The main hall of the Dao Feng Group headquarters.
Though the hall was already filled with people, an unusual silence pervaded the air.
No!
It wasn't silence, it was deathly stillness!
Everyone could feel that the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table had an expression as dark as could be, his anger and hatred in his eyes seemingly taking on physical form.
The middle-aged man appeared to be nearly fifty years old, with faint streaks of white at his temples. At this moment, he exuded no discernible aura, yet an astonishing chill permeated the surrounding air.
It was enough to suffocate someone!
"Dead! I emerge from seclusion, and you tell me my son is dead. What a truly grand surprise!"
Zhou Wu Dao clasped his hands together on the table, his voice deep and tinged with hoarseness.
"Gro-Group Leader! We... we didn't expect anyone would dare to..."
*Boom!*
Before the man could finish speaking, he was sent flying backward by two cold beams of light shot from Zhou Wu Dao's eyes, crashing directly into a table corner ten meters away.
Instantly, he bled profusely from the head and fell unconscious.
"Didn't expect! Is this the answer you give me?" Zhou Wu Dao’s gaze swept over everyone, his voice growing even deeper.
"No... no! Gro-Group Leader! We have already identified the killer of the Young Group Leader. With just your command, we can bring the culprit before you."
At this moment, a slightly plump man with a rounded, somewhat oily face, emboldened by desperation, spoke up.
His name was Zhang Yi, and he was primarily in charge of intelligence management for the Dao Feng Group.
"Where is that person?" Zhou Wu Dao looked at him, a murderous glint appearing in his pupils.
"According to our informants, that young man is currently at the Yan family's estate!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Yan family!"
Upon hearing these two words, Zhou Wu Dao’s brow furrowed slightly. "To be involved with the Yan family, no wonder they dared to be so brazen!"
It seemed Zhou Wu Dao held some apprehension towards the Yan family.
"However! Since they dared to kill my son, what does it matter if they are connected to the Yan family?"
At this point, Zhou Wu Dao stood up. The true qi within his body began to circulate, then spread throughout his entire being. As the true qi surged outwards, Zhou Wu Dao’s body became strangely ethereal.
It was as if... he had merged with the surrounding air.
"This... Group Leader! Could it be that you..."
Witnessing this, everyone present stood up. Their breathing grew rapid, their faces filled with shock and excitement.
"That's right! I have now stepped into the Half-step Martial God realm," Zhou Wu Dao sneered. "I refuse to believe that old fellow Yan Yi would oppose the Dao Feng Group for an outsider."
Half-step Martial God!
Throughout the entire Zhifeng Province, no one had ever taken this step before.
If this was the case, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Dao Feng Group's status would ascend another level.
"Congratulations, Group Leader, on entering the Martial God realm!"
"Congratulations, Group Leader, on entering the Martial God realm!"
"..."
Seeing the ethereal figure before them, everyone bowed their heads in kowtow.
"Good!"
Zhou Wu Dao looked at Zhang Yi and inquired, "You said earlier that Xie Di was killed by Qiu Xiao Tian. What's going on with that?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yi stammered with some trepidation, "This... this is what those seriously injured individuals witnessed. As for the specific details, we might need to invite Lord Qiu..."
"En?"
Seeing Zhang Yi’s anxious expression, Zhou Wu Dao's brow twitched. He scanned his surroundings and said gravely, "Where is Qiu Xiao Tian?"
At this moment, he was suddenly struck by a bad premonition.
Xie Di had come this time to represent the Martial Hall in forming an alliance with them. Yet now, the young master of the other party had died at the hands of Qiu Xiao Tian.
If they were to discover this matter, the situation would likely be...
"Reply... Reply, Group Leader! Lord Qiu... Lord Qiu... has vanished!"
...
The Yan family.
"Xiao Ye! You've changed!"
In the courtyard, at a round stone table, Ye Ming and Yan Yinluo were seated together. Opposite them sat a couple and an elder.
The person who had just spoken was Yan Yinluo's mother, Xu Lian.
She looked at the young man before her, who was a completely different person from when she first met him. The coldness that always emanated from him was now gone.
"Auntie! After experiencing some things, one naturally changes!" Ye Ming was also happy to see Yan Yinluo's parents again.
When Ye Ming first entered human society, this couple was among the few who had shown him warmth.
It was just that, at the time, he hadn't fully appreciated it.
"Good! Very good!"
Xu Lian chuckled teasingly, "You have no idea! Back then, after Yinluo was met with coldness from you, she would always run to me crying. But the next day, she would still go back to you..."
"Ah! Mom! You... you're still talking about me..."
Seeing her mother begin to bring up past embarrassing moments, Yan Yinluo's small face flushed. She quickly stood up and stopped her.
"Oh! Our little princess is feeling shy?"
Seeing her daughter’s bashful demeanor, Xu Lian's smile grew even brighter.
"Mom! Brother Ming... Brother Ming hasn't eaten yet! Let's go to the kitchen and take a look. Come on, let's go to the kitchen!"
Yan Yinluo didn't wait for her mother's reply, grabbing her arm and pulling her away.
"Hahaha!"
Watching the mother and daughter, Ye Ming and the other two couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ye Ming! Thank you for Yinluo's matter earlier." Looking at the departing mother and daughter, Yan Yinluo's father, Yan Xu, said earnestly.
What he was referring to was naturally the recent online incident.
"Uncle! It was all my duty!"
Ye Ming looked at Yan Yinluo's retreating figure and said gently, "From now on, I will not allow similar things to happen!"
Hearing this, Yan Xu and his son exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thoughts.
Ye Ming's special nature had been known to them for four years.
However, due to Ye Ming's excessively indifferent personality at the time, and his detached attitude towards everything, they hadn't wanted their precious princess to get involved with him.
Time had passed, and now, seeing him again, his temperament had changed, and so had he.
Especially Ye Ming's recent performance, which caused them some concern.
After all, the mere identity of "Teacher Ye" was enough to explain many things.
As the Yan family had been involved in politics for a long time, their sensitivity to certain information far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Especially with the recent series of events and the attitudes of those in higher positions, all these pointed to an impending change.
And Ye Ming was currently at the very center of this transformation.
Therefore, they were worried.
"Young fellow Ye! You haven't just returned to visit us this time, have you?" Yan Yi looked at the young man before him, seemingly trying to see through his thoughts.
He could somewhat guess the purpose of Ye Ming's visit.
"Grandpa Yan! I know I can't hide anything from you!"
Ye Ming met the gaze of the elder before him, choosing not to engage in pleasantries but to get straight to the point.
"Grandpa Yan, how much do you know about the recent government actions?"