Ye Feifei hurried after the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python, and before long, she had left the Ye Mansion.
The Eight-winged Golden Scale Python headed toward the marketplace. 'Could Brother Tian be so bored he's decided to take a stroll through the market?' Ye Feifei wondered.
As they neared the entrance to Lisha City's market, the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python suddenly shot much higher into the sky. Unless you were looking closely, you'd never know it was there, hovering above Ye Feifei's head.
Ye Feifei wasn't surprised by the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python's action. After all, if it appeared in the market in its true form, it would certainly attract a great deal of attention. That would be incredibly dangerous. If a supreme expert happened to be in Lisha City, they might try to capture it.
After entering the market, Ye Feifei began to search for Ye Tian. Meanwhile, Ye Tian himself was in a tavern, slowly savoring a fine wine.
Ye Tian had his reasons for drinking in the tavern. Too much had happened recently, and he felt stifled, desperate to unwind by himself for a while.
After wandering the market for the better part of the day, he had finally chosen this tavern. Ye Tian was a well-known figure in Lisha City, so his appearance immediately drew a great deal of attention.
The tavern grew lively the moment he appeared, and a constant buzz of discussion filled the air. Everyone was curious as to why the Ye Family's genius had shown up here.
Ye Tian, however, paid the chatter no mind. He hadn't come to the market just to clear his head; he had another purpose. He was eager to see how the Qin Family would react. After all, they had sent the Black Iron Guard to assassinate him. He wondered if his sudden appearance in Lisha City would create a false impression.
On his table were just three small side dishes and a pot of wine, but Ye Tian ate with gusto. He was finally starting to appreciate the taste of wine; it was actually quite good.
The tavern Ye Tian had chosen was, in fact, a Qin Family establishment. His appearance was immediately noticed by their people, and a messenger was dispatched to the Qin Mansion at once to report the news.
Qin Wushuang, the Patriarch of the Qin Family, was enjoying a leisurely afternoon with his beloved daughter, Qin Xiaowan, in the rear garden of their estate. The two were sharing a laugh when a servant arrived to report that Ye Tian had appeared in one of their taverns in the market.
Qin Xiaowan wasn't particularly surprised by Ye Tian's appearance, but for Qin Wushuang, it was a different story. The Shadow Celestial Dragon Team's Black Iron Guard had been specifically dispatched to assassinate him. His presence in the market was highly unusual.
A flicker of doubt crossed Qin Wushuang's face, and Qin Xiaowan saw it clearly. Finding her father's expression odd, she asked:
"Father, why do you look so grim after hearing that the Ye Family's genius is in the tavern? Did something happen?"
Qin Wushuang glanced at his beloved daughter. "Wan'er, there are some things I didn't want you to know. But we are father and daughter, and you are one of the Qin Family's own geniuses. It's necessary that you understand this."
"Father, what is it? Did Ye Tian do something shocking again? You're usually so calm and collected. Your behavior today is unusual, and I find it very strange," Qin Xiaowan said.
"Last time, Ye Tian injured your two older brothers, a grave insult to our Qin Family's honor. But his talent is so outstanding that he has naturally become Ye Weitian's most prized disciple.
"The Ye Family and the Qin Family are evenly matched in strength. Even if I wanted to take my anger out on Ye Tian, I couldn't. If we were to openly fall out with the Ye Family, it would surely trigger a clan war!
"The only one to benefit then would be the other major family in Lisha City, and I have no desire to see them profit from our conflict. That is why I paid a hefty sum to hire assassins from the Shadow Celestial Dragon Team to kill Ye Tian.
"Yet now, Ye Tian has appeared, safe and sound, in the Lisha City market. This means the Black Iron Guard from the Shadow Celestial Dragon Team has failed. It's highly likely they've been killed. This suggests the Ye Family has a powerful backer, which makes this matter far from trivial," Qin Wushuang said gravely.
Qin Xiaowan was startled. She was exceptionally clever and sharp-witted. 'Ye Tian's sudden appearance in the market is most likely a show of force aimed at our Qin Family.'
But she also felt a strange sense of familiarity toward him, a feeling that had lingered in her heart for a long time. She desperately wanted to meet Ye Tian and figure out what it all meant. However, as the young lady of the Qin Family, she couldn't possibly arrange a private meeting with a man.
Now, however, there seemed to be an opportunity. Her first thought was to go see Ye Tian herself, and perhaps help her father learn some of the things he wanted to know.
"Father, I know it would be inconvenient for you to go. Why not let me see him?" she said. "I'm confident my looks will pique his interest. Perhaps I can learn something useful!"
"What, you're planning on using a honey trap?" Qin Wushuang said, his face devoid of expression. "Isn't Ye Feifei always by his side? It's unlikely you'd be of much use. Besides, I don't want you getting involved with Ye Tian. In my eyes, he's already a dead man."
"Father, I know what Ye Tian did was a huge blow to our family's prestige, but we can't just look at the surface. If he knows we were the ones who hired the Black Iron Guard and tells everyone, then the Qin Family will be utterly humiliated.
"My goal is to placate him for now and find out if he knows about the Black Iron Guard. If he does, I can keep him calm, and then you can find the right opportunity to deliver a devastating blow," Qin Xiaowan said.
Deep down, she truly didn't want anything to happen to Ye Tian. She had no idea why she felt this way.
Qin Wushuang hesitated for a long moment before finally saying, "Fine. I'll have a few trusted men accompany you. If anything unexpected happens, they can move to kill Ye Tian at a moment's notice. The Qin Family's honor cannot be trampled on. You handle it as you see fit."
"Father, I understand. But I really don't want to bring anyone with me this time. Trust me, I can definitely handle this!" Qin Xiaowan said with great confidence.
"Be careful. I hope you won't be as reckless as your two brothers. The Qin Family cannot afford to lose face in Lisha City a second time," Qin Wushuang said.
Qin Xiaowan nodded, then turned and left. She walked straight out of the Qin Mansion and hurried toward the tavern where Ye Tian was.
Following the directions from her family's disciples, Qin Xiaowan soon arrived at Ye Tian's tavern. As one of Lisha City's most famous beauties, her entrance immediately drew the attention of countless eyes.
She paid their stares no mind, however, her large, limpid eyes scanning the room for Ye Tian.
Soon, she found her target and slowly walked over. When she reached his table, she asked softly, "Young Master Ye, may I sit with you?"
Ye Tian looked up. He was taken aback to see a woman whose beauty was in no way inferior to Ye Feifei's. "May I help you, miss?"