Chapter 107: Tricked?

The next morning, Su Ye was already up early. Yet, for some unknown reason, the demonic blood within his sea of consciousness had vanished.

He told Jiang Ziyang about this, and Jiang Ziyang furrowed his brow. "There was a drop of demonic blood in your consciousness? I've never encountered such a thing before. Even if one of our clan members possessed demonic blood, it would be within the body, not in the consciousness. I'll consult some ancient texts shortly. If it doesn't reappear, that's for the best. But if it does, inform me immediately, no matter the time."

"Yes, clan head. May I ask you something boldly? Is your Jiang family part of the ancient Jiuli tribe? Is your ancestor the legendary Chiyou?" Su Ye asked in a low voice.

Jiang Ziyang's expression grew solemn. He stared quietly at Su Ye for a moment before saying, "Given my relationship with your grandfather, it’s alright to tell you this, but knowing it might bring unnecessary danger. Do you still want to know?"

"Do I have a choice now?" Su Ye smiled wryly. Having lived with the clan for ten years and with the Jiang family for seven, it had become his second home.

"Our Jiuli tribe’s ancestor was indeed Chiyou. However, we are just one branch of the Jiuli. Due to internal strife, we were defeated and forced to flee here to Yang City. As long as I don’t openly attempt to reclaim our lands, we shouldn’t draw attention. After all these years, I’ve come to see through everything. I only hope that Liuying and you can live peaceful lives—that is enough."

A wave of weariness crossed Jiang Ziyang’s face. He became lost in thought, eyes glazing over as if recalling something. Suddenly, his eyes grew moist. Shaking himself awake, he said, "What am I, an old man, telling you all this for? We’ll talk more when the time comes. You’ve had a tough few years. If you gain strength in the future, I hope you’ll take good care of Liuying. Now, rest well today. We’re going to finalize the Huaping Manor."

Seeing him like this, Su Ye knew it wasn’t the right time to press further. "It’s just a minor injury. How could I not want to see the manor I won back? I’ve heard there are many treasures inside!"

Jiang Ziyang laughed heartily. Since Su Ye had reclaimed the Huaping Manor, he naturally had to be there for the inspection. "Then let’s go together. Take another pill soon. Huaping Manor is no small place. There’s a dense forest inside that, due to unique conditions, holds many rare treasures and genius artifacts. It has also been attacked several times by other martial artists. The manor’s other side faces Jiang City. Being at the border, some underground trade goes on there."

Su Ye nodded thoughtfully. Even if all the treasures disappeared, just owning such a large piece of land was profitable.

Though he wasn’t adept at business, the Jiang family was. Once developed, they could simply collect the profits.

Before long, the Jiang family group boarded their vehicles and headed to Huaping Manor.

It was a joyous occasion, and since manpower was needed at the manor, Jiang Ziyang brought along sixty or seventy people—warriors, servants, and even lawyers to handle the paperwork.

Once inside the car, Su Ye noticed Jiang Liuying sitting weakly. Despite wearing a tracksuit, she looked listless, as if she hadn’t fully woken. Notably, two crumpled tissues poked out of her tiny nostrils.

"Huh? Didn’t you say you’ve never been sick since childhood? What’s going on now?" Su Ye teased without much pity.

Jiang Liuying shot him a sharp glance, cutely holding a thermometer in her mouth. The sunlight filtering through the window illuminated her face, evoking a feeling of tenderness.

She removed the thermometer and handed it to the nearby Xiaodie. "Check if the fever’s gone."

"Miss, it’s still 38.5 degrees! You should rest at home," Xiaodie said with concern.

Su Ye leaned closer, clicking his tongue. "I thought I was the only patient. You too? What’s the matter, afraid I’ll hog the manor and not share?"

"Oh, Master Su Ye, Miss is already ill and feeling quite unwell. Don’t tease her," Xiaodie protested, pouting.

Jiang Liuying buried her head against Xiaodie’s ample chest as if it were the most comfortable pillow, happily saying, "Xiaodie cares for me. Ah, Xiaodie’s grown again! Tell me, what did you eat to grow so much?"

Xiaodie’s pretty face flushed deeply. She dared not look at Su Ye and only murmured, "Miss, it’s nothing, just... just early development. Please don’t rub so much, I... I’m ticklish..."

"That’s nonsense. Last time when we bathed together, yours was bigger than mine by a good margin. You said papaya would help, but I’ve eaten it for months with no effect. Are you lying to me?"

"Th-this..."

Su Ye felt awkward listening to their exchange. It was too late to get off the car, so he took out his phone and flipped through messages, feigning ignorance. He saw a message from his school advisor saying that since he missed the college entrance exam, university admission was impossible. However, a school in Mogu City had sent him a guaranteed admission offer, asking if he wanted to accept.

Su Ye smiled. Unexpectedly, even without the exam, he could still attend university. But he wasn’t in a hurry; the semester hadn’t started yet, and with so much going on, he doubted he’d be able to focus on studies.

After a long drive, they finally arrived at Huaping Manor in grand fashion.

It lay on the outskirts of Yang City, so the road was devoid of urban hustle, occasionally dotted with villagers and hiking enthusiasts.

Passing through a village in the new city area, they spotted Huaping Manor from afar.

The manor spanned several hillsides, with a few villas on the mid-mountain slopes and some old buildings resembling those from the Ming and Qing dynasties in another direction.

"We’ve arrived! Miss, this is Huaping Manor? It’s huge! Is that hillside part of it too?" Xiaodie exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, yes! Heh, there’s no air like this in the city. Living here would do wonders for one’s spirit," the steward praised, noticing a reservoir at the foot of the mountain, likely stocked with fish.

Jiang Liuying also got out, looking around with a smile. "That Ye Lingyun actually wagered Huaping Manor. He must be regretting it now. Haha, I heard there are ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms in the mountains. I want to pick some myself."

Jiang Ziyang nodded approvingly and waved for the servants to begin their work.

"Go inspect everything and tidy the place. If there’s nothing urgent later, we can come here to rest. Haha, thanks to Su Ye’s efforts, we have this wonderful place. Lawyer, is the paperwork done?"

The lawyer’s face darkened as he approached with a few others. He said gravely, "Clan head Jiang, we’ve been deceived."

Su Ye frowned, glancing at the martial artists waiting nearby for the handover. The martial alliance representatives were present—were they trying to cheat?

"Oh? Is Ye Lingyun refusing to hand it over after losing?"

"No, they agreed to hand it over. But... this Huaping Manor isn’t privately owned. Only three years remain on the property rights. After that, it reverts to the Central Chinese Authority," the lawyer explained quickly.

What?

Everyone immediately looked at the martial alliance representative.

The representative’s expression remained unchanged. He said sternly, "We can’t help it. Ye Lingyun’s Huaping Manor indeed only has three years of rights left. But he didn’t break his word—he did lose it to you, didn’t he? Sign quickly—I have other business."

Su Ye clenched his fists in frustration. He hadn’t expected to be tricked by Ye Lingyun all along; the manor was only a three-year lease.

"Ye Lingyun, I will remember this debt!"