Villain: After Intercepting the Female Lead, the Protagonist Collapses

Chapter 71

“It seems you’re not senile yet…” Ye Chen said with a cold smile. “I am Ye Changfeng’s son, Ye Chen!”

“No!” “That’s impossible, didn’t you die in that fire years ago?”

“Disappointing for you, I was lucky enough to survive… I’m here today to settle the score!” Ye Chen said sinisterly, advancing towards Chen Xiong step by step, his aura growing more terrifying with each step.

“You… don’t come any closer!” Terrified by Ye Chen’s aura, Chen Xiong fell off his chair, trembling in his voice.

“Who are you, get out of my Chen family!” A young man in his twenties stood up, berating Ye Chen. Unaware of Ye Chen’s cultivation, he dared to be so arrogant.

“Quite arrogant…” With a cold chuckle, Ye Chen extended a finger, and a sword energy burst forth, instantly severing the young man, who fell motionless.

Seeing this, the Chen family were terrified. As Ye Chen advanced, he killed one after another, leaving only a teenage boy by the time he reached Chen Xiong. The boy had fainted from fear.

“Chen family head, are you satisfied with the gift I’ve brought?” Ye Chen asked darkly.

“You’re a devil! You’ll suffer retribution!” Chen Xiong looked at Ye Chen in terror, his lips quivering.

“Retribution? What a joke! Did your Chen family ever think this day would come when you annihilated my family?” Ye Chen grabbed Chen Xiong, his eyes bloodshot and voice loud, looking utterly sinister.

“I… Please spare Jiayou, he’s just a child…” Chen Xiong begged, knowing his own death was inevitable but hoping to save his grandson.

“Tell me who’s behind this, and I might spare him.”

“It was… Jiang Jingwen of the Jiang family…” Chen Xiong confessed, hoping to save his grandson.

“Jiang Jingwen? Who is he?” Ye Chen asked, trying to control his rage.

“He’s the current head of the Jiang family. It was him who wanted the Yu Tian International Plaza land. Your father, Ye Changfeng, refused to sell, so Jiang Jingwen hired me to burn down your house…”

“Jiang family?!” Ye Chen was stunned, never expecting such a grudge with the Jiang family.

“Alright, you can die now…” Ye Chen concentrated his internal energy into his palm and struck, ending Chen Xiong’s life.

“Please… spare…” Chen Xiong fell before finishing his sentence, his eyes wide open even in death.

Ye Chen looked at Chen Jiayou, knowing the wisdom of eradicating the roots, and sent him to join Chen Xiong. Afterwards, Ye Chen burned down the entire Chen family estate in memory of his deceased relatives.

“Mom, Dad, your son has avenged you… If you’re aware in the afterlife, please rest in peace.”

“The Jiang family, I won’t let them go either. Once I’ve gathered enough strength, I’ll seek revenge against the Jiang family!”

Muttering to himself, Ye Chen bowed three times towards his family’s direction and then vanished into the night, heading next to settle accounts with the Wang family.

…

The next day.

“Shocking! Last night, the Chen family’s house suddenly caught fire, and all fifty-eight members of the Chen family perished!”

“Shocking, the Wang family suspected to be wiped out by enemies, the whole family tragically killed!”

Jiang Che looked at the news on his phone, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t need to think to know it was Ye Chen’s doing. It seemed Gu Yunqi had already told Ye Chen the truth. Now, this guy was probably thinking about how to increase his strength to seek revenge on him.

Just as Jiang Che put down his phone, it rang again. The incoming call was from his nominal mother. “Hello, what’s up, mom?”

“Did you see today’s trending news…?” Su Shanshan’s voice was incredibly solemn. She guessed it must be the remnants of the Ye family coming for revenge.

Ordinary business competition, no matter how fierce, wouldn’t resort to annihilating an entire family. And Jiang Che was the sole heir of the Jiang family; any mishap would spell disaster for him.

“Don’t worry, mom. I know what I’m doing,” Jiang Che said with a laugh, warmed by Su Shanshan’s concern.

“I’ll send a few dozen bodyguards over to ensure your safety.”

“That’s a bit over the top…” Jiang Che said, half laughing, half crying. He was actually hoping Ye Chen would come to him.

“This is how it’s going to be. Oh, and I heard from your Aunt Lin that Qingqiu’s secret illness has relapsed these past few days. You should visit her. She’s your fiancée, after all.”

Su Shanshan, busy with her own affairs, didn’t know the current status of Jiang Che and Shen Qingqiu’s relationship. But by all accounts, he should go see her.

“Her illness relapsed?” Jiang Che pondered. Counting the time, it was indeed time for Shen Qingqiu’s secret illness to flare up. But why hadn’t she told him? “Okay, I got it. I’ll come home to see you when I have time. Bye for now.”

After hanging up, Jiang Che instructed, “A Long, prepare the car. We’re going to the Bi’an Flower Villa.”

…

At the Bi’an Flower Villa, Shen Qingqiu lay in her bedroom, looking extremely weak and pale.

“Senior sister, please drink this medicine,” a stunningly beautiful woman handed a bowl of herbal medicine to Shen Qingqiu, spoon-feeding her.

This woman was Zhou Lingxi, also Ye Chen’s second senior sister. Having been in the capital, she flew to Linjiang City as soon as she learned of Shen Qingqiu’s illness relapse.

“Cold… I’m so cold…” Shen Qingqiu’s voice was faint, her condition appearing very fragile.

Zhou Lingxi sighed complicatedly. This was an old problem for Shen Qingqiu. A mishap during her young training days led her to stray into demonic paths, and her secret illness erupted at the end of each month, leaving her body icy and her mind unclear.

“Miss Zhou, can Qingqiu’s illness be cured?” A wealthy-looking lady asked, pained by the sight of Shen Qingqiu’s suffering.

“The medicine I brewed for senior sister can only ease her pain, not cure her completely. To fully cure her, we would need the Thousand Years Ice Mountain Snow Lotus as a catalyst,” Zhou Lingxi explained, shaking her head.

“Where can we buy such a Snow Lotus?” The lady’s eyes shone with hope.

“Aunt Lin, that herb grows only in the bitterly cold northern borderlands of Jiuzhou Country. The last known sighting was during the Song Dynasty, picked by a herbalist. Over the past few centuries, countless have sought it without success; its existence is still a matter of debate,” Zhou Lingxi said with a wry smile.

Seeing Shen Qingqiu in such agony, her mother approached the bed, her heart aching, wishing she could bear the pain for her daughter.

“Don’t be too sad, Aunt Lin. In a week or less, senior sister will recover on her own,” Zhou Lingxi consoled her.

“Sixth junior sister, please bring the other bowl of medicine I brewed in the kitchen,” Zhou Lingxi said to the silent Ji Qingwan standing at the foot of the bed.

Ji Qingwan silently left the room to fetch the medicine.

“Madam, the young master of the Jiang family has come to see Miss Shen,” a maid informed Shen Qingqiu’s mother.

“He’s here?” The lady was surprised but then understood. Her daughter had told her about her progressing relationship with Jiang Che. He must have come to visit upon hearing of her illness.

“Please let him in.”

…

Jiang Che, sitting in the living room sipping tea, knew Shen Qingqiu’s mother, Lin Wanyu, must be taking care of her. He thought it prudent to make a good impression on his future mother-in-law. So he didn’t rush to see Shen Qingqiu but first had a maid inform her.

“Young Master Jiang, Madam invites you to the second floor,” the maid returned after a while.

“Alright.” Jiang Che smiled lightly, instructed A Long to wait in the living room, and headed straight to Shen Qingqiu’s room.