"Then that settles it!" Jun Mo Xie glared fiercely at him. "Don't think I don't know you’ve been lining your own pockets! This was just a minor lesson! One bottle, one hundred pills—the auction price was basically one million taels of silver per pill. You used fifty straight up. Double that is a whole bottle’s worth! You have to cough up one hundred million taels of silver for me, obediently!"

With a thud, Tang Yuan flopped onto his back on the ground, foam sputtering from his mouth, his body convulsing.

Jun Mo Xie paid him no mind. "I’ll count to three. If you don't get up, I'll double the amount immediately! As long as you have silver to hand over, being dizzy doesn't matter."

This time, Jun Mo Xie didn't even get to count. Tang Yuan sprang up with surprising agility. "No need to trouble yourself with counting, Third Young Master! I admit it, alright? You are truly ruthless, asking for a hundred million right off the bat! I only have less than three hundred million total..." As he grumbled this out, baring his teeth in bitter resentment, Tang Yuan suddenly realized he had let something slip.

"What? Three hundred million?!" "Damn it all!" "You really are something, Tang Yuan, you fat hog! You’ve stuffed yourself silly! I'll have your ancestors!" "You actually embezzled three hundred million privately! Now you have two choices. First, spit out all three hundred million you stole. Second, accompany me to the Dugu Family tonight!" Jun Mo Xie’s eyes burned with a predatory hunger.

Considering his share, which was two-tenths, the Noble Hall held ninety million taels. That meant Tang Yuan should have had one hundred and eighty million. Jun Mo Xie hadn't expected this fatty to secretly amass a fortune of three hundred million. In the entire Tianxiang Empire, perhaps only a handful possessed such terrifying wealth. If he didn't pare off some of this succulent pork fat, his heart felt incredibly uneasy...

"Isn't that an easy choice? We are brothers for life, wherever you go, I go. Even if it’s the Dragon's Den or the Tiger's Lair, your brother will go without fail! It’s just the Dugu Family, isn't it? I'll go! Huh?! The Dugu Family?"

Tang Yuan thumped his chest with grand indignation, making the hasty promise. Only after speaking did he realize he had agreed to the Dugu Family, and he immediately shivered again, pulling a long face. "Third Young Master, it’s not that your brother isn't loyal, it’s just that I truly have something on tonight. It must be dealt with."

"You really have something? I trust you can handle things conveniently! And I also trust you will accompany me," Jun Mo Xie chuckled.

"I really have something, it absolutely cannot be delayed!" Seeing the Young Master smile, the fatty thought there might be room for negotiation.

"Since you have something, I won't force you. That will be three hundred million, thank you!" Jun Mo Xie held up three fingers.

"Big Brother, my business is trivial, hehe, utterly insignificant... Accompanying you to the Dugu Family is the main event. How could I possibly refuse! I’ll go! Damn it all... Even if I sell this entire body of fat to the Dugu Family, can they really eat me?" Tang Yuan adopted a tragic posture of righteous self-sacrifice.

"That's more like it."

"Look at you, suddenly shouting like that. I almost thought you really had something important to do," Jun Mo Xie clapped his hands and laughed. "Since that's the case, then the one hundred million taels of silver..." Tang Yuan’s spirits immediately lifted. If he accompanied Jun Mo Xie to the Dugu Family just once, perhaps even this one hundred million could be waived... How wonderful that would be.

Even if he got thrashed at the Dugu Family, it would be worth it...

He looked at Jun Mo Xie with eager expectation, only to hear Young Master Jun say: "Then you can repay it tomorrow. I imagine the Dugu Family won't eat all the fat on your body in one night either."

Tang Yuan swallowed hard with a gulp.

Seeing that it was still early, Jun Mo Xie arranged for Tang Yuan to wait in his small courtyard, telling him to keep Ye Guhan company for a chat, and then slipped away himself...

Because chatting with Ye Guhan was a truly arduous task. This fellow only ever talked to himself, completely ignoring anyone else. Furthermore, when he got worked up, he couldn't stand not having an audience—he would fly into a rage! The old man was now a cripple whose Profound Arts were entirely destroyed. In terms of a fight, even the fatty might not win, but could one truly bring oneself to strike a cripple? If one couldn't bring oneself to strike, then one had no choice but to listen!

So, Jun Mo Xie pushed Tang Yuan into the predicament today. Fatty Tang was initially quite excited. Ye Guhan was a legendary, deeply affectionate dream whispered about among the young nobles of the capital.

Ye Guhan’s persistence, Ye Guhan’s profound devotion, Ye Guhan’s legend...

But within five minutes, Tang Yuan regretted it...

Ye Guhan was clearly immersed in his own world, repeating his narrative over and over. The entire speech was aimed at himself. He didn't care if anyone was listening; he was just responsible for speaking. However, if the fat man sitting there dared to leave, Ye Guhan would get displeased, his eyes would glare open, and he would unleash a torrent of curses. Don't underestimate him just because he’s crippled; his scolding was still full of vigor.

Tang Yuan was utterly on the verge of tears without tears. "I paid ten billion taels of gleaming white silver! And I promised Young Master Third that I’d accompany him to brave the Dugu Family—the nightmare of everyone in the capital—and in exchange, I get the treatment of accompanying a love-sick lunatic for conversation? There is no justice in this world!"

Finally, the occasional swoosh of wind from swords and sabers drifting in from outside caught Ye Guhan’s attention. Ye Guhan stood up, leaned against the window to look, and then his gaze became fixed. He then strode out with surprising speed... whoosh!

Outside, two young children were practicing martial arts. One practiced the saber, the other the sword. Their movements were clumsy and unskilled; it was clear they had only recently begun their training.

What truly captured Ye Guhan’s eye, however, was the child wielding the saber.

That child was using a left-handed saber!

And it was the simplest, purest style of one-armed saber technique! Several strikes were directed precisely along the trajectory where the right arm would be. If the right arm existed, it would inevitably have been severed by that slash.

Ye Guhan was a true master of martial arts and could instantly tell that this saber technique must have been created by a one-armed expert. Otherwise, no one in the world could devise a technique that crippled oneself in such a manner.

But his own right arm had also been severed; he, too, was a cripple whose movements were restricted to his left arm! Since losing his right hand, Ye Guhan knew his life was over. His life had been intertwined with the sword; losing his sword-wielding right hand rendered his exquisite swordsmanship useless. Furthermore, although he had miraculously survived that upheaval, the meridians inside his body were knotted and chaotic, and his Profound Heavenly Power could no longer be roused. This series of blows had gradually led Ye Guhan into despair.

But this time, Ye Guhan suddenly discovered a new hope! If someone else could create this left-armed saber art, it must have been conceived after they sustained an injury. Why couldn’t I create a left-handed sword art suited for myself based on this? If this could perfectly integrate the profound meaning of 'the sword deviating from the expected path,' wouldn't it possess even greater power?

Ye Guhan simply watched the stubborn youth continuously practicing the saber, swinging it again and again...

He watched until he was utterly entranced...

The saber-wielding youth practiced repeatedly but seemed unable to grasp the key essence and was struggling with frustration. Then, he heard a voice say, "This move should be like this..." Following the words, a hand reached out and took his saber, executing the previous move smoothly.

It was incomparably superior and practiced compared to what the youth himself was attempting.

Moreover, this person was also using his left hand.

Turning back, the person was none other than Ye Guhan.

An abnormally fervent light radiated from Ye Guhan's face. Looking at the saber in his own hand, his eyes gradually reddened. After a long moment, he quietly brought the saber to his face, whispering, "Thank you! Thank you for letting me know that I am still useful! That I am not a complete waste..."

Then he stood up, standing perfectly straight!

The pride of the past and the overwhelming, heroic spirit that once dominated the cloud-piercing winds of battle returned to him once more!

When Jun Mo Xie arrived, Guan Qinghan was visibly flustered and somewhat at a loss.

"How have you been these past few days?" Jun Mo Xie smiled, sitting down on a chair beside her.

"Not bad," Guan Qinghan replied with a soft smile.

"Actually, there are some things that we always imagine as overly terrifying when we haven't faced them. But when they truly fall upon us, when we confront them head-on, we discover they might not be so frightening after all. In truth, there is no obstacle in this world that cannot be overcome. Everything, everything, is like illusory dog crap! When you no longer fear it, it becomes much easier," Jun Mo Xie mused deeply. "This time is no exception, do you understand?"

"Yes. I truly never expected, nor dared to hope, that this incident would resolve in this manner," Guan Qinghan nodded lightly, offering a poignant smile. "I originally thought this hurdle was absolutely insurmountable—at least, insurmountable for me."

"No, this matter isn't entirely over yet," Jun Mo Xie smiled. "Because you still have to pass the test that belongs only to you! Right now, Third Uncle is preparing a grand ceremony to formally accept you as his daughter. Third Uncle intends to announce this matter to the world officially! Afterward, since Guan Qinghan will be a daughter of the Jun family and no longer the Eldest Young Mistress, if anyone dares to nitpick about this matter again, they will be considered an irreconcilable enemy of the Jun family! Since they are an enemy of the Jun family, they must accept the fate of ruthless annihilation!"

"Foster Father is truly thoughtful," Guan Qinghan sighed emotionally, her bright eyes fixed on Jun Mo Xie. "But you... you are sometimes too reckless in how you handle things."

"What makes you say that?" Jun Mo Xie paused in confusion.

"I heard that Mei Gaojie and Kong Lingyang were killed. Did you do it?" Guan Qinghan looked at him with some reproach. "These two esteemed gentlemen might have been somewhat pedantic in their ways, but their characters were extremely upright. Moreover, they were both highly cultured and straightforward. They dedicated their lives to the nation. To kill such good men was excessive."

"Heh heh... you still don't understand!" Jun Mo Xie sighed deeply, his thoughts drifting to his deeply cherished homeland. "Sometimes, especially when good people are doing bad things, regardless of their intentions or original goals, the impact they create is enormous! Such pedantic scholars, the more virtuous their character, the greater the harm they inflict. They can directly or indirectly obstruct the progress of all humanity..."