85: Zhao Yi came to the door and kicked him!

Ye Chen left the rooftop, descended to the top floor, and took the elevator down to the underground parking lot.

Then.

He got into the Cullinan and drove out of the residential compound.

In the rearview mirror, the figure persistently looking out from beneath the tree grew smaller and smaller, finally disappearing around the street corner.

Before long, the car drove into the Number One Courtyard and stopped in front of Bing Lan's villa.

Ye Chen turned off the engine and got out. The facial recognition system quietly activated, and the gate slid open inward in response.

When he stepped into the living room, the aroma of food wafted over him.

He was slightly taken aback.

He saw several dishes already meticulously arranged on the long table in the spacious dining room.

Steamed Spotted Grouper.

Emerald Shrimp.

Slow-simmered chicken soup.

And several fresh seasonal vegetables.

“Younger Male Cousin! You finally made it!”

Li Qin skipped out of the kitchen, holding a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs, her face beaming with excitement.

“You're in for a treat today!”

“I tell you, Sister Bing Lan rarely cooks herself!”

“I begged her for ages and she never agreed, but thanks to your ‘great achievements,’ I finally get to benefit!”

Ye Chen rubbed his nose: “Sister Qin, you jest. This is just what I should do... After all, I am her driver.”

“Driver?”

Li Qin put down the plate, leaned closer, and lowered her voice, “Just a driver? Which driver gets to see an ‘exclusive’... Succubus COS outfit?”

Ye Chen: “...”

Good heavens!

So Li Qin knew about it too?

But thinking about it... she lived here, how could she not know?

Just then, Bing Lan walked out of the kitchen.

Seeing Ye Chen, she nodded slightly: “You're here.”

Ye Chen nodded, his gaze falling on her face.

She seemed to have just washed her face; the stray hairs on her forehead were slightly damp, her eyelashes were lowered, and a faint blush remained on her earlobes.

Hmm?

Could it be... she was shy?

Ye Chen's expression turned strange.

“Let's eat then.”

Bing Lan had already regained her composure, placing a bottle of decanted red wine near the table.

Ye Chen didn't speak or expose her, the slight heat in his heart quietly covered by a softer emotion.

As the three of them sat down, Bing Lan was about to serve Ye Chen a dish... “Ding dong—!”

The sudden ring of the doorbell broke the cozy atmosphere that had just gathered in the dining room.

Bing Lan paused, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

She rarely had visitors, especially at this time.

Li Qin also put down her chopsticks: “Who is it... at this hour? The property management?”

Ye Chen glanced toward the main entrance, a silent golden flash sweeping across his eyes.

The power of the Inheritance circulated, and the Clairvoyance Technique was quietly deployed.

The scene outside the door appeared in his mind... A handsome young man in a custom-made suit stood in front, followed by four Bodyguards in black, all robust and radiating suppressed energy.

Clearly, they were not ordinary people.

“A young man, twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with four martial arts Bodyguards,” Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and said flatly, “They mean trouble.”

“Ah?”

Li Qin's eyes widened, forgetting to put down her chopsticks. “Younger Male Cousin, you... you can tell that? Do you really have X-ray vision?!”

As she spoke, she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, two patches of red instantly flying onto her small face. “I... I usually don't wear a bra at home, you haven't seen everything already, have you?!”

Ye Chen's face darkened, and he snapped.

“What are you thinking?”

“I judged that based on their footsteps, aura, and the shadows outside the door! Where did I get X-ray vision?”

“Besides, is now the time to worry about that?”

He cleared his throat, stood up, and walked toward the door, “I'll go check.”

“I'll go with you.”

Bing Lan put down her red wine glass and stood up to follow.

Li Qin naturally didn't want to be left behind and quickly joined them.

The three walked into the courtyard. Bing Lan looked through the smart access control screen... Indeed!

The situation outside the door was exactly as Ye Chen had described.

She took a deep breath and pressed the open button.

The gate slowly slid open to both sides.

Under the light, the suited young man smiled, his gaze first landing on Bing Lan's face.

“Miss Bing Lan, please forgive my abrupt intrusion.”

“Allow me to introduce myself—”

“My name is Zhao Yi.”

“Zhao Yi of the Zhao Family?”

Bing Lan's delicate brows furrowed, and her eyes instantly turned cold.

The legendary Young Master of the Azure Dragon Society's Zhao Family... actually showed up in person?

“That's right, it's me,” Zhao Yi's smile didn't change, “And I am the man whom Grandpa personally named to marry you.”

As soon as he said this, Li Qin exploded on the spot.

She stepped in front of Bing Lan, hands on her hips, her small face flushed with anger.

“Pah! So you're this shameless bastard!”

“When forced marriage failed, you resorted to kidnapping. You've been hammered online and are a rat crossing the street, yet you still have the nerve to show up here?!”

Zhao Yi didn't even look at her.

He kept staring intently at Bing Lan.

“Miss Bing Lan, I came here to give you a chance.”

“A chance?”

Bing Lan suddenly smiled, “What kind of chance? The chance to kneel and marry into your Zhao Family?”

Zhao Yi shook his head and held up three fingers.

“First, fire this ignorant driver beside you.”

“Second, publicly clarify that the video that completely disgraced my Zhao Family online was purely fabricated and maliciously edited.”

“Third...”

He paused, his gaze turning sharp.

“Come back to the Provincial City with me obediently and get married.”

“Otherwise—”

“Your Shuyue Group will officially be declaring war... on my Azure Dragon Society's Zhao Family.”

Arrogant!

Utterly arrogant!

Showing up to force a marriage, bringing four Bodyguards, and threatening them face-to-face... absolutely unrestrained!!!

Li Qin's chest heaved with rage. Just as she was about to curse him—

Bing Lan stepped half a pace forward and gently pulled her behind her.

Then.

Her cold eyes met Zhao Yi's gaze, without the slightest hint of retreat.

“Young Master Zhao, Shuyue Group has never feared any threat.”

“And my, Bing Lan's, marriage is not for anyone else to dictate.”

The smile on Zhao Yi's face finally slowly vanished.

He chuckled softly, pointing at Ye Chen.

“Heh...”

“He is your confidence?”

Bing Lan didn't hesitate: “Yes.”

Zhao Yi's laughter stopped abruptly.

“Good, very good.”

“It seems I have no choice but to start a massacre now that I've stepped into Xiamen City.”

“Everyone who obstructs me... must die!”

However.

Just as his voice faded... “Wait a minute.”

Ye Chen suddenly spoke.

Zhao Yi frowned: “What?”

Ye Chen didn't answer, he just walked toward him.

One step, two steps... Then, under everyone's bewildered gaze, he suddenly raised his leg and kicked out without warning!

Quick as lightning!

Zhao Yi's expression drastically changed. In haste, he only managed to cross his arms in front of his chest... “Bang!”

A muffled sound erupted, and a massive force surged forward!

Zhao Yi was uncontrollably sent flying backward!

“Young Master!”

The four Bodyguards' expressions changed drastically. Two of them darted forward like arrows, barely catching him.

Despite this, the three of them still stumbled back several steps before managing to steady themselves.

Zhao Yi lowered his numb and trembling arms, his face so gloomy it looked like water might drip from it.

He, the Young Master of the Zhao Family, had received the most rigorous training since childhood, guided by famous teachers, and supported by various resources. He considered his fighting skills to be outstanding among his peers.

Yet just now... he couldn't even dodge Ye Chen's single kick, and his block was so pathetic?

Ghost Old Man said Ye Chen was strong, stronger than him.

But he hadn't expected him to be this strong!?

“You... dare to strike me?” His face turned livid.

Ye Chen retracted his leg, looking surprised.

“What's wrong with hitting you?”

“You're trying to kill me. Should I hand you a knife and ask if you prefer cutting off my left leg or my right leg?”

“Are you sick?”

Zhao Yi's chest heaved violently. He laughed out of sheer fury.

“Good! Good! Good!”

“You even dare to call me sick?”

“Ye, you are deliberately courting death, and I shall grant it to you!”

He violently waved his hand and shouted sharply toward the shadows outside the villa.

“Seven Freaks of Jiangnan!”

“Get out here, now!!!”

As his voice fell, the shadows around the courtyard seemed to come alive.

Seven figures, like ghosts, silently appeared at the border between light and darkness.

They slowly walked forward and lined up behind Zhao Yi.

The light illuminated their faces.

A blind man, thin as firewood with sunken eyes, held a bamboo cane for guidance.

A short, stout man with a noticeably shorter left leg, walking with a limp.

A lunatic with disheveled hair, playing with copper coins, a faint, eerie light flickering in his eyes.

A butcher, fat as a meatball, carrying a pig-slaughtering knife, his face covered in a grotesque smile.

A shriveled old woman with black nails on her ten fingers, cradling a black cat, looking like a female ghost.

A pale, cold man holding a scalpel, emitting a chilling aura.

And the last person... Ye Chen slightly narrowed his eyes.

It was none other than the Ghost Old Man, who had his sword broken by Ye Chen and fled in embarrassment just that morning!

Seven people, seven distinct and bizarre temperaments.

Standing there, the surrounding air seemed to become a few degrees thicker and colder.

Li Qin subconsciously shrank closer to Bing Lan and whispered, “Sister Bing Lan, they look so weird and scary...”

“Weird? Heh heh...”

Zhao Yi sneered.

“They are the Enshrined Experts whom my Zhao Family has supported for years!”

“The name 'Seven Freaks of Jiangnan' is enough to stop a child's crying in the Ancient Martial Arts Circle!”

He pointed at Ye Chen, his voice suddenly turning fierce.

“Kid, I'll give you one last chance.”

“Kneel and beg for mercy. At most, I'll just let them cripple you and spare your dog life.”

“Otherwise...”

“With the Seven Freaks acting, you will surely die!”