Chapter Eight: The Fox’s Tail (Explosive Reveal, Please Add to Favorites)

Upon hearing that his second uncle, the head of the family, had finally returned, Ye Feng was completely at ease at last.

During the three months since he arrived in this world, among his peers, only the girl before him, Xiao Ying, and his cousin, Ye Long—the son of the second uncle—had befriended him. As for the elders, only his second uncle, Ye Tianya, truly cared for him and defended him at every turn, even when Ye Feng was still in his former, dull-minded state.

“Yes! We met halfway back, so we returned together,” Xiao Ying said, her little face tilted upward with delight. She had discovered that her beloved Brother Ye Feng was no longer foolish.

Watching Xiao Ying whisper and laugh softly at Ye Feng’s side, so intimately, every young person in the great hall was consumed by jealousy, wishing they could tear Ye Feng apart.

From afar, Ye Li stared at the two chatting beneath the stone pillar, his face dark as he clenched his fists, only to loosen and then clench them again—tighten, loosen, loosen, tighten.

“Ye Feng, it’s always you... If you hadn’t stubbornly occupied the side courtyard and refused to give it up, my brother wouldn’t have been killed. It’s all your fault, you fool...” His eyes grew red, and Ye Li bit down hard, muttering under his breath.

As the eldest grandson of the elder, Ye Li always felt superior. He believed the side courtyard where Ye Feng resided should have belonged to him—the foremost among the younger generation of the family. His disdain for the dull-witted Ye Feng ran deep.

The sudden death of Ye Xiu a few days prior only fueled Ye Li’s resentment towards Ye Feng. Because Ye Feng refused to yield the courtyard, Ye Li couldn’t keep watch over his brother, leading to his brother’s demise... All this turned his dislike for Ye Feng into hatred.

It must be said, fate is often hard to fathom.

No one knew Ye Feng was the killer, yet Ye Li insisted on blaming Ye Xiu’s death on him.

As for Xiao Ying, the young princess of the Xiao family, Ye Li had already decided in his heart she would be his wife. For centuries, the Xiao and Ye families had intermarried—either a daughter of Ye married into the Xiao family or a young lady from Xiao wed into Ye.

Ye Feng’s mother was the elder sister of the current chief of the Xiao family.

Though his intended bride spent her days with Ye Long, Ye Long’s talent and status made Ye Li accept it with resignation. But what was Ye Feng, after all?

A useless wretch basking in the shadow of his father, a fool Ye Li despised to his core—how could he possibly deserve such intimacy with Tang Ying?

His eyes simmered with rage as he exhaled slowly, straightened his slightly rumpled robe, ran his fingers through his hair to craft what he believed was a dashing look, and strode briskly toward the pair beneath the stone pillar.

In the hall, everyone watched Ye Li approach the two, their faces brimming with gloating anticipation as they looked at Ye Feng.

“Cousin Ye Feng, here to study spiritual techniques? But it seems you don’t have the privilege to be here!” Ye Li grinned widely before Ye Feng, adopting an ‘amiable’ tone.

Ye Feng frowned slightly, raising his head to look at Ye Li. “Is this rule set by your grandfather—the one who loves to ‘stand in for the family head’ and take over authority?”

Perhaps it was Ye Feng’s irreverence toward his grandfather, his greatest support, or perhaps Ye Li simply couldn’t hold back anymore, for all traces of his earlier gentlemanly demeanor vanished.

“Hmph! My grandfather is the chief elder of the family. What do you mean by ‘taking over authority’? But you, a useless fool who can’t even cultivate, what right do you have to enter the inner hall?”

Ye Feng sighed softly. So he had come seeking a scolding.

He gave Ye Li a helpless glance. “Your grandfather likes to take over, and I see his grandson is fond of the same.”

Ye Li’s face darkened at Ye Feng’s blunt retort. “So, Young Master Feng harbors quite the opinion of his cousin. How about a little sparring? Let’s see how much the dull-witted cousin has improved.”

“Do you need me to spar with you?” At the entrance to the inner hall, a sturdy youth with a blade of wild grass between his lips lifted his still-boyish face, coldly addressing Ye Li.

Ye Li’s eye twitched as he looked at Ye Long, who was standing up for Ye Feng. All his competitive spirit evaporated.

His greatest support was his grandfather, the chief elder. The other side had the current family head behind them.

What’s more, Ye Li was five years older than Ye Long. Most importantly, he had no confidence he could win.

By any measure, he was inferior to Ye Long, so he dared not treat Ye Long as he did Ye Feng.

Avoiding Ye Long’s gaze, Ye Li shot Ye Feng a fierce glare, sneering, “Relying on two kids to back you up? Truly, you’re foolish beyond measure!”

“Idiot!” Ye Feng had lost all interest in him. Someone who only bullies the weak and fears the strong will never stand at the summit, for he lacks the courage to face challenges.

Of course, Ye Feng’s dismissive attitude was intentional. The matter of his being set up—even if Ye Li wasn’t the culprit—was definitely connected to him.

Ye Feng’s calm and composed demeanor, coupled with those two universal curses, successfully ignited the fury of Ye Li, who was never known for patience.

Ye Li ground his teeth together with a grating sound. Though already consumed by rage, he dared not lay hands on Ye Feng. Regardless of whether Ye Feng lived as a useless recluse or a cowardly fool, his status as a direct heir would never change.

In the Ye family, the difference between direct lineage and collateral branches was vast. Moreover, Ye Tianya’s position as family head was handed down by Ye Feng’s father.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Li cast a cold glance at Ye Feng and murmured chillingly into his ear, “I’m suddenly curious—how did you manage to escape the Falling Wild Goose Mountains, infested with monstrous beasts?”

Ye Feng smiled—truly smiled, delighted. Children are children; provoke them a bit, and they’ll let slip such a great secret.

Now, Ye Feng finally understood. “So the bastard coveted my side courtyard! He was willing to pay such a high price... But that’s not right...” Suddenly, his brows knitted. “With the chief elder’s crafty nature, he would never go to such lengths merely for a courtyard.”

Watching Ye Feng alternate between smiling and frowning, Ye Li was driven to the brink. Was Ye Feng really spacing out while talking to him? Just how little did he matter to Ye Feng?

“I’m curious about something too—just what compelled the chief elder to use a teleportation talisman against me?” Ye Feng whispered, his head lowered.

At that, Ye Li’s expression twisted and changed. “How does he know about the teleportation talisman?”

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