Chapter 113: A Business Deal

“Cough, I’m reminding you both to give red envelopes! I finally managed to marry off successfully before my coming-of-age ceremony, and you don’t show the slightest sign of celebration. Aren’t you ashamed?” Yu Youwei rolled her eyes, but a trace of reluctance flickered in her gaze. His infatuation and unwillingness were like rippling waves, repeatedly striking the defenses around her heart.

“You haven’t come of age yet? I think you’re some old monster who’s become sentient,” Ye Wuying said irritably, but then saw his mother and Yu Youwei laughing heartily together, making him feel inexplicably bewildered. Eventually, he took out a pair of jade pendants and reluctantly handed them to Yu Youwei, saying, “If you ever feel uncomfortable or get bullied in the Ning family, make sure to tell me.”

“Silly son, do you really think this girl is someone who’d be bullied?” Ye Yincheng said, unwilling for her son to constantly worry about Yu Youwei, even though she genuinely cared for her adopted sister.

“See, this is the difference between kinship and others! A son is the flesh of the heart; even a little grievance is unbearable,” Yu Youwei pouted, feigning grievance.

Although she knew she was pretending, Ye Wuying couldn’t help but feel heartache. It was as if his heart no longer beat for himself alone, but was linked to her breath. “For you, I’m not afraid of grievance,” he said impulsively.

Ye Yincheng quietly walked away, no longer trying to persuade her son to end this hopeless affection.

Unaware of her adopted sister's departure, the simple yet heartfelt words of Ye Wuying echoed in her ears. The intoxicating aura surged with his breath. She could neither escape nor deny it; at that moment, her heart truly stirred, feeling an overwhelming urge to accept his passionate devotion without reservation. Yet, memories from her past life flooded her mind, and she withdrew.

“Elder Shui of the Xianchen Sect isn’t a match for Yuan Jiuzhou. I don’t even know if he can escape,” Yu Youwei said casually, changing the subject.

A gust of wind swept through the bushes, lifting her skirt as if she might be carried away by the breeze at any moment. Suppressing the urge to grab her, Ye Wuying lowered his eyes and said calmly, “When Elder Shui of the Xianchen Sect faces Yuan Jiuzhou, severe injury is inevitable, but escaping death is not difficult.”

Raising an eyebrow, Yu Youwei adopted a businesslike tone. “How about doing some business with your Thousand Poisons Palace?”

“Just tell me what you want me to do,” Ye Wuying replied helplessly. Why wouldn’t this woman lower her pride and let a man protect her? He never sought credit or required anything from her—he simply wanted to do anything for her. Why couldn’t she understand?

“Friendship is friendship, business is business. Besides, you still call me ‘aunt’,” Yu Youwei said with a mischievous smile.

Ye Wuying was speechless. One misstep could become a lifelong regret. He should have died rather than agree to be called ‘aunt.’

“I’ll take you to where the poisonous crocodiles are. You help me send some of the Yu family members to Yunhuang Marsh,” Yu Youwei proposed. The situation was complicated, and it was too dangerous for all the survivors to return home. She thought it necessary to hide some in Yunhuang Marsh. There, natural formations and protective arrays created a secluded space, secretly serving as the Yu family’s base. If the Little White Bear and the Red Cloud Deer King were informed, it would be the safest place.

Ye Wuying’s gaze darkened. “You don’t know how dangerous it is where you got those poisonous crocodiles in Yunhuang Marsh?”

“Risk and opportunity coexist. Unlike you privileged ones born into extravagance and luxury, I naturally seek fortune amidst danger,” Yu Youwei deliberately twisted his good intentions and retorted, “Stop beating around the bush. If you think this business is trivial, just say so.”

“I’m not extravagant or luxurious,” Ye Wuying said.

Looking him over with a sly tone, Yu Youwei said, “When we first met, you threw money around in that Golden Ruin at the Green Jade Pavilion, didn’t you? Let me think... back then, Mr. Ye Wuying was competing with someone for—”

“We agreed not to mention that,” Ye Wuying quickly interrupted. How he regretted it! To welcome Lu Haofeng and a few old friends, he had gone to the Green Jade Pavilion. When Lu Haofeng clashed with someone, he stood firm, spending lavishly so Lu Haofeng could win the beauty, yet in Yu Youwei’s eyes, he was branded a playboy.

“‘Aunt,’ will you take this business or not? Give me a definite answer; I’m in a hurry,” Ye Wuying said weakly, then felt a bit odd about it.

Having no time to care about his thoughts, Yu Youwei slipped past him and went inside.

Beneath the wooden house was a hidden realm. After recognizing his mother, Ye Wuying had hired skilled craftsmen to dig a tunnel from a manor thirty miles away directly into the mountain’s heart. The mountain’s interior was hollowed out, forming a three-story underground palace filled with numerous perilous traps and secret passages. This was both to provide comfort for his mother and as a precaution for emergencies.

When Ye Wuying learned of the Yu family’s plight, he led a rescue but deliberately caused trouble to drive people away. The only one who knew the truth was Mu Yuyan. She took the opportunity to lead the Yu family members to the Mu family estate. Entering through the wooden house atop the mountain led to the upper level of the underground palace, designed as a “five stars holding the moon” layout. The central hall was surrounded by five rooms across two underground floors with a passage leading outside. Neither the Yu family nor Mu Yuyan fully understood this hidden structure.

The Yu family only knew that Mu Yuyan called Ye Yincheng “grandmother,” unaware that this elderly lady veiled in black was actually the Poison Rakshasa. The top floor of the underground palace was built using aged materials to resemble an ancient cultivator’s dwelling. No one suspected the deeper secrets below.

Ye Yincheng occupied a room leading to the underground passage. The wounded, elderly, and children were placed in four other rooms. The remaining men and women mixed together in the central hall, with elders sitting on chairs and the younger generation cross-legged on the floor. The ventilation was good, and the air was not stale, but the atmosphere was oppressive and tense, though calmness was maintained.

Yu Youwei appeared at the door. Mu Yuyan was the first to see her, leapt up excitedly, and embraced her with tears and cries. “Wuwu, Sister Wei, you’ve finally come! I knew you would!”

The Yu family members looked at the two sisters with complex expressions. They all fully trusted Mu Yuyan, who had never abandoned them and led them to safety, but many suspected Yu Youwei had come only for a spectacle.

“All right, stop crying. I’ll explain the situation outside,” Yu Youwei said bluntly, without pleasantries.

The Yu family’s eyes brightened simultaneously. The matriarch quickly stood up and said, “Youwei, wait a moment. I’ll go fetch your grandmother!”

Almost at the same time, several others jumped up to help three clan elders out of the room.

Everyone inside poured out, nearly a hundred people crowding into the small hall.

Thinking about how these were the only survivors left of the entire Yu family in Dongling, Yu Youwei felt her heart grow heavy.

Suddenly, Mu Yuyan anxiously asked, “Any news of Sister Feiyan? On the day of the incident, her people arrived, and I asked them to help send away more than a dozen children.” Seeing Yu Youwei shake her head, most of the women in the hall burst into tears.