Lin Yu’s eyes immediately reddened the moment she saw Ye Ling’s back, recognizing him instantly. "You're not..."
"Xiao Yu, we'll talk about this later. Let me handle things here first," Ye Ling said softly, his hand gripping the wooden stick in the young man's grasp.
"Oh..."
Lin Yu was taken aback by Ye Ling's words. She stared at him, feeling that Ye Ling had changed immensely from before.
"Who are you?"
The young man yanked hard at the wooden stick Ye Ling held, only to find it wouldn't budge. Feeling his pride wounded, he kicked out at Ye Ling.
"Seeking death."
Ye Ling said indifferently, easily snatching the wooden stick from the young man and swinging it directly towards his head.
*Bang!*
The wooden stick broke, and the young man flew backward, landing unconscious on the ground.
"Son!!!"
The middle-aged man in the courtyard, seeing his son’s bloody head, glared at Ye Ling with eyes about to burst. "You scoundrel, I won't let you off!"
With that, the middle-aged man pulled out his phone and quickly dialed.
Seeing this, a hint of panic flashed across Lin Yu’s face. She quickly grabbed Ye Ling’s hand. "Brother, the He family behind He Tian is the most powerful family in the county. He keeps a gang of thugs. They're a behemoth here. We can't afford to provoke them right now!"
"Run!"
He Tian, having just finished his call, said with red eyes, seeing Lin Yu’s panicked state. "It's too late to regret it now! I swear today I'll break both your legs, and that restaurant your Lin family has in the county, I'll bring people to smash it tomorrow!"
"A mere county family, yet so arrogant and defiant."
"Who gives you the audacity?"
Ye Ling looked at He Tian indifferently, dropped the broken half of the wooden stick, and walked towards him.
Seeing Ye Ling not only unafraid but approaching him, He Tian’s fierce expression instantly froze, turning into panic.
He retreated step by step, staring at Ye Ling and stammering, "Wh-what do you want to do? I am the head of the He family!"
He Tian’s face was filled with terror and dread. If his son, He Meng, a young man in his prime, could be knocked out by Ye Ling with one stick, how could he, a middle-aged man with a flabby physique, possibly defeat Ye Ling?
"I warn you! If you dare lay a hand on me, you absolutely..."
*Slap!*
Before He Tian could finish speaking, Ye Ling slapped him across the face, sending him spinning several times in mid-air before his head plunged forward like a leek, hitting the ground hard!
Seeing He Tian’s head collide with the ground, Lin Yu instinctively clutched her own head.
Just hearing the sound of the impact, Lin Yu could feel how painful it must have been!
Having dealt with He Tian in a flash, Ye Ling dragged him out of the courtyard and dumped him onto He Meng.
Looking at the two lying on the ground, Lin Yu swallowed and looked at Ye Ling in disbelief. "Brother, how could you..."
In Lin Yu's memory, Ye Ling was never this good at fighting.
"Let's go inside,"
Ye Ling smiled at Lin Yu, ignoring the two by the courtyard entrance, and led Lin Yu into the house.
"Brother, their people are coming. We should leave first."
Lin Yu was still worried. Although she didn't know what Ye Ling had experienced in the past six years, even if Ye Ling was skilled, he couldn't possibly withstand twenty or thirty people if they came.
"It's fine, I'm waiting for them to come." Ye Ling pushed open the main door and frowned upon seeing the house completely altered by the He family's renovation.
Ye Ling glanced at the interior decoration and asked Lin Yu, "Xiao Yu, why did they occupy Grandpa's ancestral home?"
Seeing that Ye Ling had no intention of leaving, Lin Yu stopped trying to persuade him and explained, "After Uncle and Aunt had their accident, and you and Xiao You went missing, the villagers of Taiping Village all knew the Ye family had fallen."
"From then on, the He family set their sights on this house and simply took it over."
"Because my parents run a restaurant in the county, and the He family's influence is considerable, my parents could only swallow their pride and let the He family forcibly occupy our ancestral home if they wanted their business to continue."
"And most of the villagers in Taiping Village now follow the He family's lead. The Ye family's foundation in Qingye Town has all been taken over by the He family."
"Although my mother disapproved, the He family is powerful and wealthy, and we can't afford to offend them, so we can only pretend not to see."
"Only I am not convinced. I come here every few days to cause trouble, just to make it uncomfortable for them."
Ye Ling rubbed Lin Yu’s head with concern. "You've had a tough time, little girl. You must have been beaten quite a bit, right?"
Lin Yu stuck out her tongue at Ye Ling and pouted playfully, "Hehe! As long as I can make them uncomfortable, I'm happy!"
Ye Ling chided, "You silly girl... aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
Judging by He Meng's demeanor and Lin Yu's practiced actions, Ye Ling could guess how many times Lin Yu had suffered here.
"Don't worry, Brother! I'm still a person, after all. He Meng wouldn't dare hit me too hard. My mother hits harder!" Lin Yu said proudly.
"Silly girl..."
Seeing Lin Yu’s nonchalant attitude, Ye Ling felt a pang of heartache.
He saw his rise... he saw his fall.
During the prosperous times of the Ye Group, Lin Yu’s family also enjoyed prestige. Unfortunately, the Ye Group collapsed overnight, and the Ye family became a target of public scorn. Even when Ye Shan and Su Xue met their end in a car accident, society rejoiced.
The Lin family had received care from the "notorious" Ye family. After the Ye family fell, the Lin family's life was also undoubtedly difficult.
Lin Yu smiled foolishly and added, "Oh, right, Brother, where have you been for these six years? After Uncle and Aunt’s accident, we lost contact with you and Xiao You. Is Xiao You with you?"
Mentioning Ye You, Ye Ling’s eyes dimmed, and he shook his head. "I'm also looking for Xiao You. I don't have any news of her yet."
For some unknown reason, his ten divine weapons scattered across the world couldn't sense Ye You's whereabouts, nor could the intelligence networks of various factions stir even the slightest ripple...
Ye You seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Lin Yu froze. She opened her mouth, and after a moment, she smiled. "It's okay, Brother... Xiao You is smarter than me. She's definitely living safely somewhere, and we'll find her someday."
"Mm."
Ye Ling smiled and nodded. "We'll find her someday."
...
After talking with Lin Yu, Ye Ling walked through the ancestral home again. He discovered that the entire house had been ransacked by the He family, as if they were searching for something.
"Could it be that the He family... occupying the ancestral home has another purpose?" Ye Ling muttered to himself, his gaze narrowing. He scanned the entire house with his divine sense but found nothing.
Seeing Ye Ling wandering around the house, Lin Yu also asked, "Brother, are you looking for something? My mother tidied up the house before, and most of the things have been moved to my place."
Ye Ling snapped back to attention and smiled at Lin Yu. "It's nothing. I just haven't been back in a long time and wanted to see this home."
Lin Yu: "Oh..."
Just then, a noisy commotion came from outside the door, startling Ye Ling and Lin Yu inside.
"Everyone, hurry! Mr. He is here!"
"Who did this? Come out!"
"Seeking death!!!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Lin Yu's expression changed slightly. She quickly looked out through a gap in the window and whispered, "Oh no, Brother! There are over twenty people outside, and many of them are carrying knives. We need to escape through the back door quickly!"
Lin Yu instantly assessed the enemy and their strength. She grabbed Ye Ling's hand, wanting to run, but couldn't move him.
"Brother?"
Lin Yu looked at Ye Ling anxiously, only to see Ye Ling unmoved, with no intention of leaving.
Ye Ling looked at the anxious Lin Yu and smiled gently. "Xiao Yu, do you want to know... the real world?"
Lin Yu: "Huh?"