Chapter 16: Attacked by a Mysterious Stranger

With Ye Junlin’s tacit approval, Ye Miaoran and Ye Xiaoya were as delighted as children, racing out like wild horses let loose, laughing and playing as they went. Watching the two girls frolic away, Ye Junlin and Ye Chuan exchanged glances. “Those two girls…” Their spirits were infected by the girls’ exuberance, and they couldn’t help but smile at each other.

…

“Ye Muchen, are you confident you can get that newly arrived Dragon Scale Grass at the Danbao Pavilion?”
“Jingyue, relax. You have nothing to worry about. My third uncle, Ye Yunxiao, is the manager of the Danbao Pavilion.”
“If I, Ye Muchen, want that Dragon Scale Grass, my third uncle will get it for me no matter what—it’s as good as ours.”
As they walked, Ye Muchen patted his chest and swore loudly and confidently.

“That’s good.”
Satisfied with Ye Muchen’s answer, Ye Jingyue nodded in approval.
Soon, Ye Jingyue and Ye Muchen left the Ye residence.

Not long after they departed, Ye Junlin, Ye Chuan, and the lively, playful Ye Miaoran and Ye Xiaoya also left the Ye residence, stepping onto the bustling, prosperous streets of Black Dragon City.

“Miaoran, look, isn’t this hairpin beautiful?”
“Haha, Xiaoya, look at these candied hawthorns—they look delicious! Want one?”
“Wow, look at that little clay figure, it’s so cute!”
Ye Miaoran and Ye Xiaoya skipped excitedly along the street, marveling at everything they saw, exclaiming in delight at every turn.

On their way to the Danbao Pavilion, after passing through a stretch of lively, crowded streets, Ye Junlin, Ye Chuan, Ye Xiaoya, and Ye Miaoran found themselves in a quiet alley, almost deserted.

Suddenly, a masked figure in a black robe appeared, seizing Ye Xiaoya just as she was laughing with Ye Miaoran.

Startled, Ye Xiaoya let out a piercing scream.
The abrupt crisis left Ye Miaoran frozen in shock.

Ye Junlin and Ye Chuan’s faces instantly darkened.
On Ye Junlin’s face in particular, an unprecedented look of anxiety appeared.

“Bastard! Let Xiaoya go!”
Ye Junlin and Ye Chuan shouted almost simultaneously, the atmosphere turning tense and dangerous.

Ye Junlin had never expected that someone would make a move against them so soon after leaving the Ye residence.
Damn it—who could it be? Was it Ye Nantian or Ye Jingyue who had sent someone after them?

There was no time to think. Ye Junlin and Ye Chuan immediately rushed toward the masked figure holding Ye Xiaoya.

The black-clad assailant appeared to be at the seventh level of the Open Vein Realm, but his movements were bizarre and unpredictable.
No matter how hard Ye Junlin and Ye Chuan tried, they could not catch up with him.

A movement technique?
Damn it, this man had mastered such a strange and elusive movement skill?

Realizing they could not close the distance, Ye Junlin clenched his fists in frustration.

“Who are you? Why are you taking Xiaoya?”
Furious, Ye Junlin roared at the masked man.

“Hahaha, why? Ye Junlin, perhaps you should consider who you’ve offended lately.”
The black-clad figure let out a sinister laugh, then vanished from Ye Junlin’s sight in a flash.

“Oh, by the way, Ye Junlin, I nearly forgot—my master said he’ll be waiting for you at Skyfiend Peak with Ye Xiaoya in seven days.”
“Remember, seven days from now. You must come alone.”
“You cannot arrive early or late. If you violate any of these terms, you can prepare to collect your sister Ye Xiaoya’s corpse.”

Ye Junlin could only watch as the masked figure disappeared completely with Ye Xiaoya.
The man’s final words thundered in Ye Junlin’s mind like a series of deafening explosions.

At that moment, Ye Junlin stood stunned, staring in the direction the kidnapper had gone, as if struck by lightning.

“Who? Who was it?”
“Damn it, I’ll kill you!”
Veins bulged on Ye Junlin’s forehead as he growled in rage, his anger threatening to overwhelm his reason.

“Master, calm yourself. Since the enemy has set a seven-day deadline and made these demands, Xiaoya will be safe during this period.”
“Moreover, I am certain the target isn’t Xiaoya, but you.”
“So long as you don’t go to Skyfiend Peak, Xiaoya’s life won’t be in danger.”

Just as Ye Junlin was about to chase after the kidnapper in a fit of rage, the voice of the Tower Spirit, Yingying, echoed in his mind.

Hearing Yingying’s words, Ye Junlin gradually regained some composure.

“So, master, you must stay calm. Use these seven days to strengthen yourself as much as possible.”
“Only then, when you go to Skyfiend Peak in seven days, will you have a better chance of survival.”
“Let’s go to the Danbao Pavilion and gather the ingredients for Foundation Elixirs. If we can refine enough, you might even break through in these seven days.”
“And if we find the right herbs, Uncle Fu’s cultivation might be restored as well.”
“If that happens, the odds of rescuing Xiaoya in seven days will be much higher.”

Yingying continued to persuade him.

“Yingying, yes, you’re right. In these seven days, I, Ye Junlin, cannot sit and wait for death.”
“I must grow stronger and find a way to restore Uncle Fu’s cultivation.”

Yingying’s words brought Ye Junlin completely back to his senses.

His gaze locked on the direction in which the masked man had vanished.

“Just you wait. I don’t care who you are behind all this.
If anything happens to Xiaoya in seven days, I, Ye Junlin, will make sure none of you die a peaceful death.”