Chapter 8: My Benefactor, I Will Protect You

At that moment, Su Wei, who was present, recognized that the person who had arrived was Ye Fan. He immediately sneered and said, "I wondered what kind of big shot dared to speak so rudely in my Su family, but it turns out it’s just you—the trash of the Ye family?"

Before Ye Fan could respond, the other members of the Su family began to chime in, heaping scorn upon him.

"The head of the family is right. Ye Fan, you have some nerve! Do you still think you’re the descendant of the prestigious Ye military family that once held sway over Yunzhou?"

"Exactly! Ye Fan, your Ye family has already perished. You are nothing but a homeless, low-class wretch now."

"An ignorant fool! Given your current status, you aren't even qualified to step through our gates, yet you dare to stand here and boast?"

Su Xue, listening to the barrage of insults directed at Ye Fan, stood up with a stern expression. "Father, and everyone else, how can you say such things about Ye Fan? If it weren't for his father's help back then, our Su family wouldn't even exist today! Furthermore, the reason our family has a foothold in Yunzhou and has been able to build our business is because of the Ye family's support. Now that they are in trouble, instead of remembering the past and showing gratitude, you are kicking them when they are down! Have you all lost your consciences?"

Hearing these words, a wave of warmth surged through Ye Fan’s heart. Even though Su Xue had a burn scar on her face, in his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world—unique and incomparable.

Just as Su Xue finished speaking, her half-brother, Su Bai, rushed toward her in a rage. "Su Xue, you rebellious wretch! How dare you talk back to the elders of the Su family? I’ll slap your mouth shut!"

With that, he swung his hand aggressively toward her.

*Smack!*

At that instant, the scene, which had been boiling with the anger of Su Bai’s outburst, fell into a deathly, stunned silence. Everyone present stared in disbelief, their faces contorted with rage. None of them had expected that Ye Fan, a man whose family had been destroyed, would dare to slap Su Bai right in front of everyone.

Su Bai, reeling from the blow, jumped up in a fury and roared at Ye Fan, "Ye Fan, you reckless piece of trash! How dare you slap me?"

*Smack!*

Before Su Bai could even recover, Ye Fan slapped him again, his gaze and voice icy. "You dare lay a hand on Su Xue? If I don't hit you, should I save it for the New Year?"

Seeing her son struck twice, Su Bai’s mother, Luo Li, shrieked at Su Xue, "Su Xue, you dare incite this trash to hit my son? Don't even think about getting your mother's ancestral tablet back! I will burn it to ashes!"

As it turned out, the reason Su Xue had returned to the Su family from the Zhao family's wedding was to reclaim her late mother’s memorial tablet. Her mother had been a kind and virtuous woman who stood by her father, Su Wei, when he was just an entrepreneur. She had never abandoned him, even selling her own jewelry to help the company through its crises. Yet, after achieving success, Su Wei listened to his secretary, slandered his wife, and drove her to an early, bitter grave. That secretary had since successfully climbed the ranks to become Su Xue's stepmother.

Su Xue never forgot what her mother had done for her. She had promised her mother that when she grew up and had the power, she would take her away and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her.

As memories flashed through her mind, the usually gentle Su Xue turned stern. Her mother had given everything for her, and she would do whatever it took for her mother. Her brow furrowed as she said, "Luo Li, when my mother was alive, you did everything to frame, suppress, and bully her. Now you won't even spare her tablet? I’m telling you, if you dare touch it, I will never let this go!"

Luo Li sneered arrogantly. "Angry, are you? You want the tablet? It’s not impossible. I’ll give you two choices. First, make this ignorant Ye family trash kneel and beg my son for forgiveness. Second, go and recover the cargo that the Underground King’s company has seized from us!"

Upon hearing this, Su Xue replied without hesitation, "Ye Fan is the descendant of a warrior family and an upright man. Su Bai is not worthy of his kowtow."

Luo Li glared viciously. "If he won't kneel, then go get the cargo back from the Underground King!"

"Luo Li, you’ve tried everything and spent a fortune trying to get that cargo back from the Underground King, and you couldn't! Now you’re asking me to do it? You are clearly just being oppressive!" Su Xue said, trembling with anger.

"That's right, I am being oppressive. I am forcing you. What can you do about it? A low-class wretch like you daring to act insolent in front of me? Do you even deserve to?" Luo Li scoffed, then added, "If you can’t do either, don't even dream of getting that woman's tablet for the rest of your life!"

"Isn't it just getting the cargo back? I’ll go!"

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow and spoke with a powerful voice. Although the Underground King, Wang Jiu, could summon wind and rain in Yunzhou and commanded fear, in front of Ye Fan, he was merely a subordinate.

"You're going to get the cargo back?" Luo Li gasped, scanning Ye Fan with disdain. "With your status, you think you can just walk into the Underground King’s company and take it back?"

Ye Fan’s dragon-like brows lifted, his voice and eyes cold to the core. "That’s right!"

Su Bai, still smarting from the slaps, suddenly looked cunning. He quickly stopped his mother from arguing further and stepped toward Ye Fan aggressively. "Ye Fan, since you say you can get the cargo back, do you dare make a bet with me? If you can't retrieve it in one day, you have to kneel, kowtow to me, and slap yourself ten times! If you succeed, I will kneel and kowtow to you, slap myself ten times, and give you Su Xue’s mother's tablet!"

"One day?" Ye Fan asked.

Su Xue panicked and whispered to Ye Fan, "Ye Fan, don't take the bet! No one has ever been able to get cargo back once the Underground King’s company seizes it!"

Before Ye Fan could speak, Su Bai shouted arrogantly, "Ye Fan, weren't you boasting just now about getting the cargo back? Why are you chickening out now? If you’re afraid, get lost and stop making a fool of yourself!"

"What is there to be afraid of?" Ye Fan’s voice rang out like thunder. He furrowed his brows and declared, "Retrieving goods within the same city? Three hours is more than enough!"

He turned to Su Xue and said, "Su Xue, trust me. If I say I can get it back, I will. Just wait for me here."

To the current Ye Fan, he was the master of the Dragon Gate, a force that shook the world. With one command, who would dare disobey? Let alone Wang Jiu, his subordinate—even if he were to stomp his foot, the entire city of Yunzhou would tremble.