Shouyang Mountain Villa.
The mother and daughter, Min Ziqiong and Nannan, were clearly exhausted after a series of events over the past two days.
As soon as they got out of the car, Min Ziqiong hugged Nannan and said goodbye, returning to her bedroom.
Meanwhile, Ying Chen returned to his room, entered the mountain lord's medicinal tub to bathe, and stared at the full tub of medicinal liquid, pondering something.
A day passed quickly.
In the evening, a furtive figure suddenly appeared in front of the gate of Shouyang Mountain Villa.
The figure first cautiously peered into the villa, as if checking if anyone was inside.
Then, they listened for a moment, hearing no activity.
They waved their hand to beckon someone hiding in the distance.
The other person was clearly reluctant.
Their footsteps were slow and hesitant, and they kept complaining, "Old woman, this isn't right, is it?"
"Let alone that Xiao Qing is already back and told us he wasn't kidnapped, so we wrongly accused Xiao Qiong and Ying Chen. Even if Xiao Qing hadn't returned, isn't this act of trespassing immoral?"
These two were none other than Min Ziqiong's father and mother!
They had already met Min Ziqing and learned the truth.
However, after meeting them, Min Ziqing once again became absent, disappearing to who knows where.
While the parents were relieved that their son was safe, they were also furious that Min Ziqiong and Ying Chen had conspired to deceive them.
Ying Chen had even fabricated a lie about a hundred million ransom, which had put them through so much hardship during this time.
In a fit of anger, Min Ziqiong's mother suggested going to Shouyang Mountain Villa to "borrow" a couple of items to compensate for their emotional distress.
"Morality? Was it moral for those two to conspire to deceive us?"
"We just wanted to take a couple of their antiques, but they wanted to swindle us out of a hundred million ransom!"
"If Xiao Qing hadn't returned this time, we would still have been kept in the dark! We might have even handed over a hundred million to them! What if we ended up with nothing? Who would cover the hundred million deficit?"
Min Ziqiong's mother turned and looked at her husband with disdain.
When money was mentioned, Min Ziqiong's father fell silent.
In this day and age, money made a man, and lack of it made life difficult.
He didn't have control over the family's finances, so he naturally lacked the confidence to speak with his head held high.
"But... what if Xiao Qiong and Ying Chen come back? You saw how terrifying Ying Chen was that night. Aren't you afraid he'll do the same thing again, eating antiques raw?"
Min Ziqiong's father said worriedly.
Evidently, the couple were unaware that Ying Chen had already returned from Yan Jing, nor did they know about Hu Quan'an's death, or the fact that Old Master Hu had been resurrected and was once again in charge of the Hu family.
A sneer played on Min Ziqiong's mother's lips. She chuckled coldly, "Come back? Can they even come back?"
"Yan Jing is the Hu family's territory! Young Master Hu is like a dragon in the sea there. How can a mere mud snake like Ying Chen oppose him?"
"He thinks he can save the mother and daughter, but in reality, he can't even save himself! It's like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, utterly delusional. Such a person is not worthy of pity; on the contrary, he's quite detestable."
After speaking, Min Ziqiong's mother strode directly into the villa.
"Since he's not coming back, we don't need to worry about whether he agrees or not. Do you think he can jump out from underground to stop us?"
Min Ziqiong's mother felt righteous, believing that Ying Chen owed her.
Especially after Ying Chen had crushed antiques into powder and stuffed them into her mouth that night, forcing her to have her stomach pumped for an entire day. She never wanted to experience that kind of pain again.
She was determined to get revenge for this.
Since taking revenge on Ying Chen himself was not feasible, she could only take some benefits to compensate for her physical and mental losses.
"But... what if the villa owner finds out later?"
Min Ziqiong's father was still uneasy.
"Coward! You've been a coward since I met you, and you're still a coward after living so long!"
"Firstly, people of the villa owner's caliber wouldn't notice if a few things were missing; even if they did, they wouldn't know. Secondly, even if they knew, it would be Ying Chen who stole them! What does it have to do with us?"
"As for confrontation, Ying Chen is already dead in Yan Jing, so who will the villa owner confront? This is a case of dead men telling no tales!"
"Alright, stop the nagging! Where's the sack I asked you to prepare?"
It turned out that Min Ziqiong's mother wasn't just "taking a couple of things" as she claimed, but had even prepared a sack, intending to take everything.
Min Ziqiong's father, like a thief, produced a sack from behind him.
For people like them, finding a sack was quite difficult.
He had specifically bought one from a neighborhood sanitation worker – a big brand, Stanley.
"Old woman, I still don't think this is right... For some reason, I have a bad feeling..."
*Crack!*
Facing her husband's incessant nagging, Min Ziqiong's mother couldn't be bothered to scold him anymore. She slapped him.
Min Ziqiong's father then completely shut up.
He obediently followed behind, heading towards the villa's living room.
"See, I told you he wasn't back!"
"Look at the water in this teacup, it's gone stale! At least three days old!"
Min Ziqiong's mother triumphantly pointed to the teacup on the living room table.
The next second, her gaze swept over the antique decorations around the living room.
"Tsk tsk, look at this! A white marble stone lion ornament with weathered old skin! I saw one like this at a friend's house before, and it wasn't even half this size. It was priced at eight hundred thousand! This one is estimated to be at least two million to start!"
"Quick, quick, pack it up!"
"And this... a Guangxu famille rose hundred treasures pattern plate! That must be over a hundred thousand!"
"This one here, I recognize it too, a Shoushan stone carving! The craftsmanship is so exquisite, it must not be cheap! Pack it up, pack it all up!"
Min Ziqiong's mother, like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, her eyes lit up at every item she saw, and then she asked her husband to pack it into the sack.
Before long, the sack was bulging.
"Old man, do you think this is fate? I recognize all these antiques! None of the ones I don't recognize have appeared! Isn't this Heaven's way of telling me that these antiques were prepared for me?"
Min Ziqiong's mother said smugly.
Min Ziqiong's father outwardly dared not speak, but inwardly he was full of complaints: You're using a phone app to take pictures and identify things, it would be strange if you didn't recognize them!
"Old woman, that's enough. If you take any more, you'll empty the place..."
Min Ziqiong's father tried to persuade her.
"Shut up! Don't stop until I say so! What's wrong with emptying the place? I even want to move the entire villa away!"
Min Ziqiong's mother retorted without looking back.
Just as she reached for an ivory jade vase to put into the sack, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
"It seems you didn't eat enough last time. Have you come for a meal again?"
*Crack!*
Min Ziqiong's mother shivered, her hand fumbled, and she dropped the ivory jade vase to the ground.
It instantly shattered into powder.
"Ying... Ying Chen?"
"You're... not dead!"
Min Ziqiong's mother turned around in a panic, staring at the suddenly appearing Ying Chen in disbelief, and said.
She couldn't understand why, if Ying Chen had voluntarily gone to Yan Jing, Young Master Hu didn't take the opportunity to get rid of him, but instead let him go back.
Ying Chen didn't answer. He coldly looked at the powder of the ivory jade vase on the ground, a sneer on his lips: "It seems you are indeed very hungry, you've started cooking for yourself."
"If that's the case, then I won't disturb you. Don't be polite, please!"
After speaking, Ying Chen looked at Min Ziqiong's mother with killing intent.
Min Ziqiong's mother looked at Ying Chen, then at the powder on the ground.
The painful scene from a few days ago flashed back in her mind.
She shook her head like a rattle drum, repeatedly refusing, "No! No! I'm not hungry! I won't eat!"
Ying Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, like a furious tiger in the mountains: "Wasting food is shameful."
"Or, do you want me to feed you, like last time?"