“What are you dazing out for? I told you to apologize to Young Master Ye, can’t you understand human speech?” Ma Wei stepped forward and kicked Ding Xuan, “You’re worse than a dog, putting on airs here. Do you really think you’re so remarkable?”
Although it seemed like Ma Wei was scolding Ding Xuan, his words were intended to reflect on Ye Fan.
Ye Fan wasn’t a fool, of course, he understood what Ma Wei was saying.
“Forget it, a dog will always be a dog, it can’t change its nature of eating shit. Moreover, dogs have one trait, they always look down on others, not realizing that people are actually much stronger than they think. Right, Young Master Ma?”
Ye Fan stared at Ma Wei with a smirk, saying ‘dog eyes look down on people’, subtly throwing back all of Ma Wei’s words.
Ma Wei tried to insult Ye Fan under the guise of the issue with Ding Xuan, whereas Ye Fan, leveraging the dog analogy without raising his voice, left Ma Wei speechless, “Young Master Ye, you…”
Is this still the fool from the Ye Family before?
He even knows how to fight back, directly calling out one’s ‘dog eyes look down on people’?
After the exchange, Ma Wei didn’t gain any advantages.
“The old servant, Ma Wencai, greets Young Master Ye!”
Just as the situation was becoming tense, Ma Wencai suddenly walked out quickly from the back courtyard. Upon seeing Ye Fan, he didn’t hesitate at all to bow respectfully, his attitude utterly sincere, “Young Master Ye, my son and our steward are ignorant and have offended you. I hope Young Master Ye can forgive them!”
“Of course, if Young Master Ye is not appeased, you can take their lives with a single slice, as they would deserve. After all, the Ma Family has always been the most loyal vassal family to the Ye Family!”
As the deputy general to Ye Changfeng, Ma Wencai was indeed much more sophisticated.
He immediately clarified his position, also emphasizing his status that the Ma Family is a vassal family to the Ye Family. If you really move against Ma Wei and Ding Xuan, it would be like taking action against your own people, which might dishearten other families.
Ma Wencai was morally and emotionally blackmailing him. He was aware of it, and so was Ye Fan.
However, Ding Xuan was unable to grasp the subtleties of this foxlike confrontation at the moment. Hearing that Ma Wencai was willing to trade his life for goodwill with Ye Fan, he was so scared he almost wet himself, “Don’t…”
Ding Xuan was about to speak up but was silenced by a look from Ma Wencai, pushing back whatever Ding Xuan was about to say.
Ye Fan smiled lightly, “Master Ma overstates the matter. If the family dog doesn’t listen, at most, you give it a lesson, that’s all. To kill… well, that would depend on the severity of the matter! Let’s keep their lives for now…”
“It’s just because Steward Ding wouldn’t let me through the front door, no big deal! Now that I’m here, it’s just that I exerted a little too much force and damaged Master Ma’s gate. I assume Master Ma won’t mind, right?”
Since Ma Wencai hadn’t broken off relations, Ye Fan continued along with what Ma Wencai had said.
You’re trying to emotionally blackmail me?
I can do that too!
Breaking your gate is like marking your head with urine, you still have to tolerate it.
“Not at all… I don’t mind at all!” Ma Wencai’s facial muscles twitched slightly, and he was inwardly startled.
How incisive his words were!
Clear logic, precise to the point!
Ye Fan was able to parry any covert move Ma Wencai tried on him with swift and sharp counters.
This Ye Fan, he seemed completely different from the information previously gathered!
“Ha ha! That’s for the best… Master Ma, I came here on behalf of my grandfather to reminisce with your elderly, and to discuss some matters. I was in a rush and didn’t bring any gifts, this is just something I prepared in haste. Of course, there’s also something my grandfather specifically asked me to deliver to you!”
As Ye Fan spoke, he took the gifts prepared in the car and specifically handed a small box to Ma Wencai.
When the box was opened, inside was a bullet strung with a piece of cord.
“This is… the bullet that Old Master Ye had blocked for me back then… this…” Ma Wencai picked up the bullet, repeatedly stroking it with his hand, his eyes welling up with tears as if returning to the era when he fought alongside Ye Changfeng.
Decades ago, during a battle, Ye Changfeng and Ma Wencai’s men were scattered, and the two were forced into a jungle. As the enemy was about to kill them both, it was at that critical moment that Ye Changfeng took a bullet for Ma Wencai, saving his life. It wasn’t until the reinforcements arrived that they were both rescued.
The bullet that became lodged in Ye Changfeng’s shoulder was later removed, and Ye Changfeng had kept it ever since.
Now the meaning behind Ye Changfeng turning over this bullet was quite clear.
As the commander of the million-strong Tianlong Army, Ye Changfeng, although old, was certainly not foolish.
Ma Wencai’s subtle maneuvers over the years had not escaped Ye Changfeng’s notice.
This time, by having Ye Fan personally visit and bringing the bullet, he intended to give Ma Wencai one last chance, hoping that Ma Wencai would remember their brotherhood and turn back in time.
“Father… please think this through…” Ma Wei, who was beside Ma Wencai, saw that something was amiss with his father’s emotions and quickly spoke up to remind Ma Wencai, pulling him back from his reverie.
Now that the Ma Family had already betrayed the Ye Family by participating in the attack on the Second Young Master of the Ye Family, and had boarded the bigwig’s ship, how was there any possibility of disembarking halfway?
Ma Wencai instantly adjusted his emotions, his expression turning serious, and he carefully put away the bullet, “Tell your grandfather, the gift, I, Ma Wencai, have accepted… By the way, I also have something for you…”
As Ma Wencai spoke, he handed over a copper coin button woven with a red cord to Ye Fan, “Young Master Ye, this is the peace charm I’ve worn for most of my life, and now I give it to you! May it keep you safe, it’s a small token of my regards for Xiao Fan…”
“As for anything else, there’s no need to say more. I have met you, and the gifts have been delivered! There’s nothing else, Young Master Ye, please return.”
The intentions of Ma Wencai were also made very clear, the old generation’s debts of gratitude and grudges, through a bullet and a peace charm, had been explained very clearly.
That is, no matter how Ye Fan positioned himself today, Ma Wencai had already decided to betray the Ye Family.
Ye Fan’s visit today was doomed to fail.
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However, since Ye Fan had come with Qing Ruolan, he didn’t plan to return empty-handed.
“Elder Master Ma, I’m already here, I should at least have a cup of tea before leaving, shouldn’t I?” Ye Fan stared provocatively at Ma Wencai, “It’s been many years since we’ve seen each other, I have much I’d like to discuss with Elder Master Ma!”
“Oh?” Ma Wencai’s eyebrows twitched, it seemed Ye Fan had fully awakened indeed, his current schemes and rhetoric even giving an old fox like him a hard time, forcing him to tread carefully.
Who knows where else Ye Fan might be laying a trap for him!
Ye Fan and Ma Wencai entered the main hall together and sat down. Without beating around the bush, Ye Fan said, “Elder Master Ma, Qing Ruolan is my wife, you must be very well aware of that, so regarding the Qing Family’s project, you shouldn’t make it difficult, right?”
Today’s visit was not only as a courtesy but also to stand up for Qing Ruolan and show some assertiveness…
Ye Fan was fully aware of all of the Ma Family’s actions, so he naturally wasn’t afraid, full of confidence!
“Elder Master Ma, let me add one more thing, this is not a negotiation, but an order!”
Huh?
With that one sentence, Ye Fan instantly made the atmosphere in the hall turn eerie!
Was this young man Ye Fan being too arrogant?
After all, Ma Wencai was on the same level as Ye Changfeng, and yet Ye Fan was being so presumptuous…