Chapter 58: We Have Guests? Courting Death

"Tonight, I am the host. Consider it a welcome banquet for Brother Lei. I sincerely hope Brother Lei will honor me with his presence."

Qi Yuanliang spoke to Lei Zheng with an expression of deep affection and earnestness.

Having failed to find what he was looking for, Lei Zheng was already in a rather foul mood. However, upon hearing that Qi Yuanliang wanted to treat him, Lei Zheng naturally did not refuse and readily waved his hand in agreement.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Lei Zheng accept the invitation, Qi Yuanliang became even more delighted.

He turned around and announced to the other brocade-clad guards present, "Brothers, if you are free tonight, you are all welcome to come and have a drink. My treat!"

"Thank you, Lord Southern Pacification Commander!"

Regardless of whether there were any hidden motives behind this, in terms of superficial pleasantries, this Southern Pacification Commander certainly played his part flawlessly, leaving no room for criticism.

"My lord, are we going?" Si Nan glanced sideways at Ye Liuyun.

"Someone is offering free drinks; it would be rude not to go!" Shrugging his shoulders, Ye Liuyun was largely indifferent to the matter.

Besides, the Southern Pacification Commander had scheduled it for the evening, and there was still some time left. Once the headcount was finalized, everyone would be heading back to their respective quarters.

They needed a thorough wash and scrub. Having spent so many days exposed to the wind and dust out in the field, not to mention being thoroughly marinated in the elements, everyone carried a certain odor on them.

...

The moment Ye Liuyun returned to his mansion, he noticed an extravagantly decorated carriage parked right outside the grand gates.

After casting a curious glance at it, Ye Liuyun stepped inside the estate.

"The master is back!"

Not long after he entered, Xing'er, having received the news, hurried out to greet him.

It was evident that Xing'er had missed Ye Liuyun dearly during his prolonged absence. Her eyes seemed glued to him, as if she feared that looking away even for a second would cause him to vanish once more.

Seeing Xing'er like this, Ye Liuyun could not help but smile. He raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry. Now that your master is back, I won't be leaving the city anytime soon."

Even if he were to go out on another assignment, it would have to wait a few days. It was impossible for him to leave the moment he returned; did they really take him for an ox or a horse?

"Mm-mm!"

Hearing this, Xing'er nodded with a bright smile, looking all the more delighted.

"Ah, right!"

At that moment, Ye Liuyun suddenly remembered the carriage parked outside the gates. "Do we have a guest at home?"

"Uh, it's the mistress's second brother."

Second brother?

Ye Liuyun tried to search his memory. Hmm! He had not the slightest impression of such a person.

Still, he remained somewhat curious as to why Sheng Lanzhi’s second brother would choose this exact moment to pay a visit.

He took off his outer robe and handed it to a maid standing nearby. "Let's go and take a look."

"Mm." Xing'er trotted closely behind Ye Liuyun.

They had just reached the inner courtyard, before even stepping through the doorway, when an arrogant and flamboyant voice drifted over.

"Sister, back then Father only entrusted those shops to you to manage; he never said he was giving them all to you. Now that Father is gone, it is only right that you hand those shops over."

So he had come for the family estate after all.

Well, it made sense. While Sheng Li was still alive, none of the children dared to voice such demands. But now that Sheng Li was gone, naturally, people were starting to eye the inheritance.

The shops in Sheng Lanzhi's possession, though not numerous, generated a handsome profit. Her second brother had undoubtedly realized their value and thus come looking to freeload.

"Sister, a woman like you will find it terribly difficult to manage so many shops. You might as well hand them over to your second brother."

"Heh."

Sheng Lanzhi's expression had barely flickered through all his previous ranting. But at those words, she could not help letting out a soft chuckle.

He wrapped it in such high-sounding rhetoric, yet wasn't he simply after the shops?

Furthermore, what did he mean by saying she would find it difficult to manage? Knowing her second brother as she did, he knew nothing of the world beyond poetry, wine, and hedonism. If he were actually left in charge, it probably wouldn't be long before he sold off every single shop.

"Sheng Lanzhi! You—"

Seeming to catch the disdain in her tone, the man flared up, just as he was about to retort.

"Ahem!"

Ye Liuyun suddenly cleared his throat and walked in from outside the courtyard.

Upon seeing Ye Liuyun, Sheng Lanzhi's eyes instantly lit up with brilliance.

It wasn't a matter of defending Sheng Lanzhi out of mere obligation. Rather, Sheng Lanzhi's shops were equivalent to his own shops, and the revenues from those shops were equivalent to his own money. For this second brother who had crawled out of nowhere to covet Sheng Lanzhi's shops—

Wasn't that the same as coveting his own money?

He was courting death!

The second brother had just been about to say something, but upon seeing that the newcomer was Ye Liuyun, his attitude suddenly relaxed considerably.

"Ah, so it's Brother Liufeng!"

"Rest assured, once I get those shops, I can split half of them with you. I've long known that you dislike this younger sister of mine. You must be dying to divorce her by now, right?"

Clearly, Sheng Lanzhi's second brother was well aware of Ye Liufeng's reputation.

However...

Ye Liuyun gave the man a strange look, swallowing back the words that had just reached his lips.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Sheng Lanzhi. "He doesn't know?"

"Father only left him some money; nothing else." Sheng Lanzhi did not find it strange at all.

News of Ye Liuyun's true identity had only circulated within official circles, and not just anyone was qualified to be privy to it.

To put it bluntly, Sheng Lanzhi's second brother was nothing more than a pampered good-for-nothing; what qualification did he have to know about such matters?

"???"

Yet, listening to the casual exchange between Ye Liuyun and Sheng Lanzhi, the man wore a blank expression, utterly unable to comprehend what they were talking about.

"Wait, what are you two talking about?"

"It's very simple!"

Forget it, he was merely a useless wastrel; Ye Liuyun couldn't be bothered with idle nonsense.

With a swift motion, he drew his saber and rested the blade against the man's neck.

"Either crawl out of here right now, or die!"

"You!"

Seemingly caught off guard by Ye Liuyun's ruthless decisiveness, the man felt the chilling edge against his skin. His body trembled violently, and his legs gave out, causing him to collapse limply onto the ground.

What an absolute piece of trash.

Whatever. Ye Liuyun sheathed his saber, beckoned to Xing'er, and instructed, "Have the estate guards throw him out. If he dares to come back next time, have the servants beat him to death. I'll take the blame for whatever happens."

Such a brainless fool who didn't know the value of life was simply wasting oxygen by staying alive.

"Understood, Master!" Xing'er smiled and nodded, stepping out to summon a few footmen.

Sheng Lanzhi watched the scene with a beaming smile. Although the man was her second brother, their relationship was far worse than that of total strangers.

She blinked her eyes as she gazed at Ye Liuyun.

She simply adored this kind of crisp, straightforward way of handling things.

The decisiveness and directness Ye Liuyun displayed made her heart flutter uncontrollably.

He truly was incomparable to that useless trash Ye Liufeng.