Evan Yang stood in the grand hall, feeling a bit out of place with so many eyes on him. He'd faced bigger storms before, but this time he was genuinely surprised. Soon, he saw Terry Yang return, and behind him was a middle-aged woman.
As soon as the middle-aged woman entered, many people greeted her respectfully, "First Madam."
Evan Yang wondered to himself, "Is she Terry Yang's mother? My father's sister-in-law?"
Before Evan Yang could get an explanation, Lydia Yang saw the middle-aged woman and showed a doubtful expression.
"What's going on? Why are there so many people?" the middle-aged woman asked deliberately.
"First Madam, Second Young Master Liam Yang's son has come to the door—he's right here now," Yang Gui seized the opportunity and quickly stepped forward to report.
"Second Young Master? Hasn't he always been sealed away? He's still asleep—how could he have a son?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"Sister-in-law, I can vouch for this!" Lydia Yang said.
"Lydia, I don't know what you're thinking or how you recognized him. Did your second brother ever tell you he had a son? I don't think so—he was already deranged when he returned. If any random person shows up and claims to be your second brother's son, you'll just accept it?" the middle-aged woman said. But when she looked into Evan's eyes, she saw a resemblance to Liam Yang, though she pretended not to notice.
"Sister-in-law, I've decided—he is." Lydia Yang said firmly.
Evan Yang was deeply grateful for Lydia Yang's support, but the middle-aged woman was far from pleased. Instead, she pressed, "Where is the patriarch?"
"The patriarch is cultivating," Yang Gui replied.
"Since the patriarch is cultivating, what do the Four High Elders think?" the middle-aged woman asked.
The Four High Elders glanced at the middle-aged woman. The Black-robed Elder spoke up, "First Madam, we will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Investigate? What's there to investigate? He broke into the forbidden zone and pretended to be a Yang clansman—just these crimes are enough to execute him on the spot," the middle-aged woman said.
Evan Yang listened to the middle-aged woman's words and saw Terry Yang's expression. He realized they wanted him dead. Lydia Yang wasn't naive either—she heard it too and declared, "If anyone wants to harm him, they'll have to kill me first!"
"You, Lydia, are you really going to throw away your own status for an outsider?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"Sister-in-law, he's not an outsider—he's my second brother's son, my nephew, my own blood!" Lydia Yang insisted.
The middle-aged woman was furious. Usually, whenever her son crossed Lydia Yang, he'd get scolded, but now Evan Yang was being fiercely protected by her. The thought annoyed her, but in the grand hall she had to guide the crowd, so she said, "Lydia, I understand how you feel, but can you provide any real proof that he's your second brother's son? Did your second brother tell you? I doubt it. Let's let everyone speak—if anyone can just claim to be a Yang heir, what does that say about our clan?"
Some of the Yang clansmen echoed her, especially Yang Gui, who said, "That's right, First Madam makes sense. If anyone could just pretend to be Second Young Master Liam Yang's son, that would be far too careless."
"Enough! I said I'll protect him. If you want to hurt him, you'll have to get through me first," Lydia Yang declared.
The middle-aged woman gave Lydia a cold look, then turned to the Four High Elders. "No matter who he is, he must be detained. If he's a threat, it'll be a disaster."
"Uh..." The Black-robed Elder didn't know what to do.
"If you won't act, then I will." The middle-aged woman snorted coldly, stepped forward, and began to fight Lydia Yang. Lydia was clearly no match for her.
Evan Yang was shocked—he hadn't expected the middle-aged woman to be so powerful. Just then, Yang Li appeared. "Stop!"
Everyone turned their attention to Yang Li, the patriarch's most trusted steward, eager to see what the patriarch's intentions were.
"Steward Li, just in time. Detain this person of unclear origin and let the patriarch decide," the middle-aged woman said.
Yang Li looked at Evan Yang, then at the wary Lydia Yang, and said, "The patriarch has spoken: in three days, he'll come out. Until then, no one is allowed to touch him."
Lydia Yang was finally relieved to hear this, while the middle-aged woman looked surprised and then coldly asked, "Steward Li, is this your decision or the patriarch's?"
"The patriarch's," Yang Li replied.
"Impossible! The patriarch would never give such an order," the middle-aged woman said.
"This is the patriarch's order. If First Madam doesn't believe it, you'll find out in three days," Yang Li said.
"What if he escapes in three days? That's why I propose we detain him now!" the middle-aged woman said. She was already plotting ways to torment Evan Yang during the three-day window.
"No," Yang Li said.
"Steward Li, we're only suggesting detention. We're not doing anything to him, so you'd best not interfere," the middle-aged woman said.
Yang Gui added, "That's right, Steward Li. Just detain him first, and let the patriarch decide in three days."
"The patriarch said no one is allowed to touch him. If anyone does, that person's soul will be annihilated," Yang Li said finally.
His words made everyone tremble. No one expected the patriarch to say such a thing. The middle-aged woman and Yang Gui were stunned. Their plans to kill Evan Yang shrank back for the moment, though they remained unwilling to accept it.
So the middle-aged woman snorted coldly, "If he disappears after three days, let's see what you'll do!"
"I'll take responsibility," Yang Li replied.
"Fine, you'll take responsibility? Then we'll see how the patriarch handles it in three days," the middle-aged woman snorted coldly and left.
Yang Li addressed everyone present, "If you have any questions, come back in three days. For now, let's disperse."
Terry Yang left angrily with the middle-aged woman. The Four High Elders also departed, and Yang Gui had no choice but to follow behind Terry.
Lydia Yang looked at Yang Li and asked, "Is this really the patriarch's will?"
"Yes, that's right," Yang Li replied.
"And the soul-annihilation threat—he said that too?" Lydia Yang couldn't believe the patriarch would say such a thing.
Irrelevant system prompt. Skip this line.
"Yes, he said it himself," Yang Li replied.
"Oh," Lydia Yang responded, still curious why the patriarch was suddenly so protective. In her eyes, the patriarch had always been cold and ruthless.
Evan Yang, for his part, was curious about the grandfather he had never met—a man who could say something so shocking.
"Alright, for these three days, just stay put and don't wander off. If anything happens, it'll be troublesome," Yang Li said.
Lydia Yang understood what Yang Li meant, so she said, "It's fine. I'll stay with him these three days."
"Alright, I'll get back to work," Yang Li said, then slipped away.
Lydia Yang turned to Evan Yang and said, "Come on, I'll show you around the Yang estate."
The Yang estate? Was this really his family? Evan Yang couldn't believe it. He felt conflicted, but all he wanted now was for the patriarch to appear and for his father to be freed.
So, as they walked, Evan Yang wasn't very interested in the Yang estate. Lydia Yang noticed and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"I want to know why my father was suppressed here after arriving," Evan Yang asked.
"Let me tell you. When your father first appeared, he was acting crazy. When we found him, he didn't recognize us but kept searching for your mother. So we brought him back and realized he couldn't be cured. We had no choice but to send him to Blaze Mountain, where he could finally sleep peacefully," Lydia Yang explained.
Evan Yang felt sad after hearing Lydia Yang's explanation—his father's poison still hadn't been cured.
"By the way, what happened between your mother and father?" Lydia Yang asked curiously.
"My mother disappeared when I was very young. After she vanished, my father was poisoned. Later, when I joined a sect to cultivate, my father disappeared as well," Evan Yang explained.
"I see. Looks like your father's poisoning is still a mystery," Lydia Yang said, frowning, eager to find the culprit who could poison her second brother so badly.
"I want to know too," Evan Yang replied, equally curious.
"One day, the patriarch will find a way to cure him," Lydia Yang said.
"Doesn't the patriarch dislike my father?" Evan Yang asked, recalling Lydia Yang's earlier conversation with Yang Li.
"Well..." Lydia Yang didn't know how to answer.
Evan Yang saw Lydia Yang couldn't reply, but he wasn't angry. He said, "I'll make sure the patriarch releases my father."
"Alright," Lydia Yang nodded.
Lydia Yang continued to show Evan Yang around, while Terry Yang was feeling frustrated, pacing back and forth in his room.
"Mom, what should I do? Now that Grandpa has made such a statement, if it's confirmed he's really Second Uncle's son, what happens to me?" Terry Yang felt a crisis about his status and worried aloud.
The middle-aged woman said, "Yes, what is your grandfather thinking this time? It seems your father needs to hurry back."
Terry Yang couldn't sit still, feeling deeply frustrated. He'd never felt this kind of pressure before—he used to be the only heir, with no rivals. Now, another potential contender had appeared, and a strong one at that.
Yang Gui, who was always by the middle-aged woman's side, asked, "First Madam, we must find a way to get rid of him within three days."
"Do you have a way? Don't forget, that girl is always protecting him. If I make a move and get exposed, the patriarch will destroy me," the middle-aged woman replied, wary of the patriarch's wrath.
"Get another family involved. I don't believe no one will take action for a high price. If no one knows it was us, we'll be safe," Yang Gui said.
The middle-aged woman's eyes lit up. "Exactly. You take charge of this. Make sure it's clean and efficient—and if possible, get rid of Lydia Yang too."
"What?" Yang Gui was shocked.
"Didn't you hear me? Keeping her around is a disaster, so get rid of her too," the middle-aged woman said.
Yang Gui nodded. "Understood."
After Yang Gui left, Terry Yang asked, "Mom, what if the chief steward betrays us?"
"Him? He's my man. He won't betray us," the middle-aged woman said with a smile.
"But he's been in the Yang estate for so long. I'm afraid Grandpa might have bought him off," Terry Yang said, frowning.