Chapter 78: Resolution

No one could have foreseen that in just a single week, the immense Yuan family would be toppled by an invisible hand. Even the family patriarch’s emergence proved futile; their adversaries were bent on annihilating the Yuans, and the old patriarch himself was gravely injured, unlikely to recover within three years.

Everything happened so swiftly that not only was the Yuan family caught unprepared, but even the bystanders watching the downfall could hardly comprehend what had transpired.

Yuan Yongfeng sat dazed in his chair, gazing blankly at the vast ceiling, recalling the moment a week ago when Yuan Shaolin had stood before him.

Yuan Shaolin's appearance had so startled Yuan Yongfeng that he had leaped to his feet. “You... you look so alike…” Yuan Yongfeng stared in shock; how could such resemblance exist in this world? The youth was far too similar to Ji Shaoqing. A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and Yuan Yongfeng’s eyes widened. “You’re that child!”

Long Yin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a trace of a sneer on his lips. The man’s expression was so transparently false that even he could see through it; how could His Highness be fooled by such a feeble pretense of fatherly affection?

Hmph. Yuan Shaolin let out a cold snort, his eyes frosty as he looked at Yuan Yongfeng. “Do you think I am still that helpless child from years ago?”

Yuan Yongfeng’s expression froze; seeing that tenderness was useless, his face darkened. “You unfilial son, no matter what, I am your father. Treating your father this way, if Shaoqing’s spirit sees this from the afterlife, he will never rest in peace!”

“Enough.” Yuan Shaolin’s face turned frigid; he hadn’t expected this man to be so shameless as to invoke the name of Ji Shaoqing, whom he himself had caused to die.

“Anyone in this world has the right to speak of ‘father’ before me—except you.” A mocking, icy smile curled Yuan Shaolin’s lips. “I came today to make you understand why the Yuan family must perish—it’s all because of your greed and cruelty all those years ago. For my father’s death, I’ll have the Yuan family buried with him! The burning of the cherry blossom grove was only the prologue. Watch as the Yuan family falls, step by step—feel your own impotence!”

As Yuan Yongfeng’s face shifted from pale to blue to black, turning into a painter’s palette of colors, Yuan Shaolin felt a surge of satisfaction. This man would finally pay for his past deeds.

“What will it take for you to stop?” At this moment, Yuan Yongfeng wished nothing more than to strangle Yuan Shaolin. He hated himself for compromising with Ji Shaoqing’s subordinates all those years ago. If only he had killed the boy then, none of this would have happened. Looking at this now fully-fledged avenger, he felt only regret—regret that he hadn’t killed him when he had the chance.

“Stop?” Yuan Shaolin laughed, a wicked glint in his gaze. “The day the Yuan family is destroyed is the day I stop.” He turned away, his demeanor cold and severe. Toward this man, toward this family, all he felt was icy hatred.

“Wretch! If the Yuan family must perish, we’ll deal with you first!” An old man burst out of the shadows, riding a Shadow Wolf and hurling more than a dozen explosive talisman cards toward him.

“Old monster!” Yuan Shaolin cursed, having long been on guard. It was this very fiend who had orchestrated everything in the past, pushing matters beyond hope of redemption, and had even advocated for his father’s death. Seeing the cards flying toward him, Yuan Shaolin moved. Who could outplay him at cards? He reached for his belt, flinging out over a dozen cards in return. Amid the explosions and clouds of smoke, he heard a muffled groan and Yuan Yongfeng’s anxious questioning.

Yuan Shaolin tossed out another card—this one, however, was for defense. As the smoke cleared, he saw Yuan Yongfeng and the old man standing shoulder to shoulder, faces twisted in rage as they glared at him.

Sensing movement at his side, Long Yin, who had been lounging against the door, straightened, a set of cards fanned between his fingers. Glancing at the proud figure of Yuan Shaolin, Long Yin turned to face the wave of card casters surging in. He would not let anyone disturb the duel inside. To hold off so many alone was a daunting task, but armed with cards specially attuned to his own psychic power, he would make it simple.

The opposing card casters charged. Wasting no words, Long Yin struck first. Yuan Shaolin looked back at his embattled companion; at that moment, Long Yin seemed to sense his gaze and looked back as well. Their eyes met—an unspoken understanding passed between them, and they nodded in unison. Yuan Shaolin turned to face the old man and Yuan Yongfeng.

“I won’t kill you today, but I’ll make you taste true helplessness!”

“Damn you, don’t be arrogant! I should have killed you back then—today you won’t leave alive!” Furious, the old man’s hair and beard bristled. Having suffered a setback in the opening exchange, he now wished nothing more than to tear Yuan Shaolin limb from limb.

“Old monster, you’re first!” With mutual enmity, they clashed fiercely.

On both sides, the battle was so intense that the combatants vanished from sight. Thanks to the new card system and their preparation, Long Yin and Yuan Shaolin soon gained the upper hand. But after Yuan Shaolin gravely wounded the old man, Long Yin’s situation grew precarious. After all, one pair of fists couldn’t ward off four hands; even though his psychic power was already SSS-level, it couldn’t withstand such frequent, large-scale exertion. When a master-level card caster landed a heavy punch to Long Yin’s chest, sending him flying, Yuan Shaolin was alarmed and raced to shield him without finishing off the old monster.

Long Yin managed a bitter smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t hold them all.”

“Don’t say such nonsense—you’ve done more than enough. Wounding that old monster was our main goal today. Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Long Yin didn’t protest, just nodded. The two exchanged a glance as a throng of card casters poured in, each producing over a dozen cards and flinging them out. Amid the ensuing smoke, Long Yin and Yuan Shaolin’s figures vanished. This was the improved version of the invisibility card—the fifth iteration, far surpassing the efficacy of the original.

Concealed in the shadows, Long Yin and Yuan Shaolin watched Yuan Yongfeng and the old man erupt in rage and set a series of countermeasures. Only then did they leave.

Once outside, they launched a relentless campaign against the Yuan family. First, they eliminated several loyal vassal families, then dismantled two of the Yuan’s secret forces. Next, they sowed discord among the remaining families, blocking any potential help for the Yuans. This intricate sequence of moves was in fact executed within mere hours.

Next came the Yuan family’s diehard alliance—the first target was the formidable support Yuan Yongfeng had won through a woman’s influence years ago. Toward this faction and that woman, Yuan Shaolin showed no mercy; his attacks were swift and decisive, giving them no chance to react, striking with lethal precision. As for that venomous, jealous woman from the past, Yuan Shaolin found even glancing at her repulsive. In the end, it was Xiao Chui who beat her savagely, leaving her half dead, then, as a cruel joke, dumped her into the lair of an eighth-rank rainbow viper. The sight—and the sensation—of tens of thousands of venomous serpents crawling over her was enough to frighten her to death.

Seeing Long Yin’s speechless astonishment, Xiao Chui explained innocently, “I honestly just wanted to scare her. Who knew she’d be so cowardly?”

Ah well, karma never misses; had she not instigated the old man against Ji Shaoqing back then, she’d never have met such a miserable end.

With several powerful vassal families struck down, and the death of the Yuan family’s matriarch, the Yuan family was left teetering. Yuan Shaolin did not relax for a moment. With Long Yin’s support and the immense capital of the House of Cards and the Zuo family, he launched a financial assault. Though they met with fierce resistance, how could the Yuans hope to withstand Yuan Shaolin’s endless backing, fueled by the Texas economy?

Within five days, the Yuan family was finished. With their defeat, morale collapsed—the tree falls and the monkeys scatter. This disintegration needed no prompting from Yuan Shaolin; his subordinates, itching for retribution, began to pick off the remnants. Those who had behaved decently were tacitly spared, but not a single member of the main line was left. In the span of seven days, the once-mighty Yuan family was reduced to a solitary, powerless figure.

Yuan Shaolin strode through the open doors, gazing at Yuan Yongfeng seated upright at the table.

Spotting Yuan Shaolin, Yuan Yongfeng’s once-confused gaze sharpened, fixing upon him. Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter.

“Well done—truly well done! Had you been raised in the Yuan family, how could we ever have failed to thrive?” Yuan Yongfeng sighed.

Yuan Shaolin’s expression was blank. Long Yin, repulsed by the old man’s words, felt his supper rising in his throat. If His Highness had been raised in the Yuan family, who knows what he might have become? So it is in life: some things are gained, others lost.

“I have only one question for you: do you feel even the slightest regret for my father’s death?” Yuan Shaolin’s voice betrayed no emotion. Watching the Yuan family crumble beneath his feet, with this man trampled beneath his heel, he now had only this one question left.

“Regret?” Yuan Yongfeng’s face tensed, then he laughed madly again. “Regret? How could I regret? No, I do not regret. The Yuan family’s rise allowed no room for regret. Even now, faced with this ruin, I still do not regret. If there is fault, I will never confess it. Sitting in this seat, I cannot admit to mistakes, cannot allow for regret. I was wrong about you—you would ask me such a question. You are not fit to lead a family. It’s all a mistake… a mistake…”

A manic expression twisted Yuan Yongfeng’s face. Suddenly, he drew a pistol. Long Yin’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but he didn’t move—he watched Yuan Shaolin, who stood utterly still. Yuan Yongfeng smiled at him and sighed, “You truly are just like him…” Bang! A spray of blood bloomed—his pistol clattered to the floor as Yuan Yongfeng slowly collapsed, his eyes fixed on Yuan Shaolin, his lips moving soundlessly—I only regret meeting your father.

Had we never met, there would have been no unforgettable love, no unforgettable betrayal, no entanglement, no love, no hate, no death…

Yuan Shaolin stared at the man fallen to the ground, his face expressionless, but two silver tears slid silently down his cheeks.