Chapter 68: Expelled from the Yang Family

"Tian, don’t be afraid. I just called you over to ask you a few things. All you need to do is answer truthfully." Yang Zhennan patted Yang Tian’s shoulder to comfort him.

But his comfort didn’t seem to work. Instead, it made Yang Tian even more nervous. His legs were shaking so badly that he looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

"Yang Tian, who told you to bring Bingyu over last night? Who gave you that chicken soup, or did anyone touch it after you got your hands on it?" Ye Xuan tried his best to control his expression so he wouldn’t look so intimidating.

Yang Tian was shaking like a leaf. He stuttered, "Last night... it... it was Yang Jie who told me to bring my sister over. And... and he was the one who told me to bring the chicken soup to you. I... I just did what he said. I don’t know anything else!"

Although Yang Tian didn’t know exactly what had happened, he could guess a thing or two from the terrible expressions on Yang Zhennan’s and Ye Xuan’s faces. He cursed Yang Jie in his heart, "Damn Yang Jie for actually using me! I’m definitely not letting him off the hook for this!" If he had known Yang Jie was setting him up, he wouldn’t have brought Yang Bingyu back to Yunju Mountain Villa last night no matter what.

With Yang Tian’s confession, the whole truth was finally revealed. Without a doubt, the mole inside the Yang Family was Yang Jie.

"Cyan Dragon Chief! Jie definitely didn’t do it on purpose. He... he... he was just confused for a moment. He just wanted to play a joke on you! Please spare him this once!" Upon hearing that Yang Jie was the culprit, the color drained entirely from Yang Zhennan’s face. He dropped to his knees with a loud THUD right in front of Ye Xuan, pleading bitterly.

Seeing Yang Zhennan kneel, Yang Tian immediately dropped to his knees as well, not daring to breathe too loudly. He lowered his head, his face a mixture of shock and sheer panic.

Though he had known from the start that Ye Xuan was no ordinary person, he had never imagined that he was actually the Cyan Dragon Chief. That was a supreme existence in all of Huaxia! For such an elite master to be willing to stoop so low as to act as a bodyguard for the Yang Family, there had to be some hidden secret! Yang Tian might be a coward, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. On the contrary, he saw many things much more clearly than the rest of the Yang Family. It was just his timid nature that kept him from voicing his thoughts, even when he understood the situation perfectly.

"Heh, confused for a moment? Do you think using Yang Tian to scheme against me and Bingyu is just him being ’confused for a moment’?" Ye Xuan retorted with a cold sneer after hearing Yang Zhennan’s excuses.

Yang Zhennan knew his defense was incredibly weak, but what else could he do? Yang Jie was his own flesh and blood! No matter what mistakes Yang Jie made, Yang Zhennan would still try everything in his power to protect him.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, I know the mistake Jie made is unforgivable, but could you spare his life for the sake of the Yang Family having raised Bingyu for decades? Jie... he is my grandson, after all." Facing Ye Xuan’s sharp gaze, Yang Zhennan braced himself and managed to force out those words.

Ye Xuan was so angered that he actually laughed. Was Yang Zhennan implying that Yang Jie was his grandchild, but Yang Bingyu wasn’t?

"Yang Zhennan, what is Bingyu to you in your heart? A bargaining chip for the Yang Family to gain my protection?"

This sentence caused Yang Zhennan’s body to jolt violently. He quickly raised his head to look at Ye Xuan and explained, "No, that’s not what I mean. In my heart, Bingyu has always been the granddaughter I love the most, but... but..."

He felt too ashamed to even finish his sentence. After stammering for a long while, he finally just lowered his head in disgrace. He had to admit that if forced to choose between Yang Bingyu and Yang Jie, he would choose Yang Jie. After all, Yang Bingyu didn’t have the blood of the Yang Family flowing through her veins!

"Enough, I understand what you mean. Yang Jie may escape the death penalty, but he won’t escape punishment. I want you to officially expel him from the Yang Family. From this day forward, he is not to set foot in Jianghai City again. If you can’t do this, then he can just wait to die." Ye Xuan stared at Yang Zhennan for a long moment, finally grasping his true stance.

He couldn’t help but feel a wave of sorrow for Yang Bingyu. She respected and loved this grandfather more than anyone else in the Yang Family, yet Yang Zhennan had ultimately abandoned her. He truly felt that it was unfair to her.

"This... Cyan Dragon Chief, if Jie leaves the Yang Family, how will he survive in the future?"

How was this result any different from killing Yang Jie? Expelling him from the Yang Family was undoubtedly pushing him toward a dead end. How could Yang Zhennan possibly agree to such a demand from Ye Xuan?

Seeing Yang Zhennan’s reluctance, Ye Xuan let out a cold snort with a humorless smile. "If you think that won’t work, then I’ll do it myself. Yang Zhennan, I am not discussing this with you. You have no right to bargain with me."

Had such arrogant words come from anyone else’s mouth, Yang Zhennan would have definitely taught them a harsh lesson. But the person speaking right now was Ye Xuan. No matter how much status Yang Zhennan held in Jianghai City, he didn’t dare utter half a word of rebuttal.

"Thank you, Cyan Dragon Chief, for your mercy..." After hesitating for a long time, Yang Zhennan finally compromised. Every muscle in his body was tensed, and it took almost all his strength just to squeeze out that sentence. As things stood, saving Yang Jie’s life was the most pressing matter. As for the future, they would make plans for that later.

"Oh, right. When I say expelled from the Yang Family, I don’t mean just keeping it a private matter among yourselves. I want you to issue a public statement to the media. Let everyone in Jianghai City know that from now on, Yang Jie is no longer part of your Yang Family."

Thinking the matter was finally settled, Yang Zhennan was just about to stand up from the floor. However, Ye Xuan’s ensuing words made the slight bit of color that had returned to Yang Zhennan’s face vanish instantly. He couldn’t catch his breath and passed out right on the spot. This terrified Yang Tian. Panic-stricken, he yelled loudly for help, while Ye Xuan merely stood by and watched with cold indifference.

Unsurprisingly, Elder Yang was rushed to the hospital. The entire Yang Family was in a state of panic, terrified that something terrible might happen to him. Fortunately, Yang Zhennan possessed a rather robust constitution and pulled through after undergoing emergency treatment. However, he seemed to have aged significantly overnight, and his hair had grown noticeably whiter.

In a VIP hospital ward, a group of people gathered around Yang Zhennan’s bed.

"Dad, what exactly happened? How did you get so angry that it caused a heart attack?" Yang Kui asked with a face full of concern as he carefully helped Yang Zhennan sit up.

"Where is Jie?" Yang Zhennan didn’t answer his question. Instead, he looked around the room, searching for Yang Jie’s figure.

Hearing him call Yang Jie’s name, the expression on Yang Kui’s face noticeably stiffened. Then, with shifting eyes, he replied, "Jie went traveling with some friends. He’s temporarily out of Jianghai City."