"It’s fine, we’re all family here."
"Go ahead and speak, we won’t bother you. We’ll just stay right here..."
Jin Buhuan furrowed his sharp brows. "I said, get out!" he snapped angrily. His hair whipped around despite the lack of wind, and an oppressive aura erupted from his body, terrifying everyone in the courtyard.
"Jin Buhuan, this is the Gongsun family," Gongsun Xin’s voice immediately rang out from the doorway. "If you act out of line, you’ll force my hand. Think carefully about the consequences."
Only then did Jin Buhuan retract his aura. "I just want them to leave. There are too many people here. Besides, Yanran owes me an explanation, doesn’t she?"
Hearing this, Gongsun Xin looked at the Gongsun family members. "You’ve visited Ye Xuan. Everyone, leave now."
"Oh."
Although the onlookers desperately wanted to stay for the drama, the eldest brother had spoken. Staying was no longer an option. After all, Gongsun Xin’s authority in the Gongsun family was second only to Gongsun Wenjin.
Once everyone had filtered out, Gongsun Xin closed the courtyard gate. He didn’t leave, however. He stood his ground, keeping a hawkish eye on Jin Buhuan’s every move. If necessary, he would let his fists do the talking.
"Are they the two illegitimate children?" Jin Buhuan asked, his gaze shifting to Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er now that the courtyard was empty.
Gongsun Yanran subconsciously shielded them. "Jin Buhuan, if you have a problem, take it out on me."
Jin Buhuan chuckled. He tipped his head back and took a long swig of wine before speaking. "Gongsun Yanran, I truly never expected you to be so cruel."
Gongsun Yanran gritted her teeth. "Jin Buhuan, I know my situation has dealt you a heavy blow, and for that, I am sorry. But I don’t think I did anything wrong."
"You did nothing wrong? Oh, Gongsun Yanran, I do like you. I truly love you. I even said I would wait for you forever. As long as you agreed, I was ready to marry you at a moment’s notice. But I never said I was willing to raise another man’s bastards!" Jin Buhuan’s eyes burned with a mix of fury and bitter resentment. He tilted his head back, chugging his wine in massive gulps. Liquid cascaded down his face—whether it was spilled wine or tears, no one could tell.
"Jin Buhuan..."
"Don’t speak. Listen to me first. You’ve been back for twenty years, and I’ve waited for you for twenty years. In truth, I didn’t have to wait. The City Lord’s word is absolute law. If I had insisted on marrying you, you couldn’t have resisted, even if you refused! But I loved you from the bottom of my heart, which was why I was willing to wait.
"I know I’m a playboy. I’ve had my fair share of women. Even while waiting for you, there was never a shortage of women by my side. But didn’t I make it explicitly clear? The moment you agreed, I, Jin Buhuan, would never touch another woman for the rest of my life! Even if I wanted to take a concubine, I would have sought your permission first. Was my sincerity not enough?"
"Jin Buhuan, you’re a good man, but all these years, I’ve only ever seen you as a brother."
"Brother, my foot! And spare me the ’good guy’ speech. I, Jin Buhuan, have never considered myself a good man! I don’t want a sister! I want you! All of you!" Jin Buhuan violently smashed his wine gourd onto the ground, his emotions spiraling into madness.
A woman he had waited over twenty years for suddenly had a man and illegitimate children. How could he not go mad?
"Before, I couldn’t understand why you kept rejecting me, but now it all makes sense. You wouldn’t marry me because you had some wild man out there and gave birth to two bastards! Does that mean... if they’re gone, you’ll marry me? You’d have no more attachments!"
A blinding burst of Spiritual Qi abruptly erupted from Jin Buhuan’s body. He was like a detonating universe, his aura growing exponentially more devastating by the second.
"Jin Buhuan, what are you trying to do?!" Gongsun Yanran remained firmly planted in front of Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er. She instantly unleashed her Beast Soul Power, clearly immensely wary of Jin Buhuan.
"Heh, what am I trying to do? Take a look at this..." Jin Buhuan suddenly extended his hand, dangling an accessory from his fingers. It was a Peace Talisman.
Seeing this Peace Blessing, Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er’s pupils violently contracted. This Peace Talisman was their father’s accessory. In all their memories, he had never once taken it off.
"The Peace Talisman! Yizhou... what have you done to Yizhou?!" Gongsun Yanran cried out in alarm. She was the one who had prayed for that very talisman for Ye Yizhou.
"You went to Ye Family Town? What did you do to my father?!" Ye Xuan’s eyes instantly turned frigid.
"I only bring out a simple accessory, and you immediately know who it belongs to. A failure. I, Jin Buhuan, am a true failure. Yanran, if I told you he was already dead, what expression would you make?" Jin Buhuan suddenly broke into a wide grin.
"What! You... you..." Gongsun Yanran felt the world spin around her. No wonder Jin Buhuan was only showing up now. He had spent these past few days going to the Ye Family Main Town.
"You killed my father? Ah, damn you! Damn you!" Ye Xuan suddenly went berserk.
A streak of sword light materialized in an instant, shooting toward Jin Buhuan like a transcendent immortal’s strike. The thrust was incredibly fast, launched without a single warning sign.
Yet, Jin Buhuan merely extended two fingers and clamped down on Ye Xuan’s blade, halting it entirely. The gap between them was simply too vast.
Although Ye Xuan hadn’t used his full strength, even if he had, he would never be a match for Jin Buhuan. Jin Buhuan was the successor to the City Lord of Celestial Horse City. Anyone qualified to inherit the City Lord’s mantle was bound to possess transcendent talent. Jin Buhuan’s strength was second only to Gongsun Xin’s.
After catching Ye Xuan’s blade, Jin Buhuan casually flicked the side of the metal.
CLANG.
Ye Xuan’s sword shattered into two pieces. The recoil sent his body stumbling backward, a trail of blood already spilling from the corner of his mouth. Before he could even regain his footing, Jin Buhuan appeared right in front of him. Gripping the Broken Sword, Jin Buhuan pressed the jagged tip directly against Ye Xuan’s throat.
"Xuan’Er!" Gongsun Yanran screamed, trying to intervene, but she was a step too late.
"Brother." She snapped her head toward Gongsun Xin, seemingly completely uncomprehending as to why he hadn’t made a move.
Gongsun Xin didn’t say a word, keeping his eyes locked onto Jin Buhuan. Although Jin Buhuan held the sword to Ye Xuan’s throat, he showed no intent to deal the killing blow.
Taking a close, measured look at Ye Xuan, Jin Buhuan spoke again. "Your facial features... you look far too much like Yanran, though you have a bit more heroic spirit. Ah, Yanran, answer me. If I kill them right now, will you have no more attachments? Will you finally be willing to marry me?"
Gongsun Yanran gritted her teeth. "Jin Buhuan, don’t touch Xuan’Er! If you lay a hand on him, you are my enemy. Besides, you’re mistaken about one thing. Even if I hadn’t met Yizhou, I never wanted to marry you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have fled the arranged marriage in the first place. I have absolutely no feelings for you."
Jin Buhuan’s pupils trembled, his entire body stiffening as if struck by lightning.
"No feelings? Impossible. Impossible! Who doesn’t like me, Jin Buhuan? What woman wouldn’t want to be my wife? Yanran, you’re lying to yourself, aren’t you? You ran away from the marriage at first because I was too much of a playboy... you just wanted to make me angry, right?"