The old ancestral hall, under the afterglow of the setting sun, appeared even more dilapidated and mottled. Only its grand structure, the calligraphy on the broken plaque, and some stone inscriptions indicated its former glory.
A sliver of the dark main gate was ajar. Ye Sihai did not call out, but walked directly through it. The cars that arrived later had stopped. Several top drivers alighted, leaning against their conspicuous racing cars, arms crossed, watching Chen Fan and Wei Bingying. The others were of varying ages and appearances, but without exception, they exuded a strong aura of brigandage. Some held guns, or had bulging waistbands. They did not approach, but watched Chen Fan and Wei Bingying from a distance, their expressions unfriendly. These vehicles and people surrounded the entire Ye ancestral hall, blocking their escape route, leaving Chen Fan and Wei Bingying with no way out.
"Tianjiao?" Wei Bingying was still a little nervous.
Chen Fan looked at the main gate of the ancestral hall. Within the slightly open door, he sensed a mysterious aura. He did not hesitate and strode forward. Wei Bingying quickly followed. Stepping over the rotted threshold, they entered the Ye ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was dim in the twilight. It was empty inside. On the altar where spirit tablets were kept, only a single, solitary tablet was placed. "The spirit tablet of the late father, Lord Ye Sihai!" This tablet was made of rosewood, its inscription deep and forceful, exuding an imposing aura, clearly the work of a master.
Ye Sihai stood before the spirit tablet, lit three sticks of incense, and inserted them into the censer. Wei Bingying looked at the inscription on the tablet, then at Ye Sihai himself, her expression astonished. Besides Ye Sihai, there was another person inside the ancestral hall. This person also had yellow skin and black hair, but his facial features were rougher, and his deep-set eyes were a pair of emerald green. He was tall and not young. The aura Chen Fan had sensed before came from this man, giving Chen Fan a sense of peculiar uniqueness. When Chen Fan looked over, the man also looked at him, his gaze as fierce and cunning as a wolf's, watchful and menacing. Clearly, this man was Ye Sihai's backing and support.
After placing the incense, Ye Sihai turned around and looked at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with a condescending scrutiny. "Chen Tianjiao, do you know you are about to die?" Ye Sihai's words were shocking as he scrutinized Chen Fan.
Chen Fan chuckled at this and said, "Based on you and your men?"
"You've misunderstood my meaning. I don't intend to kill you!" Ye Sihai said proudly, "What happened on the road was just a test. If I truly wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have given you a chance to escape. I would have blocked the road and detonated explosives to destroy your car. Even if you survived, you would have been injured, and killing you then would have been easy!"
Chen Fan inwardly sneered at this. Ye Sihai had learned from the Brotherhood's mistakes and resorted to explosives. He disdained it, but Wei Bingying, standing beside him, was terrified. The dangers she had encountered on the journey so far had felt like near-death experiences, moments away from fatal consequences. Now, to hear Ye Sihai speak as if he had held back? If he had shown no restraint, how truly terrifying would he have been?
"Then I should thank you for sparing my life?" Chen Fan said sarcastically.
"No need for that!" Ye Sihai replied, "As the leader of this faction, I value talent and thirst for it. True talents are worthy of my humility and personal recruitment."
Chen Fan felt a sense of absurdity welling up within him. He had previously thought this man was somewhat normal, but now it seemed his first impression was inaccurate. Furthermore, based on this display, the possibility of 'Ye Sihai' being part of the Brotherhood seemed less likely.
"If I heard you correctly, you want to recruit me?" Chen Fan asked.
"I know you disdain this idea, but I will make you submit," Ye Sihai said with a proud smile, then tilted his head and said, "Jinhai!"
The old man who had been silent nodded and stepped forward. Then, he opened his hand and waved it towards the main gate. Silently, as if guided by an invisible hand, the gate closed shut with a creak from the aged wood.
Wei Bingying, witnessing this for the first time, was startled. Was this some kind of magic? Chen Fan's expression remained calm, a slight smile playing on his lips. The old man's movement had no discernible energy fluctuations; he must have used some kind of special psychic ability. But what did that prove?
Of course, Ye Sihai and the old man knew this wouldn't intimidate Chen Fan. The old man opened his hands again. The air within the room began to churn violently, and then the spirit tablet on the altar trembled and floated up. Intangible and formless, the tablet hovered in mid-air, spinning rapidly. Wei Bingying stared, her eyes wide with shock.
The tablet soon descended, returning to the table. Then, the old man turned his gaze towards Wei Bingying. Wei Bingying instinctively felt a sense of foreboding and took two steps back. In the next instant, she felt herself involuntarily levitating, as if controlled by an unseen hand, rising to about a meter off the ground. She struggled with all her might but could not break free.
Chen Fan's gaze turned dark. He suddenly waved his hand and punched towards the old man. There was no external energy burst, but a soaring fighting spirit surged forth. In an instant, Wei Bingying felt the unseen hand controlling her shatter. She fell to the ground, letting out a muffled groan.
A cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes. Without hesitation, he pointed at Chen Fan. His emerald green eyes seemed to enlarge, transforming into a vortex. Within this vortex, countless starlight and worlds appeared, deep and boundless. The air vibrated, and a sharp, unseen force stabbed directly towards Chen Fan's forehead. Chen Fan felt a sharp pain in his forehead, as if it were about to be pierced, and a sharp ache spread through his head.
To others, this would have appeared sinister and unusual, but to Chen Fan, it was not surprising. Having experienced it firsthand, he knew it was merely some innate ability. Perhaps it could be considered a form of spiritual cultivation. In the underground world globally, there were not a few individuals with extraordinary talents, but few were as powerful as this old man. However, to Chen Fan, it posed no threat. If it were a martial arts grandmaster projecting internal energy, he might have taken it seriously, but this kind of mental ability was child's play against his overwhelming fighting spirit.
With a cold laugh, Chen Fan joined his fingers like a sword and made a similar gesture, a slash through the air. With a tearing sound, the air seemed to rip. The two mental forces collided, formless and unseen. The old man's expression tightened, and he staggered back several steps, his body swaying violently.
"These petty tricks, aimed at a woman, are they amusing?" Chen Fan said indifferently, his voice chilling, "Aim them at me. If you can control me, then that would be your capability!"
The old man, still unwilling, opened his hands and shouted a word. With a crackling sound, the wall shattered, and broken stones and bricks suddenly flew up, hurtling towards Chen Fan like bullets. Ye Sihai quickly retreated to avoid them.
Chen Fan's gaze grew colder. "Ye Sihai, with your meager abilities, you think you can recruit me? Are you worthy?" He raised his hand and threw a punch. Internal energy burst forth, and his fist, carrying an upward surging intent, utterly annihilated all the flying debris. "You are also a martial artist. Don't you know how strong the will of a martial arts expert is?"
The force of the punch, undiminished, continued onward. The old man's expression changed drastically. He clasped his hands together, forming an invisible barrier in front of him. This barrier was quite sturdy, but it could not withstand Chen Fan's punch. With a resounding bang, the old man's body shuddered, and he was sent flying backward, embedding himself into the wall. The already dilapidated Ye ancestral hall seemed on the verge of collapse.
Ye Sihai shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Come in." As soon as he spoke, several figures emerged from the side room, their auras substantial, their gait imposing. There were three of them in total: two middle-aged men and an elder.