239: When are you getting married?

Beijing, Western Suburbs.

The Sima Family Manor.

The manor was still brightly lit in the early morning.

Inside the main hall.

Sima Li sat upright in the rosewood armchair at the head of the room, playing with a pair of well-worn walnuts in his hand, resting with his eyes closed.

He was about sixty years old, with a lean face and narrow eyes, exuding an air of natural authority without even being angry.

As the current head of the Sima Family, having controlled this massive family for decades, he had long since cultivated an unfathomable aura.

Tap, tap, tap...

A series of hurried footsteps came from the corridor outside the hall.

Sima Li slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the door with a calm gaze.

Soon.

Sima Nong's figure appeared at the doorway, his face pale, with an irrepressible look of panic between his brows.

More importantly—

He was empty-handed.

He hadn't brought back the fragment of the xuanyin silk scroll, nor had he brought back any useful information.

Sima Li frowned slightly: "Where is the item?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that instantly filled the entire main hall.

A flash of shame crossed Sima Nong's face as he bowed to Sima Li.

"Patriarch... this subordinate... failed in his duty."

Sima Li didn't speak, just watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Sima Nong took a deep breath, not daring to hide anything, and recounted everything that had happened tonight at Tianque Pavilion in its entirety, without missing a single word.

From Ye Chen and Chu Niubi joining forces to win the silk scroll at auction.

To his own appearance, offering a thirty-billion-yuan penalty plus negotiation terms.

To Ye Chen's firm refusal and the outbreak of conflict between the two sides.

How Sima Wei's attack was crushed with two fingers by Ye Chen, leading to his heavy defeat.

And finally, how he was forced to leave in disgrace after making empty threats... Sima Nong described the entire process in great detail, breaking into a cold sweat as he spoke.

Several core disciples and managers of the Sima Family standing by the side held their breath, their faces filled with shock.

Crushing the full-force strike of an Earth Realm middle-stage expert with two fingers?

Facing the Sima Family's threats, he didn't back down but became even more stubborn?

This Ye Chen... what kind of monster is he?

After listening, Sima Li's face remained expressionless, but a faint light flickered in his narrow eyes.

He gently placed the walnuts on the tea table.

"So..."

"Not only did you fail to retrieve the item and fail to uncover the secret, but you also cost our Sima Family an Earth Realm middle-stage guard commander, and were further humiliated in front of everyone by a young man in his early twenties..."

He paused, his tone still calm, yet it made cold sweat instantly break out on Sima Nong's back.

"You threw out a few empty threats and then came back with your tail between your legs?"

Sima Nong panicked, kneeling on the ground with his forehead touching the floor.

"Patriarch, please forgive me!"

"It was my incompetence!"

"I underestimated Ye Chen's strength and audacity!"

"But... but that kid is simply too arrogant! He has no respect for our Sima Family at all!"

He looked up, his face full of resentment and humiliation.

"Patriarch! If this boy is not eliminated, where will our Sima Family's face be?"

"If he dares to insult us like this today, there's no telling what he might do in the future!"

"That silk scroll is of great importance; it must not fall into the hands of an outsider!"

"I implore the Patriarch to immediately mobilize the family's forces and go to Yanjing... no, to Xiamen City where Ye Chen is!"

A fierce light flickered in Sima Nong's eyes.

"Capture him! Reclaim the silk scroll! Torture all the secrets out of him!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see Ye Chen kneeling before the Sima Family begging for mercy.

"As long as the Patriarch gives the order, I am willing to lead the team personally to redeem myself!"

Sima Li didn't respond immediately, but picked up the pair of walnuts again, slowly rotating them in his palm.

A few seconds later.

He finally spoke slowly.

"Do you think..."

"A young man in his early twenties, unknown to the world, yet able to easily crush an Earth Realm expert and suspected to be in the Heaven Realm, would have a simple background?"

Sima Nong was stunned and said subconsciously: "Patriarch, you mean... he has someone behind him?"

Sima Li let out a soft snort from his nose.

"An obscure driver who, within a month, has challenged the Azure Dragon Society and the Hidden Sect, flattened the Wang Family, captured the Dark Crow leader, and now even Sima Wei has been defeated..."

"Such a speed of rise and such terrifying strength—unless he took a shortcut through demonic paths, he must have stumbled upon a massive opportunity or been taken in by an extraordinary master."

He paused, his gaze piercing Sima Nong like an ice pick.

"Which one do you think he is?"

Sima Nong's eyes flickered uncertainly.

"The... the techniques he practices are upright and grand, not like evil arts; instead, they have a bit of Shaolin's righteous aura."

"Could he be a successor secretly trained by some old monster from Shaolin who hasn't left seclusion?"

Sima Li shook his head.

"Shaolin? Those baldies value lineage and heritage above all else. If such a disciple were to emerge, they would have long since announced it to the world with drums and gongs to boost the prestige of the Buddhist sect."

"Why would they let him stir up trouble outside under the name 'Ye Chen'?"

"Then..." Sima Nong became even more confused.

"Playing mysterious usually means there's something to hide."

Sima Li narrowed his eyes.

"Such a young Heaven Realm expert, with such strange True Qi..."

"Among the righteous paths, which sect or faction would have such means and yet be willing to hide their head and show their tail like this?"

Sima Nong's whole body shook, and a light suddenly burst from his eyes: "Patriarch, you mean... he's from the demonic path? That he used some forbidden method we don't know about to force his cultivation level up?"

"In all likelihood."

Sima Li said faintly.

"And when dealing with such a person, a frontal conflict, even if won, would inevitably lead to losses and give people something to talk about."

Sima Nong hurriedly bowed: "This old servant is dull, please enlighten me, Patriarch!"

Sima Li turned around, his gaze becoming deep once again.

"Spread the word about tonight's events through our channels, especially the parts about Ye Chen's suspected practice of evil arts and his bizarre growth in strength."

"Emphasize his overbearing behavior, his disregard for rules, and how his evil techniques might threaten secular stability."

"Especially 'remind' our old friends in the Dragon Group and the 749 Bureau to pay attention to this 'genius' who suddenly appeared."

He paused, his tone turning cold.

"Then, you personally select a team of elites to go to Xiamen City in the name of 'investigating suspected evil cultivators and maintaining secular peace.'"

"Remember, it's an investigation, not a capture."

"Go with great fanfare, with a legitimate reason, occupying the moral high ground."

"At that time, whether the investigation reveals problems that require containment, or if evidence of evil cultivation is found that requires eradication..."

"Will be for us to decide."

Sima Nong suddenly understood, a look of mixed admiration and ruthlessness appearing on his face as he gave a deep bow.

"This old servant understands!"

"The Patriarch's plan is brilliant!"

"In this way, we not only have reason on our side, but we can also force him to submit, or even... kill with a borrowed knife!"

Sima Li waved his hand.

"Go and do it."

"Remember, the news must be spread cleverly, and the manpower must be selected carefully."

"This time, I want that silk scroll, and I want all the secrets Ye Chen possesses."

"Yes!" Sima Nong accepted the order solemnly and turned to leave quickly, a cold glint in his eyes.

Silence returned to the hall.

Sima Li picked up the walnuts and continued to rotate them slowly.

"Ye Chen..."

"Whether you are a true prodigy or a fake demon, if you dare to touch my Sima Family's things and break the rules..."

"You must be prepared to pay the price."

...When the plane landed at Xiamen City Airport, it was already afternoon.

As soon as Chu Niubi got off the plane, he noisily started making phone calls, arranging for a place to stay in Xiamen City.

Ye Chen didn't want to listen to his bragging and sent him away.

As for Bai Wanqing?

She went back to The Group.

After all.

Such a large group couldn't go for several days without someone in charge.

Ye Chen returned to Dijing Garden alone, used facial recognition, and opened the door.

The living room was unusually quiet, with only the sound of a news anchor's clear voice coming from the television.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back."

A-Chen shouted toward the inside while changing his shoes.

The sound of clattering pots and pans immediately came from the direction of the kitchen.

Immediately after, Zhuang Yufen, wearing an apron and still holding a spatula, came running out in a hurry.

"A-Chen! You're back!"

Zhuang Yufen's face was full of joy as she looked her son up and down.

"You said you were going to Yanjing to handle some business, and you've been gone for several days without even calling home. My heart has been in my throat!"

Ye Huasheng also stood up from the sofa and adjusted his reading glasses: "It's good that you're back. Did things go smoothly in Yanjing?"

"Yeah, it's all settled."

Ye Chen smiled and walked over to put his arm around his mother's shoulder. "Mom, aren't I perfectly fine? Your son is very capable, what could happen?"

"No matter how capable you are, you're still my son!"

Zhuang Yufen wiped the corner of her eye.

Ye Chen chuckled and asked, "By the way, Bing Lan and Li Qin haven't come back yet?"

Ye Huasheng nodded.

"Little Lan and Qin Qin went to The Group early this morning. They'll probably be back in the evening."

Ye Chen understood.

Bing Lan was the CEO of Shuyue Group, and Li Qin was the assistant; they definitely couldn't be absent.

"Alright, then I'll go to The Group to find them and come back together."

As Ye Chen spoke, he turned to head out.

"Hey! Wait!"

Zhuang Yufen grabbed his arm with considerable force.

Ye Chen was startled: "Mom, what's wrong?"

Zhuang Yufen hesitated for a moment and asked, "Tell me, when do you and Little Lan... actually plan to get married?!"