Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Kneel Down and Apologize
"Kneel... kneel down?"
Realizing that Chen Lin wasn't joking with him, Chen Haonan's face was filled with frustration.
As the Young Master of the wealthy Chen Family, he had never suffered such humiliation from the day he was born.
Chen Lin said in a cold voice, "Didn't you hear me when I told you to kneel down? Chen Haonan, if you don't kneel this instant, don't blame me for disregarding our sibling bond and expelling you from the Chen Family!"
"Expelled from the Chen Family?" Chen Haonan was completely stunned.
Ever since his father had fallen ill, the entire Chen Family had been under the control of his sister, Chen Lin. If Chen Lin was determined to drive him out of the Chen Family, probably no one in the family would dare to object.
"Kneel down!" Chen Lin shouted again.
Clang!
Seeing his sister Chen Lin's rage, Chen Haonan no longer dared to hesitate, and with his knees giving way, he knelt on the ground.
"Apologize to Master Ye!"
Chen Lin's voice was chilling, without a hint of emotion.
"Have me apologize to this brat? Sister, I... I can't do it!"
Chen Haonan had always been headstrong. Kneeling was already the biggest concession he could make. Now, to ask him to apologize to Ye Fan was more painful than death itself.
Chen Lin knew her brother Chen Haonan's temperament well. She sighed softly and looked at Ye Fan with an apologetic face, "Master Ye, Haonan was disrespectful to you. His life is in your hands now. Here, I once again extend my sincere apologies to Master Ye!"
"Enough, enough!" Ye Fan waved his hand dismissively.
If Chen Lin, the daughter of the Chen Family, had failed to show respect, he would not have let the matter rest today, but seeing how promptly Chen Lin apologized, Ye Fan was not eager to pursue the issue further with a spoilt young master.
Seeing that Ye Fan was no longer pursuing the matter, Chen Lin turned to Kong Xuan and said, "Boss Kong, what exactly happened here?"
"Miss Chen may not be aware..."
Being questioned by Chen Lin, Kong Xuan relayed the series of events meticulously.
When Chen Lin heard that the Third Prince, Zhu Youji, had died violently at the age of seven, and that the graves of father and son had been dug up, their bones thrown into the wilderness, and all the resentment had entered into this longevity lock, her face instantly turned pale.
The next moment, Chen Lin glared at Chen Haonan and said angrily, "Master Ye kindly offered guidance, and not only did you fail to appreciate it, you even had someone lay hands on Master Ye. How outrageous!"
"Sis, in my opinion, he just wants to swindle the longevity lock. It's the 21st century now; ever since the foundation of our country, animals are not even allowed to become spirits, let alone there being anything like a malevolent object," Chen Haonan said with a sneer, his face full of disdain as if he believed that Ye Fan was talking nonsense, merely coveting the Chen Family's heirloom.
"How dare you!"
Chen Lin was furious, "Master Ye is a Martial Arts Grandmaster of our time. Even if you offered the longevity lock to Master Ye, he might not even care for it. How could he possibly swindle you for the longevity lock?"
"Moreover, I think everything Master Ye said makes sense. Don't forget how grandfather died, and how father fell ill," she added.
At her words, Chen Haonan seemed to recall something dreadful; his whole body shook, and his lips quivered.
Chen Lin continued, "That longevity lock was bought from a tomb raider by grandfather in the 1980s. After purchasing it, grandfather treated it as a family treasure and wore it on his body. Within half a year, grandfather passed away from muscle atrophy and a severe illness, turning black all over, as if possessed by evil spirits."
"After grandfather's death, father then wore it, and he too suddenly fell, turning black all over, with no identifiable cause of illness!"
"All these years I've been puzzled as to why our Chen Family, with no history of hereditary illnesses, would suddenly fall ill, from grandfather to father. And you've been frail since childhood. Today, after hearing Master Ye's words, I've completely understood!"
"The sinister illnesses that befell grandfather, father, and you, they've all been caused by this longevity lock."
When Chen Lin finished, Chen Haonan felt as if he had been hit by a thunderbolt. He turned deathly pale and quickly threw the gold longevity lock onto the ground, with no trace of arrogance left on his face, only shock and fear.
His grandfather had died because of this longevity lock, turning black as if cursed.
Now his father had also fallen ill because of this longevity lock, showing the same blackened muscles as his grandfather did.
What Chen Haonan never expected was that the source of all the evil was this longevity lock he had treasured so much.
"Now do you see that what Master Ye said was right? Apologize to Master Ye immediately!" Chen Lin scolded.
Staring at the discarded longevity lock, a cold shiver ran up from Chen Haonan's heels to the crown of his head. Without any hesitation left, he looked towards Ye Fan and knocked his head on the ground three times with thuds.
Afterward, with a look of panic, Chen Haonan said, "I apologize, Master Ye, I was blind and offended you just now. Please forgive me, Master Ye!"
"Forget it!" Ye Fan was not inclined to dwell on the matter.
Haonan Chen still spoke anxiously, "Master Ye, I've worn this longevity lock for a very long time, and I've also noticed that my body sometimes turns black. I'm not going to kick the bucket, am I?"
"Master Ye, I'm only twenty-three years old this year. I don't want to die young. If I die, the Chen Family will have no successors. I beg Master Ye to save my life!"
As he spoke, Haonan Chen kowtowed to Ye Fan three more times, his eyes brimming with earnest pleading.
"I beg Master Ye to save my brother's life!"
With a deep sigh, Chen Lin, though her brother Haonan Chen was disappointing, she only had him as a brother and couldn't just watch him follow in their grandfather's and father's footsteps.
Kong Xuan said with a look of compassion, "Saving one life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda. Mr. Ye, please consider saving Young Master Chen."
"Hmm!"
Ye Fan nodded. Although he felt indifferent towards Haonan Chen, he also did not wish for the longevity lock to continue harming others in this world.
The next moment, Ye Fan looked at the longevity lock with icy eyes. With a flick of his finger, a surge of Furious True Qi shot out and wildly entered the longevity lock.
"Ah!!!!"
Before all eyes, a wail resembling a fierce ghost emanated from the longevity lock. The sound was filled with venom and reluctance, and, ultimately, a stream of black mist drifted out from the longevity lock.
Seeing this, Chen Lin and the others were all shocked, with goosebumps breaking out all over their bodies.
Especially Haonan Chen, his mouth agape in an "o" shape, large enough to fit several eggs.
What was most shocking was that at this moment, black mist began to seep out of Haonan Chen's mouth. As the black mist emerged, his complexion instantly became much rosier.
Haonan Chen was no fool. He could clearly feel his body becoming much lighter all at once.
"Thank you, Master Ye, for rescuing me. Thank you, Master Ye, for rescuing me!"
Feeling the astonishing change within his body, Haonan Chen was overjoyed and gave Ye Fan three more loud kowtows.
Seeing Haonan Chen's rosy complexion, Chen Lin quickly said, "Master Ye, my father is still seriously ill in bed. I implore Master Ye to save my father!"
"Yes, Master Ye, I beg you to save my father. As long as you can save my father, Master Ye, whatever you want, my Chen Family will fulfill it!" Haonan Chen said.
Ye Fan looked up at the door, "Let's do it some other day. It's already very late today!"
"It's alright. We can arrange another time to meet, if we could have your contact information, Master Ye!" Chen Lin said excitedly.
"That works!"
Moved by Chen Lin's filial piety, Ye Fan did not refuse.
Upon receiving Ye Fan's contact information, Chen Lin was thrilled. She immediately pulled out a bank card and handed it to Ye Fan, "Master Ye, there is thirty million in here. The password is the last six digits. It's a token of my appreciation, please accept it!"
"I am a healer. It's my duty to save lives and provide aid. Please keep your money," Ye Fan waved his hand.
Seeing that Ye Fan refused to accept it, Chen Lin did not insist. She turned to Kong Xuan, "Boss Kong, please put all the medicinal ingredients required by Master Ye on my Chen Family's tab, and gather these as quickly as possible!"
"Don't worry, Miss Chen, I will!" Kong Xuan nodded.
Without needing Chen Lin to say more, she would quickly obtain all the ingredients Ye Fan needed.
After all, this was a young Martial Arts Grandmaster with immeasurable future achievements. Yaozhen Pavilion naturally wanted to forge a strong relationship with him.
This time Ye Fan did not refuse. His daughter had suffered Severe Qi Damage, and he desperately needed medicinal ingredients to replenish her Qi and blood.
Ye Fan did not linger. He picked up the Hundred-Year Wild Ginseng and disappeared into the vast night.
Staring at Ye Fan's disappearing figure, Chen Lin's beautiful eyes flickered, and she couldn't regain her senses for a long time.
Seeing this, Kong Xuan teased, "Miss Chen, what do you think of Mr. Ye?"
"Quite good!" Chen Lin replied subconsciously.
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Lin realized her indiscretion, and a blush rose on her pretty face, "Boss Kong, don't overthink it. Master Ye is a Martial Arts Grandmaster of our times, generous and warm-hearted, a role model for our generation!"
"Giggle giggle giggle..."
Kong Xuan laughed heartily, her demeanor coquettish as she said, "As far as I know, aren't you still single, Miss Chen? Mr. Ye is young and promising, perhaps this is a good chance for you to marry yourself off!"
"If you could marry a young Martial Arts Grandmaster, I wonder how many people in Central Plains City would envy you, Miss Chen..."