191: You are, Night Shadow?!

“It seems Fifth Master doesn't agree?”

Zhi Mingyue's cold words rang out, and Zhou Yi's fat face twitched a few times, his voice becoming hoarse.

“Miss Mingyue, you misunderstand. She's just a child who doesn't know any better. Miss Mingyue is magnanimous, and I hope you won't hold it against her.”

Zhou Ling, who was behind him, heard this and said anxiously, “Fifth Master! This Forest of Curses was originally sold to us by the Zhi Family. Their going back on their word like this...”

“Shut up!”

Zhou Yi roared, then looked at Zhou Wan, “Wan'er, take your sister out.”

Although Zhou Wan felt aggrieved, she was also very clear that the Zhi Family could not be offended. She quickly pulled the indignant Zhou Ling and walked out.

“Did I say she could leave?”

Zhou Wan and Zhou Ling's bodies trembled, and their steps involuntarily stopped.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi looked distraught and bowed his head to Zhi Mingyue, “The Zhou Family agrees to Miss Mingyue's demands. I only ask Miss Mingyue to spare my Zhou Family juniors.”

Zhi Mingyue looked at Zhou Yi, who was kneeling on the ground, her beautiful eyes flickering twice, “Fifth Master, what kind of act is this?”

Zhou Yi lowered his head and did not answer, while Zhou Wan supported the pale Zhou Ling.

In the hall, the atmosphere became quiet again, and a strange aura permeated the air.

It was at this moment that the door to the reception room was pushed open from the outside.

A calm voice, tinged with indifference, came through.

“Naturally, it's an act for me.”

As the voice sounded, a tall figure walked in unhurriedly.

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on this figure.

“Expert Big Brother!”

“Ye...”

Zhou Ling and Zhou Wan saw the figure appear; the former was surprised, while the latter was a little stunned.

However, before the two women could continue speaking, Zhi Mingyue, who was seated in the main seat, frowned slightly and reprimanded him with a cold tone.

“Who are you?”

Ye Xiao was wearing a mask in the black market, so it was not surprising that Zhi Mingyue did not recognize him.

Ye Xiao did not answer the other party, but slowly walked up to Zhou Yi, who was still kneeling, his voice now colder.

“As expected of Fifth Master, this self-inflicted injury scheme is quite well-acted.”

The bloated body kneeling on the ground trembled violently, and a drop of cold sweat slowly dripped from his forehead.

Immediately, Zhou Yi raised his head and looked at Ye Xiao, who was standing beside him with an unreadable expression, and swallowed with some difficulty.

“Xiao Xiongdi, I'm sorry, Old Brother, I...”

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Xiao interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

“I know the Zhou Family's way of survival, and I understand your reason for wanting to play both sides.”

After a pause, Ye Xiao's tone shifted, his voice becoming clearer and colder.

“However, that's not a reason for you to dispose of my things as you please. You tell me, isn't that the truth?”

Zhou Yi heard this, and a hint of panic rose in his heart.

Earlier, when facing Zhi Mingyue's aggressive demeanor, Zhou Yi had appeared distraught, but his heart was very calm.

But at this moment, he panicked.

He hadn't expected Ye Xiao, at such a young age, to not only possess formidable strength but also such keen reactions.

With just a simple sentence, he had laid bare his entire plan.

And most importantly, Ye Xiao's undisguised appearance meant that once his identity was exposed, his Zhou Family would inevitably be interpreted by outsiders as backing Ye Xiao.

Who is Ye Xiao?

He is an existence that is irreconcilable with the Zhao Family and at odds with the Eight Great Families of the Alliance.

Getting involved with such a person is no laughing matter.

Ye Xiao is alone; as long as he doesn't show his face, the Eight Great Families won't be able to do anything to him in a short time.

But his Zhou Family is different. For the Eight Great Families to deal with the Zhou Family, isn't that just a matter of a single word?

Although the Zhou Family also had its own trump cards, they absolutely did not want to confront the Eight Great Families head-on unless it was absolutely necessary or they had absolute certainty. That did not conform to the Zhou Family's ancestral teachings.

In fact, after receiving the Zhi Family's notice that they wanted 50% of the Forest of Curses' profits, Zhou Yi racked his brains for over a month but couldn't come up with any solution.

He could give up the profits from the Forest of Curses, but he didn't want the Zhou Family to lose money.

So, after much deliberation, Zhou Yi thought of the self-inflicted injury scheme.

Thus, he specifically brought Zhou Wan and Zhou Ling with him today.

The former is the current controller of the Forest of Curses, while the latter is scatterbrained and easily offends people with her words.

The effect Zhou Yi wanted was to create an impression of being relentlessly pressured by the Zhi Family and powerless to resist.

He even hoped that the Zhi Family would take over the entire Forest of Curses, which would allow the Zhou Family to escape this trouble.

Afterwards, when Ye Xiao learned the truth, he probably wouldn't blame their Zhou Family for it.

If this could even provoke hatred between Ye Xiao and the Zhi Family, the Zhou Family could also use this to continue to cooperate with Ye Xiao.

Of course, at that time, the Zhou Family would certainly not act openly, but would only secretly provide assistance to Ye Xiao.

This is called providing help in times of need.

No matter what he did, his Zhou Family wouldn't lose out.

And today's situation also unfolded according to Zhou Yi's anticipated plot, and even Zhi Mingyue's display of insatiable greed and barbaric dominance gave Zhou Yi an unexpected pleasant surprise.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the matter should have been nearing its end here.

But what Zhou Yi never expected was that Ye Xiao actually appeared.

He had envisioned Ye Xiao seeing this scene, but he hadn't expected Ye Xiao to dare to appear directly in front of the Zhi Family members.

What did he want to do?

Was he not afraid of his identity being exposed? Of being hunted down by the Zhi Family?

Fifth Master Zhou, who had always prided himself on his exceptional wisdom and insight into human nature, felt his mind in a state of confusion for the first time.

At this moment, Zhi Mingyue, in the main seat, had completely pulled a long face, her pretty face like frost as she stared at Zhou Yi.

“Zhou Yi, answer me, who is he?”

Zhou Yi moved his lips, his mind quickly racing.

However, Ye Xiao, who was beside him, didn't intend to give Zhou Yi any time. Intense flames instantly enveloped the entire reception room.

Immediately after, countless fireballs appeared out of thin air in everyone's sight.

This scene astonished everyone present.

Zhou Yi's face turned even paler with fright, and he hurriedly shouted, “Xiao Xiongdi, don't be impulsive!”

At the same time, Zhi Mingyue, upon seeing the countless fireballs appear, also stood up abruptly.

Although she had never seen such a scene, it didn't prevent her from recognizing it immediately.

“You are, Night Shadow!!!”

Almost as soon as Zhi Mingyue's words left her mouth, her two guards, along with herself, reacted incredibly quickly, instantly setting up defenses.

The two guards even charged directly at Ye Xiao, attempting to gain the initiative.

Ye Xiao watched this scene with an unperturbed heart. Just as the two were about to get close, he gently pressed down his raised left hand.

In an instant, the sky full of fireballs engulfed the two of them.

The two guards didn't even have time to scream before they were directly vaporized by Ye Xiao's scorching flames, leaving no trace of their bodies.

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【Ding! You have leveled up to Lv. 91...】

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At the same time, the flames continued unabated, directly facing Zhi Mingyue.

Suddenly, a dazzling light burst forth from within the flames.

Accompanied by a delicate shout, Zhi Mingyue, enveloped in a barrier, violently broke out of the fireball's encirclement.

“Night Shadow! I am Zhi Mingyue of the Zhi Family! How dare you kill someone from my Zhi Family?!!!”

Ye Xiao did not speak, but answered Zhi Mingyue with his actions.

Activating Divinity Speed, Ye Xiao's figure instantly rushed towards Zhi Mingyue, who had just escaped the fireball's encirclement. In the latter's astonished gaze, his staff slammed down fiercely.

“You...”

“Bang!”

Zhi Mingyue didn't even have time to feel the pain. Her entire body instantly shattered into pieces under Ye Xiao's incredibly powerful force.

Blood mist sprayed everywhere, but it didn't fall to the ground; instead, it was directly baked into gas by the high temperature rising around it.

When Ye Xiao's figure landed back on the ground, the surrounding fireballs had already dissipated.

Ye Xiao looked at the reception room, which had been reduced to ruins, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

He vaguely remembered that not long ago, this place seemed to have been destroyed once before, and the culprit was also him. However, back then, Zhou Dafu died, and this time it was Zhi Mingyue and her two guards who died.

Shaking his head to clear away the strange thought, Ye Xiao then stood firm again and looked back at the astonished Zhou Yi and the two women.

Feeling Ye Xiao's gaze, Zhou Yi suddenly shivered, then his face turned pale, and he stammered, “You, you, you killed Zhi Mingyue?”

Ye Xiao smiled slightly, “I just saw you being difficult by that woman. We are partners, so of course I wouldn't stand by and do nothing. It was just a convenient thing to do.”

Zhou Yi opened his mouth wide, unsure how to respond for a moment.

The turn of events had long since deviated from his expectations, and this feeling of losing control made him extremely uncomfortable.

However, he soon revealed a relieved, bitter smile.

“Xiao Xiongdi, what I did this time wasn't honorable, but I hope you can understand my difficulties, and I haven't done anything to betray you. I had already given instructions that if today's matter couldn't end well, my Zhou Family would pay out of pocket to make up for your share of the profits. I had mentioned these things to you in private messages.”

At this point, Zhou Yi cupped his hands to Ye Xiao with a bitter expression, and said somewhat dejectedly, “So, please Night Shadow Brother, don't take your anger out on the Zhou Family.”

Ye Xiao heard this, and the smile on his face faded.

“If it weren't for that, those fireballs just now wouldn't have been so discerning.”

Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Night Shadow Brother, for your understanding.”

However, Ye Xiao waved his hand, “No rush. Understanding is understanding, but doing wrong always comes with a price. Originally, it was agreed to be a seven-three split, but now...”

This time, before Ye Xiao could finish, Zhou Yi interrupted, “Night Shadow Brother, are you looking down on me, Zhou Yi? There's no need to discuss the split. From now on, all profits from the Forest of Curses will belong to Night Shadow Brother alone. If it's inconvenient for you, I will temporarily keep them, and Night Shadow Brother only needs to give a command whenever you need them.”

“And, Night Shadow Brother, rest assured, my Zhou Family will absolutely dedicate ourselves to maintaining the operation of the Forest of Curses, and will not cut corners.”

Ye Xiao looked at Zhou Yi, who was patting his chest loudly, and couldn't help but blink, secretly marveling at how generous Zhou Yi truly was.

Originally, his idea was just to take one more share, or perhaps two more with some effort.

As for all ten shares, Ye Xiao hadn't considered it.

After all, if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass. No one would be enthusiastic about something without profit.

But now that Zhou Yi had said so, he could only reluctantly agree.

However, he also knew what Zhou Yi was thinking.

Now that the Forest of Curses was targeted by the Zhi Family, if Ye Xiao wanted all the profits, he would have to solve the problem of the Zhi Family.

This was also what Zhou Yi urgently wanted to resolve at the moment.

After all, Zhi Mingyue had just died in his Zhou Family, and this could not be concealed at all.

If Ye Xiao simply walked away, then only Zhou Yi would have to bear everything.

And he also understood that the reason Ye Xiao did this was simply to force the Zhou Family to take a side.

It was also a warning to Zhou Yi that if he still harbored thoughts of staying out of trouble, the next to die would be him and the Zhou Family behind him.

Now it was up to Zhou Yi to choose.

And facing this 'unreasonable' Ye Xiao, Zhou Yi was also filled with helplessness.

But for some reason, a strange emotion suddenly rose in Zhou Yi's heart.

Perhaps, it was time to change the rules set by the ancestors.

This thought arose and continuously expanded within Zhou Yi's heart, until it filled his entire chest.

Thus, Zhou Yi suddenly felt an impulse; he wanted to take the Zhou Family and make a big gamble.

Although his Zhou Family's current strength was not comparable to the Eight Great Families, their foundation was still there. Now, with the cooperation with Ye Xiao, there might not be no chance to replace them.

And the Zhi Family happened to be the weakest of the Eight Great Families.

As long as they planned well, the success rate was still very high.

Of course, what truly made Zhou Yi determined was not Ye Xiao's recent move to force him to take sides. If he wanted to, he could still appease the Zhi Family's anger.

The only difference was how much the Zhou Family would have to pay.

What truly made Zhou Yi decide to gamble big was actually Ye Xiao himself.

Zhou Yi considered himself an excellent judge of character. Through his few interactions with Ye Xiao, he could easily discern that while Ye Xiao's strength was incredibly abnormal, he was not a reckless person either.

At least, Zhou Yi had studied Ye Xiao's past actions, which seemed to be overestimating his own abilities and arrogant.

But each time, in the end, he always managed to resolve things easily.

Even when facing thirteen Eight-Revolutions experts, Ye Xiao could calmly leave.

This alone was worth Zhou Yi taking a gamble.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yi's eyes suddenly became incredibly firm.

“Night Shadow Brother, from this moment on, my Zhou Family will become your most solid backing. As long as you need it, my Zhou Family will unconditionally support you.”

Zhou Yi's sudden words completely stunned Zhou Wan and Zhou Ling, who were still recovering from the shock behind him.

Both girls' little heads were filled with question marks.

Ye Xiao was also somewhat surprised. Seeing Zhou Yi's appearance, he seemed to want to play a big game, and couldn't help but ask curiously, “Aren't you afraid of the Zhi Family?”

Zhou Yi's expression was solemn, and he said without hesitation, “A moment ago, I was a little afraid. I was even thinking about what price I would have to pay to appease the Zhi Family's anger and make them overlook Zhi Mingyue's death, and I even considered turning you over.”

“Oh?” Ye Xiao heard this and became interested, “You say that, aren't you afraid I'll turn hostile?”

Zhou Yi didn't hesitate at all, “Since I'm cooperating, I should at least show my sincerity.”

After a moment of silence, Ye Xiao slowly uttered a few words, “This sincerity is not enough.”

Zhou Yi nodded in deep agreement, “I understand. What do you need me to do?”

Seeing this, Ye Xiao didn't waste any more words, “Bring Zhi Xuan to me.”

“Alright! Give me half an hour.”

Zhou Yi finished speaking, and without waiting for Ye Xiao to reply, he walked out decisively.

Only Zhou Wan and Zhou Ling were left, looking at each other in bewilderment.