"Excellent! Truly excellent! You are indeed a hero of youth," the old man forced a smile, praising Ye Bufan.
"Young friend, your martial arts are superb. You still haven't withdrawn your pressure. Do you intend to fight me?" the Jin family ancestor transmitted his voice directly into Ye Bufan's ear.
To his surprise, Ye Bufan completely ignored the Jin family ancestor's voice.
Seeing this, the Jin family ancestor was so enraged he wanted to kill Ye Bufan on the spot.
However, the immense pressure Ye Bufan exerted made the Jin family ancestor feel uncertain. The opponent's strength seemed comparable to his own, and at such a young age, he had reached this realm. The Jin family ancestor couldn't help but wonder if Ye Bufan was backed by a hidden sect.
"Senior, the grudges between the Jin family and I, you must already be aware of. I am not here to cause trouble in the Jin family residence; I am here to demand an explanation," Ye Bufan said, pointing at Jin Xu.
As he spoke, Ye Bufan withdrew his pressure. The Jin family ancestor's body relaxed, and he gave Ye Bufan an displeased glance.
"I have heard about this matter," the Jin family ancestor pondered for a moment. "Jin Xu and his three sons harbored murderous intent towards you, but he has already paid the price of three sons' lives. The bounty on your head from the martial world did not affect you. Do me a favor and let this matter go."
Ye Bufan listened to the Jin family ancestor's words. His reasoning was almost identical to Jin Xu's. Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
"Senior, settling accounts is not done by you trying to smooth things over," Ye Bufan stated. "If we are to settle accounts, we must do so one by one, clearly and precisely. Otherwise, it will be me who suffers in the end."
"Ye Bufan! Don't get greedy when you've already gained an advantage. I advise you to know when to stop. Don't push me too far. If I become enraged, you will gain nothing, and I will not care about your identity then," the Jin family ancestor said to Ye Bufan, his meaning clear: he wanted Ye Bufan to stop.
"Senior, you are unaware. When I first refined the Marrow Cleansing Pill, his three sons attempted to assassinate me multiple times. I could no longer tolerate it, and that is why I killed his three sons. The account here has been settled," Ye Bufan said. "But after that, he colluded with the Yue family of Huzhou to issue a bounty on me."
"You said lightly that I survived the bounty on my head. But, in all of history, has anyone ever endured a long martial world pursuit? If it weren't for my own considerable strength, I would have died without anyone to seek justice for me."
Ye Bufan looked at the Jin family ancestor and continued to reason with him. "Now, I have come to the capital, and this account is not yet settled. You tell me it's even? Senior, where is the fairness in that?"
The Jin family ancestor's expression grew increasingly grim. He couldn't help but say, "Well spoken, you sharp-tongued brat. Don't think that just because you are a Great Martial Saint at such a young age, you are extraordinary. In my eyes, you are nothing."
"Peak Great Martial Saint? In my eyes, you are also nothing," Ye Bufan said calmly.
"You!" Ye Bufan's words ignited the Jin family ancestor's fury. He pointed at Ye Bufan, momentarily speechless.
"Good! Very good!" After taking a deep breath, the Jin family ancestor gritted his teeth and asked, "Then tell me, how do you propose to settle this account? I will settle Jin Xu's account."
When Ye Bufan heard the Jin family ancestor say he would settle Jin Xu's account, he knew the ancestor intended to protect Jin Xu.
"My request, and also Jin Yuchen's request, is that Jin Xu must die," Ye Bufan stated indifferently.
"Impossible! Jin Xu is the current patriarch of the Jin family. If he dies, the Jin family will fall into chaos!" the Jin family ancestor said. "Also, Jin Yuchen, I have heard about you from Jin Xu. You are Jin Feng's son. Colluding with outsiders to kill the patriarch is a serious crime."
The Jin family ancestor knew from Jin Xu that Ye Bufan and Jin Yuchen were allied. Therefore, if Ye Bufan could not be persuaded, he would target the other person with his 'kind persuasion'.
"Replying to my ancestor, the position of Jin family patriarch was never meant for him. Back then, he operated in the dark, killed my mother, framed my father, and forced my father to leave the capital. I ask my ancestor, how can the revenge for matricide not be exacted?" Jin Yuchen retorted.
Hearing Jin Yuchen's words, the Jin family ancestor turned to look at Jin Xu, frowning deeply. He thought, why are Jin Xu's affairs so troublesome?
Jin Xu looked pitifully at the Jin family ancestor and said, "Ancestor, I have already paid the price. My three sons are all dead."
"Jin Xu, please understand, the deaths of your three sons are not to repay my mother's life. They angered Mr. Ye. It has nothing to do with me. The deaths of your three sons have absolutely nothing to do with me," Jin Yuchen shouted at Jin Xu.
Jin Xu flinched at Jin Yuchen's outburst.
"Jin Yuchen, I warn you, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I am also a martial artist. It is yet to be determined who will emerge victorious," Jin Xu said. "What is so great about Ye Bufan? With our Jin family ancestor here, what waves can he stir up?"
"Enough," the Jin family ancestor frowned. At this moment, the more Jin Xu spoke, the more trouble he was likely to cause.
Jin Yuchen looked at the Jin family ancestor and said, "Ancestor, this junior has something to say."
"Speak," the Jin family ancestor said.
"I know that the sudden death or change of the Jin family patriarch will greatly affect the Jin family's enterprises. However, Jin Xu must die tonight. As long as the ancestor agrees, the super enterprise run by Yuchen in Huzhou can be merged into the Jin family. Not only will the Jin family's strength not be affected, but it will increase instead of decrease." Jin Yuchen's words were forceful and resonant.
"Nonsense!" Jin Xu immediately jumped up. "To kill me, are you even making up stories without a draft?"
Jin Yuchen smiled coldly, then took out a photo from his phone. It was proof.
"Ancestor, please take a look," Jin Yuchen threw his phone into the ancestor's hand. The ancestor looked at the image on the phone, his brow furrowed slightly at first, then smoothed out.
"You boy have inherited your father's business acumen from back then. Not bad, not bad," the ancestor said to Jin Yuchen.
"Ancestor! You must not be deceived by him! Ancestor!" Jin Xu panicked, completely flustered. He shouted, "It's all fabricated by him!"
The Jin family ancestor looked at Jin Xu and said, "He has no reason to lie to me. If he lies to me, his fate will be death as well."
"No! If I die, he can become the Jin family patriarch. Then you won't be able to kill him. Otherwise, the Jin family will be without a leader," Jin Xu said.
"Silence," the Jin family ancestor commanded. "His father is not dead and can remarry and have children. Besides, with me here, his father cannot cause any significant trouble."
Upon hearing this, Jin Xu sat on the floor in despair. The Jin family ancestor had implicitly agreed to trade Jin Xu for the enterprises behind Jin Yuchen. The picture not only contained Jin Yuchen's proof but also the assets behind the enterprises, forcing the Jin family ancestor to weigh the value of Jin Xu against Jin Yuchen's assets.