Chapter 201
Chapter 201
“He’s fine, but he probably won’t return anytime soon.”
John looked at Third Uncle.
“Third Uncle, have you heard any strange voices lately?”
John meant the System’s notifications. His uncles seemed far too calm. The answer, however, surprised him.
“No. What kind of voices?”
Third Uncle looked at John in confusion.
Something clicked in John’s mind. Third Uncle had not obtained the System, which meant he had never entered the Fiendish World. Why was that? Before John could ask anything else, a sarcastic voice came from the crowd.
“Well, if it isn’t our family’s precious prodigy. What, you finally decided to come back? If you stayed away any longer, I would have assumed you died out there.”
A very handsome young man emerged from the crowd, holding a glass of wine and followed by several people.
“Older Brother,” John said coolly.
“Heh. So you still remember I’m your older brother? I thought you had forgotten me.”
The man sneered, then looked at Liu Ye and the others behind John.
“What’s this? Is our group about to collapse, or are you simply too stingy? Your subordinates can’t even afford decent clothes. Would you like your older brother to lend you some money? You won’t need to pay me back, of course. I’ve always been generous.”
John’s expression instantly darkened. Insulting him was one thing, but no one could insult Brother Liu. Before he could speak, however, Second Uncle’s voice rang out.
“Zhao Tianci, mind your manners!”
Second Uncle hurried over and apologized to Liu Ye.
“Master Liu, I am terribly sorry. My nephew lacks manners and has offended you with his words. Please be magnanimous enough to forgive his ignorance.”
Then he glared fiercely at Zhao Tianci.
“Zhao Tianci, apologize to the master at once.”
Zhao Tianci looked at Liu Ye with disdain.
“Second Uncle, are you going senile? How does this kid resemble a master? If he wants to scam people, he should at least dress the part. Look at them.”
He pointed his thumb behind him.
A group of people had gathered there. The Zhao family had invited them too, but they weren’t wandering frauds. They possessed genuine ability.
“See? Those masters are professionals.”
The experts were irritated by Zhao Tianci’s words as well. By lumping them into the same comparison as a fraud, wasn’t he suggesting they might be frauds too?
Zhao Tianci ignored their angry looks. He took out a dozen banknotes and tucked them against Liu Ye’s chest.
“Still, no one can say the Zhao family lacks manners. Consider this your travel money. Go back where you came from. This is no place for you.”
“Zhao Tianci!”
John’s expression turned dark. Zhao Tianci could insult him, but he could not insult Brother Liu.
“Oh? Angry? Am I wrong?”
Zhao Tianci threw an arm over Liu Ye’s shoulders.
“Kid, I’ve changed my opinion of you. You must have some skill to fool my little brother so thoroughly. What’s your name? I’ll bring some people by to support your business someday.”
“My name is Liu Ye.”
“Liu Ye? Never heard-”
Zhao Tianci’s expression abruptly froze. He stared at Liu Ye in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. What did you say your name was?”
“Liu Ye.”
Liu Ye blinked.
In an instant, the room fell into terrifying silence. Everyone wordlessly shifted toward the corners in perfect accord.
Zhao Tianci looked at John in disbelief. The arm around Liu Ye’s shoulders remained utterly motionless. With his free hand, he pointed at Liu Ye.
“Liu… Liu Ye from Fortune-Telling Street? Liu as in Liu Bei, and Ye as in leaf?”
“That’s right, but I should tell you that I stopped working there a long time ago,” Liu Ye hurriedly said.
The street going out of business had nothing to do with him, he thought.
Maintaining an extremely awkward posture, Zhao Tianci lifted his arm from Liu Ye’s shoulders. With his other hand, he carefully removed the money from Liu Ye’s chest. Then…
“Aaaah!”
Zhao Tianci screamed and ran into the bathroom. A moment later, the frantic sound of scrubbing came from inside.
Liu Ye stared after him.
Why would the man take back money he had already given away? Liu Ye certainly didn’t consider the gesture insulting. Brother Guiwa had taught him that when you went out into the world, you had to be utterly shameless.
Second Uncle glared resentfully in the direction Zhao Tianci had fled. Why had he chosen such a useless boy back then? After losing to John once, Zhao Tianci had turned into this.
“Master Liu, please don’t take offense. That’s simply how he is. Don’t lower yourself to his level.”
Liu Ye said nothing.
He did take offense. The man had taken the money back. What happened to his promised travel expenses?
Seeing Liu Ye continue to stare toward the bathroom, Second Uncle hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“Master Liu, you must be hungry after coming such a long way. Please sit and have something to eat.”
He had barely finished when a servant rushed over.
“Mr. Zhao, Young Master Tianci slipped in the bathroom and struck his head against the sink. He is unconscious now, and his arm appears to be broken.”
Everyone fell silent.
Some people had still been skeptical and wanted to test Liu Ye themselves. The moment they heard of Zhao Tianci’s miserable fate, the impulse vanished.
They glanced at Liu Ye, then silently shifted even farther away.
“Master Liu! C-could you please spare him? His mouth got the better of him, but you’ve already punished him. Please forgive him,” Second Uncle pleaded pitifully.
Before, he had only heard rumors about how uncanny this kid was. Now he had witnessed it himself.
His son had touched Liu Ye a few times and ended up with a broken arm. Wasn’t that a little petty?
“He slipped by himself. What does that have to do with me?” Liu Ye cried in frustration. Did they have to blame everything on him? He was such a kind person, yet look what the rumors had turned him into.
He had never noticed before, but rumors truly could destroy a man.
“Master Liu, please show mercy. I know you don’t care for money, but this is a small token of my sincerity. The account contains thirty million yuan. Please accept it.”
Second Uncle produced a bank card. He was willing to pay dearly to make Liu Ye leave.
The Driver’s breathing quickened. Victory was right before his eyes!
“No!”
Liu Ye refused with righteous conviction.
“I came here to help you solve your problem. You can pay me after I’ve solved it.”
This was a matter of principle. Brother Guiwa had said that a person must never abandon his principles.
Thud!
“Brother Lü! Brother Lü!”
Xu Fei hurriedly pinched the philtrum of the Driver, who had collapsed to the floor.
Second Uncle had already guessed that this amount probably wouldn’t be enough to send Liu Ye away. Fine. The kid was only a nuclear warhead. Second Uncle had invited so many masters. Surely all of them together could withstand one man.
With that thought, Second Uncle hurried away to make preparations.
After he left, the invited experts looked at Liu Ye with strange expressions.
“Amitabha. This patron has a most peculiar countenance,” an old monk said.