang Liuying was taken aback, then glared at him, shouting, “Yan Tian, how dare you raise your voice at me! Who do you think you are? Even Su Ye never dared yell at me, but you do! You said you’d bring him back—where is he? I hate you, I’ll never forgive you!”

Yan Tian realized he’d gone too far. He’d never seen Jiang Liuying so distraught. He lowered his voice: “Liuying, calm down. I’m certain Su Ye is alive.”

“If he dies, will you die with him?” she pressed through gritted teeth.

Yan Tian shook his head. “You’re kindhearted, always worrying about everyone in the family—I understand. I believe that if something happened to me, you’d be just as concerned. But you truly needn’t worry. Su Ye is too valuable to be harmed. Ouyang Yunfeng would never kill him.”

He gestured for everyone to sit, continuing, “I didn’t forcibly bring Su Ye back because I had my reasons. If I’d wanted to, given my relationship with Ouyang Yunfeng, I could have done it. But Liuying, you don’t understand my intentions, so I’ll explain.

“Think about it: three years ago, the Yu family extracted Su Ye’s Thunder Vein. With just that one, they produced a talent like Yu Zhisha. What about the remaining eight Thunder Veins? Where are they now? Who possesses them? Now, Su Ye has recovered—his veins are restored. He’s like a hen that lays golden eggs. If—this is just speculation—if someone extracted his Thunder Veins again, could they not produce more prodigies? And in another three years, might Su Ye not recover his veins once more? An endless source of Thunder Veins…”

Jiang Liuying gasped, covering her mouth in shock at the implication, unable to continue imagining.

Everyone present fixed their gaze on Yan Tian, silent and contemplative.

He lowered his voice. “Of course, I don’t believe the Martial Alliance would resort to such cruelty, but we cannot be too cautious. In any case, don’t worry—Su Ye must still be alive. Master Jiang, Liuying, you have my word: the Jiang family’s affairs are my affairs. I will do everything in my power… it’s just a pity.”

The others, their nerves far from soothed, picked up on his sigh. Someone asked, “What is it? What’s the pity?”

“The Yan family’s strength is well known to you. In Jiang City, we’re second to none. I had already reported our situation to the family, hoping they would send reinforcements. With that, we could have turned the tide in one decisive blow…”

He sighed again, shaking his head. “But my grandfather is too old-fashioned. He said, ‘Why should the Yan family expend so much strength for the sake of the Jiang family, to whom we are unrelated?’ He even teased me, saying I spend so much time here I might as well be your live-in son-in-law. Ah—what a pity. My own strength is not enough…”

The faces around him grew suddenly peculiar.

Jiang Ziyang also looked at Yan Tian with a trace of curiosity. Perhaps Yan Tian spoke without thinking, but Jiang Ziyang, as master of the house and a man seasoned by countless storms, naturally weighed the safety of the family above all.

He suddenly looked up and asked, “Yan Tian, what do you think of our Liuying?”