Ways To Be Powerful

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Not only are you dissatisfied with the position as an Elder, but you even want to kill others to steal their power!”

The Second Elder’s eyes sharpened as he immediately looked at Ye Xun, who was full of slander.

“I have always had a clear conscience and have never once done anything to harm the Ye family. Ye Xun, how dare you speak so recklessly and accuse me?!”

Ye Xun was scared by the Second Elder’s glare. Purposefully putting on a wronged expression, she hid behind Duan Tianrao as she tugged on Duan Tianrao’s sleeves with tears dancing in her eyes. “Darling Duan… I’m scared.”

Duan Tianrao immediately raised his hand and patted Ye Xun’s tiny hands comfortingly. Then, he looked at the Second Elder and said, “Second Elder, I used to address you as the Second Elder of the Ye family and have always respected your abilities, but you are a man and should take responsibility like one. Everyone in Lin Town knows that something happened in the Ye family yesterday. With both Uncle Ye and the Great Elder targeted for assassination, who would dare to strike at the Ye family if there were no benefits to gain? Only you would vainly attempt to steal the family master position and do such a monstrous thing.”

The Second Elder’s expression darkened completely. He just ended his seclusion and was completely unaware of everything that happened outside. Never had he expected that the moment he ended his seclusion, he was accused of committing such a serious crime.

In addition, looking at the intimate gestures between Ye Xun and Duan Tianrao, the Second Elder’s eyes darkened a few shades instantly.

Duan Tianrao was clearly Ye Qingtang’s fiancée, but now, he was actually having an affair with Ye Xun, the adopted daughter of the Ye family!

The Second Elder was wholeheartedly besotted with martial arts and did not marry or have kids. He had long treated Ye Qingtang as his own granddaughter. As he looked at the two people in front of him, one who even accused him, anger filled him, and he narrowed his eyes at them.

Suddenly, a powerful aura dissipated from him, and in an instant, the few guards who locked his arms were thrown out by the force.

“Ignorant kid, how dare you to slander me!” the Second Elder remarked coldly.

Duan Tianrao instinctively protected Ye Xun as he clearly felt a powerful aura surging crazily from within the Second Elder.

At the sight of the two, the Duan family Elders’ faces darkened, and they jumped to the front of Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun to block them.

“Second Elder, this matter has nothing to do with others’ slander. You know very well what you did,” an Elder from the Duan family said in a low voice.

“What I did?” The Second Elder scoffed. “I have been in seclusion for such a long time and had never once left a step. Never had I thought that you all would accuse me like this!”

Looking at the Second Elder’s increasingly raging force, another Elder from the Duan family protected Duan Tianrao while scoffing. “If you wanted to do it, why would you do it personally? As Elders as well, we know that you arranged for your henchman to deliver food and clothes to you daily while you were in seclusion. It is nothing impossible if you entrusted the matter to your henchman.”

Ye Ling understood the situation very clearly after looking at the commotion. He was initially confused over the reason for the Duan family’s presence, but now it seemed that the Great Elder came prepared. He failed in having Ye Ling killed yesterday, and now, he actually wanted to push the responsibility of the crime on the Second Elder!

Ye Ling was not a fool. He was very aware of the reason why the Great Elder wanted to get rid of the Second Elder.

In the whole Ye family, only the Second Elder’s abilities could compete with the Great Elder’s. If the Second Elder died, the Great Elder could freely deal with Ye Ling and Ye Qingtang.

“Wait! There aren’t any clues regarding yesterday’s incident at all. Isn’t the Great Elder’s assertive judgment too irresponsible?” Ye Ling stepped forward immediately and looked at the Great Elder coldly. “Moreover, the Second Elder is very loyal to the Ye family and is certainly not someone who would do such an evil thing. The real murderer behind the assassins is definitely not him.”

The Great Elder looked at Ye Ling and responded without much emotion. “Family master, I know that you are very close to the Second Elder, but there is an old saying: you may know a person’s face, but not his heart. The Second Elder had been in seclusion these days, but such a huge incident happened in the Ye family. If both you and I died, the Ye family would naturally fall in his hands, and it is exactly because he is in seclusion that outsiders would not suspect him at all. All of this was merely his plan from long ago. You should not be blinded by his trick.”

Ye Ling’s face darkened. He would definitely not believe it if anyone said the Second Elder was disloyal. Moreover, he already knew from last night that the assassins were sent by the Great Elder. Whatever the Great Elder said today was merely to push the blame on the Second Elder.

However…

Even though Ye Ling knew who the real murderer was, he understood the situation before him.

Even if he were to say that the Great Elder was the one who hired the assassins, there would be no meaning in it at all.

Ye Xun had long been on friendly terms with the Great Elder, and the Duan family would naturally stand on the Great Elder’s side. Even if Ye Ling tried to reveal the Great Elder’s true colors in front of everyone, the Great Elder would just take advantage of the opportunity and silence him!

“Father, the Great Elder is doing this for you and the welfare of the Ye family. The Second Elder has evil intentions and planned to steal the position of the Family Master. You must not care about your past friendship with him and be softhearted. Otherwise, there will be endless trouble. Even if you don’t think for yourself, you should spare a thought for Tang Tang.” Ye Xun said with a faked worrying tone. She was persuading Ye Ling on the surface, but in reality, she pointed out Ye Qingtang to force Ye Ling to prioritize Ye Qingtang’s safety. If Ye Ling stood up for the Second Elder forcefully, they would not guarantee Ye Qingtang’s safety.

Ye Ling widened his eyes and looked at Ye Xun who was faking kindness.

He had never expected that the orphan he raised on his own to actually be a heartless and evil person.

“Family Master Ye, what Xun said is logical. As the head of the family, you should not be overly softhearted and hesitant to take necessary actions for the sake of the safety and prosperity of the family clan. The Second Elder committed such atrocity; if you insist on protecting him, not only will the Ye family suffer from embarrassment, you also endanger the other people in the family as well. I’m afraid this is not what the head of the family should do…” a Duan family Elder said as he looked at the livid Ye Ling.

“I am the head of the Ye family, and the Second Elder is a member of the Ye family. I decide whether he is guilty or not. It will never be up to you, the Duan’s, to interfere,” Ye Ling replied coldly.

“Uncle Ye, there is something wrong with that statement. Both the Ye family and my Duan family are part of the three greatest family clans in Lin town. If the Ye family are conniving towards this matter, won’t it affect the good reputation of the Duan family, which shares the same title, as well?” Duan Tianrao said.

“There is no place for you to speak here,” Ye Ling said with disdain.

Duan Tianrao’s furrowed his brows quite unhappily.

Stepping forward, the Great Elder said, “The Family Master was shocked by yesterday’s incident. I suppose you are in a confused state of mind today because you’re not fully recovered. You’ll need to rest early. Once the Second Elder is dealt with, I will bring you back to the Ye residence to recuperate. For now, you should not care so much about this as I will share your burden.”

Immediately after, the Great Elder gave the Elders from the Duan family a look. Since the Duan Elders were invited by the Great Elder to deal with the Second Elder from the start, they attacked him as soon as they saw the Great Elder’s signal!

The Second Elder’s eyes darkened as he raised his hand and fought back against them without fear.

Ye Ling never expected that the Great Elder would do evil so openly, and he instantly stood forward, wanting to strike at the Duan Elders.

“Father, you have been in poor health recently. It is better if you don’t strain yourself. The Great Elder and the Daun family’s Elders will take care of this matter,” Ye Xun blocked Ye Ling’s path.

“Get lost. I don’t have a daughter like you.” Ye Ling’s voice was low and he raised his hand in an attempt to push Ye Xun away.

However, Duan Tianrao stepped up at that moment and pulled Ye Xun behind him to protect her with one hand and blocked Ye Ling with the other. “Uncle Ye, Xun is doing this for your own good. Fights are dangerous, and it will not be good if Uncle Ye is injured.”

“Duan Tianrao, get lost! The Duan family has no room to interfere in the Ye family’s affairs,” Ye Ling uttered coldly.

However, Duan Tianrao remained unaffected and stood still. “Uncle Ye, if you’re too softhearted, you’ll not be a good Family Master. The Great Elder went through such trouble to help share your burden, why won’t you come to your senses? In consideration of your health, I’m afraid I can not let you go over.”

Ye Ling’s eyes turned sharp as he suddenly attacked Duan Tianrao.

Duan Tianrao scoffed.

If Ye Ling was at his peak, Duan Tianrao would definitely not be powerful enough to fight Ye Ling. However, Ye Ling’s body had been weakened in recent years, and he was not as highly skilled as before. Why would Duan Tianrao need to be afraid?

Then, Duan Tianrao and Ye Ling started fighting.

Watching the two battle from aside, Ye Xun acted worried. “Father, darling Duan, stop fighting.” As she spoke, she went forward to seemingly stop the fight but was in actuality preventing Ye Ling from striking and letting Duan Tianrao gain the upper hand.

On the other side, the Elders from the Duan family and the Second Elder had already been in a match. Even though the Second Elder’s ability was higher, it was difficult to fight against four opponents alone. Although he had not been completely defeated yet, he had been suppressed by the Duan Elders and was unable to escape. Looking at Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun jointly attacking Ye Ling, the anger in him riled up even more. Right at the moment when he was distracted, the Great Elder sharply captured the opportunity to fly behind the Second Elder and steadily landed his palm on the Second Elder’s back with a loud boom!

In an instant, Second Elder spat a mouthful of blood after taking the full force of the hit. With unsteady breaths, he was directly pressed down on the floor by the Duan family Elders!

“Second Elder, you committed an atrocity. According to the Ye family family rules, you will be executed,” said the Great Elder as he walked to the front of the Second Elder and looked down at him with cold and scornful eyes.

“Great Elder, you are the one who wants to steal power! You will be punished for persecuting the Ye family Elder and Family Master! The Ye family’s ancestors will never let you off!” At that point, the Second Elder was able to see that everything that happened was a part of the Great Elder’s plan.

A while ago, he had already sensed that the Great Elder had evil designs. However, he did not have concrete evidence and could not take him out.

Yet unexpectedly, the Great Elder found an opportunity instead.

He could only hate that he realized too late!

“Don’t worry, Second Elder. What happens to the Ye family from now on has nothing to do with you. As a sinner of the Ye family, it is better if you just obediently go to the underworld and seek forgiveness from the Ye family’s ancestors!” A cold gleam of light flashed in the Great Elder’s eyes. Suddenly, he raised the sharp sword in his hand and fiercely thrust at the Second Elder’s crown!

Ye Ling, who was blocked by Duan Tianrao and Ye Ling, drew a cold breath upon seeing the sight, and his head buzzed!

However…

Just before the Great Elder’s sword landed, a ray of light suddenly flashed before everyone’s eyes.

A force directly blew the sharp sword in the Great Elder’s hand away!

“Hold on!”

A girl’s voice immediately sounded.

Everyone, including Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun who were jointly attacking Ye Ling, turned their heads towards the direction of the voice.

But before Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun could see who the person was, a black figure suddenly appeared in front of them, and with a flying kick, both Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun were sent flying.

“Who are you! How dare you touch my people from the Ye and Duan family!” shouted the Great Elder.

The black figure took the opportunity to stand beside Ye Ling. At that point, the person’s face was finally revealed in front of everyone.

“So what if I touch them? It is already merciful of me to not take their lives when they had the audacity to disrespect the Family Master of the Ye family.” Ye Qingtang suddenly appeared beside Ye Ling and looked at everyone coldly with her chin raised.

Everyone was stunned upon seeing Ye Qingtang.

Hurriedly standing up after being kicked away by Ye Qingtang, Duan Tianrao instantly blanked out when he saw Ye Qingtang’s alluring face.

In the fierce wind, Ye Qingtang stood still in a red top, and her hair danced in the wind. Set against that red top, her small and flawless face was even more exquisite, capturing Duan Tianrao’s heart immediately.

Today, Ye Qingtang had left hurriedly and forgot to put on her veil.

After rushing over at full speed, her cheeks had a slight tint of red, making her even more beautiful than when she was on the worship stage.

“Tang Tang!” Ye Ling could not help but be surprised when he saw Ye Qingtang.

The fury in Ye Qingtang’s eyes slowly subsided when she saw that Ye Ling was not injured.

She had never expected that Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun would be so bold to attack her father.

“Ye Qingtang, how dare you injure someone from the Duan family!” The Elders from the Duan family were unhappy. Ye Qingtang had canceled the engagement with Duan Tianrao not long ago, yet now, she still dared to injure Duan Tianrao in front of them. Wasn’t this a slap in their faces?

“Injure him? This should be counted as showing mercy,” Ye Qingtang scoffed. When she saw the Duan family’s Elders pressing the Second Elder on the ground, the anger that she had just suppressed a while ago started to rile up again.

What a brilliant Great Elder! What a brilliant Duan family!

“You, the Duan’s, are seriously becoming more and more impressive. Not only do you all want to interfere in the Ye family’s matters, you all still allowed the next family master of the Duan family to attack Family Master Ye? Your appetite is really getting bigger!” Ye Qingtang scoffed.

A Duan Elder frowned and said, “The Second Young Master did not want to offend your father intentionally. He just didn’t want him to be involved and hurt himself only. The Second Elder from the Ye family committed an atrocity and plotted to murder the Family Master and Great Elder of the Ye family. As in-laws with the Ye family, in addition to Xun’s close relationship with the Great Elder, of course the Duan family had to come and provide assistance.”

“Provide assistance?” Ye Qingtang’s lips curled as a frown hung at the corner of her lips. “Ye Xun is merely an adopted daughter of the Ye family and cannot be said to be a real member of the Ye family. She does not have the right to interfere in the Ye family’s matters. What more relation does the Duan family, whom she has an engagement with, have with the Ye family!”

Ye Qingtang did not give Ye Xun any face at all as she directly trashed Ye Xun’s public title as Lady Ye.

In an instant, all color faded from Ye Xun’s face as her hands that were hung on her side secretly balled into a fist.

“Or should I say that the Duan family’s ambition is growing? The Ye and Duan family are both part of the three greatest family clans in Lin Town. Now that the Duan family actually overstepped their authority to interfere in the Ye family’s matters, could it be that the Duan family wants to become the greatest family clan in Lin town?” Ye Qingtang looked at the few Elders from the Duan family coldly as the warmth in her tone suddenly vanished.

The Duan Elders’ faces darkened at her words.

They were requested to come here by the Great Elder to deal with the Second Elder today and had no other intention. However, Ye Qingtang’s words exaggerated the Duan family’s ambitions. If this were to spread, wouldn’t their actions sow discord both with the Ye and within Duan family?

The Elders from the Duan family frowned slightly. Looking at Ye Qingtang’s charming face, they suddenly remembered.

A few days ago, they had heard that Young Lady Ye was close to the Third Young Master Si and frequently visited the Si residence. If Ye Qingtang told the Si family about today’s incident,

won’t the Duan family…

Then, the Duan Elders’ expressions turned weird.

Ye Qingtang scoffed, “Duan Elders, how much longer do you want to lock our Ye Family’s Second Elder?”

Their faces froze. After weighing their options, they finally released their grip slowly.

They did not fear Ye Qingtang, but her relationship with the Si family did make them afraid.

In recent years, there had been no conflicts between the Duan and Si family. If they angered the Si family just because they helped the Great Elder with a small favor, they would lose more than they gained.

Free from suppression, the Second Elder stood up immediately and took a deep breath, forcing down the surging blood in his chest. His gaze landed on Ye Qingtang and surprise filled his eyes uncontrollably.

Was this still the little girl who had always cowardly hidden behind him and Ye Ling?

“Ye Qingtang, watch how you speak to these Elders from the Duan family,” uttered the Great Elder. He had never once thought that Ye Qingtang would cause his scheme to fail.

Ye Qingtang looked at the Great Elder and sneered, “Great Elder, I am the successor to the Ye family’s family master position. I don’t need you to teach me how to speak to others.”

The Great Elder’s face sunk instantly.

“Tang Tang… don’t misunderstand. We merely had good intentions to help father to get rid of our Ye family’s traitor.” Ye Xun forced herself to speak and put on a kind act.

Ye Qingtang looked at Ye Xun’s loathsome face and said, “Father? Ye Xun, are you still unclear of your identity? Who do you think you are? How dare you address my father as ‘father’? Our Ye family? What relation does the Ye family have with you?”

“…” Ye Qingtang’s words were like sharp blades which shaved away all of Ye Xun’s pretense and dignity completely. Even for a scheming person like Ye Xun, her face went pale uncontrollably, and she could not maintain the smile on her face.

“Qingtang, you are being too harsh. Xun grew up in the Ye family from young and would naturally want the best for the Ye family. Don’t be ignorant of her good intentions,” Duan Tianrao returned to his senses and could not help but defend Ye Xun.

“It is not that she grew up in the Ye family. The Ye family only adopted her because we took pity on her for not having any parents. If Second Young Master Duan feels that the Ye family is not treating her right, you can bring her back to your Duan family. Our Ye family does not need any of her good intentions.” Ye Qingtang said without giving Duan Tianrao any face at all.

Deep down, she was already extremely disgusted with Duan Tianrao. But even if she weren’t, Ye Qingtang already had the urge to destroy his bones into ashes solely based on the fact that he had attacked Ye Ling just now.

In this quick exchange of words, Ye Qingtang made both Duan Tianrao and Ye Xun lose all their face while the Elders from the Duan family turned pale.

“Today’s incident is my Ye family’s matter. If there is nothing else, I will not escort you, the Duan’s, any further.” Ye Qingtang bluntly demanded them to leave.

The people from the Duan family were completely defeated by Ye Qingtang’s words and did not intend to stay on any longer. Furthermore, the Second Elder had already sustained serious injuries, and it would be easy if the Great Elder really wanted to kill him. There was no need for them to continue staying there and allow others to have a handle against them.

“Great Elder, we will return first,” a Duan Elder said.

The Great Elder’s head dropped a little, but he still nodded. With the injuries that the Second Elder suffered, he was not his opponent.

The people from the Duan family left instantly. However, before they left, Duan Tianrao turned around to look at Ye Qingtang’s beautiful face one more time and tried his best to convince her. “Qingtang, whatever the Duan family did today was all for the good of the Ye family. The Second Elder has evil intentions. If he is left alone, it would only harm the Ye family.”

Nonetheless, Ye Qingtang did not even bother to look at Duan Tianrao, and he could only turn back and leave.

After the Duan’s had completely left, Ye Qingtang then turned around and walked to the Second Elder’s side. Her expression softened as she smiled. “Second Uncle.”

Looking at the completely different Ye Qingtang before him, the Second Elder was filled with gratification.

However, the Great Elder’s face sunk as he said, “The Second Elder schemed to kill the Family Master and me. This matter should not be over just like that and must be dealt with according to the family rules.”