As Ye Wanqing finished speaking, the dozen or so security guards behind her stepped forward in unison. They ferociously drew the batons from their waists, swinging them so hard they whistled through the air.
"Daddy..." Xu Yiyi's petite body trembled slightly as she said in a panic, "Daddy, let's run!"
Xu Lai ruffled his precious daughter's hair and smiled. "Sweetheart, there's no need to run. Daddy is an expert."
"How much of an expert?" Xu Yiyi's large, sparkling eyes were filled with expectation.
"About this much of an expert." Xu Lai casually held his hand level with his waist.
Seeing his daughter pout in disappointment, Xu Lai hastily raised his hand high above his head. "This much of an expert!"
"Mwah! Daddy is the best!" Xu Yiyi planted a kiss on Xu Lai's cheek.
This made Xu Lai so happy he nearly floated on air. Yiyi was just too adorable!
However, Ye Wanqing's expression grew increasingly cold. She would not allow Xu Yiyi, whom she considered the Ye Family's private property, to have any connection to anyone else. Not even Xu Yiyi's biological parents! All possible complications had to be nipped in the bud.
Only this could ensure that her brother, Ye Wuxuan, could always use the 'spirit blood' to nourish himself. This way, his Martial Dao cultivation would be unobstructed, and the Ye Family's future would be splendid!
Ye Wanqing's voice turned icy. "What are you standing there for? Do it!"
"Yes, Miss," the security guards responded in unison as they gradually closed in.
In the crowd, a woman looked on with a worried expression—it was Su Daiyi, the same woman who had been frightened by Xu Lai outside the Ye Family's gate. After calming down, she had also entered the banquet hall. Yet, after much hesitation, Su Daiyi couldn't find the courage to step forward.
To incur the wrath of a powerful enemy like the Ye Family for a stranger would be completely irrational.
So, Su Daiyi remained silent, watching as more than a dozen security guards swung their batons down on Xu Lai!
But the anticipated screams never came. Instead, all the security guards were sent flying by an invisible force. They crashed to the ground, creating deep pits, without even managing a single cry of pain. All sixteen men were left seriously injured and unconscious. None were spared.
"Hmm?" Ye Wanqing narrowed her eyes, a hint of surprise in her voice. "So you're a Martial Artist. I see, so that's where your confidence comes from."
The guests were astonished. Xu Lai was actually a Martial Artist!
"Unfortunately, the power of the Ye Family is beyond your imagination," Ye Wanqing said, without a hint of panic. After the initial surprise, she glanced up toward the second floor of the banquet hall.
A moment later, a figure leaped down from the second floor.
BOOM!
The ground trembled, and the marble floor fractured into a spiderweb of cracks. A collective gasp went through the crowd; the second floor was nearly five meters from the ground!
The person who had leaped down was an old man dressed in black martial arts attire, his expression filled with an ineffable pride.
"It's Han Buming!"
"Master Han is a three-time champion of the Taekwondo Grand Tournament! He once killed a raging bull with a single kick! His strength is unfathomable!"
It didn't take long for people to recognize the old man, sparking a wave of awe and apprehension. Han Buming's strength was truly formidable. One of the reasons for the Ye Family's rapid expansion in Hangcheng was that Ye Wanqing had used various means to win over this Martial Dao expert. This had made him a Venerate of the Ye Family, a deterrent powerful enough to prevent the other Wealthy Families from provoking them excessively.
Now, as the Venerate of the Ye Family appeared, Su Daiyi broke into a cold sweat for Xu Lai.
So what if you're a Martial Artist! Even if you are strong, could you be stronger than Master Han, who has immersed himself in the Martial Dao for fifty years and is an unparalleled master in the domain of Taekwondo? How could a mantis possibly hope to stop a chariot!
Han Buming stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression aloof. "The Martial Dao is divided into nine grades, split into lower, middle, and upper tiers. The lower three grades cultivate strength. The middle three grades cultivate internal energy. The upper three grades stand at the pinnacle of the Martial Dao. Practitioners at this level are known as Martial Ancestors, and they cultivate Divine Skills!"
"Though your internal energy sent sixteen men flying, your technique is crude. In my eyes, it's full of flaws! Therefore, you are merely an ordinary Fourth Grade Martial Artist."
Han Buming spoke with a touch of regret. "To reach the Fourth Grade at your age means you must have some talent, but you never should have come to the Ye Family looking for trouble, and you certainly shouldn't have provoked Miss Ye."
Xu Lai has Martial Dao talent? A cold light flickered deep in Ye Wanqing's eyes. She let out a soft chuckle. "Xu Lai, I, Ye Wanqing, am not an unreasonable person. I'll give you one chance. If you cripple your own cultivation level and meridians, swear an oath to never set foot in Hangcheng again, and admit you have no relationship with Yiyi, I'll spare your life."
"What if I say no?" Xu Lai asked coolly.
This woman is truly vicious. She clearly wants me dead right here in the Ye Family's home, yet she hypocritically offers me a choice. How laughable.
"My Ye Family's Venerate possesses astonishing martial strength," Ye Wanqing threatened openly. "If he accidentally kills someone, that is a consequence the Ye Family can afford to bear. After all, I must be responsible for Yiyi. I cannot allow bad people the slightest opportunity."
"You're a first-class hypocrite," Xu Lai scoffed. "Since you're going to play the harlot, don't pretend to be a saint."
"Daddy, Yiyi doesn't understand," Xu Yiyi said, blinking her large eyes.
"Little children don't need to understand so much." Xu Lai stroked his precious daughter's hair and said softly, "Cover your eyes. Only open them when Daddy tells you to. It's about to get bloody."
"Mmm-hmm," Xu Yiyi obediently did as she was told.
At that moment, the entire hall fell deathly silent, every face a mask of stunned disbelief. They couldn't believe someone had dared to point a finger at Ye Wanqing and say such a thing, even if it was a widely known truth.
Su Daiyi frowned. Even if he is an accomplished Martial Artist, he can't insult Ye Wanqing like that. She's the backbone of the Ye Family, and more importantly—the older sister of the prodigy, Ye Wuxuan!
"How dare you..." Ye Wanqing's fists clenched, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her voice was ice. "Venerate Han, do it!"
"Understood, Miss Ye." Han Buming, a black belt tied around his waist, was full of vitality despite being over sixty and having a full head of white hair. He twisted his neck, a trace of scorn on his face. "I have studied Taekwondo for more than fifty years and have reached the early Fifth Grade. If you kill yourself now, you can avoid a great deal of physical pain!"
"Taekwondo? What's that?" Xu Lai muttered to himself. "It's not among the three thousand great Dao laws."
Han Buming's face turned ashen. The hierarchy of the Martial Dao is strict. For a fledgling Fourth Grade Martial Artist to feign ignorance before a Fifth Grade master, claiming not to know Taekwondo… it was the height of disrespect.
"Go to hell!" he roared, channeling all his strength into the instep of his foot as he unleashed a vicious sweeping kick.
A powerful wind howled as he kicked. The tables and chairs in its path instantly exploded into a cloud of wooden splinters. He moved so fast that he left a trail of afterimages.
The guests were utterly horrified.
Was this the power of a Fifth Grade Martial Artist? The might of that single kick was terrifying.
Compared to that, Xu Lai seemed utterly insignificant