Her self-esteem seemed to have taken a devastating blow. Lian Feng's face turned deathly pale as she stood there, completely at a loss for how to process what had just occurred.
In the past, she had always treated Ye Qiu with such obvious disdain and contempt because, for the entire twenty years of her life, she had genuinely believed that the person she was engaged to marry was Ye Qing.
Not Ye Qiu!
But when she finally learned the shocking truth—that the person she was actually destined to wed was Ye Qiu—at that terrible moment, she felt as though her entire carefully planned life had completely collapsed around her.
She had immediately begun to resist this fate with every fiber of her being. Even when faced with Ye Qiu's various attempts at flattery and courtship, she had deliberately chosen to ignore him completely, treating him with icy coldness and even outright ridicule.
After all, she was the revered Saint of the Bu Tian Holy Land—how could someone of her exalted status possibly be expected to marry a common street thug like him?
But no matter how harshly she scolded or insulted him, Ye Qiu had never once shown anger or retaliation.
Like persistent adhesive that refused to be removed, he had stuck close to her side and showered her with daily flattery and attention. He asked about her wellbeing every single morning and evening, and no amount of coldness or cruelty could drive him away from her side.
However, today felt completely different—as though she had been living in some elaborate dream and had now awakened to harsh reality...
"Sister Feng, what brings you here today?"
Discovering the visibly distraught Lian Feng standing near the entrance, the normally proud young man immediately abandoned his usual arrogance, replacing it with a gentle, caring smile as he approached her slowly.
The Ye and Lian families had been close allies for generations, and the two of them had grown up together as childhood companions, so naturally they shared a much warmer relationship.
Lian Feng slowly regained her composure and asked with obvious confusion, "Xiao Qing, what exactly happened with your brother just now? He seemed... different."
"Hmph... please don't even mention that bastard to me!" Ye Qing's expression immediately darkened. "That ungrateful wretch openly defies and disrespects our parents, shows no proper reverence for his elders, and has the audacity to insult our father and mother to their faces. He was even so incredibly rude that he declared his intention to completely sever all family ties with us."
"Mark my words—sooner or later, I will personally teach that arrogant bastard the lesson he so desperately deserves."
At this point, Ye Qing's eyes flashed with barely concealed murderous intent, especially when he recalled the cutting words Ye Qiu had directed at him just moments before. The killing intent became even more difficult to suppress.
"What! That's... that's unbelievable!"
After hearing this shocking account, Lian Feng stood there slightly stunned, struggling to process this information.
The two accompanying elders at her side, however, were clearly delighted by this unexpected development.
Severing family relations? Didn't that effectively mean the long-standing engagement between their precious young lady and the worthless Ye Qiu was now completely invalid?
Obviously, compared to the mediocre and disappointing eldest son of the Ye family, these shrewd elders much preferred the prospect of an alliance with the second son, Ye Qing. After all, his exceptional talents and achievements were renowned throughout the entire region.
If Lian Feng were forced to marry that complete waste Ye Qiu, it would not only fail to bring any meaningful benefits to their family, but would actually damage their carefully cultivated reputation and standing.
Clearly, they would much rather see this particular outcome unfold.
"Rebellious son! Treacherous, ungrateful son..."
"Let him go then—the farther away the better! I'll consider it as though I never gave birth to such a disgraceful child in the first place!"
An explosive roar of fury echoed through the hall as Ye Jin's rage finally erupted completely after Ye Qiu had departed from the premises.
Everyone present looked at him with visible fear and terror, and not a single person dared to step forward to intervene. No one possessed the ability to calm his volcanic anger except for Su Wanqing herself.
Even the terrifying alien creatures from beyond the borders were said to flee in panic at the mere mention of his fearsome name.
After venting his fury at the absolute top of his lungs for several minutes, Ye Jin finally began to regain some semblance of control.
He simply could not comprehend how a child who had once shown promise could have deteriorated to such a disgraceful state.
Could it possibly be that his strict, authoritarian approach to education had been fundamentally wrong from the very beginning?
"No! How could my methods possibly be wrong? That unfilial son is simply selfish and completely lacks any understanding or appreciation for his parents' sacrifices. He only knows how to demand things from others without giving anything in return. How could I have possibly fathered such an ungrateful bastard?"
He seemed to be working himself into an even greater fury thinking about Ye Qiu's behavior, and in his explosive rage, he began smashing various pieces of expensive furniture throughout the hall.
"Ye Yang!"
"Yes, Your Highness! I am here and ready to serve!"
"Go immediately and throw away every single possession that belongs to him. I want all traces of his existence removed from this household. Act as though we never had such a son in the first place. And make absolutely certain that he is never again permitted to set foot through the doors of the Ye family mansion!"
Hearing these harsh orders, the loyal housekeeper Ye Yang appeared visibly startled and seemed to hesitate, as though he wanted to say something but didn't quite dare.
"What is it? Do you still have the audacity to plead mercy for that rebellious, ungrateful son?"
As soon as these accusatory words left Ye Jin's mouth, Ye Yang was overcome with terror and immediately dropped to his knees, hurriedly trying to explain himself: "No, no! Absolutely not, Your Highness! I would never presume to... I just..."
"Just what? Speak up immediately!"
"The... the eldest young master doesn't actually have any possessions in the mansion to throw away. There are no belongings of his here at all!"
The atmosphere in the grand hall seemed to become deathly quiet in an instant...
Hearing this unexpected revelation, Su Wanqing turned around in complete shock, subconsciously thinking that she must have misheard the butler's words.
It seemed utterly unbelievable and impossible to accept.
He didn't even have a single room of his own in what was supposed to be his family home?
How could such a thing possibly be true? Su Wanqing felt that this statement was absolutely outrageous and incomprehensible. This was their own flesh and blood son they were discussing. In his own family home... how could he not have even the most basic accommodation?
What kind of home could that possibly be called?
Ye Jin's frown deepened even further, obviously refusing to believe such an assertion. If Ye Qiu didn't actually live at the family mansion, then how had he managed to come pay his respects to them every single morning at dawn?
And he had maintained this routine without fail for an entire month.
Anyone familiar with the geography would know that the distance from the Ye family estate to the Bu Tian Holy Land was considerable—with his weak cultivation level, it would require at least more than an hour of walking each way.
Which meant he would have had to set out well before dawn each morning to arrive on time.
Thinking about this logistical reality, Ye Jin felt his anger flare up once again as he demanded, "What absolute nonsense are you speaking? He has been coming to visit the family for an entire month—how could he possibly not have a room here?"
"If he wasn't living in our home, how could he have managed to come pay his respects to us every single morning for a full month without ever missing a day?"
"Did you perhaps accept some kind of bribe from him and are now trying to find ways to speak favorably on his behalf?"
Ye Yang broke out in a cold sweat of terror and explained with obvious panic, "Your Highness, I swear on my life that I am not lying to you! Every single word I have spoken is the absolute truth!"
Terrified that Ye Jin still wouldn't believe his account, he immediately continued his explanation: "Have you perhaps forgotten your own instructions? It was you yourself who declared that we should temper the eldest young master's arrogant attitude and suppress the bad habits he had acquired during his years living outside, in order to prevent him from becoming too presumptuous and causing trouble for the family."
"During this entire past month, the eldest young master has been traveling back and forth between the Bu Tian Holy Land and our family estate. Many times he would arrive at our gates before dawn had even broken and would return alone to the holy land only after darkness had fallen."
"He has never once complained about these hardships and has always faithfully followed your explicit instructions to the letter."
After these words were spoken, Ye Jin suddenly recalled with startling clarity that he had indeed issued exactly such a command.
When Ye Qiu had first been brought to their attention, he had been associating with a group of street thugs and displaying rather carefree, unruly behavior that was completely inappropriate for someone of his supposed station.
The original plan had been to humble his attitude first through this harsh treatment, and then bring him back into the household properly once he had learned appropriate respect and discipline.
However, Ye Jin had become preoccupied with various other pressing matters and had completely forgotten about this arrangement, allowing the situation to continue indefinitely until this very moment.
The instant Ye Yang finished delivering this devastating revelation, the entire grand hall fell into an oppressive, stunned silence.
If the trusted housekeeper hadn't spoken these words himself, absolutely no one present would have known or suspected that Ye Qiu had never actually been given a room of his own in what was supposedly his family household.
It was unclear whether the appropriate response was to pity him for his dedication or to mock him for his wasted enthusiasm, since all of his earnest efforts had ultimately yielded absolutely nothing in return.
In that moment of terrible realization, Ye Jin, Su Wanqing, all the servants, and even Lian Feng and the other distinguished guests fell into complete, uncomfortable silence.
Lian Feng felt genuine shock wash over her. Although she had always been aware that Ye Qiu wasn't particularly well-regarded or welcomed in his own family, she had never imagined in her worst nightmares that he could be treated with such callous neglect.
He was supposed to be a legitimate member of this prestigious family, and yet he didn't even have the most basic accommodation or place to call his own.
An inexplicable chill of guilt and regret began to fill her heart as the full implications sank in.
Recalling the cold, dismissive look in Ye Qiu's eyes just moments before, she suddenly realized with painful clarity that what she had been doing to him all this time was essentially identical to his family's cruel treatment.
Su Wanqing burst into uncontrollable tears as the horrible truth finally dawned on her. She finally understood why her eldest son had been growing more and more distant from them with each passing day.
From the very beginning to this very moment, they had never truly accepted him as a genuine member of their family.