Ye Ming casually reached out and grabbed Ye Chuan Hong Yi by the collar, lifting him up. A hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes, and his tone was chillingly cold.
Ye Chuan Hong Yi's earlier actions, to put it mildly, were brainless. To put it bluntly, he was simply an idiot.
Ye Ming did not believe that Ye Chuan Hong Yi, a core member of the Ye Chuan family, would be foolish enough to this extent.
Therefore, he had asked the question, "Who sent you here?"
"Ah! Damn... damn it! How dare you treat me like this, I am the head steward of the Ye Chuan family!"
Being held like this, an unprecedented sense of humiliation instantly flooded Ye Chuan Hong Yi's heart. Coupled with the sharp pain from his already damaged internal organs, it drove him mad.
However, it was unclear whether the expression Ye Chuan Hong Yi showed at this moment was deliberately feigned or if he truly felt humiliated.
Or perhaps both.
He glared at Ye Ming with bloodshot eyes, spewing venom, and roared, "Ye Ming! Don't think defeating Gu Taiyi is such a great feat. In Dongdao Nation, my Ye Chuan family can crush you with ease. If you know what's good for you, release me quickly, otherwise... ah!"
Before Ye Chuan Hong Yi could finish his words, Ye Ming let out a cold laugh and, still gripping his collar, slammed him violently against the solid ground.
*Bang!*
"Ah!"
This time, Ye Ming was genuinely angered. As Ye Chuan Hong Yi made forceful contact with the ground, the sound of breaking bones was particularly piercing. His shoulders and arms contorted into unnatural shapes.
The previously smooth ground was carved into a pit nearly half a meter deep by the impact of Ye Chuan Hong Yi's body. Countless stone fragments shot out, filling the air and creating an atmosphere of chilling menace.
Fortunately, Ye Chuan Hong Yi himself was an A-class ninja cultivator, with decent physical resilience. Otherwise, taking this blow might have sent him straight to the underworld.
However, even though he wasn't dead at this moment, he was far from alright.
His entire face was obscured by crimson liquid, and his bones were likely broken in dozens of places. Without some extraordinary fortune, it would be difficult for him to fully recover in the future.
Kimura Ken'o, standing nearby, trembled uncontrollably as he witnessed such a brutal scene.
Previously, Ye Ming had always presented himself as a gentle and refined individual. Now, he seemed like a completely different person, sending shivers down one's spine.
Compared to Kimura Ken'o, Nangong Qianyu remained much calmer. After all, she had witnessed Ye Ming perform far more terrifying feats than this.
Ye Ming looked down at the coughing, spitting blood Ye Chuan Hong Yi, his tone utterly indifferent, "You seemed certain I wouldn't dare to harm you. What are your thoughts now?"
Yes!
Through Ye Chuan Hong Yi's earlier behavior, he seemed to possess a strange confidence, believing Ye Ming wouldn't lay a hand on him.
But what was happening now seemed to deviate from his expectations.
"No! No... it shouldn't be like this! You..."
At this moment, Ye Chuan Hong Yi finally felt fear.
Sensing the killing intent in the young man's eyes, he realized that the person before him might actually kill him.
This wasn't what he had been told!
Even if he provoked the other party, they shouldn't have attacked directly. He represented the entire Ye Chuan family; the other party should have some reservations.
Why did this happen?
No matter how Ye Chuan Hong Yi thought about it, he couldn't understand.
"I'll give you one last chance. Tell me, who sent you to deliberately provoke me." Ye Ming raised his hand, a strand of black energy coiling around his fingertip. "Believe me, this is absolutely your last chance!"
Ye Ming harbored no mercy for those who dared to plot against him in the shadows.
This applied to Ye Chuan Hong Yi, and even his subordinates.
"You... you really dare to kill me!"
Looking at the energy gathering at his fingertip, Ye Chuan Hong Yi felt a palpable aura of death wash over him. This time, he truly might die.
"Three!"
Ye Ming offered no reply, silently beginning his countdown.
"Two!"
"No! I... I'll talk! Stop, hurry, stop!" Ye Chuan Hong Yi's pupils widened in terror at the countdown to death, and he shouted frantically, "I'll tell you everything, no... don't kill me!"
Ye Chuan Hong Yi had never imagined that he would one day be so close to death. Faced with death, everything else seemed so pale and powerless.
"Speak!"
Ye Ming looked at the black energy on his fingertip, a sinister smile curving his lips.
However, only Nangong Qianyu, who was closest to him, noticed this smile.
"Hm?"
Yet, Nangong Qianyu didn't quite understand the reason for this smile.
After all!
This was not a smile Ye Ming would easily reveal. But once it appeared, it meant someone was in for trouble.
And in the current situation, Ye Chuan Hong Yi was incapacitated; the one in trouble definitely wasn't him.
So!
"Who could it be?"
Nangong Qianyu scanned her surroundings, trying to find a clue.
But in reality, she might not need to look.
Because some people would reveal themselves.
"Mr. Ye! The reason I..."
*Whoosh!*
Just as Ye Chuan Hong Yi was about to reveal everything, a streak of red light flashed through the air, carrying an endless killing intent, and shot directly towards Ye Chuan Hong Yi's brow.
Within that red light was a tiny dagger.
This was an attempt to... silence him.
But unfortunately, when the blood-red dagger was still one centimeter away from Ye Chuan Hong Yi's brow, it was suddenly stopped in mid-air by a mysterious force, unable to move an inch further.
"Trying to kill someone in front of me, do you think too little of me?"
Ye Ming extended his hand, catching the dagger suspended in the air between his fingers, and looked at it with amusement.
Upon closer inspection, Ye Ming noticed that two traditional Chinese characters were inscribed on the dagger's hilt.
"Ying Liu!"
Ye Ming recognized the two characters.
However, he had never heard of any faction in China called Ying Liu.
"Mr. Ye indeed possesses some skill, managing to block my Blood Sting!"
At this moment, a seemingly distant voice echoed from the air.
Clearly, the speaker was not in the restaurant.
This could be inferred from the small holes the blood-red dagger had left on the wall.
Ye Ming naturally did not recognize this voice. However, to others, it might be familiar.
"It's you! Damn it! You... you're trying to silence me!" Ye Chuan Hong Yi roared in fury.
It seemed!
The truth was now obvious.
"Alas! To be honest, Mr. Ye's performance has left me somewhat disappointed!"
The owner of the mysterious voice paid no attention to Ye Chuan Hong Yi's anger, speaking with a hint of regret, "If only you had directly killed that useless Ye Chuan Hong Yi, that would have been much better!"
"You... *cough*!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Chuan Hong Yi was so enraged that he spat up blood, wishing he could tear the hidden individual to shreds.
Now, Ye Chuan Hong Yi finally understood. The other party had sent him to provoke Ye Ming precisely to send him to his death.
Everything they had said before was a lie.
"Alright! Since I couldn't kill him, so be it!" the mysterious voice echoed again. "Mr. Ye, we will meet again!"
The other party seemed to be preparing to leave.
But was this thinking things too simply?
"Trying to leave?"
Ye Ming looked at the dagger in his hand, the sinister smile reappearing on his lips:
"You're probably thinking too much!"
The next second, the blood-red dagger flew back along the route it came, through the small hole in the wall.
A moment later.
"Ah!"
A scream echoed through the air once more.