Volume One, Chapter 38: Wang Defa’s Humble Compromise for the Greater Good

Wang Defa felt his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.

It was over!

These two words weighed upon his heart like two massive mountains, leaving him gasping for air.

The daughter of the Chief Minister!
Su Qingxue!

Though he was illiterate, the name of the current Chief Minister, Su Changqing, was like thunder in his ears! That was a man who stood truly beneath one and above ten thousand! A towering figure whose mere footfall could make the entire officialdom of the Great Qian Dynasty tremble!

And his own wayward son had actually molested the Chief Minister's daughter in the middle of the street? This was no longer just a simple matter of courting death; this was dragging the entire Wang family into a bottomless abyss!

All his previous rage and murderous intent dissolved at this moment, replaced by an boundless, tidal wave of fear that submerged him completely. He finally understood why the young man before him dared to be so unperturbed. He finally understood why the other’s eyes had held a faint, lingering trace of pity from the very beginning.

The man had been pitying him—a fool who was staring death in the face without even realizing it!

Ye Xuan watched as Wang Defa’s face shifted from black to green, then from green to white, and the arc of his mouth grew colder. He took a step forward, his voice low, yet every word struck home.

"Master Wang, do you still wish to negotiate with me now?"
"Do you still believe that forcing yourself to break your own leg is a favor granted to me?"

Wang Defa’s body shuddered violently. His legs went weak, and he nearly followed in Liu Chengye’s footsteps, collapsing directly to the ground. He looked at Ye Xuan, his eyes no longer filled with anger or scrutiny, but with a terror bordering on supplication.

*Thump!*

One of the soldiers behind Wang Defa, overcome with nerves, lost his grip on his steel blade, which clattered to the ground with a sharp, piercing sound.

This sharp noise shattered the last of Wang Defa’s psychological defenses. The flesh on his face twitched uncontrollably as he forced a smile that looked even more painful than weeping. His voice was as hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

"No... I dare not..."
"It... it was I who failed to recognize a titan and offended the Divine Physician!"
"The Divine Physician is magnanimous; I beg you... I beg you to show mercy and save my good-for-nothing son!"

He bent his waist deeply, that arrogant head finally lowered. The humility of his posture and the sincerity of his tone were in stark contrast to the man who, moments ago, had wanted to tear Ye Xuan limb from limb.

The soldiers behind him stared at one another, their minds blank. They could not fathom why their master, the Deputy Commander who walked sideways through Yun’an City, would be so terrified of a young man.

Watching him, Ye Xuan felt no ripples in his heart.

This was the effect he wanted. To make an enemy fear you, one must first shatter all their support and pride.

"You know to beg me now?" Ye Xuan said lightly, his tone devoid of joy or anger.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Defa nodded repeatedly, like a hammer striking garlic. "I beg the Divine Physician to intervene, I beg you to save him!"

"Very well." Ye Xuan finally relented. "For the sake of your love for your son, I will make this trip with you."

Hearing this, Wang Defa felt as if he had been granted an amnesty, his face showing a hysterical joy of having escaped a calamity. However, Ye Xuan’s next words made his heart turn cold.

"However, I have my own rules when it comes to healing. As for what those rules are, you will naturally find out once we arrive at your home."

Without another word, Ye Xuan turned and began to walk. As he brushed past Su Qingxue, he gave her a meaningful look.

Su Qingxue’s heart skipped a beat. She understood the meaning behind that gaze: *Do not forget what we agreed upon last night.*

That insane plan surfaced in her mind once more. Falsely accusing Wang Defa of plotting a rebellion! This plan was sheer fantasy, audacious to the extreme! Yet, looking at Ye Xuan’s confident and composed back, Su Qingxue’s heart, which should have been filled with doubt and fear, inexplicably settled.

She did not know how Ye Xuan intended to turn this monstrous lie into truth, but she chose to trust him. Or perhaps, she had no other choice.

Su Qingxue lowered her gaze and gave an almost imperceptible nod in the direction of Ye Xuan’s departure.

...

The Wang family residence.
Luxurious, yet reeking of vulgarity. This was Ye Xuan’s first impression upon entering.

Wang Defa led the way, his waist bowed and his posture extremely low, calling out incessantly for the "Divine Physician to step this way," terrified of showing the slightest negligence. The servants in the manor were so shocked by their master’s behavior that their eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

Passing through several courtyards, a thick, cloying smell of medicine mixed with the scent of blood washed over them.

"Divine Physician, my son is inside." Wang Defa pointed to a room with its door tightly shut, his face full of anxiety and anticipation.

Ye Xuan nodded and pushed the door open. The room was in disarray. Expensive porcelain lay shattered across the floor, tables and chairs were overturned, and the air was filled with a nauseating, putrid stench.

On the ornate bed, a fat figure was thrashing wildly, letting out roars like a beast. It was Wang Teng. His right leg was crudely splinted with wooden boards, but the excruciating pain had long since stripped him of his sanity.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! You can't even find a doctor! What use is my father keeping you dogs for!"
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

While cursing, he hurled everything he could reach onto the floor. Several maids and house servants huddled in the corner, trembling, not daring to step forward.

"Teng’er!" Seeing his son in such a miserable state, Wang Defa’s eyes reddened with heartache, and he rushed over. "Father has brought a Divine Physician! Your leg can be saved!"

Upon hearing the words "Divine Physician," Wang Teng finally stopped his roaring. His bloodshot eyes struggled to look toward the door.

When his gaze met the calm and composed young figure at the entrance, the air in the room seemed to freeze in that instant. The look of agony on Wang Teng’s face was instantly replaced by endless shock and malice.

He stretched out a trembling hand and pointed rigidly at Ye Xuan, his voice becoming sharp and piercing from overexcitement.

"It... it's you!"
"Father! It's him! It's this bastard who broke my leg!"

After the brief shock came an volcanic eruption of rage! Wang Teng’s features twisted together, and he roared frantically at Wang Defa.

"Father! What are you standing there for!"
"He is the culprit! Didn't you bring your men?"
"Kill him! Kill him for me now!!"
"I want him dead! I want to tear him into ten thousand pieces!!"

Watching his son’s crazed roaring, Wang Defa slapped him across the face.

"Shut up!"