Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Xu Zhengfeng hurriedly protested, “Big Brother, I didn’t do it!” The two brothers quarreled bitterly.

Xu Meijiao stepped forward to mediate, “Let’s stop fighting for now. We should go check on Father first.”

“Yes, let’s see how Old Xu is doing,” Elder Yun sighed, his eyes reddening with sorrow.

Everyone heaved a collective sigh and made their way inside to visit Old Xu.

By now, a servant had already draped a white cloth over Old Xu. The three Xu sons stood by the sickbed, sobbing uncontrollably, while Elder Yun’s brows were deeply furrowed in grief, his heart aching.

Ye Fengyun stood by without expression.

Among the three, Xu Dahai’s wailing was the most heart-wrenching. Yet, perhaps it was his excessive display that made Ye Fengyun feel something was amiss.

Out in the corridor, the servants began to whisper among themselves.

“I heard the old master was poisoned by someone in the family.”

“Is that true? Could it have been the eldest young master?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! The eldest young master is known throughout Yunchuan City for his filial piety. How could he harm the old master?”

“Some say it’s a plot within a plot. With the old master’s death, the inheritance falls to the eldest young master, making him the main suspect.”

“What? That’s too sinister. If that’s the case, someone’s trying to frame the eldest young master!”

“If you ask me, the second young master is more likely the culprit.”

“I agree. Even when the old master was gravely ill, the second young master didn’t return. Such a disloyal, unfilial man.”

All these murmurs reached Ye Fengyun’s ears.

But was that truly the case?

Ye Fengyun’s formidable strength endowed him with extraordinary perception. He could sense the emotional fluctuations on every face, every shift in their eyes.

Xu Dahai appeared deeply grieved, but his gaze betrayed something different.

Perhaps from crying too hard, Xu Dahai began to retch. A servant tried to support him, but he waved the help away, choking out, “Meijiao, keep an eye on Father. I—I need to use the restroom. Forgive my impropriety.”

He wiped his eyes and left the room.

Ye Fengyun found a seat in the room, closed his eyes, and released a wave of mental awareness that swept through the entire villa like a rising tide.

Within the villa, not a blade of grass or a stone, not a soul or an object escaped Ye Fengyun’s perception. He could distinguish the northern wind rattling the front gate and even the faintest sound from cracks between the floor tiles.

He found Xu Dahai’s position: contrary to his claim, Xu Dahai hadn’t gone to the bathroom, but to his own room.

The door to Xu Dahai’s room was custom-made, bulletproof, and unlocked only by iris scan. The walls were lined with high-grade sound-absorbing material, making the room nearly impervious to noise.

Xu Dahai pulled out his phone, his hands trembling.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you say this was a slow poison from the Western Regions, that it would only ruin the body but wouldn’t kill?” Xu Dahai demanded furiously.

He failed to notice a tiny red light blinking in the room.

All his actions were being recorded by a pinhole camera.

“Damn it, I never wanted the old man dead! All I wanted was to be named heir! I made that clear from the very beginning!” Xu Dahai roared in a fury.

“I’ve supported the old man for years, but he wanted to pass the inheritance to my second brother. I just wanted to weaken his body, so I could tend to him, prove my filial devotion, and make him reconsider and name me his successor!

“Otherwise, why go to all this trouble? Why would I risk poisoning him every time with my heart pounding in fear? Why would I spend a fortune arranging people to stop my second brother from coming home to see the old man?”

But the person on the other end of the call seemed unwilling to listen and hung up abruptly.

“Hey, hello?!” Xu Dahai shouted, smashing his phone to the floor in his rage.

He crouched down, clutching his head. Suddenly, he stood up again, letting out a strange, cold laugh.

“Now that the old man’s dead, no one will know about my second brother succeeding the family. I’m the rightful heir now!

“Ha ha ha ha ha—”

Xu Dahai laughed maniacally, unaware that everything—the entire scene—was being watched by Old Xu from another room.

Inside, Old Xu sat in his wheelchair, clutching his phone, watching the surveillance feed from Xu Dahai’s room.

The camera was cutting-edge, capturing not just video but audio as well, so every word Xu Dahai had said was clearly heard.

Red-eyed and shaking with rage, even his beard trembled as Old Xu watched.

Elder Yun laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It took several deep breaths for Old Xu to compose himself.

“Worthless scoundrel!” Old Xu slammed his palm on his thigh, then looked up at Ye Fengyun. “Young Miracle Doctor, how long until I can walk again?”

Ye Fengyun estimated the time. “About now, you should be able to.”

Without another word, Old Xu pushed himself to his feet.

Elder Yun quickly grabbed his arm. “Old Xu, don’t be rash.”

“Old Yun, this is my family’s business. I’m sorry you have to witness this. I only faked my death on the advice of this young miracle doctor, to observe what would happen. I never imagined Xu Dahai would actually wish me dead!”

Elder Yun was speechless.

At that moment, Xu Dahai, apparently noticing the camera, stepped over to it in the surveillance feed.

The phone screen went black—the camera had been removed.

In his room, Xu Dahai stared at the familiar camera in his hand, deeply shaken.

Isn’t this the camera I installed in the old man’s room? How did it end up here?

The more Xu Dahai pondered, the more uneasy he became, and soon a murderous intent was born in his heart.

If what he’d just said got out, his standing in the Xu family would be utterly destroyed.

Who could have done this? Who?

Suddenly, a name came to Xu Dahai—Ye Fengyun.

“That kid always stood in front of the camera when checking the old man’s pulse. He must have noticed something.”

Xu Dahai’s eyes darkened, but he quickly sneered, “What’s there to fear in a penniless brat? At worst, a bit of money will make him disappear.”

Crushing the camera in his hand, Xu Dahai returned to Old Xu’s room.

Inside, Xu Zhengfeng and Xu Tianjiao were still quietly weeping, the servants overwhelmed with grief, yet Ye Fengyun was nowhere to be seen.

Not spotting Ye Fengyun unsettled Xu Dahai.

“Are you looking for me, Eldest Young Master?” Ye Fengyun re-entered the room, his smile innocent and harmless.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Xu Dahai flinched in fright.

“Come with me,” he demanded.

Xu Dahai dragged Ye Fengyun to his room.

Ye Fengyun did not resist, but followed silently.

Once inside, Xu Dahai locked the door and stepped menacingly toward Ye Fengyun.