95: If you don't get out of here, I'll slap you to death, you shameless bastard!

The Hall Master slowly sat upright, a glint of sinister coldness flashing in his dark brown pupils.

"Ye Chen?"

"Is there such a person in the records of the Eastern Branch?"

Generally speaking.

Powerhouses at the Grandmaster level would be recorded as long as they were active.

"No."

The blonde man shook his head.

"His resume is as clean as a blank sheet of paper; he comes from an ordinary background, as if he appeared out of thin air."

"The only intelligence shows that his medical skills are bizarre and his combat prowess is unfathomable."

"Zhao Tiangang offered a bounty of one billion, the Thirteen Death Zodiacs took it, and then they were gone."

"One person, one minute, slaughtered the Thirteen Death Zodiacs..." The Hall Master chuckled low, but there wasn't a hint of warmth in his laughter. "A Grandmaster? I'm afraid he's more than that... The Eastern region is a land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; it's not surprising for a monster or two to pop up occasionally."

The blonde man's expression flickered. "Then what should we do next?"

"The reputation of Black Prison cannot be ruined by some unknown kid."

The Hall Master narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "The failure of the Thirteen Death Zodiacs cost us more than just manpower; it cost us our credibility. Those old fogies at the top hate the word 'failure' the most."

The blonde man felt a chill in his heart and bowed even lower. "Hall Master, what do you mean?"

The Hall Master gazed at the pitch-black horizon of the sea in the distance, as if he could pierce through the night to see the far-off East.

"Send 'Night Owl'."

The blonde man suddenly looked up, his green eyes filled with shock. "Night Owl? Hall Master, that's... a 'Deacon' rank who has already surpassed the scope of a Grandmaster! Using a Deacon just to kill one Ye Chen? Isn't it too..."

"Too much of a fuss?"

The Hall Master interrupted him.

"Do you think someone who can slaughter the combined forces of the Thirteen Death Zodiacs in under a minute is just an ordinary Grandmaster?"

He paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Night Owl excels in stealth, assassination, disguise, and intelligence analysis. She is perfect for uncovering the background of this 'Mighty Outsider' who suddenly appeared."

"If he's just lucky, Night Owl can easily dispose of him, and while she's at it, clean up the remaining loose ends of the Zhao Family and retrieve that billion-dollar bounty."

"If..."

The cold light in the Hall Master's eyes intensified. "If there is a power behind him that even we don't know about... then it's even more important for Night Owl to confirm and evaluate him, and then either recruit him or completely erase him."

The blonde man took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, suppressing the shock in his heart.

A Deacon-level move was a major action not seen within the organization for many years.

The name Night Owl was legendary even within Black Prison, with a one-hundred-percent mission completion rate and never a single failure. Her strength had long surpassed the ordinary realm of martial arts and was mysterious and unfathomable.

Using her to deal with a young man in his early twenties... the Hall Master was determined to use overwhelming force to completely nip any possible threat or stain in the bud.

"I understand, Hall Master," the blonde man replied in a deep voice. "I will contact Night Owl immediately and convey your instructions."

"Tell her..."

The Hall Master leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. "Make it clean. Don't leave any traces of Black Prison."

"Yes!"

The blonde man turned and left quickly... Early the next morning.

It was as if nothing had happened in the entire Fujian Province.

Only a few well-informed individuals had vaguely heard that the Azure Dragon Society had been uprooted overnight, Zhao Tiangang and his core members had all been caught, and the Provincial Department had set up a special task force to conduct a deep and rigorous investigation.

As for the details, no one dared to ask more, and no one dared to say more.

After Ye Chen got up, he did his usual morning exercise and regulated his breathing.

The warm spiritual energy from the ring nourished his meridians. The slight exhaustion from performing the "Rejuvenation" needle technique and the fierce battle yesterday had already been fully restored.

He took a shower, changed into simple casual clothes, and drove to the Number One Courtyard.

Bing Lan and Li Qin were already waiting at the villa entrance.

Li Qin was still full of energy, chattering about internet gossip as soon as she got into the car.

Bing Lan sat quietly in the passenger seat, occasionally responding.

The car headed toward the Shuyue Group.

While waiting for a red light on the way, Li Qin suddenly leaned toward the front seat, her large eyes blinking.

"Younger Male Cousin, you didn't come home last night, did you?"

"I got up in the middle of the night to drink water and saw that the light in your room wasn't on."

Ye Chen remained unfazed. "I was meditating and practicing on the rooftop."

"Oh—"

Li Qin drew out the sound, her eyes glancing back and forth between Ye Chen and Bing Lan as she chuckled. "Practicing is good; it strengthens the body. I just wonder... what kind of 'practice' were you doing?"

Bing Lan's cheeks warmed slightly, and she gave a light cough. "Qin Qin, sit properly and fasten your seatbelt."

Li Qin stuck out her tongue and sat back obediently, but the smile on her face became increasingly suggestive.

Naturally, the two of them hadn't done anything.

But Li Qin keenly noticed... that since attending a banquet yesterday, the relationship between the two had become particularly subtle!

Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. What was this girl thinking about all day?

The car soon stopped downstairs at the Shuyue Group.

Bing Lan and Li Qin got out, while Ye Chen turned the car around, planning to visit Yi Yue at the Min Family Private Kitchen.

So much had happened yesterday. Although he had told her he was safe over the phone, he still wanted to see her with his own eyes to be at ease.

But the car had barely driven a hundred meters when the phone in his pocket vibrated.

Ye Chen glanced at it; it was an unknown number.

He swiped to answer and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end for two seconds.

Then, a woman's voice, clearly tearful and somewhat raspy, came through.

"Ye Chen... can we... can we talk?"

Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

This voice... he was all too familiar with it.

It was his ex-wife, Hu Jing, who had been divorced for over half a year.

Ye Chen didn't say a word and hung up the call immediately.

Chen Bo was already in prison.

Hu Jing naturally lost her backing.

Now that he was famous, this woman finally remembered to look for him?

Did she think he was a scavenger picking up trash?

Ridiculous.

However, the next moment.

The phone vibrated again; it was the same number.

Ye Chen didn't even look, blocked the number directly, and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.

He had no feelings whatsoever for this ex-wife.

If he had to say there was any use for her... it would probably be to help him offset the side effects of his inheritance.

Just as the car came to a steady stop in front of the "Min Family Private Kitchen," Ye Chen noticed something unusual.

Usually at this time, even if there weren't many customers, there would always be Yi Yue's gentle voice busy with arrangements or Xiao Ya's crisp greetings.

But at this moment, it was excessively quiet inside, even feeling a bit stifling.

He pushed the door open, and the wind chime jingled.

Yi Yue, who was wiping a table behind the counter with a somewhat uneasy expression, looked up at the sound. Seeing it was Ye Chen, she clearly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked over.

She motioned toward a corner of the shop with her eyes. "Ye Chen, Hu Jing is here. She's over there."

Ye Chen followed her gaze.

Sure enough, Hu Jing was sitting at the table furthest against the wall.

Her head was lowered, her shoulders twitching slightly. The teacup in front of her had long since gone cold, untouched.

Compared to the haughty image in his memory, she looked exceptionally haggard now, with swollen eyes and messy hair... Hu Jing also looked over.

Their eyes met.

The next moment, Hu Jing immediately stood up and rushed to Ye Chen, reaching out to grab his arm while crying out loudly.

"Ye Chen! Ye Chen, you're finally here!"

"I... I know I was wrong. I really know I was wrong!"

"It was all my fault before. I was possessed, I was deceived by that bastard Chen Bo! For the sake of our past feelings, give me a chance, let's start over, okay?"

A moment before her fingers could touch his sleeve, Ye Chen stepped half a pace to the side and avoided her effortlessly.

"Get out," he said. "You're not welcome here."

Hu Jing's hand froze in mid-air, the pleading expression on her face hardening.

She didn't seem to expect Ye Chen to be so blunt and unwilling to even listen to a single word.

She bit her lower lip, tears quickly welling up in her eyes as she tried to pull Ye Chen again.

"Ye Chen, don't be like this..."

"I know you're powerful and famous now. I don't ask for your forgiveness; just have some pity on me and help me, okay?"

"Chen Bo is in jail, and all my former friends are avoiding me. I've lost my job too. I'm really at a dead end. For the sake of us having been husband and wife..."

"Husband and wife?" Ye Chen laughed, a very cold laugh.

He didn't want to waste any more words and was tired of this entanglement.

When Hu Jing tried to approach him again, he raised his hand and brushed away her reaching hand.

Hu Jing was already emotionally unstable and unsteady on her feet, so she fell directly to the ground.

She broke down even further, sitting on the ground and looking up at Ye Chen, tears gushing like a broken dam. "Ye Chen! Are you really this heartless? A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace. Do you not care about our past at all?!"

Ye Chen leaned down slightly, looking down at her. There was no ripple of emotion in his eyes, only a bottomless chill.

"Hu Jing, you're mentioning 'heartless' to me?"

"Back when you and Chen Bo committed adultery and set me up, making me impotent for three whole years, playing with me like a clown and watching me be grateful to you both like a fool..."

"Did you think about how to write the word 'heartless' then?"

His voice remained calm, but every word was like a nail dipped in ice, driven hard into Hu Jing's heart.

So much so.

That her face turned deathly pale, her whole body went cold, and she even forgot to cry.

Ye Chen stood up straight and stopped looking at her.

Then.

He pointed toward the main road outside.

"Get out on your own, right now."

"If you don't..."

"I don't mind taking action myself and throwing you out."

"Or, I'll slap you to death, you shameless woman."