Ye Qingyi had just finished preparing and serving the dishes Ye Bufan had ordered when the door of the Green Bamboo Tavern was kicked open with a "bang." Everyone inside was startled and looked towards the entrance.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a dark blue long gown walked in. His hair stood straight up, heavily styled with mousse, and combined with his pointed head and small face, he somewhat resembled a toothbrush.
"Ye Bufan! Come out and face your death!" the middle-aged man roared into the Green Bamboo Tavern.
Ye Qingyi exchanged a glance with Xun'er, who slowly walked to the entrance of the Green Bamboo Tavern and stood before the middle-aged man. She said, "Esteemed Martial Saint, you've damaged the door of the Green Bamboo Tavern. Please compensate for it."
"Who the hell are you? Get lost! I'm here to kill someone." The man impatiently tried to push Xun'er aside.
A strange scene unfolded. No matter how hard the Martial Saint pushed, Xun'er remained rooted to the spot. In just a moment, the Martial Saint's face turned ashen.
"Compensate!" Xun'er demanded, holding out her hand towards the Martial Saint.
"I don't hit women, so don't force me." The Martial Saint, mindful of his reputation and the onlookers, spoke.
"Bang—"
As soon as the Martial Saint finished speaking, he found himself flying. By the time he reacted, he had already been suspended in mid-air for a second.
"Who! Who ambushed me from behind? Stand out!" The Martial Saint scrambled to his feet from the floor, looking disheveled. "Ye Bufan, ambushing me from the shadows, are you a hero? Come out!"
Ye Bufan watched this scene from a corner, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at the waiter named Xun'er. While everyone else hadn't seen what happened, he had.
"Hiss—" Ye Bufan realized something and looked up at Ye Qingyi, who was sitting opposite him.
"Little Brother Ye, what, are you interested in this elder sister?" Ye Qingyi sensed Ye Bufan's fiery gaze and turned to smile.
"No! I'm interested in you, the waiter," Ye Bufan chuckled.
Ye Qingyi blinked slightly upon hearing this and said, "What? Am I not attractive enough, or do you have peculiar tastes? Tell me, elder sister can be different styles too."
Ye Bufan smiled awkwardly at Ye Qingyi's words, unsure of what to say.
"Pay first," Xun'er said, her brow furrowed. "Five million."
"What?" The Martial Saint couldn't believe his ears. "This broken door alone, you're asking for five million? Aren't you thieves?"
"This is no ordinary door," Xun'er explained. "It's made of top-grade golden silk nanmu, and our boss's wife specifically commissioned it."
The Martial Saint took a deep breath. Having been ambushed for no reason had already cost him face. Now, being hounded for money by a young girl in front of everyone, he could only transfer the money to the female waiter.
Seeing this, Xun'er returned to the Green Bamboo Tavern and approached Ye Bufan and Ye Qingyi.
"The money has been recovered," Xun'er said, turning to Ye Bufan. "You can make your move now. If you had made a move earlier, he would be dead, and I wouldn't have gotten the money back."
Ye Bufan found it both amusing and exasperating. "It's alright. I've already told your boss's wife that I'll pay for any damage."
"That's different," Xun'er countered. "Everyone must be responsible for their own actions, and they are no exception. They came to find you, so it's their responsibility."
"Little Brother Ye, don't argue with Xun'er. Hurry up and resolve this so you can come back and enjoy the dishes sister made for you," Ye Qingyi called out to Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan looked at Ye Qingyi, wondering why she was so enthusiastic. However, seeing that she didn't seem to have any ill intentions, he stood up and walked outside.
"Ye Bufan, you've finally come out!" The toothbrush-headed Martial Saint exclaimed in shock upon seeing Ye Bufan appear.
"You were making so much noise, I had no choice but to come out," Ye Bufan replied.
"Stop the nonsense. Your ambush earlier was too insidious. We need to settle this properly," the toothbrush-headed Martial Saint declared.
Although Ye Bufan was reluctant to admit it, the other party wouldn't believe him anyway. He scanned the surroundings with his spiritual energy and found twenty-one Great Martial Venerables present.
As for Martial Saints, besides this toothbrush-headed one, Ye Bufan detected three more hidden in the shadows. One of them had an aura similar to that of the Yue family members, leading Ye Bufan to suspect it was the old ancestor of the Yue family.
"Insidious? Isn't it insidious for you to have three Martial Saints ambushing in secret?" Ye Bufan retorted.
Upon realizing Ye Bufan had discovered their ambush, the other party spoke again, "Ye Bufan, we're acting on a martial world bounty. Everyone is after you, so don't blame us. Blame yourself for offending the Jin family of the capital and killing members of the Yue family of Huzhou."
"A joke! This is the first time I've heard such a high-sounding excuse for ganging up on someone. You're just trying to gild the lily."
Ye Bufan sneered and launched his attack.
"Die!" Ye Bufan left an afterimage in his original spot. His speed caught everyone present completely off guard.
By the time the toothbrush-headed warrior reacted, Ye Bufan's broken sword had already pierced his body.
"Scoundrel!"
Simultaneously, three surges of energy rapidly approached Ye Bufan.
"Get lost!" Ye Bufan roared at the three figures, sending his broken sword flying towards them. He then vanished from his original position.
"Bang—"
With a loud crash, a figure plummeted from the sky, landing heavily before the Green Bamboo Tavern.
The second crash followed, with another person falling. The twenty-one Great Martial Venerables standing at the entrance began to feel a sense of retreat. The two individuals who had fallen were the Martial Saints who had led them, and within moments, they had both been defeated.
"Ye Bufan! If you kill me, my sect will not let you go." The voice of the Yue family ancestor echoed. A figure rapidly descended from the sky, and then purple flames ignited around him, turning him into dust in mid-air.
Ye Bufan landed from the sky, standing at the entrance of the Green Bamboo Tavern. He glanced at the twenty-one Great Martial Venerables.
Their hearts pounded wildly, fearing that Ye Bufan might kill them all if he were displeased. In such a short time, he had killed four Martial Saints, and they hadn't even seen how he did it. Such power made it effortless for him to kill these Great Martial Venerables.