Tang Chuan strode over, grabbed Zhao Huan by the neck, and shoved a black Medicine Pill into her mouth. "Do you know what this is? It’s called a Corpse Worm Pill! It’s a marvelous creation from the Gu Clan of the Southern Wilds. The moment you swallow it, your body will be tortured by the Gu Insect, but you won’t die. The Gu Insect will slowly grow and eventually destroy all your internal organs. By that time, not even a Daluo Immortal will be able to save you. Now, do you still refuse the marriage between me and Qianqian?"

Zhao Huan’s face turned ashen as an unbearable pain seized her stomach. She gritted her teeth and said, "You truly are a Demon. The more you act this way, the more certain I am that I can never let you marry my daughter. If my daughter were to marry a villain like you, how could she ever be happy!"

Zhao Haishan and Wang Junru’s expressions also changed drastically. Zhao Huan was their daughter, after all, their own flesh and blood. Although their relationship had been strained over the marriage issue, they were still family. Seeing their own daughter forced to swallow a Corpse Worm Pill, they were deeply troubled.

"Young Master Tang, isn’t this going too far?" Zhao Haishan frowned. "We already agreed that Qianqian would meet with you tomorrow. Why must you do this? That Corpse Worm Pill is too dangerous."

"Indeed, it’s dangerous. And I’m the only one who has the antidote. Without it, no one can cure her. If you don’t want your daughter to die, you’d better do as you’re told!"

Tang Chuan threw Zhao Huan to the ground, where she writhed in agony, drenched in a cold sweat.

At that moment, Ye Qianqian and Ye Zuisheng ran in from outside, having heard Zhao Huan’s screams.

"Mom, what’s wrong with you? Mom, don’t scare me!" Ye Qianqian cried, terrified.

Tang Chuan, however, stared at Ye Qianqian, momentarily stunned. "Tsk, tsk, you really are a little beauty. Not bad at all. Your mother is fine; I just fed her a little something. As long as you obediently agree to marry me, I’ll give her the antidote and she’ll be perfectly fine. Otherwise, your mother will surely die!"

"Don’t agree to him!" Zhao Huan forced out through gritted teeth. "Qianqian, don’t worry about me, I’m fine!"

"How can you be fine!" Wang Junru snapped irritably. "You swallowed a Corpse Worm Pill! For something like that, only the person who made the pill has the antidote. No one else can help you."

She sighed inwardly. In that moment, she truly didn’t want Ye Qianqian to go through with the marriage. But was there any other choice? Today, Tang Chuan had easily broken into the Zhao Family home by himself and forced a Corpse Worm Pill down Zhao Huan’s throat. If the Tang Family truly wanted to destroy them, it would be far too simple. Their entire family could be brutally killed within a day.

"What!" As a student of medicinal herbs, Ye Qianqian knew exactly what a Corpse Worm Pill was. She stared at Tang Chuan with hatred. "Give my mother the antidote now. I agree to marry you."

"That won’t do. I won’t give you the antidote until the deal is sealed. On our wedding night, I will naturally save your mother. After all, by then, she’ll be my mother too, hahaha!" Tang Chuan burst into laughter.

"You bastard!" Ye Qianqian cried, tears streaming down her face.

SMACK!

Tang Chuan sent a slap through the air, and the invisible force sent Ye Qianqian flying. Luckily, Zhao Haishan was there to catch her, or else she would have surely suffered a concussion.

Tang Chuan stared at Ye Qianqian, his expression turning manic. "Woman, don’t be so ungrateful. If I weren’t concerned about upholding the alliance between our families, I would execute you right here and now. Remember this: you are forbidden from seeing that man, Yang Qi, ever again. Within three days, I’ll make sure he dies without a complete corpse, so you don’t need to think about him anymore. No one touches my toy."

"What are you going to do to Brother Qi? There’s nothing between us! I’m just like his little sister; we’re childhood friends!" Ye Qianqian said anxiously.

"Heh, ’Brother Qi.’ How affectionate. But it’s useless. He has already offended our Tang Family of Sea City. I’m not afraid to tell you, one of the reasons we came here was to kill him. I’ve specifically brought an expert from the Blood Lotus Sect. He is doomed!" Tang Chuan said coldly. "You’d better not go see him. Otherwise, everyone around you will suffer. Your parents, your brother, your entire family!"

With that, Tang Chuan smiled. "Remember, be a good girl and marry me. Tomorrow, my father and I will come to make the formal proposal. Be ready!"

Then, Tang Chuan turned and left. By the time Ye Qianqian ran outside after him, he had vanished.

After Tang Chuan left, Zhao Haishan and Wang Junru nearly collapsed from fear.

"You all saw it," Zhao Haishan said, his body trembling. "Tang Chuan is a ruthless man, and he absolutely means what he says! And he’s just from the third generation of the Tang Family of Sea City, yet he’s already this terrifying. You can only imagine how dreadful the entire Tang Family must be! We have no choice now. This is no longer about whether we agree, but whether they’re willing to let us go."

Zhao Huan fell silent.

Ye Zuisheng was also silent.

Faced with such a powerful enemy, they felt utterly helpless, even desperate. They knew this was wrong, but they were powerless to change anything. The feeling was truly unbearable and suffocating.

Ye Qianqian knelt on the floor. Faced with a choice between her mother’s life and her own happiness, what could she do? She couldn’t let her mother, who had always been so wonderful to her, die for the sake of her own happiness. She couldn’t be that selfish.

「Meanwhile, at the White Mountain Estate.」

Yang Qi, who was deep in Cultivation, opened his eyes. Huang Borren had arrived.

"What is it?"

"Boss, you asked me to keep an eye on the Zhao Family. Today, my men noticed something amiss at their residence. Several experts were lurking near the entrance. We also have a report that a scream was heard from inside the Zhao residence. After analysis, we believe the voice belongs to Zhao Huan, Ye Qianqian’s mother!" Huang Borren reported.

"Godmother is in Provincial City?" Yang Qi was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up. "Good work, Huang Borren. You should practice Martial Arts as well. Come here often from now on. I’ve transcribed several Cultivation Techniques; pick one you like and start practicing. I’m going out for a bit!"

"Thank you, Boss!"

Huang Borren had wanted to practice Martial Arts for a long time but could never find a suitable technique. This was perfect. Every technique transcribed by the Boss was undoubtedly profound. Iron Heart and Iron Bone had already begun their training. The Wolf King and his men were arriving today, and they would probably start practicing soon too. He couldn’t fall behind. As an intelligence operative, how could he get by in the future without any Martial Arts skills?

Soon, Yang Qi appeared outside the Zhao residence.

From the darkness, three terrifying auras immediately locked onto him.

A cold smile touched his lips. I’ll deal with these dogs first, then go visit Godmother.

With that thought, he lunged toward one of the figures.

Sensing his movement, all three men sprang out simultaneously.

However, Yang Qi abruptly changed direction and fled. He didn’t stop until he reached a deserted grove of trees.