"By the way, Master, did the Third Lord tell you what I mentioned to him?" Tang Bo suddenly asked.

"What was it?" the Clan Leader asked.

Long Tianhao also looked curious.

"Jiang Linglong from the reformist faction of Medicine King Valley came looking for my big brother, Ye Liangchen. She wanted to take him away, but I stopped her. Then, that very night, the Long Family Manor was raided," Tang Bo explained.

After hearing this, both the Clan Leader and Long Tianhao wore puzzled expressions.

How could Jiang Linglong know Ye Liangchen, and why did she want to take him away?

"I understand now!" The Clan Leader exclaimed, a look of sudden realization on his face. "Medicine King Valley must have heard of Ye Liangchen’s medical skills and grown covetous of his talent, aiming to snatch him away from our Long Family."

"Since Jiang Linglong’s attempt to take Ye Liangchen failed, the night raid happened immediately after. In other words, the raid on the Long Family Manor wasn’t carried out by Ye Xiu, but by people from Medicine King Valley," Long Tianhao continued.

"Exactly!" the Clan Leader nodded. "I was wondering about that myself. The Long Family’s members are scattered all over Hexia Road. How could Ye Xiu possibly know all their locations? And how could he deploy so many experts to silently steal our money at the exact same time? It seems it was Medicine King Valley’s doing."

"It has to be Medicine King Valley. Those branch families of the Long Family don’t even share the Long surname, so how could Ye Xiu know they were part of our family? Medicine King Valley, on the other hand, knows us like the back of their hand. It must have been them," Long Tianhao said with absolute certainty.

Tang Bo, Nangong Yue, and the others all felt that the analysis from the Clan Leader and Long Tianhao made perfect sense.

Only in the eyes of the taciturn young man behind Long Tianhao did an expression flash. What a pair of idiots.

"Medicine King Valley has always seen our Long Family as servants. Our entire clan has left Hundred Flowers Valley, so they must be furious. That’s why they stole all our money—to try and force us back."

The Clan Leader narrowed his eyes and continued his analysis. "This also explains why, after Huang Quan knocked me out, the people from Medicine King Valley didn’t kill me. They just left behind a timed music box to scare me."

"If we don’t return to Hundred Flowers Valley, I’m afraid Medicine King Valley might declare war on us directly."

A speechless expression crossed the taciturn young man’s face. The Clan Leader’s imagination is truly something else. But what is Ye Xiu actually trying to accomplish with this? Is he trying to provoke a war between the Long Family and Medicine King Valley?

However, the expressions of Long Tianhao, Tang Bo, and Nangong Yue turned solemn.

Long Tianhao said in a deep voice, "Although Medicine King Valley is much smaller than the Long Family in number, they have Totem Awakeners. Their peak combat power is stronger than ours. If it really comes to war, we will likely be at a disadvantage."

"Hmph!" The Clan Leader snorted disdainfully. "Medicine King Valley only has that dozen or so Awakeners, whereas our Long Family has several times that number of experts above the War God level. We can easily use them to tie down Medicine King Valley’s Awakeners while our other forces move in to annihilate the rest of the Valley. Afterward, we can concentrate our forces to wear down and kill their Awakeners."

"It seems we’ll have to watch out for Medicine King Valley while we search for Ye Xiu," Long Tianhao said.

"Naturally!" the Clan Leader agreed. "Send out the orders. Summon all of the Long Family’s experts above the War God level and all our geniuses to the Long Family Manor. As for the others, have them stay in that unfinished residential area the Shen Family used to occupy."

Long Tianhao nodded and turned to the taciturn young man behind him. "Er Gouzi, you handle this."

Without a word, Er Gouzi left, carrying his blade.

After he left the Long Family Manor, a taxi immediately pulled over.

As Er Gouzi got into the car, he asked, "Has Qin Jiuyou set off?"

"He should be arriving soon," the driver, who wore a cap and a face mask, replied. "Is it really necessary to send a top-tier expert like Qin Jiuyou just to capture two women?"

"One of those two women is Ye Liangchen’s wife," Er Gouzi stated.

At the mention of Ye Liangchen, a fierce hatred flashed in the driver’s eyes. He pulled down his mask, revealing a face that would have surely shocked Ye Xiu.

Jiao Fuping!

It was none other than Jiao Fuping, who was supposed to be dead.

"Ye Liangchen killed me once. I’ll repay him by cuckolding him. What do you think?" Jiao Fuping asked.

"Sure!" Er Gouzi agreed readily.

...

The Junlin Mountain Villa District was a high-end residential community built into the mountainside, surrounded by peaks on three sides and facing water on the fourth.

At that moment, outside one of the villas, Qin Qing and Chloe were sparring.

"Dear, breakfast is ready. Stop practicing for now. Go wash up and let’s eat," said Ye Xiu, emerging from the villa. Wearing an apron, he looked every bit the perfect, domestic husband as he smiled cheerfully.

Qin Qing was deeply moved, but she maintained a frosty expression and continued sparring with Chloe, ignoring him.

Chloe was truly impressed by Qin Qing’s acting. The Young Master had gone to such lengths, yet she could still keep up the pretense.

"I really didn’t cheat on you." Ye Xiu’s smile collapsed, his face etched with pain as he tried to explain, "I have no idea who that woman in my bed last night was. I had dinner with people from the thirteen external families. She probably drank too much and went into the wrong room. If you don’t believe me, you can have Chloe hypnotize her..."

Listening to Ye Xiu’s incessant rambling, Qin Qing almost broke character. She could feel how much he cared for her, but she had to hold back. Ye Xiu’s heart can’t be filled with only hatred; it needs other emotions too. Besides, a little conflict is the lubricant in a marriage. It can make a couple’s bond stronger.

"Hey, Chloe, why aren’t you helping me?" Ye Xiu pleaded.

Locked in her mock battle with Qin Qing, Chloe said weakly, "If I help you, the Young Mistress will get angry."

"I’m the head of this household!" Ye Xiu retorted.

Chloe scoffed, "Oh, really?"

Ye Xiu felt insulted by Chloe’s scoff and took a deep breath. "Help me sort this out, and I’ll help you awaken the third stage of your Purple Pupil."

The Mohei Family’s Purple Pupil Ability is enhanced through continual awakenings.

Chloe’s eyes lit up, but then she became conflicted. She had dreamed of awakening the third stage of her Purple Pupil, but what if she ruined Qin Qing’s plan? What if Qin Qing decided to make her life difficult later?

After much hesitation, Chloe gritted her teeth and said, "Young Master, please forgive my inability to help."

Ye Xiu drew a sharp breath. What on earth did Qin Qing do to make Chloe so obedient?

Just as he was about to tempt Chloe further, a cold voice suddenly cut in. "Excuse me, which one of you is Qin Qing?"

Ye Xiu turned toward the voice, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Qin Qing and Chloe immediately stopped their sparring and looked over.

"I am. Who are you?" Qin Qing asked.

"I am Qin Jiuyou. I have been ordered to take you to see someone," he said.

When he started speaking, he was still a hundred meters away, but by the time he finished, he stood merely five meters from Qin Qing.

This eerie and swift movement technique caused Qin Qing’s expression to change. Chloe immediately stepped in front of her, on high alert, as if facing a powerful foe.