With three supreme masters, they were invincible upon descending the mountain.

Stepping out of the blue light curtain behind the mountain, the two stood once again in the sunlight in the forest.

Lin Qingxue lowered her head, took a few steps, and then suddenly stopped.

She bit her red lips lightly, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers. After a while, she finally raised her head and looked at Ye Yaocheng with a complicated expression.

"Brother Cheng, could we keep our affair a secret for now?"

Ye Yaocheng paused, his brows furrowing. "Why?"

He turned around to face her: "Now that you are my woman, I will naturally agree to marry you honorably."

"Just wait until I'm ready on my end."

"It's not because of that." Lin Qingxue shook her head, her voice somewhat downcast: "The Lin family isn't as simple as you think."

"I know my grandfather is good to me, but he is old and has just recovered from his illness. I don't want him to worry about me."

"As for my father... and the uncles and elders in the family."

She gave a wry smile: "If they knew about my relationship with you, they would definitely try every means to break us up."

"In their eyes, my marriage is nothing more than a bargaining chip."

Ye Yaocheng looked at her.

This girl, who is usually as bright as a little sun, now has a heavy expression on her face that is not appropriate for her age.

He reached out and gently took her hand, his voice steady, each word like a promise: "Give me some time, okay?"

"Once I've finished what I need to do and built up the necessary power, I'll make sure that no one in the entire Lin family dares to say a word against you."

Lin Qingxue's eyes reddened, and she nodded vigorously.

"Um!"

"I'm waiting for you."

The two smiled at each other, held hands, and walked towards the manor gate.

"Qingxue?"

Just as we stepped out of the woods, an old and dignified voice, tinged with doubt, came from ahead.

Lin Qingxue froze, like a startled rabbit, and abruptly released Ye Yaocheng's hand!

She turned around and looked in the direction of the sound.

Lin Baye was seen standing on a path not far away, leaning on his cane.

The old man had gray hair and deep wrinkles on his face. Although his complexion was much better than when he first woke up, he still looked weak from the initial recovery from a serious illness.

But those eyes remained sharp.

He looked at his granddaughter, then at Ye Yaocheng.

Finally, his gaze fell on Lin Qingxue's obviously ill-fitting and wrinkled coat.

His eyes flickered.

Lin Baye clearly saw Lin Qingxue's little gesture of letting go, but he didn't say anything.

He simply walked over, leaning on his cane, and stopped in front of his granddaughter. He looked her up and down, his face serious: "Girl, where have you been all night?"

Lin Qingxue's face turned pale, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her clothes: "I...I went to the back mountain to clear my head, and I got lost."

"It was Cheng-ge... who brought me out."

"Nonsense!"

Lin Baye's face hardened: "What kind of place is the back mountain? How many times have I told you, you're not allowed to go there alone!"

"And you, not only did you go, you stayed all night!"

He glared at his granddaughter before turning to Ye Yaocheng, a grateful smile on his face: "Thanks to Doctor Ye."

"Otherwise, this girl might have been carried off and eaten by some wild wolf."

Ye Yaocheng's heart skipped a beat.

A wild wolf? It probably isn't referring to itself.

His expression remained unchanged as he chuckled and scratched his head, saying, "Mr. Lin, you're too kind. We're all friends; it's only right."

"friend……"

Lin Baye repeated the two words, his eyes deepening.

But he didn't ask any further questions, he just waved his hand at Lin Qingxue:

"Look at you dressed like that, what kind of person are you?"

"Go back and change your clothes right now! If your dad sees you, he'll scold you again!"

"Oh……"

Lin Qingxue nodded obediently, glanced at Ye Yaocheng with reluctance, and then turned and ran away.

After she walked away, Lin Baye looked at Ye Yaocheng and gestured for him to enter.

"Dr. Ye, this old man will see you off."

"I wouldn't dare trouble Elder Lin."

"Of course."

The two walked side by side along the bluestone path toward the gate.

The two remained silent the entire way, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Yaocheng could sense an indescribable sense of oppression emanating from the old man beside him, like the calm before a storm.

Lin Baye stopped at the gate.

He turned around, looked at Ye Yaocheng, and suddenly bowed deeply:

"Thank you so much, Dr. Ye."

Ye Yaocheng quickly helped him up: "Mr. Lin, what's wrong?"

Lin Baye straightened up, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Qingxue, that girl, is simple-minded and doesn't have any ulterior motives."

"Her mother passed away early, and as her grandfather, I didn't have much time to take care of her."

"Her father...sigh."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Ye Yaocheng understands.

"Don't worry, Elder Lin," he said earnestly. "Qingxue is my friend, and I won't let her suffer any injustice."

"friend……"

Lin Baye repeated the word, smiled, but there was a bitter taste in his smile.

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his voice: "Dr. Ye."

"If... I mean if."

"One day in the future, when I am no longer here."

He stared into Ye Yaocheng's eyes and said, word by word, "Please take care of Qingxue for me."

Ye Yaocheng was stunned for a moment.

Something about those words didn't feel right. He stopped smiling and nodded solemnly, "Okay."

"I promise you."

Lin Baye let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He patted Ye Yaocheng on the shoulder, said nothing more, and turned back to the manor.

His back was somewhat hunched, exuding an indescribable desolation.

Ye Yaocheng felt somewhat heavy-hearted after leaving the Lin family.

Lin Baye's last words felt off, as if something was about to happen to the Lin family.

He walked back along the street, his mind a jumbled mess.

As he crossed a street corner, a sudden commotion ahead interrupted his thoughts.

A group of people gathered by the roadside, pointing and discussing amongst themselves.

"Tsk tsk, that's pathetic."

"Is it hopeless?"

"Save him?! I heard he's involved in organized crime, serves him right!"

"That's right, mind your own business!"

Ye Yaocheng frowned.

The underworld?

The only underground force in Linjiang right now should be the Black Dragon Society.

He wasn't a pushover, and didn't want to get involved.

But as I passed through the crowd, a few words drifted into my ears: "This person is almost dead; there's blood everywhere!"

"It's just gang warfare, dogs fighting dogs, death brings peace!"

Ye Yaocheng paused, closed his eyes, and his brow twitched slightly.

A wisp of invisible spiritual energy spread out like ripples on water, silently passing through the crowd and reaching the center.

After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, his spiritual power could cover a radius of 100 meters, allowing him to perceive even the smallest details.

Compared to the Martial King realm, it's like heaven and earth. Only when you reach the late stage of the Martial King realm can you use your spiritual power to perceive your surroundings.

The next second, he suddenly opened his eyes!

In the center of the crowd, a person was lying on the ground.

The man was covered in blood, his clothes were tattered, and he had a gruesome knife wound on his chest, deep enough to expose the bone.

His breath was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Ye Yaocheng recognized the face; it was Er Gouzi.

Saitama's underlings had offered him a cigarette at the Black Dragon Society headquarters last time.

"Get out of the way!"

Ye Yaocheng gave a low shout and pushed through the crowd to rush in!

He squatted down and placed his hand on Er Gouzi's wrist.

The pulse was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

"Er Gouzi!" Ye Yaocheng called out in a low voice.

Upon hearing the sound, Er Gouzi, whose eyes had been unfocused, suddenly trembled.

He turned his head with difficulty, his blurry vision focusing on Ye Yaocheng's face.

The moment he recognized who it was, his eyes widened in shock!

"Sir...sir..."

Er Gouzi's lips trembled as he gripped Ye Yaocheng's sleeve with all his might.

The nails turned white due to exertion.

"Save...save the boss..."

He made a hoarse sound in his throat, and bloody foam kept gushing from the corner of his mouth: "They...a lot of people have come..."

"Master... can't hold on much longer..."

"Please...go quickly..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, and his eyes quickly dimmed.

Ye Yaocheng's expression changed, and he instantly pulled out three silver needles, piercing several vital acupoints of Er Gouzi with lightning speed!

But it was no use. The moment the needle pierced his skin, he knew it was too late.

Er Gouzi's chances of survival had long been dashed.

Those few words were a final burst of energy before death, spoken with the last breath of his life.

Now, the anger has dissipated.

Ye Yaocheng slowly withdrew his hand.

He looked at Er Gouzi's gradually stiffening corpse, then at his own blood-stained hands.

His gaze gradually turned cold.

The surrounding chatter suddenly fell silent.

Everyone felt a chill emanating from the young man squatting on the ground.

Like the deathly cold before a blizzard.

Ye Yaocheng stood up, took off his coat, and gently covered Er Gouzi's face with it.

Then he turned around and glanced at the crowd of onlookers.

Anyone whose gaze fell upon him instinctively took a step back, avoiding eye contact.

"Black Dragon Society"

Ye Yaocheng uttered these three words in a low voice, a cold smile slowly curving his lips.

"It seems some people are really tired of living."

As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

Like a ghost, it headed straight for the Black Dragon Society headquarters.