Lin Xiaotian slowly took a drag from his cigarette, a smile gradually appearing on his face. "I gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't take it."
"Now it's too late for you to speak."
"After your spirit breaks, you'll tell me everything yourself, without me even having to ask."
Pang Bei truly couldn't take it anymore. Bloodshot veins burst in his eyes, and he writhed in agony, his entire body trembling and spasming.
After just a few minutes, he was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
He couldn't hold on any longer.
"It was Ma Xiuyuan. He knew about and supported everything we did. Please, give me a quick end. I've told you everything. I beg you, let me go!"
Pang Bei crawled to Lin Xiaotian's feet, grabbing his trouser leg, his face contorted in pain.
Lin Xiaotian flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, stomped it out, and said calmly, "The outcome was sealed the moment you made your move."
"I'll leave you with a surprise."
With that, he flicked out a wisp of internal energy.
Pang Bei felt his body go numb, but the pain intensified.
"What… what did you do to me?"
"Nothing much. I've just sealed your ability to move. I'll call an ambulance for you. Your mouth is useless now, so I'll seal that too!"
He left with a smile and turned to walk away.
Pang Bei tried to open his mouth, but no sound came out.
Unable to speak, unable to move an inch, the pain continued to spread.
He truly regretted his actions now, wishing only for release.
But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
Lin Xiaotian walked outside and glanced at the antique exhibition. Even the people passing by were discussing Mingyue Pavilion.
"Today was amazing! We got to see priceless treasures without even needing a ticket, and over ten of them at once. I've never heard of Mingyue Pavilion before. What kind of antique shop has such power?"
"If I had known earlier, I would have come every day, especially for the 'Zhong Kui Capturing Ghosts' painting. It's a masterpiece by Wu Daozi, and his works are extremely rare."
"I never expected to witness such marvels today."
A faint smile curved Lin Xiaotian's lips. "Bringing Mingyue Pavilion such great fame, my wife probably won't mind spanking me for what happened earlier, right?"
He didn't go back in. The matters here were no longer his concern.
Taking his keys, he drove directly to the Ye family.
Old Master Ye had also heard about the events. His face was etched with anger as he sat in the villa's living room, looking at Ye Wenqiang, who was kneeling before him. "Tell me who supported you in this. You still have one chance."
"I'll find the person behind this and bring them to Lin Xiaotian."
"Otherwise, you'll lose your life, and no one will even collect your body."
Ye Wenqiang gritted his teeth and looked up. "Godfather, my second brother died at the hands of Lin Xiaotian. He's your own son. Don't you want revenge? No matter how powerful Lin Xiaotian is, he's just one person."
"What era are we in now? Individual strength is completely meaningless."
"Besides being able to fight, what else can he do?"
"If we want to deal with him, we just need to join forces with the Chu family. Even if we can't kill him, we can make him disappear completely."
"Without Chu Nianxue helping him, he's nothing."
Hearing this, Old Master Ye was so enraged his lungs felt like they would explode. He hobbled over with his cane, raised it high, and struck down fiercely.
The cane hit Ye Wenqiang's cheek.
A trickle of blood flowed from his lip, but his eyes still held a clear stubbornness.
"Godfather, I'm an orphan. If you hadn't taken me in, I might have been eaten by wild dogs by now. I lived well in the Ye family, and my second brother took care of me the most."
"Second brother is dead. If I can't avenge him, I feel like I'm living in a nightmare."
"Every night I see my second brother's face appearing before me. Many times in my dreams, I've seen his bloody face. He's not at peace in the underworld, and he wants revenge!"
Listening to these words and seeing the look in Ye Wenqiang's eyes, Old Master Ye's raised cane paused in mid-air.
"Godfather, if you don't get involved in this, I have a way to save Lin Xiaotian."
"And I'm not the only one who wants him dead. We can join forces to deal with them. If the Ye family gets involved in this, it might even destabilize our foundation."
"You know I don't care about the wealth. All I care about is my second brother's life."
Ye Wenqiang knew the old man's weakness.
At this point, he couldn't hide what he had done.
So, without waiting for anyone to bring him back, he returned home himself and told Old Master Ye everything.
The effect was indeed significant. While Old Master Ye wasn't entirely swayed, he wouldn't punish him further.
Without his status in the Ye family, he was nothing.
His greatest ambition wasn't here; he truly coveted the Ye family's assets.
Old Master Ye sighed deeply. "Everyone has their own destiny. I feel you're too pitiful, and your eyes are so bright. Following your second brother, I don't know what he taught you to make you this way."
"His death was his own doing, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"You may leave!"
"From now on, you are no longer a member of the Ye family. Besides, we have no blood relation."
With that, he turned away, leaning on his cane, looking as if he had aged a decade in an instant.
Ye Wenqiang's eyes glinted with ferocity. "Godfather, I can't leave. If I leave, the Ye family will fall into Ye Wantong's hands, and she and Lin Xiaotian are in cahoots."
"Therefore, until you leave a will, I cannot let you live."
"You're forcing my hand. You want to expel me from the Ye family? I can't lose all my means of resistance, or I will die."
Old Master Ye turned around in disbelief, his gaze fixed on the adopted son he had raised.
"What did you say?"
"You intend to harm me?"
Ye Wenqiang stood up from the ground, a weapon appearing in his hand. His gaze turned ferocious and terrifying.
"Godfather, I'm sorry!"
"What I truly want is your Ye family's assets. All the Ye family members are dead, leaving only me, the most legitimate heir in name."
"The most important thing for a family is to be together. Don't worry, I'll soon send them all to join you."