Chapter Four: Times Change and People Alter

After watching the three depart by car, the bald-headed group finally came to their senses from the earlier shock.

“Boss, you’re really just letting them go like that?”

The underlings helped the bald man to his feet, hesitating over whether to give chase.

“Nonsense! If we didn’t let them go, do you think you could’ve beaten that guy?”

The bald man clutched his swollen, bruised cheek, overwhelmed with terror. This was the first time he’d been beaten so badly. What was worse, the man had been holding the Dragon King’s Token!

“Let’s go! We have to hurry back!”

The bald man realized the gravity of the situation. They had to report the matter of the Dragon King’s Token to the Black Dragon boss immediately. Its reappearance was sure to shake the entire underworld.

…

“Hero, you’re incredible!”

Inside the car, Hua Guodong gripped the steering wheel with one hand and gave Ye Feng a thumbs-up with the other.

To intimidate Black Dragon’s men with a single punch was no small feat. Had this not been their first meeting, and them still strangers, Hua Guodong might have been tempted to become his disciple on the spot.

“Mr. Ye, thank you so much for your help this time!” Zhao Wanting felt deeply grateful. Without the fortunate encounter with Ye Feng, they would have lost both their goods and money.

Ye Feng took their thanks lightly, but one thing piqued his curiosity.

“What exactly were they after?”

Zhao Wanting pulled a jade Buddha statue from her backpack.

“This jade Buddha,” she said. “A week ago, I spotted it at an auction and wanted to bid on it as a birthday gift for my grandfather. But I wasn’t familiar with the underworld boss, Black Dragon.”

“A few days ago, Black Dragon suddenly contacted me, saying he’d sell it at the original price—but the transaction had to take place on his turf.”

“I didn’t feel safe going alone, so I invited Young Master Hua along. But we never expected to be tricked by Black Dragon.”

Hua Guodong slammed his fist on the steering wheel in anger. “That Black Dragon is lawless! If I’d known earlier, I’d have brought some men from my father’s side. If this had happened in Yanjing city, he wouldn’t have dared to be so brazen!”

Ye Feng glanced at the jade Buddha and found that although the jade was fine, the statue seemed cursed—concealing hidden dangers.

“This jade Buddha is a wicked object,” Ye Feng warned kindly. “It’s best to get rid of it to avoid harm to yourself or others.”

…

“What? Wicked object?”

The two exchanged incredulous looks.

“At the auction, they said it had been blessed by a high monk!” Zhao Wanting added with a smile.

Seeing their disbelief, Ye Feng fell silent. They thought he was joking—after all, he was skilled in combat but surely knew nothing about jade.

Little did they know, Ye Feng’s thirty-third master in prison was an expert in antiques and jade, sentenced to life for tomb robbing and smuggling national treasures. From him, Ye Feng had learned to discern authenticity with a sharp eye.

The oddities in this jade Buddha were obvious to Ye Feng at a glance.

“In any case, we owe you a great debt for your help, Mr. Ye,” Zhao Wanting said with a smile. “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me,” Ye Feng said. He hadn’t planned to help; those people forced him to get involved.

“But my help isn’t free,” he added calmly. “I intervened twice just now, so there’ll be a fee!”

There was a sudden silence in the car.

Hua Guodong and Zhao Wanting exchanged glances, surprised at Ye Feng’s straightforwardness.

“Haha, you’re a man of your word, hero,” Hua Guofeng chuckled.

“Yes, Mr. Ye is right. We can’t let you help for free,” Zhao Wanting said, asking, “How much do you want?”

Money was no concern for their families.

Ye Feng thought for a moment. Being new and penniless, he named a figure offhand.

“Two million, then.”

Without hesitation, Zhao Wanting pulled a bank card from her bag.

“There’s one million on this card. I’ll give you the rest next time we meet.”

Curious about Ye Feng’s extraordinary skills and mysterious aura, Zhao Wanting saw this as an opportunity to get to know him better.

The million on the card had originally been set aside in case Black Dragon raised the price unexpectedly. Given the situation, offering it now made sense.

Of course, she didn’t pay it all at once to ensure there would be a next meeting.

Soon after, Hua Guodong drove to the Yulong Villa district in Yanjing.

“Hero, do you live here?” Hua Guodong asked as he stopped the car.

Ye Feng looked out the window at the familiar scenery.

Five years had passed; everything had changed.

This had once been his home.

…

But now, it no longer was.

Watching Ye Feng’s departing figure, Zhao Wanting suddenly recalled a news report.

“Ah—I remember now!”

She hurriedly pulled out her phone and found a headline from that morning:

“Yanjing’s Ye family eldest son Ye Feng released from prison today; family statement: effective immediately, he is expelled from the family and severed from ties.”

“So he’s the Ye family’s eldest son just released from prison,” Zhao Wanting murmured belatedly.

…

At that moment, inside a luxurious villa in Yulong Estate, a dignified middle-aged woman watched a news broadcast with keen interest.

“Good work, Abao and the others!” Xu Ruyun nodded with satisfaction. “They’ll be handsomely rewarded when they return!”

She was Ye Feng’s father’s concubine, Xu Ruyun.

“Heh, my eldest brother sure has a tough life—five years in that place and still alive. But this time, he probably won’t be so lucky!”

Nearby, a teenager stared down at his phone, smiling contentedly—no one would challenge him for the Ye family’s status or wealth anymore.

This was Ye Feng’s half-brother, Ye Ze.

Just then, the TV switched to images of a wrecked vehicle.

The reporter continued: “Seven bodies were found inside the car—all confirmed dead.”

“What?” Xu Ruyun stormed in front of the TV, staring at the victims’ faces. “How is this possible!?”

Those familiar faces, the tragic deaths—they struck her deeply.

She never imagined that those who died were her own people.

“A-Uncle and the others are dead?!” Ye Ze dropped his phone in shock. “What about my eldest brother?!”

—Crash—

At that moment, the front door was violently kicked open.

A gust of wind swept inside.

Outside, the servants tried to block the way but could only plead, “Young Master, please calm down. Let’s wait for the master to return before discussing this…”

“Young Master?!”

Hearing this title, mother and son turned in shock as if struck by lightning.

Seeing Ye Feng appear at the doorstep like a ghost or spirit, they shivered involuntarily.

“It’s you!?” Xu Ruyun’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re still alive?”