Sovereign of the Sword

Chapter 4: If the Sky Falls, Your Brother Will Hold It Up First

Ye Xuan hurriedly led Ye Ling through the estate. Pointing fingers and whispers followed them.

When he was the Family Heir, every servant had greeted him with deep respect. Now, stripped of the title, those same sycophants scrambled to avoid him or pretended not to know him. The current heir was Ye Lang, and none dared risk offending him or the Grand Elder.

Ye Xuan didn’t care. True character only shows when the mighty fall!

Ye Ling clutched his hand tightly, trembling. “Brother… maybe… just forget it? I’m… I’m not really hurt… They have the Elders behind them. They’ll target you…”

Ye Xuan stopped. He turned to his sister, his face contorted with fury. “Whoever laid a hand on you, be it the Grand Elder himself, I’ll f*****g kill them!” He pulled her towards the estate kitchens.

At the kitchen entrance, a portly man emerged. Steward Wang, overseer of all things culinary in the Ye household.

Spotting Ye Xuan, Steward Wang feigned surprise, then plastered a greasy smile on his face. “Well, well! What brings the Heirhere? Ah, silly me! Forgot you ain’t heir no more. Terrible memory! Right, I should call you brother-in-law now. The Elders betrothed your sister to me. We—”

Before he finished, Ye Xuan exploded forward. Steward Wang had no time to react before Ye Xuan’s foot smashed into his groin.

“AARGH!”

Steward Wang’s eyes bulged, his face contorting in agony. Around them, everyone froze. What was Ye Xuan doing?

Amidst the stunned silence, Ye Xuan snarled, “I haven’t raised a hand to my sister her whole life. How f*****g dare YOU hit her?!” His open palm cracked against Steward Wang’s cheek with the force of thunder.

SLAP!

Blood sprayed from Steward Wang’s mouth. He crumpled to the ground, hands clutching his ruined groin, shrieking like a stuck pig.

Ye Xuan moved to strike again.

“Ye Xuan! How DARE you!” The furious shout came from behind. Elder Ye Ku arrived, flanked by several Ye family guards.

Ye Xuan ignored him. He planted his foot on the writhing steward’s face. “Which hand hit you?” he asked Ye Ling, his voice softening only for her.

Ye Ling paled, trembling. “R-right hand… Brother, please… just let it go…”

Her plea was cut short. Ye Xuan drew the dagger from his belt. In one vicious motion, he brought it down on Steward Wang’s shoulder.

SCHLICK!

The steward’s right arm separated cleanly from his body. Blood gushed.

Dead silence gripped the courtyard. Everyone stared, stunned. Even Elder Ye Ku’s eyes widened in disbelief. Steward Wang passed out. Ye Ling covered her mouth in horror.

Ye Ku finally found his voice. “Ye Xuan! Outrageous! You dare commit violence before my very eyes! You—”

“Shut your yapping, old dog!” Ye Xuan spun, pointing the bloodied dagger at Ye Ku, his voice a venomous snarl. “Think I’m blind? I know you and the Grand Elder are behind this! You f*****g parasites! All you do is scheme against your own kin! Where’s that cunning when facing the Zhang Family? The Li Family? The City Lord’s Manor?!” He spat the names of Qingcheng’s other three Great Powers, the Ye family being the weakest among them. “Hard as nails against your own, limp as a noodle against outsiders! That’s the Council of Elders for you!”

Ye Ku’s face purpled with rage. “Ye Xuan! What gives you the right to be so arrogant? You assault someone in broad daylight before witnesses! You—”

“Stop the f*****g noise!” Ye Xuan roared. “I cut him! So come fight me!”

Ye Ku trembled with fury. “Seize him!” he screamed at the guards.

The guards hesitated. Ye Xuan had fought countless bloody battles for the Ye family. Among the guards, his reputation was immense. He was the only one who dared stand firm against the other three powers, the only one who actually foughtfor Ye territory. Most guards had fought alongside him. They knew him.

Seeing their reluctance, Ye Ku was momentarily speechless. Then, his rage boiled over. “Rebellion?!”

The lead guard, Li Mu, looked at Ye Xuan, conflicted. “Brother Ye… I… we…”

Ye Xuan met his gaze. “Li Mu. You’ve stood with me through a hundred fights. You know what I’ve done for this family. What they give me and my sister now? Food fit for dogs! That insult, I won’t swallow. I know your position. I won’t make it hard for you. But hear this: if you move against me today, our brotherhood ends here. Show no mercy… because I won’t.”

Li Mu’s face hardened. The unspoken threat was clear: Ye Xuan was a mad dog in a fight. They were no match.

Ye Ku snarled, “Do you value your worthless lives so little?”

Li Mu took a deep breath, about to speak.

But Ye Xuan cut in, his voice dripping with scorn. “He knows you can’t beat me. Sending you is a death sentence. Sacrifice pawns to escalate things – that’s how our pampered Elders play the game against their own!” He glared at Ye Ku. “Expert schemers, aren’t you?”

Li Mu and the others flinched. Sacrificed? Their faces darkened.

Ye Ku locked eyes with Ye Xuan, hatred blazing. “Times have changed, Ye Xuan. Lie low, you might live a few days longer. But you… blind fool! Still so arrogant! You—”

“Old dog!” Ye Xuan’s voice was pure, feral menace. “Was selling my sister to that piece of s**t YOUR idea?!”

Ye Ku sneered. “It was! What will you do about it?”

Ye Xuan’s face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. “Scheme against me? Fine. But my sister is TWELVE! You vile old bastard dared scheme against her too? I’LL f*****g KILL YOU!”

He stomped down hard.

CRUNCH!

The flagstone beneath his foot shattered. Ye Xuan launched himself at Ye Ku like a tiger pouncing.

Ye Ku’s eyes widened in shock. Attacking an Elder?! Was this lunatic rebelling?! Instinct took over. He dropped into a stance, fist pulled back, then punched forward with all his strength – the low-level martial skill, FIST SHATTER. Stone-breaking force.

Ye Xuan met him with the same technique.

THUD!

Their fists collided. Ye Ku’s expression turned to horror. His fist shattered instantly, bones cracking, blood spraying. Before he could react, Ye Xuan was on him, a brutal punch hammering into his gut.

WHUMP!

Ye Ku spewed blood, doubling over as he flew backwards. He crashed to the ground. Before he could rise, Ye Xuan’s boot slammed onto his chest.

“Im… impossible!” Ye Ku gasped, blood bubbling at his lips. “How… your Fist Shatter… so strong…?” He was Qi Transformation Realm, albeit an Elder focused on administration, not combat. Yet Ye Xuan had crushed him in one blow!

Ye Xuan’s open palm cracked across his face. “You pampered palace rat! Your punch is weaker than a toddler’s! You shame the technique!” Another savage slap landed.

SMACK!

Ye Ku’s face swelled grotesquely.

“You… you dare strike me?!” Ye Ku howled, humiliation burning through the pain.

Ye Xuan hit him again. “Strike you? I’ll f*****g BREAK you!”

“AAAAAAGH!” Ye Ku writhed, utterly humiliated. “KILL HIM! NOW!”

Li Mu and the guards remained frozen. Fight Ye Xuan? Suicide.

“OUTRAGEOUS!”

A furious roar echoed across the courtyard. The Grand Elder had arrived, flanked by a contingent of Elders and more guards.

Ye Ling tugged desperately at Ye Xuan’s sleeve, tears streaming. “Brother! Run! Please! Run now…!”

Ye Xuan squeezed her trembling hand. His voice was suddenly calm. “Don’t be afraid.”

“It’s… it’s my fault!” Ye Ling sobbed. “I’m so useless… I’m sorry…”

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. “Hush. If the sky falls, your brother will hold it up first.” He turned his gaze to the Grand Elder. The smile widened into something sharp and dangerous. “Grand Elder. Truce? I’ll apologize. We forget this. Deal?”

The Grand Elder stared, momentarily dumbfounded. Then, a harsh, incredulous laugh burst out. “Truce? Forget? Ye Xuan, are you out of your mind?! You—”

CRACK!

A sickening crunch cut him off. Ye Xuan’s boot had stomped down on Ye Ku’s throat. The Elder’s eyes bulged, disbelief etched onto his face. The light faded from them instantly.

Silence. Utter, deafening silence.

Ye Xuan turned his chilling gaze back to the Grand Elder. “No truce? Fine.” He strode forward, stopping directly before the stunned Grand Elder. The bloody dagger hung loosely in his hand. “Grand Elder. I, a junior, challenge you.” His voice cut through the frozen air, cold and sharp as steel. “You wouldn’t dare refuse, would you?”