"Clear the way, all of you!" Ye An bellowed, prompting those around to quickly make room. Even Ye Min and An Ya couldn’t help but step back, maintaining a distance from Ye An.
Ye An’s wheelchair slowly approached a position to the left. Cold light shone from his eyes as he waved his hands, sending a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy toward the mud walls.
CRASH! The entire passage began to shake violently. The earth on the walls started to crumble and fall. The area where Shangguan You and Second Young Master Ye were also trembled a few times. Shangguan You, whose eyes had been closed, couldn’t help but open them.
"What’s going on?" Second Young Master Ye swayed before swiftly moving to Shangguan You’s side. "It’s none other than your elder brother using his Spiritual Energy. Relying on external forces is futile; he’s resorting to brute force."
Shangguan You glanced disdainfully at Second Young Master Ye before waving her hands once more. The previously still earth began to move again rapidly. The spot, which had been hundreds of meters within the earth’s strata, began to sink quickly, as if descending in an elevator.
"What in the world is happening? Who is there? Come out!" an angry roar echoed. Ye An, in his wheelchair, was now suspended in mid-air. The mud that had previously been closing in around him actively parted, creating a space large enough to accommodate several people.
"Young Master, it seems this place can move."
"Young Master, it’s the power of the Earth Spirit Bead. Only with the power of the Earth Spirit Bead can one command the earth so freely," Ye Min said in a cold voice, following closely behind Ye An. If the earth here can move, then in the entire world, the only one who could order the earth around so obediently is Shangguan You. Could Shangguan You be somewhere nearby, watching their every move? At this thought, Ye Min broke out in a cold sweat.
Their bodies, along with the earth, continued to sink deeper and deeper, until water began to seep from the surrounding earth. Only then did their descent halt. The space, previously able to hold just a few people, was now visibly expanding at a rapid rate.
A faint glow illuminated the pitch-black strata, and a small, underground city quickly came into view before everyone.
The secret chamber they had just been in was still expanding. The passage they had opened upon entering was now nowhere to be found. Here, they had no control whatsoever.
"Shangguan You, since you’ve come, you might as well show yourself." A murderous intent flashed briefly in Ye An’s eyes, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. His voice was loud, piercing through layers of stone and carrying far into the distance.
"Hehe, Ye An, we meet again," a girlish laugh rang out. Shangguan You suddenly emerged from the earth, elegantly seated on a brown throne, gazing down upon Ye An and his group from her elevated position.
"Shangguan You, why are you here? Second Young Master, how can you be with this woman?" An Ya glared fiercely at Shangguan You. Upon seeing Second Young Master Ye behind her, An Ya questioned him coldly.
"An Ya, why shouldn’t I be here? The real question is, why are you and Elder Brother here? Elder Brother, shouldn’t you be at the main house? The main house needs you to handle things now," Second Young Master Ye swept a cold glance over Ye An, then An Ya, and finally Ye Min.
He then turned his gaze toward the other members of the Ye Family behind them. Observing each of them bowing their heads, his frown deepened.
"Second Brother, although the Young Master put you in charge of the Ye Family in Beijing, you shouldn’t forget our own family matters, should you? This woman has nothing to do with our Ye Family. Why would you be with her?" Ye An’s mouth curved into a slight smile as he asked this lightly.
"Elder Brother, she holds a twenty percent stake in the Ye Family business. There’s nothing strange about me being with her. I’m merely following the Young Master’s orders," Second Young Master Ye replied indifferently, glancing at his elder brother.
"Hehe, Ye An, you must be quite forgetful, haven’t you? Forgetting such important matters? As one of the shareholders, I naturally need to be aware of the Ye Family’s assets. Besides, even if it weren’t for business, there are personal matters between Second Young Master Ye and me to discuss—just like the personal matters between you and An Ya," Shangguan You chuckled lightly. If only I had a glass of red wine now, she thought, the moment would be perfect.
"Shangguan You, the Young Master and I are discussing public affairs! There’s nothing personal between us!" An Ya shouted. She was, after all, engaged to the Third Young Master; Shangguan You couldn’t just accuse her of having an ambiguous relationship with the Eldest Young Master!
"Oh," Shangguan You drawled.
"Why are you here?" she then asked.
"The reason you are here is naturally the reason I am here. Moreover, Ye An, as long as I’m around, I believe your plans will certainly not succeed," Shangguan You smiled softly, giving Ye An a playful look. Anywhere else, she wouldn’t dare to speak so confidently, but here, thousands of meters within the earth’s strata, she felt perfectly secure enough to make such bold statements.
"Hmph! You’re that confident? Do you really think a mere Earth Spirit Bead can stop me?" Ye An laughed heartily. Where does Shangguan You get this certainty, this confidence?
"I didn’t come here today to stop you, Elder Brother. I’ve come bearing a gift. A most precious gift that I’m sure you will thank me for," Shangguan You said with a somewhat ambiguous smile.
"As for the gift you brought, I appreciate the sentiment," Ye An’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a trace of maliciousness in them.
"Elder Brother, that was just an appetizer. Besides, your legs were already useless. I just added a few needles to truly make them lifeless. That was originally your wish; I simply made your wish come true. So, you don’t need to thank me too much," Shangguan You said, her expression clearly conveying, ’You don’t need to thank me too much,’ while her gaze occasionally swept toward Ye An’s legs.
"Shangguan You, the Young Master used to protect you. Now that he isn’t here, I’d like to see who can protect you. How much longer can you remain so smug?" Ye An sneered. He hadn’t forgotten their last encounter of fire and ice. If other matters hadn’t required his attention while Shangguan You was unconscious, she would have been dead long ago, hardly capable of acting so brazenly before him now.